It was long past quitting time when Hae Yeon finally escaped from the office. The problem had arisen just as the day was ending, causing her to be late.

Although the work wasn’t physically demanding, Hae Yeon’s heart was weary as she dragged her tired body home.

“Do Ha isn’t home yet?”

Late at night. If he were here, the brightly lit house would not be shrouded in darkness. Entering and turning on the lights, Hae Yeon discovered a memo left on the table.

[Hae Yeon, you weren’t answering so I’m leaving a note. There’s dinner the housekeeper made, so eat that. You must be tired, so don’t wait up for me and go to bed first.]

The neat handwriting that looked as if it had been printed was Do Ha’s.

“Ah.”

Only then did Hae Yeon take out her cell phone that she had neglected while being harassed by the Sales Team 2 manager. Sure enough, the screen was filled with missed calls and messages.

Hae Yeon felt bad for not being able to check the calls. At the same time, receiving his handwritten message made her heart flutter. For a moment, she even thought about asking him to write handwritten letters in the future when this happened.

“No, this is no time to be silly.”

Recalling the reason Do Ha had left in the evening, Hae Yeon quickly corrected her thoughts. She had learned the reason for his nightly outings thanks to the documents Yoon Ho had given her. As if giving a bonus, the last page had this written:

Finally having the mystery of his evening absences solved, Hae Yeon felt overwhelmed. It was because she knew how busy Do Ha’s schedule was.

Within that hectic schedule, he barely found time for treatment, his body still hadn’t fully recovered even months after the accident, and most of all, despite not being fully healed, he had to take care of work and her affairs – that weighed most heavily on her heart.

She hated it all.

If she could, Hae Yeon wanted to yell at Do Ha right away. To leave the company to someone else and please rest. However, being in no position to interfere, her heart just burned.

In the first place, Hae Yeon couldn’t understand why Do Ha was so devoted to work despite his condition.

“Is there a reason…?”

She had no way of knowing if it was related to her or Chairman Yoon. Her only wish was for Do Ha to rest a bit.

Because of that, Hae Yeon had considered telling Do Ha the truth for the first time. However, she pushed that resolve aside. The most decisive factor was that she couldn’t shake the feeling that the most crucial piece was still unrevealed.

But seeing this kind of poignant memo left by Do Ha, without realizing it…

“Sigh, let’s eat first and wait for Do Ha.”

Brushing aside the unproductive thoughts, Hae Yeon moved to the kitchen.

“I hope it wasn’t too hard for him…”

“We’re done now, young master.”

The doctor, whose hair was more white than black, spoke. At that, the man let out a deep breath and stood up. As the tall man rose, the doctor’s head naturally tilted back.

“I told you not to call me young master.”

The man steadying his rough breathing was Do Ha. He reprimanded the doctor who looked to be at least thirty years his senior. Do Ha’s cold and sharp gaze should have been intimidating, but the man paid no mind and retorted.

“Oh my. I apologize. I must be getting forgetful in my old age.”

“Dr. Moon. You’ve been saying that since we first met, haven’t you?”

Do Ha hit the nail on the head, but Dr. Moon just chuckled and handed him a towel. In the end, Do Ha didn’t say anything more and took the towel to wipe the sweat dripping from his body.

Dr. Moon was someone who had worked as the family physician for Do Ha’s household since long ago. Currently, he only dealt with Do Ha, his contract with the family having ended.

He was the one who had performed the surgery during Do Ha’s recent car accident, and also the first to diagnose Hae Yeon’s memory loss.

“By the way, how long will you keep secretly coming at this late hour? Business hours ended ages ago, but I can’t go home because of you, young master.”

Adding that he had no respect for elders, Dr. Moon now reprimanded Do Ha. He should have retorted right away like before, but for some reason, Do Ha avoided the doctor’s eyes and said nothing.

Dr. Moon let out a deep sigh. It was because of Do Ha, who showed no reaction and played dumb even when addressed as “young master” again.

Do Ha knew what the elderly doctor was implying, so he didn’t meet his gaze. Dr. Moon’s question of “how long” meant how long he would hide the truth of his wife’s memory loss from her and undergo rehabilitation training away from her eyes.

“…Just a bit longer, please.”

After hesitating, Do Ha replied, and Dr. Moon’s expression turned stern, his eyes narrowing. A serious voice soon broke the silence.

“Young master. It’s already been 7 months since that incident. How long do you think you can hide it? It’s a miracle it hasn’t been discovered so far.”

“……”

Do Ha couldn’t say anything. Dr. Moon’s words were completely correct and impossible to refute. He knew it too. From the moment he learned Hae Yeon had lost her memories last year, he had agonized over that very issue.

There was good reason for this agony. He could vividly remember the first month after Hae Yeon lost her memories. Above all, the memories that had vanished from Hae Yeon’s mind…

“At this rate, are you planning to never undress in front of your wife?”

“The surgery-”

“Young master!”

Before Do Ha could even finish, Dr. Moon yelled. It was rare for the old man to do this. Dr. Moon was someone Do Ha had known since childhood and one of the very few people he opened his heart to.

“A scar removal surgery is out of the question with your current condition!”

What Do Ha was about to say was that he could get scar removal surgery. Dr. Moon let out a long sigh.

This wasn’t the first time. In the early days after the car accident, seeing his wife suffer whenever she saw his deep scars, Do Ha had also considered surgery. But it was impossible with his unhealed body, and he thought Do Ha had given up on the idea now that time had passed.

