“Sister Se Eun. Are you busy?”

At the call that could not be ignored, Se Eun quickly came to her senses and turned her head.

Mo Na was standing next to the desk, though Se Eun didn’t know when she had arrived.

Soon she handed over a small box with a smile.

“What… is this?”

“Open it and see.”

What Mo Na handed over was a rectangular, velvet-textured, pitch-black box.

Though unsure of the intention, Se Eun opened the box for now.

In an instant, her eyes lit up.

“How is it? Pretty useful, isn’t it?”

Mo Na shrugged and pointed to the contents of the box.

Inside were various tones of amber besides the one Se Eun had found in the warehouse.

Bright yellow amber, amber with a green tint…

As Se Eun stared at them, Mo Na kindly explained the reason for bringing the box.

“The one you chose is too ordinary. It’s better to develop the jewelry line concept in various ways.”

“Oh. I see…”

Wondering why she was giving such advice, Se Eun looked up at Mo Na with slight unease.

But Mo Na didn’t seem to have any particular intention.

After closing the lid of the box again, she gave some words that could be quite helpful to Se Eun.

“It’s better to see a lot of raw stones in person rather than just looking at photos for ideas to come up. Did you know there’s a sample room in the very back of our warehouse?”

Se Eun shook her head no.

Except for when Mo Na had her move boxes on her first day, she had only been to the warehouse once more when she discovered the amber.

“I guess you didn’t know. Well, even if it’s there, you wouldn’t know the password.”

“Password?”

“Since we’re a jewelry company, we have quite a few high-priced gems. So Director Jang Ha Yeon doesn’t let just anyone enter. It’s like a safe, so to speak.”

“I see…”

Understanding the explanation, Se Eun nodded this time.

She didn’t have any desire to go in anyway.

As just an intern and not yet a full employee, she didn’t even hope for such authority.

But Mo Na threw out an unexpected statement.

“But it should be fine for you to go in, sister.”

“Huh?”

“It’s full of rare imported items like this amber. Don’t you want to see? There are some very old ones too.”

“Ah… I’m fine.”

When Se Eun carefully declined, Mo Na’s eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

“Why? Sister, didn’t you hear what grandfather said? He said he’d give the brand to the more suitable one between us. But your attitude is so lukewarm. What is it? Are you saying you’ll just win against me without even considering such things?”

“Huh? No, that’s not…”

Cold sweat seemed to break out on Se Eun’s back at the suddenly chilled atmosphere.

Mo Na took after her aunt Ko Do Hwa in having an impulsive side, and at such times, Se Eun was always the one to catch the sparks.

“When someone is trying to show goodwill, you really… I can’t help but think you’re looking down on me.”

“I-I’ll go take a look. Thank you. Tell me the… number too.”

With a grin, Mo Na’s lips curved into an arc as she suddenly raised her voice.

As if for everyone to hear.

“Alright, Sister Se Eun. You’re a member of our team, so you certainly deserve to see the sample room.”

Saying that, Mo Na kindly wrote down the password.

Though bewildered, Se Eun had no choice but to accept the forced goodwill.

Looking at the clock, she seemed to have been sitting for too long.

Realizing her body felt stiff, Se Eun decided to go to the sample room for some exercise.

In fact, there was an even bigger reason.

Perhaps because Mo Na had just shown her the amber.

She had inadvertently recalled Ki Sun Woo’s eyes.

And as if a lie, her heart began to feel empty.

She wanted to soothe her heart by looking at the raw stones instead of those beautiful eyes she hadn’t properly faced for days.

*

Sun Woo diligently took Se Eun to work and picked her up.

Skipping dinner was only for that one day, and on other days they ate together as usual without fail.

He perfectly managed to feed and bathe Cho Ppang while she was at work.

His reduced words also returned to normal.

But Se Eun could tell. That an invisible wall had formed.

The subtle dryness felt in his constantly glib tone.

It was Se Eun’s sad detector, honed from a lifetime of being sensitive to others’ attitudes.

“When the weather gets a bit warmer, we’ll be able to go on our first walk soon. This guy, his weight is increasing impressively day by day. It’s really admirable.”

Knowing the talk was about him, Cho Ppang let out a bark.

Looking at Cho Ppang, who was starting to look quite Shih Tzu-like, Se Eun forced a soft smile.

If it had been just her and Sun Woo, the atmosphere might have frozen, so it was truly grateful that this small presence was softening it somewhat.

Borrowing Cho Ppang’s strength, she decided to try mustering up a bit of courage.

