I became curious. The more I read the article, the more I understood how much Father loved vintage furniture and how sincere he was about this work, but I still couldn’t grasp it. What was so great about it, why was it so appealing?

Joo Han, with newly enlightened eyes, lightly tapped the armrest of the chair he was sitting on.

“Now that I’m actually here…”

Because I saw you.

Because you said you knew my father.

Because I realized you shared stories about him that I never heard.

Joo Han lifted his head. Under the light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window, making even dust sparkle, stood Eun Soo.

“It doesn’t seem like something that can be easily wrapped up… There’s still more I want to know, so I decided to stay here.”

In the quiet space filled with the distinct scent of old wood, Eun Soo, who had been listening to Joo Han’s words as if mesmerized, nodded silently.

However, the calm and normal conversation ended there.

“Anyway, since your article changed my mind and made me become the CEO, I think you bear some responsibility too.”

“You’re talking nonsense. I’d rather have a conversation with that 70-year-old drawer over there than talk to you.”

“Don’t be like that. Can’t you take a little responsibility?”

Joo Han put on his most pitiful expression.

“Honestly, you’re bothered by it too, aren’t you? That document.”

“It’s bothering, sure, but I don’t have any obligation to participate in fixing it. Well then, Mr. New CEO who just rolled in, good luck with your hard work…”

Eun Soo stood up from the chair and headed towards the stairs. Joo Han quickly followed, lightly grabbing the hem of Eun Soo’s clothes.

“Eun Soo.”

Eun Soo glared at him with eyes that said, ‘Are you not going to let go?’ Joo Han continued undeterred.

“You said everything here is a treasure. I don’t have as good an eye as you yet, so is it okay if all this turns into junk?”

“It’s not my treasure, so what does it matter to me?”

Even as she said this, Joo Han didn’t miss the slight trembling in Eun Soo’s eyes.

“Since you’re here, how about taking a look at the employment contract too?”

He then flashed a smile that had once earned him an overly affectionate compliment from Eun Soo, saying, “Don’t smile like that, it makes me want to give you the deed to a house I don’t even own.”

“I’m confident there won’t be a single bothersome part in that.”

That evening, Sol Hee couldn’t believe her ears when she received a phone call from Eun Soo.

“Is this Hollywood? You’re really going to work with your ex? If you were that cool when breaking up, you should have said so.”

Sol Hee spoke bluntly.

“Anyway, I have to give you credit for consistently being soft only towards Kim Joo Han. I don’t know how he persuaded you, but I would never do it. You’re not even the one bossing him around, but the employed subordinate? That’s crazy.”

― I know. I must be crazy. He’s offering twice the salary I used to get.

“Oh… really?”

Maybe she’s not that crazy after all?

Sol Hee’s tone softened dramatically.

“This might not be Hollywood, but it’s still a capitalist society. If the current benefits are significantly greater, I don’t think you need to be bound by past constraints. Unless there’s a history of cheating or violence. By the way, why did you two break up again?”

― …It wasn’t cheating or violence.

“Okay, then that’s fine.”

As Sol Hee readily approved, Eun Soo’s voice brightened considerably.

― He kept insisting that he needed my skills, so I had no choice, really no choice but to decide. If I left it alone, it seemed like he would completely ruin that precious place, you know? Anyway, for now, I’m just providing humanitarian support in this emergency situation, and I’ll find a new job within three months.

After ending the call with a “Sure, sure,” Sol Hee muttered absent-mindedly.

“I wonder if those three months might turn into three years, and then thirty years.”

The late afternoon sunlight streamed into the showroom of . Long shadows stretched behind the neatly arranged furniture.

Among the shadows cast like abstract paintings on the gray floor, there was a lightly moving shadow. It belonged to Eun Soo and Manager Oh Sun Kyung, who were surveying the entire showroom.

“Then shall we rearrange this section next week?”

“Yes, that seems good. Along with inventory checks after closing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

“That’ll work. Oh, and…”

Eun Soo and Sun Kyung discussed a few more things.

