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Chapter 69

"Why would you do that...?"

Si-hyun stared at him, her expression one of sheer shock. If he'd been waiting since morning, how many hours had he been sitting here? And he was supposed to be a busy man.

"Do that?"

"No, I misspoke... I just meant, why go this far... you could have just called."

She remembered sitting for hours outside a concert venue in her school days, just to see her favorite singer. That kind of endurance came from passion—but why would this man go through such trouble?

"You could have just called your secretary. Especially since you're near her house."

"I... never mind. Forget it."

He started to say something, then stopped. It was all because of that damn doctor. The advice to be visible but natural had led to this ridiculous charade—and in the end, he'd just confessed anyway. Was winning someone's heart always this hard?

"Oh, isn't that Si-hyun?"

A high-pitched voice cut through the awkward standoff. Both turned toward the sound.

"It is! I almost walked past without noticing."

Two middle-aged women, out for a walk, recognized Si-hyun and smiled. Their eyes quickly scanned the tall man beside her.

"I almost didn't recognize you with such a tall man next to you."

There was a strange implication—as if a tall man shouldn't be there. But Si-hyun didn't react, just greeted them politely.

"Hello, are you out for a walk?"

They were friends of her mother's from the neighborhood. She'd never run into them on this path before—why today of all days? She tried to make a quick exit, but they weren't about to let her go so easily.

"Who's this?"

One of them asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity. It was understandable—a man of his appearance, so out of place in this neighborhood, couldn't go unnoticed. Even she would have asked if she saw someone like him with a neighbor.

"Hello."

As Si-hyun tried to brush it off and end the awkward situation, Hae-joon suddenly stood up and greeted them. What are you doing!

She stared at him in shock, but he gave an uncharacteristically friendly smile and bowed. The women's eyes were practically hearts—just like her mother's had been.

"Oh my, what a nice voice. And so tall and handsome."

They'd already forgotten about Si-hyun. They were dying to know who he was. She couldn't understand why both her mother and these women lost their minds around him.

"I'm—"

Hae-joon tried to say more, but Si-hyun jabbed him in the side before anyone could hear. A clear signal to shut up.

"Ugh..."

She'd jabbed him pretty hard, and a pained grunt escaped him. The two women looked puzzled.

"He's just an acquaintance. We ran into each other by chance. Haha. Well, I'll be going now. Enjoy your walk!"

She grabbed Hae-joon's arm and pulled him away from the women. He quickly gathered his things and followed.

"What are you doing?"

"Just shut up and follow me."

If those women talked to Hae-joon, rumors would spread through the neighborhood in no time. She remembered a story about a woman her age whose life had been dissected by that same group—her job, age, family, wealth, even unconfirmed details. Her mother had shared the gossip with her father, and Si-hyun had overheard. At the time, she'd just thought how annoying it must be for that woman. Now, she was terrified of becoming the subject herself.

So she tried to escape—and then Hae-joon had to go and introduce himself.

"Why did you greet them? Do you know them?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you just stay quiet?"

He'd acted on impulse. Usually, unless greeted first, he never bowed to anyone. People often clicked their tongues at how stiff-necked he was. But today, he'd done it naturally—just because they were people Si-hyun knew.

"Even so, did you have to jab me in the side?"

"I was just giving you a hint—you should have taken it."

"Is it okay for a secretary to jab her boss like that?"

"You only pull the 'I'm the boss' card when it's convenient."

They bickered, oblivious to the stares of passersby, who probably saw them as a couple having a petty fight.

"By the way, where are we going?"

At his question, Si-hyun stopped walking. She looked back for a moment—luckily, the women were gone.

"I'm going home. You can go wherever you need to."

His expression soured. He seemed reluctant to leave—he reminded her of a friend who'd once begged for a third round just to avoid going home.

"You must be tired if you've been here since morning. You should go home now."

She gave him a sympathetic look and urged him to go home. It felt strange for a secretary to say that to her boss—wasn't that more his line?

"Just go?"

"What else would you do?"

He had no answer. He hadn't planned past meeting her—just seeing her had been the goal. He'd vaguely thought he'd figure out the rest later. He'd prepared meticulously for the meeting, but had no backup plan.

Still, after all that trouble, going home without doing anything felt unfair.

"Let's do something."

"Like what?"

"Anything."

Like a stubborn child, he planted himself in front of her, insisting they do anything. How was she supposed to respond to a grown man—and her boss—acting like this?

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really."

"We'll have dinner soon."

"I'm skipping dinner these days to diet."

"Diet? You don't need to diet. Eat something."

Even as she threw up one barrier after another, he seemed determined to break them all down.

"Let's go eat tteokbokki."

"Tteokbokki? All of a sudden?"

Hearing a suggestion that belonged in her school days come from him was strange. He said it as naturally as an old friend—it didn't suit him at all.

"You like tteokbokki."

"That's true, but... it's so sudden. On a weekend, with you, just like that."

"Stop talking and follow me. I'll treat you."

He took the lead, like a childhood friend insisting on treating her. The situation was bewildering.

---

Her old high school was about a ten-minute walk from her house. Hae-joon walked confidently, as if he'd mapped the route beforehand—even taking shortcuts that only locals would know.

"Did you scout this route too?"

"No. Just followed the map."

He proudly showed her his phone. She sighed and answered flatly.

"Ah, I see."

She'd come out to clear her head, never dreaming she'd end up at a tteokbokki shop with him.

"One tteokbokki-sundae-fried combo, please. Make the tteokbokki a bit spicy, extra lung and liver, and rice cakes instead of wheat. For the fried stuff, mostly seaweed rolls."

He rattled off the order like he'd prepared for it—exactly what she'd ordered last time. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Right?"

"Right... you did well."

He asked like a child seeking praise, and she gave a hollow compliment. That seemed to please him; the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Why did you come here? You don't usually eat out."

He'd always been squeamish about outside food, insisting on sealed items. It was actually a bit frightening—how could someone change so suddenly?

"It's okay if it's with you, Secretary Cha."

"Huh?"

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