Chapter 13 (Part 7)

Meanwhile, out on the balcony, Jeong Shin-hye gazed at the cityscape of endless buildings and muttered to herself,  

“So hopelessly clumsy. No wonder she works so poorly at the company.”  

Hiding behind a large flowerpot, In-ah thought to herself, 

What nonsense is she spouting now?  

But then, Shin-hye suddenly threw something to the ground with a loud thud!—and In-ah could no longer ignore her.  

What lay pathetically on the floor were mismatched slippers that In-ah had hurriedly slipped on before running out earlier.  

The unexpected arrival of Jinwon’s mother had left her no time to clear away the slippers at the entrance.  

As she debated whether to step forward or stay hidden, Shin-hye spoke again.  

“Just stay there. What would you even do if you came out?”  

Her gaze remained fixed outside the balcony as she continued talking.  

“You know how much his mother despises you, don’t you? You should at least have that much sense, after working in society for a few years. Right?”  

In-ah glanced inside at Jinwon and his mother, both wearing serious expressions, and couldn’t bring herself to confront Shin-hye.  

“Starting to get the picture now? You don’t belong here. Sure, it was fun flirting with Jinwon, wasn’t it?”  

In-ah bit her lip, trying hard not to react.  

Unconcerned with In-ah’s lack of response, Shin-hye kept talking to herself.  

“Jinwon isn’t someone someone like you can have. Wake up from your dream.”  

In-ah felt her head heating up in frustration, unable to say a single word back.  

Inside, Jinwon had also given up arguing and was silently listening to his mother.  

“With a family like Shin-hye’s, Jinwon, you could later…”  

“Please stop!”  

Jinwon’s sudden shout was so loud that even Shin-hye and In-ah on the balcony turned to look in surprise.  

His mother, clutching her chest, stared at him in shock.  

“Did you just raise your voice at me? Jinwon, you?”  

“I’m sorry. Please get up. I’ll take you home.”  

Jinwon’s voice had returned to a calm tone as he stood up first.  

“Lee Jinwon!”  

But his mother didn’t seem ready to let it go.  

“Mother. Do you know how old your son is? I’m thirty. I’m not a child who’ll quit my job because you tell me to or marry someone just because you say so.”  

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. Jinwon’s mother let them stream down her cheeks as she looked at him with a resentful expression.  

“How could you do this to me…”  

Jinwon walked over and hugged her. When she tried to push him away, he only held her tighter.  

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll handle it.”  

Out on the balcony, Shin-hye was giving In-ah what sounded like a final warning.  

“Leave after we’re gone. Don’t come out and upset his mother any further. She’s already in the worst state right now.”  

Having delivered her thinly veiled threat, Shin-hye turned back inside, deliberately kicking one of the slippers into a corner as she walked.  

The mismatched slippers were now scattered—one overturned, the other thrown far away—as if mirroring the state of In-ah’s heart.  

***

In-ah stood in front of the convenience store near her house.  

“Oh, it’s been a while since you’ve been here!”  

The handsome part-timer greeted her cheerfully.  

She placed a pile of snacks on the counter and waited for him to ring them up.  

As he scanned the items, he stole a glance at her face and spoke in an overly bright tone.  

“Your boyfriend already paid for these.”  

“What?”  

He pointed to the mountain of snacks on the counter with a smile.  

“He said a day like this would come again.”  

“How much?”  

The part-timer held up three fingers.  

“Thirty thousand won?”  

He shook his head.  

“Then?”  

“Three hundred thousand won.”  

Hearing the amount, In-ah was dumbfounded.  

“He’s insane!”  

She collapsed on the spot, burying her face in her hands, and started sobbing.  

“He’s completely lost it!”  

The flustered part-timer quickly came out from behind the counter.  

“Why are you crying, noona? Are you shocked? Or angry?”  

Without answering, In-ah continued to cry, her sobs growing louder.  

The part-timer, unsure of what to do, tried to comfort her.  

“Should I get a refund for you? I can talk to the manager. I’ll refund it, okay? So please stop crying.”  

But In-ah couldn’t stop her tears.  

She hated herself for hiding instead of facing Jinwon’s mother.  

She felt a twinge of resentment toward Jinwon for not introducing her to his mother or stopping her from hiding.  

But more than anything…  

She cried because of the money. No, it wasn’t the money.  

She cried because she could feel Jinwon’s heart in his gesture, how much he cared for her.  

She resolved to stop blaming him, resenting him, or feeling hurt.  

If she didn’t, she’d be no different from who she was seven years ago.  

***

In-ah sat at her desk, mechanically working in a foul mood.  

“What are you doing?”  

Hye-yoon, who had been watching her, asked.  

“Huh?”  

Snapping out of her thoughts, In-ah looked down at her desk. She had been drawing the same line over and over.  

Hye-yoon shook her head and clicked her tongue.  

“You must be feeling awful too, huh? Me too.”  

Unaware of In-ah’s real troubles, Hye-yoon assumed she was stressed about the design revisions.  

“How many times have you revised your drafts?”  

Pondering the question, In-ah replied,  

“Countless times, if you include the little adjustments.”  

Hye-yoon let out a deep sigh, then suddenly burst into a rant.  

“Who knew one rejection could hit so hard? Maybe it’s because the client is Jinseong’s Chairman. Let’s go buy some snacks.”  

Seeing Hye-yoon suddenly stand up, In-ah hesitated for a moment before following her.  

“Yeah, let’s go get macarons.”  

Feeling down herself, In-ah decided to go along for a change of pace.  

“I want this one, and that one… There are too many I want to eat.”  

