Ji-Ah closed the door behind Min-Ji and stood there for another few seconds.
The room was silent.
Too silent. She finally looked at herself in the mirror.
Her hair was still a disaster. "...Great."
She grabbed her brush.
As she slowly worked through the tangles, her mind went straight back to Min-Ji's words.
Stay away from Ha-Joon.
Or I'll destroy both your lives.
And that video...
Ji-Ah's hand paused halfway through her hair.
She hated the thought of Ha-Joon seeing it.
Not because she was ashamed of helping him.
She wasn't.
But because she knew exactly how everyone else could interpret it.
One edited video.
One misleading story.
And suddenly years of Ha-Joon's work could become gossip.
She tied her hair neatly behind her head, leaving a few loose strands around her face.
"Don't think about it."
She stared at her reflection.
"Just enjoy Canada."
A beat.
"...And find out who that man is."
She immediately shook her head.
"No."
Another pause.
"...Later."
She grabbed her coat.
"Definitely later."
When Ji-Ah finally stepped out of her room, everyone was already gathered near the elevators.
She immediately noticed Ha-Joon.
And then Min-Ji.
Min-Ji was standing beside him, her fingers lightly wrapped around his hand while she spoke quietly.
Ha-Joon listened with his usual composed expression.
He wasn't particularly affectionate.
But he wasn't pulling away either.
Ji-Ah slowed down.
Her eyes dropped.
Something unpleasant twisted somewhere inside her chest.
Why does that bother me?
She immediately pushed the thought away.
He's engaged to her.
Of course they were going to stand together.
Obviously.
Yoo-Na, meanwhile, was staring at their joined hands with the expression of someone who had just witnessed a crime against humanity.
Seo-Yeon was checking her bag.
Min-Hyuk was already taking pictures of absolutely nothing.
Hea-In stood nearby with a small smile, looking perfectly entertained by everything.
Ji-Ah cleared her throat.
"Sorry I'm late."
Everyone turned.
Ha-Joon looked at her.
"It's fine."
He glanced around.
"Everyone's here."
Then he checked his watch.
"Let's go. David is waiting."
Ji-Ah nodded.
"Right."
They headed downstairs.
Outside, a cool Canadian breeze immediately brushed across Ji-Ah's face.
She pulled her coat tighter.
The city looked completely different in the morning.
Tall buildings rose around them, reflecting the pale sky.
Cars moved steadily along the streets.
People walked past carrying coffee cups, bundled in coats.
Ji-Ah looked around with wide eyes.
Despite everything...
She couldn't stop herself from smiling.
I'm actually here.
Canada.
The place she'd dreamed about seeing when she was younger.
She quietly breathed in the cold air.
Then Min-Ji glanced over.
A tiny smile appeared on her lips.
Ji-Ah noticed.
Her smile disappeared.
She knows.
She lowered her gaze.
She's watching me.
And every time Ji-Ah thought about confronting her, that video appeared in her mind.
No.
Not yet.
She couldn't risk Ha-Joon's reputation.
He had worked too hard.
She knew how seriously he took his company.
She knew how much pressure his family already put on him.
She didn't want his name dragged through headlines because of her.
Ji-Ah sniffed and shoved her hands into her coat pockets.
Yoo-Na looked sideways at her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You look like you're calculating someone's tax history."
"I'm just thinking."
"That's dangerous."
Ji-Ah gave her a look.
Yoo-Na grinned.
Their first stop was Gastown.
The old district immediately caught Ji-Ah's attention.
The brick buildings, narrow streets and old-fashioned architecture made the area feel completely different from the modern parts of Vancouver they'd seen earlier.
David, their guide, stood beside the famous steam clock and began explaining its history.
"This area is one of Vancouver's oldest neighborhoods. The architecture here reflects the city's nineteenth-century roots..."
Seo-Yeon listened carefully.
"So some of these buildings have actually been preserved?"
"Yes."
David continued explaining how Gastown developed around the original settlement and how the neighborhood eventually became one of Vancouver's best-known historic areas.
Ji-Ah looked up at the buildings.
"That's really beautiful."
Ha-Joon, walking beside her, nodded.
"It is."
David pointed toward the steam clock.
"And this is one of the area's most recognizable landmarks."
Ji-Ah stepped closer.
"It actually whistles?"
"Every fifteen minutes."
She stared at it.
"That's kind of adorable."
