People had a way of casually bringing up the past. While they might have been reluctant to ask about someone’s current love life, they would readily inquire about a first love that had ended a long time ago.

No one ever asked about subsequent relationships.

Only the first.

It was as though the word ‘first’ marked the only part of someone’s romantic history that anyone was free to discuss. As if bound by an unspoken agreement, everyone inevitably returned to the beginning of love.

Without knowing how intense that love had been, they spoke as though those memories were universally romantic.

That day had been no different.

The interview was tedious from beginning to end. Every question was predictable, and not a single one left him struggling for an answer.

This was hardly surprising, given that the questions had been chosen by the team responsible for the company magazine and approved by the Executive Director’s secretary. The interview, originally scheduled to last an hour, ended after only thirty minutes and was followed by three or four photographs.

Even the question about his first love, intended by the editorial team to be daring, was painfully predictable. With his striking appearance, Hee-dae looked like the sort of man who had broken countless women’s hearts. Yet, surprisingly, his private life had remained entirely free of scandal and remarkably discreet, making even the slightest glimpse into his romantic history a rare occurrence.

Since the editorial team could hardly ask about his current love life, they settled for asking about his first love. The secretary’s office must have approved the question, deciding that revealing this information would cause no harm.

Hee-dae had thought the same. The magazine was intended solely for company employees and would never be circulated outside the company, so there was no chance that Sim Yeon-seo would ever see it.

There had been no chance.

“Welcome, Executive Director!”

At least, that had been true until a month ago.

“Ha…….”

But what the hell was this? The company magazine interview was displayed prominently on Shim Yeon-seo’s monitor.

So much for racing down the stairs five steps at a time.

“Oh, but what brings you all the way down here in person, Executive Director……?”

“Phew!”

Hee-dae let out a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his stomach. The department head’s greeting trailed off and everyone else merely watched him cautiously.

He stared blankly at Yeon-seo, who was standing among the other employees. Then he looked at her computer screen once more.

Lowering his gaze, Hee-dae sighed again before looking up. With everyone’s attention fixed on him, he pressed his lips together and raised one hand slightly.

“As you all know, I recently brought one of the legal department’s cases under my office’s supervision.”

Ah, screw it. It had already come to this.

“Let’s have a company dinner. We’ll be working together now, so we should commemorate the occasion.”

I’ll face this with a level of shamelessness you’ve never seen before!

***

“What? Our Hee-dae?”

Hee-dae’s mother, Jin-hwa, sprang up from the sofa.

“He took on work from the legal department? Hee-dae did? Is that true?”

She moved the phone to her other ear and asked again, as though seeking confirmation. Even after hearing the news, it was hard to believe, and Jin-hwa forgot to breathe as she listened closely to the person’s explanation.

When she heard that Hee-dae had raised his hand during the emergency executive meeting chaired by the chairman, volunteering to take responsibility for a case for the first time and capturing everyone’s attention, Jin-hwa’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

“Wait. Hold on. So, what did the Chairman say? What did he say?”

—”He did not show it outwardly, but judging by how readily he entrusted the case to the Executive Director, he must have found him dependable, Madam.”

“My goodness! It seems our boy has finally come to his senses! Oh my! He took on a case from the legal department? Is Hee-dae dealing with something that difficult? My goodness! Wonders will never cease. What could have inspired him to make such a huge decision?”

—”Congratulations, Madam.”

Just how hopeless had Hee-dae been for his mother to be congratulated simply for him taking on one case? Nevertheless, Jin-hwa beamed brighter than ever before, her face flushed with excitement.

She knew full well that although her son went to and from the company every day, his briefcase remained completely empty.

“What about him? You know, the Division Director. What was he doing? Was he just sitting there doing nothing?”

Amidst all this, she could not help but wonder about the son her husband had fathered outside their marriage.

—”It was a meeting that Division Directors did not attend, Madam.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. Whew, that’s right, isn’t it? He still isn’t senior enough to attend meetings chaired by the Chairman, is he? Goodness. In any case, thank you for the wonderful news.”