Manager Oh Sun Kyung was an employee who had been working at since before Joo Han became the CEO. Being two years older than Joo Han and Eun Soo, she was also the most senior in age.

While Eun Soo was in charge of showroom management, planning, and marketing, Sun Kyung oversaw paperwork including financial accounting.

“Then I’ll head up to the office first.”

“Okay.”

As Sun Kyung went up to the second floor, Eun Soo continued to look around the showroom.

The first floor and part of the second floor of were used as a showroom, while the rest of the second floor was used as an office by Eun Soo, Sun Kyung, and employee Jae Rim.

The basement served as both a warehouse and workshop. It was also where Joo Han and another employee, So Min, mainly worked.

Somehow, Eun Soo had stumbled into , and before she knew it, a year had passed, she had become a manager, and then two years had gone by.

Now, after going through all sorts of experiences in the process of the CEO changing and settling in, had become a more special place to Eun Soo than she had expected. A sense of camaraderie had also developed with the employees who had gone through this process together.

Ding-a-ling, the ceramic ornament hanging above the entrance door made a clear sound. Eun Soo approached with a bright smile, seeing a regular customer who had just opened the door and entered.

“It’s been a while since you’ve visited. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to you. I’ve been busy for a while, but I finally had some time to drop by. To refresh myself, and to see you, Manager.”

“Thank you.”

After exchanging warm greetings with Eun Soo, the customer, who was looking at the chairs near the entrance, suddenly asked.

“Is CEO Kim in the workshop?”

“He’s on a business trip to Northern Europe.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m already excited about the container that’s coming in.”

“I told him to bring back all the good stuff, so please look forward to it.”

The customer, laughing pleasantly, added casually.

“It seems like everything’s completely settled now. You’ve really worked hard, truly.”

Eun Soo responded with a smile.

The customer before her had been coming since Joo Han’s father was around, and unlike some regulars who stopped visiting when the owner changed and the atmosphere shifted, this person continued to visit unchanged. As an enthusiast, they also offered various pieces of advice, big and small.

Manager Jang Hyun Man, who had been openly hostile to Joo Han from the beginning, eventually left the company after just two months when Joo Han wouldn’t move according to his wishes.

But he didn’t just quit; he took veteran employees and even business connections with him to open another vintage furniture shop called . Naturally, many customers were also lost to that side.

Among the existing employees at , only Sun Kyung remained, and there was Eun Soo.

The three of them were not enough, so they urgently posted a job advertisement and hired So Min, and Eun Soo brought in her acquaintance, Jae Rim. During this time, Joo Han had to spend more than half of the first year abroad to find new business connections.

Now that things had somewhat settled again, the employees often praised themselves, saying it was admirable that not a single one of them had run away and they had all endured well.

There were comments that it was disappointing compared to when CEO Kim Kyung Hun was around, but on the other hand, there were also opinions that it had become much trendier.

“Manager.”

Eun Soo turned her head at the familiar voice. Employee So Min was standing near the entrance.

With a height of over 170cm and a toned body that exuded a so-called physical education major vibe, wearing loose jogger pants and sneakers, with short and neat hair, So Min held up the truck keys in one hand.

“I’m going out for delivery.”

“Oh, drive carefully.”

“Yes.”

Watching So Min’s retreating back, the regular customer carefully asked.

“I’ve been curious about this for a while, but I knew it would be rude so I couldn’t ask… Is that employee a pretty man, or a handsome woman?”

Eun Soo laughed.

“She’s a pretty and handsome female employee who’s also good at her job.”

“I see. Ah, that’s a relief.”

Thanks to her androgynous appearance and husky voice, people often mistook So Min for a male employee.

As a former judo athlete, she was strong, and thanks to her father running a carpentry shop, she had extensive knowledge about wood, so she was in charge of furniture maintenance, repairs, and deliveries along with Joo Han.

After the customer who had stayed for a while left, the couple who had gone up to the second-floor showroom earlier came down. Jae Rim was following behind them.

