CHAPTER 26

“You’re just letting Eunhye do as she pleases, making her hated by the people at the factory.”

He did the same thing during lunchtime yesterday. Even when Deputy Yang and the team leader witnessed Eunhye’s misbehavior, he didn’t offer any comments or show any signs of displeasure. Instead, he seemed to enjoy hearing bad things about the girl he liked.

“Why would I pretend to like her if I don’t?”

“I asked because I don’t understand why.”

“You got it wrong. I like Eunhye.”

After finishing his coffee, he disposed of the empty cup in the bin. Checking something on his phone, he was about to leave the office but turned back to stare intently at Siyeon.

“You’ve been overthinking, and it’s probably giving you a headache, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Eunhye is coming to the factory. What could be the reason for her to visit here on a Sunday?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Siyeon’s expression tightened. He sent her a look that said, ‘Figure it out yourself’. He knew Eunhye wouldn’t just leave Siyeon alone. She had thought he was just a meddling busybody, but he unexpectedly had a dark side.

He smiled sarcastically at Siyeon’s troubled expression and then turned and left the room.

***

The repetition of her task had its benefits. Although Siyeon had only worked for one day, she had become quite accustomed to her job. She no longer tensed up like yesterday and her hands moved with more skill.

While working, she now had the luxury of listening in on conversations between other workers. Whenever she heard words like ‘boss’ or ‘madam,’ she listened more attentively, hoping not to hear anything negative things about her real parents. Fortunately, there wasn’t any.

Two hours had passed, and it was now lunchtime. After tidying up her surroundings, including her hairnet and disposable gloves, Siyeon walked towards the cafeteria with the team leader. On the way, she spotted Eunhye standing there. Next to her was Yoon-soo, who claimed that he liked Eunhye.

Recognizing that Eunhye was waiting for her, Siyeon slowly approached her, signaling the team leader to go ahead without her.

“Did you fold many boxes?”

Eunhye suddenly asked, seemingly wanting to provoke and belittle Siyeon. However, her attempt at teasing didn’t manage to offend Siyeon in the slightest.

“Yeah, I’ve folded quite a few. I need to be diligent to please you. You must have a lot you want to buy.”

Saying this, Siyeon glanced at Yoon-soo. However, instead of intervening or stopping the argument, he merely observed, confirming Siyeon’s suspicions about him.

“Hey, part-timer, I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Eunhye stated with certainty. She seemed sure that she had seen Siyeon somewhere, but just couldn’t recall where.

Their brief encounter in Hannam-dong three years ago was all there was to it. Siyeon wondered if Eunhye would realize that the person she had seen in the past was the same person she was talking to now.

“Did you two know each other before?”

For the first time, Yoon-soo, who had been merely observing, showed interest in their conversation.

“We met for the first time yesterday.”

“No, I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Eunhye insisted, staring at Siyeon intently.

“I’ve lived in Ichon-dong all my life, and now I live in Gangdong-gu. Plus, I only came here yesterday because of this part-time job. Where do you think you’ve seen me before?”

“…”

Eunhye nervously chewed her lower lip, trying to find some common ground, but it seemed uncomfortable for her that things weren’t going her way.

“Did you wait for me just to ask me that?”

“Why would I wait for you?”

“If you have nothing else to say, I’m going to have lunch. We only have an hour for lunch break.”

Siyeon left Eunhye, who was struggling to come up with something to say and turned away.

“Stop thinking about it. I also thought she was someone I knew at first, but in the end, she wasn’t.”

“Oppa, did you also think that when you first saw her?”

“Yeah. But when I thought about who she resembled for a long time… Well, she looked like your mom.”

Siyeon almost stopped in her tracks upon hearing the conversation from behind.

“My mother?”

Eunhye exclaimed in shock.

“Yeah, doesn’t she look a bit like your mother?”

“Are you crazy, oppa? How can you associate her with my mother?”

“I told you to stop thinking about it because it’s giving you a headache.”

“Even if you’re someone I’m close with, that’s a terrible thing to say! Apologize right now.”

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

It sounded like they were acting out a play. Siyeon shook her head in disbelief. It was fortunate that she didn’t witness this scene firsthand.

As Yoons-oo had mentioned, once Eunhye became interested in something, she tended to become quite obsessive about it. She entered the cafeteria with Yoon-soo and purposely sat down across from Siyeon. Then, with a haughty expression, she crossed her arms and leaned on the table. She didn’t seem to have any intention of eating.

“Eunhye, why did you come to the factory on a Sunday when the boss isn’t here?”

The team leader asked.

But ignoring the team leader’s question, Eunhye stared directly at Siyeon and replied.

“He’ll come to pick me up later.”

“Instead of idling around here, why don’t you go somewhere fun?”

