Se Ah calmed her trembling with lukewarm water and faced Do Jun with a firm expression.

“It’s not true.”

“As expected,” Do Jun responded, his benevolent eyes suddenly filled with blatant contempt.

“Kang Woo is ridiculous. He hasn’t divorced and he’s seeing you, who’s unmarried?”

“That’s not it. Kang Woo is… my husband.”

Se Ah clarified firmly to prevent further misunderstandings. Do Jun’s face, red with heat, widened his eyes as if he couldn’t comprehend.

“Not divorced but still your husband?”

“What does that mean?”

“We live like strangers due to circumstances, but he’s not an adulterer or a divorced man. It seems he’s misunderstood something because of me.”

Se Ah pressed her lower lip, looking distressed. As her large hazel eyes began to fill with moisture, Do Jun gasped.

“What are you two, really?”

“…”

Remaining silent, Se Ah bowed her head, feeling like she might burst into tears. Did loving someone always come with so many tears? She should have just clarified and ended it, but why the tears?

It just made her feel sorry for causing Kang Woo, a man of high pride, to be misunderstood.

“Now your words make sense.”

“…”

“I looked in your notebook. I wanted to return it to its owner.”

“Thank you for pretending not to know.”

“It seemed you weren’t together for long.”

“You knew all along, didn’t you? You asked earlier if I liked Kang Woo since childhood.”

“I just guessed. I remembered seeing a news article about Kang Woo sponsoring Hanbit Orphanage. Maybe that’s how you knew each other.”

“Yes, that’s how we met. Do Jun, Kang Woo used to volunteer as a teacher.”

Do Jun’s face was filled with disbelief.

“Kang Woo?”

“……I understand it’s hard to believe. It wasn’t entirely voluntary, but still.”

“I’m late in the game.”

Do Jun crumpled the napkin in his hand, speaking more lightly.

“If you ever think of breaking up… after everything is settled, could I have a chance?”

Do Jun asked hesitantly, gathering his courage.

“No. It’s silly to say this, but Kang Woo and I have deep and complicated issues. He’s more than my first love. He’s everything to me.”

Se Ah still vividly remembered Kang Woo at 23. He indifferently marked her mistakes with a red pen.

‘This, this. Do it again.’

Even with his indifferent manner, he patiently waited while she struggled alone for a long time, which allowed her to keep him around longer than the two hours he planned to teach.

When she got the problems wrong in the test,

‘Did you really review? You think you can get into a prestigious university like that?’

Even though he squinted his eyes, he picked up the pen again to teach her.

Those few memories, which she feared forgetting, she replayed in her mind countless times. Now, even if she tried to erase them, they remained etched in her brain.

Looking at the dazed Do Jun, Se Ah looked up at him resolutely.

“Kang Woo is the first person I, an orphan, ever held in my heart. How could I forget someone like that?”

“……It’s a complete defeat. I have nothing more to say.”

“I’m sorry for involving you in this uncomfortable situation, Do Jun.”
Do Jun looked more relaxed, despite his hollow laughter. Understanding it all too well, Se Ah knew from her own experience of unrequited love. Just confessing his feelings, even without reciprocity, must have brought him some peace.

“Handle things between you two. It’s none of my business.”

“Okay.”

“Forget the past. Pretend you met here for the first time… I’ll be leaving then.”

Do Jun smiled reassuringly.

Till the end, Do Jun was a good person. But that was it.

Lunchtime wasn’t strictly scheduled, but it was usually between 12 and 2 PM.

Engrossed in a long, serious conversation with Do Jun, Se Ah skipped lunch. She grabbed a sandwich from the first-floor café and went up to the writing room with a mocha latte.

Jina, another writer, approached Se Ah as soon as she entered.

“Se Ah, check the company website. The lineup for the series collaboration with G-Coms is up.”

“Really?”

Se Ah immediately accessed the site.

There were dozens from CI Soft alone. Adding G-Coms, outsourcing personnel, and anonymous participants, the total was staggering.

“Wow. That’s great.”

“Envious, right? Imagine their salaries for next year, and the year after.”

“Does being part of such a big project mean a big salary?”

Curiosity tinged Se Ah’s voice.

“I haven’t worked on a major project yet. But considering PC games have a longer lifespan, even if you only work on Season 1, you’re looking at incentives from hundreds of millions to billions.”

“Wow…”

“Those on the list are our company’s stars. It’s good for you to know, Se Ah, since you’re new to the industry.”

“Thanks. You’re like an angel, Jina.”

“Oh, stop it with the angel and senior talk.”

Jina giggled and returned to her seat. Se Ah sat down and scanned the list of stars again. Though only an assistant writer now, she vowed to join such major projects one day, diving back into her work.