“Ugh.”

Hae Yeon let out a groan as she got up from bed on Sunday morning, her body feeling heavy. It was obvious to anyone that she had drunk too much the night before. Fortunately, thanks to Do Ha who had gone out for his morning exercise, she was able to avoid being seen in her disheveled state.

Rubbing her eyes, Hae Yeon went to the kitchen. After drinking some cold water and washing her face, she felt completely alert. Changing out of her pajamas and entering the living room, Hae Yeon contemplated doing a thorough cleaning as the space was quiet in Do Ha’s absence.

Although the house was always clean thanks to the housekeeper Do Ha had hired for her, even if she tried not to care about the home she had managed and cleaned with her own hands for 4 years, it wasn’t easy.

“Since Do Ha isn’t here, let’s do it now.”

She couldn’t give up on the deep cleaning after all. Hae Yeon decided to focus on areas that weren’t usually touched during this opportunity. The visible areas and frequently used spaces were already spotless under the housekeeper’s care.

She moved around here and there, room to room, as if on a treasure hunt. In fact, one of the reasons for suddenly deep cleaning was also to calm her troubled mind and body. Even though she had laughed and chatted with Joo Ah while drinking last night, she had felt uneasy the whole time.

Even after returning home, she had secretly felt depressed before going to bed, not knowing that physical fatigue would actually clear her mind.

Hae Yeon’s thoughts were spot on. Keeping her head empty and body busy left no room for other thoughts.

“1st floor is done, should I do the 2nd floor?”

Having cleaned the lower floor spotlessly, Hae Yeon stepped up to the 2nd floor. She cleaned the living room and each guest room on the 2nd floor.

“Ah, should I clean there too?”

As she finished cleaning room by room, a certain room came to mind. Hae Yeon went to the very back of the 2nd floor hallway. That room, located in the most secluded corner upstairs, served as a storage space.

Since the house was large, there were several storage rooms, and this one was where items that were rarely used were kept. Even during major cleaning, this room was often excluded, so Hae Yeon felt a renewed sense.

“Huh? The curtains are drawn?”

As soon as she entered the room, Hae Yeon furrowed her brows at the sight of the curtains covering the huge window.

Worried about potential mold, she hadn’t pulled down the curtains, so who could have done this?

Hae Yeon’s expression turned serious. It had to be like this because this room was untouched by the housekeeper. There was no way she would have cleaned this room and drawn the curtains like this, so there were only two beings who could have done it.

Herself before losing her memory, or Do Ha.

Hae Yeon quickly went in and fully opened the thick curtains.

Whoosh.

Thanks to the dazzling weather outside, bright sunlight poured in, naturally refreshing the mood. Hae Yeon first moved her body according to the purpose of entering this room.

“How long has it been since this place was cleaned?”

It seemed like it had been a really long time, and there was even a musty smell in the room, so she opened the windows wide as well. Whatever the reason for drawing the curtains, the curtains weren’t the important issue.

What mattered was the fact that someone had touched this unused room.

There must be a reason, but Hae Yeon decided to clean first. Since it was a large, rarely used room with many items, she thought it would be more helpful to search while cleaning.

After organizing decorations, dusting the floor and window frames, Hae Yeon muttered.

“Now what’s left is here…”

Hae Yeon looked at the dark brown furniture. The most eye-catching and impressive thing upon entering this room was the tall wardrobe situated on the left side. If there was anything, it might be in this wardrobe, as the furniture seemed to be made of antique-looking wood.

“……”

Looking at the furniture that had seemed almost black when covered by the curtains, a strange feeling arose. Hae Yeon hesitated, took a deep breath, and grabbed the heavy doors, opening them wide on both sides. Then, among the few items inside the opened furniture, one caught her eye.

No, it had to be described as standing out. The deep antique furniture was also dark inside, so that item was excessively incongruous.

A mint-colored square box.

‘…What is this?’

The size wasn’t small. Hesitating like when she saw the wardrobe, the moment she reached out her hand towards the item-.

“Hae Yeon.”

“!”

A low, baritone voice resonated in the room. Startled, Hae Yeon turned around and saw Do Ha standing there in his workout clothes, his hair slightly disheveled.

Hae Yeon smiled and stood up.

“Oh? Do Ha, you’re back? You came back earlier than I thought.”

“…Yeah, since you drank last night, I finished quickly and came back.”

Do Ha gave a small laugh and strode into the room. Then, coming beside her, he grasped and lifted up that mint-colored box.

“Is that box yours, Do Ha?”

Hae Yeon asked lightly, pretending to be casual. Her heart was pounding, but she forced a smile and asked. Do Ha, whose smile had disappeared at some point, stood still without answering.

Just as she was about to furrow her brows, Do Ha smiled again and finally replied.

“No.”

Even as he said that, Do Ha didn’t put the box down. Hae Yeon looked at the box for a moment and gave an awkward laugh. As if trying to divert her attention away from the box, Do Ha changed the subject.

“Hae Yeon. Why are you cleaning when it’s hard? Looking around as I came in, it seemed like you cleaned everywhere else too.”

Hae Yeon held her breath. If the mint-colored box was incongruous, Do Ha’s current behavior also felt very strange.

Do Ha, who was holding onto it while saying it wasn’t his.

Unlike his denying lips, his actions creating a sense of unease, Hae Yeon felt a deep perplexity.

