〈Have a wonderful day. Aren’t the flowers beautiful? I really love flowers too. A friend once told me that I resemble a freesia. What do you think, Taecho?〉

Taecho’s face twisted as he read the message.

“What the hell is this……?”

He was so dumbfounded that he could not even find the words.

“Is something wrong?”

Secretary Park, who had been handing him his coat, asked if something had happened. Taecho deleted the message, slammed his phone roughly onto the desk, and rose from his seat.

He put on the coat Secretary Park handed him.

“What time is it?”

“You should leave now.”

His days were normally filled with an endless series of hectic meetings, but today was even worse. One meeting followed another without even leaving him time to eat.

“Vice Chairman, there seems to be something in your pocket.”

Taecho lowered his gaze towards his pocket. Something white peeped out, looking completely out of place against his all-black attire.

Remembering Yeon-woo’s blush as she handed him the handkerchief, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His eyebrow twitched as he irritably pulled the handkerchief out of his pocket.

‘Pretending to be happy.’

She was trapped in a loveless marriage, just like him. Yet she behaved as though they had genuinely married for love. They had only agreed to live together for two years, so there was no need for her to play the devoted wife so diligently.

‘Tsk.’

Lee Yeon-woo truly irritated him in every possible way.

That message alone proved it.

How dare she send him such nonsense without permission?

Taecho crumpled the handkerchief and tossed it onto the desk as though discarding something filthy.

“Throw it away.”

“Pardon?”

He coldly averted his gaze from the handkerchief embroidered with flowers that did not suit him in the slightest. The last one had been embroidered with intertwined trees, and this time, it was flowers.

“I said, throw it away.”

“Yes, sir.”

The pure white handkerchief resembled her.

It was spotless and untainted.

And him?

He resembled black—darkened and sullied after being dragged through the filth of the world.

Taecho walked past Secretary Park, then abruptly stopped.

“Did you change your cologne?”

“No, sir. I haven’t.”

Taecho tilted his head.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

He didn’t mention it to Secretary Park, who was following behind him, but he had been smelling something that resembled flowers for a while now, for some reason. In fact, he thought he could remember smelling it when he got into the car.

Feeling strangely suffocated, Taecho adjusted his necktie.

“Director Ma called.”

Taecho’s brow furrowed deeply as he walked toward the conference room.

“Tell him I’m busy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Taehyun had undoubtedly called to announce his visit for some trivial reason.

Lee Yeon-woo certainly knew how to win people over.

And they dared to call a woman like her innocent?

Were they actually worried that she was so gentle and sensitive that she might get hurt?

It wasn’t just Ma Taehyun. Even Taecho’s parents constantly fussed over Yeon-woo, convinced that he did not treat her well enough. Taecho had no desire to see his younger brother, knowing that Taehyun would irritate him by demanding that he treat his sister-in-law better.

Besides, Taecho had no time to waste on such nonsense.

He strode briskly down the corridor.

‘Treat her better? How could I possibly treat her any better than this?’

Having her constantly fluttering around him, wrapped in her spotless innocence, was irritating enough, yet Taecho endured it patiently. He tolerated her sending him unprompted photos of flowers and messaging him while pretending to be a devoted wife.

And they still expected him to treat her better?

The mere sight of Yeon-woo’s radiant smile twisted something dark and ugly inside him.

Truthfully, he wanted to see her miserable.

He had a cruel, sadistic desire to destroy the innocent woman who smiled so brightly, oblivious to the darkness around her.

Taecho entered the conference room.

Every employee inside immediately rose and bowed.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

Taecho sat down, his face perfectly composed as though he had never been irritated at all.

***

“How long has it been?”

“I know.”

Yeon-woo nodded in agreement with her former classmate, Shim Jin-ah.

It had been three years.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Yeon-woo hadn’t invited any of her former classmates to her wedding. After the accident, she had distanced herself from everyone connected to the gayageum. She had distanced herself from the instrument and the people associated with it.

She feared that staying in touch with them would stop her from moving on.

