“Everyone left already, right?”

[Yes, I told them I could stay longer, but they insisted on leaving. I escorted them home in a taxi.]

Seung Jun, who had entered a nearby hotel at dawn, frowned as he spoke on the phone with Jin Cheol, massaging his forehead with one hand.

The woman had been feverish all night. Unable to watch any longer, he had called her doctor to put her on an IV drip.

In case anything happened, he stayed by her side without sleeping a wink.

The fever finally broke at dawn. Seeing that Seol Ah’s condition seemed to be improving, he called Jin Cheol.

As he told Jin Cheol to come over, he also explained about the item he had taken from Yu Min.

Originally, he had no intention of returning it like this. Seung Jun taking Yu Min’s item had been a kind of petty revenge. Since he couldn’t have Yu Min, he wanted to at least have that item.

He never imagined Yu Min would be so attached to such an item. Of course, he also didn’t know Seol Ah would wait for him so foolishly.

After Seol Ah collapsed from waiting, Seung Jun couldn’t be petty any longer. He returned Yu Min’s item, lock box and all, to Yu Min through Jin Cheol.

What was it that made her wait for him in the cold rain until she collapsed?

Perhaps unconsciously, he had wanted Seol Ah to suffer. After all, he had coldly hung up on her when she called looking for Yu Min’s item.

Perhaps he had wanted her to be absorbed only in him, even if it meant suffering.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Seung Jun rubbed his face. Every inch of his body screamed with fatigue after nursing Seol Ah all night. But he thought this might be his punishment.

“Good work.”

[Yes, hyung-nim. Thank you.]

Jin Cheol ended the call with a carefree attitude.

Seung Jun stared at his phone, then squeezed his eyes shut. The fatigue made him feel a momentary pain, as if someone was smashing his head with a hammer.

‘Seol Ah.’

Those words about erasing that time. About forgetting the memories of those seven years. Did you take those words to heart? Is that how you were able to lie there so quietly, evening out your breaths?

Or were you just resting because you were sick?

Seung Jun opened his eyes and laughed bitterly.

What good would it do now?

She had already said she disliked him. If not for Yu Min, she might have left again. She was only enduring this situation because he was the child’s father.

She had already sorted out her feelings. What was he hoping for from Seol Ah, who only wanted him to leave?

And he had even rejected an early marriage.

Sighing deeply as he posed unanswerable questions to himself, Seung Jun stood motionless until that breath dispersed.

*

“Yu Min, are you okay now? You’re not sick anymore, right?”

It was a day Seol Ah was working late, so Yoon Sung’s mother ended up helping pick Yu Min up from school. She looked at Yu Min with worried eyes.

“Yes, I’m completely fine now.”

“Mom, I want to play with Yu Min more. Let’s go to the kids cafe.”

Yoon Sung begged his mother. Just then, other kids leaving school ran into Yu Min and Yoon Sung.

“Oh, I’m going to the kids cafe too. Let’s go together.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

With Shin Young and the other kids joining in, the group grew larger.

“Yu Min, is your body okay? Since you’re seeing your friends again after a while, should we go to the kids cafe to play and have dinner together? Your mom said she’d be late today because of work.”

At Yoon Sung’s mother’s words, Yu Min nodded. He had thought they would go to Yoon Sung’s house, but he was excited to go to the kids cafe instead.

The kids cafe they arrived at was inside a shopping center, with staff on site to ensure the kids could play safely, and there were also security cameras.

“It’s not really a problem if the kids are seven years old. Usually parents leave them here and go shopping, and we take good care of them. If anything happens, we’ll call you. Please just leave your contact information.”

At the staff’s words, the mothers left the kids there and departed.

In a place with facilities incomparably better than a playground, Yu Min played excitedly with the other children. After playing for a while, they sat in a circle and drank the juice Yoon Sung’s mother had bought them.

“I came here last time for my birthday. Coming back after a long time, it’s still fun.”

The other kids nodded at Yoon Sung’s words.

“Yeah, they added more claw machines too.”

“The ball pit got bigger too.”

As they were chatting, Shin Young suddenly remembered something and asked,

“Oh right, it’s your birthday this month, Yu Min, isn’t it?”

The kindergarten had a board listing the birthdays each month, and at the end of the month they would gather the kids with birthdays that month and throw them a party. So the kids knew when each other’s birthdays were.

“Yeah.”

“Are you not having a birthday party? You’re the only one who doesn’t seem to.”

The other kids nodded at Shin Young’s words. But Yoon Sung shook his head.

“Yu Min’s not the only one. Seo Eun didn’t either, and neither did Yu Na.”

“But they’re girls. Even if we went, they don’t have fun toys. Yu Min, why don’t you invite us to your house either?”

Yu Min looked down, feeling uncomfortable.

He had been invited to birthday parties and other gatherings at some of the other kids’ houses, including Shin Young’s.

At first, Yu Min diligently attended those events, but lately he declined because it was difficult for him to invite them to his own house.

Going to other friends’ houses, he realized – other houses were spacious with plenty of room to play and lots of toys. Yu Min’s house didn’t have space to play or many toys, so it wasn’t really suitable for inviting friends over.

