“And because of that…”

His voice became cold and emotionless.

“I killed him, Tae.”

The Chairman looked directly into Tae’s eyes as he spoke.

Silence filled the office.

Then suddenly—

“Ah…”

The Chairman scratched the back of his head.

“I talked too much, didn’t I, Secretary Shin?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You talked a lot.”

“Oh?”

The Chairman blinked.

“When did you come back?”

“Did you take care of the body?”

“Yes, sir.”

The Chairman nodded.

“Good.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Let’s change clothes, drink some tea, and talk about girls.”

Secretary Shin looked at him.

“Sir, your wife will kill you if she hears that.”

“Ah... but she isn’t here right now.”

“So it should be fine.”

“No, sir.”

“I’ll tell her.”

The Chairman immediately pointed at him.

“Secretary Shin, one day I’m going to kill you.”

“My honor, sir.”

The two of them left the office while continuing their usual argument.

The room became quiet again.

Meanwhile—

Tae remained seated in his chair.

His father's words continued echoing inside his head.

“You stopped thinking, Tae.”

“You forgot how I think.”

He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

Kim Joo glanced at him.

“Boss, what are you thinking about?”

Tae sighed.

“I don’t know.”

“My mind is all over the place right now.”

Kim Joo hesitated before speaking.

“To be honest, Boss... the Chairman was right.”

“Don’t let your emotions take over.”

Tae rubbed his forehead.

“Please.”

“Don’t start too.”

“I need some time to think.”

“And I have exams in a few days.”

Eventually, exhaustion caught up to him.

Without realizing it—

Tae fell asleep in his chair.

A while later—

His phone suddenly started ringing.

Tae slowly opened his eyes and looked at the screen.

Lee Yun.

For a moment, he simply stared at the name.

His father's words were still fresh in his mind.

Should he answer?

Or should he ignore it?

After a few seconds—

Tae picked up the call.

Meanwhile—

Lee Yun was working at the convenience store.

While organizing shelves, he suddenly remembered something.

Exams start next week.

They needed to study.

And for some reason—

The first person that came to mind was Han Tae.

So he called him.

The moment the call connected, a faint smile appeared on Yun’s lips.

This was their first real phone call.

For some reason, that made him happy.

“Hello, Tae…”

“Are you interested in studying together?”

“If it’s okay, let’s prepare for the exams tomorrow.”

“We have the weekend, right?”

“I only work until the afternoon, so we can study at a café until evening.”

A brief silence followed.

“Tae...”

“Are you listening?”

Tae blinked and returned to reality.

“Yes.”

“I’m listening.”

“Let’s study tomorrow.”

“Call me when you're free. I’ll come.”

A smile immediately appeared on Yun’s face.

“Really?”

“Okay, Tae.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

The call ended.

Yun looked down at his phone and smiled to himself.

He was happy.

Happy that Tae agreed.

"For some reason, hearing Tae's voice through the phone made him smile."

But for some reason—

A strange feeling settled inside his chest.

A feeling he couldn’t explain.

After completing his shift, Lee Yun headed home by bus.

He found a seat near the window and quietly put on his earphones.

Soft music filled his ears as the city lights passed by outside.

For the first time in a long while, he felt peaceful.

His head rested lightly against the cold glass as his thoughts slowly drifted toward Han Tae.

Ever since Tae entered his life, everything seemed to have changed.

Without realizing it, Yun began recalling every moment they had spent together.

The forehead kiss.

The gentle touch on his cheek.

The day Tae came to see him after returning from Busan.

The amusement park.

The small conversations.

The quiet moments they shared without saying much at all.

Each memory brought a faint smile to his face.

For so many years, Yun had lived alone.

Every day had felt the same.

Work.

Study.

Sleep.

Repeat.

But now...

Things felt different.

A little warmer.

A little brighter.

Yun looked out the window as the lights of the city blurred past.

Then he quietly murmured,

"Grandma..."

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm really happy."

His fingers tightened slightly around his phone.

"Ever since Tae came into my life..."

"It feels like things are getting better."

The bus continued moving through the night.

For a moment, Yun imagined his grandmother smiling at him from somewhere far away.

Still watching over him.

Still protecting him.

The thought made his heart feel warm.

Then another thought crossed his mind.

A thought that made him smile even more.

"Ah..."

He rested his head against the window.

"I miss him."

His cheeks warmed slightly.

"I wish tomorrow would come faster."