After taking a seat and waiting for their coffee, Dahyun and Gahyeon stayed silent for a bit. It is unusual for Dahyun to express her real feelings about things. She would generally merely hide them till the feelings subsided and soon were forgotten. Gahyeon is almost certain that something else is driving Dahyun's vulnerability, judging from how the woman is acting currently.

"Do you ever wonder what your purpose is in this world?" Dahyun's unanticipated question shattered the silence. Gahyeon merely stared at her, as though wondering where this discussion would lead them. "I was thinking about it recently," she added. "Am I truly doing what I have always wanted, or am I just doing what everyone else is doing?"

Gahyeon remained silent, eagerly listening to what the other person had to say. This side of Dahyun felt very different to her, almost heart-warming. Knowing that the woman wouldn't always be this way, she made use of the opportunity to simply listen and attempt to understand.

"People are living as if they are following a guidebook — a manual for living, because if they don't, they won't fit in," she explained. "It seems to me that we are all living for someone else rather than for ourselves."

After a few seconds, Dahyun laughed, perhaps realizing she was being too serious. "Isn't this something I'd say when drunk?" she joked, causing Gahyeon to chuckle and nod her head. "It's just a shame that life is too short, but we're wasting a lot of it trying to attain something that isn't really for us," Dahyun said, bringing an end to everything she was attempting to say.

"You're actually right," Gahyeon had to admit after some thought. "But if there's anyone who doesn't care about the rules of life or the standards set by others, it's you," she remarked. "People like me don't have the guts to do what you do." "You see, I wanted to be a woman soldier, but because it wasn't what my family wanted for me, I decided to let it go, and now I'm following in my father's footsteps."

"It would have been nice to see you as a soldier," Dahyun thought, softly smiling.

"Right?" Gahyeon chuckled before exhaling deeply. "What matters is that you are not like me; you know how to walk on the path you have built for yourself," she stated.

"I'm starting to think that you are the only person who is proud of me."

"Dahyun-ah," Gahyeon murmured softly, "even if I'm only one person, this one person will always be proud of you."

"But don't you have anything else to say to me?"

For some reason, Dahyun was at a loss for words. "I... no, nothing else," she stuttered. Gahyeon could tell by the look on her face. "I just had strange thoughts," she explained. "However, that's all there is."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"How come you thought I had something else to say, anyway?" Dahyun asked.

"I believe you already know," Gahyeon said, gripping her nape and nervously smiling. "You are usually cool, laid back, which is why I admire you. This soft side of you is new to me, and I thought there was something I should be concerned about," she explained.

"Well," Dahyun said quietly, "I actually thought about this because of someone I know."

"Is that person important to you?" Gahyeon inquired.

"I wouldn't say so," Dahyun replied, "but it's possible."

Dahyun's phone suddenly received a call notice from someone. Because the device was placed on the table, Gahyeon's eyes were drawn to it. But then, she couldn't tell who the caller was because Dahyun picked up the phone quickly enough.

"Speaking of," Dahyun remarked, apologizing to Gahyeon, and indicating that she needed to respond.

"Go on, please take it," Gahyeon urged.

Dahyun quickly answered the phone, as Gahyeon had suggested. "Hello?" she went to ask gently.

"Good day, Atty. Kim," said the woman at the other end of the call. "This is Minatozaki Sana."

Dahyun smiled, which Sana couldn't see, but Gahyeon could. The latter looked down as a result of it. "Yes, I know," Dahyun replied.

"Are you busy?" Sana inquired. "If not, can we meet?"

 

Sana stood anxiously in front of a still-closed amusement park near the hospital where Dahyun currently is. The woman agreed to meet Sana, but Dahyun thought it would be awkward to ask Sana to come to the hospital, so she requested Sana to choose a location within the area. Nonetheless, Dahyun thought it was funny that Sana chose a site where they wouldn't be able to do anything because it was closed. She didn't want to question the woman anyhow, so she just agreed.

"Today is the day I agreed to be a horribly desperate person," Sana sighed, already feeling sorry for herself. She had just devised a strategy to gain Dahyun's trust in most personal matters. If she is successful, she will be one step closer to determining if the woman should be suspected of stealing the design created by Nayeon and her team.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a startling noise from behind her. "Boo!" shouted Dahyun, who surprised Sana by grasping both of the woman's shoulders. It was effective because Sana shrieked, which made her laugh heartily.

"Atty. Kim!" Sana scowled, her lips puckering.

"Why?" Dahyun inquired innocently. "I only helped you to return to reality," she explained, "you almost went into space with whatever was going on in your mind."

Sana couldn't help but smile at how light the mood appears to be when Dahyun is around. This made her question whether accepting Nayeon's offer was indeed worthwhile. After all, she's not an awful person who makes hasty decisions. It's only that she needed the job because of the situation her family had been placed in.

