The first day of work was already overwhelming enough, simply trying to adjust to the office environment. Yet, Jeong-o found herself distressed for an entirely different reason.
By evening, she had grown close enough to her team members that the initial tension regarding her duties had eased slightly.
“When you need to send your work, just upload it to the company’s shared folder. It’s convenient; no troublesome procedures, just drag and drop.”
The team’s youngest member, Gihun Song, explained the system in detail.
“At my previous company, we used the cloud. I didn’t know this place used a dedicated server. I’d be a bit worried about security.”
“They say it logs every upload and download. I don’t think there have been any security incidents, but of course, if verification takes a while, it’s best to password-protect your files.”
“Thank you. I learned a lot from you today, Gihun.”
“I’ve only been here three months, so what I told you today is everything I know.”
Gihun smiled sheepishly as he shared what he knew. It was a pleasant sight—the kind of comfortable expression seen only on those who have lived bright and upright lives.
Clock-out time was approaching. Since the team leader had promised she wouldn’t have to work overtime on her first day, she would be able to leave on schedule.
*I’ll go home and think about it some more. Whether to keep working at this company or just give up.*
But then, Team Leader Miran Seong, who had briefly stepped away, returned with news that felt like a bolt from the blue.
“Deputy Jeong-o Lee, Director Ji-Heon Jeong wants to see you for a moment.”
“……Excuse me?”
At Miran’s announcement, Jeong-o froze.
“Go to the director’s office.”
“…….”
“Actually, let’s go together.”
Noticing the color draining from Jeong-o’s face, Miran, who had been about to sit down, stepped forward and gestured for her to follow. She assumed Jeong-o was just excessively nervous.
Jeong-o had no choice but to follow.
Her heart began to race like crazy again.
*What on earth is this about?*
You pretended not to know me earlier. Now that I think about it, you had to acknowledge me? Why? To tell me to quit? To tell me not to be an obstacle in your life?
Question marks followed endlessly with every step.
It felt as if he was planning to fire her quietly, where no one would notice. But what could she do? The team leader was coming along.
“Team Leader, it’s okay for me to go alone.”
Part of her wanted to cling to Miran’s hand and make Ji-Heon flustered; another part wanted to ensure he couldn’t chase her out of the company. But Jeong-o kept her tone composed.
She was curious what he would say when they were left alone. It was terrifying, but if she was going to endure at this company, it was something she would eventually have to face.
“No,” Miran replied, her expression firm. “Be careful. He seemed to be in a very bad mood.”
“Yes?”
“I mean Director Ji-Heon Jeong. His mood was absolutely abysmal.”
Miran let out a rough sigh, gritted her teeth, and muttered to herself, “I mean, I just said he was handsome. Is that an insult?”
“Yes?”
“It was just a compliment.”
“…….”
“I wasn’t hitting on him or anything. Is it really something to be criticized for, just trying to stroke a boss’s ego a little?”
*Even though he’s so much younger than me…* Miran whispered under her breath.
Jeong-o couldn’t ask about what happened between Miran and Ji-Heon. Miran’s comment about his bad mood left no room for other thoughts.
She just wanted to run away.
*Should I turn around, pack my things, and go home? Should I go back to my previous company and beg them to take me back?*
With heavy steps, weighed down by a mountain of thoughts, Jeong-o reached the front of the director’s office.
*Knock, knock.*
“Yes.”
At Miran’s knock, Ji-Heon’s voice came from inside.
Now, Jeong-o felt nauseous. The door opened indifferently.
Jeong-o faced him once again. Even after intentionally calling for her, his eyes were filled with a chill that bordered on indifference.
It was Ji-Heon Jeong, his expression not much different from a few hours ago.
“Director. I’ve brought Deputy Jeong-o Lee.”
At Miran’s introduction, Ji-Heon repeated the name as if to himself.
“Deputy Jeong-o Lee.”
The way he pronounced her name sounded both unfamiliar and cold.
It felt like standing naked in the dead of winter, in a silence where the sun never rises.
*When you used to call my name, I loved it because of the warmth in your voice.*
But that was seven years ago—a story from a lifetime away.
“Yes,” Jeong-o managed to answer with a constricted voice.
Then, the next question followed, entirely unexpected.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes?”
“You looked unwell when you passed by earlier.”
Jeong-o stared at him, wide-eyed, unable to grasp his intention.
