Silence hung over the spot where the truth had just been laid bare.
Jin-Seo lowered her gaze, unable to bring herself to look at Ji-Heon.
“I’m sorry I lied. I thought that if I told you he resembled my ex-boyfriend, it would make it seem like I was hitting on you, so I lied to try and draw a line.”
It was bound to come out eventually.
Such humiliation. Such a feeling.
It’s miserable now, but it’s a one-time thing.
“It won’t happen again.”
Jin-Seo bowed and left the office.
After Jin-Seo left, Eun-Bi stared at the door as it clicked shut, slowly steadying her breath.
She had finally gotten rid of Jin-Seo Lee.
Since the liar had admitted to her own deceit, Ji-Heon must have realized the truth as well. He would now see the fate of someone who gets caught by a woman with nothing to lose.
“You almost got into big trouble, Oppa. I told you, didn’t I? That she had stolen something of mine before.”
Relieved, Eun-Bi spoke in a light, relaxed tone. “What would you have done if you had trusted her without suspicion and she had laid a hand on your valuables?”
“Get out.”
If he had been shocked, it would have been natural for him to ask more questions about Jin-Seo Lee. Instead, his reply—contrary to Eun-Bi’s expectations—plunged her into stunned silence.
Eun-Bi looked up at Ji-Heon.
His eyes were cold and dry, filled with a look of such absolute contempt that she shuddered. It felt as if he viewed her existence itself as beneath him.
“Don’t ever interfere in my business again.”
His voice was chilling. Her lips parted, but no sound escaped.
It felt as if those large, clenched hands resting by his waist might rise at any moment to strangle her. It was such a terrifying moment that the desperate urge to flee took precedence over any desire to win his heart back. Eun-Bi quickly left the office, practically running away.
*
“Assistant Manager Lee, do you have any urgent plans today?”
As the end of the day approached, Team Leader Mi-Ran Seong asked Jin-Seo.
“Nothing special. We have the PT meeting during overtime.”
“No. Go home early today.”
“Pardon? Aren’t we having the meeting?”
“It’s fine to miss it for once. Just go.”
Mi-Ran ordered her to leave on the dot. She had noticed that Jin-Seo’s expression had visibly darkened after Eun-Bi dragged her to Ji-Heon’s office by the wrist. She could sense that something had gone wrong today.
“Go quickly. Get some rest.”
“……Yes. Thank you. I’ll head out.”
With Mi-Ran’s insistence, Jin-Seo left the office early. On the way to the restaurant, she bought the ice cream that Ye-Na liked.
“Mom, I’m home.”
“Mommm!”
“Oh my, look who this is. How come you’re here so early today?”
As she opened the restaurant door, Ye-Na came running, shouting, and Guk-Sun looked as surprised as if the sun had risen in the west.
“I finished work early, so I headed home.”
“Mom, what is this?”
“Did you eat?”
“Not yet. I’m hungry. Feed me.”
“Mom, I asked what *this* is.”
During their conversation, Ye-Na kept pointing at the ice cream bag in Jin-Seo’s hand. The slyness of asking even though she clearly knew what it was reminded Jin-Seo of Ji-Heon Jeong.
“I bought it for our Ye-Na. Did you eat dinner?”
“Yes! Since I ate dinner, can I eat ice cream?”
Ye-Na took the bag from Jin-Seo’s hand, nearly snatching it. Guk-Sun quickly set the table; even for one, the side dishes were abundant. Jin-Seo took a large scoop of rice and shoved it into her mouth.
Guk-Sun watched her for a moment and asked, “Did something bad happen?”
“How did you know?”
“Mom knows everything.”
A mother always knows. She knew that her daughter ate voraciously whenever she was upset. When Jin-Seo ate more rice than side dishes, it meant she was in a foul mood.
“Mom, when I was a freshman in high school, there was a girl I really hated. I ran into her at work today.”
“Why hate her? You should have tried to get along.”
“She’s inherently a terrible person. And she was just as awful today.”
