Part 27 

How could I forget?

Though it was years ago, the memory of that time is still vivid, as if it happened just yesterday.

The image of Seowoo collapsing lifelessly still flashes before his eyes.

Knock. Knock.

As if to wake him up from a trance, a knock sounded in the silence of the office.

“Come in.”

Jiwook answered, his eyes still closed as he buried himself in his chair. He heard the door open, followed by the sound of cautious footsteps approaching.

“Mr. Ki Sung-hyun is at the commercial shoot right now. He finished filming and came straight here, while Madam is still at the broadcasting station.”

Jiwook had also finished his work for the day.

He’d scheduled the commercial shoot for the night to accommodate Sung-hyun’s busy schedule with the drama filming.

Cheol-hoon was reporting on it.

‘This is Kwon Jiwook.’

Yesterday, Jiwook deliberately called Sung-hyun.

It was rare for a client to make direct contact, but Sung-hyun’s actions had been crossing boundaries, prompting Jiwook to impulsively intervene.

‘Hello.’

‘I’m calling because I wanted to treat you to a meal after the shoot tomorrow.’

Surprisingly, a voice tinged with laughter reached his ears.

‘Oh, are you aware that the shoot is at night?’

‘Of course, but if it’s not convenient for you-‘

‘No, it’s fine. See you tomorrow then.’

The call didn’t last even a minute. Jiwook, pondering over the conversation with Sung-hyun, rubbed his temples and rose from his seat.

“How long will the shoot take?”

“They estimate about five hours.”

“Five hours…”

“I’ll have the car ready.”

Cheol-hoon nodded briskly and took the lead.

***

“When is she coming, for heaven’s sake?”

Walking around the waiting room, Jung-ah expressed her annoyance by tapping her wristwatch.

They were way past the time Soo-kyung had initially promised. With the tight shooting schedule, every spare hour was precious.

Seeing Seowoo stuck in her dressing room, unable to even go home, Jung-ah couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“I’m fine.”

“What’s fine about this? Even if you’re comfortable, it’s not right. Who asks someone to take care of their child to this extent, even if you’re playing their mother in the drama? You couldn’t sleep last night, or the night before. Just call her already!”

“Calm down. Haewon might wake up. Lower your voice.”

Seowoo gestured with her finger near her lips. Turning her head downward, she saw Haewon still sound asleep.

“Just seeing Haewon sleeping is enough for me. What’s the big deal?.”

Jung-ah understood why Seowoo was acting like this. Whenever she saw kids of Byul’s age, Seowoo would often smile wistfully.

But right now, Seowoo’s busy schedule was the problem. She hadn’t been sleeping well, and Jung-ah was only worried that she’d be overwhelmed by such a small thing.

“Then go get some sleep. I’ll wake you up.”

“No, you go home first. It’s past quitting time, why are you still here?”

“Because I didn’t know you’d be stuck this late. Also, how could I leave you here alone, I’m your manager. I’m responsible for you”

“In-ryul has been here, so it’s fine. Come to think of it, I should apologize to In-ryul too.”

She felt sorry for In-ryul for staying late because of her. If she had known Soo-kyung would be late, she would have taken Haewon home. She realized this when she paused to think for a moment.

Knock. Knock.

There was a knock on the door and Soo-kyung came into the waiting room panting.

“I’m sorry. I’m so late.”

Soo-kyung hurried over with an apologetic expression. Seowoo gave her a small smile and shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. Did you finish your work?”

“Yes. Thanks to you. I really appreciate it.”

Despite Seowoo’s assurances that she was fine, Soo-kyung apologized again and again as she bent her back to a 90-degree angle. Jung-ah, who had been standing beside them, finally began to pack up expressionlessly.

“Haewon must have been really tired. She’s been sleeping since the last scene earlier.”

“Ah… She must have been tired lately. You’ve had a lot of filming, and the travel time has been quite long.”

Soo-kyung crouched down and stroked her daughter’s face. As she gazed at Haewon, her eyes held many emotions.

Pride, sadness, remorse, gratitude, and more.

Seowoo felt a tug at her heart as she watched. She felt like she knew what Soo-kyung was feeling.

“Let’s go.”

Jung-ah, who had finished packing, slung a large bag over her shoulder and said to Seowoo.

“Let me help.”

When Seowoo tried to grab one of the bags Jung-ah was carrying, Jung-ah twisted her body and gave her a stern look.

“This is my job. Don’t touch it.”

“It’s heavy.”

“It’s not heavy. I’ll put it in the car.”

Jung-ah quickly left the dressing room. Meanwhile, Soo-kyung lifted Haewon, who was still asleep, into her arms.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, Mom’s here. Go back to sleep.”

Even in her drowsiness, Haewon recognized her mother, hugging Soo-kyung tightly and smiling faintly.

“…….”

Seowoo couldn’t help but smile at the tender moment between mother and daughter. 

Suddenly, the image of her holding her daughter was superimposed on top of Soo-kyung and Haewon, her eyes welled up with tears. She forced a smile, trying to hold back her emotions.

“Let’s go.”

“Oh, Seowoo, this is for you!”