As she stared at the colorful macarons, resting her chin on her hand, a male voice interrupted.  

“Then why not buy them all?”  

Startled, In-ah and Hye-yoon turned around to see Lee Seong-jun sitting in a car parked by the macaron shop.  

“Hello, Director.”  

Seong-jun stepped out of the car and approached them.  

“Give me everything from here to there.”  

“All of it?”  

Hye-yoon exclaimed in astonishment, her reaction overly dramatic.  

With a warm smile, Seong-jun replied gently,  

“Share them with your colleagues.”  

“You’re the best, Director!”  

As Hye-yoon gave him a thumbs-up, In-ah managed only a faint smile.  

Seong-jun couldn’t help but notice her subdued demeanor. 

Did she have a fight with Jinwon?  

He recalled the frosty atmosphere between Jinwon and In-ah that morning.

Seong-jun, having sent the car ahead, walked back to the office with the two women, holding macarons in hand.  

“Director, you’re so down-to-earth. It’s not easy for a chaebol heir to be like this, right?”  

Hye-yoon chattered away, even seeking In-ah’s agreement.  

“In-ah, do you like macarons?”  

Seong-jun, after some thought, directed the question to In-ah, but Hye-yoon intercepted it without realizing.  

“Her parents run a restaurant, you know. She says she’s fixated on desserts because they wouldn’t let her eat sweets.”  

“Your parents run a restaurant?”  

Hye-yoon answered on her behalf, but Seong-jun turned back to In-ah with another question.  

“You didn’t know? Her parents run a restaurant together in Jisan-dong.”  

Normally, In-ah would have silenced Hye-yoon from the start, but she didn’t even have the energy to do that.  

Just then, Hye-yoon realized she had left her phone at the macaron shop and hurriedly ran back to retrieve it.  

Left walking side by side with In-ah, Seong-jun carefully observed her face and asked,  

“Are you okay?”  

“Sorry?”  

“You don’t look well.”  

At that moment, In-ah recalled the rumor that Seong-jun was terminally ill. Compared to that, her current troubles seemed so trivial.  

“Of course, I’m perfectly fine!”  

She answered in a cheerful voice but twisted her ankle as she climbed the stairs.  

As she stumbled, Seong-jun swiftly reached out to steady her.  

When she regained her balance, she realized one of his hands was holding her arm and the other her waist.  

Quickly stepping out of his grasp, she nodded in thanks and resumed climbing the stairs.  

As she looked up, she locked eyes with Jinwon, who was coming down the stairs.  

Unconsciously, she found herself gauging his reaction. Meanwhile, Seong-jun, seemingly in high spirits, called out to Jinwon.  

“Team Leader Lee! I heard the news.”  

Jinwon slowly descended the stairs. Seong-jun climbed up to stand beside him and continued speaking.  

“Who on earth would go to such lengths to frame you? You must’ve made a lot of enemies.”  

In-ah anxiously watched Jinwon’s expression.  

It felt like walking on thin ice, waiting to see how Jinwon would respond to Seong-jun.  

But before Jinwon could say anything, Seong-jun spoke again.  

“You probably wouldn’t know, right? Do you have any suspects?”  

Jinwon silently endured Seong-jun’s sarcastic remarks before finally responding.  

“I do. I have someone in mind.”  

Seong-jun, who had expected Jinwon to deny knowing anything, was visibly startled.  

However, he quickly masked his surprise with a relaxed smile.  

“Well, that’s great. Now all you have to do is uncover the truth.”  

Jinwon met Seong-jun’s gaze and said,  

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. I’ll make sure to expose the person behind the mask.”  

His voice was calm, steady, and resolute.  

Seong-jun, facing Jinwon’s fiery gaze, remained unshaken.  

With a smirk, he patted Jinwon on the shoulder.  

“Good luck with that. I’ll be rooting for you.”  

Without a flicker of emotion, Seong-jun walked past Jinwon, his expression as composed as ever.  

***

In-ah and Jinwon stood side by side in the break room, each making coffee.  

Jinwon opened the freezer, took out some ice, and approached In-ah.  

“Do you need ice?”  

“Yes.”  

As Jinwon moved to put ice into her cup, In-ah took the ice from him and added it herself.  

Watching her, Jinwon glanced at the door before speaking in a low voice.  

“Why did you leave without saying anything yesterday? You didn’t even answer my calls.”  

As she returned the ice to the freezer, In-ah replied,  

“I was busy having a snack party at the convenience store.”  

“I’m sorry.”  

The spoon stirring her coffee paused mid-motion.  

Jinwon’s voice didn’t just reach her ears—it resonated in her heart.  

“Were you hurt? I should’ve been more thoughtful. I was caught off guard when my mother suddenly showed up… I’m really sorry.”  

This man knows me too well.  

He even knows I have snack parties when I’m stressed. How am I supposed to speak honestly when he sees through me so easily?  

Jinwon gently placed his hand over hers, which rested on the table.  

In-ah looked up at Jinwon with eyes full of thoughts.  

Just then, the sound of someone entering the break room startled her.  

On reflex, she pulled her hand away and smacked the back of Jinwon’s hand.  

“There’s a mosquito here in broad daylight, Team Leader. It’s a problem since we can’t spray mosquito repellent in the break room.”  

Muttering nonsense, In-ah quickly left the room.  

As Jinwon exited the break room shortly after, he lowered his head and chuckled softly.  

He knew her feelings wouldn’t waver so easily. But he wanted to comfort and care for her.  

After all, the little girl named In-ah, hidden deep inside, might still be sulking.