As time passed, early Wednesday morning.

Taejoon, who woke up early as usual, went straight to exercise.

His stamina had definitely improved since the first day he visited the fitness club. Taejoon, who focused on strength training, went around the equipment and finally grabbed boxing gloves. With a light tap, the sandbag that had flown away returned at a fast speed. Taejoon punched the sandbag a few more times. His fists felt a bit stronger.

The business trip to the Philippines was all well organized. The case of the K Electronics factory worker’s death resulted in an appropriate compensation to the family, and the visit to Nukum’s factory was also successful. Information about one of Nukum’s researchers who disappeared during product development and evidence of contact between this researcher and executives of IAX were secured. Now all that was left was to report this neatly to Jae-phil.

The visit to the Philippine Embassy was also lucky. Teaming up with the Philippine counselor, Taejoon arranged Han Soeun’s father Han Honggyu’s property and, after visiting the Philippine Embassy, once again asked Soeun to send mail. He requested only guidance on how to collect his father’s property without leaving information about the heirlooms. Once the mail was received, containing news of his father’s death and receiving the property, everything would be settled.

Anyway, although it had been a long time, if Soeun were to hear about her father’s death, Taejoon expected her to be greatly shocked. So, he took measures to ensure that she could receive the mail during the upcoming weekend. He planned to comfort her by his side, encouraging her to quickly overcome this as well.

As everything was smoothly resolving, he was bothered by the fact that Soeun said she was unwell over the weekend. Although she seemed to have recovered by the time of their farewell, it felt like she was purposely trying not to cause concern by exuding energy. The fact that her face was red all the time when they met bothered him too.

“Shall we go on a trip over the weekend?”

If they rested for two nights and three days at a nearby resort, wouldn’t their fatigue and mood be alleviated? The mail from the embassy could be checked when it came back.

Since he couldn’t predict what kind of schedule his grandfather would make to harass him, he had to write it in advance. Taejoon thought he should ask Soeun about her intentions when he went to work.

Wednesday’s commute.

Riding the bus to the company, Soeun pressed the scenery outside the window into her eyes.

The bus Soeun took ran along the direction of a small stream for a while. Small birds were flying in flocks, searching for morning food, above the promenade on both sides of the narrow stream. Next to the lined-up trees, a yellow liquid, like the radish kimchi Taejoon brought over the weekend, was being poured in.

Leaves fallen earlier than the season floated like paper boats on the gently flowing stream.

The heart, like a paper boat carelessly floated on the stream, sometimes flows too far. Without an engine, without a boatman.
Far, far away, my heart, which should be safe if I only love you in this world, keeps making me love more. It makes your grandfather precious to me too. So when his heart aches, I feel torn as well, and when he says it’s tough because of me, I become unable to do anything.

That’s right; I shouldn’t have started from the beginning. Where is there to float paper boats just because they’re folded? I should’ve just let you have it.

It was giving everything as it was to the person I love and who I wanted to give everything to. Not embracing a history of wounds. It was something that would disappear forever, leaving no trace of him. Like an indifferent water stream erasing traces such as the paper boat flowing away too easily.

I planned to make you laugh happily, but as time got closer, I kept thinking more and more. I thought I was more useless than the leftover scraps of paper I used to make the paper boat.

Soeun pledged not to become attached and got off the bus.

No one knows that Soeun will resign. If she leaves, Chairman Kim Jae-phil will take care of everything. It’s not common for the head of the company to handle resignation procedures personally. Even executives wouldn’t receive such treatment.

Leaving isn’t the problem, but the remaining tasks worried her. Although after-service is almost a same-day processing system, so her absence would only cause a manpower issue. However, the work she handled in the team was something that would leave someone bewildered. The most likely person to take over her work was Park Bobae in the next seat.

“Bobae, how about trying the parts request task now?”

“What?”

Bobae, who was still wandering around with her work, looked at Soeun with a bewildered expression. Soeun had been collecting daily requests from team members, putting them in the factory’s format, and creating a monthly list. She also organized it.

“Let’s do it now. I’ll guide you, so try it once.”