Chapter 15

As Da Hee locked up her café for the night and stepped out, she paused. Woo Hyun's car was in the parking lot. He had stopped by briefly that afternoon, and she wondered why he was back, as he rarely visited the café more than once a day.

Da Hee approached, and Woo Hyun got out of his car. Da Hee looked at him, puzzled.

"What are you doing here? If you came, you should have just come in."

"You were closing up."

"Is something wrong?"

"Have you had dinner?"

Da Hee shook her head. Around dinner time, five women who seemed to be part of a social gathering from the neighborhood had rushed in. They ordered coffee and desserts and chatted for three hours. Da Hee, stuck at the counter, hadn't had a chance to eat.

"Do you have plans?"

"No, I don't. Are we getting dinner together?"

Woo Hyun chuckled lightly at Da Hee, who was quick-witted and made no attempt to hide it.

"Yes."

"Why haven't you had dinner yet?"

"Because I had to escape."

"Escape?"

"There was a high chance my mother and others would storm into the office."

Woo Hyun's expression turned weary just at the mention of his mother and 'the others.' He had bolted from the office with no particular destination in mind. That's why he'd come to Café Sema, waiting patiently so as not to disturb Da Hee during her busy closing time.

"What should we eat?"

Da Hee asked, naturally opening the passenger side door.

"What kind of food do you like?"

"For some reason, I'm craving something rich tonight. Is cream spaghetti okay?"

Woo Hyun, who had been opening the driver's side door, paused for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"Sure."

Settling into the passenger seat, Da Hee looked at Woo Hyun and said.

"I know a great place. I've been wanting to go there too."

"Why haven't you gone yet if you've been wanting to?"

"Because I didn't have anyone to go with?"

"What about your friends?"

"All my friends are married and struggling to make ends meet. When I suggested going for cream spaghetti, they told me to go to a buffet instead. They said it had pizza and spaghetti, so we could just eat that. So, I never got to go."

"It's a good thing I'm here then."

Woo Hyun, who was driving, turned his head at the sound of a small laugh. Da Hee covered her smiling mouth as she looked at him.

"Right? It's a good thing you're here, Mr. Woo Hyun."

Da Hee replied, excited at the thought of eating something delicious. However, Woo Hyun's expression slowly hardened, making her feel a bit awkward. Da Hee, too, looked serious as she asked him.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your expression..."

"It's nothing."

Woo Hyun turned his head forward. He knew Da Hee was simply repeating his words, but even knowing that, his heart skipped a beat at the words, 'It's a good thing you're here, Mr. Woo Hyun.' Her smiling face with crinkling eyes and her light, excited voice made him tremble slightly.

He couldn't tell if his sensory cells had become acutely sensitive due to a long absence from dating, or if they had developed in a strange way. Da Hee glanced at Woo Hyun with a puzzled expression and then turned her gaze out the window.

The Italian restaurant selling cream spaghetti was a 15-minute drive away. Located slightly off the main commercial district, the restaurant seemed popular by word-of-mouth, as its spacious parking lot was completely full.

After they were seated, Woo Hyun naturally handed the menu to Da Hee. Since Woo Hyun wasn't particular about food, he usually let Da Hee choose.

"One cream spaghetti and one chicken risotto, please."

Da Hee said, naturally placing the order and handing the menu to the waiter. The male waiter looked at Da Hee's face and blushed slightly.

"Yes, certainly."

Woo Hyun's face hardened as he watched the waiter repeatedly glancing at Da Hee while taking their order. He's not focusing on his job and hitting on a customer. Woo Hyun decided that he'd have a word with the manager on their way out.

"Here you go."

Da Hee offered him a wet wipe. As Woo Hyun took it, their fingertips brushed. Woo Hyun's eyes narrowed. Da Hee flinched but pretended it was nothing and withdrew her hand. Woo Hyun, too, casually wiped his hands with the wet wipe.

This was their first physical contact since the kiss a week ago. Though they saw each other daily at the café, it was as if by unspoken agreement that neither of them mentioned the kiss. However, even without speaking of it, Woo Hyun often replayed that day in his mind. On a night when the full moon and stars were brilliantly scattered, their gazes met, both ardent and gentle. Woo Hyun's eyes lingered on Da Hee's lips. He wanted to meet them again. He yearned to feel the intertwined breaths and the more audacious entanglement of their tongues once more. Woo Hyun's gaze grew hazy.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Da Hee said, rising from her seat. Woo Hyun couldn't hide his regretful look and closed his eyes.

"Oppa."

Woo Hyun's brow furrowed at the familiar voice that shattered his electrifying fantasy. He felt uneasy. The moment he turned his head, he knew his apprehension was well-founded. Seo Eun was glaring at him, her eyes narrowed sharply. Woo Hyun's face twisted in a grimace.

Seo Eun, the sole daughter of a prominent legal family, had grown up showered with love from both her maternal and paternal sides. Because of this, she had a personality where she wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted, and the one thing she desired most was Woo Hyun himself. To complicate matters further, Woo Hyun's family, seeing that he wasn't even dating, let alone getting married, began to actively support Seo Eun, making the situation increasingly tangled.

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Miel's Translations