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Min-hyuk's hand, which had been trailing down from the crown of her head, came to rest on Joo-eun’s nape, closing the dangerously small gap between their lips.
Mesmerized by her glistening, tantalizingly sensual lips, her wide eyes wavered delicately.
How much she had longed for those lips over the past month.
Countless sleepless nights haunted her, nights when she couldn’t forget that sweet yet lethal kiss.
Don’t pull away. Face me deeply.
Fear and yearning swirled together in Joo-eun’s widened eyes.
But indulging in this moment felt too different now compared to before.
It was worlds apart from the time when they had embraced each other in blissful ignorance.
‘I have to stop…!’
With a sharp intake of breath, her hazy mind snapped back into focus.
Just as their lips were about to tangle, brushing teasingly against each other—
“D-Director Min!”
At her urgent call, Min-hyuk’s gaze slowly shifted from her lips to her eyes.
“I-I’ll go out first. Please come down in five minutes… That would be… better.”
As she hastily stood up, his hand resting on her shoulder slid off and fell limply to his side.
Why did that touch feel so heartbreakingly tender?
A cold breeze seemed to sweep through a corner of her chest.
But she had to turn away. She wouldn’t let herself be swayed by something as fleeting as the wind. She wasn’t someone who could be shaken so easily.
Reassuring herself, Joo-eun averted her gaze.
A moment later, Min-hyuk let out a quiet sigh, rose from his seat, and lightly brushed off his pants.
“Haa… Fine. I’ll leave in five minutes, so wait for me downstairs. I’ll walk you home.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Why do you always say everything’s fine?”
“It’s my way of politely declining.”
He chuckled bitterly, as if he hadn’t expected her retort.
“That hurts. Being outright rejected like this.”
“I’ll just accept your kind gesture of rushing here because I wasn’t answering my phone. Thank you. Goodbye.”
Joo-eun drew a clear line: to him, she was nothing more or less than a subordinate.
Though she sensed his displeasure in the slight furrow of his brow, she pretended not to notice, picked up her bag, and bowed slightly.
A heavy silence, darker than the night itself, settled between them as they moved apart.
---
“Haa…”
I’m losing it. I almost kissed him again.
Joo-eun berated herself as she hung her head.
Her heart pounded wildly, as if she’d poured soju on an empty stomach.
Lost in thought, she didn’t even realize how many buses she had missed.
Pull yourself together… please.
Shaking her head vigorously, her phone suddenly vibrated.
The only person who would call at this hour—her mother.
Finally, her racing heart began to calm slightly. Pressing the answer button, she responded weakly.
“Yes… Mom.”
[Where are you? Still working overtime?]
Joo-eun stared at her toes, sweeping her hair back with a heavy hand.
“I’m about to catch the bus.”
[The buses will stop running soon. Be careful coming home.]
“Okay. I will.”
[Oh, by the way. You don’t have any plans this weekend, right?]
Though most weekends were free, Joo-eun hesitated to respond, knowing all too well her mother’s intentions.
[A really good opportunity came up. It’d be such a shame to miss it.]
Of course. Just as she had guessed.
“Mom… I’m only twenty-seven.”
[I know, I know. That’s why I’m hurrying. It’s such a lovely age.]
“Haa… Mom, please. I’ll make decisions about marriage on my own.”
[Do you call not having a proper relationship by this age making good decisions?]
It’s not that I couldn’t—it’s that I chose not to.
Because of work and paying off debts…
Instead of voicing her thoughts, Joo-eun let out another sigh.
[The younger you are, the better the prospects. How can you not understand that?]
“If this is what you’re going to talk about, I’m hanging up.”
Just as Joo-eun lowered her phone to press the end call button, her mother’s voice boomed so loudly it leaked out into the open air.
[Just meet him once! They say he has a full head of hair—I made sure to confirm it.]
“Mom...”
[Is it really so bad that your mom wants to set you up on a blind date? You’ve never dated anyone, and all you know is work and home. Am I such a terrible mother for trying?]
