The uncomfortable voice, split into strands, pierced the air sharply.

Jung Woo stopped his hand that was about to grab Eun Seo’s ankle and slowly stood up. He seemed to have confirmed one thing for certain.

What Tae Ha wanted.

However, he couldn’t predict whether it would be a toy he’d quickly tire of, or a cherished doll he’d keep for a long time.

There were plenty of expensive toys discarded by Tae Ha’s hands.

He was a person who never hesitated to get what he wanted, didn’t hide his desires, and lived without reason to do so.

Jung Woo was too curious about what would happen if Kwon Tae Ha couldn’t get what he wanted.

“Why are you acting so scary? I just wanted to check since it seemed like you bumped into something earlier.”

“You, do you have eyes on your hands?”

Tae Ha lowered his gaze to Jung Woo’s hands and then raised it, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“Your attitude is even more incomprehensible. I’ve never cared about who I’m nice to.”

“Looks like you’ve started to care.”

“Can’t I worry about an injured friend?”

Tae Ha’s tightly pressed lips loosened at Jung Woo’s smile that had settled on Eun Seo.

“Friend?”

“Yes. Friend. Right, Eun Seo? We play piano together when we’re free.”

When Jung Woo prompted for a response, Eun Seo immediately nodded. The tense atmosphere between the two men felt like a lead weight flowing down her spine, unbearably heavy.

That lead weight felt like it was binding her body and burying it into the ground.

“Fine. Then you be the friend.”

Tae Ha walked past the two standing together, clearly watching Eun Seo’s eyes.

Eun Seo knew it wasn’t a message for Jung Woo, but a warning for her. A chilling warning to go only that far with Jung Woo.

“Did something happen between you two? Did you fight or…?”

Once they were somewhat distant from Tae Ha, Jung Woo entered under Eun Seo’s umbrella, snatching the handle as he asked.

“How could I fight with the CEO? I’d die if I made a wrong move. We just ate noodles.”

“Noodles? At least you two ate something. I didn’t eat properly.”

“Didn’t you eat at Seotaek earlier?”

“Tae Ha dropped a bomb and left, so the atmosphere couldn’t have been good. It was chaotic. I don’t know if I was eating or not.”

Jung Woo intentionally blamed Tae Ha, worried that Eun Seo might feel burdened thinking it was due to her mistake.

“But you should eat. Not eating only hurts yourself. When I was young, I once got scolded by my grandmother and was conscious during dinner. I woke up at dawn and couldn’t sleep. I regretted not just eating without being conscious. The food I left uneaten kept haunting me, I almost died. Until breakfast.”

“Ah.”

Though the context was different, Jung Woo thought Eun Seo was somehow pitiful yet also unscarred.

“Are you hungry by any chance?”

Jung Woo nodded. He wasn’t that hungry, but if he said otherwise, he felt the girl in Eun Seo’s story would seem more pitiful.

* * *

Eun Seo sat across from Jung Woo with the bar between them. On the bar were freshly made French toast and tomato juice.

“Wow, this looks really delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”

Eun Seo had made French toast for Jung Woo. She knew the pain of hunger too well.

What started as just a banana became a fried egg, and then escalated to French toast.

Eun Seo was going to leave Jung Woo alone and go to her room, but he kept her seated under the pretext of doing the dishes.

After stuffing his mouth full of bread and swallowing without chewing much, Jung Woo sat at the piano, saying it was a repayment.

“Is there anything you want to hear?”

“Anything is fine. I just like the anticipation. I don’t really know any songs anyway.”

Jung Woo raised his eyebrows in thought, then took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his fingers.

“What should I play.”

Eun Seo eagerly awaited Jung Woo’s hands to touch the keys with sparkling eyes.

“Oh right. This handkerchief smelled nice, what perfume did you spray on it back then?”

Jung Woo waved the handkerchief to get Eun Seo’s attention.

That handkerchief was the one Jung Woo had lent Eun Seo at the T store, and she had washed it clean and returned it shortly after.

“It’s the CEO’s perfume.”

“CEO? Tae Ha?”

“Yes.”

“Tae Ha has this kind of perfume? It’s unique.”

“Someone from C company visited recently and he received this perfume then. He told me to try it if I was curious. It smells nice, right?”

“This is that?”

“Yes. It seems to be the CEO’s taste. He uses only this every day.”

“Of course he would. The perfumer brought it directly from London.”

“Is that kind of perfume very expensive?”

“Why?”

Eun Seo rubbed her innocent earlobe. To celebrate receiving her first paycheck, she had given Tae Ha a perfume as a gift to show her gratitude. But she never saw him use it, perhaps it wasn’t to his taste.

“I might want to buy it later.”

“You want to buy that?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, it would be better not to.”

“Why? Is it very expensive?”

“No. I’m just jealous that only Tae Ha gets it.”

Jung Woo shook his head lightly and placed his fingers on the keys.

It was better not to know. She would be surprised to learn that C company’s master perfumer had created a single, unique perfume just for Tae Ha over two years.

Above all, it cost over a thousand per liter, and it was a gift from the master perfumer who had fallen for Tae Ha’s aura at first sight.

* * *

At 4 PM, lights in the Seotaek kitchen all turned on at once.

