Kang Hae Sun stared blankly at the wall with unfocused eyes. To others, it was just a plain white wall, but from Kang Hae Sun’s perspective, vivid images were flowing on it like a movie screen.

The couple met at an orphanage and went to Dongdaemun together. Hae Sun worked at a clothing factory, Tae Chul at a wholesale market, sixteen hours a day each, to open a small shop.

They grew that shop bigger and bigger, giving it a name. Kang Hae Sun and Yoon Tae Chul’s company. Kang Yoon Company.

A newborn baby, swollen and red, cried loudly. Tae Chul held the baby and his wife, crying even louder, until Hae Sun smacked his back.

She breastfed for the first time. The baby stopped crying and sucked eagerly. Hae Sun thought she could die for this child if needed.

They named the baby Seo Ha and planted a pine tree in the garden. May it grow strong and long like a pine tree, even if bent by wind and rain.

The couple Kang Hae Sun and Yoon Tae Chul worked even harder. They took turns carrying Seo Ha on their backs, working and napping in shifts.

Even when exhausted to the bone, one giggle from Seo Ha would fill their hearts with happiness.

Seo Ha stood up on her own. She toddled three steps on those short legs and hugged Hae Sun tight. She smelled sweet and savory like a baby.

Seo Ha said “dad” before “mom.” Tae Chul bragged about it at least five times to everyone he met.

Seo Ha came home from daycare and proudly pulled something from her bag. Below a circle with matchstick-like drawing was written crookedly, “I love you mom and dad.”

Hae Sun put that letter in a treasure box. The box was full of things like Seo Ha’s first hair, umbilical cord, first cut nails, and leaves Seo Ha had picked up and given to Hae Sun.

The treasure box was burned. Along with Tae Chul’s coffin.

After her husband’s funeral, Hae Sun changed into a suit and shoes at the columbarium. Instead of wailing and falling into despair, she rushed to the company and called an executive meeting. She had to become stronger to protect her daughter and the company.

Seo Ha grew up well. As a college student, she bought Hae Sun underwear with her first tutoring money. Hae Sun put that underwear in a new treasure box.

Seo Ha got married. Facing her daughter in a pure white wedding dress, Hae Sun freely shed tears she couldn’t shed when her husband died. Seo Ha cried too. She cried while smiling.

A phone call came. As always, they chatted about trivial things. Before hanging up, Seo Ha said to Hae Sun:

“Mom, I love you.”

The movie ended there. As the screen gradually darkened and eventually turned off completely, the surroundings brightened. Only then did Hae Sun’s blank pupils move.

“Seo Ha.”

Hae Sun looked around. Where is this? Where did our daughter go?

Orange sunset light stretched across the white sheets through the window. A water droplet-shaped humidifier puffed out cool mist. Seo Ha wasn’t there. Hae Sun startled and got up.

“Baby. Where did our baby go?”

There was no one guarding outside.

“Must have gone to the playground again. Need to feed her dinner.”

Hae Sun walked slowly, looking for young Seo Ha. Someone called out from the end of the hallway.

“Mom!”

“Seo Ha?”

It wasn’t Seo Ha. Hae Sun blankly watched a strange woman running towards her.

“Mom, why did you come out alone? Where’s the caregiver? The security guard?”

Ji Soo held Hae Sun’s hand tightly, trying to return to the hospital room.

“I need to go find our daughter. Miss, have you seen our baby? She’s about this tall. Round eyes, with yellow bobbles in her hair.”

I came because I heard she was suddenly talking about the company last time.

Ji Soo sighed deeply and linked arms with Hae Sun.

“Want to go out? Let’s take a walk together, mom.”

Hae Sun followed without resistance. Until then, Ji Soo had planned to just pretend to take a walk and call her “mom” a bit more.

“Let’s go around that way, mom.”

Hae Sun was the owner of that palace-like house. How many times had she wished that elegant and sophisticated boss was her mother. That she should be the daughter, not Yoon Seo Ha.

“Oh? Seo Ha!”

While walking, Hae Sun suddenly saw a little girl about three or four years old, let go of Ji Soo’s arm and dashed over. The startled child’s mother quickly picked up her daughter.

“Mom!”

Ji Soo ran over breathlessly and grabbed Hae Sun.

“Mom, you can’t suddenly run off like that.”

“… Who are you, miss?”

Nothing goes as she wants.

Ji Soo spotted a bench in the distance and dragged Hae Sun over, plopping down heavily.

Lee Seung Oh helped Jo Seo Ha up. With the same look in his eyes as when he had helped her up in the kitchen of that palace-like house years ago.

He said he liked Jo Seo Ha’s design. He ordered that the design of a newbie who had just lost her intern tag be submitted to the design review.

Everything felt so ominous. To the point where her jaw trembled just thinking about it.

“I have to go to the design review. I need to plaster my name all over the new product and ask them to fire that beggar. So tell me the safe combination. Hm? You can’t use it anyway…”

No matter how much she mumbled, Hae Sun didn’t seem to hear. Suddenly, her anger towards Lee Seung Oh and Jo Seo Ha exploded like fireworks.

“Just tell me! It’s not like anyone else can use it anyway!”

She raised her head and shouted, but there was no one beside her.

“Mo…!”

Ji Soo, who was about to cry out in surprise, suddenly closed her mouth.