The problem was that this wasn’t a one-time thing.
Lately, there had been a surge of men being pushed her way—likely due to someone whispering in her mother’s ear.
“I’ll talk to you when I get home.”
[I don’t care. Anyway, I told them you’d meet him, so figure it out yourself.]
“Who said I’d meet him? Hey, Mom!”
Joo-eun was utterly exasperated by the abrupt end to the call.
To her, both men and marriage were luxuries she couldn’t afford. Her mother’s increasingly insistent nagging about marriage was becoming unbearable stress.
She had considered moving out, but with her mother’s weak heart and frequent trips to the emergency room, it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
What should she do?
“If you need help, just say so.”
“Mom…!”
Startled, Joo-eun stepped back.
Min-hyuk sat casually beside her, unfazed by her reaction.
“For example, something like playing the role of your boyfriend.”
W-what did he just say…?
Joo-eun moistened her dry lips with her tongue.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
“I wanted to see you off before I go.”
“I clearly told you there’s no need to worry.”
“Do you really not need any help?”
His eyes sparkled like a collection of city lights, gazing at her softly.
How could a man’s eyes be so beautiful?
To keep herself from getting lost in his gaze, Joo-eun forced herself to focus.
“I don’t need it.”
“If you tell her you already have a boyfriend like me, the blind date issue would be resolved perfectly.”
“And instead, you’d hound me every day about meeting new dreams—no thanks. I don’t want to trade one burden for another.”
Today’s questions: Have you met him? Why not? Has he brought up marriage?
It was all too predictable.
“If you’re going to take on a burden anyway, why not pick a pretty one? Considering the favor I owe you, I’m more than willing to be used.”
Leaning closer, Min-hyuk flashed a seductive smile.
T-this man is getting worse…!
He raised his eyebrows slightly, as if urging her to trust him once. Joo-eun glared at him with wide, incredulous eyes.
But the more she stared, the faster her heart raced, making it harder to maintain her glare.
With a sudden movement, she shot up from her seat.
“You don’t owe me anything, so let’s pretend this conversation never happened. The bus is here. Be careful on your way.”
The approaching bus wasn’t even the one headed home.
If she stayed any longer, she feared she might actually beg him for help, so she impulsively boarded any bus to escape.
“Think it over. If you change your mind, feel free to ask anytime. Text me when you arrive.”
Joo-eun didn’t respond to his warm farewell.
In the end, she boarded a bus not knowing where it was headed and found herself speeding through unfamiliar streets for quite some time.
---
Maybe she should have just pulled an all-nighter at the office.
Her mother’s nagging continued relentlessly, even into the morning.
“It’s not just any match. This one is truly too good to pass up. His parents are elementary school principals…”
“Mom, please, enough. Okay?”
Joo-eun snapped, clenching her teeth.
“With my health the way it is, I never know what might happen. I’d feel better knowing there’s someone by your side.”
Her worsening heart condition in recent months had made her mother increasingly worried about her daughter, who always seemed to be alone.
Joo-eun understood her mother’s concerns, but she didn’t want to be dragged into marriage against her will.
“That man will call you soon.”
Joo-eun's eyes widened in alarm.
“You already gave him my number?”
“They need the number to make plans.”
“Haa... I clearly said no, and I’m not answering any calls, so Mom can handle it herself.”
As if she no longer wanted to argue, she retreated into her room and shut the door.
She understood her mother’s concerns, but she truly didn’t want to go on any more blind dates.
Isn’t there some way out of this?
If she wanted peace for a while—not just avoiding this one setup—maybe pretending to date someone would be the only solution.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“If you tell her you have a boyfriend like me, the blind date issue would be resolved perfectly.”
“Ugh. That’s impossible. Absolutely not him.”
The mere thought sent a shiver down Joo-eun’s spine, as if she’d committed some sacrilegious act just by considering it.