“We had a good look. We’ll come again next time.”

“Thank you. Please feel free to come and browse anytime.”

Jae Rim responded amiably to the woman’s greeting. As they were seeing off the couple leaving through the door, the man’s voice was clearly heard through the closing door.

“Wow, I don’t understand. Why buy something someone else has used when you can buy new furniture with this money?”

The woman was seen hitting the man lightly and saying something as they walked away. Eun Soo and Jae Rim looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders simultaneously.

“Well, some people might think like that. Those who believe furniture must be brand new without a single scratch.”

“That’s possible. Still, I should write something on the blog. Like, ‘The incomparable charm of vintage furniture’.”

Jae Rim mimicked typing on a phone keypad at an invisible speed. Eun Soo laughed softly.

Jae Rim was someone Eun Soo had met while doing other part-time jobs before getting employed at the magazine company. With looks that suggested she might be from a theater and film department or modeling department, she was actually a visual design major.

Originally aiming to be an MD for a fashion concept store, she was caught by Eun Soo and brought into , where she became responsible for store displays and managing ‘s social media. Thanks to her sociable personality, she also had a talent for customer service.

“Keep an eye on the showroom for me. I’ll be in the office, so call if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Eun Soo also headed to the second floor. She sat down at her desk, diagonally across from Sun Kyung, and immediately started working.

In two weeks, a meeting was scheduled with a representative from , a Danish furniture brand.

Although barely known in Korea, furniture designed by ‘Marcy Medsen’, a furniture designer Eun Soo had liked for a long time, was being released by that company.

Because of this, Eun Soo had been putting in effort in various ways to secure an exclusive import contract for in Korea, and had managed to set up a difficult meeting appointment. She didn’t miss the opportunity when the only Korean employee at the headquarters, who was said to come to Korea once every few years, was visiting.

The desk placed at Eun Soo’s spot was also from . A rosewood desk made in the mid-1950s.

‘You seemed to like this desk the most when you came to look around before.’

When Eun Soo asked what this was, seeing the desk placed at her spot on her first day of work at , Joo Han had said that.

Being a rare item by a favorite designer, she had looked at it for a long time out of curiosity. Even though she tried not to say anything and manage her expression, it seems everything had shown on her face.

Eun Soo lightly shook her head to clear her stray thoughts and focused on work.

“Manager, aren’t you going home?”

After concentrating for a while, Sun Kyung’s voice was heard. Realizing it was already time to close the store, Eun Soo smiled and gestured.

“You all go ahead. I’ll just finish looking at this and go.”

While Sun Kyung was tidying up her desk, Jae Rim and So Min also came up. With goodbyes saying they’d see each other tomorrow, the three went down the stairs together, and Eun Soo quickly processed the remaining work.

“…Done.”

After pressing the save button and turning off the computer, Eun Soo stretched long. Outside, it was already the middle of the night.

Eun Soo hurriedly grabbed her bag, turned off the lights on the second floor, and went down to the first floor. As she was turning off the lights in the first-floor showroom and locking the door, she sensed someone behind her. She turned around startled and her eyes widened.

“What? Why are you here?”

Joo Han was coming in, pulling a suitcase with one hand.

“What do you mean why am I here, it’s my home.”

“Didn’t you say you’d be back next Tuesday?”

“The work finished a bit early.”

“Did you see a lot?”

“I was going to wrap up in Copenhagen and come back, but it seemed like there wasn’t much there, so I went over to Helsinki and unexpectedly found some good stuff there.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Joo Han showed signs of fatigue from the long flight. Eun Soo pointed to the stairs outside the building.

“Then hurry up and go rest.”

On the rooftop of the building, there was a penthouse that was Joo Han’s home. It was called a rooftop house, but it was no different from a penthouse.

“Why are you leaving work only now?”

“I had some things I needed to finish today. But… what’s that?”

Eun Soo pointed to what Joo Han was holding in the hand not pulling the suitcase.