Chapter 4….
She tilted her head, but the man standing before her was definitely someone she had never seen before.
A company employee? No, in the past three years, she had never once come across him.
Then, maybe someone from a partner company?
The man’s first impression was entirely black. His neatly combed hair, perfectly shaped brows, obsidian-like dark eyes, shirt, trousers, and even the jacket draped over one arm—all of it was black.
The only splash of color on him was his lips, which were so vividly red that they looked prettier than hers. And those lips began to move slowly.
“Your clothes are a mess.”
The man smiled faintly and gestured toward her outfit with his chin.
Yunha, who had been staring blankly at his smile as if entranced, snapped back to her senses.
Startled, she lowered her gaze and checked herself—and then froze in shock.
On the man, dressed in black, the spill didn’t stand out. But on her ivory jacket and beige blouse, coffee stains had spread everywhere, making her look as though she had been doused in muddy water.
There was no way wiping it off in the restroom would solve this.
This is a disaster. Today’s the mini review session…
It wasn’t the final review, but the CEO and executives were attending, so she had put extra effort into choosing her outfit this morning.
There was no way she could show up like this.
The design office had dozens of clothes hanging, but most of them were products scheduled for today’s review, and the rest were samples—none of which she could just wear freely.
Biting her lower lip in distress, Yunha hesitated.
“Do you… happen to have a change of clothes?”
The man asked carefully, as if sensing her panic.
When she looked at him in surprise, he continued gently,
“I have an extra shirt with me. If you need it, I could lend it to you.”
“To… me?”
Her eyes widened, her shock written all over her face.
“It’ll be a bit big, but still better than what you’re wearing now.”
He pointed to her coffee-stained outfit with his chin.
Though he was the one who had caused the accident, he was the one offering help. Yunha felt grateful, yet at the same time uneasy.
It could have been pure kindness, but what if he had ulterior motives?
When her silence dragged on, one of his brows arched slightly.
“Why? Are you worried I might be a bad guy?”
“Not exactly… it’s just, usually in situations like this, people argue about who’s at fault first.”
She answered cautiously.
She believed there was no such thing as kindness without strings attached—especially between men and women.
She didn’t want to give the wrong impression.
No matter how handsome this man was.
“The accident already happened. Right now, shouldn’t cleaning it up come first?”
“Y-yes, I suppose so.”
For some reason, Yunha felt her composure wavering.
Normally, in this kind of situation, the expected response would be anger or a demand for dry-cleaning costs.
“So… do you want the shirt or not?”
“……”
She bit her lip again.
She did need a change of clothes, but could she really accept help from a stranger so easily?
He didn’t seem like a bad person, but the world was unpredictable.
When she still couldn’t answer, the man shrugged and added,
“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to take it. I only suggested it because I thought you might feel awkward wearing that all day. That’s all. Anyway.”
Speaking casually, as though it didn’t matter to him, he apologized briefly to the café staff and left without hesitation.
As if her hesitation meant nothing. As if mocking her, even.
The moment his back disappeared from sight, Yunha was seized by a sudden, inexplicable urgency.
The nearest department store was a 30-minute drive away, and the review session was scheduled earlier than store opening hours.
In the end, Yunha made the practical choice.
“Wait, please!”
Her hurried voice carried after him.
When she rushed out of the café, the man stopped walking and turned around.
Yunha quickened her steps toward him.
Passersby stole glances at her coffee-stained clothes, but she couldn’t cover up, so she walked faster.
The man quietly watched her approach.
He was just looking at her, yet she felt suffocated, as if his gaze pressed down on her.
Perhaps it was because of those eyes, blacker than night.
Trying to hide her fluster, she stopped at a cautious distance.
“What you said earlier… is the offer still good?”
“Why? Do you trust me now?”
He chuckled softly as he asked back.
It would have been natural for him to be annoyed at someone who had doubted him, only to now come asking for help. Yet his expression showed no such thing.
“If I upset you… I’m sorry.”
“No, you did the right thing.”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected response. He smiled faintly and added,
“There are plenty of bad people in this world. Being cautious was smart. Let’s go.”
“Go… where?”
She blinked in confusion, and he answered casually as he turned.
“My car. The shirt’s inside.”
“Oh… okay.”
Yunha followed him into the elevator.
He pressed the button for Basement Level 5.
Seeing the empty elevator, Yunha let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Not only were people’s stares uncomfortable, but the smell of coffee rising from her clothes was stronger than she thought.
Just as she lifted her head, her eyes met his—he was already looking at her.
As if to reassure her, he gave her a gentle smile.
Her chest gave a sudden, electric throb, and Yunha quickly turned her head away.
What’s with that smile? Is he some kind of playboy?
Startled by something so meaningless, she blamed the man to calm herself down.
At that moment, the elevator dinged open.
He stepped out first and walked briskly toward a parked car.
Yunha glanced around, wary.
The building was newly constructed, so the parking lot was as bright as daytime, with CCTV cameras everywhere. Cars moved frequently. Nothing looked unsafe.
As they walked deeper into the lot, a luxury import car blinked its lights with a chirp.
He must be well-off. Driving a car like that at his age…
Opening the backseat, the man pulled out a shopping bag and handed her a shirt.
She had expected black, but instead, it was a crisp white shirt.
And clearly a high-end designer brand anyone would recognize.
“Are you sure I can take this? Don’t you need to change, too?”
“I’m wearing black, so the stains don’t really show.”
“But it must still smell.”
“I’ll just pretend I sprayed coffee perfume.”
“What?”
Startled by his offhanded remark, she asked again.
Not only was he unfazed by the accident, he was even giving away his only spare shirt. For the first time, Yunha thought—maybe beneath his somber looks, he was surprisingly generous.
“Let’s go back.”
Closing the car door, he started walking toward the elevator.
“Thank you.”
Yunha followed and offered a cautious thanks. He shrugged.
“Don’t mention it.”
“If you give me your account number, I’ll transfer the cost of the shirt.”
“No need.”
His refusal was firm, but the shirt easily cost several hundred dollars. She couldn’t just accept it, especially from a man she’d met today for the first time.
“I can’t just take it for free. I’ll accept the kindness, but not the shirt.”
At that, the man stopped and slowly turned around.
Startled, Yunha looked up, meeting his gaze head-on.
“You seem like the type who’s very clear about your principles.”
Unlike his easygoing expression, his insight was sharp. He had read her personality instantly.
“There’s no reason to accept something for free.”
“If you dislike ‘free’… then think of it as a gift.”
“What?”
When she repeated after him in surprise, he said calmly,
“Strictly speaking, it wasn’t only your fault. If I had kept more distance, we wouldn’t have collided. So don’t feel pressured—just accept it.”
“…Then, I’ll wear it gratefully.”
He wasn’t wrong, and insisting further felt rude.
Yunha decided to accept with thanks.
The man smiled, looking relieved.
