If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have known, but seeds of doubt kept sprouting. Not being able to run there right away, putting everything else aside, weighed on my mind continuously.

“Could it be my mother?”

The fundamental question in my heart spilled out without me realizing. Being by his side makes me reveal things I want to hide.

From Sion Group’s history to the old officetel to out-of-touch parents, he knew so naturally the things I wanted to hide from everyone.

“Have you heard from your parents?”

“No.”

Hae Jin’s answer was brief. Without needing a lengthy explanation, everything was conveyed in that word. Not only was there no contact, but their phones were still turned off. Despite inquiring around, it wasn’t easy.

Thoughts of her parents crossed her mind several times a day. They occupied a firm place in her thoughts. What’s more, they had even appeared in her dreams a few days ago.

In such a situation, having seen a similar silhouette, there was no way to calm her unsettled mind.

“Will you be able to do it properly?”

Ah, Hae Jin felt dazed as if she’d been hit on the head. It was a valid concern for him.

Having just taken over Byung Soo’s work and facing a big project, it was a natural worry for a superior to have.

“I separate personal and professional matters. It won’t affect my work at all.”

“Really?”

His response was skeptical, as if he couldn’t believe it. But Hae Jin didn’t want to receive negative points from him regarding work.

“I can really do well.”

Despite Hae Jin’s determination and ambition, his reaction remained cold.

“Alright, let’s say you work hard, but can you be quick in coming to me?”

Was he talking about something other than work?

“If your mind is full of worry about your parents, is there space for me to enter?”

Thump, this time it wasn’t her head but her heart that was struck. He clearly knew the reason for her slow steps towards him.

If the cause of her slowing pace was Hae Jin’s situation, he was saying he would cut that off too.

Why was she at a loss for words at this moment? Why couldn’t she speak confidently? She thought she had been getting closer, but even just the silhouette of her parents made her hesitate.

“Alright. Tell me anytime if you need my help.”

He was still reaching out his hand to her. Hae Jin’s fingertips moved as if about to touch his, but not quite.

“If your steps keep slowing, I’ll bring the destination closer.”

He was saying that she would eventually reach him.

**

An emergency meeting was called regarding Manager Lee Byung Soo’s sick leave.

There was tension on the team members’ faces at the emergency meeting. With just one person missing, it felt as if the meeting room was almost empty.

When Hae Jin said she would take on Byung Soo’s work as well, everyone was puzzled. They had already been unsure about her handling the brand launch, and now she was taking on additional work, so everyone looked skeptical.

“Does it have to be Deputy Jung Hae Jin who takes it on?”

Kim Yeon Jung spoke on behalf of everyone. The others’ faces showed agreement with her words.

“I’m already handling some of Manager Lee’s work, so couldn’t I take it on?”

Yeon Jung tried to maintain a composed appearance while hiding her true colors, but she couldn’t conceal the slight trembling of her lips.

“You all look like you can’t accept it, but I gained a lot of insight during the recent business trip together.”

Rather than explaining in detail, he convinced them with a single explanation. They knew better than anyone how draining and demanding of physical and mental strength a business trip with the team leader, Moon Tae Hong, could be.

Byung Soo, who had always accompanied the team leader, used to return from trips looking haggard. But when Hae Jin returned from the trip, far from being exhausted, her skin even had a glow.

Everyone had questioned this, debating whether Deputy Jung Hae Jin was even human. So if she had received a positive evaluation after going on a trip with Tae Hong, it was enough to convince them in one go.

“Kim Yeon Jung, Manager.”

Yeon Jung’s shoulders flinched. Though she had confidently said she could do it, her thoughts weren’t much different from the other team members.

“Manager Kim Yeon Jung, show the best results in your given tasks.”

“Team Leader.”

Her trembling shoulders were pitiful, but Hae Jin didn’t show any reaction. It wasn’t her place to interfere.

“With your years of experience, it’s time to show not just your best, but the best.”

Only then did Yeon Jung bow her head deeply.

Hae Jin didn’t fully understand the circumstances behind Yeon Jung’s immediate bow, but one thing was certain.

She recalled the words she had used to introduce herself at first – that she wouldn’t be a salary thief.

From wanting to be someone useful to Tae Hong, she now wanted to become someone he acknowledged as well.

**

I don’t know how the day passed. After the meeting ended, we dove into our main tasks. There was a pile of incoming data and accumulating documents.

Honestly, since this wasn’t my first time dealing with such situations, it wouldn’t be a problem if given enough time. However, I still had the task of being Tae Hong’s dedicated mark.

The two of us left work together. My body, battered from all sides, had turned to mush. I only had enough strength left to dangle the car keys.

“Shall I drive?”

“No, I should do it.”

No matter how tired, shouldn’t one do their job properly? Hae Jin had no intention of being sloppy with her duties, no matter how exhausted she was.

Hae Jin forced a bright smile and started the engine. As it was already quite late for leaving work, the roads were quiet.