Three kitchen employees put on their aprons and busily hurried with kitchen work. As one of them was taking ingredients out of the refrigerator, Butler Jang entered the kitchen.

“Today, let’s make clam and seaweed soup and grilled deodeok. Since the chairman doesn’t like meat, I think stir-frying mushrooms and radish greens will do. You know to use perilla oil, right?”

“Of course, we need to cater to the chairman’s taste.”

Even though the head chef was from a nutritionist background, Butler Jang occasionally came into the kitchen like this to set the menu.

“Let’s see. I saw some salmon left yesterday. Should we grill some?”

Butler Jang opened the refrigerator, talking to himself. Well-prepared ingredients were neatly organized on one side.

“The abalone is cleaned very nicely.”

“That was done by the young lady who came from Dongtaek yesterday. I was surprised at how deft the young person’s hands were.”

“Me too, Butler. Madam An said the person is a real gem.”

“I see. I wonder if Madam An delivered yesterday’s daily wage well. I didn’t want to give it, but it was the chairman’s order, so I couldn’t not give it.”

Chairman Kwon was generous in these matters, or negatively speaking, he had a soft spot.

Even though she didn’t complete the promised time, drenched the employer, and completely ruined the meal atmosphere, Chairman Kwon said to give Eun Seo the daily wage, saying that those above shouldn’t be too harsh.

Of course, thanks to Chairman Kwon’s nature, Butler Jang might have been able to stay here even after Hong Ji Soo died.

“Her hands might be deft, but from what I saw, she’s completely useless. She’s too careless. I wonder how she works at Dongtaek.”

Butler Jang didn’t bother hiding his hostility towards Eun Seo, who ruined yesterday’s event. As a result, it only made Ha Eun’s position awkward.

It was a matter of face. Somehow she had managed to sit at the table alongside Chairman Kwon’s family. But that was turned to nothing with one accident.

And it was a major accident of spilling water on Kwon Tae Ha.

“Madam An said she’s close with Team Leader Choi.”

“Choi Woo Young?”

“Yes. They often eat together, and she gets along well with Chae Won too.”

An acquaintance of Choi Woo Young?

Butler Jang lowered his guard at those words and closed the refrigerator door.

“Should I ask Madam An? If she delivered the money well to Eun Seo?”

“Who?”

Butler Jang’s pupils rippled violently upon hearing the name.

“Madam An.”

“No, not Madam An. The girl’s name.”

“Ah, Eun Seo.”

“What’s her surname?”

“I don’t know that. She was just called Eun Seo.”

The employee replied indifferently while chopping off leek roots with a knife.

Eun Seo.

Butler Jang left the kitchen with hurried steps.

A face that seemed familiar somewhere. And Eun Seo.

They say it’s a common name, but it felt somehow unsettling.

‘It’s been too long since I’ve seen the old lady. I was inconsiderate.’

Butler Jang opened the door leading to the back garden. Then, after checking several times that the door was properly closed by pulling it with his hand, he positioned himself as far as possible from the building.

‘Where was the old lady’s number… Ah, here it is.’

After hesitating several times, Butler Jang dialed Song Bok Soon’s number. However, the phone was turned off.

What’s going on? The power is off. Did she forget to charge it?

Butler Jang scratched at his phone screen, biting his thumbnail in growing anxiety.

* * *

“Secretary Song, go in. I was wondering why he hadn’t called you today, but he’s calling now. It’s almost time to leave work.”

Deputy Han, who had just come out of the office, put down the event proposal for the general manager on the desk, speaking as if he felt sorry for her.

“Wasn’t there any document he was looking for?”

“No. He must have something to instruct separately. Hurry and go in.”

At those words, Eun Seo closed the Excel file.

Then she checked her appearance up and down. No coffee stains, all buttons and zippers fastened, no runs in the stockings.

Hair.

Eun Seo tightened the knot of her tied hair and headed to the office.

Knock knock. And 3 seconds.

The clicking sound of shoes. Though now familiar enough to know whose it was, Tae Ha beckoned Eun Seo with a flick of his hand without taking his eyes off the laptop.

“Did you check the list of website renewal companies with the IT department?”

“I just confirmed it and I’m currently summarizing it for the meeting.”

“Send me the original and summary by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, do you have a passport?”

“A passport? No.”

“Apply for leave tomorrow and go prepare one. You’ll need to take a photo too, there will be some things to do.”

“Why do I need a passport?”

“We’re going somewhere.”

“Where?”

Only then did Tae Ha take his hands off the keyboard and look up. He didn’t know how to deal with a secretary who asked ‘Why?’ and ‘Where?’

“Why are you asking so many questions?”

“A passport means going abroad, right?”

“Of course.”

“It’s my first flight. I was just curious. Wondering if we’re really going abroad.”

Her eyes seemed to be sparkling for some reason.

“Was that a positive reaction?”

Tae Ha leaned back in his chair and leisurely rubbed his temple as he asked.

“Yes. No, I’m not sure. Whether it’s good or worrying.”

“We’re going to Bali.”

“Can I really accompany you for that? I’m worried I might make mistakes. I’m sorry, but wouldn’t others be better?”

Eun Seo asked carefully with genuinely worried eyes.

“It has to be Secretary Song. No one else can do it.”

“Even though it’s a business trip?”

“It’s not a business trip.”

“Then, what is it?”

“Honeymoon.”