*As expected, it was a mistake to come with Miran. If I had come alone, I would have been able to hear his true intentions, but since Miran is here, he’s asking absurd, bizarre questions.*
Jeong-o, having quickly interpreted the hidden meaning behind the question in her own way, was about to answer, but Ji-Heon spoke first.
“You transferred to Sanga Planning, but ended up here at Max Planning.”
“…….”
“I hope you aren’t disappointed that it isn’t the company you applied for. Max Planning is better than that place in every aspect, after all.”
His voice was perfectly refined, yet his tone was arrogant—almost sarcastic.
*You were just lucky to get into this company.*
It was as if the words he hadn’t even spoken were ringing in her ears.
“Will you be able to do the work well?”
“……Yes.”
“I thought a copywriter would have a better answer than that.”
It was a sneer, implying that was all she knew how to say. It seemed her short, stifled response had ruffled his feathers.
Jeong-o looked at him blankly, stunned. It felt as if he were trying to crush her with his words, wanting her to realize how trivial she was.
*What do you want me to say here, huh?*
*Do you want me to say with my own mouth that everything is fine? Do you want to hear a vow that I’ll ignore the past and work hard? Is that what you want?*
Miran, standing between them and sensing the strange tension, gently grabbed Jeong-o’s arm—a signal to finish the greeting and leave.
Gritting her teeth to calm herself, Jeong-o spoke again.
“……It will be different when I’m working. I will work hard.”
“See that you do. I’ll be watching.”
The words “I’ll be watching” sent chills down her spine.
*Is he going to watch to see if I work well, or to see if I keep my conduct in check?*
“As you’ve confirmed, Director, Deputy Lee will also be participating in this competitive PT. I will encourage her to achieve good results.”
Miran intervened to smooth over the awkward situation.
“Yes. I look forward to it.”
Ji-Heon didn’t prolong the empty conversation.
As Jeong-o left with a rushing Miran, she let out a long, internal sigh.
He was no longer the Ji-Heon Jeong she knew. *No, maybe the Ji-Heon Jeong back then was the fake.*
She felt miserable. She had thought the wound had healed long ago, but it felt as if the despair of that time was vividly coming back to life.
*
After Jeong-o and Miran left, Ji-Heon fell into thought. His scalp felt taut. His mood still hadn’t improved.
Copywriter Jeong-o Lee.
The eyes that looked up at him blankly while giving docile “Yes” answers—they were challenging, yet the tremor, like a dragonfly’s wing, was exactly the same.
She seemed to hate answering, to hate even facing him. He wondered if she thought of him as a monster or an infectious disease.
Then again, how many people didn’t find him difficult to deal with? There was no reason he shouldn’t understand, yet for some reason, it kept bothering him.
*Knock, knock.*
When he was sitting silently at his desk, he heard a knock. When he answered, the door clicked open.
“Director?”
The person poking their head in was General Manager Seung-gyu Park from HR. He was a classmate from high school and university, and a senior from the military.
The frozen expression on Ji-Heon’s face softened slightly.
He hadn’t been in the same class as Seung-gyu since their first year of high school; he’d only heard rumors they attended the same university. They weren’t particularly close then.
The two had grown close when Ji-Heon was assigned to the same platoon as Seung-gyu. Seung-gyu had taken good care of the taciturn Ji-Heon, and Ji-Heon felt more at ease with him than anyone else.
Of course, the current Ji-Heon did not remember his military service.
Although there was a three-year blank in his memory, they remained close. Seung-gyu, with his easygoing personality, was exactly the person Ji-Heon needed.
Ji-Heon spoke as Seung-gyu entered. “It’s just the two of us. You can speak casually.”
It had been exactly one week since Ji-Heon took his position at Max Planning. Although they were in the same group, they hadn’t crossed paths until now.
Seung-gyu complained, a mix of happiness and burden in his voice. “I’m still not used to it. You feel distant, Director.”
“Should I move your seat to the auxiliary office so you can get used to it faster?”
“Are you serious?”
When Seung-gyu gasped, Ji-Heon chuckled.
Seung-gyu raised his voice. “Oh, hey! I got goosebumps. Don’t say such nonsense. Everything you say sounds like a genuine statement.”
“Am I scary when I talk?”
“Yeah! Asking it like that is scary, too.”
“So I’m scary…”
The way he muttered, lost in thought, was unsettling. Seung-gyu observed him closely. “Why? Did something happen?”
Ji-Heon hesitated. “A new employee arrived. Someone who joined from Sanga Planning.”
