Ji-Heon hurriedly shut his office door.
His body had acted before his mind could even process the situation. In his haste, he had ended up grabbing the hand of Jeong-o Lee, who was still clutching the doorknob.
Once the door clicked shut, Jeong-o immediately pulled her hand away from his grip.
As she glared at him, Ji-Heon was rendered speechless, struck dumb by the moment.
He had never encountered a woman like this. To be fair, she was a “first” in almost everything.
He had only called her in to give her cookies, yet somehow, he was the one being backed into a corner.
She stared him down boldly, her eyes and expression demanding an apology.
There was no wavering in her gaze, which made Ji-Heon tense up. It really felt as if she would throw everything away and walk out of the company that very second.
Jeong-o truly had nothing left to lose. Her resignation threat had been an ultimatum.
Having once again confirmed exactly what kind of person Ji-Heon Jeong was, she felt she had no other choice. For Yena’s sake, she decided it would be wiser to give up on him for good.
That was why she was a little surprised when Ji-Heon had reached out to stop her so desperately.
And so, this was the final chance she was giving him. She clung to a glimmer of hope once more.
*Even if my existence doesn’t mean much to you, now that you’ve lost your memories, I am, at the very least, a member of your division.*
He stared back at her intently. He looked angry. He also seemed baffled, as if thinking, *’What kind of person is this?’*
Even though she had spoken harshly, Jeong-o couldn’t help but feel intimidated by his gaze. Still, she didn’t back down.
An uncomfortable silence hung between them. And then—
“I’m sorry.”
Finally, his lips parted.
His expression remained foul and his attitude was terrible, but for some reason, Jeong-o’s eyes grew hot with unshed tears.
“……What are you sorry for?”
She could have just accepted the apology, but for some reason, she felt greedy. It was a bold question, though she couldn’t quite muster a bold tone, fearing he might snap.
A moment later, he answered again.
“I’m sorry for teasing you, Jeong-o Lee.”
“And?”
“……I’m also sorry for making you work overtime excessively.”
His expression was sour, but his pronunciation was precise.
The corners of her mouth tried to lift against her will. Her eyelids grew even hotter. She was on the verge of making that strange face where you cry and laugh at the same time, not wanting to do either. Jeong-o desperately forced her lips to stay still.
“What are you going to do from now on?”
“Whatever you wish.”
“Whatever I wish? As if you’d know what I want.”
Ji-Heon sighed and turned his head slightly to the side, as if he didn’t want to meet her eyes. It was clear he wasn’t happy with this situation. Even so, he had behaved quite compliantly.
So, the power of a resignation notice was this immense! Jeong-o felt thrilled, as if she had discovered his weakness. Just a moment ago she had been in despair, but now her spirits were revived.
The tables had turned unexpectedly, and she had to seize this opportunity.
“Please properly uncover the truth about last Thursday’s incident. I really didn’t do it. There must have been someone who entered the conference room when I stepped out to take a call after leaving my laptop there. I would like you to look into that.”
“I got it.”
“And I definitely uploaded the file to the company cloud. Someone must have deleted that file. I would like you to look into that as well.”
Ji-Heon nodded quietly. Because he was listening so well, her appetite, which had been non-existent, began to return.
“I’ll take the cookies. I’ll enjoy them with my teammates.”
“You’re going to share them?”
“Yes. Is that not allowed?”
She asked back, finding his change in expression at her words strange.
“You didn’t put anything weird in these cookies, did you?”
“Do I look like that kind of guy to you?”
His retort was sharp. So, he hadn’t done anything suspicious to the cookies.
“Please just put cookies in the cookie box.”
*Don’t put your heart into it.*
Whatever feelings you have, don’t put them in the cookies. Don’t shake me up with food. It reminds me of a time seven years ago.
She gave him a light piece of advice and hugged the cookie box.
“Thank you. I’ll be going now.”
Carrying the heavy box, Jeong-o was able to leave the office with a light heart.
*Click.*
The door closed again. Left in the office, Ji-Heon sat down with a thud, his face contorted in a frown.
Jeong-o Lee. Her skill in manipulating people was no small feat.
In the midst of it all, it felt as if her words were lingering in his ears: *“Even if you gave me everything you possess, I wouldn’t trade my everything for it.”*
Her everything. My everything.
She had drawn a distinct line, as if to say he and she were completely different. She had mentioned his “everything”—something he had never even accounted for—and made it seem trivial.