“I’ll look around. If I search carefully, I’m bound to find someone suitable.”
With that, she scrolled through her contact list—but…
Not a single name stood out.
Not one person among all those contacts she could ask such a favor from.
It was pitiful, really.
Suddenly, her uneventful youth felt unbearably sad.
“Should I… really ask for help…?”
Her mind, which had earlier dismissed the idea with exaggerated resistance, now leaned toward, Why not? It could work.
“He helped me once, so isn’t it fair to ask for something like this in return…?”
With that thought, her hovering finger naturally moved toward the message button.
Gulping hard, she slowly began typing:
“Sorry to bother you, but if what you said yesterday still stands, could you spare just five minutes to help me…?”
But the moment she typed “five minutes,” reality hit her. She flung her phone away in frustration.
“I’ve lost it. After everything that happened because of ‘five minutes,’ and now I’m bringing it up again?”
Forget it. Blind dates aren’t worth this much trouble.
“Fine. One more blind date won’t end the world. Things will work out somehow.”
With a sigh of resignation, she got up from the bed and headed toward the bathroom.
In her haste, she missed the notification sound coming from her phone, abandoned in the corner of the bed.
---
Even as she stepped out of the house, her mother’s nagging followed her.
“It’s just that I want a nice man to remember how beautiful you are while you’re still young. You understand, right?”
“Yeah, I get it. That’s why I’m heading to work now.”
“Really? So you’ll meet him?”
Hye-joo trailed after Joo-eun, fussing over her hair.
“I’ll call and set something up.”
“Why call? It makes you seem desperate. Just wait. If you wait, they’ll call, and everything will fall into place…”
Just as Joo-eun stepped out of the entrance of their old multi-family housing complex, she froze in shock.
There, amidst the crumbling neighborhood, stood an ultra-luxurious foreign car—and leaning against it, a man who seemed to shine even brighter than the vehicle. Hye-joo, who had been trailing behind, stumbled in surprise at the sight.
“W-why is the director here…?”
Joo-eun barely managed to croak out the words, unable to believe her eyes.
How many times had he startled her since yesterday? And this—this took the cake.
“Is that… Director Min?”
Hye-joo’s incessant nagging abruptly shifted into the poised tone of a refined lady.
Min-hyuk, arms crossed and leaning casually against his car, strode confidently toward Joo-eun.
“I think you left some documents behind.”
D-documents?
What documents could she possibly have left with Director Min…?
Joo-eun stared blankly at the beige envelope he held out, her expression one of utter confusion.
Leaning closer, he whispered softly into her ear.
“You asked for help, didn’t you?”
Joo-eun’s mouth dropped open at his low murmur.
Could it be… that my text actually… went through?!
Had the send button been pressed when she threw her phone onto the bed? What kind of absurd situation was this!
Though she looked as if she might cry, she forced herself to keep up appearances for her mother’s sake.
“T-thank you….”
“The effort you put into bringing this over… it's nothing, really. Between us.”
When Min-hyuk emphasized the phrase “between us,” Joo-eun turned pale, while Hye-joo's face lit up with delight.
“My goodness. You didn’t have to go out of your way to bring it here from the office... Ho ho. Director Min is truly so thoughtful.”
As if waiting for his cue, Min-hyuk stepped slightly to the side and bowed politely to Hye-joo.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jeong Min-hyuk, Director of the Strategic Planning Division at DK Media.”
He had merely introduced himself, but Hye-joo’s expression was one of overwhelming admiration as she beamed at him.
“I’m Joo-eun’s mother. Oh my, such a handsome and considerate director! My daughter is so lucky. Ho ho.”
“Song Joo-eun is someone I care for deeply.”
“...Pardon?”
A brief silence hung in the air.
To confirm that her bewilderment wasn’t just a misunderstanding, he added with perfect composure:
“I like Song Joo-eun very much.”
You really didn’t have to go this far…!
Joo-eun’s eyes widened in sheer panic.
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