As their relationship lengthened, things started to subtly break down between the two of them.

Chae-yeon, feeling less guilty about her domineering behavior, started to manipulate Si-hyun for her own desires. Si-hyun, who always assumed a submissive role, began to feel disillusioned with their relationship.

On a scorching summer day, Chae-yeon, while hanging out with old friends, received a call from Sohui.

“A blind date?”

But this wasn’t just any ordinary blind date. It was a setup to help Sohui’s friend, who had a crush, get together with the person they liked.

The friend Sohui mentioned was also someone Chae-yeon was close with, so she really wanted to help out. However, the thought of being around other men made her feel like she was betraying Si-hyun.

“Sorry, but I'm dating Si-hyun. So, going to something like that doesn’t feel right.”

She refused, but then Sohui, with a teary voice, pleaded that she had no one else to ask and begged Chae-yeon just to fill the seat. Unable to ignore her friend's desperation, Chae-yeon made a careless decision.

‘What should I do...’

While her two friends and the two guys they met at the café were making plans, Chae-yeon anxiously fidgeted with her legs.

As she anxiously bit her nails, hoping for time to pass,

Ding-

A message from Si-hyun arrived.

[Si-hyun: Chae-yeon, are you having fun with your friends?]

[Si-hyun: I deposited some pocket money into your account. Buy something tasty with your friends. And while you're at it, brag about your boyfriend, hehe.]

[Si-hyun: I love you♡]

Using her phone notification, she checked the message in real-time. Because of the guilt of being on a blind date, she felt too sorry to respond.

‘I love you too.’

Chae-yeon wanted to meet Si-hyun immediately. She decided not to spend the pocket money he gave her and instead use it to buy him new shoes since his were quite worn out last time she saw them.

‘Should I just quit this right now…’

As she was about to speak, she saw the people around her engrossed in a heated discussion and closed her mouth again.

They probably believed she was filling the spot, so canceling now would seem thoughtless.

Later, the blind date at the wine bar began. As planned, Chae-yeon only introduced herself by name and sat there just to fill the seat.

[KakaoTalk!]

[Si-hyun: I have something to tell you. Call me after you hang out with your friends.]

[Si-hyun: I'll be waiting.]

‘What does he want to talk about?’

Chae-yeon checked the notification and decided she'd contact Si-hyun as soon as the blind date ended. While Sohui handled the introductions, she was browsing for shoes to buy for Si-hyun.

But then.

“What are your hobbies, Chae-yeon?”

Something unexpected happened. The man Sohui had a crush on started showing interest in Chae-yeon. Well, maybe it wasn't that surprising. Her appearance was too striking to be overlooked.

“I don't have any.”

Chae-yeon replied curtly and looked at her phone, causing the man to let out a disappointed laugh and scratch the back of his head. Still, he kept talking to her.

“I like surfing. It’s summer now, and it could be fun to go with the group.”

Chae-yeon blatantly ignored him.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never been to the beach with Si-hyun. Should I suggest Haeundae for our next date?”

She also had a swimsuit that Si-hyun loved. He would be so thrilled to see her in it. Who knows, if the mood was right…

Feeling shy, Chae-yeon gulped down her wine.

“Phew…”

While fanning herself with her hand and checking her smartphone again, she received a call from Si-hyun.

‘What do I do… If I answer now, they might find out…’

Feeling guilty, Chae-yeon quickly turned off the sound.

And as if to avoid reality, she placed her phone on the table.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll contact you as soon as it ends, so please wait a little longer.’

While Chae-yeon quietly wished the blind date would end quickly, a message notification arrived not long after.

[Si-hyun: Where are you right now?]

She couldn’t be honest and say ‘wine bar…’

[Si-hyun: Your reply took a while. You’re not meeting another guy behind my back, are you?]

Chae-yeon looked around nervously at Si-hyun’s eerily accurate guess.

‘Phew, thank goodness he’s not here...’

A cold sweat trickled down her back. Feeling that she needed to extinguish this fire before it got worse, Chae-yeon lied.