“…We’ll need a harness for walks, right?”

“Ah, that’s right. We didn’t buy any walking supplies last time.”

“Then… shall we go shopping together after dinner? There are lots of things to buy, like teething toys and such.”

For a moment, hesitation was detected in Sun Woo’s behavior.

But only briefly, as he naturally dismissed Se Eun’s suggestion.

“I’ll go by myself.”

“By yourself…?”

“Yes. You must be tired from work, so it would be troublesome to go out again. Rest well at home.”

What seemed like consideration at first glance actually contained a polite expression of refusal.

That wall painfully scratched Se Eun.

“Um, Ki Sun Woo.”

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“How bland. Come on, eat more. You need to build up your strength to work hard.”

As if nothing was wrong, Sun Woo scooped more rice into Se Eun’s bowl.

In truth, she wanted to ask.

If she had done something wrong, if he was disappointed in her.

Fortunately, she swallowed that question deep in her throat, but Se Eun couldn’t take her eyes off Sun Woo’s face.

The rare gems she had seen earlier.

None of them were more beautiful than Ki Sun Woo’s eyes right now.

‘As expected, I…’

Gulp, Se Eun swallowed dryly.

The feeling of seeing something pretty and being reminded of someone, the feeling of being endlessly upset by someone’s cold words, the feeling of longing that keeps surging like waves even while looking at them.

It ultimately meant that she liked that person.

Even for Se Eun, who was clueless about dating, she could understand that much.

“Alright. Then buy something nice.”

“Okay. The cold snap is still in full swing. Wear three layers of fur clothes.”

“…But you’re the one going out.”

“Ah, right. That’s true. Still, dress warmly at home too. It’s easy to catch a cold when the seasons change if you’re not careful.”

The clumsy and unfamiliar kindness was still there, but a corner of her heart ached.

She wanted to ask what had happened, but did she have that right?

Just looking at Sun Woo’s complicated gaze, Se Eun secretly harbored one wish.

If this man also had walls that needed to be built, that she would be the one to break them down.

Just as Ki Sun Woo had done for her.

*

The next day, Se Eun went to work as usual.

The weather was exceptionally bright, feeling quite like early spring.

Thanks to that, some sunlight seemed to enter her heart, which had been gloomy all along.

But that feeling shattered the moment she entered the office.

As soon as she set foot inside, a sharp voice flew towards her.

“Sister Se Eun!”

“…?”

For some reason, all the design team members were standing in a circle around Mo Na.

Feeling their gazes turn to her at once, Se Eun sensed something ominous.

Her premonition was correct.

Mo Na strode over and raised her voice at Se Eun.

“Sister! You went into the sample room yesterday afternoon, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Mo Na, you…”

“Didn’t you see anything then?”

“…What do you mean?”

Cutting her off, Mo Na pressed Se Eun even more like an interrogation.

The content was truly shocking.

“The diamond box that the director said she’d use this season has disappeared completely!”

“Dia…mond?”

“Yes. I checked with the management office, and you were the last one to come out of the sample room yesterday, Sister Se Eun.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Se Eun grasp the situation.

It was a trap. A trap set by Mo Na, coated with the poison of kindness.

She had crawled into that trap on her own, not knowing.

“I… don’t know anything about it. I don’t even know what a diamond box is in the first place.”

Not wanting to be falsely accused, Se Eun told the truth.

However, Mo Na’s expression was filled with strong suspicion.

“Maybe it’s not missing. If we look carefully again… No, instead of that, if you tell me what the box looks like, I’ll go look for it.”

Thinking that would be better, Se Eun hastily suggested.

That’s when it happened. The door opened again and a man who looked like a building security guard entered.

Because of that, Se Eun’s suggestion immediately lost its power.

“Ah, you’re here? Did you hear what I said?”

As Shin Mo Na made an exaggerated gesture urging the man, he nodded.

“We have footage captured during the estimated time of the reported loss, so I brought a printout first to confirm.”

“Give it to me.”

Thinking it was fortunate, Se Eun let out a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t stolen anything, so of course she wouldn’t be caught on camera.

“Here, is this the item?”

Saying that, the man handed over the printed paper to Mo Na and the team members.

Their eyes turned towards Se Eun at once after confirming it.

“Why… are you looking at me like that?”

As Se Eun asked, her shoulders trembling with anxiety, a sigh escaped Mo Na’s lips.

Soon she spat out words that were shocking enough to make everyone gasp.

“Here, this black box that Sister Se Eun is holding. It’s the missing diamond box!”