Frozen in surprise, I stood still, to which Hans tilted his head slightly more and said,

“Hand me my bag over there.”

“Ah.”

Awkwardly, I picked up Hans’s bag beside me and handed it to him.

What was he thinking? I fanned my increasingly hot face with my hand.

Hans took something out of the bag.

“I was looking at the souvenirs there and thought this would suit you.”

It was a black rabbit keychain. The one that looked exactly like the statue Ian said resembled me.

“Oh, this…”

“Why?”

“Ian said it looked like me.”

I thought Ian had a unique eye for things, but it seemed Hans was no different.

“This resembles me?”

“Yeah.”

Again, it’s only me who doesn’t understand. I couldn’t comprehend it at all.

But since Hans gifted it to me, I attached it to the bag I usually carry to work.

I also stopped by the souvenir shop but forgot to buy something for Hans. Maybe Hans is better at thinking about others than I am.

“It’s cute. Thank you.”

“It’s just a keychain.”

“Small gifts like these can be quite touching, you know.”

“…Well, that’s good then.”

Perhaps because I liked it more than he expected, Hans looked quite sheepish.

Regardless of what I received, just the fact that I got something from Hans made me happy.

“Hans, come closer.”

“…?”

Puzzled yet complying, Hans leaned closer to me.

I planted a kiss on Hans’s cheek and looked at him with a giggly smile.

Unlike his usual bluster or embarrassment, Hans just met my gaze silently.

We shared a look in the silence.

Hans gradually drew closer, and I naturally closed my eyes.

A warm sensation touched my lips.

It was our first kiss. After a not-so-short moment, Hans’s lips parted from mine.

He abruptly stood up.

“I should get to work.”

“It’s the weekend, you know?”

Regardless of what I said, Hans picked up his bag and left the house. I didn’t hold him back, just quietly let him go.

Alone, I gently touched my lips where Hans had been.

It felt strange.

* * *

Another workday arrived.

Despite my resolution to tackle the day, the mere thought of work tired me out. It was a relief that I didn’t have any particular superior to deal with. Almost reliving the nightmare of my office worker days.

“Nuna, hello!”

“You’re quite cheerful this morning…”

As soon as I entered the office, PleaseShakeACarrot greeted me.

“Did your date go well?”

“Thanks to you.”

Things did progress with Hans. There was a sense of achievement. I proudly, smugly smiled.

Ever since then, I hadn’t been able to meet Hans, but since we were in the same building, I was bound to see him today.

As soon as I sat at my desk, PleaseShakeACarrot approached me not with work, but with a question.

“Sister, you mentioned you’re here to find the assassin, right?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t a secret, really. PleaseShakeACarrot had known about it from the start.

Did he have something to say about that? I looked at PleaseShakeACarrot.

“On the way back, OnlyFinley and I prodded Ian a bit.”

It was originally my task. While I was enjoying my date, others were working hard on my behalf.

“Did you get any information?”

“Yes.”

He wouldn’t tell me till the end. Maybe he felt more at ease with me because we’re both angels.

“Do you trust the angels around you?”

PleaseShakeACarrot threw a meaningful question.

Without hesitation, I nodded. The angels, being viewers, had built as much trust as affection.

PleaseShakeACarrot spoke without meeting my gaze.

“We were weaker than we thought. So naive that it might surprise you.”

It was an unexpected remark. I listened quietly.

“Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

“Just thought it’d be good for you to know?”

PleaseShakeACarrot smiled brightly.

“Get close with Ian! You might hear something interesting.”

It seemed he wouldn’t tell me what they talked about. I nodded reluctantly.

* * *

After a hectic morning, it was finally lunchtime.

“Enjoy your meal―”

PleaseShakeACarrot seemed to skip lunch again, staying in the office.

Is that really okay? I wasn’t worried about him dropping dead from overwork, but it was still concerning.

‘I should buy him a sandwich on the way back.’

I was worried it might be overstepping, but since he enjoyed the sandwich I brought before, I planned to bring some food today as well.

‘Well then, shall I go find Ian?’

We always had lunch together, so I needed to find Ian.

I should’ve asked for Ian’s office location. Not wanting to disturb busy PleaseShakeACarrot, I took this opportunity to visit Hans’s office.

I knocked and opened the door.

“……?”

Hans was sitting at his desk. I waved at him with a smile.

