The kitchen had finally settled after service.

Hae-som was putting her whole body into scrubbing the floor when she suddenly paused.

She hadn’t known this before, but yesterday had been the first time Jae-geon had ever cooked staff meal himself. Since it was prepared by the head chef, everyone had been looking forward to it.

Lobster.

Bluefin tuna.

Abalone.

Hanwoo beef.

Those were the kinds of dishes everyone had expected.

Instead, there wasn’t a trace of them.

In fact, there was barely any protein at all.

‘Still tastes good.’

Unlike the disappointed senior chefs, the meal had suited Hae-som’s palate perfectly.

Of course it had.

Anyone could tell it was essentially temple food.

‘I thought maybe I’d let my feelings get the better of me.’

He’d denied it.

And yet everything he’d done suggested otherwise.

She couldn’t imagine Jae-geon being considerate enough to tailor a meal to suit nothing more than his casual sex partner’s tastes.

Then again… maybe that was exactly what had made Ji-won fall for him.

Either way, she wasn’t in a position to be picky.

Her reflection drifted across the polished stainless steel countertop.

The tired face staring back at her looked no brighter than the charcoal-black chef’s jacket she’d refused to wear.

‘So let’s find out tomorrow.’

He was right.

She needed to find out for herself.

The last two times they’d been together, she’d been drunk, exhausted, or half-asleep.

She’d never once faced him with a clear head.

Declining the can of beer Jae-min offered, Hae-som cracked open the energy drink she’d picked up on the way to work and gulped it down.

She doubted it would keep her awake.

At this point, she’d settle for the placebo effect.

Her gaze lifted—and found Hwi watching the slow bob of her throat as she swallowed.

Fatigue sat heavy in his eyes.

Not that he was the only one.

Everyone in the kitchen looked worn out.

Even Jae-geon, who usually carried himself with effortless composure.

Two guests had shellfish allergies.

Another couldn’t have dairy.

That meant adjusting dishes to suit each guest without changing the overall flavor profile.

As a result, Jae-geon had stayed on edge throughout service.

The atmosphere had been so tense that even Hwi and Jae-min—normally the first to crack jokes—had barely spoken.

Extra care was needed to prevent cross-contamination, which meant changing cutting boards constantly.

As the kitchen runner, Hae-som had spent the entire service racing back and forth.

By the time it was over, she felt like a soldier staggering off a battlefield.

Her head throbbed.

Her legs ached.

Her back felt ready to snap.

Would she really be able to “find out properly” today?

A sculpted torso drifted into view at the edge of her vision.

Jae-geon was speaking with Jun-won, his expression unusually grim.

Something serious must have happened.

She swallowed the last of her energy drink.

“Rookie.”

She looked up.

“Yes?”

“I heard your friend started working here.”

“My friend?” Her face lit up. “Really? Who? Which department? What year?”

She couldn’t hide her excitement.

Being the youngest in the kitchen was lonely enough.

Having someone familiar around would make things easier.

For a brief moment, she caught the subtle change in Hwi’s expression.

“A guy. Your ex?”

He jerked his thumb toward the entrance.

“Go outside. He’s with the valet team.”

“My what?”

Completely bewildered, Hae-som stepped outside.

Rain poured from the dark monsoon sky.

---

Eun-seong was taking shelter beneath the narrow eaves.

“Hey! Yoo Eun-seong!”

Squeezing in beside him, Hae-som lowered the hand she’d been using to shield herself from the rain and gave him a playful shove with her damp palm.

“What are you doing here all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

She narrowed her eyes as though appraising him.

The valet vest embroidered with the Not logo suited him surprisingly well.

“You knew I worked here this whole time and never said anything? Seriously?”

“And if I had called, would you have answered?” Eun-seong shot back. “Ignoring my calls is basically your special talent.”

“Huh?”

One of his brows lifted.

“I called you a bunch of times after your staff dinner.”

“That…”

She couldn’t exactly tell him she’d been too busy dealing with Jae-geon to answer.

Not when Eun-seong had spent his whole life watching her devote herself to Eun-ho.

She knew exactly how lightly he’d take it.

“Did something happen?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

She searched for a way to change the subject.

Then a thought stopped her cold.

“Eun-seong.”

“What?”