“Oh. I know. The female deputy. The copywriter, right? What about her?”
“She turned pale in front of me.”
“Is she the first person to turn pale in front of you?”
Seung-gyu shot back, but he paused. *So he noticed the color of her face…*
It was a rare occurrence for Ji-Heon.
“…Is she pretty?” Seung-gyu asked with a sly, narrowed-eyed expression.
Not wanting to engage, Ji-Heon turned away to tidy his desk.
Seung-gyu changed the subject. “Are you leaving?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you doing this evening? If you don’t have plans, want to come to my place?”
“Why would I go there?”
“Your mother, who is like the heavens to you, asked me to invite you. You need to show a picture of a harmonious family so you can get married sooner…”
“Why do you take words like that to heart? You should just pretend to listen.”
Ji-Heon cut him off, his voice grating. Seung-gyu fell silent.
A life where you just pretend. A life where you find a compromise, where you don’t have to give your best. A life where it’s enough to just quietly keep your seat.
That was the past, present, and future of Ji-Heon.
A life he didn’t particularly regret, even after losing three years of memory.
Such a boring life.
*
After leaving work, Ji-Heon skipped dinner and took his medicine.
He lay stretched out on the sofa, staring blankly at the white pill bottle. The pale face of that woman crossed his mind again.
*Jeong-o Lee, she said. That woman.* It was a strange thing.
*She isn’t even my type, so why…*
At some point, Ji-Heon had begun following women with long, straight hair with his eyes. Whenever he saw one, his head would turn naturally. That was how he had learned his own preferences.
But why was a woman without long, straight hair on his mind so much?
*Is it because of her name?*
He had a strange obsession with 12:00 PM. Whenever he saw the clean, round number ’12:00′, his chest would ache for some unknown reason.
12:00 PM. Noon (*Jeong-o*).
Jeong-o Lee.
That was her name.
“Jeong-o Lee. Jeong-o Lee…”
His voice softened as he chewed over the name. It felt like the warmth of noon sunlight—a name that seemed to suit her and yet not suit her at all.
Had he ever thought about a woman he had only briefly encountered for this long before…?
Just as he let go of the name, he heard a sound.
*Beep, beep, beep, beep.*
The keypad at his front door. Who would know the password?
Before he could wonder, the door opened. And the person who appeared was none other than her.
Jeong-o Lee.
Ji-Heon jumped in surprise and sat up. “How did you…”
He was so flustered that his voice didn’t come out clearly.
Her round eyes in a pale face looked terrified. Just as she had been when she left the office, in that same neat attire, she approached him, trembling.
“What is this? Who are you?”
How could she know the password? Why on earth did she come here?
It was trespassing. He should report it to the police. But before Ji-Heon could rise, she grabbed his arm. Even though she was frail enough to be subdued with one hand, Ji-Heon somehow couldn’t move.
No, she was holding him, and he was the one feeling restless. He couldn’t understand why his body reacted this way.
Her hand slid up. It was a touch soft and out of place, caressing his neck as warm as the noon sun. The breath she brought close was even hotter, making him imagine the skin beneath.
He didn’t know why she was doing this, but he wanted to let it happen. Perhaps he had already anticipated it.
She tilted her head. As if they had made a promise, Ji-Heon’s lips parted. Her short breath spilled into him. He swallowed her breath, yet it felt as if he had given away his soul.
All his senses reacted sharply, drawn toward her.
However, that time did not last long. She quickly pulled away.
Ji-Heon furrowed his brows. The lips that had touched for a moment, leaving only body heat behind, felt heartless. He felt a sudden flare of anger at her innocent face.
Her eyes, fluttering like the wings of a moth, looked as if she might cry at any moment. As if she might just fly away.
Desire is scarier and heavier than reason.
*He must catch this woman. He must have her. He must not let her go.*
This time, he grabbed her arm as she was about to leave and pinned her down onto the sofa.
*Thud!*
Ji-Heon opened his eyes as he fell from the sofa to the floor.
His back arched upward before collapsing down with a heavy thud.
*Haa, huff, huff.*
The headache was splitting, leaving him gasping for air. His breathing and heart rate wouldn’t settle.
*Huff, huff…*
Where did she go? It was as if the empty air had swallowed her whole. Her low, shallow breathing seemed to still linger within him.
…You’ve lost your mind, Ji-Heon Jeong.
It was a dream so vivid it gave him goosebumps.
“Why on earth…”