“Is this child really Minhyuk-ssi?”

“Yes, he was so pretty when he was little.”

“Wow~ he was really pretty. I’d believe you if you said he was a girl.”

Danjung looked at Minhyuk’s photos in the album Yeonju had brought and enjoyed herself.

Young Minhyuk in the photos was so delicately pretty that Danjung wanted to pinch his cheeks.

Especially when looking at the photos of him smiling brightly, she wondered if he was the same person as the Minhyuk now.

“That’s why I used to buy Minhyuk clothes when I bought Minhee’s clothes and make him wear them.”

“Really?”

“Wait a minute, there should be a photo of it somewhere here.”

As Yeonju flipped through a couple of pages in the album, they found a photo of Minhyuk wearing a girl’s dress.

In the photo, Minhyuk was wearing a pink dress with lace and ribbons, and even had a flower hairpin in his hair. He was pouting and frowning, as if he was displeased.

“Pfft~ so cute.”

Danjung couldn’t stop laughing at Minhyuk’s adorable appearance.

“Where? Let me see too.”

Minhee, who had been sitting across from them, couldn’t contain her curiosity at Danjung’s reaction and came to sit next to her.

She hadn’t paid much attention to the albums in the living room until now, so this was a photo she was seeing for the first time as well.

“Pfft~ heh heh heh. What is this?”

Minhee also burst into laughter when she saw Minhyuk’s photo.

Why was she seeing such a funny photo only now...? As Minhee, who had been laughing heartily, happened to see Yeonju smiling brightly, her heart felt touched.

It had been a long time since she had seen her mother’s smile after her father passed away.

“Mother, could I possibly have this photo?”

Danjung found it so cute, and she thought it would cheer her up whenever she was having a hard time, so she wanted Minhyuk’s photo.

Of course, it might be a precious photo for her mother-in-law too, but it felt like it would become a precious treasure for her as well.

“There are also photos of him with Minhee, so you can take it.”

“Thank you.”

As Yeonju carefully peeled off Minhyuk’s photo, which was firmly stuck in the album, Danjung politely received it with both hands and bowed her head in thanks.

Yeonju’s heart also felt proud at Danjung’s gesture of receiving it as if it were a precious treasure.

“We should be going now.”

Minhyuk, having put down his teacup and looked at his wristwatch, got up from his seat.

It would probably be past midnight by the time they got home, showered, and went to bed, so they had to hurry back.

“Already?”

“Already?”

“Are you leaving already?”

Yeonju, Danjung, and Minhee, who had been laughing and chatting happily, looked at Minhyuk simultaneously, feeling sad about saying goodbye.

“I have to go to work tomorrow, so I think we should leave now.”

Minhyuk had to go to work, but in reality, he didn’t want to listen to the three women laughing and talking about him anymore.

He felt quite strangely unpleasant.

“Alright, if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do.”

As Yeonju closed the album with a regretful look, Minhee spoke up as if a good idea had just occurred to her.

“Then only Oppa should go. Since Sister-in-law is on vacation, she can sleep over here.”

“No way!”

Minhyuk shouted sternly at Minhee’s casual remark.

It was an automatic reaction that came out without him even realizing it.

“O-okay.”

As Minhee blinked her eyes, seemingly surprised by Minhyuk’s short exclamation, Danjung lowered her head deeply, feeling embarrassed.

***

<Please knock, do not ring the doorbell.>

Jiwook, seeing the note on Jinhee’s front door, put down the shopping bag containing the wine and peeled off the note.

It was surely meant for him, so he probably wouldn’t need the note anymore.

Knock, knock, knock. As Jiwook knocked cautiously, Jinhee slightly opened the door and came out.

“Hayeon fell asleep.”

“Yes, here’s the wine.”

Jiwook picked up the wine that was on the floor and handed it to Jinhee, then entered her house holding the plate of cold spaghetti.

As Jiwook stepped inside and looked around Jinhee’s house, Jinhee felt inexplicably embarrassed by the cluttered state.

She had hurriedly cleaned up before he came, but she couldn’t help but have the accumulated household items and Hayeon’s belongings piled up.

“It’s a bit messy because Hayeon has a lot of things.”

“That’s how it is in every house with a baby.”

“Please sit here.”

As Jinhee pointed to a chair in front of a small two-person dining table, Jiwook sat down awkwardly.

“I’ll warm up the spaghetti for you. It won’t taste as good as it did at first, but it’ll still be better than eating it cold.”

“Thank you. But even if we talk like this, won’t Hayeon wake up?”

Jiwook looked at Hayeon, who was sleeping far away.

He was worried that he might wake the baby by having dinner together.

“She’s a bit of a heavy sleeper, so once she falls asleep, she doesn’t wake up easily.”

Jinhee warmed up the spaghetti and spoke softly to ease Jiwook’s worries.

But she herself was equally cautious about Hayeon waking up.

“Do you have an opener?”

As Jiwook tried to open the wine, Jinhee opened various drawers and handed him an opener after finding one.

Pop! The wine cork was pulled out, and as Jiwook poured wine into the glasses, Jinhee neatly plated the warmed spaghetti.

“Thank you so much for today.”

As soon as she sat down at the table, Jinhee once again expressed her gratitude for Jiwook’s help earlier.

“I didn’t do anything much. Jinhee-ssi was the one who had a hard time.”

“Still, if you hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have been able to be so brave.”

“Don’t you regret it?”

Jinhee shook her head at Jiwook’s question.

“Then, cheers to celebrating your separation.”

