Yoojin let out a small breath the moment the long-awaited order sheets finally arrived.
Finally… but why do I hate the sight of them already?
She knew the factories would push back the moment she delivered the cancellation notices again. But she was an employee of Samho Apparel now; the company's interests had to come first, no matter what.
Earlier that day, she had already reported—verbally—to Manager Lee Hyuk and Manager Kim Se-hee that all fifteen orders would be canceled and reissued.
It was a serious issue, objectively speaking.
But the two managers simply replied, "Well, the sales team should handle it anyway," as if it were nothing.
Yoojin spread the fifteen order sheets wide across her desk. Her expression looked calm, but the faint tremble in her eyes betrayed her.
All the work she had poured herself into last week had reverted back to zero.
Starting over felt like wandering inside a maze with no entrance, no exit—just endless walls.
"Here, Yoojin. You can go ahead with these,"
Assistant Manager Oh said, his voice sounding strangely proud of himself.
Yoojin's reply came out hoarse.
"Yes… I'll proceed as is."
"I really struggled— I mean, to sort all this out, you know. I checked the purchasing prices and the previous order quantities. You don't have to double-check anything anymore."
He said it in an overly familiar tone, as if they were suddenly equals after a few days of meetings.
Yoojin stared at him wordlessly, and Oh scratched his head, awkward.
In the end, Yoojin had been right—this should have been handled by the sales team all along.
The chaos had come from a senior staff member passing off the responsibility to an intern.
"Yes, I'll take care of it. But… some factories might push back. A few quantities might not be adjustable."
Her voice was polite but firm.
Oh stiffened; guilt kept him from snapping at her the way he usually did.
Yoojin looked at the man in front of her—an ordinary guy in his mid-thirties, the kind of person you'd forget the moment you walked past him on the street.
She remembered his messenger profile photo: him smiling as he held his baby boy.
Her mouth tasted bitter.
She had spent the past week burning energy and emotion hating this man.
But now, after seeing the tangled system behind everything, she felt only exhaustion… and a deep rejection of this whole double-bookkeeping reality.
The pages she received bore Team Leader Yeo Jin-cheol's signature.
The approval box for the absent Director Hwang was still blank.
Yoojin exhaled slowly.
"Yes. I'll place the orders. Thank you."
"Good work."
*
Oh left quickly, relieved to offload the responsibility.
Across the room, Dongha watched Yoojin's conversation and sent her a message.
[Did the order sheets arrive?]
[Yeah. Finally. Fifteen of them… haha.]
[Are you okay? Do you want help?]
Yoojin stared at his message.
Dongha… you've already helped me more than you know. But the truth is—I'm not okay.
She touched the necklace he'd given her. Ever since she'd worn it, no disasters had happened… in fact, people were coming to her for help.
Maybe it really did work. She let out a faint smile.
She needed to text him back: It's okay. I should finish this myself.But her fingers wouldn't move.
Something inside her had snapped.
She couldn't keep going—not tonight.
After a long pause, she typed:
[I think I'm done for today. I want to leave.]
The moment she sent it, she shut her monitor off, grabbed her coat, and stood up.
Sunyoung and Deputy Kang looked up, startled.
"I'll finish the order sheets tomorrow. I'm heading out first."
"Oh—okay, get home safe!"
"You worked hard."
Yoojin hurried out of the office. Dongha sprang to his feet, grabbing his coat.
"I'll head out too. Good night," he said, barely waiting for their replies as he rushed after her.
Only Sunyoung and Kang remained in the office, staring at the door Yoojin and Dongha had vanished through… then turning back to their monitors with a sigh.
*
Cold air brushed Yoojin's cheeks as she stepped out of Samho Apparel Building. She stretched out her arms and inhaled deeply.
Why didn't I just walk out sooner?What was I holding onto so tightly?
Her steps felt lighter—almost bright.
Dongha caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder gently, breathless.
"You're just going to leave me behind like that?"
He looked like a puppy with separation anxiety.
Yoojin couldn't help but laugh—soft, helpless.
After her harsh reply to his confession on Monday night, this was the first time they were facing each other outside of work.
Strangely, the discomfort she felt that night had vanished.
"Wanna hang out? We left at nine—this is practically leaving early."
At her cheerful voice, Dongha's whole face lit up.
Yoojin had avoided him the day before, leaving without a word—yet here she was, smiling at him.
She looked up at him—she only reached his shoulder—and stared for a beat.
He kept glancing away shyly.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
Yoojin poked his cheek.
"You have a dimple here. Did you know that?"
"…Me?"
He had never noticed. He'd never smiled at the mirror long enough to see it.
He brushed his cheek with his fingers, and the dimple vanished.Yoojin laughed.
"That's not how you check. You'll never see it that way."
She walked ahead playfully.
Dongha followed, looking at her from beneath half-lowered eyes.
He extended a hand.
"It's cold. Hold my hand."
Yoojin hesitated.
We're friends… it's fine. Friends hold hands… sometimes… right?
She took his hand casually—then froze.
Her hand didn't budge; his palm enveloped hers completely.
Her face flushed.
"You said you wanted to hang out. It's cold. Just walk like this."
"…Okay."
Dongha slid their joined hands into his coat pocket. Their fingers intertwined naturally. Warmth seeped through both of them.
Snow began to fall—soft, powdery flakes melting on their hair and coats.
Dongha brushed a flake from Yoojin's hair and murmured:
"You look like a dandelion seed."
"Really," she whispered.
She caught a snowflake; it melted instantly in her palm.
Dongha looked at her gently.
"Is there somewhere you want to go?"
Yoojin chuckled. She had run out of the office on impulse—she hadn't thought that far ahead.
"I don't know. Should we just keep walking in the snow like this?"
"That's nice too. But you'll catch a cold—it's always freezing on exam day tomorrow."
He squeezed her hand, sharing his warmth.
Yoojin suddenly stopped walking.
"I know where I want to go."
"Where?"
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Can we go to your studio? I… want to see you dance."
Dongha's heart slammed against his ribs.
He nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Let's go. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you.As long as we can walk like this—hand in hand—I'll follow you anywhere.
Snow melted around them; even the worries weighing them down seemed to dissolve with it.
Their time together was finally beginning.