“I missed you too.”

“Liar. If you missed me, why didn’t you contact me for three years?”

Yeon-woo let out a quiet laugh as Jin-ah scolded her and lightly nudged her arm.

“Just look at this. The moment they heard I was coming to see you, everyone decided to tag along.”

Yeon-woo had known Shim Jin-ah since childhood, but they only grew close after they both entered university. In an environment filled with envy and rivalry, Jin-ah was one of the few people with whom Yeon-woo formed a genuine friendship.

Even now, that had not changed.

They all claimed to have gathered because they missed Yeon-woo, who had abruptly abandoned the gayageum and disappeared from their lives. However, she could clearly see the curiosity gleaming in their eyes.

“I heard bits and pieces about what happened. You injured your hand and can’t play the gayageum anymore, right?”

The speaker was Bae Eunju, a senior who had always been quick to criticize others, making her seniority clear even during their university days.

Yeon-woo was certain that Bae Eunju had not come because she genuinely missed her.

She was merely curious.

She wanted to see Lee Yeon-woo — the woman who had abandoned the gayageum, which she had once cherished as if it were her life’s purpose.

The more clearly Yeon-woo sensed that curiosity, the more confidently she smiled.

“I didn’t injure my hand.”

She answered with an indifferent expression.

Yet bitterness coated the tip of her tongue.

“Your professor adored you so much. You should contact her.”

“Yes.”

“I was curious because we hadn’t heard anything about you for so long. Have you completely given up the gayageum?”

Everyone’s gaze settled upon her lips.

‘Given up.’

In truth, she had never given it up.

She had simply been unable to play due to circumstances beyond her control. She had never willingly given it up.

She had come here because she wanted to overcome that.

But was coming here a mistake?

One of her former classmates had become almost as famous as a celebrity, and one of her seniors was preparing to become a professor. They both appeared to be living happily with the gayageum.

Yeon-woo’s eyes darkened.

“But there was a strange rumor going around.”

Yeon-woo had lifted her cup to take a sip of coffee when another former classmate spoke, making her freeze.

“A rumor?”

“Yes. We heard you were in an accident, but…… it wasn’t your hand that was injured…… You lost your sen—”

As Yeon-woo lowered her cup onto the table, her trembling hand caused it to tip over, spilling coffee everywhere.

“Sorry. I’m so careless, aren’t I?”

She took out her handkerchief and wiped the table. The black coffee stained the floral embroidery, which was identical to that on the handkerchief she had given to Taecho.

Her formerly composed expression cracked.

Unable to face their curious stares, Yeon-woo merely clutched the stained handkerchief.

“It’s fine. You’ve always been careless, remember?”

Shim Jin-ah’s playful voice helped her calm down slightly.

“Suyeon.”

Yeon-woo called her former classmate’s name.

“Yes?”

“It’s true that I was in an accident. But I’ve forgotten everything about it.”

The corners of Yeon-woo’s lips trembled as she forced them upward. She tried not to let it show, but she did not know whether she had succeeded.

Had everyone noticed?

“Then why don’t you play the gayageum anymore?”

“I got married.”

“Really? To whom?”

Since Yeon-woo had not invited any of them to the wedding, her former classmates, who had not known she was married, began murmuring among themselves.

“……Just an ordinary man.”

She lied because she did not want to see their envy.

“I don’t even like the gayageum that much anymore. It was only natural that I would grow tired of it eventually.”

She had spent every hour of every day with it, as though it were part of her own body.

So now……

“Excuse me. I need to use the restroom for a moment……”

Yeon-woo jumped up and hurried towards the restroom.

Everything she had said was a lie.

Wasn’t it only natural that she would grow tired of it?

No, that was not true.

She had never grown tired of the gayageum.

Standing in front of the sink, Yeon-woo deliberately lowered her gaze to avoid looking in the mirror. She turned on the cold water and held her hands under the tap.

For some reason, her fingertips felt unbearably hot, so she kept them under the stream for a long time.

Realizing that she had spent too long in the restroom, Yeon-woo hastened her steps as she returned to the table.

