Chapter 15 (Part 3)

At Kyung-soo’s earnest request, In-ah crouched down and slid a long ruler under the wardrobe, trying to retrieve something.  

“Did you get it?”  

“Not yet.”  

She even stuck her head into the gap under the wardrobe, struggling to pull out the toy.  

After several failed attempts, the toy finally rolled out from underneath the wardrobe.  

Kyung-soo cheered as he picked up the toy.  

Meanwhile, In-ah noticed a book that had also fallen out with the toy and picked it up.  

Flipping through the pages absentmindedly, a piece of paper slipped out.  

It was a sketch of a young woman’s face.  

In-ah tilted her head, puzzled. The face seemed familiar. 

Where had I seen it before?  

“What are you doing here?”  

The thunderous voice of the Chairwoman startled them as she entered the room.  

“Kyung-soo, didn’t I tell you not to come in here?”  

Kyung-soo’s eyes turned red, as if he were about to cry. In-ah quickly stepped forward.  

“I apologize, Chairwoman. It’s my fault for entering without permission.”  

“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t scold the child? Are you trying to teach me how to raise him?”  

For a moment, In-ah hesitated, unsure of how to respond.  

During her silence, the Chairwoman’s anger grew more intense.  

“If he’s done something wrong, he should be scolded. That’s how we teach in this household.”  

“Chairwoman.”  

In-ah tried to interject, but the Chairwoman continued speaking, her voice growing harsher.  

“Kyung-soo, you—!”  

“Within limits!”  

The Chairwoman froze. She turned to In-ah, her face contorted in disbelief.  

“What did you just say?”  

Facing her furious expression, In-ah carefully but firmly repeated herself.  

“I thought I should return the words you said to me earlier, Chairwoman. He’s just a child, an innocent one. Please don’t think of me as rude or disrespectful for saying this. If you could just consider it for a moment, I’d be grateful.”  

Finishing her words as if completing an overdue assignment, In-ah bowed deeply to the Chairwoman.  

The Chairwoman stared at her intently while Kyung-soo’s sobbing filled the room.  

***

In-ah stood slightly hunched in front of Haejeong, who wore a look of utter disbelief.  

“So? Then what happened when you went home? Did they tell you to quit the kitchen furniture project and everything else?”  

“No, nothing like that.”  

At In-ah’s response, Haejeong jumped up from her seat, pacing back and forth in disbelief.  

“Wow. People like that really think differently from us, don’t they?”  

“What do you mean?”

In-ah tilted her head in confusion, but Haejeong, now visibly agitated, began to rant.  

“Someone else telling me how to raise my kid? And it’s not just anyone, but some young thing I hired? Someone who’s never been married? Never had kids? I’d foam at the mouth!”  

In-ah, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.  

“Well, you do have a temper that’s…”  

Noticing Haejeong’s sharp glare, In-ah stopped mid-sentence and quickly corrected herself.  

“…Yeah, I guess it’s different because she’s the Chairwoman. You’re right, Haejeong.”  

Sitting down next to her, Haejeong slapped In-ah’s arm.  

“Ouch! That hurts!”  

“You need to tone it down too.”  

When Haejeong scolded her, In-ah grumbled in protest.  

“What did I even do?”  

Haejeong sighed and said, 

“Seems like the Chairwoman has her own painful story.”  

“A painful story?”  

Curious, In-ah leaned closer to Haejeong. Glancing at her, Haejeong spoke in a soft, explanatory tone, as if addressing a child.  

“They say the Chairman cries in that room all the time.

Recalling what Kyung-soo had mentioned earlier, In-ah found herself agreeing with Haejeong’s point.  

Haejeong, wearing a wistful expression like someone who had reached enlightenment, added,  

“Everyone has a story, but even someone who seems to have everything in the world must carry at least one painful story.”  

In-ah thought of the Chairwoman’s face, always so expressionless every time they met.  

Still, imagining her shedding tears was hard to picture. If she’s crying, it must be a deeply painful story.  

***

After lunch with her colleagues, In-ah was heading back to the office when her face lit up at the sight of someone familiar.  

It was Jinwon, returning to the office after a meeting.  

Just as she raised her hand to greet him, Shin-hye appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Jinwon’s arm.  

She then dragged him off somewhere, right in front of In-ah and her colleagues.  

“Who’s that woman?”  

“She’s the CEO of Corners. She’s been openly pursuing Team Leader Lee for a while now.”  

Unaware of what In-ah was feeling, her colleagues eagerly gossiped about the spectacle between Jinwon and Shin-hye.  