[Me: Meeting another guy? No way. I’m just resting at a friend’s place.]

[Si-hyun: Which friend?]

[Me: Sohui]

Feeling a creeping sense of guilt and anxiety about getting caught, Chae-yeon let out a shallow sigh, thinking she would call him later.

[Si-hyun: Oh, I didn’t know Sohui’s place was a wine bar.]

As soon as she read his reply, she felt as if time had stopped. Her body reacted instinctively, starting to rise.

Chae-yeon turned her head, hoping no one was there...

But there stood Si-hyun, with a frightening expression she had never seen before.

“What the... Kim Si-hyun, how did you know to come here?”

Chae-yeon's mind went blank, and she felt as though she might stop breathing. Her legs began to tremble, and her vision gradually blurred, yet she was surprised words came out of her mouth.

“What are you doing here? You said you were with only girls, but why are you sitting across from these guys?”

With each word Si-hyun spoke, Chae-yon regretted her foolish choice even more.

‘No matter what the situation was, I should have turned down this meeting...’

While she wished she could just smack her head, Si-hyun's angry words continued.

“You don't need to spell it out for me. Three guys. Three girls. Only a fool wouldn’t see what’s going on.”

“I know what you’re thinking, but this is a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? Just the fact that you're here means you were cheating behind my back.”

“I'm telling you, it's not like that.”

The thought of cheating on Si-hyun was absurd to her. She hadn’t even looked at other guys while they were dating.

“Then explain yourself. I'll listen.”

Just as Chae-yon was about to spill the truth while nervously glancing at her friends, Sohui stood up hurriedly and said:

“Si-hyun, Chae-yon isn’t at fault at all. She didn’t want to come, but I dragged her here against her will.”

“Doesn't matter if you brought her or if some guy did. You should have refused it till the end. How does it even make sense to go on a blind date when you have a boyfriend?"

Indeed, it didn't make sense. That's why Chae-yeon was deeply regretting it. Like a criminal trying to hide their disgrace, she wanted to escape from the wine bar.

"Let's go outside and talk. What are you doing in front of everyone?"

"What? Are you embarrassed because people are watching? Good, at least you have some sense of shame for doing something disgraceful."

"I told you, it's a misunderstanding. I only came to make up the numbers. I had no intention of having a blind date."

"How am I supposed to believe that? I saw you ignoring my calls because you were on the date. Lim Chae-yeon, do you think I'm a fool?"

‘So, he saw everything…’

Chae-yeon felt her head spinning. How could she resolve this? The path ahead seemed bleak.

"That's not it, so stop jumping to conclusions. I just..."

Just as she was continuing her explanation, the guy who had shown interest in her during the blind date spoke up.

"This whole mess happened because you can't manage your girlfriend, so why are you making a fuss?"

Thrown off by the sudden intrusion, Chae-yeon was left speechless in disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

"Did I say anything wrong? Chae-yeon must not be satisfied with her boyfriend, which is why she came to the blind date."

"You bastard..."

Chae-yeon was horrified by his audacity, which felt like pouring gasoline onto a fire. Si-hyun, consumed by rage, grabbed the other man's collar.

"Do you want to get hit?"

The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense. Worried that Si-hyun might get hurt, Chae-yeon hurriedly tugged at his arm.

"Stop it!"

"Let go."

Si-hyun coldly shook off her hand, and Chae-yeon felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.

"Yes, Chae-yeon, let go. I'll help you cut ties with this guy."

The Blind Date Guy kept provoking them, making Chae-yeon feel like she was losing her mind. Unable to bear it any longer, she glared at him as if she could kill and spoke.

"I don't know why you're pretending to be close since earlier, but could you just shut up?"

Although she wanted to curse him out with every word she knew, Chae-yon decided it was more important to calm Si-hyun down first.

Fortunately, the Blind Date Guy finally backed off quietly. As she stepped out of the bar, she called out to Si-hyun.

"Kim Si-hyun, follow me."