“She was always so full of herself. Serves her right.”

Yeon-woo abruptly stopped at Senior Bae Eunju’s mocking voice.

“She didn’t grow tired of the gayageum. It must be because of that accident.”

“Senior!”

Her former classmate Shim Jin-ah tried to stop Bae Eunju, but the senior refused to listen.

“What? Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Everyone used to talk about her, remember? Besides, all of you came here for the same reason I did. Why are you pretending otherwise?”

“……Wh-what do you mean?”

“You all wanted to see how Lee Yeon-woo was living after acting as though she would die without the gayageum. No—you wanted to see how badly she had fallen apart, didn’t you?”

Yeon-woo’s expression turned cold.

That was right.

She had come here because she wanted to move forward.

There was no reason for her to feel intimidated. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no reason for her to bow her head.

Yeon-woo resumed walking.

“Weren’t you the one who spread that rumor, Senior?”

At her sudden appearance, everyone either fell silent or avoided her gaze.

“Wh-what did you say? Have you lost your mind?”

Standing with her back perfectly straight, Yeon-woo released a sigh.

“I’ve already quit the gayageum anyway, so let me say one thing before I leave.”

Brushing back her hair, she looked directly into the senior’s eyes.

“Senior, you need to stop living like this. Do you really think no one knows you spread those rumors about them too? Everyone knows. They only tolerate you despite how despicable you are.”

“Y-you…… What did you just……?”

Even when the senior’s face turned so red that it looked ready to burst, Yeon-woo did not stop.

“You think it’s because they’re afraid of you? No. You would need actual talent for anyone to fear you. Who do you think you are?”

She looked at each person sitting in the deathly silent room.

“I’m leaving. Jin-ah, I’m sorry after you arranged this meeting for me, but next time, let’s meet by ourselves.”

“Y-yes. Let’s do that.”

“I’ll contact you.”

She didn’t care about the others anyway.

Yeon-woo turned away and left abruptly.

Instead of going home straight away, she wandered aimlessly from place to place. Even if she went home, no one would be waiting for her. She hated that lonely house, where the only welcome she received was suffocating silence.

By the time she finally arrived home, it was night.

She should never have gone.

She should never have agreed to meet them.

With her shoulders drooping, Yeon-woo opened the front door. Then her eyes widened slightly.

Tae-cho’s shoes were there.

It seemed he had come home early.

Instantly, life returned to Yeon-woo’s face.

She hurried down the long corridor towards the living room, where she encountered Tae-cho as he emerged from the kitchen.

Although he had clearly seen her, the aloof man walked past without acknowledging her. It was hardly the first time he had treated her this way, so she had no reason to be hurt.

Yet today, for some reason, she could not bear the feeling of rejection.

Forcing a smile, Yeon-woo hurried after him.

“Taecho, where’s the handkerchief? I’ll wash it for you. Please give it to me.”

His steps toward his room came to a halt. A moment later, he turned around and looked at her.

“I threw it away.”

Yeon-woo blinked at him as he tilted his head crookedly.

“……What?”

What had she just heard?

“I said I threw it away.”

……Did that mean he had thrown away all the handkerchiefs she had given him until now?

“Why? If you didn’t like it, you could have simply refused to take it.”

She was about to demand why he had needed to throw it away when his colder-than-usual gaze pierced her heart.

“I told you I didn’t need it. Who asked you to give it to me?”

“……”

“Stop doing such pointless things.”

Yeon-woo clenched her fists.

“Where did you throw it away? I’ll go and find—”

“It’s already gone.”

Cutting her off, he turned away coldly.

Her eyes began to burn.

“……Fine. I won’t give you any more from now on. Happy?”

Some things seemed to require more than just effort.

The gayageum, for example.

And him.

Both were far too difficult.

Yeon-woo silently glared at the embroidery supplies on her desk.

‘Ridiculous.’

As if she would ever make another one for him!

She shoved the supplies into the bin.

Her face crumpled as though she were about to cry.