Thirteen years ago.
It was the day of the midterm exams at OO High School.
The second period was Classical Chinese. Classical Chinese—a subject where a student with a good memory could finish all the problems in ten minutes.
In the classroom, arranged in exam formation, Eunbi sat in the third seat of the last row. It was a perfect spot for doing other things without catching the teacher’s eye.
It was also a perfect spot for using a cheat sheet.
If you cut an A4 sheet in half, filled both sides densely, and tucked it into your sleeve, it was foolproof. Eunbi had handled every memory-based subject like that. She had become so proficient that she could pull it out and read it the moment the teacher turned their back.
Just like that, she finished the exam safely.
When break time arrived, the kids bustled about. Someone bumped into Eunbi’s desk, knocking it out of line and making it crooked. Eunbi felt annoyed and straightened her desk. In the process, the cheat sheet in her sleeve fell to the floor.
Thump.
The person who discovered it first was Jeong-o Lee, who sat in the diagonal seat in the next row.
“Eunbi, you dropped this.”
It felt as if her heart had dropped, not the cheat sheet.
Jeong-o handed the paper—which looked like a cheat sheet even at a glance—to Eunbi as if it were nothing.
“Thanks.”
She gave a short greeting and snatched the paper away.
‘Did Jeong-o see it? What if she tells the teacher? What if I get a zero?’
Eunbi had made cheat sheets for previous exams, too. What if she got caught for those as well?
Even if she got rid of the evidence, if she had to take a re-exam, she wasn’t confident she could get the same grade. She felt like her blood was running cold.
In the end, because Eunbi was so worried about the cheat sheet, she ended up ruining the next exam as well.
It would be a disaster if her family found out about the exam results. Eunbi was the youngest daughter of a legal family. Her mother was a law school professor, her father a judge, and her older brother was an S University law student preparing for law school.
Her parents were people who thought studying was the easiest thing in life. They took good grades for granted and couldn’t understand failing grades. Eunbi had lived a suffocating life within that environment.
In such a situation, what if her cheating in other exams was also discovered…?
For several days after the midterm exams, Eunbi felt as if she were walking on thin ice. Every time Jeong-o stood up from her seat, Eunbi was terrified. She felt like Jeong-o might run to the teacher at any moment and spill everything.
Anxious, Eunbi decided to win Jeong-o over.
“Jeong-o, do you want this? I’ve never used it.”
Eunbi held out a lip gloss from a luxury brand she liked. It was a method she used frequently on her friends. Her friends always accepted the gifts, saying they were great. The friends who received gifts became tools that were easy to exploit.
But Jeong-o was different from Eunbi’s friends.
“No. It’s okay.”
“It would be good to have one.”
“No. I don’t wear makeup. It’s really okay.”
Eunbi was so anxious inside. Does she think it’s a bribe? Is that why she won’t take it?
“You have a pretty face, so you’d look even prettier if you wore makeup. And this is a luxury brand.”
“I really don’t need it, Eunbi.”
Jeong-o refused to the end. For some reason, it felt as if Jeong-o was looking down on her.
“Thanks for the thought. Sorry.”
Jeong-o walked away coldly like that.
After that, Eunbi grew even more afraid of Jeong-o. She had to ensure that no one would believe Jeong-o’s words as soon as possible. Before she turned into a ticking time bomb, she had to act fast.
***
Thursday morning, when office workers’ hearts swell with the anticipation of the weekend.
Ye-Na poked her head through the neck of her T-shirt and said energetically,
“Mom, one week left!”
“Until what?”
“Don’t you know what day is next Thursday?”
There was no way she didn’t know; her daughter had talked about it a hundred times.
Children live for the joy of waiting. Waiting for Christmas, waiting for Children’s Day, waiting for their birthdays.
That anticipation is what helps a child grow. Jeong-o realized that her daughter had grown much taller than she was this time last year.
Already seven years old.
Ye-Na had come into the world without even completing the full 40 weeks of gestation. Born at 37 weeks weighing 2.7kg, she had made her mother anxious the whole time.
Even after Jeong-o was discharged from the hospital, the baby couldn’t leave due to cyanosis, and Jeong-o had spent every day visiting her daughter without even being able to have a proper postpartum recovery. Even after Ye-Na was discharged a week later, Jeong-o had remained on pins and needles.
There was something else strange about the baby. In the middle of the child’s forehead, which was red like a sweet potato, there was a dark birthmark.
She didn’t know much about babies, but she had never seen anything like that, so she asked the nurse, who called it a “salmon patch.” She said it appeared in many newborns and would disappear within a year of birth.