About to scold him, Dr. Moon’s expression softened upon seeing Do Ha’s strangely gloomy demeanor.

“And you know this isn’t a problem that can be solved with surgery, don’t you?”

“…I know.”

Their conversation didn’t continue. Bowing politely, Do Ha moved to the shower room with his mouth firmly shut. As always, his back looked lonely, and Dr. Moon couldn’t take his eyes off him for a long time.

* * *

The abnormal behavior of Team Manager Shin from Sales Team 2 did not end that day.

Even after several days, as his strange actions continued, those who initially thought Hae Yeon had just had bad luck that particular day began to show doubtful reactions upon seeing Team Manager Shin picking fights with new employees from other teams almost daily.

Fortunately, Team Manager Shin’s usual conduct wasn’t very good, so no one spoke ill of Hae Yeon.

“Team Manager Shin is having another fit. Don’t worry, Hae Yeon. That person’s hobby is to pick fights with just anyone like this.”

As So Jung handed her a warm cup of tea and spoke, Hae Yeon forced the corners of her mouth up, but her heart was uneasy. So Jung and the others viewed the current situation as Team Manager Shin’s usual outbursts, but as someone who knew the circumstances, her feelings couldn’t help but be complicated.

She wished Team Manager Seol was here, thinking the spy planted by Do Ha and Ju Ah was Yoo Jun. Then he could stop Team 2 Manager’s actions. But these days, Yoo Jun was frequently away on business trips.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Team Manager Shin. Department Head Kim Hyun Woo’s actions, unlike the outwardly apparent Team Manager Shin, were secretive and cleverly turned into Hae Yeon’s mistakes, so no one suspected anything.

‘I decided to bear it all, didn’t I?’

Hae Yeon recalled the determination she had made before entering the Dali Coffee building on her first day.

“Min Hae Yeon.”

She didn’t even need to lift her head to know that voice now. It was Department Head Kim Hyun Woo. Seeing him with an amiable smile, Hae Yeon was no longer fooled.

“Take this to the Sales Team 2 Manager and come back.”

“Yes.”

Another errand for Team 2. The Management Support and Sales teams worked closely together. Hae Yeon unknowingly sighed but collected herself and took the documents to the hallway.

“What is it this time?”

As soon as he saw Hae Yeon’s face, Team Manager Shin deeply furrowed his brow.

“Department Head Kim Hyun Woo from our team sent me.”

“How annoying.”

Grumbling without hesitation, Team Manager Shin examined the papers. Since Department Head Kim hadn’t given any specific instructions, Hae Yeon was about to return to the office. Until she heard Team Manager Shin’s words behind her back.

“What is this? What’s with this inventory analysis table?”

“Pardon?”

Feeling an ominous premonition, Hae Yeon turned around.

“This is last year’s company profit and loss analysis. It’s to identify the causes of deficits incurred by the sales team, but if we follow this analysis, the inventory won’t match and the management support team will take the fall.”

“That’s…”

In truth, Hae Yeon didn’t know how to answer. It was content a new employee like her who hadn’t been given proper work yet couldn’t know.

Moreover, it was suspicious how Team Manager Shin, who usually found fault without reason, was now complaining while giving detailed explanations.

“Did you bring this without even reading it?”

“I was just-”

She was about to say she was just running an errand, but Team Manager Shin raised his voice as usual.

“Even if it’s an errand, you should have read the documents before bringing them. Now we have to do the work twice for no reason!”

At his sudden shout, the Team 2 employees all turned to look this way. Their gazes held a fed-up “again” sentiment.

No matter what she said, he would surely scold her, so Hae Yeon just stood there silently as Team Manager Shin huffed alone.

“This is why special recruits won’t do. What are they thinking, hiring someone with no experience?”

“What are you doing now?”

What? Team Manager Shin shut his mouth. The approaching person was Team Manager Seol Yoo Jun.

“Team Manager Shin. Isn’t that rude to our employee? Hand that over.”

Not even waiting for an answer, Yoo Jun snatched the documents from Team Manager Shin. He had no choice. Yoo Jun was the son of Dali Coffee’s CEO. Even setting that aside, he was a capable talent. After studying abroad in England, he officially joined the company, built up his performance, and held the same position as Team Manager Shin despite his young age.

However, Team Manager Shin, to whom only the fact that Yoo Jun was the CEO’s son was ingrained, slightly contorted his face.

“Miss Min Hae Yeon is an official employee of Dali Coffee. There are many specially recruited people in the company, are you disparaging them too?”

“Wh-what are you-”

“This document contains content that even an employee who has worked at the company for months would have trouble understanding. Yet you’re picking on a new hire who was just running an errand?”

“Team Manager Seol, this is-”

“Above all, Miss Min Hae Yeon belongs to our team. Even if issues arise, we’ll handle them on our side, so don’t interfere.”

Having rapidly spouted words before Team Manager Shin could even react, Yoo Jun smiled brightly.

“Now you should say what needs to be said. To Miss Min Hae Yeon.”

“T-Team Manager Seol.”

“Apologize.”

The last word was spoken without a smile on Yoo Jun’s face. In the end, Team Manager Shin squeezed out an apology in an ant-sized voice, and Hae Yeon, feeling awkward, slightly turned her head before accepting it.

“Let’s go, Miss Min Hae Yeon.”

Yoo Jun spoke after confirming the matter was settled. Hae Yeon acknowledged but her steps weren’t light. Because as soon as she passed, the Sales Team 2 employees whispered amongst themselves and Team Manager Shin glared fiercely from behind.