“…….”
“I had a bit of friction with her, and I’m just so frustrated.” Jin-Seo, still holding her spoon, made a fist and slammed it onto the table. “I’m going to teach her a real lesson.”
“…….”
“I won’t forget this! I’ll definitely have my revenge!”
As Jin-Seo burned with determination, Guk-Sun clicked her tongue. “How can you be so narrow-minded, even with a child around? You should learn to let things go.”
“Mom, you don’t get it. People don’t change. If I get along with someone like her, my own character will be dragged down. Once an enemy, always an enemy.”
“What enemy? Did she sell the country? You’re not a teenager anymore. Do you think you’re still a freshman?”
From Guk-Sun’s perspective, she was worried about Jin-Seo’s career; from Jin-Seo’s perspective, she couldn’t understand why her mother was being so passive.
“Mom, even if you just let everything slide, you aren’t exactly being hailed as a saint. Do you know what they call a personality like yours? A ‘sweet potato’—someone who’s just too soft and frustrating.”
“Sweet potatoes are delicious. Young people these days are too full of themselves. In my day, we couldn’t even afford them.”
“Ugh, Mom, you’re doing that ‘old person’ thing again.”
“You’re the only person in the world who calls me an old person.”
“Maybe that’s because you only hang out with people your own age, Mom.”
“Phew. She never loses a word. I wonder who she takes after.”
It was their usual bickering. Guk-Sun sighed and turned away. *I want to be on your side, but I’m only saying this because I’m worried your work life will get harder.* She decided to bite her tongue, trusting her daughter would handle it.
Ye-Na poked Guk-Sun. “Grandma. Grandma.”
“Yes?”
“You know who Mom takes after? She takes after you.” With ice cream smeared all over her mouth, Ye-Na smiled brightly. “Mom takes after Grandma. And I take after Mom. Right?”
“I can’t even argue because our little puppy is so cute.” Guk-Sun ended up laughing despite herself.
*
After cleaning the restaurant and tucking Ye-Na into bed, Jin-Seo made an excuse about an appointment and headed out. She bought a bottle of soju and a bag of snacks, then sat at a table outside a convenience store.
It was a day that made it hard to look her mother in the eye. She felt like crying.
*“Please watch over my daughter. Even though she was born without a father, she has never once caused me trouble.”*
The words Eun-Bi had weaponized earlier stuck in her heart like a needle. She imagined her mother bowing her head to a homeroom teacher years ago, trying to protect her, and the pain felt fresh all over again.
To hear such a painful story repeated in front of Ji-Heon Jeong made the shock double.
I wish I could just feel sorry for my mother. I wish it could stop there. Why does my heart feel this way?
No matter how Ji-Heon Jeong sees me—whether as insignificant or pathetic—it shouldn’t matter. But being in such a miserable state in front of him was unbearably humiliating.
Jin-Seo poured the soju and wiped her eyes. When she looked up with blurred vision, she saw a man standing still, having recognized her.
Jin-Seo recognized him, too. They both froze, pointing at each other. It was the kind-looking police officer who had escorted a lost Ye-Na back to the academy. Was his name Sergeant Bae-il Gwon?
“Ah, hello, Sergeant. Are you on patrol?” Jin-Seo wiped her tears and greeted him.
“No, I’m on my way home from work.”
“So you live around here.”
“Yes.”
As the conversation turned awkward, Bae-il asked, “By the way, are you here by yourself?”
Jin-Seo wiped her nose and chuckled. “Yes. It just ended up that way.” She tried to smile, but her eyes remained wet.
Bae-il looked serious. “……If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to contact the police……”
“Ah, yes. I understand. Thank you.”
At that, the tears finally spilled over. Hearing a stranger—someone who knew nothing of her life—offer genuine concern just by looking at her face moved her deeply.
“Please, use this.” Bae-il quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
“Ah, I’m so sorry. It’s nothing serious, I just… I had a bad day.”
