SIDE STORY (PART 1)

Friday in August. From the morning, signs of relentless heat were evident. Yeonseo got behind the wheel and drove to work.

It was only a 30-minute drive to work, but she was exhausted because the center director kept calling her on the way to work. Due to the continuous nagging calls about when she arrived at work, her sanity seemed to have halfway slipped away.

If Taeheon hadn’t taken charge of enrolling six-year-old Eunho in school this year, Yeonseo’s morning would have been even busier.

Before Yeonseo could set her bag down upon arriving at the office, her phone rang again. By now, it seemed like an obsession. Suppressing a sigh, Yeonseo answered the call with a tense smile.

“Yes, Director. I’ve just arrived.”

• Where are you? In the office?

“Yes. I’ll come up right away.”

• If you’re here, you should come this way immediately. Why bother going to the office?

The assertive voice of a middle-aged man made her nerves tingle.

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

After ending the call and placing her bag to the side, Yeonseo heard Deputy Manager Kim Daye whisper from the opposite seat.

“Team leader, are you okay?”

Yeonseo smiled faintly.

“Yes. Deputy Kim, please check the schedule with Director Park. He can’t be here after 8:00, and he needs to be here by 6:00.”

“Yes. Even if not, I’ve already dialed the number and am waiting.”

Deputy Kim Daye squinted her eyes.

Yeonseo had been at the elderly welfare center under the Sewon Group for three months now. Taking on the role of team leader in the newly established Support Team 2 marked a turning point in her life. And now, she was starting to get the hang of the work.

A few months ago, she decided to start studying, and Taeheon suggested she join the foundation. After considering various positions, she chose elderly welfare, taking charge of a crucial role in a local hospital recommended by Taeheon.

The memory of Mrs. Kang often came to mind, and she thought that if she could reciprocate the love she received from her even a little, she could lead a valuable life.

They say that life is beautiful because there is death. And there were people who were approaching the end of their lives, and she wanted to give them a little help.

So, after studying with the teacher Taeheon recommended for about two months, Yeonseo joined the foundation. She didn’t reveal that she was associated with the Sewon Group to the staff, so as not to make her colleagues uncomfortable.

She climbed the stairs to the office of the center director.

Knock, knock, knock.

Yeonseo knocked on the door, and the director invited her in. She entered the office, worn out, as the door creaked. She sighed inwardly.

What trouble would he bring up today?

“Good morning, Director.”

“Team Lead Han, you’ve been coming in a little late lately, haven’t you?”

Although it was just 10 minutes before 9 o’clock, the center director pointed it out. He was determined to make Yeonseo’s life difficult.

With a balding head, a protruding belly, and a loosened belt, judging a person by appearance alone is not fair, but looking at his greedy eyes and oily lips, a faint aversion crept in.

Add to that his twisted judgment, where he interprets every word to his own advantage, and you have a recipe for disaster. But even that was enough to make her teeth grind, and she flashed a false smile in frustration.

“The traffic was a bit congested. Why did you call me?”

“Oh, well. If you’re here, you should sit down.”

Said the center director as he stood up from his chair and pulled up his sagging pants.

An unidentified parachute. He once described Yeonseo this way at a company gathering. It hinted at the suspicion that someone had pulled strings for the inexperienced Yeonseo to be in the team leader position.

It was true that Yeonseo’s path to the top of the new team was unclear.

From his perspective, it seemed like Yeonseo had fallen from the sky. Not knowing whose help she had received, he couldn’t treat her lightly, but accepting it was also uncomfortable.

Yeonseo quickly averted her gaze from the center director’s protruding belly hanging on the desk and sat down. He approached clumsily.

“Ms. Yoon is coming to visit in half an hour. Why are you so late?”

“Ms. Yoon? I was informed that she would visit at 10 AM today. Has there been a change?”

“Team Leader Han, can’t you keep track of your schedule?”

The center director sat on the sofa, squinting his eyes.

“I apologize. It seems there was a delay in the communication.”

Before leaving work yesterday, she had been briefed on Ms. Yoon’s visit for 10 a.m. today, so she was curious about the sudden change in time. However, for now, she lowered her head.

On the first floor of the main building was a small gallery that was part of a charity project. It was a project in cooperation with the Cultural Foundation, and the proceeds went to the foundation’s operating expenses, so they couldn’t neglect the treatment of donors.

The role of Support Team 2 was to assist in the center’s operations rather than directly participating in volunteer work.