“Do you live in a rental apartment by any chance? Or a semi-basement?”

Shin Young asked loudly.

“What’s that?”

Another child asked, and Shin Young replied,

“It’s where poor people live. My mom said those places aren’t fit for humans to live in.”

Yu Min flared up. He wanted to smack Shin Young on the head again for saying such things so carelessly. But he barely restrained himself thinking of his mother.

Just then, Yoon Sung, who had been quiet, suddenly got angry.

“Why are you always picking on only Yu Min? Yu Min doesn’t live in a semi-basement. Yu Min’s house is really big and nice!”

Yoon Sung had never actually been to Yu Min’s house, but he blurted that out trying to help Yu Min.

Shin Young stuck his belly out and asked,

“Have you been there?”

“Yeah, I have. Yu Min’s house is really nice. Right, Yu Min?”

Yu Min was about to say that wasn’t true, that his house was indeed a semi-basement, but he shut his mouth.

If he agreed in this situation, it seemed like he would become a laughingstock to the kids.

“Uh, sure.”

Reflexively answering like that, Shin Young said,

“Then invite us over for your birthday party this time. You have lots of toys at your house too, right? Let’s go play with your toys.”

The kids cheered at Shin Young’s words.

How was he going to handle this?

Only then did Yu Min realize the situation was getting more serious than he thought.

His birthday was next week. He couldn’t make a new house in a week either.

What to do? Yu Min just bit his innocent lips, unable to take back his words now.

*

“There’s nothing properly stocked in the break room? Yu, what are you doing?”

Called in by Executive Director Kang first thing in the morning, Seol Ah was stunned by his sudden nagging about the break room.

“I apologize, but I’m not in charge of the break room.”

“Then is it my job? Why do you have no sense of responsibility? Taking days off from work every other day, and now you’re making excuses that it’s not your job. I’m at a loss for words, really.”

It wasn’t Seol Ah’s job, but she usually ended up doing most of the company’s miscellaneous tasks. Because there was no one else to do them if not her.

The same went for the break room. Before she came, it was a mess, but she had organized it and even used her own money to buy this and that tea. But no one appreciated it besides Assistant Manager Seo Yoon Jin.

Still, thinking something was better than nothing, Seol Ah had kept doing it. But now she was getting scolded out of the blue for it.

“Right, there’s nothing to eat in the break room since Yu Seol Ah hasn’t been coming in. Why is that thing gone? The Vietnamese coffee. I told you that’s the only thing I drink.”

Hee Sun appeared out of nowhere, fanning herself.

Seol Ah had bought the Vietnamese coffee with her own money too. She ordered it online because it was a popular coffee, but Hee Sun only took it and never once refilled anything herself.

“That’s-”

“Then buy it and stock it yourself.”

Seol Ah turned her head at the voice beside her, eyes wide.

The owner of the voice was Assistant Manager Seo Yoon Jin.

She wasn’t usually like this. As a contract worker, she was even more careful with her superiors than Seol Ah.

“What did you say? Buy it and stock it myself? Is that any way to talk? You’re a contract worker, aren’t you? You don’t want to work at this company anymore!”

Executive Director Kang yelled at Yoon Jin as if he had met his match.

“Kids these days really have no sense, I’m telling you. To say that in front of the executive director, really.”

Hee Sun twisted her hair, looking at Yoon Jin and Seol Ah with a slanted gaze.

“Well, it’s the fault of Team Leader Mo who can’t teach her subordinates properly.”

Seol Ah took a deep breath. She was grateful to Yoon Jin, but also felt bad for her. She knew better than anyone that acting like earlier wouldn’t help either of them.

“I apologize, it was my fault. I will teach them well so this doesn’t happen again.”

If it was just herself, she would have insisted she did nothing wrong. But she couldn’t do that with Yoon Jin.

“No, Team Leader Yu did nothing wr-”

“Be quiet. Assistant Manager Seo, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Seol Ah spoke sternly on purpose to Yoon Jin who was trying to defend her, then bowed her head again.

“Stock it properly by tomorrow. Subordinates these days, treat them nicely and they walk all over you, really.”

Executive Director Kang scratched his belly and let out a long belch. Hee Sun waved her hand at the pungent kimchi smell and quickly walked away.

Seol Ah looked at Yoon Jin.

Although she would have to apologize for no reason and stock the break room without fail, she didn’t feel bad.

Because she had a junior colleague who would stand up for her, putting her own position on the line. She thought Yu Min was the only person on her side in the whole world, but…

“Wait, let’s talk for a second.”

Seol Ah gently pulled Yoon Jin along as they walked. Yoon Jin obediently followed her.

Reaching the rooftop where they often went to rest, Seol Ah looked at Yoon Jin feeling somehow choked up.

“Thank you.”

She wanted to leave it at that. But she had to say one more thing.

“But you don’t have to step in anymore. I know how you feel, so that’s enough. For me…that alone is plenty.”

Because I don’t have the ability to protect you. I’m not the kind of superior with that power.

Saying that with a bitter feeling, Yoon Jin replied,

“If you’re saying that out of concern for me, it’s okay.”