I left the office and was taking the shortcut toward the department store.
“Ah!”
I turned into an alley and nearly collided with someone walking with their head down, staring at their phone.
“Oh—sorry!”
The startled person bowed repeatedly and hurried past. I almost dropped the box with the watch.
“Watch where you’re going.”
People said kids these days were addicted to their phones, but honestly, it wasn’t just kids. Adults were the same. It wasn’t rare to see people walking down the street glued to their screens.
After leaving the alley, I walked toward the crosswalk to cross the street. Seeing there were less than ten seconds left on the green light, I slowed down instead. Ever since my school days, I’d acted like some noble’s child and never ran. If there wasn’t enough time, I’d rather just wait for the next signal.
It wasn’t like arriving a few minutes faster would change my life anyway. Even now, I stood among the crowd crossing, leisurely waiting for the next light.
“Huh? Du-seon.”
At the familiar voice, I turned my head—and my eyes met Namgung Bin, who was just crossing over.
“Oh, hello.”
“Yes, good morning. What brings you here?”
“I’ve got something to take care of at the department store.”
“Then let’s go together. I have something to do there too.”
“Didn’t you just walk from the department store side?”
“I only thought of it when you mentioned the department store.”
As always, he was like a human diffuser. His fragrance was so strong that people passing by kept turning their heads. Of course, their attention wasn’t on me but on Bin standing beside me.
“Is the construction going well?”
“Yes. It’ll probably be finished soon. Though things keep getting added here and there.”
“Oh, I see,” I replied, and Bin held out a coffee to me. I declined, saying it was fine, and he asked if I was still struggling because of the alcohol.
His call yesterday had been a little unexpected, but my real estate office was clearly visible from across the street. Since he was asking as a client, I answered casually.
“Yeah, a little.”
Even after hearing my answer, he examined my face carefully.
“Did you get hurt here?”
His fingertip touched the spot where the swelling had gone down. The bump itself had subsided, but a reddish mark remained, as if something had pressed against it. When I raised my hand to cover my forehead slightly, my hand brushed against his. A gentle smile lingered at the corner of his lips.
“Haha. I got a small injury at home. It’s nothing serious.”
“You should always be careful. Come on, let’s go.”
During our short conversation, the light turned green.
Bin looked like the perfect example of a polished city man. He always wore neat semi-suits, and though his hair was a bit longer than most men’s, it was styled cleanly back.
With his model-like appearance, even without the perfume, plenty of women would turn to look at him. He was definitely attractive enough to draw attention, but remembering the look he’d exchanged with Jun when we first met made a brief thought cross my mind—Is he into that side too?
As we crossed the street and passed through the revolving doors of the department store, Bin stepped close beside me. Even though it was only for a moment in that narrow space, it felt like his scent seeped into me entirely.
“Which floor are you going to, Bin?”
“Hmm, let’s take care of your errand first.”
His bright smile as he followed me made me feel a little burdened. We entered the luxury boutique where I’d run an errand before, and Bin asked if this was my taste. Too embarrassed to say it was Jun’s errand, I just smiled vaguely.
I went straight to the counter and asked the staff to call the manager. While I stood awkwardly waiting, Bin chatted with a store employee while looking around at the displays. It seemed like I was the only one who felt out of place buying things here.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
Just then, the manager appeared from a back area that didn’t even look like it had a door. He greeted me warmly, but when he saw the box in my hands, his expression stiffened—he clearly understood why I was here.
“I was told to return this.”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
The manager gestured with an open hand, guiding the way.
I signaled to Bin behind me with my fingers, indicating I’d be right back. He was chatting happily with the staff while looking at items, but then immediately walked over to me.
“Where are you going?”
“I just need to talk to him for a second.”
“Are you together?”
The manager’s businesslike smile shifted into something more personal—directed at Bin. Bin returned the same kind of smile.
“Can I come along too?”
As he said that, Bin slung an arm around my shoulders. Startled, I gave an awkward smile and tilted my upper body slightly away to look up at him, but the hand that had rested loosely on my shoulder gradually tightened.
Seeing the two of us pressed close together, the manager’s smile reverted back to a purely professional one.
“Then… let’s talk another time. I’ll take this for now.”
The manager lightly lifted the box I handed over and disappeared back into the store. Bin kept his smile as he watched him leave. And the moment the manager was gone, the smile vanished completely from his lips.
