Tae-jun looked at Ara and asked, "How was the date between your brother and my sister?"
Kang Ara sighed lightly and replied, "Well, my brother told me he got rejected."
Tae-jun, hearing this, paused his movements and asked, "Can you tell me more about this?"
Ara then shared with him exactly what her brother had told her over the phone.
Tae-jun sighed deeply, his expression clouding with frustration. "Why is it that she does not understand our father's good intentions?" he asked, shaking his head in disappointment.
Ara, sensing his tension, tried to offer a different perspective. "It's fine. Everyone has their own aspirations and dreams. She likes Mr. Jin-woo; it is not that bad. I have actually met him on the airplane recently."
She added with a small smile, "He seems like a genuinely nice guy."
Listening to Ara mention that she had met Jin-woo on the flight, Tae-jun became visibly surprised. "Can you tell me more about that encounter?" he asked, his interest suddenly piqued.
Ara nodded and replied, "There isn't much to say. We talked about his work at the fire festival and what life as a famous actress is like. We even took some autographs and photos together. But overall, he seemed like a very calm and grounded guy."
Hearing Ara say such positive things about Jin-woo made Tae-jun reach a decision. He felt he should meet Jin-woo at least once to judge for himself.
Perhaps there was something good about this man that he did not yet know or understand.
He began to think deeply about how he could call Jin-woo over to his house without making it feel like a formal interrogation.
Seeing Tae-jun lost in his own thoughts, Kang Ara realized the conversation had ended for him. "Okay, Mr. Tae-jun, I think you are busy now," she said politely. "I will also go and finish my exercise."
Tae-jun just nodded absently and said, "Okay. Thank you for telling me about the date."
After that short exchange, he went straight to another machine in the gym to continue his workout.
Seeing him move on so quickly to his next exercise, Ara didn't know what to say.
She was used to a very different kind of attention. Most people became incredibly excited just by seeing her once. Some even cried or became speechless if she spoke to them directly.
But this man did not even look at her properly; he was always busy with his own thoughts and his own things.
For a moment, she began to wonder if she had lost some of her charm.
Determined to shake off the feeling, she went back to her own routine and began to exercise even more intensely to keep herself fit.
She did not want to believe that she was not beautiful or captivating enough to hold someone's attention.
As Ara became busy with her intense workout, Tae-jun's mind continued to race. He thought more and more about how to see Jin-woo and judge his character fairly.
Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He reached for his gym bag, took his phone out of his bag, and dialed his sister's number.
The phone rang for a while before the connection was finally made.
On the other side of the line, Eun-soo's voice sounded groggy and tired. "Brother? Why are you calling me this early in the morning?"
Tae-jun replied in a doting yet firm tone, "Are you a koala? Always sleeping. I have told you many times not to binge-watch dramas in the evening. When will you finally become an adult?"
Eun-soo, hearing her brother's familiar nagging, groaned into her pillow. "Did you call me just to lecture me in the morning? If so, I am going back to sleep."
As Eun-soo was about to cut the call, Tae-jun quickly spoke up. "Wait. I want to meet Jin-woo."
Hearing her brother suddenly talk about the man she liked, Eun-soo sat up straight in her bed, her sleepiness vanishing instantly. "Why? What happened?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
Tae-jun tried to sound casual. "Nothing. I am just curious about him. Many people have talked about him to me lately, and clearly, you like him too. So, I was thinking of meeting him myself."
He added a professional excuse to ease her suspicion. "Also, I would like to ask him about a business opportunity. You know that AI agents can help our company with many things."
On the other side of the phone, Eun-soo nodded to herself, feeling a bit relieved. "Okay, I will tell him for you when we meet today, either at the gym or at the kindergarten."
Then Tae-jun changed the subject back to her habits. "We returned from Jeju together, but you still seem so tired. I think you might need to go to the hospital. Why are you always so lazy with your health?"
Eun-soo pouted on the other side of the phone, her face looking remarkably like Hajun's when he was being stubborn.
"What are you saying?" she complained. "I got stuck in late traffic reaching home, and then I watched some dramas, so I stayed up late. I am fully healthy! I even go to the gym regularly. It is only sometimes that I cannot go because I need to rest after traveling."
Tae-jun laughed softly at her predictable reaction. "Fine, fine. You are right."
Eun-soo then got back to the point. "Where do you want to meet him, and when?"
Tae-jun thought for a moment about his new residence. "Since he is your friend, meeting in a office will not be very nice. How about this? I will meet him at my new home. Tell him to come to my place this evening."
Eun-soo nodded, though he couldn't see her. "Okay. I'll let him know. Bye then."
Tae-jun hung up and stared at his reflection in the gym mirror.
He knew that inviting Jin-woo to his home was a bold move, but he wanted to see the man in a private, comfortable setting.
He wanted to see the man who had captured his sister's heart and even impressed a world-class actress like Kang Ara.
Meanwhile, Ara was finishing her final set of repetitions.
She was breathing hard, her purple t-shirt damp with sweat.
Back in her bedroom, Eun-soo stared at her phone for a long time after the call ended.
She was nervous about her brother and Jin-woo meeting, but she also hoped that they would get along.
She got out of bed and started to get ready for the day, wondering how she would break the news to Jin-woo.
The morning sun was now fully bright, shining through the windows of the gym where Tae-jun was already back to his workout, his mind set on the evening ahead.
Every character was moving toward a single point, driven by curiosity, love, or a sense of duty.