When asked where she was, Nayoon paused for a moment before opening her mouth.
“I’m fine.”
– Is there a place called ‘I’m fine’?
“Ah, I mean…”
– Just tell me. I’m coming to pick you up.
At the firm words, Nayoon finally told him where she was. Then, there was a faint exhale from the other end of the line.
“Why?”
– Nothing. I’m coming now.
Telling her to wait a little, that he’d be there soon, the call ended.
“Why aren’t you answering? I asked if you called for a driver, unnie.”
Haeryeong, standing a few steps away, looked at Nayoon with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
“I was on the phone.”
“Is that call more important than me?”
“There she goes again.”
Shaking her head, Nayoon turned to Haeryeong’s secretary who had been waiting nearby.
“Take her home, please.”
“Ugh, I told you, just come with me.”
“Someone’s coming for me.”
“Who?”
It wasn’t likely she’d called her secretary who had already gone off duty, and it didn’t seem like she called for a driver.
Haeryeong glanced at Nayoon, but Nayoon just pushed her toward the car.
“Go on. Your secretary has been waiting for ages.”
“Ah, unnie!”
“You have to sleep early if you want to go to work tomorrow.”
“Spoken like a true executive.”
Rolling her eyes, Haeryeong finally got into the car and, after opening the window, waved at Nayoon.
“See you again, unnie!”
“Yeah.”
Winking at Nayoon, Haeryeong leaned back against the seat, and the smile on her lips slowly faded.
“Ugh, I’m tired. Is there a place you can park a little farther away?”
Given how she avoided giving a clear answer, it had to be him.
Why is he coming all the way here to pick her up?
Nayoon was never the type to share everything openly, and Haeryeong wasn’t the type to pry. But strangely, this time, she was curious.
“The nearby road makes it hard to park…”
At the secretary’s troubled answer, Haeryeong frowned slightly.
“Then at least let me see who comes to get her before you park. Drive slow or take a loop.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
The secretary drove the car slowly as if planning to circle around.
Watching Haeryeong’s car fade away, Nayoon stood quietly by the roadside.
Trying to find a reason again for him saying he’d come to get her… but soon gave up.
It could happen. Let’s just leave it at that.
I could’ve called a driver though…
Standing there, feeling the cool breeze, a car soon pulled up in front of her.
The window lowered, and Nayoon tilted her head slightly to see who it was.
No surprise—it was Jaeha.
“Get in.”
Without hesitation, Nayoon got into the car, and Jaeha, watching her quietly, smiled as he slowly pulled away.
Why is he smiling?
Nayoon was curious but didn’t bother to ask.
“Is this place famous?”
He didn’t seem to be asking her specifically, more like talking to himself. Nayoon wasn’t going to answer but opened her mouth anyway.
“Maybe?”
“Are you good at drinking?”
“No. Not really.”
“Thought so.”
Is he teasing me?
When Nayoon narrowed her eyes, Jaeha asked again.
“So why did you come here?”
“Just to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“A younger friend.”
“Ah.”
“And what about you, Jaeha? Didn’t you come to say something?”
The car was now cruising down the road, and Jaeha answered lightly.
“Nope.”
Nayoon’s eyes widened. Then why did he come?
Should I just chalk this up to his personality too?
She looked a little confused, and Jaeha chuckled softly.
“What?”
“Huh? Oh, no…”
“What’s ‘no’?”
In the silent, insulated space of the car, Jaeha’s voice dropped low.
“Ah, it’s just…”
At the sound of his laugh again, Nayoon glanced at him.
Why does he keep laughing? Was there something funny?
The question that had been swirling in her head finally spilled out.
“Why do you keep laughing?”
Even as she asked, her eyes wavered slightly in surprise, but she didn’t take back the words.
At the red light, Jaeha stopped the car and looked at her.
He’d fully expected her to hesitate before getting in the car, but she hadn’t. She didn’t ask why he came, and even with those wavering eyes, she stared straight at him. It reminded him of the young Nayoon from the past.
“Someone came to mind.”
With that, Jaeha turned the wheel again.
Should he tell her who? He hesitated briefly but decided against it when she didn’t ask.
Glancing at her, Jaeha saw she had turned her head toward the window. Seemed like she wasn’t going to ask.
He knew it hadn’t been that long, but Nayoon really didn’t remember him at all.
How could she forget? It’s still so vivid for me.
With that slightly sulky thought, Jaeha focused on driving.
Before long, they neared Nayoon’s home, and as he looked straight ahead, Jaeha spoke.
“Oh, we found our newlywed house. It’s a new apartment, but they said it needs some additional work.”
Nayoon, who had been staring out the window, finally turned to him.
“Ah, really? Do you need my help?”
“Not at all.”
His blunt rejection stung a little, but Nayoon quickly pushed the feeling aside.
“Okay.”
Her gaze returned to the window, and the car stopped just past her house.
Unbuckling her seatbelt, Nayoon spoke.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“I’ll handle the newlywed house myself.”
Nayoon looked at him quietly and spoke again.
“And?”
“I do need help with something else.”
For the first time that evening, Nayoon’s expression brightened a little. With a hint of curiosity, she asked,
“What kind of help?”
“My younger sister’s here. But she’s… a bit wild.”
“Ah… And?”
“I might have to bring her to meet you.”
“Ah.”
The short sound of acknowledgment seemed like she understood.
“I’ll try to stop her… but…”
She’s the stubborn type. Might be hard to stop her. Should I threaten her?
While Jaeha hesitated, Nayoon spoke up.
“I was actually curious, so this is perfect.”
Jaeha’s gaze flicked upward.
“Perfect?”
“Yes. It’s fine. You said you needed my help.”
“She can be kind of annoying.”
“That’s fine too.”
After all, Haeryeong was no less annoying.
“She’ll say all sorts of nonsense.”
“Do you want me to stop her?”
“You caught me?”
Nayoon nodded.
“Yeah. I caught you. But it’s okay, really.”
And she meant it.
No matter how wild or annoying she might be…
At least she’d be better than Jin Soohyuk.
That’s what Nayoon thought. At least… until she met her.
The next day, while Nayoon was at work in her office, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she said, lifting her head, and her secretary spoke.
“Ma’am, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
She hadn’t scheduled anyone.
At Nayoon’s puzzled expression, the secretary added,
“She said to tell you she’s Guse-ra from the Songseong Group.”
At the name, Nayoon let out a short, surprised sound.
Jaeha’s only sister he mentioned yesterday. The one he said was wild.
“Shall I bring her in?”
“Yes. Politely.”
As the secretary left, Nayoon paused her work and stood up.
Feeling a sudden wave of nerves, she prepared to greet her calmly.
To think they’d meet like this today.
Soon, there was another knock, and the door opened.
Nayoon naturally stepped out from behind her desk, and in came Sera, with her long hair tied up high.
“Hello, sister-in-law! I’m Guse-ra… Huh?”
Sera’s eyes widened in recognition, and Nayoon immediately recognized her too.
“Wait… we met yesterday, didn’t we?”
Jaeha’s cute, lively sister who casually called her sister-in-law on their first meeting… was the girl from the lounge last night.