When Bin smiled, he looked radiant like an angel, but when his expression fell blank, he resembled an emotionless doll. Seeing that face made me realize just how often he smiled around me normally.
“You should take care of your own errand now. Where are you heading?”
“Now that I think about it, I came to exchange something but left the item behind. I’ll come back another time.”
“Guess you made the trip for nothing.”
“No, this was still worth it in its own way. Let’s go.”
Bin followed me like a keyring attached to a bag, which felt a little burdensome. Even as he matched my pace, he kept examining the items displayed in the shop windows. Maybe because his stride was longer, he would pause briefly and then quickly catch up again.
Then he suddenly stopped in front of a certain brand store.
“Du-seon.”
“Yes?”
I turned my head from staring straight ahead as he called me. He beckoned me with a small wave, so I walked over without much thought. As I approached, he pointed at something.
“What do you think of this?”
At the tip of his finger was a leopard-patterned wallet. I usually liked patterns like that for underwear, but for wallets, something simple was better.
People used to mock my taste, saying it was straight out of the old ‘88 era, but seeing well-dressed Bin showing interest in it proved my taste wasn’t wrong after all.
“It looks nice.”
“Really? Just a moment.”
Suddenly, Bin went into the store and pointed at the item in the display window while talking to a staff member.
The wallet itself didn’t look particularly special, but it was surrounded by draped golden fabric, and beside it stood a roaring leopard model. So even though it was just a wallet, it looked like some ancient relic of the century—less like something made and more like something excavated. Honestly, the leopard figure beside it caught my eye more than the wallet itself.
“What are you staring at so closely?”
At some point he had already finished buying it and came back out, holding a shopping bag with a smile.
“The leopard. It looks real.”
“Of course it’s fake. Want to see a taxidermied one? I know a place.”
“No. Stuff like that… feels a bit wrong. It’s sad when animals are stuffed.”
“Why? It preserves them at their most magnificent. It’s basically the same as living forever.”
I already knew he wasn’t an animal lover. Not knowing how to respond, I hesitated, and Bin made a faintly puzzled expression before walking again.
Just as we were leaving the department store, Jun called. The moment I picked up, he started complaining, asking when I’d be back.
“I just handed it over and I’m on my way out now. Ah, did the client arrive? I’ll be there soon.”
“Why? Something urgent?”
“The client’s here. I’ll go ahead first, so take your time.”
I raised my hand to Bin apologetically and quickened my pace. The green light only had a few seconds left, but I ran. Normally, I would never run.
Bin tried to follow behind me, but with the signal changing so quickly, he ended up stuck on the other side of the street. After crossing, I waved at him one more time as he stood there blankly, then turned into the alley.
***
“I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”
“No, it’s alright.”
I hurriedly opened the real estate office door, and the client from before was sitting face-to-face with Jun. After catching my breath and greeting them, I took out a drink and handed it to the client.
I was about to sit in the seat beside the client since it looked more spacious, but Jun grabbed my arm.
“Sit here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I sat next to Jun where he’d shifted slightly aside, flipping through the documents, when he suddenly leaned his face toward my chest. Then he moved from my shoulder to my face, sniffing—sniff, sniff. He was pressing closer than necessary, so I subtly leaned away.
“What are you doing?”
“Did you meet the guy from the sixth floor? Your clothes reek of perfume.”
“On the way to the department store. Bin said he had something to do there too, so we went together.”
“Looks like you were glued together.”
“Cut it out. The client’s right here.”
After organizing the documents, I picked up the ink pad from the desk. The client looked back and forth between the two of us.
“You two seem really close.”
“Well, we see each other often since we’re across the street from each other.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Yes?”
I paused while stamping Jun’s seal across the contract pages and looked at the client.
But Jun seemed to immediately understand what the client meant and answered in my place, saying it was true. From my perspective, I didn’t see why that mattered right now, so I handed the ink pad to the client so they could stamp as well. The client took out their own seal, stamped it, and put it away.
“As expected, you really are the owner.”
“What do you mean?”
I lifted my head from checking the missing details in the contract and looked at the client.
“That’s enough if you know.”
And once again, Jun answered for me. It felt hard to follow their conversation—as if they’d talked a lot before I arrived. Besides, we were in the middle of work, so it wasn’t the time to get distracted.