“What brings you here?”

“It’s nice to see each other since we work in the same place. Even if we’re not in the same office, it’s just a short walk to see each other. Considering we were separated between the Celestial Realm and the human world, this is nothing.”

“Aren’t you having lunch with Ian?”

“I was about to. Do you know where Ian’s office is?”

At my question, Hans stood up from his seat.

“I’ll take you there. Let’s go together.”

“A mini date?”

“This is the office.”

He’s always so decisive. He really knew how to separate work from personal life.

Hans and I conversed as we walked down the corridor.

“Hans, have you discovered anything?”

“Unfortunately, no progress yet.”

“Same here.”

It was a relief that neither of us had made any headway. If it had just been me, I would have felt needlessly guilty.

While we were chatting, a woman hurriedly approached us from behind.

“Mr. Hans.”

“……?”

Instead of speaking, the woman showed Hans a document. His expression turned grave upon seeing it.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a problem with the project I’m working on.”

Hans held a significant position here, so he was responsible for many tasks, including my broadcast.

It seemed like the problem was related to a different matter.

“Sorry, I need to go. Cross the hallway, and you’ll find a room with Ian’s name on it. That’s his office.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I couldn’t hold him back when it was work-related.

After sending Hans off, I headed to the place he mentioned.

Familiar faces were there. It was Isaac and Stress.

“Ah, it’s Jiha.”

“Hello.”

They greeted me in turn, and I nodded back, returning the greeting.

“Have you not left since last time?”

“No, I came back again. You don’t need to mention how often I come. I’ve already heard it.”

I preemptively answered their expected question. Both of them quietly shut their mouths, which had been about to speak.

“You must like the Celestial Realm. You’re almost living here now.”

“There are things I like, and other reasons too.”

“The manager?”

I shook my head at Stress’s comment. While I was indeed enjoying dates with Hans, he wasn’t my main objective.

“Is Ian inside?”

“No, we’ve been waiting for Ian too. He disappeared again.”

“As always, making things difficult for everyone.”

It seemed they were also waiting for Ian.

“Why Ian?”

“I was planning to have lunch with him.”

“You two have lunch together?”

“Since when did you get so close?”

“It’s not so much about being close…”

I couldn’t quite consider myself close to Ian. He was kind to me, but there was a sense of a barrier between us.

Feeling awkward, I brushed my neck and spoke.

“It’s because of the assassin. I came to find them quickly.”

“The assassin?”

Isaac responded with a puzzled tone.

What I had been so curious about was revealed in such an anticlimactic way.

“It’s Ian, isn’t it?”

“……?”

I stood there, dumbfounded.

“What?”

“Ah, you didn’t know.”

“Hey!”

Stress hastily nudged Isaac’s shoulder. It seemed like they had been intentionally keeping it a secret.

I regained my composure and demanded an explanation.

“You knew and didn’t tell me? Why?”

“…….”

Isaac and Stress exchanged glances.

Then they replied,

“It’s more fun that way.”

‘It’s more fun that way.’

That phrase overlapped with what Ian had said.

I knew that angels pursued amusement. That they treated me as a plaything for their entertainment.

‘But isn’t this too much?’

They were taking the collection of points for someone’s reincarnation – a matter of life and death – as a mere joke.

Despite it being a life-and-death matter for someone.

“Jiha, are you mad……?”

Isaac cautiously asked.

Without answering, I turned and walked away. The two didn’t try to stop me.

My destination was set, and my feet moved before I even fully realized it.

I arrived at the smoking area, naturally to meet Ian.

“Oh.”

Ian was indeed there. He smiled as if pleased to see me.

“Jiha. Did you come to have lunch together?”

“…….”

I just glared at Ian without saying a word.

Sensing that my expression was unusual, Ian asked with a hint of confusion,

“What’s wrong?”

“I just heard something.”

“About what?”

“About the assassin.”

Even after my direct statement, Ian maintained a relaxed smile. A smile as if nothing was bothering him.

His nonchalance was so extreme, it almost made me doubt if Isaac had been mistaken.

“I heard it from Isaac.”

“That I’m the assassin?”

Ian’s forthright response caught me off guard.

While I was speechless, Ian, with the corners of his mouth lifted, spoke.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s me.”

There was no hesitation in his response.

“So what?”

Ian looked at me brazenly, as if questioning if there was a problem.