Da In's time at work was less enjoyable than her friend's. The pile of tasks continued to grow so she kept feeling busier with each coming day.

"Endure it, Da In, if the project is successful, you're gonna get a pretty good raise! Just keep pushing like you always did!"

The self-encouraging session was interrupted by Woo Jin.

- Hey, you wanna grab lunch?

- Oh, sorry, I already made plans for lunch with my friends. Do you want to join us?

- It's fine, I don't wanna impose.

- You won't! I feel bad sending you off to lunch alone.

- Oh come on, I'm not helpless or anything! Go enjoy your lunch.

- Okay... you too.

Da In grabbed her bag and left the room. Woo Jin followed her with his eyes, sighed, walked back to his desk, and resumed working.

The people she made plans with were Seong Woo and Ji Hoon. They thought that since they all work so close, it's very convenient to meet during lunch to stay in touch.

- Da In, how is your work?

- Ugh, I’m leading a project now, so I’m pulling overtime every day, it is exhausting.

Ji Hoon looked at her with a concerned look.

- It must be tough. Are you doing everything alone?

- I mean I delegated some tasks to the relevant people in my team, but I have to work with their data myself. I have a coworker that helps me a lot but he still does not work as much as I do for his own reasons.

Seong Woo put some napkins in front of Da In's plate and smiled.

- It looks like you are pretty devoted to this job. Is there a reason for it?

- You know how it is... I have bills to pay, trying to save some money on the side, plus my father is in the hospital.

When she finished that sentence, she realized that she said something she didn't plan to. She looked at her friends and regretted sharing too much.

- Oh, right... I think I never told you about that.

- Your father is sick?

- Yeah... It's cirrhosis...

- God, I’m sorry, if only I knew -

- Then what?

Da In felt like blowing up with anger.

- You were not around for me to tell you, so how were you supposed to know? Kinda too late to be sorry.

- Da In...

She wiped her forehead with her hand and drank a whole glass of water.

- I'm sorry, it's a very sensitive topic for me. I'm finished here and need to get back to work. Thanks for the meal.

Da In ran out of the restaurant as if it was on fire, leaving Seong Woo and Ji Hoon wondering if they have somehow offended her or made her mad.

She decided to forget about what happened during lunch and buried herself deep in the work. Once she decided to stop, the clock was already at 9:30 PM. Da In stretched her back and started gathering her things. When she looked at her phone, she noticed a message from Seong Woo from almost two hours ago - "Hey, if you're still at the office, do you wanna go home together?".

- Ugh, it was a while ago, he has probably left already. Damn, I snapped at him back then, I should at least call and apologize.

When she walked out the building she saw Seong Woo standing in front of it.

- Oh my God, have you been waiting here all this time?!

- You did not reply, but I saw the lights in your office window so I assumed it was you.

- What if it wasn't me? How many more hours were you planning to wait?

- A couple more hours, maybe?

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

- Geez, you're insane. And it's so cold already!

She came closer to Seong Woo and took his hands in hers.

- Wow, your hands are like ice... You can catch a cold like this! Come on, let's go home.

Da In started walking, still holding Seong Woo's hand. There was a split second when he wanted to ask her if she will let go of his hand but he shook that thought away.

"Her hands are surprisingly warm. She was always the one with the cold hands."

He squeezed her hand and put it inside of his jacket's pocket.

- What are you doing? You are far too tall for me to feel comfortable like this.

- I don't know what you're talking about. Let's go!

And the two of them did not let go of each other's hands even in the subway.

When they finally appeared in front of Da In's building, Seong Woo put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her with a serious expression.

- Da In... Do you want to tell me more about what happened to your family?

- Do you want to know?

- Of course! I know I don’t have the right to to pry after all this time but I do care abut you and I want you to trust me more. You totally had the right to yell at me back then, but I want you to understand that I'm always here for you from now on.

- Right... I do wanna trust you.

Seong Woo wiped her cheek with his thumb and hugged her.

- I sure did miss this. I just love how tiny you are.

- And you still smell the same...

He pushed Da In slightly away and made a surprised face.

- What? Do I smell?!

Da In started laughing.

- No, I meant you still have this smell on you… You know, your own smell.

- You are so cute.

He pressed her closer again and petted her head.

- Seong Woo... I want to tell you everything. I just can't do it now.

- It's okay. I'll wait.

When Da In came out of the shower, she sat down on her bed and put her hand on her chest.

"Gosh, why is my heart beating like this? It’s not like he’s my high school crush or something. I should just go to sleep... It sure was nice though. Holding hands, hugging... Ughhh, I don't know anything anymore!"

The quiet tantrum of her heart was interrupted by her ringing phone.

- Yellow.

- Girl, I got a new job!

- Wow, so soon! Congrats! Where is it?

- KT solutions, they are quite new but they have a nice office and the workload seems adequate. Dong Hyun fount it for me.

- I’m really happy for you! We should celebrate!

- I’m gonna take care of it - be ready tomorrow, I have another surprise.

- Another one? What is happening?

- I know right? Anyway, I’m picking you up tomorrow after work so all your overtime is cancelled!

- Alright, alright, I’ll be waiting. Bye.

"She does sound excited, looks like she really needed a change."

Ha Neul was putting her paperwork for the new job in her bag when she received a text: "Hi, my name is Lee Min Ki, I’m the guy who ruined your blouse in the KT office. We got your info as a new employee so I wanted to text you and let you know that my offer to compensate for the blouse still stands, so text me anytime you want. Good night!"

Ha Neul blushed and started laughing.

- What are you laughing about, babe? Did Da In send you some of your k-pop memes again?

She quickly locked her phone and covered its screen.

- Uhm, yeah. You wouldn't understand this one.

- Alright. I'm gonna come to bed late tonight, so you just go to sleep, okay?

- Sure, I will.

Ha Neul waited for Dong Hyun to leave, opened the messenger and typed a reply.

"Hi, I'Ill come up with something, be prepared :)"