As Jiwook held out his wine glass, Jinhee carefully clinked her glass against his.

And after that, they sipped their wine and ate the spaghetti, but they felt awkward and couldn’t continue the conversation.

‘What should I say?’

Jinhee only knew Jiwook’s name and the company he worked for, so she had many questions about him, but she was a bit hesitant to ask personal questions.

‘It’s probably better not to ask about her ex-husband.’

Jiwook also wanted to know more about Jinhee, but he hesitated to continue the conversation, feeling it wouldn’t be polite to bring up her ex-husband.

“......”

“......”

A brief, awkward silence passed before Jinhee spoke first.

“Jiwook-ssi, do you have a girlfriend?”

Jinhee thought that if Jiwook had a girlfriend, she would have to draw a clear line.

Of course, he might not like her, but she felt that even having a meal together like this wouldn’t be right.

She had experienced the pain of having her husband taken away by another woman, and she didn’t want another woman to feel upset because of her.

But after asking, Jinhee was nervous that he might say he had a girlfriend.

“Ah...”

As Jiwook paused for a moment, Jinhee was sure he had a girlfriend.

‘Well, he’s so handsome, there’s no way he wouldn’t have a girlfriend. Too bad~.’

Actually, Jinhee needed someone to be with her, even if just for a little while.

It was too much to bear this pain alone, and since her closest friend had gotten married, the emptiness felt even greater.

“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Really? Why?”

Jinhee seemed a bit surprised by the unexpected answer.

But she was secretly pleased, and her voice tone unknowingly rose.

“Actually, I broke up with someone a few years ago because of family opposition. And then we got back together, but we ended up breaking up again.”

“I see.”

Jinhee nodded at Jiwook’s reply and pulled herself together.

A divorced woman with a child feeling her heart flutter for a bachelor without any conscience... Jinhee felt pathetic.

But once Jinhee had clearly sorted out her feelings for him, she wanted to get along well with him.

She felt that just having a drink and dinner together like this sometimes would help her shake off her gloomy feelings.

Even if she was being selfish, even if she was being weak, it was a moment when she desperately needed someone.

“Then, shall we be friends?”

Jiwook was quite taken aback by Jinhee’s rather provocative question.

But it wasn’t because he disliked Jinhee; it was because he had never had a female friend who wasn’t a girlfriend before.

“Well, it might be a bit strange for a bachelor to be friends with a divorced woman. Right?”

Jinhee, feeling dejected, muttered to herself, looking at Jiwook, who gave no reply.

She was also worried that she might have asked an unnecessary question and made things awkward between neighbors.

“How old are you, Jinhee-ssi?”

Jiwook found it difficult to guess Jinhee’s age.

She clearly looked much younger than him, but since she had a child, it wasn’t easy to predict.

“I’m twenty-nine years old.”

“Then I’m much older than you. I’m thirty-five.”

“Really?”

Jinhee seemed quite surprised at Jiwook’s revelation of his age.

He looked like he was only in his early 30s at most... but he was already past his mid-30s!

Was it because of his clothing style that he looked young? Or was it because he was in good shape?

Jinhee looked Jiwook up and down, trying to uncover the secret to his youthful appearance.

“You look so young. I thought you were my age or maybe a year or two older.”

“Heh, I hear that a lot. Since I’m much older than you, being friends might be a bit... How about we be lovers?”

“Yes?”

Jinhee, flustered, blushed and widened her eyes.

“Well, anyway, if it’s okay with you, Jinhee-ssi, I’m fine with being either lovers or friends.”

“......Are you joking?”

“I’m not joking, I’m serious. I actually fell for you earlier, Jinhee-ssi.”

“For me? Why?”

“The way you tried to protect Hayeon was cool, and I thought you looked beautiful being dignified even in a difficult situation, perhaps?”

“I’m not dignified. I’m just pretending to be. Actually, I’m afraid and scared of being labeled as a divorced woman. I even suggested being friends just now because I was lonely.”

“Then I’ll be your friend. Or I’m fine with being your lover too.”

Jiwook smiled warmly and gazed at Jinhee with sincere eyes.

“Minhyuk-ssi, smile for me.”

Having returned home and lying in bed, Danjung looked at Minhyuk and made a sudden request.

Seeing Minhyuk’s childhood photos of him smiling brightly at his parents’ house made her miss his real smile.

‘What’s this all about now?’

Minhyuk turned his head and looked at Danjung without saying anything.

Sometimes she was not just bold but also quite eccentric.

“Huh? Huh? I want to see Minhyuk-ssi smile.”

At Danjung’s persistent request, Minhyuk gave a forced smile as if he had no choice.

But it was a fake smile without any emotion, so only his facial muscles twitched, and it wasn’t attractive at all.

“Is that enough? Let’s just sleep.”

Minhyuk, feeling somewhat embarrassed, tried to close his eyes to go to sleep, but Danjung pouted and complained.

“Tch~ that’s fake.”

Danjung could accurately distinguish Minhyuk’s real smile.

His real smile made her heart pound like crazy.

“Hoo~.”

At Danjung’s grumbling, Minhyuk’s eyes snapped open.

Then, he propped himself up on his arm in bed and faced Danjung, who was lying below him.

“If I smile for you, what will you do for me?”

“Whatever Minhyuk-ssi wants.”

“What I want is...”

Minhyuk raised the corner of his mouth in a smile and slowly moved closer to Danjung’s lips.

“This.”

Having come close to Danjung’s lips, Minhyuk gently touched and moistened her lips with his.