After exchanging a few more words, Jin-hwa ended the call. Lowering her phone, she sat back down on the sofa with a bright smile.

When the visiting massage therapist resumed kneading her shoulders, Jin-hwa gently closed her eyes and spoke.

“You know my son, Executive Director Yoon Hee-dae. Goodness, apparently, Executive Director Yoon took charge of a case during a meeting chaired by my husband. I hear he received applause and praise and everything.”

“Oh my, yes, Madam. The Executive Director is accomplishing great things.”

“Great things, my foot. It’s only what anyone working for a company is expected to do. Still, the case must be exceptionally difficult and complicated. It isn’t something just anyone would willingly take on. Even if someone volunteered, the company wouldn’t entrust it to them unless they were truly capable.”

“Exactly. The Chairman must have trusted Executive Director Yoon with it because he knew he could handle it. Goodness, your son is exceptionally capable.”

Clearly pleased by the woman’s enthusiastic response, Jin-hwa continued smiling. A moment later, she opened her eyes and turned her attention to her phone again.

One of the employees had sent her a link to Hee-dae’s interview in the latest issue of the group’s company magazine, so she opened it.

Jin-hwa gazed proudly at the enormous photograph of her son that filled the screen, then held out her phone to show the massage therapist.

“You know what my son looks like, don’t you? Look, there’s a photograph of him here. Apparently, he gave an interview.”

“Oh my. He truly is handsome. He’s tall too—he looks like a model.”

“Oh, he’s not quite that handsome. Still, he looks respectable enough to present anywhere.”

“The Executive Director looks exactly like you, Madam. Goodness, how striking.”

“He looks better in person than in photographs, though. This one isn’t particularly flattering. He’s much more handsome when you see him in person.”

Jin-hwa repeatedly studied her son’s face. His dark, straight eyebrows and long, horizontal eyes.

“When he was a baby, I massaged his nose every day to make it tall and straight. I molded this entire face myself. He absolutely wasn’t simply born looking this way.”

His remarkably straight and prominent nose. His clearly defined lips tinged with red. His towering height and small face.

Her son, Hee-dae, was both Jin-hwa’s pride and her entire world.

“These questions are so dull. Did they call my son in just to ask him things like this? They’re hopelessly behind the times.”

As Jin-hwa carefully read through the interview, she criticized its predictable questions. She began skimming halfheartedly midway through, but when the question about his first love appeared, her brow furrowed sharply.

“What kind of question is this? Who was in charge of this interview? This is simply intolerable.”

Jin-hwa lowered her phone before she could finish reading the part about how his first love had ended in heartbreaking unrequited love. Her thoughts turned to the mother and daughter who had once lived in a single room on the estate, before leaving the mansion long ago. Yeon-seo’s face came back to her vividly.

The girl at the heart of the pathetic unrequited love that her son was now laughing about could only be her.

The elation that Jin-hwa had felt only moments earlier, as though she were soaring above the clouds, disappeared. What was there to boast about in having once fallen for the daughter of a household employee? She could not understand why he would speak of it so openly.

Men’s hearts truly were impossible to fathom.

“I wonder what she’s doing now. Does she even have a proper job?”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Massage this area a little more. Perhaps it’s going to rain—my muscles are aching.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Adolescents often believed that their soulmate was close by, never considering that they might have to look further afield. When their world was so small, it was only natural for them to open their hearts to someone nearby.

Yes, these things happened. But that was all a long time ago. It belongs to the past.

Jin-hwa closed her eyes again as the massage continued. Her thoughts drifted back to when she had carefully searched for a suitable bride for her son.

***

The legal department was thrown into an uproar when Hee-dae suggested holding a company dinner to celebrate the new collaboration. The department head immediately scheduled it for that very evening, unable to hesitate. Shortly afterwards, the executive director’s secretary announced that she had secured a reservation at a renowned Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant was so renowned that reservations became fiercely competitive three months in advance. Thrilled by the prospect of enjoying such an exceptional meal, the employees arrived promptly at seven o’clock.

