"Is that the storyline for next month's issue?" Hakyeon inquired.

Nayoung looked up as he placed the tray with her drink down, to find him peeking at the papers on the table. "Oh yeah, it's the script." 

"A script?" Hakyeon asked.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll explain it to you?" She offered.

He pulled up a chair and turned it, resting his chin on folded arms on the headrest. "So, how does this work?" he asked.

"Well, how it works is that I write out a basic storyline of what happens over a few issues and I work on it with the artist." She looked up to see whether Hakyeon was listening, which he was, with rapt attention. "Once we figure out a general direction for the story to go in, I then work on breaking it down into separate issues."

"What happens then?" Hakyeon asked, eyes wide in wonder.

"I then get to work scripting the issues," she informed him.

"Scripting?"

Nayoung nodded, turning the paper so he could see the writing in the form of dialogue. "Since the story is heavy on dialogue, since it is a mystery, I break up the issue into dialogues. I then take it to the artist, who then creates a manuscript."

"Isn't a manuscript like a first draft of a story or something?" Hakyeon asked, miming writing.

She hummed. "Yeah, that is true," she agreed. "In our case, the manuscript is the first draft of the comic itself. We sketch out all the panels, the placement, the angles of the characters, the scene..."

Hakyeon let out a low whistle. "That's a lot of work," he said. "So where does it become the comic we get in the store?"

"Then we take the manuscript to the editor, who irons out the last knots, and then the artist gets to work inking and coloring," she explained. "Once we've got the pages inked and colored, it goes to the printer after the final okay from the editor. Copies are printed and that's when it comes to the shelves."

"Cool!" Hakyeon blurted out. "I never knew the comic I read had so much work go into it. I think I'm going to appreciate it more now." 

She chuckled. "I'm glad." Then as her eyes fell to the sheets of paper in front of her, she let out a slight sigh.

Hakyeon furrowed his brows. "What's wrong?"

She let out a breath. "Well, I guess you could call it a version of writer's block," she admitted.

"Writer's block?" he asked. "So even you comic writers have blocks?"

She picked up the empty coffee cup next to her (she'd ordered a second time) and threatened to throw it at him. He mockingly protected himself, laughing as her face was something between chastising him and laughing with him because he was so ridiculous. 

"Yes, Hakyeon-ah." Her voice was laced with ice and truly made him believe that she really did mean to throw that plastic cup at him. "Even us lowly comic writers sometimes get writer's block." 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he quickly pleaded. "Please don't kill me!" 

She leaned back in her chair and Hakyeon straightened himself. "So where are you stuck?" he wondered. "Is it that you can't think of a way to progress the story?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not it," she said. "I already worked out the direction of the story beforehand. It's just that I can't figure out how to take this particular scene forward."

He thought about it for a minute. "May I see it?" he asked.

"Why?" She gave him a strange look.

"Oh, no reason," he said. "Perhaps a second opinion could help you."

"You know that would be giving out spoilers, right?"

"I can keep a secret."

"I could get in trouble with my agency."

"Do you have to tell anyone?"

"What makes you think you know anything about writing?"

"Well, as a longtime fan of the series, I think I can offer a good opinion."

"Hakyeon, I'm serious. I could really get in trouble."

He put his hand on his heart. "I swear on my honor and the honor of my cafe that I shall tell no soul." 

She laughed, a light, resounding laugh that made his heart skip a beat. "You know, I was planning on dragging it further, but you're just impossible to refuse."

"I shall take that as a compliment," Hakyeon proudly stated.

She smiled and handed a page to him. He took it from her, his eyes scanning the lines down to the end of the page where it ended abruptly. "Is this where you're stuck?" he asked, raising his eyes to meet hers.

She nodded. "Yeah," she admitted.

He hummed lightly. "I think I can see where your dilemma comes from." He placed the paper back on the table, turning it to face her. "It's here," he said, placing his finger on a particular line near the end. "You went off on a slight tangent here and that's why you can't progress, because you created a slight loophole which you now need to fill, and that's getting you stuck."

She scanned the script thoroughly before her eyes widened slightly. "That actually makes sense," she said. "How did you know that?"

He chuckled. "I used to write a lot when I was younger."

