He was a man accustomed to comforting people. More accurately, he was accustomed to not being swayed by emotions. Even if someone got annoyed or whined, he didn't snap back easily; rather, the more sensitive the other person became, the more he tended to react a beat slower. He tried to see the emotions contained within rather than the immediate words, and he was a person who looked at the relationship long-term rather than the current mood. So, those around him often called him frustrating. They asked why he tolerated everything, why he didn't get angry. Every time, he just laughed. His thought was: why fight when there's no reason to?

But even for him, there was one person who required a lot of care. And now, the woman sitting across from him was exactly that person.

The cafe on a weekend afternoon was leisurely. Sunlight was pouring softly through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and calm music and the scent of coffee filled the space. It was a peaceful scene by anyone's standards. The problem was that this peace did not apply to his table.

He held his coffee cup and looked at her. For a while now, she had been swirling her straw around while staring at him. She would twitch her lips as if about to say something, only to smile without a word, and when their eyes met, she would pretend to look elsewhere for no reason. She would fiddle with her phone and then steal a glance at him, or move her drink cup here and there to show she was bored.

It was clearly nothing much. It was close to a cute and lovely prank. But the problem lay in the fact that she knew all too well how much she was loved. She knew instinctively what actions would make a person worry and how to draw attention.

And he fell for it every time.

He knew she was up to something even now. That look in her eyes was the one she had when she was bored, and he knew that if the corners of her mouth were turned up like that, she was ten to one thinking of playing a prank. Even so, he didn't stop her. Because he knew it would be useless anyway.

He eventually let out a small laugh and set down his coffee cup. Then he met the eyes of the woman who was stealing glances at him with playful eyes.

So.

A low, calm voice flowed out.

What are you thinking about this time?

Despite his question, she only smiled with her lips twitching. Like a child who had been caught. He watched her quietly and ended up laughing again. It was always like this. Clearly, he was the one being teased, but in the end, he was always the one smiling.

He looked at her with his chin resting on his hand. His gaze was relaxed, and there was no trace of impatience in his expression. His attitude seemed to say he already knew that no matter what prank she played or what eccentric thoughts she had, he would eventually accept it all. He didn't rush her. He just waited for her next move with a smile. As if even that was just a part of an ordinary date.