Tae Hong kept laughing throughout the arrival. He laughed endlessly. He laughed so much that it made one wonder if he had always been such a cheerful person.

His excessive laughter was contagious, and sometimes Hae Jin found herself laughing along. Her face, tinged with embarrassment, seemed to have lost its way back to its natural color.

“We’ve arrived.”

Hae Jin’s voice was so small it could have burrowed into the ground. Finally suppressing his laughter, Tae Hong even regulated his breathing.

“Well, you seem to be having fun.”

Who knew one could misunderstand so dynamically? When he said let’s go to the hospital, she naturally thought he meant out of concern for her. Hae Jin felt a slight surge of resentment.

She should have explained properly; he was clearly the source of the misunderstanding. The laughter she thought she had suppressed leaked out faintly. Crossing her arms tightly in the parked car, she expressed her dissatisfaction in her own way.

“How long are you going to keep laughing?”

Seriousness was a bonus, and gravity was just the right sauce. She also revealed an implicit expression hoping he would stop laughing now.

“I’ll try not to laugh.”

He pressed his lips into a straight line, making a show of effort. But weren’t his eyes still crinkled in laughter?

“You’re just too cute.”

Cu-cute? Suddenly hit by another unexpected attack, her seriousness and gravity were cast aside as her ears turned red.

Hae Jin composed her barely calmed heart and headed for the hospital room. Since they couldn’t visit empty-handed, Tae Hong went into the convenience store.

Even with him not by her side, an auditory hallucination lingered in her ears.

You’re too cute, too. Cute. Cute.

When was the last time someone called her cute? The more she thought about it, the more her face reddened, how embarrassing. She tried her best to avoid him as he exited the convenience store, pointlessly checking her phone or fiddling with her fingers.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

She deliberately walked behind him. If she walked ahead, though her face wouldn’t be visible, there was no guarantee even the back of her head wouldn’t tingle.

Conscious of him behind her, she worried about tripping and falling. If that happened, she might really cover her face with both hands and hide.

Knock knock, she opened the door to Byung Soo’s hospital room. As if already aware of their visit, Byung Soo was waiting with his bed half-raised.

“Team Leader, you didn’t have to come.”

Byung Soo was glad to see them, but also visibly apologetic. Tae Hong placed the box of drinks on the small bedside table.

“You didn’t have to bring this.”

Byung Soo’s apologetic expression intensified. Tae Hong gestured for him not to move, soothing him.

“Manager, how are you feeling?”

Hae Jin asked after surveying the IV drip and hospital bed. Byung Soo scratched his head awkwardly.

“Of all times, to have an accident the day before a business trip.”

He bowed his head like a guilty person. But it wasn’t his fault, was it? How could one prevent an accident in advance? Hae Jin moved her hands left and right as if wiping a windshield.

“Don’t think like that at all.”

Tae Hong chimed in as well.

“Thanks to you, Deputy Jung Hae Jin must have gained a lot of experience.”

It was clearly meant to comfort Byung Soo. But why was her face turning red? How much would the experience he mentioned align with the experience she was thinking of?

“Haha, that’s right. I learned a lot.”

Hae Jin laughed awkwardly and answered like a malfunctioning machine. She had indeed learned a lot, but the fact that she had learned many other things as well would remain a secret until her dying day.

“I’ll properly organize the business trip report, so don’t worry.”

Tae Hong pulled up a chair as if settling in for a long stay. He then used his long arm to pull another chair next to him and seated Hae Jin.

“Your legs will hurt if you stand.”

It was clearly a kind gesture, but Hae Jin couldn’t help but glance at Byung Soo, suddenly conscious of Tae Hong’s informal speech in the hospital room.

“Manager Lee Byung Soo, how long did they say until discharge?”

“Nothing’s been decided yet. If I could even guess, I’d feel less sorry.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Tae Hong didn’t dwell on past events. He prioritized dealing with what had already happened.

“With the manager’s absence and all, I’ve been thinking.”

Tae Hong leaned towards Byung Soo. Hae Jin followed suit, leaning in as well. The three looked as if they were having a secret meeting.

“I’m thinking of filling that gap with Deputy Jung Hae Jin.”

Hae Jin was the one surprised. Byung Soo, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.

“But we have Manager Kim Yeon Jung.”

In terms of seniority and experience, Yeon Jung should have priority. Of course, Yeon Jung was also on the verge of being overloaded due to work adjustments. Tae Hong must have known this.

“Let’s call it placement by ability.”

“Jung can do it well.”

Byung Soo, finally setting aside his apologetic feelings, managed a smile.

“I’ve been feeling sorry about my indefinite hospitalization, but if you make the decision, Team Leader, I can focus on treatment.”

How could she say she couldn’t do it when he said he could focus on treatment?

“Alright. Manager Lee, focus only on recovery and rehabilitation.”

Their coordination was as smooth as a rehearsed game, but what could she do? They said it was because of her outstanding ability.

Having to organize the business trip report as well, it was in a way an opportunity to learn. In the end, Hae Jin had nothing to lose.

