Her cheeks burned under the intense gazes of the onlookers, her usual light-hearted energy crushed under her father’s sneering accusations and Leo’s steady, unreadable stare. 
She tried to look away, but everywhere she turned, there were people watching, whispering.
Leo’s eyes remained locked on her father, his voice calm but icy. “What exactly do you want?”
Her father straightened up, feigning an air of authority, his voice growing louder as he responded with a bravado that bordered on arrogance. 
“What does anyone want, dealing with a man of your standing?” He shrugged casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Then he sneered again, glancing at Mina with a look of mock disappointment. “Everyone’s after the same thing—including my daughter, it seems.”
At his words, Mina felt her heart sink. She wanted to argue, to deny it, but no words came. The shame and anger twisted in her chest, rendering her silent, her gaze dropping to the floor.
Leo, however, stayed silent. His expression tightened briefly, but he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a thick bundle of cash without so much as a flinch. 
Mina’s eyes widened as he extended it toward her father, her own hand flying up to try and stop him.
“Please, don’t,” she whispered, barely managing to keep her voice from breaking. She reached up, trying to lower his hand, but Leo’s grip was firm. “Please, you don’t need to give him anything.”
Ignoring her pleas, Leo kept his arm steady, his calm expression never faltering. Her father’s eyes lit up as he reached out and swiped the cash from Leo’s hand, not a hint of shame in his greedy gaze. 
He shoved the bundle into his pocket, then glanced at Mina’s purse, his smirk growing.
“You got anything else for your old man, sweetheart?” he asked, voice dripping with mock affection as he eyed her ATM card poking out from her wallet. “I’m sure you don’t mind, right?”
Mina’s throat tightened. Her hands trembled as she reached into her bag, fumbling as she pulled out her ATM card, holding it out with a mixture of shame and defiance.
 “Fine. Here, take it,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “But… please, just give back what you took from Leo.”
Her father let out a chuckle that was cold and dismissive. Instead of returning anything, he plucked the card from her fingers with a smug smile, slipping it into his pocket alongside Leo’s money. 
“Good girl,” he said, patting her shoulder in a twisted mockery of fatherly affection. “You’ve always been so… cooperative.”
Mina flinched under his touch, her eyes beginning to water as he sauntered off, laughing to himself, his shoulders thrown back with the satisfaction of a man who’d just struck gold. 
His gait was triumphant, his figure shrinking into the distance as he disappeared, leaving Mina and Leo standing in silence.
Leo’s gaze softened as he looked at her, but Mina couldn’t meet his eyes. She stared down at the floor, her hands clenched tightly. 
The weight of the humiliation, the shame, was overwhelming, hanging over her like a storm cloud that refused to dissipate. 
Every cheerful sound in the mall around them felt distant and hollow. 
The day that had started with laughter and excitement was now shadowed by an ache that neither of them could shake.
*
Inside the car, the silence hung heavily between them. Usually, light chatter or playful banter filled their journeys, but this time, neither of them spoke. 
Mina stared out the window, hiding her mixed feelings, while Leo focused on the road, his hands firmly on the steering wheel, though his expression was more serious than usual.
Finally, Mina broke the silence, her voice almost a whisper. “Leo…”
Leo glanced over briefly, listening without saying a word.
“I’m sorry… about what happened earlier,” Mina said softly, still looking outside. “I didn’t expect my dad to show up and cause such a scene. Especially since I know you rarely go to public places. The one time we go out, you have to deal with—well, my dad.”
Leo smiled faintly and nodded. “It’s okay,” he replied casually, his calm tone easing some of Mina’s tension.
Still, she felt guilty. “I… I’ll pay back the money my dad took next month,” she added, her voice filled with determination.
Leo didn’t respond right away. 
Another silence fell between them. 
Mina started to feel awkward as Leo remained quiet, so she turned to him, curiosity piquing. “Hey, you’re listening to me, right?”
Leo grinned mischievously and glanced over, pretending to be confused. “Oh, were you talking to me?”
Mina furrowed her brow, both annoyed and perplexed. “Yes, who else would I be talking to? It’s just the two of us in here, Leo!” she said, a hint of exasperation in her tone.
Leo chuckled softly, and Mina realized he was teasing her.
 “You know it’s impolite to talk without looking at your conversation partner, right?” he retorted, keeping his eyes on the road while a smile lingered on his lips.
Mina almost laughed but quickly stifled it. 
She felt she shouldn’t look too cheerful so soon after what had just happened. Especially given the earlier incident. But a small smile crept onto her face, and her heart felt a bit lighter. 
If the situation were different, she would have already teased him back by calling him “ahjussi,” just like before.
Deep down, Mina felt relieved. Despite how heavy the earlier situation had been, Leo continued to act as if nothing had changed. 
Gradually, the awkward atmosphere began to melt away, and the two of them found warmth in each other’s presence, needing no words to fill the space.
“Why didn’t you answer your dad’s call?” Leo asked, glancing at Mina, his tone casual yet probing. “Oh, wait, you don’t have to answer that. I’d probably block his number if my dad was like that.”
Mina sighed and started to share, “My dad once tried to force me to marry a sleazy guy just for money.”
“Just tell him no,” Leo suggested, shrugging.
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