The three of them walked down the street, the wind brushing lightly through the trees that lined the sidewalk. The café was only a ten-minute walk from campus, nestled halfway up a hill, with a rooftop that overlooked half the city.
They found a quiet spot near the edge Do-hyun sprawled on one side of the bench, sipping iced tea; Soojin sat in the middle, legs swinging; Sunwoo leaned on the railing, quietly watching the sky.
"Still can't believe you ghosted all of us for weeks," Soojin muttered, nudging Sunwoo with her elbow. "You owe me at least two meals and a full explanation."
Sunwoo gave a sideways glance. "I thought you said you didn't want explanations."
"I didn't," she said. "But now I do."
He looked away, back to the skyline. "I'll give you the short version later."
There was a small pause then Soojin took out her phone. "Wait, the lighting's perfect. Let's take a quick photo."
Do-hyun leaned in. "You're still obsessed with candids?"
"Not candids. Café vibes," she corrected, shoving him aside. "Sunwoo, sit properly, you look like you're contemplating death."
He chuckled and sat down beside her. She held the phone up. Snap.
Then again—snap.
"Hey, that one's good!" she said, tilting the screen toward Sunwoo.
He looked at it his profile turned slightly, hair falling across his forehead, the city glowing behind him.
Soojin had been caught mid-smile, eyes squinting from the sun. Her arm was touching his without either of them noticing. Their heads were tilted slightly toward each other. Casual. Warm. Natural.
Sunwoo stared at it for a second longer than necessary.
It was… a good photo.
He didn't say anything. Just gave a small nod. "Send me that one."
"Ha! I knew you'd like it," she teased. "I'm great at capturing people when they're not looking stiff."
Do-hyun, sipping from his cup, watched the two with a slow blink. His gaze lingered not just on them, but on the small silences. The ease of how Soojin leaned slightly closer without realizing. The way Sunwoo's eyes softened around her, even if he didn't smile much.
Then, out of nowhere, Do-hyun stood up with a smile.
"I just remembered," he said, brushing nonexistent dust off his pants, "I have to help my dad's driver move some boxes into the warehouse. Real urgent."
Soojin blinked. "What?"
Sunwoo squinted. "You? Lifting things?"
Do-hyun smirked. "Okay fine, I'm not lifting anything. But I am supervising. Someone has to make sure the people doesn't drop Dad's 60-year-old scotch bottle again."
He stretched dramatically, tossed his cup in the bin, and started walking backward. "You two carry on. Breathe the same air or whatever."
Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. "You're acting weird."
"Me? Always," he called back. "Bye now!"
And he was gone.
Soojin glanced after him, a quiet smile on her face.
There was a brief pause.
Sunwoo looked at her how the light caught the little strands of hair falling across her cheek, how her lashes fluttered when she laughed softly. He didn't feel any dramatic thumps in his chest.
But there was something.
A subtle pull.
He noticed the way she leaned into the wind, hair brushing past his shoulder. The way she absentmindedly drew little circles on the table with her straw. How comfortable she made silence feel.
The sun had dipped lower, drawing soft lines of gold across the rooftops. From where they sat, the horizon looked painted on fading light, slow breeze, a little too still for a city afternoon.
Soojin shifted, resting her elbow on the bench's backrest, one leg folded loosely over the other. She looked at him.
"I can sense that you've been through a lot, for past few weeks?" she said gently, breaking the silence.
Sunwoo didn't reply immediately. His eyes followed the sky as if waiting for something to land there. "A bit of a storm," he murmured.
She nodded, slow. "You don't have to explain. Everything will be alright. Just… don't vanish again."
He glanced at her, something caught in his throat.
She tilted her head, smiling faintly, barely moving her lips. "You're not as alone as you think."
The words weren't dramatic. But they settled somewhere deep, quiet and certain with Sunwoo.
He looked at her a beat too long.
Her knees had turned slightly toward him. The edge of her knees touched his thigh under the table.
Sunwoo blinked. His chest tightened but not from pressure. More like… lift.
And then his hand, shifted just slightly his fingers brushing against hers. Not intentional. Not exactly.
But neither moved.
She looked at him, just barely leaning forward now.
And for a flicker of a second, they were leaning closer.
Her hair caught a sliver of wind and brushed past his cheek. His breath hitched—just a little. Barely enough to hear. His heart… did something unfamiliar. And as the moment getting out of hands, he saw Haeun's face from marriage in wedding dress leaning in for kiss instead of Soojin's face. He stopped suddenly,
Then
Buzz.
His phone vibrated sharply against the wooden bench. The alert flashed on-screen.
6:00 PM – Pick up from work.
The moment cracked, they both snapped out of it.
Soojin and Sunwoo get back up.
He sat upright, reaching for the phone a little too fast. "I—uh, I gotta go."
"Yeah," she said, almost laughing under her breath, brushing her hair back. "Sure."
Sunwoo stood and slung his bag over his shoulder, slipping the phone into his pocket without looking at it again.
He hesitated before walking off. "Thanks… for today."
Soojin tilted her head, smiling.
"See you tmrw," she said again, this time softer.
He nodded.
And then he walked away.
Soojin sat back, eyes following the trail he left without meaning to.
She looked disappointed. But she also had a half smile.
Sunwoo waited near the entrance of the fashion house, shoulders relaxed but eyes scanning the glass doors every few seconds. He leaned against the railing, hands stuffed into his pockets, posture casual but thoughts running restless.
When Haeun finally stepped out, brushing hair behind her ear and waving goodbye to a colleague, he straightened reflexively. She spotted him and raised a brow, surprised.
"You're early."
"I just came," he replied, walking alongside her as they started down the street.
She gave a half-smile, glancing sideways. "Didn't feel like taking the bus?"
"I walked."
"From the University?"
"Mm."
"You're crazy."
"Also broke."
That made her laugh. The tension between them briefly loosened.
For a while, "How was it? Going back to the university?"
He gave a noncommittal shrug. "Weird. Nothing's changed, but I feel like a guest now. They are welcoming the moment I stepped in."
"I thought you'd be relieved."
"I did," he said.
She nodded slowly.
After a pause, she added, "We'll sort out the land thing. I'll talk to Mr. Kwon from the bank again. Don't pressure yourself. I'll handle it, okay?"
Something flickered in his expression not relief. He snapped.
"Stop treating me like a kid," he said, voice low.
She looked at him, confused.
"We didn't even finish the 1st step of the plan, I don't think you even understood the plan properly, we shouldn't talk to Mr. Kwon, atleast not yet, I'm grown up, I know what to do and when to do"
Haeun, "I know. I'm just saying if you need help—"
"You were my stepmom for last 6-7 years, Haeun. Stop acting like I'm your son."
The words came out sharper than he intended, but he didn't stop walking. Didn't look at her. She slowed in her tracks. He didn't.
Silence followed them like a long shadow. Neither spoke for the rest of the way home.
Sunwoo thought to himself, "Why couldn't I go through with the kiss with Soojin?""Why did Haeun's face flash in my mind at that moment?""And why does she still treat me like a kid… Is it out of habit? Or am I reading too much into it?""Either way, I shouldn't have snapped at her like that."'How am I supposed to make up for this?"
They reached the apartment.