Even though it was infuriating, Ji-Heon couldn’t say a word. For some reason, he had a feeling it might be true. It felt as if, even if he gave her everything he owned, the chance of her entering his world would never happen.
That was why he had blurted out the apology. It hadn’t been a sincere apology; it was merely a means to keep her by his side.
Nevertheless, the moment he uttered the words, a tiny shred of genuine regret had actually surfaced. All these phenomena—the existence of Jeong-o Lee, who held his heart in the palm of her hand—made him feel bitter and annoyed.
But her face, with that faint smile as she took the cookies, covered everything up. He felt bewildered by himself for thinking that the result was good enough, regardless of anything else, and Ji-Heon let out an involuntary, hollow laugh.
***
Jeong-o met Gihun and Eun-Ju in the hallway. The two of them hadn’t even returned to their desks, standing around waiting for Jeong-o to emerge.
“Were you waiting here?”
“Manager!” Gihun called out as if he had just found a comrade lost in war.
Eun-Ju’s eyes widened when she saw the large box Jeong-o was carrying. “What’s that?”
“Cookies and some other things. The Director gave them to me, saying he was sorry for making me work overtime last Thursday.”
“He gifted you cookies because he was sorry for making you work overtime?”
“Ah, he said they were things he was planning to throw away.”
“He gave you things he was going to throw away as a gift?”
“I suppose so, if that’s what he said.”
“Ah, Director Jeong is really such a nuisance. A real piece of work.”
As expected, the haughty Manager Eun-Ju Go didn’t view Ji-Heon’s gift in a good light. Jeong-o shrugged her shoulders.
*Mr. Ji-Heon Jeong. You really need to manage your reputation.*
***
The amount of cookies and chocolate Ji-Heon had gifted was enormous. Even after sharing them evenly with her teammates, a considerable amount remained, which she brought home.
When Jeong-o took the cookies out of her bag, Yena’s mouth fell open.
“Mommy, is this a gift for Yena?”
“That’s right.”
*It’s a gift from your dad.*
“Yena, you know you can only have one a day, right?”
“Can’t I have two?”
“Fine. Two.”
Having reached a compromise with her mother, Yena tore open a cookie wrapper. Because the cookie was so big, Yena’s hands and face looked tiny in comparison. She opened her little mouth wide and took a bite. Crumbs got all over her mouth and fell onto the floor, *tap, tap, tap*. Yena wiped her mouth and giggled.
“It’s delicious!”
“Eat up.”
“You told me to only eat two, Mommy.”
“Two is a lot. How much more do you want to eat of this huge thing?”
*Hehehe.*
Yena laughed happily and took another adorable bite.
*The daughter is eating something her father gave her.*
Watching Yena, Jeong-o felt a strange sensation, as if someone’s hand was gently pressing against her heart.
“Mommy, who gave this to you?”
“The Director at Mommy’s office did.”
“Only to Mommy?”
“Yes. Only to Mommy.”
“Does the Director like Mommy?”
“No. I received them because Mommy had to work overtime a lot.”
Jeong-o answered as she wiped the crumbs from Yena’s mouth.
“I wish he liked you.”
“Why?”
“Then he would give you even more cookies.”
“Mommy can buy you cookies, too. The ones Mommy buys are even more delicious.”
Seeing her daughter grow fond of Ji-Heon for the sole reason that she had received cookies—without even knowing what kind of person he was—Jeong-o thought, *’A kid is a kid, after all.’*
Jeong-o gazed endlessly at Yena, who had become happy over a single cookie. One could lose track of time just watching a child.
Yena, meeting her mother’s gaze, asked, “Mommy, who do I look like?”
It was a random question. Jin-seo, who had been thinking of Ji-Heon for a moment, stammered, feeling slightly flustered.
“Can’t you just look and tell? She takes after her mom.”
“But Mom, you’re good at drawing.”
“Mom couldn’t draw well when she was Yena’s age either. And how good are you expecting to be? This is quite good for a seven-year-old. You take after your mom, Yena.” Jin-seo said, pointing at the zoo picture frame Yena had made at preschool.
Yet, Yena refuted her.
“Mom, you don’t have a stork bite.”
“That’s because you’re still a baby, Yena. It’ll go away when you’re an adult. Mom doesn’t have one because she’s an adult.”