A little ways ahead, Hae Sun was walking towards the back door of the hospital. No one was paying attention to her.

There was no way to get the password anyway.

But what if she goes out like that and gets hit by a car? What if she disappears and is never found?

Then, only Yoon Seo Ha would be left, right?

Ji Soo slowly stood up and said,

“Mom, I’m going to use the restroom.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Work went very smoothly today since Lee Ji Soo hadn’t been seen since lunchtime. I even got off work a bit early. Seo Ha skipped down to the parking lot, looking around.

“Jo Seo Ha. Over here.”

Kyung Jun’s car glided up and stopped in front of Seo Ha.

“Nice car.”

Seo Ha climbed into the passenger seat, offering the compliment, to which Kyung Jun replied drily.

“The chairman pays well.”

“You mean Chairman Ryu? Does he give you allowance too?”

“I am his son, after all.”

After that, Kyung Jun fell silent. Sensing he didn’t seem to like talking about his father, Seo Ha also stopped speaking and fixed her gaze out the window.

Soon she’ll see Mom. She’ll be able to hold her hand and talk freely. Her heart swelled so much that she didn’t even care about Kyung Jun’s mood.

Just then, a phone rang in the car.

[Director, Chairwoman Kang has disappeared from the hospital!]

‘What?’

Seo Ha hoped she had heard wrong.

“What do you mean? Why is Chairwoman Kang gone!”

[Well, the young madam went for a walk with her… She disappeared while she was in the bathroom.]

“What?”

“Crazy b****,” Kyung Jun muttered very quietly.

“Did you check the CCTV? Are you sure she’s not in the hospital?”

[The last footage shows her leaving through the back door. It’s been about three hours.]

“Damn it, why are you telling me this now! Did you report to the police?”

[The chairwoman told us not to report. She said it would negatively impact the company if it got to the media…]

“Ha. F***.”

Harsh curses involuntarily escaped Kyung Jun’s mouth.

“Contact the security company. Mobilize all available personnel to search. If we don’t find her by tomorrow, report to the police.”

[Yes, Director!]

The call ended. Kyung Jun pressed harder on the accelerator and said to Seo Ha.

“You heard, right? We need to go look too.”

Her mind went blank and she couldn’t hear anything. The happiness that had swelled up just moments ago seemed to freeze solid and fill her entire body.

“Jo Seo Ha, snap out of it!”

Kyung Jun’s shout brought Seo Ha back to her senses a little.

“Let’s find her. We have to go look.”

“Let’s start by searching around the hospital. Someone might be protecting her, so go into every store and ask around. We need to check building stairs, public restrooms, alley parking lots, everything. Call me if you find her.”

Kyung Jun handed over a business card with one hand. Taking it, Seo Ha got out before they even reached the hospital and started searching the area indiscriminately.

“Mom, you have to be here. I’ll find you soon since I’m here. Mom, mom…”

Three hours of running around without even a five-minute break. The sun had already set dimly and the wind turned chilly. There were noticeably fewer people on the streets.

“Jo Seo Ha!”

Kyung Jun spotted Seo Ha from afar and ran over. He too had been running around so much that his tie was completely loose and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

“Secretary Ryu!”

Her breath caught painfully in her throat. Seo Ha looked up at him, panting heavily.

“A few people saw her walking in hospital clothes. But we can’t find her anywhere no matter how much we search. What do we do? If something happens…!”

“It’s okay. The hospital name is on the patient gown.”

Kyung Jun gripped Seo Ha’s shoulders with both hands.

“If something had happened, the hospital would have been contacted already. We can find her.”

Was it his confident tone? Or his warm body heat? Seo Ha’s racing heart began to calm a little and her thoughts returned.

“… Maybe.”

The image of Mom when she first saw her at the hospital flashed through her mind.

−’Where have you been, my baby! Do you know how long Mom’s been looking for you? Let’s go quickly. Let’s go home with Mom, Seo Ha.’

Hae Sun was looking for Seo Ha. While weaving clover bracelets.

The hazy mist in her mind evaporated. Clear images emerged of childhood walks with Mom, the pine tree and pond in the garden, the swing Mom used to push her on.

Seo Ha lifted her head sharply and grasped Kyung Jun’s hands.

“I know where Chairwoman Kang might have gone!”

“Where?”

“The neighborhood where Yoon Seo Ha lived with Mom!”

“Let’s go.”

Kyung Jun grabbed Seo Ha’s hand and ran towards the car. Their tightly clasped hands grew damp with sweat, though it was unclear whose.

“Move. I know a shortcut!”

Seo Ha pushed aside Kyung Jun, who had opened the driver’s door, and took the wheel. Soon the sedan was racing like a sports car on a circuit.

“Are you crazy! Want to die before finding Chairwoman Kang?”

“Just hold on tight.”

Seo Ha gritted her teeth and drove towards home. She had never driven this fast in her life.

A 30-minute drive took just 10 minutes. Seo Ha parked the car in front of a park near her house with the pine tree and pond.

“This is…?”

“There. Clover!”

There was no clover in the garden at home. So Mom always brought Seo Ha to this park to weave bracelets, rings, and crowns out of clover.

Seo Ha instantly ran across the park into the furthest corner of the flower bed.

“Mom! Mom, are you there? Mom!”

From the dark corner of the flower bed where even the streetlights didn’t reach, a crouching figure raised its head.

“Seo Ha?”