Hwang Mi Ra stepped out of the taxi with a haste she didn't even bother to hide. The fading afternoon light reflected off the school's windows, where a few parents were already waiting for their children. She leaned quickly toward the driver.
— Please give me a few minutes. I'll pick up the child and be right back.
Without waiting for a response, she closed the door and strode briskly toward the building entrance. Her face carried a certain tension mixed with restrained tenderness.
Walking down the hallway, Mi Ra cast a quick glance at the pastel-colored walls before gently pushing open the classroom door. Inside, the teacher looked up and immediately hurried toward her. Yoo Na Bi, meanwhile, was seated at her desk, bent over a coloring book, working with an almost overly disciplined focus for her age.
— Good evening, Mrs. Kim, Mi Ra said politely, slightly out of breath.
— Good evening, miss. I thought Yoo Na Bi's mother would be picking her up today.
Mi Ra's expression softened, but her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
— No… She's been very busy lately. So I'm taking care of the little one.
— I understand. Could you still ask her to come see me, please?
A crease of worry immediately appeared on Mi Ra's face.
— Is there a problem? You can tell me, and I'll pass along the message faithfully.
The teacher shook her head, her expression reassuring.
— No, no. Nothing serious. But I'd like to discuss some details regarding Na Bi's schooling.
— I see… Very well. I'll tell her, Mi Ra replied with a small, relieved smile.
Mrs. Kim nodded gently before calling:
— Yoo Na Bi? It's time to go home.
The little girl looked up, her large, bright eyes immediately fixing on Mi Ra. She waved at her with a radiant, almost maternal smile. Na Bi's face lit up, and she sprang to her feet, her bag already ready to be taken.
— Good evening, ma'am, Mi Ra said as she led the little girl out of the classroom. Let's go, sweetie.
They disappeared into the hallway, hand in hand. The door closed behind them, and the teacher remained still for a moment, caught in a gentle curiosity. Her gaze fell on Na Bi's desk, where the abandoned coloring book rested. She approached, picked it up, and studied the drawing for a long moment—the hesitant strokes, the colors sometimes spilling outside the lines. An indefinable emotion passed across her face.
Outside, Mi Ra guided Na Bi toward the parked vehicle. She opened the door and crouched so the little girl could climb in.
— Come on, hop in! she announced with warm enthusiasm. Today, we're going to have mushroom soup. Are you ready?
Na Bi's eyes widened with excitement, and her radiant smile seemed to chase away all the day's fatigue.
— Yes! she exclaimed in a clear voice, filled with genuine joy.
Mi Ra closed the door tenderly, her heart slightly at ease.
****
The twilight light fell gently on Kim Jae Hyun's building, painting the façade in shades of orange and violet. The warm end-of-day breeze made the leaves on the sidewalk shiver, while the building's shadow stretched across the asphalt.
Inside, the living room was bathed in soft light, filtered through half-drawn blinds. Kim Jae Hyun sat facing Cho Se Ra, focused on the documents spread out before him. The precision of his gestures, the neatness of his carefully maintained hands, and the way a few rebellious strands of hair fell across his forehead stirred in Se Ra a mix of curiosity and desire she tried to suppress. She inhaled softly, her heart beating a little faster, and spoke.
— Mr?
He didn't respond. She felt a light rush, like a small jolt, as she watched him organize his documents with cold elegance.
— (professional) Your 6:30 appointment has arrived.
Kim Jae Hyun barely lifted his eyes, but Se Ra caught a glimmer in his dark eyes, a spark both of control and unsettling curiosity. He gathered his papers, returned them to the binder, and picked up his phone, moving away with silent but confident steps.
Thousands of miles away, in her apartment in Brazil, Lim Rahel savored a sip of coffee, wrapped in a soft pajama. Jae Hyun's video call made the computer vibrate. She raised the cup to her lips and smiled tenderly, amused by her friend's unexpected punctuality.
— What do we have here…
She sat down, the coffee still warm in her hands. — So my best friend thought of me after four weeks of silence…
Jae Hyun appeared on the screen, his face serious yet sharply beautiful, each line of his features perfectly defined.
— You know very well that I have to call you at least once a month.
Rahel took a sip, a small mocking laugh on her lips.
— Is that how friends usually do it?
He sat on the bed, body tense and straight, and replied naturally:
— Coffee in the evening, isn't that a bit cliché?
— You idiot, it's morning here!
Jae Hyun gave a slight smile, a rarity that made Rahel shiver.
— I should come see you more often.
— You'd better not promise me something you won't keep.
— I assure you I will.
Rahel lifted her cup again, her mischievous eyes trying to probe his.
— So, how's your precious company doing?
— Well… Everything's going fine.
She let out a small laugh and stared at him, slightly vexed by his coldness:
— You're not even asking how I'm doing?
— You know very well that I don't know how to do that.
And he said it with detached confidence, without apparent affect, yet something in his voice, in his gaze, hinted at a restrained desire, almost impossible to ignore.
— So why did you call me?
— To check in.
Rahel frowned, ironic:
— Wow!! Really??
— That disdainful look you're giving me doesn't affect me.
— Then tell me. Have you finally found someone? Or are you planning to marry your laptop!
— Asked a hardened single woman to a human being.
— Oh, because you are…
Meanwhile, Cho Se Ra, exhausted, let her head slump against the back of the sofa. Her heels were apart on the floor, her bag abandoned next to her. She checked her watch with a small sigh, her body feeling both fatigue and a strange electric tension at the thought of Jae Hyun.