The first meal with Joo Ah at Dali Coffee was enjoyable. After lunch, we chatted more before reluctantly returning to the office. Hae Yeon, who had finished brushing her teeth and sat down at her desk, took out a plastic container from her bag.

“Hae Yeon, is that a nutritional supplement?”

So Jung, who had just sat down next to her, asked. Hae Yeon had started taking this medicine a few days ago, and seeing So Jung’s question, she raised the corners of her mouth.

“Yes. I heard it’s good for managing my condition. Don’t you take things like this, senior?”

“That’s right. Our job requires more stamina than it looks. I’ve been taking them since I was a newcomer too.”

So Jung chuckled softly. Hae Yeon smiled and poured a small pill into her mouth with some water.

In fact, unlike what she told So Jung, this wasn’t just a simple nutritional supplement. It was a medication prescribed at the hospital a few days ago, but even though she had been taking it diligently, there hadn’t been any noticeable effects yet.

I won’t give up. Hae Yeon made an internal promise as she tightly closed the lid of the medicine.

As it was gradually time to start working and she was about to prepare, her phone placed on the table vibrated briefly.

‘Who could it be?’

There was no one in particular who would contact her at this time. When Hae Yeon picked up her phone and saw the name on the screen, a smile naturally spread across her face.

[Hae Yeon, did you eat lunch well? Don’t doze off after eating, and I’ll see you in the evening.]

A short message, but full of affection. As she smiled contentedly, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘Should I go pick up Do Ha today?’

Since joining Dali Coffee, even though Do Ha occasionally came to pick her up, Hae Yeon had never done the same. It was because Do Ha had a separate driver, and his secretary also drove for him, so there hadn’t been an opportunity.

‘I used to pick him up sometimes before I started working.’

Thinking this, Hae Yeon immediately sent a text message to Do Ha.

[Then I’ll be waiting.]

It was a reply from Do Ha. Thanks to this, Hae Yeon carried out her afternoon tasks with a slightly excited heart.

“Good work everyone!”

As soon as the sound announcing the end of work echoed through the office, Hae Yeon immediately stood up from her seat.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh? Yes. See you tomorrow, Hae Yeon.”

So Jung looked at her strangely, as Hae Yeon, who usually prepared leisurely, was acting more swiftly than usual. Because it was rush hour and traffic would be heavy, Hae Yeon quickly moved to the parking lot. As she sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, a phone ring sounded.

“Hm? It’s Joo Ah?”

Hae Yeon touched the screen connected to Bluetooth and accepted the call.

“Joo Ah, you called-.”

Hae Yeon couldn’t continue speaking. As she was leaving the parking lot entrance, a vehicle suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Screech-!

Thud!

With a loud noise, Hae Yeon’s body shook violently. Fortunately, the seat belt stopped her from lurching forward, but if she hadn’t hit the brakes quickly, it could have led to a serious accident.

“What a shock!”

“Why are they driving so recklessly?”

“Hey, are you okay?”

People standing on the sidewalk near the exit all seemed startled by the loud noise and each said something. Hae Yeon sat dazed. Even though she had lowered the window slightly when getting into the car, the voices of people sounded muffled as if trapped underwater, and mixed with other noises coming from somewhere, it was confusing.

– Ah, I put my phone in my bag.

– I’ll answer it, Hae Yeon.

That strange noise became clearer, and over her trembling retinas, unfamiliar scenes overlapped like hallucinations.

– It’s a special day today.

– You won’t be able to drive for a while.

It was all jumbled up and out of order. Moreover, not knowing who was saying what, Hae Yeon unbuckled her seatbelt in frustration.

Click.

[Hae Yeon, what was that sound? Min Hae Yeon?]

Joo Ah’s urgent voice rang out through the car speakers. Not long after the call started, Hae Yeon’s voice had cut off, and hearing the loud noise that followed, Joo Ah seemed startled too. However, Hae Yeon couldn’t give any answer.

With a face pale as a sheet, Hae Yeon saw someone standing in the middle of the road. It was none other than herself.