Ha-Joon glanced at her.
"Adorable?"
"Yes."
"It's a clock."
"A clock can be adorable."
He looked at the clock.
Then at her.
"...Apparently."
Ji-Ah smiled.
Min-Hyuk had already taken approximately seventy photographs.
Seo-Yeon turned around.
"How many pictures have you taken?"
"Important historical documentation."
"You took twelve pictures of the same street."
"Different angles."
"Min-Hyuk."
"Art requires patience."
Seo-Yeon sighed.
David laughed.
Even Ha-Joon smiled faintly.
Min-Ji moved closer to him.
"Do you want me to take a picture of you?"
Ha-Joon handed her his phone.
"Sure."
She smiled.
"Of course."
Ji-Ah watched for half a second.
Then looked away.
Why am I watching them?
She frowned.
Why do I care?
She had no answer.
They continued toward Canada Place, where the waterfront opened into a huge view of the harbor.
Ji-Ah stopped walking.
Her eyes widened.
"Whoa..."
The mountains in the distance were framed by the water and the city skyline.
She slowly pulled out her phone.
"I'm taking a picture."
Yoo-Na immediately stood beside her.
"Take one of me too."
"Move."
"Why?"
"You're blocking the mountain."
"I'm the mountain."
Ji-Ah burst out laughing.
"You're impossible."
Ha-Joon was standing a few steps away.
He watched them.
Then Min-Hyuk suddenly called out.
"Ha-Joon!"
Ha-Joon looked over.
"Come here."
"Why?"
"Picture."
"I don't need a picture."
"You do now."
Min-Hyuk pulled him over anyway.
Seo-Yeon shook her head.
"This is why I never give him my phone."
Min-Hyuk ignored her.
Ha-Joon stood near the railing.
Min-Ji naturally moved beside him.
Ji-Ah looked at them.
Her smile faded slightly.
Again.
That strange feeling.
That tiny pinch in her chest.
She didn't understand it.
So she turned toward the water instead.
It's nothing.
He's her fiancé.
I'm just tired.
That explanation seemed reasonable.
For approximately five seconds.
Then Ha-Joon walked over.
"Ji-Ah."
She looked up.
"Hm?"
"Come here."
"Why?"
"Picture."
She blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"But Min-Hyuk already took—"
"Another one."
He held out his hand.
Ji-Ah stared at it.
Then at him.
"...Okay."
She stepped beside him.
Min-Hyuk raised his camera.
"Closer."
Ji-Ah immediately moved away.
Ha-Joon sighed.
"He's taking a picture, not performing surgery."
"I know."
"Then stop standing three meters away."
"I'm standing normally."
"You're practically in another country."
Yoo-Na snorted.
Ji-Ah glared at her.
Min-Hyuk took the picture.
Click.
"Perfect."
Ji-Ah smiled despite herself.
Ha-Joon glanced at her.
For just a moment...
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
The wind lifted a few strands of Ji-Ah's hair.
Ha-Joon's expression softened.
Ji-Ah quickly looked away.
Her cheeks felt warm.
Why did he look at me like that?
She pressed her lips together.
Stop.
As they continued walking, Min-Ji occasionally slipped her hand around Ha-Joon's arm.
He didn't make a big deal of it.
Sometimes she asked him questions about the places they passed.
He answered.
Calmly.
Normally.
He wasn't ignoring her.
He wasn't being rude.
And somehow...
That made Ji-Ah feel worse.
She glanced back once.
Min-Ji was smiling at something Ha-Joon had said.
Ji-Ah immediately looked forward.
Yoo-Na noticed.
Of course she did.
She leaned toward Ji-Ah.
"...You okay?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You've said yes three times."
"Because I'm okay."
Yoo-Na narrowed her eyes.
"Hmm."
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
"My face is innocent."
"Your face is criminal."
Yoo-Na laughed.
Behind them, Hea-In quietly watched the entire exchange.
She smiled to herself.
Meanwhile, Min-Hyuk was taking another photograph.
Seo-Yeon was asking David a perfectly reasonable question about the city's history.
Ha-Joon was listening.
Min-Ji was staying close to him.
And Ji-Ah...
She kept walking through Vancouver with her hands tucked into her coat pockets, trying very hard to convince herself that the strange flutter in her chest was simply the cold.
It probably wasn't.
But she wasn't ready to admit that yet.