CHAPTER 36

The situation became increasingly complicated. Gwihyeon hadn’t even mentioned Eunhye’s story, and the accident happened. Even after the surgery, he remained unconscious.

Gwihyeon, the eldest heir of Baekya Foods and the grandson of their clan, continued to be in a VIP room at the hospital, recovering from the accident. While it was fortunate that he had survived, the weight of despair felt by his family was far from light.

Gwihyeon’s grandfather, who was deeply shocked, had been admitted to the VIP room of the same hospital since the night of the accident. Siyeon had been visiting the VIP room on and off since the following day.

“…Siyeon.”

“Grandfather.”

He had to look at Siyeon’s face to muster some strength and eat his meal and take his medicine. So she couldn’t help but come.

Thinking about Gwihyeon, she shouldn’t be here, but she wanted to do what she could for his weakened grandfather, the person who felt the most grief over Gwihyeon’s accident.

“Our Gwihyeon… He won’t leave like this, will he…?”

“No, he won’t. That will never happen.”

“That guy won’t leave you behind. You two were going to get married in the spring. He’ll wake up before spring arrives, right?”

When Siyeon held his grandfather’s hand tightly, it seemed as if she was desperately clutching a lifeline, and tears were about to fall.

“Yes, he will.”

It was when she faintly smiled while gently caressing his grandfather’s back of the hand.

“But what if grandfather also lies down? What am I going to do then?”

Siyeon froze in place when she heard a soft voice from behind. Her breathing stopped, and the world came to a halt.

“Huh? Ijun! Ijun, you rascal, why did you just come now!”

He shouted, looking beyond Siyeon’s back, and soon tears streamed down his face. Ijun entered haltingly and stood next to Siyeon. Siyeon wanted to make room for him, but her body wouldn’t obey.

“Ijun, your brother had an accident. He’ll wake up soon, right? Won’t he? This old man can’t breathe because that brat is acting like this. Ijun…”

Grandfather seemed relieved when he saw Ijun. Despite his agony, his eyes held a hopeful look.

“Don’t make your brother suffer as soon as he wakes up. Let him have a meal and rest.”

“Ijun-ah, your brother’s condition will be fine. Right?”

“Yes, Grandfather. He’ll be okay.”

“Good, as long as you say so. Yes, who else can I trust? I believe in you, I do! So, did you sort out your work and come here?”

“Yes.”

He sighed with relief upon hearing Ijun’s words.

“I’m so relieved that you’re here. Thank goodness. If you weren’t here, I would have died a long time ago.”

“The 16th generation descendant of our family never says anything they can’t do.”

“I’ve lived long enough… I shouldn’t be experiencing such extraordinary events at this age.”

“You should see your great-grandchildren, shouldn’t you? You said it was your wish to have great-grandchildren hanging from your arms.”

“Do you have a woman in your life?”

As the grandfather sent a hopeful gaze, Ijun lifted one corner of his mouth.

“You look much better now. You can be discharged.”

“You rascal! Oh, by the way, Ijun, while you’re here, get Siyeon some food. I’ve kept her here too long.”

“…No, Grandfather! I should go right now.”

Siyeon, who was lost in thought, finally came to her senses and waved her hand. She smiled awkwardly without turning her head even a little to the side.

“I’ll feel uncomfortable if you go hungry. Ijun-ah, come on.”

“If you’re not too busy, let’s eat first.”

“…”

Siyeon slowly turned her head and looked up at Ijun. He looked at her with an indifferent gaze, his hair neatly combed, as if there had been nothing between them for the past five years.

“Have you been well?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s go. I haven’t eaten yet too.”

He spoke in a rather flat tone. He acted naturally, maintaining a certain distance as if there had been nothing between them in the past.

“Yeah, go eat quickly!”

Grandfather waved his hand impatiently, signaling them to leave the room. Siyeon bid the grandfather goodbye and exited the hospital room.

“You don’t look like someone who commutes to work.”

His words made Siyeon briefly think about her appearance. She was wearing jeans, a thick gray sweater, and a long black wool coat. The word “plain” crossed her mind.

“I work from home.”

“Ah, telecommuting.”

Ijun didn’t ask any further. If he remembered her mentioning that she wanted to become a government worker, he probably guessed that she hadn’t fulfilled her dream.

That was the end of their conversation. The two of them took the elevator and headed to the underground restaurant. Without the need for Siyeon to ponder the menu, Ijun had already entered the restaurant.

A while later, Siyeon picked up her spoon in front of a bowl of white bean sprout rice soup.

“When are you going back to the United States?”

“I’ll stay for the time being. At least until my brother can go back to work.”

Ijun replied calmly as they ate. His attitude was neither warm nor cold.

“So, are you going to the office?”

“I’m acting as the head of the planning department. As soon as I got off the plane, my father had a vice president’s business card ready for me.”

