After a long time, So-eun took off her thick glasses and left the house. She felt embarrasse, like she was wearing one less piece of clothing.
No, it was because of what she had done last night.
Why did he say such crazy things to Han So-eun, the heavenly director, last night?
If I did something shameful, I should have forgotten it neatly, but why do memories come and go like beans in a drought and torment people so much?
I wish these fragments of memory were all just dreams. I wish I had a better dream than the 4D experience.
Soeun untied her hair, which had been tied up tightly, and put her head down to sign in for work.
Her coworker, Park Bo-bae, greeted her.
"Good morning, Mr. Park."
"Mr. Bae. Good morning."
But not good morning.
Soeun sat down in her seat, hiding the sound of her heart.
Just then, someone called out in a booming voice.
"Mr. Lee! Good morning!"
Hmph.
Soeun slid out of her chair and quickly slid under the desk, crouching down. Her heart was pounding. It was a human instinct that knew shame well.
She glanced up to see the tall man pacing. Tears prickled in Xiao'en's eyes.
Please don't come here. So-eun begged and begged. Luckily, Mr. Kim was greeted by a few employees, and he turned and scanned the room before leaving.
Thinking that So-eun was avoiding him because he had scolded her for the accident she had caused during the workday yesterday, Bae-bae looked at her sternly as she hid under her desk.
"Director, come out; he's gone."
Bae grabbed So-eun's hand to help her get up from her seat.
"Okay. Thank you."
So-eun took Bae's hand, stood up, and sat down again.
But this time, she heard a voice calling for her from another direction.
"Is Ms. Han So-eun here?"
Startled by the director's call, Cheom was equally surprised to hear her name called. She pulled her chair back to hide under the desk again. But the person who called her name was unexpected. It was a quick delivery driver with a bouquet of flowers in one hand.
"Yes. Here!"
When So-eun didn't answer, Park waved. The quick delivery driver came to Bae's side.
"Are you Ms. Han So-eun herself?"
"This is Ms. Han. So-eun. Is this a bouquet?"
"Yes. Here's a gift and flowers. Ms. Han, please sign for the recipient."
In response to Bae's question, the quick driver held out a confirmation. Xiao'En signed and took the bouquet and gift.
"Master, what is this, an elixir?"
It was a large bouquet of flowers and three hangover pills. A long description of precious medicinal ingredients that were easy on the liver.
At the bottom of the confirmation receipt handed to the quick driver was the address of the sender.
'Law firm Yulkyu'
It was a gift from Hee-wook's company.
So-eun's face, which had been hardened with worry, suddenly blossomed. The dew on the tips of her eyes was clear.
I was disappointed that I didn't hear from you this morning, but you still thought of me like this!
Yesterday's sadness melted away.
*Page 2
Hee-wook arrived at work and received a call from So-eun just before he started work.
[I saw that you sent me a gift; thank you so much; I'm touched].
"Huh?"
Hee-wook was still drunk and tired, so he couldn't understand what So-eun was saying—a gift, a touching thing.
While he was still holding his phone and squinting like an idiot, Choi Hyun-ji came up beside him and waved a note in front of Hee-wook's eyes.
'It's So-eun, isn't it? She's calling to say she received a gift, so tell her she's lucky.
Hee-wook understood the note and nodded.
"I'm glad you received it. Keep up the good work; I have a lot of work to do."
Hee-wook hung up the phone with a curt reply and looked at Hyun-jee.
Hyun-ji smiled and told him the truth.
"I sent a bouquet of flowers and a hangover cure to Ms. So-eun's company. I didn't write a sender, just the address, but I think she thought it was you, so I guess it worked out well."
Hee-wook's pupils fluttered at the local's confession. It was a nice gesture, but honestly, it was a bit too much.
Choi Hyun-ji was a clear and bright person. He was popular among his coworkers because of his good behavior and sensible way of taking care of people. Recently, he had become quite close with the local, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Recently, he was even flattered to receive a handkerchief as a gift, but the special attention extended beyond himself to his girlfriend was frankly unwelcome.
For some reason, he didn't want to talk about Soeun with the locals.
"Why bother with that?"
He didn't want So-eun and Ji-hyun to get close. No, I didn't want her to get close to anyone at the law firm. I didn't want anyone to know that she had donated her liver to my mother.
Hee-wook kept So-eun's liver donation a secret. Soon after my mother received her liver, he created a donor confidentiality agreement, got the hospital to confirm it, and anonymized all records. Now, finding So-eun's liver donation records would be a challenge. Hee-wook was a master at manipulating documents.
Hee-wook has cleaned up his selfish past, which could have been an obstacle to a solid future as a promising lawyer. If Han So-eun stays quiet, the world will never know who donated her mother's liver transplant. No one would ever accuse her and her family of being selfish.