“Mom, you can’t play Go.”
“Mom can do anything if she studies it!” At her daughter’s hit-the-nail-on-the-head remark, Jin-seo’s voice eventually rose. After all that encouragement, she’s mocking her mother!
Pouting her lips, Yena tattled to Guksun Lee.
“Grandma, Mom yelled at me.”
“It’s because your mom feels guilty. She can’t play Go like our Yena.” At whatever part of the grandmother’s reply contained the comedic element, Yena burst into a giggle.
Mom can’t play Go, haha, ahaha. The child’s laughter filled the house.
At her daughter’s laughter, Jin-seo couldn’t help but laugh along.
Sometimes, she brings the worries from outside into the home. Bringing work home is quite common among them. In moments when she’s wracking her brain because a single copy that perfectly matches the client’s preferences won’t come to mind, and she wants to be angry at everything in the world, the sound of laughter from the living room makes Jin-seo prick up her ears.
The clear laughter of her child, giggling at whatever is so funny, makes her put her work aside and follow the sound. When she goes to look, the child is laughing while watching some trivial TV program.
The difference in their sense of humor, as vast as the gap between a child’s and an adult’s eye level, means she can’t laugh along immediately. But at the child’s tireless laughter, Jin-seo eventually follows suit. The fact that she was a part of that laughter made her forget all her troubles.
She was her everything.
The entirety of my life. My child’s laughter. My child’s happiness.
***
The next day, Ji-Heon called Jin-seo into his office. He had diligently carried out the task she assigned him, showing her the security camera location data he had obtained.
“As you can see, there is no camera in the conference room where Assistant Manager Lee was.”
“There aren’t many places in the company with cameras installed.”
“It’s better to install only enough to identify someone if a thief breaks in. A surveillance atmosphere isn’t good.”
It was a fair point. A few security cameras installed in the hallway were all there were. There was a camera in the conference room hallway, but it didn’t show the entrance to the conference room Jin-seo had used.
“It seems we should install one at least covering the conference room entrance.” Jin-seo offered her opinion, but Ji-Heon did not reply.
This man never answers whenever he feels he’s being pushed into a corner. *He’s cunning.*
For some reason, she felt that trait was similar to Yena’s.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Huh? Did I laugh? I didn’t. Ahem.”
She had let out a small chuckle while thinking of Yena, but she had been caught. When Ji-Heon pointed it out, Jin-seo cleared her throat.
Ji-Heon gave her a brief look before showing her the CCTV footage.
“Since there’s no camera at the conference room entrance, it’s difficult to identify who the culprit is, or if there even is a culprit, but there is one piece of meaningful data.”
Jin-seo’s gaze moved to the CCTV screen Ji-Heon was pointing at. The people from Production Team 1 were gathered talking. Not long after, the people dispersed. Soon, Ji-Heon showed her the CCTV from another hallway.
“If the person caught on Camera 3 went this way, they should have been caught by Camera 4.”
“Ah… I don’t see them.”
Jin-seo also looked closely at the employee Ji-Heon pointed out. It was quite some time later that the employee was caught on Camera 4. Between Camera 3 and Camera 4 was the conference room where Jin-seo had been on Thursday.
It was a colleague she had some friction with, so Jin-seo guessed it could be them. However, it was just a hunch; without precise evidence, she couldn’t push them.
“Is it possible to check the cloud records?”
At Jin-seo’s request, Ji-Heon tapped on his laptop keyboard. Then, he showed her a screen filled with various symbols and numbers.
“There is a record of Assistant Manager Lee uploading a file titled ‘Dawon Liquor 1st Proposal’ to the cloud. And there is also a record of it being deleted. However, there is no way to know who deleted it.”
“Ah… there’s no information on the person who deleted the data. They used a public computer, not a personal one.”
“They used the public computer in Output Room C.”
The equipment in Output Room C was quite old, so employees didn’t use it much. Because someone logged in with a shared ID and used the public computer to delete the data, the culprit could not be identified. Of course, there was no security camera in Output Room C either.
Ji-Heon, who had been silent for a long time, stood up from his seat.
“Let’s just ask the person we suspect directly.”
“That’s reckless! They won’t admit it without evidence.”
If they interrogated them prematurely, it might just spread rumors about Ji-Heon’s malice. Jin-seo stopped Ji-Heon and smiled broadly.
“I’ll take it from here.”