After being scolded by Park Seung-Gyu, Ji-Heon once again stood in front of the trash can in the elevator lobby.
The object he had discarded, still inside its paper bag, remained exactly where he had left it. He reached out and retrieved only the box. A card was attached to it. He unfolded it to read:
*“Thank you for inviting us. I will learn a lot and grow into a wonderful person. Please enjoy the cookies!”*
He furrowed his brow, reading the messy handwriting character by character. He considered throwing the card away again, but instead, tucked it into his pocket. Returning to his office with the box, Ji-Heon opened it to inspect the contents.
Brown cookies were studded with various nuts. As he had expected, they were misshapen.
However, without much thought, Ji-Heon picked up a cookie and tore open the plastic wrapping. He popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly.
The taste wasn’t bad.
He usually rejected gifts of food, accepting this one only as a matter of courtesy. Since he wouldn’t be seeing the orphanage children or their guardian again, he had discarded it with a light heart. Throwing away gifts was routine for him, and he had felt nothing—at least, not until *that woman* appeared.
“How could you throw that away?”
It wasn’t that her use of informal speech annoyed him. It was the tone, the inflection, the timbre—something that seemed to transcend simple resentment—and the raw sincerity he sensed in her trembling eyes. It felt as if she were questioning him, asking, *“Why do you live like this?”* Could a mere employee really attack an executive of her company with such impudence? If she had an ulterior motive, she was truly cunning; if she was sincere, her nerve was impressive.
Later that afternoon, Ji-Heon met Jin-Seo again in the breakroom. She had sought him out in a rush and fired a question before he could even speak.
“……Do you know who I am?”
“I do.”
“…….”
“Copywriter, Assistant Manager Jin-Seo Lee.”
“……Besides that?”
He couldn’t grasp the point of the question. It sounded like an accusation for grabbing the wrist of a woman he didn’t know well, or perhaps a hint that he was missing something. Either way, it wasn’t pleasant. Ji-Heon disliked being swayed by anyone. Above all, he didn’t want to be caught feeling his heart waver.
“Is there something more I need to know?”
“…….”
“More importantly, I wanted to talk about what happened this morning.” He decided to seize the initiative before she could say anything more unpredictable. *You questioned how I could throw that away. So, I retrieved it.*
Suddenly, a large tear rolled down her cheek.
*She’s crying? Why?*
Ji-Heon, who had intended to give her a cold, sharp retort regardless of her complaints, found himself lost. What was the problem this time? He narrowed his eyes and retraced his steps. The fact that Park Seung-Gyu had taken her away bothered him. *Did he scare her?* He had thought Park Seung-Gyu would be flexible in such matters, but it seemed he had handled it more roughly than expected. It might have been his way of protecting him, but it didn’t sit well with him.
Setting that aside, a new thought struck him: she was pretty. For the first time.
Even though she was crying, he felt a craving born from that vulnerability. He thought about how, in his strictly locked office, he would like to watch her cry like this for hours. But was it really just her tears he wanted to see?
“Oppa, were you here?”
A voice sounded from the breakroom doorway. It was Eun-Bi.
Ji-Heon reflexively lowered the hand he had raised toward Jin-Seo. Jin-Seo, too, seemed flustered and hurriedly wiped her tears, though her eyes remained bright red. *Was she that deeply hurt?* He should have asked her that.
“Oppa, did I tell you? Assistant Manager Jin-Seo Lee is my friend. We went to high school together.”
Before he knew it, Eun-Bi had grabbed his arm.
“Jin-Seo, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, no, I just came to look at some books.” Jin-Seo turned her head stiffly as she replied. Ji-Heon knew it was an excuse.
“What kind of books?”
“Books for reference for the liquor advertisement.”
“Oh, Jin-Seo, use informal language when it’s just us. You’re not doing this on purpose to make me feel awkward, are you?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. I’m going now.” Answering Eun-Bi’s question with a vague excuse, she left quickly, like someone being chased.