“How did you know I’d gone to a staff dinner that night?”

He didn’t answer.

He took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it between his lips, then spent several long seconds flicking his lighter.

The flame finally caught.

Orange light flickered across his expression.

He drew in a deep drag, his hollow cheeks sinking inward, then blew the smoke across Hae-som’s pale face.

“Do you really not remember?”

“Remember what?”

“Tell me everything that happened that night.”

His eyes were unusually sharp.

Hae-som frowned.

“Everything?”

“From beginning to end.”

She’d shown up to work half-asleep like always.

Spent the day trailing after the senior chefs.

Finished service.

Gone to the barbecue restaurant for the staff dinner.

Gotten completely wasted.

Embarrassed herself in every possible way.

Was she supposed to tell him she’d lost her virginity to Jae-geon that night?

That they’d ended up sharing a bed ever since?

Not even Song Ji knew the full story.

There was no way she could tell Eun-seong.

Besides…

She barely remembered it herself.

“What does any of that have to do with you?”

“…What?”

His voice sharpened.

He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back against the door.

The hard metal handle of Not‘s entrance dug painfully into her lower back.

“Ow!”

“How does it not have anything to do with me?”

Hae-som couldn’t understand him.

He clearly didn’t need a part-time job, yet he’d suddenly started working valet at Not.

Now he was interrogating her about that night.

Her own temper flared.

“What is wrong with you? What did I even do that night?”

“I called you. Yoo—”

Just as Eun-seong started to speak—

“Hae-som.”

A deep voice cut cleanly through the rain.

Jae-geon stood several meters away in the downpour.

No umbrella.

Rain soaked through his chef’s jacket, outlining the powerful muscles beneath.

His face was hard.

The kind of expression that looked ready to explode at any second.

‘I don’t want to share you with another man.’

Was he misunderstanding what he’d just seen?

Anyone watching from a distance probably would.

Hwi certainly seemed to.

Hae-som didn’t want Jae-geon drawing the wrong conclusion before she’d had the chance to confirm her own feelings.

More than anything…

She was afraid of losing the precious sleep she’d fought so hard to earn.

“Chef…”

His broad chest rose and fell beneath the rain.

After a long breath, he spoke.

“I was with her that night.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by it.

But whatever his intention, he’d just given her an alibi.

His calm black eyes never left Eun-seong.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

“Take your hands off Hae-som.”

Eun-seong slowly exhaled the smoke he’d been holding deep in his lungs.

Even that seemed to irritate Jae-geon.

“Maybe the general manager hasn’t told you yet,” he said evenly. “Smoking during work hours isn’t allowed. Not within thirty meters of the restaurant either.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Only after Jae-geon addressed him politely did Eun-seong give a casual nod.

Even so, he continued studying Jae-geon with an unreadable expression.

Jae-geon answered with a courteous smile that somehow felt colder than open hostility.

He walked over, placed an umbrella in Hae-som’s hand, and closed her fingers around the curved handle.

It was still warm from his touch.

Then he turned and walked back into the rain.

Without the umbrella.

Panic hit Hae-som.

If she let him leave like this…

He might really push her away.

She rushed after him.

Eun-seong caught her sleeve.

“You still owe me dinner.”

“Not today. I already have plans.”

“With him?”

Jae-geon had already disappeared around the corner.

Hae-som tried desperately to shake free, but Eun-seong refused to let go.

“You’re busy these days.”

He smiled.

“Working. Going on dates. Is that why you ignored my calls?”

“You were the one who kept telling me to stop living my life around Oppa! You even joked that I should get an exorcism and drive him out of my system. So why does it bother you now?”

“It does.”

She blinked.

“What?”

“It pisses me off.”

His smile never faltered.

“Seeing you with another man.”

His eyes drifted toward the corner where Jae-geon had disappeared.

Something cold lurked beneath the easy smile.

“Hae-som.”

“What?”

“You smell like pine resin.”

“…What?”

He flicked her furrowed forehead with a finger.

Not hard enough to hurt.

Then he smiled—a bright, almost refreshing smile.

“That guy…”

His gaze lingered where Jae-geon had vanished.

“…He looks a lot like Yoo Eun-ho.”

The words landed with devastating precision, bringing their tense standoff to an abrupt end.