Soo-kyung, holding Haewon, reached out her right hand to give Seowoo a black bag. Seowoo took it with a puzzled expression.

“What’s this?”

“I bought it on the way here, as an apology. Have it on your way back! It’s nothing much.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I feel really sorry for the trouble. Thank you so much for today.”

Still feeling apologetic, Soo-kyung apologized again. Seowoo took it and left the station with Soo-kyung and Hae-won.

***

“What’s that?”

“Ah…”

In the van, Seowoo opens the bag Soo-kyung handed her earlier and smiles when she sees what’s inside.

A bag of walnut cookies, two pieces of dried cuttlefish, two sodas, and two canned coffees were inside.

“What is it?”

As Seowoo silently looked at it, Jung-ah couldn’t help but poke her arm and ask.

“It’s from Soo-kyung.”

“What? Did she stop by a rest stop or something?”

“Yeah. She must have been busy but still managed to buy these. She didn’t have to.”

What could have prompted her to buy these? 

Seowoo sensed Soo-kyung’s sincerity. She pops a walnut cookie into her mouth. She then turned to In-ryul, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, and asked if he wanted any.

“In-ryul, do you want a walnut cookie? Or a soda?”

“Sure.”

With a cheerful agreement, Seowoo reached out and placed a piece of individually wrapped walnut cookie next to him.

She also put a soda in the cup holder.

“You should have some too.”

“I’ll have the dried squid.”

“Sure, here.”

Watching Jung-ah meticulously prepare the red pepper paste, Seowoo let out a soft laugh.

After Jung-ah got off first, Seowoo turned off the light and settled into her seat. 

Her gaze out the window softened.

Is Sung-hyun doing well?

His words about meeting up with Jiwook after the shoot continue to grate on her nerves.

‘If you’re calling to ask me to keep an eye out for another guy, hang up, I don’t want to hear it.’

Jiwook sounded genuinely offended.

Why did he insist on meeting and having a meal?

It was clearly a deliberate action.

“Huh.”

Frustration led to an involuntary sigh. Seowoo closed her eyes, furrowing her brow.

There wasn’t a day that went by when she didn’t feel like Jiwook was still holding her life in his hands.

I’ve just barely re-entered the world. Just let me be.

She resents him so much. Just then, a vibrating sound rang in her ears. Seowoo slowly pushed up her eyelids and picked up her cell phone.

After checking the screen, she touched the call button and cautiously brought it to her ear.

• Where are you?

The natural question made a bitter laugh escape her lips involuntarily.

Is everyone like this even after divorce? What kind of relationship do Kwon Jiwook and I have?

When she remained silent without answering, a voice came across as if annoyed by her silence.

• I’ve just arrived at the commercial shoot.

“What does that have to do with me?”

• What does it have to do?

He repeated what Seowoo had said, pausing briefly.

Sung-hyun was just her partner in the drama. There had never been any actions that could be misinterpreted.

• I called because you personally contacted me, expressing concern. I thought you were curious.

His tone was markedly sharp, causing her brows to furrow involuntarily.

‘We’re just work partners. I hope you don’t make things awkward for Sunghyun…….’

It seemed like it was because of the call she made earlier.

Should I have just pretended not to know?

Maybe I should have kept it to myself.

The worry in her heart had unexpectedly made things more uncomfortable for Sung-hyun with that one phone call.

• It’s been a while since you called me, Seowoo.

“I’ll hang up.”

• Come to where I am now.

As she was about to hang up, his voice echoed in the air. When she turned her gaze forward, In-rul, who was driving, glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

It felt like she heard Jiwook’s voice from the phone due to the silence being too profound.

“…Mr. Jiwook.”

• You said your schedule was over. If you’re home, I’ll send my secretary.

So this is what you wanted.

Seowoo closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Of course, there was a reason for his call. Her heart felt increasingly stifled.

“What will people think if I go there?”

• What will they think? They’ll probably think, “Looks like they’re reuniting,” or something like that.

“Mr. Kwon Jiwook.”

• Anyway, since there’s still some time left until the end of the commercial shoot, you can take your time coming. I’ll send my secretary to your house.

“Hello, hello!”

Before she could say anything, the call was disconnected.

Seowoo looked at the disconnected phone with a bewildered expression. His one-sided attitude made her feel angry to the core.

“Ha.”

When she was glaring at her cell phone, In-ryul cautiously opened his mouth.

“Noona. Where should I take you…”

“Ah, sorry. Home. Take me home.”

Seeing In-ryul’s cautious demeanor, Seowoo forced a smile as if to reassure him. Then, she sighed and put her phone back into her bag.

It seemed pointless to keep calling when there was no response from the other end. And since nothing would change even if she did call.

“We’ve arrived, Noona!”

Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere, In-ryul raised his voice slightly.

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard today.”

“It was nothing. Go and rest well!”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

As Seowoo was about to get off, she hesitated for a moment and then turned to In-ryul.

“In-ryul, about the CEO…”

“Oh, of course! Don’t worry about it.”

As if he already knew what she was going to say, In-ryul immediately reached out his hand to reassure her.

“Thank you. Take care.”

Seowoo walked away with steady steps.