Being the acting head of the planning department meant that he was taking over Gwihyeon’s work.

“It must be difficult to suddenly take on work you weren’t doing before.”

“I’ll need help from the employees until I get used to it.”

Siyeon didn’t ask any further questions, and Ijun also remained silent, focusing only on the meal. After finishing their meal, the two of them stood facing each other in front of the restaurant.

“I enjoyed the meal. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to see my brother?”

“I… have some work.”

“Alright, take care.”

After showing a simple smile, Ijun turned around without any lingering feelings. Siyeon stood still in that spot for a moment, watching him as he walked away, a perfect encounter with a complete stranger, mixed with a slight hint of familiarity.

***

While on the subway heading back home, Siyeon received a phone call from Manager Yang.

[Siyeon, have you eaten?]

“Yes, I just ate. I’m on my way home now.”

[Good. The CEO is going to be discharged next week.]

“Really? Is he completely recovered now?”

In her excitement, Siyeon raised her voice unintentionally and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

[He’s still a bit uncomfortable, but the Madam didn’t provide many details. By the way, the Madam asked me to look for a nearby pension where they can stay, but I’m not sure if I can find one on such short notice.]

“Why a pension?”

[The CEO absolutely refuses to go back home. If it’s not possible, he said he would stay in a hotel, but honestly, the hotel costs are quite expensive. The CEO has been going through a tough time lately as it is.]

Siyeon’s heart sank. Her father didn’t want to return to the house where he would have to face the grandmother.

“Well… What about my house?”

[Huh? Your current place, which you said belongs to a relative overseas? Anyway, could you both live there for an extended period?]

“I can use the upper floor, and they can use the first floor! The walls are thick, there’s no draft, and the water works well. It’s also close to the factory, so it’s convenient for them to come and go.”

Siyeon enthusiastically presented the advantages of her current residence.

[Well, it does seem nice, but are you okay with that? Even though they’re nice people, they’re strangers, and you’d be living under the same roof.]

“It’s okay, it might actually be better for me. Besides, I was thinking about renting out the extra space anyway. It’s too big for just me.”

[Are you allowed to do as you please with a relative’s house?]

“Yes? Yes, it’s fine. We’re just living together, after all.”

Manager Yang had a sharper edge than Siyeon expected. She felt a momentary embarrassment, but Siyeon brushed it off.

“Great! So until they can find a house, how about 300,000 won per month, including gas, water, and electricity, without a deposit? How does that sound?”

“Isn’t that… too much?”

“I knew you’d say that. You silly girl! No security deposit, and you get an entire floor with utilities for 300,000 won-—do you think that’s too much? I’d live there myself!”

Manager Yang exclaimed in frustration, causing Siyeon to pull the phone slightly away from her ear before bringing it back closer.

“But I’m not doing it to earn money.”

“I know you’re doing it for the CEO. Still, it’s not that much. If it were someone else, I’d stop them, but I can’t when I think about the CEO and Madam. I’m even more sorry for you. The only fortunate thing is that Eunhye said she’ll stay at her Hannam-dong house due to her commute.”

“…”

Eunhye would probably move into her grandmother’s house or she might stay at the Ichon-dong house.

“Let’s make it 500,000 won for month, including gas, water, and electricity. The Madam mentioned 1 million per month, but this should work for both parties. Actually, it was the boss who asked us to prepare lunch for you every day, you know. He must have felt concerned since you’re a young girl living alone. But pretend that you don’t know.”

“…”

As the subway emerged from a dark tunnel, bright sunlight flooded the interior. Siyeon squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness.

Every day before lunch, Manager Yang would call Siyeon and urge her to come out quickly. On weekends, Yoonsoo would come to pick her up, and the team leader would give Siyeon side dishes to eat for the week. Thanks to these people, Siyeon had never felt lonely even though she was alone in this unfamiliar neighborhood.

[Let’s not just talk on the phone like this. If you don’t have any other plans, come over here. Even though you’re staying in the same house, you need to prepare the things you’ll need in advance. Oh, and don’t worry about the money. If you tell the CEO that you need something, he’ll probably give you his card. Take this opportunity to buy what you need. Hehehe…”

The good thing about the switch with Eunhye was that she now had a closer connection with these people. They might be surprised to learn that she was their CEO’s biological daughter, but they would likely treat her just the same.

“Unnie, why don’t we all get together at my place for dinner today?”

[Huh? Why all of a sudden? What’s so special about today?]

“It’s to celebrate the CEO’s discharge. We can also discuss some things while we’re together.”

“In that case, should we buy pork belly and lettuce? I’ll ask Yoonsoo to bring some alcohol.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Siyeon replied softly, concealing her loneliness. Today was the day she would part ways with Kim Siyeon.