“Okay.”

Eunhye’s response was short and icy, a clear signal that she didn’t really like talking to the team leader. The team leader looked displeased, pursed her lips, and whispered to the people around her. Siyeon paid no attention to Eunhye and continued eating.

“Is it tasty?”

“You won’t know unless you try it.”

“I haven’t tried it.”

“It’s delicious though. Why not?”

Siyeon took a spoonful of soup and looked at Eunhye curiously. It was a genuine question. Among the many restaurants in the area, it wasn’t common to find a Korean restaurant that served such high-quality food.

“It’s probably delicious to you.”

Eunhye’s voice contained a clear hint of sarcasm. Siyeon couldn’t be bothered to engage with her, and as she continued eating, she wondered how Eunhye’s attitude would change if she became the daughter-in-law of the Baekya Food company in the future. She also couldn’t help but think about how difficult it must have been for Eunhye to hide her true personality, behaving as if she had nothing to lose, after marrying Gwihyeon.

“Alright, if you say so.”

Eunhye was intentionally trying to provoke Siyeon, waiting for her to lose her temper. Seeing that Siyeon didn’t react and continued to eat, Eunhye’s stubborn nature became apparent.

“Poor people value money more than their pride, they say. Do you also think the same way?”

When did I hear this phrase?

Siyeon furrowed her brow, needing a moment to recollect. She felt a sense of déjà vu in Eunhye’s words.

“…Ah.”

It came back to her. It was something Eunhye had said to her on their 27th birthday.

“Well… It depends on the situation, but most people probably prioritize their pride first, don’t you think?”

“If you had apologized sincerely to me yesterday, I could give you ten times your part-time job earnings right now. I know that you don’t have that much cash.”

“I’m sorry.”

Siyeon replied promptly, taking Eunhye by surprise with her quick apology. It wasn’t the reaction Eunhye had hoped for, and her expression turned sour. Seeing Eunhye’s reaction, Siyeon continued calmly.

“So, you’ll give me the 600,000 won, right? If you don’t have cash, you can transfer it to my account.”

Laughter could be heard from the people around them, stifled and suppressed. In response, Eunhye’s expression turned stern.

“You think I won’t give you that measly 600,000 won?”

“Yeah, it might be a chump change for you, but it’s a significant amount for me.”

Siyeon finally understood why Eunhye had come to live in the Ichon-dong house without looking back after her father’s business in Hannam-dong failed. Poverty must have been something she couldn’t bear, given her upbringing in such affluence. For her, it was an environment more dreadful than death itself.

“…”

Eunhye, with a scowling face, reached into her designer handbag and pulled out her red luxury wallet. Without even bothering to count, she handed Siyeon a stack of 50,000 won bills.

Siyeon took the money, and counted the bills one by one to confirm the amount. With 100,000 won left, Siyeon handed two bills back to Eunhye, who accepted them begrudgingly.

“It’s done! Think of it as a donation.”

“Sure, then.”

“Eunhye, we can apologize too.”

“I can even kneel down!”

There were comments, a mix of envy, jokes, and laughter from the people around them. Siyeon felt Eunhye’s gaze piercing her, but she paid no further attention to her.

Unexpectedly acquiring income, Siyeon decided to use it as a snack fund for the factory workers. Employees sometimes pooled money to buy snacks during their breaks or free time. Siyeon handed the money to their team leader, stating to use the money for that purpose. The employees hesitated but couldn’t argue against Siyeon’s reasoning.

***

It was time to leave work. Siyeon quickly left the building, carrying her bag. She didn’t have time to dawdle, as she had plans to meet Gwihyeon in the neighborhood.

In the wide courtyard in front of the building, Yoon-soo’s car and another luxury sedan were parked. Siyeon hadn’t seen the other car during lunch.

Someone opened the door and stepped out of the driver’s seat of the other car. Siyeon hesitated in her steps, staring at the person. The man who had just exited the car was a middle-aged, handsome man with a healthy complexion.

“Dad! Dad, why are you here now?”

When she spotted him, Eunhye ran up, hugged him tightly around the waist, and acted playfully.

“This kid, I told you not to bother Mr. Park on his day-off, but you still made him work again.”

The man scolded her in a stern tone, and Eunhye raised her eyebrows and looked up at him.

“Dad, you said you had a prior commitment today! But I waited here quietly because I wanted to go home with you instead of Mr. Park.”

“It seems like you weren’t waiting quietly but rather bothering Yoon-soo again…”

“I didn’t bother him at all! I’ve been in your office by myself all this time!”

“Is that so? Oh dear, then you must have been quite bored.”

When Eunhye pouted, CEO Choi scolded her gently.

Siyeon stood still, silently observing the interaction between the two of them.