"You should have continued," she said, picking up the script. "We could have used an editor with your sight."

"Actually, my cousin did keep pushing me to be an author back then," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Weren't you interested?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I was, but baking interested me more."

She looked back down. "So what else?" she asked.

"Ah yes," Hakyeon said, leaning over at the same time she did. He then made the mistake of looking up a bit.

They were close, both leaning over the paper. He realized that they were close enough for their heads to be just inches apart. At this distance, he could smell her fresh scent, a floral aura that almost made him dizzy. At this distance, if he leaned a bit more, they could touch foreheads.

His heart began beating fast.

"Is something wrong?" she began to ask, lifting her head up. 

Now that she had looked up, she held eye contact with him. Her dark eyes stared into his, her plump lips slightly apart. His eyes flitted down to her lips and back up.

She then seemed to snap out and lean back, breaking off whatever trance they were in.

"Oh, where were we?" she shyly asked, unconsciously running a hand through her hair, setting it.

"R-right," Hakyeon stuttered, looking back down. "So this is where-"

Taekwoon was a bit shocked when his phone ringing woke him up.

Hm, he must have dozed off.

In a half-asleep daze, he reached out for his vibrating phone and answered it, not checking the number. He placed the phone to his ear, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hello," he mumbled.

"Jung Taekwoon-shi?" a very female voice answered. He sat up at once. "This is Kim Nayoung."

"Oh, Nayoung-shi," he quickly said. "Sorry, I was just-"

"Sleeping?" she cut him off. She laughed at his silence. "I could hear the drowsiness in your voice. Hope I'm not interrupting?"

"No, no, not at all," he quickly denied. "I just had a small break and I think I might have dozed off even though I'm not supposed to and-"

He was cut off by her laughing. "I had no idea you could be shy," she commented.

He felt his cheeks flush. He cleared his throat, resuming his calmer voice. "I'm happy you called. What's the occasion?"

"I-I've been thinking about what you said earlier..." she began.

Oh, she was referring to their blind date.

"And I really enjoyed, apart from all the...marriage...stuff..."

Where was she going with this?

"I was wondering, whether you'd be up to meet again?"

Okay, he was not expecting that.

And despite himself, he found himself replying. "Yeah, sure. I'd love that."

"Han River?" she asked him. "That's your idea of a date?"

He shrugged. "I was out of ideas for an impromptu date."

She looked out onto the water. "Well, I'm not exactly complaining."

Taekwoon cast a look up at the darkening sky and joined her by the railing, leaning against it and watching small waves form on the water's surface. 

"If I may?" he asked.

"Hm?" she hummed, turning to him.

"Why me?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure you're getting proposals from many guys, better guys. So why ask me out again?" 

She looked back out over the river. "Well," she said, "I'll admit, I was nervous to go to that meeting. My mother talked me into it, kept telling me how the guy was rich and had the potential to become even richer." He internally cringed at that. 

"But, when I met you, there was...something...about you," she admitted. "You were, for lack of a better word, mysterious."

"Mysterious?"

"It was hard to read you at first, and to be honest, it was awkward at first. But then you stopped me and urged me to enjoy the dinner, and I actually began to see you for what you are."

"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what do you think I am?"

"I think that behind your corporate persona, you're a kind soul."

He turned his head to look at her. 

"I know that even though you make yourself to be unapproachable at first sight with your intimidating suit," she gestured to his dress, to which he looked down at and raised a questioning glance, "you have a big heart, and you think about others a lot." 

"Where is this going?" he asked, even though he was feeling good inside.

"I think I want to try this for a bit," she told him.

"Try what?"

"Dating," she clarified. "I want to try and go out for a couple more dates, and then think about the marriage deal."

His eyes widened slightly. "You're thinking about it?"

She stepped away from the railing, putting her hands behind her back and nodding. "Before, no. But after meeting you, I think I can see something concrete."

She strolled a little way away, marveling at the starry sky. He left his spot and stood beside her. The two hence stood in silence, watching the stars.

"Should you be getting home now?" Taekwoon wondered.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll drop you," he offered.

"That'd be nice, yeah."

As they walked to his car, she slid her small hand into his larger one.