After Jin-Seo left, only Ji-Heon and Eun-Bi remained, and their arms pulled apart. A prickly doubt lingered for Eun-Bi. What was that? It seemed there was some hidden story. Jin-Seo had been blushing in front of Ji-Heon, and Ji-Heon had been frozen.
“Oppa, what’s going on? Is Jin-Seo saying something to you?”
As expected, Ji-Heon didn’t respond. He never gave her the answers she wanted. Eun-Bi wasn’t one to be hurt by such things at every turn, though.
“I’m just saying this just in case, but don’t trust Jin-Seo Lee too much. She’s not someone you can rely on.”
His brow twitched slightly.
“Back in high school, she secretly tampered with my cosmetics. Then she flatly denied it. Even though all our friends knew the truth, she insisted she hadn’t, which was honestly a bit scary.”
“…….”
“I’d like to think she’s outgrown that habit, but you should still be careful.”
He showed no reaction. He simply lowered his gaze to look at the ring on her left ring finger. It was something she had boasted to others as if he had given it to her. Ji-Heon, of course, knew nothing of this. Feeling suddenly guilty, Eun-Bi hid her left hand behind her back.
Even then, his sharp, icy gaze didn’t soften. Sometimes, she felt a chill at his stare, which seemed capable of crushing anyone in its path, yet remained devoid of any emotion. But today…
“You should be careful too, Eun-Bi Chae.”
“…….”
“Don’t cross the line.”
Something more seemed to be surging beneath the surface. Eun-Bi felt a lump in her throat. After Ji-Heon left, she stood there for a long time.
*‘You’re only pretending to date me to avoid annoying girls like her.’*
Four years ago, rumors of a romance between Eun-Bi and Ji-Heon spread among their acquaintances. Using that opportunity, Eun-Bi proposed a nominal relationship, and Ji-Heon accepted—likely to escape the excessive interest of those around them. Regardless, their interests aligned, and the relationship had continued ever since.
Within the company, Eun-Bi utilized her relationship with Ji-Heon well. She boasted as if she were receiving all of Ji-Heon’s love, wore a pretty ring, and acted as if he had bought it, even looking at wedding gifts as if they would be married soon.
She had been enjoying it all by herself when Ji-Heon suddenly took the post at Max Planning. At first, she trembled with the fear that she might be exposed as a fraud. However, unexpectedly, Ji-Heon said nothing. She couldn’t tell if he knew and was pretending not to, or if he really didn’t know. Regardless, he remained indifferent toward her, as always.
Truly, just a fake relationship.
Yet, Eun-Bi played her role well. Twice a week, she made sure to call Mrs. Youngmi Jang, catering to her and earning her favor. Youngmi already considered Eun-Bi her daughter-in-law.
Thus, Eun-Bi’s expectation had become a certainty. Even though they were currently distant, she was certain she would one day be his wife. She was certain he would be hers.
Jeong Ji-Heon was the man who would make her shine the brightest. Despite the rumors, any background check revealed he was remarkably clean when it came to women. Whatever obsessive habit he had, he would likely remain alone. Therefore, she was the only one who could be his wife.
All she had to do was drive away unpleasant flies like Jin-Seo Lee.
Ji-Heon had no idea how hard Eun-Bi was trying.
*
Evening.
Jin-Seo sat at her desk, scanning the materials she had been assigned. Since she was participating in the competitive bid, she was stuck working overtime starting today. As she sat still, thoughts kept creeping in.
Ji-Heon Jeong and Eun-Bi Chae. To think I would see them side by side.
I didn’t even know, and I almost spilled the beans about Ye-Na to Ji-Heon.
Even if it wasn’t a case of amnesia, seven years is enough time for even mountains and rivers to change.
*Huuuuh.*
*Bzzt, bzzt.*
A vibration synced with my sigh. It was a call from my mother, Guk-Sun Lee.
Only when the phone vibrated did I realize I hadn’t called home while working overtime. I had been so shell-shocked from seeing Ji-Heon and Eun-Bi in the same room that I had completely lost my head.