But Ye-Na’s salmon patch was still in that spot even as she turned seven.
As the child’s complexion became fair, the salmon patch turned red. Jeong-o had considered treatment, but the process was complicated, and she had heard many people say it would disappear around puberty, so she was just covering the round, pretty forehead with bangs and watching over it.
They say that in some places, they call a salmon patch a “stork bite.” A mark left by an angel kissing the baby because the baby was so beautiful.
Jeong-o believed that. Ye-Na must have been an angel in her past life. That must be why she turned this world into heaven.
Someday, when Ye-Na’s salmon patch disappeared, she thought she might feel a bit sad. Jeong-o wished Ye-Na would grow up just a little slower.
“What do you want to do for your birthday, Ye-Na?”
“I want to eat cake with Mommy and Grandma.”
Ye-Na stated her modest dream.
Ji-Heon Jeong.
Our child’s seventh birthday is coming up.
*
Max Planning Production Team 2.
For a few days, Jeong-o had felt something strange.
For some reason, Mi-Ran seemed to be keeping her distance.
However, she didn’t make it obvious enough to notice. It was just that the kindness she had felt when she first joined the company had faded a bit; Team Leader Mi-Ran Seong was a person who was fair to everyone.
More than that, Jeong-o was bothered by Production Team 1.
She had felt that Assistant Manager Si-Nae Jo of Production Team 1 was acting cold toward her, but at some point, she felt like she was being openly ignored. At first, it was only Assistant Manager Si-Nae Jo, but today, it seemed like Assistant Manager Yu-Ri Jo had joined in.
What was bitter was that they were careful when others were watching. It was most dangerous when she was away from the team members or left alone in the conference room. It was only to the extent of criticizing Jeong-o’s ideas after the fact or making strange requests, but it was exhausting.
Today, too, Assistant Manager Si-Nae Jo struck up a conversation while the people in Production Team 2 were away.
“Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee. You heard there’s a company dinner with Dawon Liquor today, right?”
“Pardon? No. I haven’t heard.”
“I think you should try to listen. It wouldn’t do for you to be the only one not knowing what everyone else knows.”
“Now that I know, that’s enough.”
The tone, which somehow resembled Eunbi’s, was bitter, so Jeong-o responded coldly as well.
Si-Nae, whose nose flared at Jeong-o’s reaction, said,
“The advertiser asked for a dinner with the production team, so it was pushed through in a hurry. But the AE in charge is on a business trip and isn’t here. Unfortunately.”
“……”
“We’re all busy with our own work, so it would be good if Assistant Manager Lee could scout a location. Please.”
So that was today’s strange request.
Scouting a location for a dinner wasn’t particularly difficult, so Jeong-o nodded readily.
“Yes. I understand.”
But.
“You have to go yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“You might get a rough answer over the phone. Go in person to check the seating and the menu, and then call us. And go bring the advertiser, too.”
Assistant Manager Si-Nae Jo wanted the full advertiser-hosting package.
At this point, she could be called Little Eunbi Chae, couldn’t she?
“I hope the AE can be reached at some point. The AE would be good at this, and I feel really uncomfortable asking Assistant Manager Lee to do it.”
“If you’re uncomfortable, why don’t you come with me?”
“That’s not possible. I’m too busy. Anyway, I trust you, Assistant Manager Lee.”
Si-Nae smiled brightly.
*
Dawon Liquor’s working-level staff had contacted them in a hurry saying they wanted to meet the production team. Since the AE in charge and the Planning Team leader were on a business trip, Ji-Heon was in a somewhat difficult situation.
The advertiser who said they would come to the office was at the deputy general manager level. There was no need for Ji-Heon to host the drinking party himself.
However, his mind was more on the meal than the prayers.
Since he had asked to meet the production team, Jeong-o Lee would show up as well.
He was curious to see what Jeong-o Lee would be like at the company dinner.
Ji-Heon moved toward the production team. Almost everyone from Production Team 1 was at their seats, but there was no one from Production Team 2.
“There’s no one from Production Team 2.”
Ji-Heon spoke to Assistant Manager Jo Yu-Ri, who was sitting at the far end.
Yu-Ri stammered as she replied.
“Yes? Uh, uh… Assistant Manager Go and Employee Gihun went for a print shoot, and Assistant Manager Lee said she was coming from Dawon Liquor, so she went to check out the dinner venue.”
Ji-Heon’s eyebrows arched.
“They already left?”
“Yes? Uh, well… the client said they were arriving early.”
Before Yu-Ri could even finish her answer, Ji-Heon turned around and walked away.
Ji-Heon immediately called Mi-Ran.