The wide-open road refreshed both body and mind. Driving, which was her hobby, made her feel like her tired body was unwinding. Her foot on the accelerator felt light, and they arrived at Tae Hong’s house quickly.

“I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

As Hae Jin opened the driver’s door again, Tae Hong grabbed her. Click, his hand gripping Hae Jin’s wrist tightened.

“Want to go for a walk?”

She thought she might. Hae Jin’s mind was still in chaos, and it was obvious that nothing would change even if she went home like this.

She thought that maybe moving her body would help a little.

“Alright.”

The two walked together. It was the first time Hae Jin was properly seeing Tae Hong’s neighborhood. She had only driven through in the mornings and evenings, but never walked directly.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had walked down a street. Even when she was living in the officetel like an isolated island, Hae Jin’s range of movement hadn’t been very wide.

Originally, Hae Jin liked to move around freely, but back then she didn’t even feel like going out. And after getting a job, she was too busy with work to walk.

So it had been quite a while since she last walked. And this was the first time taking a stroll with Tae Hong.

“The neighborhood is really nice.”

The coolness of the evening, the freshness of an unfamiliar neighborhood, and Tae Hong walking beside her. Hae Jin seemed to think of nothing else in that moment.

Just a little beyond the neighborhood, there were rows of restaurants. Looking at the various restaurants, Tae Hong suggested menu options for their next meal.

“Team Leader. Are you really trying to build a relationship through meals?”

Walking side by side, she looked up at him over her shoulder. He walked looking straight ahead instead of at Hae Jin.

“Do you have any favorite foods?”

Favorite foods, huh. He asked as if he really intended to build a relationship through meals.

“Not particularly.”

“Then what comes to mind right now?”

“Nothing in particular either.”

Tsk tsk, Tae Hong clicked his tongue. Without looking, it was clear he was making a displeased expression. Hae Jin didn’t have much of an appetite. Rather than likes and dislikes, she ate a wide variety of foods well.

“That’s why you have no stamina or strength.”

Oh dear, ever since she had struggled to carry the suitcase, and because her legs trembled when kissing, he always treated her like a delicate flower.

He wouldn’t know. How much that day’s events came to mind whenever stamina and strength were discussed.

“Team Leader, you don’t seem to have particularly good stamina either.”

So Hae Jin blurted it out. Always being the only one embarrassed felt unfair. She said it wanting him to experience it once too, but she didn’t expect him to stop walking to confirm.

“Me?”

Had his mood soured? He pointed at himself with his finger as he asked back. Having said it in a moment of impulse, she hesitated on how to respond when he pressed the issue.

“How would Deputy Jung Hae Jin know?”

“Pardon?”

“How do you know if I have good or bad stamina?”

Tae Hong looked at her like a predator eyeing an herbivore that had disregarded it. In times like this, tucking one’s tail was the answer.

“Ah, I’m just joking. Anyone can see that you have great stamina, Team Leader.”

Hae Jin gave a thumbs up. But Tae Hong still didn’t look satisfied.

“Haha, you exercise every day, so of course you’re in good shape.”

Surely that should be enough to appease him.

Hae Jin looked around unnecessarily, praising how clean the neighborhood was and how it seemed to have high foot traffic. She rattled off shallow compliments.

“I don’t want just anyone to see, I want only Jung Hae Jin to see that I’m strong.”

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Hae Jin to end up half a step ahead.

“After all, only Jung Hae Jin needs to know.”

She wanted to ask what he meant by only she needed to know, but she swallowed her words at the sight of his burning eyes.

Without saying it, she could understand. As a man to a woman.

“Maybe there will be a chance to know later.”

Hae Jin quickly turned her body and started walking ahead. She could hear him laughing lightly behind her, but she absolutely couldn’t turn back.

Because she had started to see him as a man sees a woman.

How many times had they circled the neighborhood? They seemed to have gone round and round with Tae Hong’s house as the center point. On the last lap, she saw shops that had been open earlier now closing their doors.

It was time to go back.

“Thanks to you, Team Leader, I got some exercise and cleared my thoughts a lot. Thank you.”

Hae Jin bowed a little more sincerely than usual.

“This much is nothing.”

He just shrugged his shoulders. Now it was really time for Hae Jin to go, so she headed to the car. Tae Hong still followed her, and when she opened the driver’s door, he grabbed it.

“You’ll be spending more time working in the office now, so how will you handle commuting?”

“Of course I’ll do it like I have been.”

She answered nonchalantly. Feeling Tae Hong’s breath become slightly relaxed, Hae Jin slowly raised her head.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin will often have to work overtime from now on, and I’ll have many outside appointments like now.”

Only then did Hae Jin sense Tae Hong’s intention.

In other words, what he wanted to say was…

“There will be many inefficient days.”

His eyes were clearly asking what I thought and how we should handle it, but there was definitely something beyond that.

“What would you like to do, Team Leader?”

What would be the way to make the inefficient efficient? What would be the way to ease the regretful feeling of being a dedicated mark?

“I intend to respect Deputy Jung Hae Jin’s opinion as much as possible.”

What would be the compromise between what I want and what you want?