“Whew.”

Only when she arrived home did Hae Yeon feel the fatigue that rushed over her. Clearly, when she was hospitalized, she had only felt a bit stiff, as she told Joo Ah. But now that she had reached a space where she could feel safe, the tension dissipated and her senses came alive.

Still, aside from being tired, there were no major issues. Hae Yeon quickly washed off her sweaty, uncomfortable body. She let the fatigue of the day melt away as she soaked her body in the pleasantly warm bath.

“Ahh−. I feel alive again.”

After spending longer than usual in the bathroom, Hae Yeon changed clothes, her exhausted body trailing behind. As she entered the bedroom with a much more comfortable body and mind, a look of puzzlement settled on her face at the absence of Do Ha, who should have been there.

The question was quickly resolved the moment she entered the kitchen. Hae Yeon’s dining room was delicately designed with antique Scandinavian-style lighting and furniture, and a long silhouette was busily moving around in between.

“Huh? Do Ha?”

Hearing the words that had inadvertently slipped out, Do Ha quickly turned his head and swiftly scanned Hae Yeon.

Slightly flushed cheeks from the bath, damp hair, comfortable clothes. Above all, a much improved face. Seeing that Hae Yeon’s condition had gotten better, Do Ha finally seemed relieved and smiled.

Hae Yeon was happy to feel loved by Do Ha’s worried gaze. She approached him with rosy cheeks, and he affectionately narrowed his eyes.

“Hae Yeon, did you finish washing up?”

“Yes, I’m all done. But what were you doing?”

Hae Yeon asked, alternating between looking at the pot half-hidden behind his broad back and the ladle gripped in his hand. Instead of answering verbally, Do Ha twisted his body slightly to show the contents of the pot.

“This is… porridge?”

Inside the pot was a milky white porridge that had been simmered until mushy. It seemed to have been almost finished while Hae Yeon was washing up, as the grains were soft and tender.

“That’s right. You still haven’t eaten dinner yet. Since you got an IV, let’s have porridge just for today.”

“If you had told me, I could have helped…”

As Hae Yeon’s words trailed off with a guilty conscience, Do Ha gently furrowed his brows and focused on cooking again. Feeling ticklish in her chest at the sight, Hae Yeon reflexively moved closer.

“Oh no, that’s out of the question. Don’t even think about lifting a finger and just sit obediently in the chair.”

Do Ha lightly scolded her like a child. Knowing the warm intentions behind it, Hae Yeon obediently sat in the chair and waited.

Reassured that she was sitting still like a well-behaved child, Do Ha concentrated on cooking again. Why did he look so mischievous wearing a black apron around his waist and a white shirt?

Then Hae Yeon shook her head slightly with a chuckle and gazed at Do Ha like a docile puppy again. After a few minutes of bustling movement, Do Ha stirred the porridge one last time and turned off the heat.

“I can’t guarantee the taste. But give it a try for now. It’s hot, so eat slowly.”

“Yes, I’ll enjoy it.”

As she reached for a spoon, he wouldn’t even let her touch that. Hae Yeon shook her head. Do Ha ladled the porridge into a bowl and placed the side dishes he had taken out of the fridge on the table before sitting across from her.

Steaming white porridge and a kindly smiling Do Ha. Hae Yeon looked at them warmly and took a spoonful of porridge into her mouth.

“How is it, Hae Yeon?”

Anxious now that Hae Yeon was actually eating it, Do Ha quietly asked. Honestly, there was no way plain white porridge made without much seasoning for health reasons would be incredibly delicious. Even though he must have known that, he looked at her with such an expectant face that Hae Yeon couldn’t say anything.

“……”

Not only the porridge that he had painstakingly made, but Hae Yeon could also feel Do Ha’s heart in choosing the side dishes that went well with it, making her feel touched and choked up. Whenever she received Do Ha’s boundless affection like this, she sincerely wanted to ask him,

‘Don’t you resent me?’

She knew better than anyone what his answer would be, but at the same time, she was the one who understood him the least.

But since they were words she couldn’t utter, Hae Yeon forced a smile and took a spoonful of the porridge.

“It’s delicious.”

Her throat tightened, so Hae Yeon quickly picked up a side dish and ate it.

As Do Ha had hoped, Hae Yeon finished the entire bowl without leaving a single grain. Thanks to Do Ha, who even did the dishes himself, the two went to bed earlier than usual.

Lying in bed, Hae Yeon’s mind was complicated, unlike her relaxed body. It was because the auditory and visual hallucinations she had felt right before collapsing today kept gnawing at her nerves.

– Today is a special day, isn’t it?

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

At the time of the accident, she didn’t know whose voice it was, but thinking about it now, the owner of that voice was none other than Hae Yeon herself.

The most incomprehensible part was that.

‘What the hell is so special and what does it mean that I can’t drive?’

The documents Yoon Ho had given her said there was nothing special about the day of the accident. She and Do Ha had gone out together, and while she had no way of knowing where they were trying to go, based on the circumstances, she could only guess that the plan for that day was a day trip.

‘Not being able to drive’ was a bit more complicated. The speaker was Hae Yeon herself, but who was she saying couldn’t drive? If it was about herself, why on earth did she say she wouldn’t be able to drive for a while?

Somehow, the more she tried to find the truth, the more she felt like she was falling into a labyrinth.

‘What the hell−.’

“Hae Yeon.”

Just as she was about to sink into gloomy thoughts, a voice that made her feel wistful just by listening pulled Hae Yeon out of the downpour of emotions.