Her powerless and despair-filled self.

Her tear-stained self was standing in front of a path like an abyss, trembling and clutching her stomach in a dazed state.

And, and-.

Thud.

Honk-!

Hae Yeon, who had been trembling in the driver’s seat, dropped her head. As she did so, she must have touched the steering wheel, because the horn blared outside the car.

“Oh my!”

“What’s wrong with that car?”

As Hae Yeon’s vehicle, which hadn’t moved at all, suddenly honked, people around gathered.

[What’s that sound? Hae Yeon!]

As the call hadn’t ended, Joo Ah called out urgently, but there was no way the unconscious Hae Yeon could answer.

[Min Hae Yeon!]

* * *

“……Huh-uh.”

A faint sobbing sound could be heard.

‘Who is it?’

It sounded like a familiar voice, but it was confusing. To begin with, not knowing what the current situation was, she tried to look around in frustration, but somehow her body felt drained and even lifting her eyelids was burdensome.

“……What on earth ……is this.”

Hae Yeon frowned with her eyes closed. The voice she had just heard belonged to someone familiar.

‘Joo Ah.’

Although she called out loud, it only echoed inside her throat. Hae Yeon parted her lips once more to make a sound, but again nothing came out, only her parched lips moved slightly.

Ah……

Finally, Hae Yeon understood what the situation was. She had been about to go to Do Ha after work, and had to make an emergency stop due to a car that suddenly cut in at the company parking lot.

As she organized her thoughts, some strength returned, and when she slightly opened her eyes, a dim light flickered for a moment. Hae Yeon closed her eyes once more and then opened them with more effort.

The first thing she saw was a white ceiling with fluorescent lights on. Hae Yeon frowned. It seemed to be a hospital, and it looked like people around had called for help after seeing her faint in the car.

“……Joo Ah.”

This time, finally calling Joo Ah with her voice, Hae Yeon tried to smile at Joo Ah who was crying while lying on the bed.

“Hae Yeon!”

Joo Ah, whose eyelids were swollen from crying so much, shouted with joy. On the contrary, Hae Yeon felt hurt. Joo Ah would have felt the same if she had seen her friend crying like this.

“I’m sorry, you must have been surprised. Hae Yeon, are you feeling okay?”

Realizing belatedly that she had shouted loudly in front of a patient who needed to rest, Joo Ah lowered her voice and asked carefully. Hae Yeon smiled slightly.

“Yes. I just feel weak, but I’m fine.”

That was true. Although she felt a bit dazed and stiff, there was nothing particularly painful. In this condition, there seemed to be no reason to come to the hospital, but was it because she had fainted?

For a moment, as the hallucination that had dominated her mind just before fainting flashed by, Hae Yeon briefly shook her head.

“Do you know how scared I was? The call didn’t end, but you weren’t saying anything, strange noises were coming through, and then some stranger said the driver had fainted.”

Joo Ah poured out the emotions she had felt at the time, saying it was so frightening. As if the thought alone was still difficult, Joo Ah buried her head in the bed again, then suddenly raised it and this time gritted her teeth.

“Just how did that person drive!”

As she raged and gritted her teeth, Hae Yeon felt sorry. If only she hadn’t fainted, this wouldn’t have happened, and she felt bad for causing unnecessary worry.

“Oh my. Look at me. I should let them know you’re awake!”

Excited that Hae Yeon had recovered, Joo Ah had forgotten to call the nurse and hurriedly pressed the nurse call button. Hae Yeon laughed at Joo Ah’s behavior.

“By the way. Joo Ah, what about Do Ha?”

He surely must have been notified too, but only Joo Ah was in the hospital room, which made Hae Yeon curious. In Do Hee’s case, Joo Ah would have blocked her first to prevent her from worrying, but she must have contacted Do Ha, yet he wasn’t visible anywhere in the room.

“Huh? Ah. He stepped out for a phone call. Do Ha came rushing to the hospital as soon as I contacted him.”

