Meanwhile, Kim Tae-hyung and Sooyaa were having dinner together.
Throughout the meal, Sooyaa kept secretly praying, "Please, let the bill be less than my bank balance."
After finishing, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
When she returned, she headed straight to the reception desk to pay.
But before she could even pull out her card, the receptionist smiled and said,
"Your bill has already been paid, ma'am."
Sooyaa blinked in surprise. "Already paid?" she repeated, almost in disbelief.
A small smile spread across her lips.
As she turned around, she caught sight of Tae-hyung casually standing near the door.
He subtly pointed his thumb towards the exit, signaling her to come along.
Sooyaa couldn't help but smile wider, nodding her head up and down as she followed him outside.
They both walked outside into the cool night air.
Sooyaa caught up to him and said, half-pouting,
"Mr. Kim, why did you pay? It was supposed to be my treat."
Hearing her, Tae-hyung suddenly bent down a little, lowering himself to her eye level.
With a soft, teasing smile, he said,
"Hmm... next time, at your favorite place, it's your treat."
Sooyaa froze for a second, her heart skipping a beat.
She quickly looked away, flustered, and they both made their way to his car.
Once inside, Tae-hyung started driving, his usual style — effortlessly turning the steering wheel with just one hand, exuding an easy, natural coolness.
Sooyaa, stealing glances at him, found her mind drifting back.
"He's effortlessly cool... just like he was back in our university days... and even now..."
she thought to herself, unable to tear her gaze away from him.
They soon arrived at Sooyaa's house.
Tae-hyung pulled up in front and parked the car smoothly.
Sooyaa unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him with a bright smile.
"Thanks for the treat, Mr. Kim," she said warmly before stepping out of the car.
Tae-hyung didn't drive off immediately.
Instead, he waited patiently, watching as Sooyaa walked up to her front door.
Only after she safely entered and closed the door behind her then he finally start his car.
With a small, almost hidden smile, Tae-hyung drove off into the night, heading towards his own house.
Sooyaa steped out of the bathroom door, and a wave of warm steam rolled out behind her.
The shower had been almost too hot, but it felt good after a long day.
Her cheeks were a little red from the heat, and her damp hair clung to her skin as she tightened the robe around her. She walked into her room feeling warm, clean, and just a little tired.
She padded over to her vanity, going through her usual night skincare routine — dabbing toner, massaging in moisturizer, then finishing with lip balm.
After turning off the lights, she crawled into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chest and letting out a deep sigh.
"Kim Tae-hyung… he still spends money like it grows on trees, but always indeed Cool" she muttered to herself with a small smile.
"But then ... he was always like that."
She rolled onto her side, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts drifted back —
( Flashback university days 2017)........