She was almost certain that her mother was going to completely hate Professor Ahn Jeong-won. Her mother's views against her being a doctor was made very clear the moment she had gotten in on a med school. From since then, she often made remarks that given the long hours a doctor need to spend in the hospital, the only type of person whom Gyeo-ul could potentially end up would have to have a medical background. As an attempt to widen her choices, she would force her to go on blind dates, but her set-ups would be rejected, because she was too busy. On her second year of residency, her mother finally gave up – she abandoned all hopes of dissuading her from continuing her career – it was in that moment that she saw how Gyeo-ul had worked so hard and was a big credit to her profession.

Before they left the restaurant, as Gyeo-ul waited for a cab with Jung-woo, she saw her mother talk to Jeong-won quietly by the restaurant's patio. Jung-woo offered to take their mother home, so when a taxi finally stopped, he hopped in with her.

Her mother rolled the window of the car before it could leave the premises. "Gyeo-ul." She waved for her daughter to come closer. "The moment he tries to make you stop working, dump him." Gyeo-ul was startled, but her mother said in a joking manner.

As the car rolled out to the corner, she felt Jeong-won's hand and, just like that, the nervousness that accumulated because of the meeting disappears. She finally found herself smiling out of relief. She turned her body towards him only for him to crush her into a tight hug.

"I was so nervous!" he chirped quietly into her ear, his breath slightly tickling her. Her heart beat loud and she could swear he could hear her chest pumping irregularly.

She didn't notice that he was. In her eyes, he appeared like his normal cheerful self, but she supposed that with her lack of help, he had been antsy all along. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about her; I could've been more open to how she is – "

Jeong-won let her go and held her by her shoulders. He stared at her intently, making her stomach curl into knots. She looked down embarrassed. "But I'm the one who's supposed to prove myself to her, not you."

As they drove back to the hospital, she can't help but ask what her mother told him. He teases her by telling her it's a secret, but eventually, when she offers to buy him dinner, he caves in. "She asked for my phone number. She told me that I should tell her when you're being too stubborn. She also said that she was still against me." Gyeo-ul looks up and finds him smiling as if his statement bears no consequences. He laughs at her anxious expression. "That's okay, Gyeo-ul. I would try my hardest to prove and show to her that I really do love you."

She stares at the window to hide her blush, her cheeks lifting up despite her efforts to stop herself from grinning. Most of her life, her parents rarely displayed affection; sure, she and her brother did know that their parents loved them, but physically and verbally expressing it had always been a struggle in their home. Her grandfather who was a strict soldier raised their mother with the ideal that everything must be taken in with self-control.

She's learning to loosen up the reins – being with Jeong-won, even before they fell in love with each other, has taught her that feeling emotions is not such a bad thing.

Their environment in their childhoods are different – he was raised by a gentle mother and she was brought up by her collected mother – she sees both of the positives and negatives in their upbringing, but when Jeong-won asked her about marriage, her thoughts suddenly fly to Ro-sa's loving relationship with her son and she thinks that when she does have children, she wants to have that similar bond with them. The idea has surprised her. She has never thought that she would ever think of herself as becoming a mother, but being with Jeong-won has brought her a million possibilities to look forward to.

They reach the hospital in fifteen minutes – they try to make the trip longer, but there isn't any traffic. The emergency room is brimming with people as usual and Dr. Bae is by the nurses' station, looking over the patients' charts as Gyeo-ul and Jeong-won came in. They keep a one-meter distance from another to hide their relationship from the others.

"Professor Ahn," Dr. Bae greets him formally with a bow. She is oblivious to the fact that they arrived together. "The patient from last night? He has gone home already after we gave him an IV drip. He was just a little bit dehydrated, I'm so sorry."

Jeong-won nods. "Okay. I'll go into my office now; thank you, Dr. Bae."

Just about he's about to take the elevator, Dr. Bae runs after him. "We never got to see a movie together," she tells him with a nervous laugh. She notices Gyeo-ul for the first time and nods at her with a smile. "Are you free tomorrow?"

He thinks about it for a second. "Well, I have something to do in the morning, but I'm free in the afternoon."

Dr. Bae hops excitedly and retreats to her patients. Gyeo-ul looks down, crestfallen. It's one of the repercussions of not making their relationship known to the other doctors and nurses. She knows that he probably has no choice but to accept since he has always agreed on invitations from their colleagues. She has just thought that since they were together, then maybe…

"Gyeo-ul, what do you want to eat for dinner?" he asks her but his volume drones into silence when he sees her downcast expression. "Is there something wrong?" He doesn't even have to think for too long. He bites his lips in regret. "Gyeo-ul, I'm sorry."

She puts her chin up and fakes a smile. "No, it's fine. You probably had to, because you promised her a long time ago."

"But you know that you're the only person I love, right?" He doesn't look at her; he keeps his eyes glued to the infographic poster on the elevator door.

She doesn't say anything; instead, she reaches for his hand and holds onto it tightly.

"I'll tell her it'll be the last time." Jeong-won chuckles at himself as he rubs her knuckle with his thumb. "Because I have you now."