“Why are you so curious?”

Yeonsu asked with an uncomprehending face.

“We’re friends. I feel hurt. Who has known you longer than I have? Born in the same hospital, growing up together our whole lives.”

Sehee’s lips drooped, as if she was genuinely upset.

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if there was something about you I didn’t know?”

Fourteen years.

Since her parents passed away when she was 15, Yeonsu had lived in Chairman Hong’s house—Sehee’s family—for 14 years.

Born in the same hospital and together since taking their first steps, Sehee was a friend and sister to Yeonsu.

“And my parents too. How much do Mom and Dad cherish you? They always say the Hong family has two daughters.”

When Sehee mentioned Chairman Hong, Yeonsu’s face darkened.

“It’s natural to be curious. You got pregnant and had a stillbirth. The child may be gone, but shouldn’t that man at least take responsibility for you?”

Yeonsu smiled weakly at words that felt so distant.

“I told you. That person probably doesn’t even know the child was born.”

Seonjae was a man who showed no reaction even upon seeing Yeonsu, his former lover.

What difference would it make if she told such a man about the child?

“I’m fine as I am, Sehee.”

“Fine? What do you mean……!”

Slowly, Yeonsu’s car came to a stop in the garage.

Sehee, who had been looking at Yeonsu with persistent eyes, sighed when she realized they had arrived at their destination.

“Let’s talk next time.”

“I won’t want to talk about it next time either. But, thank you. For caring.”

The words of gratitude, uttered with difficulty, were sincere.

When she lost her parents and became alone, and when she had the stillbirth, it was thanks to Sehee that she could endure those difficult times.

Sehee’s hand, which was unfastening her seatbelt, paused momentarily at Yeonsu’s words of thanks.

But as if nothing had happened, she smiled at Yeonsu.

“Alright. See you at work tomorrow. I’ll ask you to take my luggage to the apartment.”

Sehee mentioned the luggage in the trunk and got out of the car.

Yeonsu started the engine again as she watched Sehee disappear beyond the garage door.

Responsibility, huh.

“……Moon Seonjae.”

Yeonsu sighed after mulling over that unfamiliar name.

Would there ever be a day when she could call that name?

Not Lee Seungjae, but Moon Seonjae, the heir to the Taeseo Group.

He was a man in too high a place. A man living in a world Yeonsu couldn’t dare to climb to.

A sneer crossed her lips as she ruminated on her situation.

“Pointless.”

This too was just a futile delusion. He was a man she would likely never encounter again.

※※※

Yeonsu buried her face in her pillow as bright sunlight tickled her eyes. The sunlight entering through the thin chiffon curtains announced morning.

Just then, at the sound of the alarm, Yeonsu reached out and touched her phone.

7:10 AM.

The alarm had already rung several times. It was time to get up now.

Another day beginning. Waking up at the same time, going to work, staying late at the company, and returning home just before falling asleep.

〈Isn’t Team Leader Seo Yeonsu too much of a workaholic? I heard she works overtime until dawn every day.〉

〈Why do you think she became a team leader at that age? If you want to be promoted quickly like her, you need to work overtime too.〉

〈She got promoted to that position even after a year’s leave. She’s intense. I heard the reason for her one-year leave was because of that. A man.〉

The voice of an employee whispering, ‘I heard she took a break to quiet rumors after getting caught with a married man,’ overlapped in her ears.

Since when had Moon Seonjae become a married man?

She had submitted her leave request when she was pregnant with Huimang and her belly started to show. She had planned to return to work right after giving birth.

After losing the child, ironically, time flowed endlessly.

Even though Yeonsu was still stuck in that time five years ago when she sent Huimang away.

Feeling like she would die living like this, Yeonsu returned to the company.

Since then, she had been living obsessed with work.

Yeonsu raised her heavy body, looking at the clock pointing to 7:30 AM.

Then she saw the frame placed by her bedside.

A frame containing an ultrasound image. A photo taken during her last month check-up.

It felt like just yesterday when she whispered to Huimang that they would meet soon, not knowing this picture would be the last.

Yeonsu, who had been looking at the frame, rubbed her face with a dry hand.

Feeling like she would sink endlessly if she continued like this, she stood up.

“I’ll be late at this rate. Huimang, Mom’s going to work.”

I have to work today too.

To forget, even a little, this bottomless feeling of helplessness and depression that pulls her down.

※※※

It was the first day of work at the new headquarters.