“……”
“It’s just… it’s hard to see my mom struggle. You know those days, right? Don’t you have them, Officer?”
“I can’t say I do, but… I think I understand.”
As expected of a police officer, he was skilled at de-escalating. Between Bae-il’s kindness and the reassuring presence of a uniform, Jin-Seo’s defenses finally broke.
Bae-il ended up sitting across from her.
“Oh, I’m really sorry. You know how the police have cold cases? I have my own sort of cold case, too…”
Jin-Seo tilted her head back, blinking at the sky. It was a Seoul night with not a single star in sight.
*I’m such an idiot,* she thought. *I have my mom, I have Ye-Na. This place is heaven. Why am I sitting here whining like a loser? Is it because I ran into the ‘people’s cane,’ a presence that’s comforting just by existing?*
“Living life feels like such suffering,” the words flowed out like a broken faucet. “If suffering just piled up, everything should collapse, but sometimes… stars twinkle and flower petals rain down on someone.”
Not wanting to be a further burden, she wiped her eyes and gave a faint smile. “That’s why I can’t give up.”
*Waiting for those days, I hold onto this blurry life with all my might. It’s not just me. This painful world is full of incredible people. I respect those who wipe away their tears now, just to see the moment when the petals fall.*
*So, I will overcome this, too. Someday, I will definitely see my own star twinkle.*
*
Even after shaming Jin-Seo Lee and distancing her from Ji-Heon, Eun-Bi’s anxiety did not fade. She couldn’t forget the look in Ji-Heon’s eyes.
*This is all Jin-Seo Lee’s fault,* she thought, her anxiety spiraling into madness.
After work, Eun-Bi went straight to Ji-Heon’s family home to visit Mrs. Jang. She felt that if she didn’t act, she would only drift further from Ji-Heon.
Despite the late hour, Mrs. Jang welcomed her warmly. “Eun-Bi! Welcome!”
“Mother, how have you been?”
Mrs. Jang took Eun-Bi’s hands, shaking them warmly. “You look even younger than before!”
“Oh ho ho, look at you. It’s you who keeps getting prettier, Eun-Bi. You’re blooming like a flower.”
Eun-Bi smiled. “You’ve been doing well, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Though I have so much work.”
“Are you slacking off again, taking on all the hard tasks? You’re in the same division as Ji-Heon, so tell him to go easy on you.”
“I’m fine, Mother.” She had mentioned before that she was handling important tasks, and the validation was intoxicating. If only Jeong Ji-Heon were half as kind as his mother.
“How is it, seeing Ji-Heon every day?”
“It’s good. But Mother, honestly, we’re both so busy we hardly cross paths. I thought if I worked at the same company, we’d see each other more often, but he keeps his distance even though we’re special. He’s so cold.”
“Ji-Heon is the same with me. Never smiles. He’s as stiff as a stone.”
“I suppose I have to be the understanding one.”
“That’s true. You have such a big heart. Besides, he only moved to your advertising agency because of you. He thinks of you, you know. You should try to understand him.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course! What else could it be?”
Mrs. Jang’s comfort washed away the gloom. *That’s right. Jeong Ji-Heon came to our division thinking of me.*
The thought gave her strength.
“Eun-Bi, why don’t I take you on a date instead? I should buy our Eun-Bi something delicious. Shall we go shopping this Sunday?”
“Yes, let’s! I’ll clear my schedule for you.”
Eun-Bi’s eyes grew bright and moist. “You’re more of a mother to me than my own.”
Mrs. Jang looked moved. “I’d have nothing left to wish for if I had a daughter like you! Get married soon. I would be overjoyed if a granddaughter who looks just like you was born.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer a grandson who looks like Oppa?”
“Oh, my, look at how prettily you speak. I’d love both, both!”
*Hehehe.*
*Someday. Yes. Someday, a child of Jeong Ji-Heon and me will be born. I need to stay strong. I’m the one who will hold onto Jeong Ji-Heon.*