Chapter 5 (Part 4)
Fortunately, the fire at the studio apartment didn’t spread much and was quickly contained.
It was only after morning broke that In-ah returned home to change clothes and set out for work.
As she opened the door and stepped out, she ran into Jinwon walking down the hallway.
Jinwon’s eyes widened as he saw In-ah.
And for good reason, as In-ah, who usually didn’t even wear skirts, was wearing a bright yellow dress.
That wasn’t all. Her hair was playfully tied up in a ponytail, with her graceful neckline flowing down, catching his eye.
“What?”
Only then did Jinwon realize he had been staring at In-ah.
“Nothing, nothing.”
Jinwon barely suppressed the smile that kept trying to spread across his face. After spending the night together, seeing such a transformation…
Jinwon was filled with anticipation, wondering if In-ah was starting to change her mind. With a spoonful of courage, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Since we’re both heading to the office anyway, how about going together in my car?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Jinwon felt himself shrinking at lightning speed in response to In-ah’s quick reply.
***
Arriving at the office, Jinwon closed his eyes tightly, as if dizzy, and then opened them. The office was bustling with unfamiliar people. The crowd stretched from the office entrance to the front of the main conference room. Jinwon grabbed Kang Cheol, who was passing by, and asked.
“Who are all these people?”
“Today is the day for training the store sales staff, remember?”
“What training?”
“The furniture designed by your team member, In-ah, is being launched, right? Who’s going to sell it? Those people are.”
Kang Cheol paused, waiting for Jinwon’s reaction.
“So?”
“How do you think they’ll sell it? They need to know about the newly launched furniture. Properly and in detail. How do they do that?”
Like a teacher asking a student, Kang Cheol questioned Jinwon. Jinwon, as if entranced, provided an answer.
“Are they educating them on the selling points? Is Seo In-ah doing it directly?”
“Of course, since it’s the furniture designed by Seo In-ah.”
Jinwon felt deflated. The mystery behind In-ah’s unusually pretty outfit this morning had been solved anticlimactically. Just then, In-ah entered the office, put down her bag at her desk, and a man he had never seen before approached her.
A young man with an impressive bright smile was holding an iced coffee. The smile on the man’s face quickly spread as he handed the coffee to In-ah.
“Hello, Senior! I’m a new hire at the Mapo branch…”
Jinwon found himself frowning unconsciously. At that moment, he made eye contact with someone across from him who had the same expression while watching the two. It was Go Sang-wook.
They quickly looked away and left their spots, but the brief moment they shared felt undoubtedly… like camaraderie!
As the training for the sales staff dragged on, lunch boxes were delivered to the office. Jinwon stood with his arms crossed in the Team Leader’s office, watching the scene with a disapproving expression.
In-ah brought the lunch boxes and began distributing them herself. The new hire, who had earlier given coffee to In-ah, quickly ran over to help her.
Jinwon approached them and picked up a lunch box. But there was another hand grabbing the same lunch box at the same time. Looking up, it was Go Sang-wook.
After distributing all the lunch boxes, Sang-wook glanced at Jinwon and said.
“Let’s eat together, Team Leader. I’ll join you.”
Sang-wook gave Jinwon a look that was hard to decipher, urging him to respond.
“Shall we, then?”
Pretending to give in, Jinwon picked up a leftover lunch box and quietly sat next to In-ah.
Not missing the opportunity, Sang-wook immediately took the seat next to In-ah on the opposite side of Jinwon.
The new hire, momentarily puzzled, soon sat across from In-ah with a grin.
However, as the meal began, Jinwon sensed something was amiss. It was because of the new hire, who kept showering In-ah with eye smiles without a break.
“The lines of the dressing room furniture are so beautiful, Senior.”
“Senior?”
“Of course. You’re my senior. I’d like to call you ‘noona,’ but I’ll refrain since we’re at work. Haha.”
Jinwon barely swallowed the curse that threatened to escape. Looking at Sang-wook, he seemed to have swallowed something similar.
But whether clueless or pretending not to know, the new hire’s advance didn’t stop.
“The bedside table series from before was also a work of art. That alder was truly a stroke of genius, right?”
At that moment, In-ah’s eyes sparkled.
“You know alder wood?”
“Of course. I sell furniture, after all.”
The new hire’s smile was so bright it was dazzling even to another man.
“Oh! I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
What was this?
The new hire had lightly tapped In-ah’s foot under the table.
That was definitely a subtle approach from under the table! This guy’s a player! It’s dangerous to leave him next to In-ah!
Jinwon closed his eyes tightly.
“I’m originally very interested in wood.”
“So am I!”
“Then maybe we could visit the arboretum together when you’re free, Senior…”
A voice cut off their harmonious conversation.
“What’s your name?”
Jinwon, who had been silent the whole time, asked the new hire in a low voice, causing him to tense up and respond quickly.