“Oh my, the building is really nice. Seungji Apparel’s building was completely outdated. Remember how getting to work in the morning was h*ll because there were only two elevators?”

“That’s right. Now we won’t be late because of elevators. I heard product evaluations will be held in the underground convention hall from now on?”

“That’s good. It was annoying to push tables around every time.”

The new headquarters was clean everywhere, perhaps because it was a newly constructed building.

Yeonsu realized anew that Seungji Apparel had been reborn as Taeseo Industries as she listened to her team members’ admiring comments.

The company that was once a small-to-medium enterprise had become a subsidiary of a major corporation.

Inwardly, Yeonsu felt proud of this fact. After all, Seungji Apparel had started from Seungji Textiles.

Seungji Textiles was a business that Yeonsu’s parents had first started.

Chairman Hong and his wife had carried on the spirit of that business by creating Seungji Apparel, which was now publicly listed.

“Anyway, we’re a major corporation now, right? I heard Taeseo has great welfare benefits.”

“Really? Where did you confirm that?”

Yeonsu headed straight to the executive office, leaving behind her excited team members.

It was the office of Sehee, who was returning to work as an executive director from today.

After knocking and hearing a voice saying to come in, Yeonsu opened the door.

As the door opened and she appeared, Sehee, who had been sitting at the desk, stood up.

“You’re here? Yeonsu, sit down here.”

She approached Yeonsu with a welcoming expression.

Yeonsu sat at the table in the center as Sehee led her.

While Sehee was drawing coffee from the coffee machine, Yeonsu briefly scanned the surroundings.

The newly built headquarters. Sehee’s office was decorated as impressively as those of high-ranking executives.

Sunlight streaming through the large glass windows brightened the office.

Just from the well-lit office location, one could tell Sehee’s position within the company.

As Yeonsu looked around, her gaze fell on Sehee’s nameplate.

Taeseo Industries Women’s Character Brand General Director, Executive Director Hong Sehee.

Before being an executive director, Sehee was the wife of Moon Gijun, the division director of Taeseo Industries’ Construction Division.

“Still iced Americano?”

Sehee placed the freshly brewed coffee in front of Yeonsu.

Then, as she sat down opposite her, Yeonsu’s gaze deepened.

Sehee was born in the same hospital and raised together with her.

School, academies, and even joining Seungji Apparel—Yeonsu and Sehee had always been together.

Yeonsu recalled Sehee five years ago when they joined as new employees together.

Hiding the fact that she was Chairman Hong Hyeonchul’s daughter, she had started as a new employee alongside Yeonsu.

Of course, her promotion was faster than Yeonsu’s.

While Yeonsu was still a team leader, seeing Sehee now with the title of executive director made her realize anew.

The gap between herself and Sehee.

And this gap would only widen as time passed.

Should she be grateful that she could still be so close with Sehee, who lived in a different world?

As that thought briefly crossed her mind, Yeonsu’s lips curved gently.

Without Sehee, Yeonsu couldn’t have endured until now after losing Huimang.

Sehee had silently stood by Yeonsu’s side when she was struggling after losing her child. As if trying to fill the void left by Chairman Hong.

“Thank you, Director. May I start my report?”

“Ah, that’s awkward. Don’t be formal when it’s just the two of us.”

Sehee frowned, as if knowing her request to be casual wouldn’t be heeded.

“Go ahead and start.”

The end of the lengthy report finally came into sight.

Yeonsu gathered and organized the files she had prepared.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Looking at the electronic clock on the office cabinet, it was already close to lunchtime.

Thinking about her afternoon schedule, she was about to hurry back when—

“Oh, Yeonsu, our Siwoo is coming back to Korea soon.”

The familiar name stopped Yeonsu in her tracks.

And where she turned, she saw Sehee getting up from the sofa and going to her desk.

She smiled brightly at Yeonsu.

“He took a flight with my mother-in-law yesterday. I came back first because of work. You must be curious about our Siwoo. He’s already five years old and you’ve never seen him, right?”

Siwoo was Sehee’s son.

A child Yeonsu had never seen as he had lived in America since birth.

“…That’s right. He must have grown a lot.”

Sehee had been pregnant with Siwoo around the same time Yeonsu was pregnant with Huimang.

Yeonsu clenched her fist as Huimang naturally came to mind at the mention of Siwoo.

Having met Seonjae, she had momentarily forgotten about Siwoo’s existence.

That the child would come back with Sehee.

“Kids grow up so fast. Mom wants to have dinner this weekend. Do you want to come too?”