"I was wondering if there was any place nearby where we could sit and talk comfortably," Sana reasoned, prompting Dahyun to look around.

"This place is comfortable," she remarked, despite the heat emanating from the sun.

"You're lying," Sana said, squinting her eyes. "If you could only see your sun-wrinkled eyebrows," she said, extending her hand to protect Dahyun's eyes from the dazzling sunrays.

"Well," Dahyun responded, slightly smiling, "you chose this place," she added. "It should be fine."

For a few moments, their gazes remained locked. When Sana realized what was going on, her cheeks heated up and turned red. Dahyun noticed it and chuckled, but she said nothing. Sana, embarrassed by the whole situation, drew her hand back and looked away.

Dahyun chose to divert the subject after realizing that Sana was flustered enough that she couldn't even speak. "Why did you want to meet with me?" she asked, "Did something happen?"

"Ah," Sana mumbled, "not really."

"Then what is it?" Dahyun inquired, but she spoke up again before Sana could respond. "I was thinking of meeting you soon as well," she remarked. "I wanted to provide you with an update on the job opportunity I promised you."

Sana became so intrigued that she had the confidence to look Dahyun in the eyes once more. Dahyun smiled at her, as if she was about to offer wonderful news. "It's not exactly the position I'd want to put you in," she said to Sana, who sat quietly listening. "But for the time being, you can have it."

"For the time being?" Sana inquired.

"One of our staff has an urgent trip that will take a month," Dahyun revealed. "It's also for the company," she clarified. "His position will be empty for a while, so I decided to hand it to you rather than recruit someone else."

"Though the salary wouldn't be that high."

"I'll take it!" Sana said, her eyes sparkling with delight. "It's fine if it's not permanent or whatever; I simply need a job," she explained.

"Then I'll tell Ms. Son about it," Dahyun said, her head nodding.

"That's actually why I wanted to meet you," Sana addressed meekly, looking down at her shoes, ashamed of having to nag Dahyun about the job. Though it wasn't literally nagging, Sana felt the same way. "Because I don't know how I'd pay you if I didn't have an actual job yet."

"You realize you don't have to worry about money, right?" Dahyun inquired.

"I know," Sana replied, "but I can't help myself."

"If you ever need anything else, Sana, just give me a call."

That warmed Sana's heart even further. But when she remembered the main reason why she had met Dahyun today, she felt a bit bad. Nonetheless, because she had already signed an irreversible contract with Nayeon, she had no choice but to grab this opportunity as well.

"Will you ever..." Sana began, drawing Dahyun's attention to her. "Will you ever hire an assistant?" she inquired. "Or is there already someone..." Sana asked hesitantly, which puzzled the other woman.

"I've never had an assistant," Dahyun replied modestly. "And I hadn't considered getting one before," she added.

"Do you think I'd be a good fit for that role?" Sana asked nervously, her ears becoming red.

Dahyun thought it was cute, and she smiled tightly without even realizing it. She coughed slightly, unsure how to answer properly for some reason. The truth is that she does not believe an assistant would be of much service because she prefers working hands-on most of the time.

"I know it's so audacious of me to say this, but maybe by working for you, I might slowly pay off the money I owe you too," Sana explained, unaware that Dahyun wasn't paying attention.

The woman is still enchanted by the image of Sana's face when asking that favor. It's just too lovely, and it would feel like a crime to turn down such a person as Sana. That is mostly why she came to this conclusion.

"I'll accept your proposal," Dahyun said after a brief pause. Sana knew from the woman's expression that something else would follow, so she waited patiently. "If you win something for me in return," Dahyun added.

"W-what?" Sana inquired, unaware of what Dahyun meant. The latter then turned around, glancing at the huge gate of the park. Sana seemed to have only now remembered where they were. "Win something for you..." she said to herself, which Dahyun overheard.

"That's correct," the woman confirmed.

"But it's still closed," Sana pointed out.

"Yeah," Dahyun muttered under her breath, rather dismayed. "Do you have any other commitments today? Errands to run..." she wondered.

"Not really," Sana replied.

"Then, would you mind waiting two hours?"

Sana's focus turned to the amusement park's signboard, which listed the park's opening and closing times. And according to it, they will have to wait two hours before the establishment opens.

"Sure," Sana said, nodding her head. "But what are we going to do with those two hours of nothing?" she inquired.

"Uh, have ice cream?" hummed Dahyun.

"For two hours?" laughed Sana, shaking her head in disbelief at the very idea. "Well, if it's gone with the wind from Baskin Robbins, I'll take in everything I can within two hours," she added.

"Then Baskin Robbins it is," Dahyun said right away.