Jin-Seo got up from her seat and quickly answered.
“Hello?”
[Are you working overtime?]
“Yeah. How’s Ye-Na?”
[She’s been singing about wanting ice cream, and when I told her she could have some after dinner, she said she hates Grandma.]
“Pfft.”
Imagining my daughter’s reaction was at least a small comfort to my heavy heart.
[Are you happy? Your granddaughter says she hates Grandma?]
“You’re laughing, Mom.”
[Did you eat?]
“Yeah. Don’t worry about my dinner.”
“I suppose,” Guk-Sun said, letting out a soft laugh.
[Oh, right. That hairpin is at the restaurant. I found it.]
“Huh? What hairpin?”
[The purple one, the round and long one. The one with a gem at the end. You were looking for it.]
“When?”
[Must’ve been about a year ago.]
“Why are you telling me about something from a year ago now? You’d obviously forget after a year.”
[You might forget, but how could I forget when you kept talking about it?]
“……Did I?”
[You spent all that effort looking for it, and then you just forget?]
“I guess it wasn’t that important, then.”
[If you’re not going to wear it, then forget it. I’ll just use it myself.]
While Mom spends her time thinking about her daughter, the daughter is thinking about another man.
The hairpin I had forgotten about overlapped with my own life.
Was I, Jin-Seo Lee, just like that hairpin to Ji-Heon?
Something lost without even knowing it was missing, and something never to be found again. A useless, forgotten memory.
It wasn’t just one year; it was a person from seven years ago.
I should have forgotten you, too. It was miserable that I couldn’t.
A past love is like broken glass. Even though it’s already useless, it glitters needlessly.
Even knowing that those glass shards will cut me, I keep reaching out. Like a fool.
And that’s why I keep feeling so miserable.
Thinking her daughter might be busy, Mom wrapped up the call.
[Are you going to be late tonight?]
“No. Not too late. It’s the first day of the PT.”
[Okay. Don’t work too hard, and stay somewhere cool. It’s been scorching out there.]
“Yeah. Don’t worry about me.”
Jin-Seo hung up the phone firmly.
The meeting would be starting soon.
As Jin-Seo started to move toward the conference room, Eun-Bi signaled to her.
“Assistant Manager Jin-Seo Lee.”
Since she was in the adjacent team within the same division, I would inevitably run into Eun-Bi often. We would likely collaborate frequently, too.
If I intended to keep working at this company, I had to overcome this uncomfortable feeling.
Jin-Seo braced herself and walked over to Eun-Bi.
“Are you also attending the competitive PT meeting, Assistant Manager?”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Could you take these to the conference room?”
Eun-Bi pointed to three laptops. They weren’t very heavy all together, but they looked like personal laptops.
“We need them for the meeting.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Jin-Seo nodded and picked up the three laptops. As expected, they weren’t heavy. As she turned to head to the conference room, Eun-Bi stopped her again.
“Assistant Manager Jin-Seo Lee.”
“Yes?”
“Is something bothering you?”
“Pardon? No, not at all.”
“Your expression suggests otherwise.”
My expression? Jin-Seo blinked in confusion.
“You aren’t upset because I gave you work, are you?”
“Not at all.”
Jin-Seo shook her head clearly. *I really feel fine!*
However, Eun-Bi’s expression turned grim.
“Assistant Manager Jin-Seo Lee, if you get all flushed and worked up over something trivial, it can cause hard feelings between us.”
Jin-Seo was stunned by Eun-Bi’s patronizing tone. It was just carrying some laptops—what was the big deal? I was truly fine. If anything, Eun-Bi’s lecture made me feel hot and flustered for no reason. I felt embarrassed and wronged.
Eventually, Eun-Bi let out a heavy sigh that sounded like the earth was collapsing, and she took the laptops back from Jin-Seo.
“I’ll just carry these myself. Cheer up.”
Her voice was sweet, without a single jagged edge. Following Eun-Bi’s angelic response, the gazes directed at Jin-Seo from those around us turned icy.