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chapter 6
Taekyung’s attitude remained calm and composed, but his gaze grew fiercer and fiercer.
The way he looked at her—as if he might devour her whole—quickly dyed Da-in’s cheeks a bright red.
Taekyung hadn’t said a word, yet somehow, she felt as though she knew exactly what he was about to say.
“Uncle!”
Luckily, a little interrupter barged in, and the taut tension shattered at once.
Taekyung withdrew that persistent stare as if nothing had happened, and Da-in quietly let out a small sigh.
“What is it?”
“Hurry and open the door, quick. Yeoreum is waiting.”
Checking the rearview mirror, she saw Han-ul’s face, overflowing with excitement. He looked desperate to have Yeoreum seated next to him as soon as possible.
Taekyung gave a little shrug and motioned to Da-in with his eyes.
“Shall we get in, Assistant Manager Min?”
“Yeoreum! Come here!”
The moment the door opened, Han-ul gleefully patted the seat beside him.
Yeoreum climbed into the car with a bright smile, and only after Da-in carefully checked her seatbelt did she head toward the passenger side.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Moments later, she slid into the passenger seat, greeting Taekyung politely.
Her tone was calm, but her hands fumbled slightly as she fastened her seatbelt.
“Welcome aboard.”
From Taekyung, dressed in a suit, came a strong yet gentle scent—clean and refreshing, not overpowering. He must have chosen his cologne carefully, mindful of the children.
“You smell nice.”
At that moment, Yeoreum muttered, as if she had read Da-in’s very thoughts.
Da-in flinched in surprise and turned to look back. Yeoreum was sniffing and leaning toward Taekyung.
“Yeoreum, you need to sit properly.”
Da-in gently corrected her, then froze as she looked into the rearview mirror.
Her eyes had met Taekyung’s, who had been watching her intently.
“Shall we get going?”
With one arm draped casually over the steering wheel, Taekyung gave her a slight nod.
Da-in quickly nodded back, and Taekyung smoothly lifted his foot from the brake.
After checking the destination, he turned on a popular children’s song. Soon, cheerful singing rose from the backseat.
“The weather’s nice, isn’t it?”
Only once the children were distracted did Taekyung speak again.
“Yes, I was worried because it rained yesterday… but I’m so glad.”
“Seems the rain made the air even clearer.”
He was right. The sky was brilliantly blue and spotless, the sunlight dazzling.
Da-in’s gaze softened as she agreed and looked out the window.
“I’ll be in your care today.”
As he turned the wheel, Taekyung spoke in a low, quiet voice.
“O-of course, it’s my pleasure.”
Da-in hurriedly looked at him as she replied. She wanted to appear composed, but sitting beside him made it impossible to relax.
The children were right behind them—so why was she like this?
Get a grip, Min Da-in.
She told herself the nerves were only because she was with her boss, and firmly resolved:
Absolutely no mistakes today.
The place they arrived at was a famous aquarium near Seodaemun.
Since it was the weekend, the aquarium was bustling with families on outings.
Some children bounced along, holding their parents’ hands, while others ran around making mischief.
Yeoreum and Han-ul, holding hands tightly, widened their eyes in wonder from the moment they reached the entrance.
“Wow!” Their sparkling gazes shone with amazement.
“Auntie! Look at all the fish!”
“You’re right. There really are so many.”
Da-in agreed softly, surprised herself. She had thought this kind of place was just for young children, but the aquarium was so vast and spectacular that even adults would find it fascinating.
“Yeoreum, follow the arrows on the floor.”
“Where are the dolphins?”
“If we go further in, we’ll see them.”
Da-in checked the map handed out at the entrance and found the right direction.
Yeoreum and Han-ul trailed closely behind her, hand in hand.
Taekyung walked at the back, as though guarding the three of them.
“Mommy!”
As they passed through a transparent tunnel, the shadow of a stingray glided overhead.
Startled by the sudden shadow, Yeoreum darted behind Taekyung.
“Uncle, go away.”
Upset at losing Yeoreum’s hand, Han-ul scolded Taekyung with a frown.
Taekyung shrugged, signaling it wasn’t his fault.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Still, go that way!”
After shouting timidly, Han-ul scurried back to take Yeoreum’s hand.
Only then did Yeoreum shyly step out from behind Taekyung.
“It’s okay, Yeoreum. Don’t be scared.”
“But I am scared…”
“They can’t come here anyway—there’s glass between us.”