Ms. Yoon, who was visiting today, was a generous supporter, so the center director always became sensitive when she visited. Yeonseo should have paid more attention.

“Don’t upset Ms. Yoon like last time and do well. Do you understand? You have to be quick and catch what she wants.”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

“Better do it right than just trying. Nowadays, these youngsters only understand results, you know?”

Yeonseo tightened her lips and prepared to leave. If she stayed any longer, he would only nag her.

“I’ll leave now and get ready.”

“Oh, and bring up the charity party talk this time, and delicately check if there are any donations.”

The charity party was scheduled for a month later. It was an important event where the center would receive donations of expensive artwork and clothing, with the proceeds going back to the center.

Managing the donation items was the center director’s responsibility. However, bringing up this topic with the picky Ms. Yoon was a daunting task. As Yeonseo left, the sound of her footsteps echoed.

“Oh, and yes, I received a call that someone from Sewon Motors will be coming around lunchtime.”

“Sewon Motors?”

If it was Sewon Motors, then it must be where Taeheon was. The familiar name caught her attention.

“Yeah. They seem to be a big help in operating this charity party. Also, have the team leader come when they visit. Should be good for some face-lady interaction.”

Face-lady? Why does everything he says sound so awkward? He had a knack for being unlikable.

An unpleasant light filled the center director’s face as he scanned Yeonseo from top to bottom.

“How much are those clothes?”

“Pardon?”

“Team Leader Han, looking at that shitty car, you don’t look like you’re living well, and your address is a one-room apartment. But your clothes and bags seem high-end. Team Leader Han, do you really have someone looking out for you?”

The thick-headed comments kept pouring out. Taeheon had a hell of a way with words, but the center manager was even better and much cheaper.

Knock, knock, knock. An urgent knocking echoed through the office.

“Director!”

The person who knocked on the door again urgently called out.

“Why, what’s going on?”

Before the center director could respond, the door burst open. A familiar staff member stuck his upper body halfway inside.

“Something big happened. Ms. Jin’s husband came… He’s making a scene, demanding a refund for the artwork his wife bought a week ago.”

The center director gestured toward Yeonseo as if to say she had to handle it. Yeonseo quickly got up and hurried out of the office.

*

The morning passed in a whirlwind. Dealing with Ms. Jin’s husband in the morning required her full effort. He argued in the lobby that the painting was a forgery and raised his voice claiming it was a scam.

With other sponsors and guests present in the center, including Ms. Yoon, the commotion needed to be quickly subdued. Once he left after getting the refund he wanted, the center director appeared belatedly and criticized Yeonseo for handling it poorly and lacking finesse.

“And that painting, team leader, can’t be bought with your salary. Why bother giving a refund? Huh?”

In her heart, she wished she could fill the empty amount. Besides Mrs. Kang’s inheritance, Taeheon had gifted her stocks and real estate, enough to make her nervous about the growing assets every day.

Having been harassed by the center director in various ways, Yeonseo didn’t have the strength to eat lunch, so she sat in the break room, sipping coffee. The break room was noisy with discussions about the Sewon Motors employee who visited this morning.

Yeonseo didn’t see the employee in person because she was busy cleaning up the accident, so she didn’t know what all the fuss was about. However, if it was Sewon Motors, it kept reminding her of Taeheon.

“He’s that handsome?”

“Yes. Like a walking model. I felt like I wasted my life seeing someone this good-looking for the first time.”

“Why did he come?”

“He said it’s for charity and volunteer activities with employees.”

The center sometimes coordinated volunteer activities between politicians and businessmen. It was also Yeonseo’s job to coordinate and facilitate meetings between volunteers and beneficiaries.

As handsome as he may be, that man wouldn’t be as good as Taeheon. She was confident that she had never seen anyone more handsome than Taeheon.  

Since Eunho turned six, they hadn’t spent much time together. Yet, he remained precious to her, and every time she looked at him, love overflowed. Thinking of Taeheon and their child often turned sad moments into happiness.

Even this morning, he insisted on feeding Eunho in front of her… Sigh.

He persistently followed her to the dressing room, then stripped her clothes off, promising to dress her. He undressed her all over the place and kissed her here and there.

Suddenly, Eunho called from outside. How surprised he must have been. Taeheon shamelessly said he would come later since he was with his Mom, and didn’t bother to remove his lips from Yeonseo’s body.

By the time she finally pushed him away, both of her cheeks were flushed red.

Afterward, her husband, who whispered in a low voice that he wished she wouldn’t come to work, her feet didn’t move easily.