“With her persistence, no man could resist.”  

“Of course not. She’s rich, good-looking, and full of affection. Isn’t that basically winning the lottery?”  

Unable to add anything to the conversation, In-ah hurried back to the office.  

Once there, she kept glancing into the mirror on her desk, which caught Hye-yoon’s attention.  

“What’s up with you today?”  

“What do you mean?”  

When In-ah tried to dodge the question, Hye-yoon pressed her further.  

“How many times are you going to look in the mirror? Are you dating someone?”  

“Dating? No way!”  

As In-ah jumped in denial, Sang-wook appeared between them.  

“Ladies, take these.”  

“What’s this?”  

Hye-yoon and In-ah looked at the paper cards Sang-wook handed them. It was a birthday invitation with a date and location written on it.  

“I’m throwing a party. You both have to come. Promise me!”  

“Ah, okay. Congratulations.”  

“Save the congratulations for the party.”  

Looking thrilled, Sang-wook walked away with the remaining invitations.  

Watching him leave, In-ah whispered to Hye-yoon, 

“Isn’t it a bit much to throw a birthday party at his age?”  

Hye-yoon glanced at the card and mumbled, 

“This place is supposed to be really expensive. Was Sang-wook born with a silver spoon? I had no idea.”  

***

After work, In-ah was glued to her veranda window.  

Jinwon, who had disappeared with Shin-hye earlier, still hadn’t returned.  

Maybe they had something to discuss. But if that’s the case, why not discuss it at the office? Where could they have gone?  

No, maybe Shin-hye had some kind of emergency. But what kind of emergency would require Jinwon to go with her?  

In-ah felt like she was discovering just how many inner voices she had.  

Finally, she picked up her phone and, after some hesitation, called Jinwon.  

The dial tone rang for a long time, and just as she was about to hang up, Jinwon’s voice came through.  

“Hey, In-ah.”  

“Where are you?”  

Before she could get an answer, Jinwon cut the call short with a brief response.  

“I’ll call you later. Sorry.”  

***

The next day, In-ah sat in front of a convenience store, sipping coffee and staring at her phone.  

When her phone suddenly rang, she jumped in surprise, only to see it was a call from Hye-yoon.  

Her disappointment was written all over her face.  

“What is it? It’s the weekend.”  

“Have you seen the news?”  

Hye-yoon’s voice was unusually excited.  

“What news?”  

“Where are you? Get over here now. You have black clothes, right?”  

The funeral hall for the Chairman of Corners Group, Shin-hye’s father.  

Accompanied by Hye-yoon, In-ah paid her respects and bowed.  

As they turned to leave, they spotted Shin-hye greeting mourners. Standing beside her was Jinwon.  

Seated at a table as instructed, Hye-yoon whispered to In-ah,  

“Looks like her persistence paid off.”  

Without responding, In-ah picked up her spoon.  

Oblivious, Hye-yoon continued chattering next to her.  

“They look perfect together. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, bonding over the loss of her father. It’s like a movie.”  

In-ah handed Hye-yoon a drink.  

“Here, drink this. You sound like your throat’s dry.”  

Confused, Hye-yoon accepted the drink.  

“My throat’s fine.”  

“It’s dry. That’s why you’re spouting nonsense.”  

Turning her gaze back to Jinwon, In-ah saw him supporting a collapsing Shin-hye. The sight made her blood boil.  

She tried to calm herself. 

Friends should support each other during tough times. It would be heartless to ignore them. Right?  

Yes, it would. But still…  

At that moment, murmurs spread through the crowd. Curious, In-ah turned to see what was happening.  

To her surprise, the Jinseong Group Chairwoman had arrived, followed by Lee Seong-jun and Seong-tae.  

Given that Corners and Jinseong were the two giants of the hotel industry, it wasn’t unusual for the two families to exchange condolences.  

But for the Chairwoman to personally attend the funeral? That was unexpected.  

The atmosphere in the funeral hall grew noticeably tense.  

“They say the late Chairman and the Jinseong Chairwoman were close. I guess it’s true.”  

Hye-yoon’s words barely registered with In-ah.  

She had spotted Seong-tae dragging Jinwon away from the crowd.  

Reacting instinctively, In-ah stood up. Hye-yoon grabbed her arm.  

“Where are you going?”  

“Just a moment.”  

“To the restroom? I’ll come with you.”  

Unable to refuse, In-ah awkwardly left the hall with Hye-yoon.  

Her priority was to ensure Jinwon’s safety.