Why was Do Ha acting this way, even taking such a risk? Do Ha was probably in a situation where he feared her regaining her memories, but how was she supposed to accept him making such a risky move?

“Please let it slide just this once, Do Ha.”

Hae Yeon gently curved the corners of her eyes. Unlike her heart, she couldn’t reveal her doubts to Do Ha. Because she felt a wall more solid than ever before while he was smiling at her.

“Let’s go have lunch, shall we?”

Hae Yeon spoke in a lighthearted voice. Without mentioning the mint-colored box again. As she matched Do Ha’s ‘strange behavior’ and changed the topic of conversation, Do Ha, who had been looking at Hae Yeon with a somewhat subdued look, replied.

“I’ll tidy up the rest, so you go down first and think about what to eat. Let’s not cook and order delivery.”

“Okay.”

Hae Yeon left the room with a smile. Do Ha’s attitude just now was natural, but it was an order of dismissal that couldn’t be refused. Hae Yeon, who couldn’t take more than a few steps and was staring at the storage room from the hallway with lingering attachment, sighed and went downstairs.

The room Hae Yeon left was filled with a sense of desolation.

“……”

Do Ha’s gaze was fixed on the door she had closed as she left. When his wife said she was cleaning, he never thought it would include this place. Since it had been left untouched at the end of last year, he had just left it.

Reaching that thought, Do Ha closed his eyes tightly and reproached himself.

“It wasn’t just leaving it, I probably wished for it.”

Even though he knew there was a possibility of Hae Yeon discovering it, a part of his heart might have harbored hope that she would find this by chance. So it was no different than just leaving it.

But when reality hit, he got scared and hid the box, which was ridiculous.

Thinking of a little while ago, he felt pathetic. At least answering Hae Yeon’s question truthfully was the best he could do. Even if he didn’t give a complete answer, there was no lie.

Click.

Opening the box in his hand, Do Ha slowly closed his eyes while grasping something inside. Compared to Do Ha’s large hand, what was inside was pitifully small.

* * *

I didn’t realize how precious and happy holidays were until I became an office worker. Facing Monday morning again, Hae Yeon steeled her resolve and headed to Ddali Coffee.

“Excuse me, Min Hae Yeon from the Management Support Team? The support team’s job is to cooperate evenly with each department’s work, I mean really.”

Ha. As if she’ll only be working for a day or two. Shin, the team leader, complained annoyedly.

While being tormented by Team Leader Shin’s absurd demands again today, Hae Yeon was about to leave Sales Team 2.

“Min Hae…, parachute… is…”

The faintly audible sound was clearly her name. With a doubtful heart, Hae Yeon turned her body toward the direction of the sound and made direct eye contact with two employees from the sales team.

However, the two people who made eye contact hastily turned their heads first.

“……”

Hae Yeon’s expression was indifferent. Even when she looked at the two employees without saying anything, Hae Yeon turned her body forward again and moved to the Management Support Team.

“Min Hae Yeon. Let’s go out for some external work together.”

As soon as she entered the office, Deputy Manager Lee Min Jae spoke to her. Hae Yeon’s gaze naturally turned to So Jeong. Since she was her senior, her gaze went there naturally.

“Hae Yeon, just go with Deputy Manager Lee today. I have something to do in the afternoon, so I can’t go with you.”

When Hae Yeon looked a bit puzzled, So Jeong came close and quickly explained.

“Yes, I understand.”

It was regrettable that she couldn’t go with So Jeong, the person she was closest to and most comfortable with in the department. Since it was unavoidable, Hae Yeon prepared, and So Jeong meticulously checked the necessary tips and equipment for external work.

“We’ll be back.”

The two who left the Management Support Team were quiet until they reached the parking lot. However, Hae Yeon could feel Deputy Manager Lee’s ardent gaze. In fact, Hae Yeon had some expectations and worries about making mistakes since it was her first customer meeting, not a supplier, and even though she had prepared thoroughly, Deputy Manager Lee’s stiff behavior was hard to ignore.

“It must be hard doing miscellaneous tasks ever since joining the company, right?”

Deputy Manager Lee, who was in the driver’s seat, glanced at Hae Yeon and asked. Hae Yeon smiled.

“No, it’s not. Thanks to that, I can quickly grasp the work atmosphere and it’s good.”

When Hae Yeon answered, Deputy Manager Lee continued. Hae Yeon also mixed in answers from time to time, as if trying to erase the awkward air in the car no matter what. As the conversation continued to some extent, Hae Yeon felt that Deputy Manager Lee had something he wanted to say to her, forcing himself to talk like this.

Then suddenly.

“Min Hae Yeon, are you perhaps a parachute employee?”

Deputy Manager Lee asked point-blank.

“Pardon?”

“No, someone is saying that you’re a parachute employee.”

The moment she heard those words, the two employees from Sales Team 2 who had been looking at her and whispering came to Hae Yeon’s mind. Is it starting now?

Lost in thought, Hae Yeon couldn’t answer right away. As if embarrassed, Deputy Manager Lee quickly made an excuse.

“You don’t have to take it so seriously. Everyone thinks it’s just a rumor.”

Is that really so? If a team colleague is saying this separately, it means it can’t be ignored. As Hae Yeon explained her innocence, she made a decision.

Now it’s time to take action.