“Recover well, and let us know when you have a discharge date.”

“Manager, fighting!”

Hae Jin clenched both fists in front of her eyes, infusing Byung Soo with energy. At that sight, Tae Hong let out another barely audible laugh.

Hae Jin lowered her arms neatly as if nothing had happened.

“Shall we go, Team Leader?”

This time, Hae Jin walked ahead. She left the hospital room first, and through the still-open door, Tae Hong’s voice could be heard.

“Manager Lee, the hospital bills and hospitalization period will all be processed as paid leave.”

“What?”

“It’s a work-related injury.”

Byung Soo’s relieved face was briefly visible. Given Byung Soo’s personality, it might have been difficult for him to bring it up himself. Especially with an accident on the day of a business trip, if the company were to calculate and inquire about the damages incurred, he would have been at a loss for words.

Tae Hong, knowing his personality well, had taken the initiative. Telling him not to worry.

Indeed, people can be so unpredictable. The thought fleetingly crossed her mind that perhaps the side of him she knew wasn’t all there was to know. Like an onion, peeling back layer after layer.

“Let’s go together, Team Leader.”

At some point, Tae Hong, who had been walking at a distance, slowed his pace at the sound of Hae Jin approaching. The distance between them gradually closed, and they walked side by side down the hospital corridor. They simply walked matching each other’s shoulders without any particular conversation.

As they were about to pass through the hospital lobby, Tae Hong’s phone rang. Saying he’d take the call and come back, he moved to find a less crowded spot.

Hae Jin considered going to the parking lot first but decided to wait for him. She deliberately turned her body to allow him to make his call without worrying about her. Finding herself alone, she idly surveyed the lobby.

The lobby was crowded, but the payment counter was especially bustling with waiting people. Both to people-watch and to wait for Tae Hong, she observed the passersby.

She hadn’t been thinking much, but a woman with a particularly familiar silhouette caught her eye. Hae Jin unconsciously walked towards where that person was.

Familiar, seen many times before. Instinctively, she was certain this was her mother.

Only the woman’s back was visible. As Hae Jin approached, pushing through the surroundings, the woman with the familiar silhouette, having finished her payment, walked straight towards the elevator leading to the hospital rooms.

Why did the elevator have to be right in front of her? She might have turned around at least once, but the woman stubbornly walked straight ahead.

Could she catch up if she ran? She put strength in her front foot to run, but just then, she collided with a cart pulling boxes of goods being restocked at the convenience store.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Though she wasn’t hurt, a few items had fallen. While picking up the items with her hands, her eyes still searched for the woman beyond the boxes, but she had already disappeared into the elevator.

“Are you okay?”

The man pushing the goods seemed worried seeing Hae Jin crouched on the floor and asked.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

The man quickly tidied up the fallen items and went on his way. But Hae Jin was still busy looking around, hoping to spot the familiar silhouette that might still be visible.

“What are you doing here?”

Tae Hong, having finished his call, stood in front of the searching Hae Jin. But Hae Jin’s eyes were not on Tae Hong, but over his shoulder.

“I think I saw someone I know.”

Tae Hong also turned his head once in the direction Hae Jin was looking, then back to her. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Who?”

“Well.”

Hae Jin hesitated. It was just a familiar silhouette, nothing certain.

But she felt she had to tell Tae Hong. Was it because he was the first person to ask about her mother? Or was it the sliver of hope clinging to his offer to find her?

The truth was, just seeing a back view similar to her mother’s had unleashed a flood of longing to see her.

“I think I saw my mother.”

It might not be, but it could be, right?

“This is a spine specialist hospital, did your parents have back problems?”

Was that so? Since her parents often played golf, she had never thought about them having back problems.

“I guess not. I must have seen wrong.”

Hae Jin pretended it was nothing. Did she really see wrong? Then why did she keep wanting to look back? She shook her head lightly. If she thought too deeply, it would become endless, so she had to cut it off at an appropriate point.

As they got in the car to return to the company, she asked Tae Hong again.

“We’re going to the office this time, right?”

“We have to go to work.”

Even while driving, that back view kept coming to mind. But as Tae Hong said, would her mother have reason to come to a spine hospital? Besides, the figure was slimmer than her mother’s. It couldn’t be, it won’t be. It wouldn’t be, right?

Just as she convinced herself of this, she’d wonder, what if it was? It could have been her mother.

This back-and-forth in her mind made it even more distressing. If she had just turned her head once to confirm the face, this wouldn’t be happening.

Should she have grabbed the woman’s shoulder instead of picking up the fallen items?

“What are you pondering about?”

But Tae Hong saw right through her. Was it that obvious? Or was his perception just that keen?

More than that, she couldn’t bring other distracting thoughts to work.

“Nothing.”

“Then why have you been sighing heavily since earlier?”

Had I been doing that? How complex must her thoughts have been to not even realize she was sighing? Hae Jin unconsciously let out another deep sigh.

“See? You’re sighing again.”

Tae Hong’s face turned serious as he looked at Hae Jin.

“Is it because of your mother?”