“…Oh, Do Ha, why did you call me?”

Reacting a bit slowly, Hae Yeon twisted her body to look at Do Ha. Ah, right. I was with Do Ha. Feeling apologetic towards him, Hae Yeon looked at Do Ha, but for some reason, he just blinked at her call.

Silence blanketed the quiet space. Lying side by side with only an auxiliary light on the nightstand, Do Ha and Hae Yeon stared at each other for a while without saying a word.

“Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you were okay after the accident today.”

Do Ha answered gently. Even though he was clearly talking about today, for some reason, the word ‘accident’ made Hae Yeon think of the past traffic accident first.

Despite not even remembering it.

“……”

As Hae Yeon remained silent, Do Ha turned on his side and met her gaze. Finally coming to her senses, Hae Yeon smiled faintly and gently cupped his cheek to reassure him and convey her sincerity.

“It was an incident too minor to even call an accident, so I’m fine.”

Kissing Do Ha’s forehead, Hae Yeon snuggled into his arms without giving him a chance to respond.

“I’m really okay, so don’t worry about it and go to sleep early.”

There were many meanings contained in those words, and even if Do Ha didn’t understand them all, she wanted to convey her feelings to him like this.

* * *

The low-saturation wallpaper that matched the marble floor exuded an air of authority that suited the owner of this room’s class.

Rustle.

The sound of turning pages echoed pleasantly through the grand space. The source of the sound was Chairman Yun Myung Gil, who was sitting in a leather chair in front of a dark walnut wood table, reviewing documents.

These days, work could be sufficiently handled with a tablet, but Chairman Yun still adhered to the analog method.

Knock knock.

She was concentrating on her work with a frightening intensity when she suddenly heard a knock and raised her head with a frown.

“Come in.”

The person who opened the heavy door and entered was her secretary, Young Hwan. He walked carefully to the front of the wooden table.

“The second young master wishes to see you soon.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

One of Chairman Yun’s eyebrows rose slightly. The news Young Hwan delivered was truly unexpected. Do Ha would not usually ask to meet her on his own without a good reason.

Pleased by Do Ha’s unexpected request, Chairman Yun instructed Young Hwan with a deep smile.

“Contact Su Rin.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Young Hwan left the conference room to carry out the order. In the quiet space, Chairman Yun fiddled with the documents Young Hwan had handed her when he came in.

“It’s about time the three of us met.”

The monologue was brief, and she resumed her work.

* * *

“Hae Yeon!”

The day after an incident too minor to even call an accident, Hae Yeon managed to convince Do Ha, who was reluctant to let his wife go to work, and went to the office. Right after lunch, she was kidnapped by Joo Ah and dragged to a secluded place.

“You should have just rested today. Let’s take a half day off, even now. I’ll approve it with my authority as an executive director. Okay?”

Joo Ah spoke with half aegyo and half threat. Even though Hae Yeon had woken up fine at the hospital yesterday and the doctor had said she was okay, Joo Ah still couldn’t rest assured and practically begged.

“What kind of new employee takes a half day off so soon? And I told you, I’m fine, didn’t I?”

Saying that, Hae Yeon deliberately raised her arms as if lifting dumbbells to demonstrate her healthiness to Joo Ah. But Joo Ah still didn’t seem to be convinced at all.

“They say that even a very small accident can have aftereffects. And I heard it hurts more as time passes after the accident than at the time of the accident?”

“I said I’m really okay. More importantly, you told the team leader about me too, didn’t you?”

Hae Yeon glared at Joo Ah. Knowing that continuing the conversation in this state would get her nowhere, she changed the subject to something disadvantageous for Joo Ah. As expected, as soon as Yoon Jun was mentioned, Joo Ah’s gaze shifted slightly from Hae Yeon’s face.

“Do you know how startled I was as soon as I got to work?”

It was meant to change the uncomfortable topic, but Hae Yeon kept pressing Joo Ah with her own agenda.

It was understandable since Hae Yeon, who had arrived at work later than usual, was called by Yoon Jun as soon as she entered the office. He also took her to an empty conference room like Joo Ah and abruptly asked if she was okay.

After going through the series of events, Hae Yeon even doubted if Joo Ah had any intention of hiding the fact that she had placed Seol Yoon Jun around her. Do Ha, Joo Ah, Yoon Jun. They were all treating her like a child left by the water.

“Well, that’s…”

Unable to find a suitable excuse, Joo Ah turned her head away this time, unable to tell Hae Yeon to take a half day off any longer.

Seeing Joo Ah looking dejected, Hae Yeon’s heart somehow softened. In fact, it was largely Hae Yeon’s fault that Joo Ah was acting like this. Hae Yeon patted her shoulder and comforted her.

“Joo Ah, I’m really okay. We have the weekend too. I can rest properly then.”

“Weekend?”

Joo Ah pulled away.

“Don’t try to fool me, Min Hae Yeon. You won’t be able to rest properly because of the founding anniversary party!”

What could she do? Hae Yeon tried to smooth things over with a smile, as it had the opposite effect of what she intended. It was evident that she wouldn’t be able to rest properly on the upcoming weekend due to the Gil Myung Pharmaceutical founding anniversary event.

‘Everyone will be gathered.’

Since it was the 60th anniversary event of the Gil Myung Group, the Mi Bon Group would also be attending this time, unlike other years.

What would happen this time?

Her face stiffened. Hae Yeon was not the only one who didn’t know what would happen at an event where everyone gathered.