“It’s Yoo Seung-woo.”
“Mr. Yoo Seung-woo, do you know how many furniture stores we have nationwide?”
“Is it… about 50? Or maybe 70?”
Jinwon spoke in an extremely businesslike tone.
“Each store has its own characteristics. The customers’ preferences are different, and so are the employees. The more cases a new hire experiences, the better. Don’t you think so, Mr. Go Sang-wook?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Sang-wook nodded urgently.
“Of course, that’s right. The Team Leader is correct.”
Jinwon flashed an easy smile and made eye contact with the new hire.
“Since you like arboretums, the southern region might be nice. I could make a special request to the HR Department Head…”
“No!”
The new hire, eyes wide, suddenly stood up and waved his hands.
“Really, it’s fine. I, I like Seoul. I can visit the arboretum in Seoul occasionally.”
“To really see it, you should take your time and look around alone, study too. That would be good.”
“Yes! I’ll do that.”
After finishing lunch, Jinwon and Sang-wook left the meeting room. Sang-wook, looking refreshed, subtly showed Jinwon his open palm, signaling for a high five with a wink.
Jinwon looked down at Sang-wook’s palm with a disapproving expression, then gave it a light slap without looking and walked away.
***
On the weekend, In-ah visited the restaurant run by her parents. She had come to help out after a long time.
Thanks to the long time they’ve been running the restaurant, they had quite a few regulars, so there were no empty seats on weekends.
Her father handled the kitchen, as her mother had no knack for cooking. Her mother managed the counter, and In-ah took charge of serving.
“Two set meals for table 5!”
“Two set meals!”
In-ah, energetically working with an apron on, brought smiles to her parents’ faces.
In-ah placed side dishes in front of a middle-aged woman who had just settled down and said.
“Would you like to order?”
As she asked kindly and turned her gaze to the customer, she was so surprised that she dropped the side dish bowl she was holding.
Coincidentally, the bowl contained squid kimchi, and the customer’s skirt was unfortunately white.
Anyone who saw it would have been shocked, but In-ah seemed even more shocked.
“Miss, what are you going to do about this!”
The companion of the middle-aged woman scolded sharply. Regaining her senses, In-ah quickly reached out to wipe the woman’s skirt with a napkin.
“I’m sorry!”
The middle-aged woman raised her arm to block In-ah’s hand. As In-ah hesitated, the woman slowly lifted her head to look at her.
The middle-aged woman was none other than Jinwon’s mother, whom In-ah had encountered at the Jinseong Hotel restaurant.
“Every time you see me, you spill something, huh?”
“What, you know her?”
The companion glanced curiously between Jinwon’s mother and In-ah.
Jinwon’s mother picked up a fresh napkin and wiped her skirt.
“Miss, can you really afford to be so careless while working in a restaurant?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll pay for the cleaning…”
“Forget it.”
Leaving In-ah, who was frozen in place, Jinwon’s mother stood up.
“We haven’t ordered, so we can just leave, right?”
Without giving In-ah another glance, Jinwon’s mother left the restaurant with her companion.
In-ah, standing in a daze for a moment, hurriedly ran after Jinwon’s mother.
“Excuse me! Wait a moment!”
Jinwon’s mother, who had been walking away, stopped when In-ah blocked her path.
In-ah panted for breath.
“You’re Jinwon’s mother, right?”
Jinwon’s mother turned her head away, as if she didn’t want to face In-ah.
“The thing you said to me at the hotel restaurant…”
In-ah spoke with difficulty, still out of breath.
“…What did you mean?”
Jinwon’s mother let out a scoff, as if she found it absurd.
“Do I have to explain everything to you? Could you step aside?”
Seeing the hostility in Jinwon’s mother’s eyes, In-ah couldn’t give up.
“Did Jinwon-oppa say that? That I abandoned him?”
Jinwon’s mother took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger. In-ah spoke each word with emphasis.
“I never abandoned Jinwon-oppa.”
“Let’s just say that’s the case. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
In-ah grabbed Jinwon’s mother’s arm as she tried to leave.
“Let go, will you?”
“Just answer this one thing, and I won’t hold you any longer.”
Jinwon’s mother, who had been looking at In-ah with disbelief, closed her eyes tightly.
“They said my son ended up like that and you abandoned him right after. Of course, my son denies it. That foolish boy!”
Leaving In-ah, who was left speechless, Jinwon’s mother walked away.
In-ah’s mind was in a whirl. The woman who had burst into tears upon seeing Jinwon at the JM Furniture store, the inexplicable words of Jinwon’s best friend Jeong-ho, and now the hateful words of Jinwon’s mother… It all felt like puzzle pieces In-ah needed to put together.
And it became clear.
Seven years ago, the day Jinwon left In-ah, she realized that what she knew might not be the whole truth.
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