Hee-dae, who was already seated, welcomed them as they arrived. Yeon-seo slipped quietly into the group and chose a discreet seat, while the department head took the seat closest to Hee-dae.

“I should have arranged an occasion like this much sooner. My apologies for the delay.”

As soon as Hee-dae started talking, the employees waved their hands in unison to show him that everything was OK. This rendered all their past gossip about him being nothing more than a figurehead or a pretty face for new car launches meaningless.

The restaurant’s most expensive tasting menu began. Wine selected to complement the dishes was placed on every table, and the servers filled their glasses.

“Goodness, this is the first time since joining the company that I’ve attended a company dinner with food this expensive. Thank you, Executive Director.”

Unable to conceal his excitement, the department head spoke as Hee-dae lifted his wineglass.

“Please, eat as much as you like. Nothing about working in the legal department is easy, is it? At least for tonight, put your worries aside and relax.”

When Hee-dae raised his glass, the employees followed suit. Yeon-seo quietly gazed at the deep red wine before lifting her glass as well.

Although Yeon-seo had chosen the most secluded seat she could find, there was no avoiding Hee-dae, who sat at the head of the table.

“All right, everyone, let’s raise our glasses! To Executive Director Yoon Hee-dae’s bright future!”

“To his bright future!”

In response to the employees’ enthusiastic toast, Hee-dae drained his glass of wine. Everyone followed suit, while Yeon-seo hesitated for a moment before taking a small sip.

“Attorney Shim, don’t you like wine?”

When Yeon-seo lowered her glass after barely taking a sip, the employee seated across from her asked. Yeon-seo raised the corners of her lips slightly before replying.

“I haven’t had wine very often, so it’s difficult for me to tell how quickly it might affect me.”

“Ah, so you’re not a wine drinker. Wine is actually perfect for drinking alone at home. It doesn’t fill you up, and the alcohol content is just right.”

“I see.”

When Yeon-seo gave a brief reply and nodded, the employee beside her turned to her.

“Then what do you usually drink, Attorney Shim? Soju? Beer? Makgeolli?”

“To be honest, I don’t particularly like alcohol.”

“Really? Then when you meet your friends outside work, do you drink coffee? I hear more people are meeting at cafés for coffee these days. Is that what you do?”

“I’ve never met friends socially before, so I’m not really sure.”

Silence abruptly descended over Yeon-seo’s table. The employee who had asked the question blinked several times in embarrassment.

“Ah. Attorney Shim, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to.”

The employees’ gazes converged on Yeon-seo. They wondered what kind of life she had led that she ended up without a single friend. After silently enduring their stares, Yeon-seo finally smiled.

No matter how lightly she tried to brush the question aside, there was no simple way to recount her life’s journey.

How had the endlessly bright and cheerful high school girl she once was become so isolated? How had she come to fear people?

How had she ended up choosing a life of solitude? How had she reached this age unable to trust anyone?

How did I end up like this?

“No, Attorney Kim. There’s no need to apologize. I simply prefer staying home when I have no particular plans.”

She remembered those days when she would walk straight ahead, oblivious to the sticky note on her back that read ‘Yoon Hee-dae’s servant’.

She remembered the school corridors where laughter had followed her. Her former friends, who laughed louder than anyone else.

The students took immense pleasure in watching the top student in the entire school fall from grace.

Only after Yeon-seo had assured them that she was fine did the employees relax and resume their conversation.

“I’m the same. These days, I find meeting people exhausting. It takes so much energy. Home is the best.”

“Me too. At this rate, I’m worried I’ll end up living alone for the rest of my life.”

While the people at Yeon-seo’s table chatted amongst themselves, Hee-dae put a neatly sliced piece of Peking duck in his mouth.

He kept his ears sharply attuned to the conversation taking place at Yeon-seo’s table the whole time.

“Ah, Executive Director. I enjoyed reading the company magazine this morning. Your interview, I mean.”

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

When the department head suggested the company magazine interview as a topic of discussion with the Executive Director, Hee-dae choked and started coughing violently.