One of the things Chang Wook and Ji Hyun have in common is that they are not fond of weddings. They are not fond of the over-the-top expenditures of their colleagues when it comes to this ceremony, since sometimes it leads to separation, which means more paperwork and more tears to mop off the floor. But somehow, they couldn't risk not going to this wedding since this involved a mutual friend of theirs, but in Ji Hyun's case, she's not entirely sure if she could actually go. 

"You can file a leave, you know?" He asked her as he placed their dinner on the table. 

"I don't know if I can, oppa. This is the last week before the holidays and we're all required to work right now."  She replied as she took her chopsticks and grabbed some food. 

"Well, I might be leaving early in the morning for Busan, since Seo Man wanted to get some advice from his friends in person." He spoke as he dug into his meal as well.

"Oh, that's fine." She replied. "Are you going to sleep there?" 

"Yeah. Seo Man offered his guests each of their own rooms in the hotel, but I don't know how many actually accepted the offer, though. He practically begged me to stay for the night and he'd pay for all of my expenses if I do so." 

"Oppa, this is Seo Man we're talking about. He'll literally do anything for it to go his way sometimes." 

"Yeah, that's true. This man goes big before anything else." He said as he continued with his meal. 

Ever since that moment they had a few days ago, they tried their best to forget it, going on with their days together as if nothing happened. But as much as they acted like nothing happened, it was getting harder for the both of them trying not to address it directly. There would be times that their banter would be cut short and it would feel awkward again, and there would be times that they wouldn't meet each other's eyes like they used to. It was almost like they took one step forward and three steps back with how they were going. Sadly, this was what Chang Wook was afraid of: that if one of them crosses the line, the entire foundation they had would be broken entirely, never to recover from again. They were already treading on thin ice as of the moment, but none of them were willing to address it, afraid that it would only add more fuel to the fire if they talk about it, as well as not really knowing how to deal with these situations.

"Have you packed your belongings?" She asked, looking up from her food.

"I have. It's just a small bag though." He replied.

"Do you have your toiletries?" 

"Yes." 

"Clothes?" 

"Yes." 

"Your coat?" 

"Of course. I'm prepared for tomorrow, Ji Hyun. Don't worry about me." 

She sighed in response. "I was quite surprised that you actually agreed to this. I thought you hated weddings." 

"I still do. I hate that occasion with my entire heart and soul, but I'm only doing this for Seo Man and nothing else." 

She sighed. "Alright, don't have too much fun without me."

"I know I won't."

Ji Hyun looks up at him, but she doesn't want to press onto the topic further. It had always been like this for her ever since. Whenever they banter, she would take everything with a grain of salt, but at the same time, she would think if there were meanings in his words or not. She wasn't entirely sure anymore, and so was he. But they both knew that this was quite unusual for the both of them. 

"Have a safe trip then. And please don't drink too much." 

"Let's hope so."

And they were silent after that, not really knowing where the conversation would go. When they were done with their meals, they silently cleaned the table, as well as cleaned the dishes. Chang Wook decided to avert the tension by starting the conversation again. 

"So, have your sorted your stay in New York yet?" He spoke, trying to ignore the bitter taste in his mouth with the mention of New York as he scrubbed the glasses.

Ji Hyun nodded, rinsing the soap from the dishes. "I have a friend that stays there, and she's actually going to move out once I start the semester, so I have the whole place to myself, and it's quite near the university."

"Oh," he replied. "Do you have the schedule on when you can start the semester?"

"They actually told me that I can start next month." She replied, and he was stunned with the news as well. "Although, I didn't want to start too early since I'm still trying to save up for my travel, and also, I have to wait for my documents to be processed, so I opted for going there by the end of spring." 

He sighed to himself, thinking about the amount of time she had before she leaves for four years, which was not left unnoticed by her. "Ya, I told you it would be a long time before I leave this country. Don't stress on it, oppa."

"I promise, I'm not stressing about it." He assured her, in which Ji Hyun squinted at him, causing her to flick some water on him. 

"I call bluff." She spoke with a pointed gaze directed at him. He stares right back before he flicks her back with more water. If other people looked at them at that moment, they wouldn't even think of two professional adults doing childish antics at each other even at the expense of the underlying tension. This continued on as they washed the last of the utensils and placed the remaining ceramics on their cabinets, ready to head out to their beds and call it a night. 

"Ya, I'm serious about not getting too drunk out there. Who knows what you're going to try and attempt out there without me." She remarked as she walked back to the door of her house. 

"You really need to stop worrying over someone who is eight years older than you and can take care of himself." He retorted, following her as she stood by the door. 

"Says the same man who almost fell while clearing up the driveway from the snow, and who almost got sick after staying out in the cold for too long." She replied. 

"Ya, I wasn't aware that the ice hardened completely."

"It's snow, what do you expect? And I'm impressed with the interpretative dance break you did back there in the snow. Really amazing job."

"Aish, why you—" He started, but when he saw the bright smile on her face as she recalled the clumsy moment, it was as if he forgot about what he was going to say completely. Instead, he smiles at