“Team Leader, this is Ji-Heon Jeong. Please send me the contact information for Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee from your team.”
It was a good excuse. Facing the crucial task of the client visiting the office, Ji-Heon had no choice but to contact Jeong-o.
Mi-Ran sent Jeong-o’s contact info right away.
It was raining outside the window.
Ha. A company dinner on a rainy day.
Jeong-o, who had come down to the first floor, let out a miserable sigh. Outside the building, beyond the glass door, she could see a heavy downpour.
It looked like a passing shower, seeing as it had started so suddenly. Still, she had to buy an umbrella. She had to meet the client.
Jeong-o turned her steps toward the convenience store inside the building.
However, not a single umbrella was to be seen—the very items that were so abundant on sunny days.
“Are you all out of umbrellas?”
“Yes. They all sold out because it started raining so suddenly.”
What was she supposed to do now? If it were just a team dinner, she wouldn’t care about looking like a drowned rat, but since it was a dinner with a client, she needed to be well-groomed.
Ha. To have her first company dinner since joining the firm be a dinner with a client. Truly, my heart is swelling.
As she stood blankly in front of the entrance waiting for the rain to let up, her pocket vibrated.
It was an unknown number.
“This is Jeong-o Lee.”
[Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee.]
Upon hearing her own name from the other side of the receiver, Jeong-o felt a lump in her throat.
She thought of that day seven years ago. The day Ji-Heon Jeong called her and told her never to contact him again. Jeong-o had never once doubted that the voice, which she wasn’t even sure was Ji-Heon Jeong’s, was indeed his.
This voice right now. This was Ji-Heon Jeong.
“Yes, Director.”
[You recognize my voice. Where are you right now?]
“On the first floor of the building.”
Click. The call ended abruptly.
Her heart, which had been steeped in memories that shouldn’t be remembered, went numb.
Ji-Heon took an umbrella and got on the elevator. For some reason, he felt like she wouldn’t have one.
But, as he went down, he ran into Park Seung-Gyu.
Seung-Gyu’s face lit up the moment he saw Ji-Heon.
“Oh. You have an umbrella! Let’s share it.”
Seung-Gyu latched onto him, friendlier than ever. In the past few days, the dark clouds over Seung-Gyu had completely vanished. He had returned to his place as Ji-Heon’s precious friend.
But, today, the space next to me… is not for you.
“Going to a company dinner? Heard the client is coming?”
Ji-Heon smirked at his friend, who was brightly aware of his departmental affairs, wondering how he had heard.
When he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Jeong-o Lee standing outside the main entrance.
Ji-Heon handed the umbrella to Seung-Gyu.
“You take this.”
“Huh? What about you?”
“I’ll just run for it.”
“What are you talking about? We can share it.”
“Just take it.”
“…….”
“Instead, come out in three minutes.”
“…….”
“I’m going first.”
Ji-Heon widened his stride and walked off.
Seung-Gyu looked back and forth between the umbrella and Ji-Heon.
Jeong-o stood blankly, waiting for the rain to subside.
Just then, a shadow fell over her shoulder from behind.
“Do you have an umbrella?”
It was Ji-Heon.
No, he could have talked from a bit of a distance. Why was he leaning his face over her shoulder? What was he going to do if they ended up head-butting each other?
A man who had injured his head seven years ago shouldn’t be this careless.
Even in the midst of this, Jeong-o found herself worrying about his well-being.
“No, I don’t, Director.”
At Jeong-o’s answer, Ji-Heon lightly took off his suit jacket and held it over her head.
“Let’s go together.”
This… he wanted to hold this over her and walk together?
It was a suggestion that was beyond heart-fluttering; it was frightening.
“No. It’s okay. I’m going to buy an umbrella over there.”
Jeong-o shook her head and pointed to the convenience store across the way.
“Then, until there.”
Ji-Heon was relentless.
He gave her back a gentle push. Without any preparation, Jeong-o was thrust into the relentless rain.
All the preparation was Ji-Heon’s responsibility. His arm, stretched out to wrap around her from behind, held the jacket firmly. The suit jacket, which cost dozens of times more than an umbrella, solidly blocked the raindrops.
Every time they moved, her round shoulder brushed against his broad chest.
It felt as though his body heat was being layered over her body, which had been chilled by the sudden rain.
Thump-thump, thump-thump. Her heartbeat melted into the sound of the rain.
From a distance, Seung-Gyu stared blankly at the scene.
“That bastard….”
A curse word he hadn’t even uttered when lashing out at his friend a few days ago suddenly burst out.
However, his face was full of smiles.
He planned to tease him relentlessly starting tomorrow.