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The four of them moved to a different location.
It turned out that several people in the crowd had recognized Do-kyung.
As the heir to one of the country’s largest conglomerates, Do-kyung had been in the media spotlight since a young age.
Though not a celebrity, his striking features, towering height, and the unmistakable aura of an extreme Alpha—even with his pheromones suppressed—made him stand out wherever he went.
Sipping her newly ordered coffee after relocating, Raon stole a sidelong glance at Do-kyung.
As if waiting for their eyes to meet, Do-kyung spoke.
“How were your exams?”
“…Weren’t you the one who didn’t take any?”
“Things came up.”
Do-kyung shrugged casually.
Raon sighed, shaking her head. She couldn’t fathom why he even bothered attending school anymore. Just then, Do-kyung changed the subject.
“What brought you to the department store?”
“To buy a gift.”
“A gift?”
At that moment, Do-kyung’s gaze sharpened. The icy atmosphere he exuded toward whoever she was buying the gift for made Hye-sung—who had been quietly listening to their conversation—chuckle awkwardly.
Unaware of this, Raon, her attention still on her teacup, replied,
“Yes, it’s my father’s birthday next week…”
Her voice trailed off as she sighed. The problem she’d momentarily forgotten resurfaced, but she still hadn’t found anything suitable.
‘Clothes are always safe.’
Since the seasons had changed, gifting new clothes wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Lost in thought about a set of outfits she’d seen earlier in the men’s section, Raon suddenly heard a sigh from beside her.
Turning her head toward the sound, she saw Do-kyung rubbing his lips with an embarrassed expression, while Hye-sung and Joon struggled to suppress their laughter.
“…?”
Confused by the three men’s inexplicable behavior, Raon tilted her head.
Meanwhile, Do-kyung cleared his throat awkwardly.
“When is your father’s birthday?”
Father? The unfamiliar term startled Raon for a moment, but she quickly answered.
“Next Saturday.”
“This Saturday? My father’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“Ah.”
“Want to come?”
Raon furrowed her brow instead of answering, clearly baffled by the bizarre invitation.
But Do-kyung didn’t seem to expect—or care—for her agreement. As soon as he noticed her hesitation, he promptly nodded and moved on.
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“When’s your birthday?”
Was he asking because he genuinely didn’t know? Or was he pretending?
Suddenly, a past conversation flashed through Raon’s mind.
[Han Do-kyung, my name. And now, what about our employee’s name?]
[Yep, I know.]
[Your look says you don’t believe me.]
[Turns out I’m more law-abiding than you think.]
When they first met at the cocktail bar where she worked, he claimed he learned her name from her employee badge. He insisted he hadn’t done any background research.
Remembering this, Raon let out a soft laugh, like air escaping.
She opened her mouth to answer but pulled back abruptly, flustered.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Do-kyung stared at her wide-eyed, as though utterly entranced. His hand, previously resting on his cheek, dropped slightly, as if startled by something unexpected.
He finally snapped out of it when Raon called his name.
“Han Do-kyung?”
“Ah.”
Still dazed, Do-kyung rubbed his face vigorously before slowly closing his eyes. Peeking at her through half-lidded eyes, he murmured wistfully,
“…I’m completely spellbound.”
The tip of Raon’s finger holding her glass twitched. A cold droplet trickled down her fingers, tickling them before falling.
His heated gaze bore into her without a trace of humor.
Under his possessive stare, Raon felt suffocated.
Had one of the droplets not dampened her wrist, she might have been rooted to the spot.
Pretending to wipe away the moisture, Raon averted her gaze.
She turned her head naturally—or so she hoped—to change the topic. Sipping her drink, she sought to lighten the sexually charged atmosphere.
“August 17th.”
“August 17th…”
Do-kyung echoed softly, his eyelids fluttering lazily.
He smiled faintly, then asked,
“What will you do this weekend?”
________________________________________
Though she had casually mentioned staying in the studio…
“…Didn’t you say today was your father’s birthday?”
The next day, Raon looked at Do-kyung in bewilderment.
It was the first weekend of summer vacation, and besides two classmates—including herself—no one else was in the studio. They, like her, wouldn’t be able to work the following week due to personal circumstances.
Deep in concentration, Raon was interrupted by a light tap on her shoulder from a classmate.
With earphones plugged in, she turned around, only to spot Do-kyung leaning casually against the wall before her classmate could point him out. His satisfied smile told her he’d gotten the reaction he wanted.
As she led him out of the building, Raon wondered why he was here.
Do-kyung shrugged.
“I can’t stand those stuffy gatherings.”
Though typical of him, Raon still couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Do-kyung’s father was the chairman of Han Young Group, and his birthday would undoubtedly attract high-profile guests from various fields—a fact even Raon, uninterested in such circles, knew well. She’d seen Ji-an grumble every year about attending similar parties.
Yet here was Do-kyung, skipping the event entirely and showing up here instead.
Stretching languidly, Do-kyung grinned.
“Rather than wasting time there, I’d rather spend it seeing faces I’ve missed.”
“…”
Caught off guard by his directness, Raon floundered for words. Her cheeks flushed as she failed to find a comeback.
Watching her stutter like a malfunctioning robot, Do-kyung chuckled softly.
Barely restraining himself from kissing her reddened cheek, he checked the time and asked,
“Got a minute?”
“…Why?”
Her wary tone prompted Do-kyung to extend his hand.
“Let’s go get some fresh air.”
________________________________________
Recognizing the familiar road, Raon narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Fresh air, he said, yet Do-kyung was driving toward the hotel they visited countless weekends before.
“…Where exactly are we going?”
She asked hesitantly, hoping the destination wasn’t what she feared.
But.
“The hotel.”
“What?”
Her sharp voice cut through the air. Glaring at him with a twisted expression, Raon caught Do-kyung glancing at her nervously as he slowed down for a yellow light.
The energy emanating from Raon’s pheromones was anything but calm. Once soft and warm, they now bristled with hostility, almost disdainful.
Realizing his mistake, Do-kyung hastily shook his head.
“No, no, it’s not what you think. Don’t misunderstand.”
“What else could it mean?”
“It’s definitely not that place.”
Do-kyung sighed, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck.
“We’re going to the garden.”
“…The garden?”
“Yes.”
Resuming the drive as the light turned green, Do-kyung laughed weakly.
“I’m not as hopeless as you think.”
“…”
“I sent you photos before.”
“Photos?”
“The ones with the saplings I planted. Didn’t you see them?”
Eyes widening for a different reason, Do-kyung glanced at her briefly.
“You didn’t block me, did you?”
He paused, pondering deeply.
Every message went unanswered… Could it be because she blocked him? But the number 1 disappeared, so…
“…Did you block me? Is that why you didn’t see them?”
Gauging her reaction, Do-kyung hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
“If you did, that’d be quite shocking.”
Raon stared at him incredulously as he speculated, concluded, and even critiqued himself.
“Well, I tried landscaping for the first time because I wanted to show you.”
Snorting skeptically, Raon turned her gaze out the window.
“No one would call what you planted ‘landscaping.’”
“Huh? You saw it?”
Answering belatedly, Raon glanced at the familiar building.
“I didn’t block you.”
“So you saw the sprouts too? It’s cherry tomatoes—they’re growing fast.”
Relieved to learn he hadn’t been blocked, Do-kyung chattered excitedly.
“The gardener said we’ll see flowers by winter. After that, fruits will follow.”
He talked nonstop until they parked.
And Raon, watching him, couldn’t close her gaping mouth.
Had he always been this talkative?
“Hah.”
Unable to hold back, Raon burst into laughter.
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