He’s been watching over the room the whole time. Joo Ah added. Hae Yeon hung her head, feeling like she had blown a small incident out of proportion. She really caused trouble for everyone.

Seeing Hae Yeon deflated, Joo Ah held her hand and said seriously.

“Hae Yeon, we’re fine. So don’t feel sorry.”

“But still……”

“Oh? I called the doctor, so Do Ha should be back soon, are you going to face him with that expression?”

While Hae Yeon couldn’t even answer, there was a sound from outside. It was the doctor.

“There’s nothing seriously wrong. You’ll be fine with plenty of rest.”

Even with the doctor’s words, Joo Ah didn’t seem reassured. Joo Ah’s expression had been dark throughout the diagnosis, making Hae Yeon more worried about Joo Ah instead.

“I’m fine-.”

Rustle.

The hospital room door that had closed as the doctor left opened again. As she turned her gaze, Do Ha was standing there with a hardened face. Hae Yeon called him with a glad heart.

“Do Ha.”

Although Hae Yeon called with a smile, Do Ha’s expression didn’t soften.

As Do Ha approached with stiff strides, Joo Ah patted Hae Yeon’s hand with an awkward smile.

“Now that Do Ha is here, I’ll be going.”

“Thanks for coming, Joo Ah. And I’m sorry.”

It was a sincere apology, but Joo Ah seemed displeased and rolled her eyes. How could she not understand what that look meant? Joo Ah, uncharacteristically sparing with words, said to Do Ha as she stood up.

“I’ll be going now, Do Ha.”

“Thank you. I was able to feel at ease because of you.”

As she left the room, Joo Ah kept her gaze on Hae Yeon until the last moment. Hae Yeon wanted to see her off to the entrance, but with the IV drip attached, she could only wave from the bed.

“Are you alright?”

Finally, after Joo Ah left, Do Ha asked. Sitting in the chair that Joo Ah had just occupied, he reached out and gently caressed Hae Yeon’s face, who was smiling faintly. Hae Yeon’s complexion was still a bit pale.

“I’m fine. The doctor said I can be discharged once this is finished.”

She smiled broadly and showed her hand with the IV like a child.

At that sight, Do Ha quickly grabbed her hand and lowered it to the sheet, worried the blood might flow back. At that doting action, Hae Yeon finally laughed out loud, and Do Ha, who had been frowning, ended up laughing too.

After receiving an IV for an hour, Hae Yeon was discharged. Do Ha wished she would stay in the hospital longer, but from Hae Yeon’s perspective, being hospitalized with a perfectly fine body didn’t seem right.

To Hae Yeon, the accident that happened just a few hours ago felt like a distant past. But the hallucinations and auditory illusions that still came to mind brought a sense of reality.

‘Was that my lost past?’

It might be, or it might not be. Perhaps it was a memory that flashed by because today’s accident was similar to the past traffic accident. It could be that the effect of taking the prescribed medication without missing a day had synergized.

But this was just her own thought. Unfortunately, she hadn’t regained her memories, but Hae Yeon held hope in having gotten a small taste of the past in that way.

Stopping her thoughts and turning her head, she saw Do Ha’s gaunt profile. Hae Yeon decided to think about the clues later and felt she should take care of him now, as he must be sensitive due to today’s events.

“Let’s go home.”

Do Ha said this while holding Hae Yeon’s handbag.

“Do Ha, I can carry it.”

With his tall height, long arms, and large hands holding such a small women’s bag, it looked quite unbalanced. Hae Yeon couldn’t help but laugh at this situation that didn’t match the mood.

“Hae Yeon, you just got discharged. Absolutely not.”

Either not realizing how he looked, or not caring, Do Ha rejected Hae Yeon’s request with unnecessary seriousness.

“With your build, carrying such a small bag is quite……”

As Hae Yeon spoke from behind him, Do Ha turned around. Hae Yeon smiled brightly.

“It suits you.”

Realizing his current state, Do Ha awkwardly cleared his throat. Seeing the slightly reddened tips of Do Ha’s ears, the corners of Hae Yeon’s eyes curved into crescent moons.