Though his reassurance made sense, Yeoreum still looked on the verge of tears.
Taekyung chuckled at Han-ul’s efforts to soothe her.
When it was just the two of them, Han-ul acted like the youngest child in the world, yet in front of Yeoreum, whom he liked, he was suddenly brave.
“Sorry about that, sir. Yeoreum gets scared easily…”
Da-in had been restless ever since Yeoreum hid behind Taekyung. She quickly apologized.
“Han-ul’s the same. It’s funny how he pretends to be brave for Yeoreum.”
“Oh…”
“This aquarium’s layout is impressive. Even for adults, it’s fascinating.”
Before she could apologize again, Taekyung smoothly shifted the topic.
Da-in’s eyes naturally followed his gaze beyond the glass, where schools of tropical fish glided past, their vivid tails fanning out like celosia petals.
“This is… my first time in an aquarium.”
Entranced by the fish, Da-in murmured absentmindedly. The shimmering waterlight danced across her pale skin, and Taekyung’s eyes followed it.
“Really?”
“I used to be afraid of fish when I was little. I didn’t want to go.”
Though that wasn’t the only reason. Her older sister Dayoung had always been frail and hospitalized, so their parents were constantly by her side.
Unlike her friends, Da-in never had the chance to visit aquariums or zoos. The only outing she remembered was a middle school trip to an amusement park with her classmates.
But that had been fine. She preferred chatting at her sister’s bedside anyway.
And since she knew her sister felt guilty every time, Da-in made sure never to show any loneliness.
“What about you, sir?”
Suddenly, she was curious. He didn’t seem like someone connected to a place like this, but you never knew.
As expected, Taekyung shook his head.
“This is my first time too. Usually, people come here on dates.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
Looking around, Da-in realized most of the visitors were indeed couples or married pairs.
To others, she and Taekyung must look like a couple too—especially with two children in tow.
“I didn’t expect this from you, Assistant Manager Min. I thought you’d been here before.”
“I never had the time to date, so… I guess that’s why.”
“Was that also for the sake of efficiency?”
At her self-deprecating remark, Taekyung teased her. Da-in gave a small laugh and shook her head.
“No, not really.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried our company pressured employees that much.”
“Well, it is true our team’s atmosphere is all about giving your all to work.”
“Which must be why Sales Team 2’s performance is so strong.”
Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled. She enjoyed this smooth, lighthearted conversation.
Because of his warmth and gentle humor, he didn’t feel like such a distant superior.
“Auntie! A mermaid! A mermaid teacher!”
Yeoreum, who had stopped pouting, now beamed brightly and jumped excitedly in the distance.
Han-ul too craned his neck, peering through the glass.
Coming closer, they saw a staff member in a diving suit swimming about.
Every time bubbles rose, the children squealed with laughter.
“But why doesn’t the mermaid have a tail?”
Han-ul’s serious question nearly made Da-in burst out laughing. She quickly turned her head to suppress it.
Watching, Taekyung whispered with amusement.
“Children are so innocent, they come up with the most unexpected thoughts.”
“Seems that way.”
Their quiet chat didn’t last long, though. As soon as they passed through another long hallway, Han-ul hopped like a rabbit.
“Uncle, over there!”
He rushed over, clinging to Taekyung’s arm.
Taekyung calmly lifted him up and set him back down, speaking evenly.
“You need to explain properly if you want me to understand, Ko Han-ul.”
“Take a picture of me and Yeoreum there!”
“Politely.”
“…Please take one!”
Han-ul took a deep breath and shouted desperately. Da-in turned her head to where he pointed.
A few steps away was a photo booth set up for souvenir pictures.
Glancing back, she saw Yeoreum staring at the same spot, clearly wanting to ask too but hesitant without Da-in’s approval.
“Welcome!”
Spotting the children, a staff member near the booth greeted them warmly.
Da-in flinched and looked ahead, while Taekyung quietly observed her reaction.
The staff member noticed Taekyung’s gentle gaze toward her, then whispered with a knowing smile:
“Take a picture with the kids. Couples get a 20% discount.”
They’d clearly mistaken Taekyung and Da-in for husband and wife.
“What?”
Da-in’s eyes widened in shock.
Meanwhile, the children had already rushed to the booth, marveling at the decorations. At this rate, they would certainly take a photo.
“No, we’re not—”
Da-in began to protest awkwardly with a small smile.
“We’ll take it, thank you.”
But Taekyung answered smoothly, stepping beside her with an easy grin.