"You drank a lot yesterday, too. I thought you might have forgotten and didn't care, so I took them for you. I thought it was a nice gesture, and I wanted to thank you."
I didn't want to thank him, so I only replied politely, but the local man looked downcast at Hee-wook's reaction. Eventually, the local's booming voice pushed me to say something heartless.
"Thank you. But you don't have to do it in the future."
"But I invited her to come all the way here, and you didn't pay attention to her. Our conversation was so boring that you made her get up first in the middle. I feel so bad for her."
"It's really okay; you don't have to worry about it."
"It can't be okay; she's going to be Mr. Yang's wife someday."
Ji-hyun's shoulders drooped, and he muttered. Hee-wook's heart sagged as much as his shoulders.
He didn't want to marry So-eun. She had a pretty face and a good body, so if it were a normal relationship, it would have been a couple of months of fun, and then it would be over.
If it wasn't for my mother's surgery...
After the surgery, reality set in, and I felt more and more regretful.
"When are you and So-eun going to get married?"
Yang Hee-wook's voice was smaller this time.
"You don't know about people's affairs."
"What kind of answer is that?"
"......."
"Hmph. You didn't have a fight yesterday, did you?"
"No, what......."
"Really? Did you fight?"
The local's eyes widened.
"Did Ms. So-eun get mad at you? It's not because of me, is it?"
"Haha, why fight over Choi Byun? It's not like that."
"Still, I look like I'm close to him, and we are, and it might be obvious to her, and it might make her feel uncomfortable, but even if I were his girlfriend, I'd be jealous and upset if someone else was closer to him."
Hee-wook was excited by the local's expression.
He looked worried, but she quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, didn't I say something wrong? I think I called Yang Byun 'brother' yesterday. Was it a dream?"
"Pfft."
Hee-wook let out a small laugh, enjoying the conversation.
"Huh? Really? Me? Oh, my God!"
"Well, it could be, because I am your brother."
"......."
"You can call me whatever you want when we're alone."
Hee-wook said generously to the local, who blushed with embarrassment at his mistake. The local's face, which had been stiff with embarrassment, brightened.
"Really? Oh! Does that mean I have a big brother?"
"Well, even if you think so,..."
Hee-wook replied coolly.
"Really? I'm a do-it-yourself kind of guy."
Ji-hyun grabbed Hee-wook's arm and shook it as if to invite him to answer. It was cute, and Hee-wook found it increasingly irritating.
With the past in the wash, the present was a waste.
If it weren't for his promise to marry Han So-eun, he could have been closer to Choi Hyun-ji.
He was the only one of his coworkers who had taken time out of his busy schedule to visit his mother in the hospital when he heard she was there, freaking out to the point of anger.
A woman with a good family, a good education, a good job, and a pretty face.
Choi Hyun-ji was a greedy woman in many ways. She was a woman who was too much compared to Han So-eun.
*.
Tae-joon arrived at work early and was the first to find the mobile service team.
Naturally, he stood at a distance and looked at So-eun's seat first. If it were quiet, he would have been able to get close to her, but a loud greeting from one of the employees made him see her from a distance.
The way she hid under her desk, afraid to say the word 'director', it was like she remembered yesterday's incident. Tae-joon laughed a little at how silly she looked.
Even if you're hiding like that, you're supposed to come when I tell you to come.
He liked the current position.
Tae-joon walked up to the office with a calm heart.
Ms. Song Moon-kyung, the secretary guarding the front of the office, saw him and stood up to greet him.
"Mr. Director, are you here?"
"Yes, sir. Good morning."
Tae-joon bows as he passes, and she adds a pleasant comment.
"Don't get up every time."
Song Moon-kyung, married in her forties and now two months pregnant, was Tae-joon's aunt and one of the longtime assistants to Kim Seok-hwa, president of KEPCO's Home Appliance Division. Tae-joon and Seok-hwa knew each other, and Seok-hwa wanted to make Tae-joon's transition to the company as easy as possible, so he sent Moon-kyung to KEPCO Services.
Tae-joon might have been uncomfortable with a secretary ten years older than him, but he treated her with affection without complaint. The veteran assistant, Moon-Kyung, also handled her job with aplomb, not feeling overwhelmed by her much younger boss. Thanks to her, Tae-joon was able to grasp the system within a few days of his arrival.
"Call Ms. Han So-eun from the mobile service team and ask her to come to the office."
"Yes. Understood."
Tae-joon took his glasses out of his pocket and placed them on the desk as he entered the office.
It felt good to clear his mind of last night's uncharacteristic behavior.
He would do as he pleased.
If I came to Han So-eun with impure intentions, I would play according to my intentions.
If I don't do anything, it would be a waste to return to Korea so early.
He was a man who knew how to judge others.
And he was the kind of man who could start his day by bringing Han So-eun to my doorstep.
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