Seoryeong stumbled out of ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the van and sucked in a sharp breath. Only after inhaling the icy air outside did it feel like she could finally breathe again. Maybe it really was motion sickness—or maybe it was the driver, whose thoughts she couldn’t read at all.

They said humans could identify compatible partners by scent. That relationships could be decided not by rational thought but by genetic instinct, without anyone realizing it.

So this uneasiness in her chest must be natural too. Just then, the trunk popped open, and Seoryeong instinctively reached for the lunch bags.

“You have experience as a caregiver. Why didn’t you go back to that field?”

The moment she slammed the trunk shut, Lee Wooshin—leaning against the side of the car—spoke.

“Blast Corp is full of men. Must be uncomfortable in a lot of ways.”

He was standing with a slouch, but now that she looked again, his height stood out. He was tall—taller than her by a head, easily.

Kim Hyun was about this tall, too. That useless thought wedged itself in. But no matter how often she tried to estimate his build in her head, the truth was she had never actually seen her husband.

Seoryeong adjusted the bags in her hands and replied,

“Doesn’t matter where you go. The people you meet while working—whether they’re old men or young men—are equally shitty. There’s no point in trying to compare.”

“...”

He paused mid-rustle with the candy in his hand.

Was I too harsh? His shifting gaze hovered near her lips.

“At the nursing home, there were grandpas who’d take off their pants just to get me to hold their hand. They’d fake complaints just to ask me to wipe their groin. You wouldn’t believe how many sleazy tricks there were—it was almost funny.”

“...”

“You think this place is any different? It’s all the same.”

As Seoryeong began walking toward the back gate, she glanced back at the rustling sound. Lee Wooshin was scraping a candy wrapper with his fingernail, wearing an unreadable expression.

Their eyes met—and he reflexively smiled.

“There’s a protest going on here. It’s loud and dangerous.”

He jerked his chin toward somewhere beyond the gate. Sure enough, rowdy shouting could be heard in the distance.

People passed by wearing matching vests and red headbands. Flames flickered inside an oil drum—maybe because of the cold—and the ground was stained with who knows what.

“Blast Corp planted undercover employees in there. Embedded in the union to break it from the inside.”

“...!”

“It’s not uncommon for private security to get involved in labor disputes. But the government and police usually don’t go this far to cover for a company. So odds are, they won’t hold back.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“It’s dangerous, so I’ll wait in the car.”

“...”

What? She was speechless. Not that she expected anything in particular, but... This guy, really... She stared at him, stunned, as he yawned and popped another candy into his mouth.

He tossed the wrapper into the bag she was holding and lazily waved her off.

“If you’re going, go. Lunch gets gross once it’s cold.”

“...”

She truly wanted nothing more to do with this man.

***

She’d been told an employee would be there to meet her... But Seoryeong had no idea who she was supposed to hand the food over to. As she wandered, the noise grew louder the farther she got from the gate—but thankfully, no one seemed to pay her much attention.

Even now, her mind was preoccupied with one thing: how to get herself assigned to the overseas trip.

How to get her name on the list naturally, without raising suspicion.

“Excuse me!”

Just then, someone in a vest came running toward her, slightly out of breath. He eyed the large bag with the Blast Corp logo like he recognized it.

Ah... it must be him. Seoryeong started walking toward him.

“Are those the lunchboxes?”

“Yes.”

“Please, hand them over. Thank you.”

A young man with a gentle face bowed and took the bag from her. Just as he lowered his head—

Her heart nearly stopped.

“...!”

A familiar scent wafted off of him as he moved.

Her body moved on its own. She drew in closer—too close—and the young man glanced at her in confusion.

She scanned him instinctively—his height, his face, the backs of his hands.

A manly, angular jawline. Rough features overall. His wide eyes were plain and honest, like a country boy. The way he stumbled backward clumsily struck her as oddly endearing.

His scent—it was too similar to her husband’s.

As she stared without blinking, the man bowed again and hurried off.

Seoryeong followed him like she was in a trance. Maybe he sensed her behind him, because he stopped and scratched at the back of his neck. When he lifted his arm to reach his earlobe, the scent seemed to bloom even more.

Her lips curved into a faint smile without meaning to.

“Um... why are you following me...?”

“The way you eat...”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, would it be okay if I watched you eat?”

“Here? At the factory? Why?”

He coughed awkwardly, and after a moment of thought, she answered.

“I’m curious about your appetite.”

“...”

“I won’t be a bother. I just want to see you finish your meal.”

“Uh...”

Watching him flustered stirred something in her.

He’s exactly like Kim Hyun at the beginning... Her lips trembled as she tried to hold herself together. Even though it was clearly an illusion, a phantom feeling bloomed achingly in her chest.

The young man bowed again.

“S-Sorry. It’s a bit messy inside...”

“Ah...”

“But if you gave me your number... maybe after work we could grab a meal...”

He kept sneaking glances at her as he stumbled through the suggestion.

She was fixated on his collarbone. The faint outline hidden under a bit of flesh. The thrill cooled rapidly. Still, she sniffled reflexively and asked,

“Do you wear cologne?”

“Sorry?”

“Or is it just fabric softener?”

When she tilted her eyes upward like a cat, the young man blinked rapidly, panicked.

“Uh... I’m not sure. My mom does all my laundry...”

Seoryeong nodded weakly.

“So, when will you... eat...”

“No, it’s fine. I’m bothering someone who’s busy. Please enjoy the food.”

She turned away, shoulders sagging. “Wait, excuse me...!” he called out behind her, voice full of regret and confusion, but she was already disheartened. Her limbs felt heavy and sluggish.

The truth was, what shocked her most was her own loss of control—how she had followed him just because of some fleeting scent.

Every time she felt this longing and desire so vividly, the misery doubled. Her resentment toward Kim Hyun deepened.

I want to kill him. But I want to see him so badly... Just as she squeezed her eyes shut—

“What was that just now?”

Seoryeong startled and looked toward the voice.

Turning her head to the right, she saw Lee Wooshin approaching with both hands stuffed into the long pockets of his military parka, wearing a strange expression. The hard line between his brows looked anything but casual.

“Did you know him?”

He jerked his chin toward the man walking away. Seoryeong mumbled “No,” dragging her feet.

Back when she had bad days like this, Kim Hyun could sense it like magic and would offer his back for her to lean on. The memory made her head ache.

“You said you’d wait in the car.”

“I run when it’s dangerous, but I walk in when I’m curious. Who were you looking at like he was your last meal?”

His half-lidded eyes seemed indifferent, but a sick kind of amusement flickered inside them.

“I came to check if I delivered lunch or a person.”

Seoryeong clenched her jaw tightly. This was bad. Of all times, it had to be now—when her emotions were unraveling. This man always managed to show up right when her weakest points were about to spill out.

Shut up. Just shut up. She considered punching him in the mouth—or kicking him in the gut. Her mind filled with all sorts of wildly inappropriate thoughts.

From her new work environment to the food waste incident to this very moment—it all seemed to pile up, stress expanding like a balloon ready to burst.

She knew it was just emotional venting but still—

“Yeah. I looked because I missed him. So what?”

She snapped coldly.

“I followed the scent because I liked it. So what about it?”

“...Scent?”

“There’s a smell, okay? The kind that flips your eyes back in your skull.”

“What, are you high on weed or something?”

“...”

She was speechless. There were truly infinite ways to leave someone speechless, apparently. She scoffed in disbelief.

“Whatever. Just put me on the dispatch list. I’m not going to cater to your ego.”

At that moment—thunk! Something flew at her arm and smacked against her.