Sera stood frozen, still looking dazed. Blinking her big eyes, she muttered,
“Wait, really? Are you the one marrying my brother…? The poor sister-in-law?”
How did they end up meeting like this here? Curious, Nayoon checked the time. It was a little early for lunch, but she considered inviting her for a meal.
“Nice to meet you. It’s a bit early, but would you like to have lunch with me?”
“Oh, no. I just really wanted to see you, sister-in-law. I know it’s rude to just show up, I’m sorry if I disturbed your work.”
“It’s not rude at all. I was curious too.”
“Having a meal would be too much, but… can we at least have a cup of tea?”
“Of course.”
Nayoon reached out and connected to the secretary’s office to ask for some tea. Sera stared at her, eyes sparkling.
It was just the kind of scene she had dreamed of.
The graceful hand gestures, the soft voice, the calm tone. Even a small request looked professional.
Yes, this is exactly the kind of person I dreamed of. I knew it the moment I saw her yesterday.
Sera tried hard to suppress her smile as she sat across from Nayoon on the sofa.
“But why do you say I’m ‘poor’?”
Smiling, Nayoon asked. Sera gasped and quickly shook her head.
“Oh, no, I mean—my brother seems perfect on the outside! He’s successful, tall, good-looking, and rich too. Everyone around us is always curious about him…”
Sera continued praising her one and only brother, squeezing out every compliment.
“He’s perfect, but if I had to name one fatal flaw—”
“A flaw?”
“He’s a bit… obsessive, I guess?”
“Obsessive?”
“Ah, overprotective is a better word. He’s insanely overprotective. He always wants to know where I’m going, who I’m with. He even shows up out of nowhere sometimes. It’s better now that I’m studying abroad.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I mean, I get it. Apparently, when we were kids, I went missing while we were playing. I don’t remember it, but still. That’s really the only flaw…”
From Sera’s perspective, her brother must’ve been overbearing. From Jaeha’s perspective, it must’ve been terrifying.
“Then I guess he doesn’t have any flaws when it comes to me.”
“Huh? Is that how it works?”
“Seems like it.”
Just then, a knock sounded, and the tea arrived. The secretary placed the tea in front of them and quietly left. Sera spoke up.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t introduce myself, did I? I’m Goo Sera. Goo Sera.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Nayoon figured that made sense.
She’d heard that name countless times from her adoptive parents.
“I know. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“From who? My brother? What did he say? He didn’t say anything weird, did he?”
Sera’s lips pouted immediately. She suddenly worried that Jaeha might have said something strange about her.
But the answer was unexpected.
“He said his little sister is really cute.”
“Eh? No way…”
“He was right. You’re cute.”
Sera’s bashful face quickly turned into a shy smile.
“Oh, I’m not. I’m really not cute.”
“Then should we have a meal together sometime? With Jaeha.”
“Oh, sure! But no, absolutely not!”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? As Nayoon took a sip of tea, Sera rushed to explain.
“I mean, I want to eat with just you, no intruders.”
Calling Jaeha an intruder made Nayoon laugh. So this is what real siblings are like?
“Then let’s do that—just the two of us.”
“I always envied friends who had older sisters. Can I call you ‘unni’ comfortably…?”
“Of course.”
At that, Sera smiled brightly. Nayoon stared at her for a moment. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now that she looked closely, Sera was really stunning—even from a woman’s perspective.
“What is it? Why are you staring like that? Do I have something on my face?”
Sera fumbled at her face, and Nayoon said,
“You kind of look like Jaeha.”
“Just the face, right? Just the face!”
It was true, kind of. Nayoon thought she was starting to understand what Jaeha meant before. Maybe Sera was a bit of a handful—but in a charming way.
All the tension from earlier melted away, and now Nayoon just found Sera adorable.
“Did you know, unni? My dad really likes you. Says you saved a person’s life.”
Embarrassed, Nayoon brought her teacup to her lips, and Sera did the same.
Then Sera suddenly asked,
“Oh, unni—did you pick out your wedding dress yet?”
“They said the shop would pick it out for me…”
“What? Unni! The highlight of wedding prep is the dress tour! How can you just wear whatever they give you?”
Is that weird? Nayoon tilted her head. Of course, Jooran would pick the dress. She always did.
“Did my brother agree to that?”
Nayoon thought back to a brief conversation they had and nodded. At that, Sera jumped up, clenched her fist, and exclaimed,
“My brother is so heartless!”
“Sorry?”
“Brides look forward to the dress tour so much. My brother is so thoughtless. That’s another flaw—he’s careless!”
“Is that so?”
Nayoon’s calm reaction made Sera look at her for a moment.
Somehow, her brother and her soon-to-be sister-in-law felt similar.
“Anyway. Don’t regret it later—pick the prettiest dress. No, wait. I’ll go with you. I want our sister-in-law to be the most beautiful that day.”
Sera’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Maybe this is what being a handful meant.
Nayoon wasn’t interested in dresses at all, but Sera seemed completely sincere.
She truly wanted her to be the most beautiful that day.
As expected, Jaeha contacted her. Said he’d come pick her up.
“That’s not necessary. I’m already on my way home.”
Nayoon drove leisurely. From the speaker, Jaeha sighed.
— Late again.
“You don’t have to do this every time. Aren’t you busy?”
— Like I said, my father wants me to do this.
A small laugh came through the speaker, followed by a low voice.
— Also, like I said before, if we’re sloppy, we’ll get caught.
That sounded like Jaeha’s every move was being reported to Chairman Goo.
Nayoon looked ahead quietly, then said,
“Then… do you want to come by the house for a bit?”
A short breath came through.
— The house?
“I mean out front. Or we could meet somewhere else briefly. You know, this kind of thing is necessary.”
— It is. Then I’ll see you in front of your house.
“Okay.”
With that, Nayoon naturally began checking traffic conditions.
She had been planning to take it slow, but now she adjusted her route with purpose.
Soon she arrived in front of her house, slowing the car.
In the distance, she saw Jaeha’s car parked.
As if recognizing her car, the driver’s door opened. His long legs touched the ground as Jaeha stepped out.
A cool breeze came in through the slightly open window in the late evening. The streetlights cast deep pools of light onto the road.
As Nayoon came to a full stop, he slowly began to walk toward her.
His crisp suit, his perfectly straight tie. The light from the streetlamp fell and rose from his face, revealing and hiding him as he approached.
He kept coming closer.
Without even realizing it, Nayoon turned off the engine and just stared.
At Goo Jaeha, walking toward her—looking only at her.
