Seventeen.

It happened when I was a first-year high school student.

A pretty girl who transferred to Do Eum’s class, Noh Eun Bi.

As always, being the “class’s kind helper,” Do Eum quickly became close with Eun Bi while helping her. No, at least I thought we had become close.

Until that child’s lost wallet was found in my bag.

Overnight, from a “kind helper” to a “steal helper,” Do Eum had to live with the false accusation of theft for over a year.

The honor that fell from model student to petty thief could only be restored after more than two years, when it was revealed that Eun Bi was trying to frame another child in the same way.

Eun Bi, with her outstanding looks and wealthy family, attracted attention with her so-called “victim” cosplay, and when it was exposed, she soon transferred to another school.

“Noh Eun Bi.”

The moment that child’s name came out of Eun Hyeok’s mouth,

Do Eum’s mind went blank.

“She said you would dislike seeing her, that there was some misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding?

How could putting her wallet in my bag and falsely claiming I asked to borrow money from her, which I never did, be a misunderstanding?

It was a full two years.

Living as a petty thief for something I never did.

“…I see. I had a feeling.”

Eun Hyeok added that it was strange how she would approach him happily on campus, but when she saw Do Eum next to him, she would be startled and run away.

“Well, maybe it was a misunderstanding.”

Do Eum swallowed the words inside the frame and only vaguely conveyed the surface story.

Not wanting to recall those memories, and because at least Eun Bi’s feelings confessed to Eun Hyeok must have been sincere.

“You should go now, you’ll be late.”

After sending Eun Hyeok off, the strength in Do Eum’s legs that had been barely holding on suddenly gave out, and she sat down.

Even though Eun Hyeok had offered to take her home, she had insisted that her cousin brother was coming to pick her up, but now that she was alone, she wondered whether to contact him or not.

The buses had stopped running, and it felt odd to take a taxi so late at night.

No, actually, these were all just excuses.

She just wanted to see Ji Wan.

She felt like all the fatigue from today would melt away with just one look at that man’s face, so she wanted to see him quickly, even if it meant making up ridiculous excuses.

[It’s me, Do Eum. The buses have stopped running, could you perhaps come pick me up?]

The moment her fingertips, which had hesitated dozens of times, ticked and sent the message,

Do Eum’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

******

Bandi Crodien, Royal 27th floor officetel.

Ji Wan entered the lobby of the premium officetel ambitiously built by the Bando Group in the heart of downtown.

The lobby security staff bent their waists at a 90-degree angle to greet him as he strode confidently across the mosaic tiles.

The moment he threw open the officetel door after walking unhesitatingly down the long corridor,

The sharp scent of alcohol hit his nose first.

Without even taking off his shoes, he stepped into the living room, and as soon as the interior lit up with one touch, his brows furrowed.

Haa.

Scattered liquor bottles and beyond the wide-open balcony, white linen curtains fluttered in the wind.

This was where he had stayed until he got married.

He was the one who had given Yi Seol a separate key card.

So the emotion rising to the top of his head wasn’t anger at barging into someone else’s home without notice.

For Yi Seol, whose usual drinking capacity was less than three glasses of beer, the number of bottles strewn on the floor was alarming.

“Yoon Yi Seol!!”

There was no proper response to his call.

His steps, which had been surveying the living room, moved towards the bedroom.

As he opened the bathroom door to the faint light leaking from inside the bedroom, splish-splash, the water that had overflowed from the bathtub soaked the floor.

Fighting the moisture seeping into his entire body, what Ji Wan encountered was Yi Seol, naked and unconscious in the middle of the bathtub.

*****

[Wait.]

The message from Ji Wan was just three characters.

As soon as she took in those three characters, Do Eum took out her lip gloss from her bag and applied it.

She took out a hand mirror to tidy her hair and buttoned up the shirt Eun Hyeok had taken off, hiding the stains on the shirt.

It goes without saying that she was giggling throughout this series of actions.

Are you here?

Am I too late?

I’m sorry for making you come all this way, so I’ll buy dinner.

She alternately tried out these phrases, even twisting her body like the women who acted coy in front of Eun Hyeok, and several times she untied her tightly bound hair only to tie it again because it felt awkward.

It was when she had just retied her hair after untying it because it felt awkward,

A familiar black sedan entered through the main gate in the distance.

The headlight was so bright that she half-covered her eyes with her small hand.

With a thud, a man hurriedly got out of the car without even turning off the engine and ran towards Do Eum.

The moment Do Eum’s mouth opened as wide as a basin,

“Madam, have you been waiting long?”

It was Woo Seok.

*****

He roughly dried off Yi Seol with a towel and carried her, wearing only a bathrobe.

Just before leaving for the hospital, in the car.

After calling Dr. Choi of the Korean University Hospital and Jung Hyeok of Eden Entertainment in turn, Ji Wan, upon checking the woman’s message, slammed the car steering wheel hard with a curse.

[It’s me, Do Eum. The buses have stopped running, could you perhaps come pick me up?]

Even when she’s in pain, she doesn’t say she’s in pain,

Even when there’s something she wants, she doesn’t ask for it. Given her personality, this contact to me must have been her last resort.

It must have been courage squeezed out after dozens of hesitations.

Time and again, the path to the woman was not easy.

[Wait.]

After sending the reply, he called Woo Seok.

“Manager Han, go to that person. She’ll be waiting.”

After a polite request, he put down his phone irritably.

“…Brother, you’re asking someone for a favor?”

It was Yi Seol, lying on the passenger seat where Ji Wan had laid her down, with her eyes barely open.

“Just how much did you drink when you can’t even handle alcohol!!”

It was anger mixed with relief.

“Why? Is it annoying? Are you so irritated because you can’t go to the person waiting for you because of me?”

“Let’s stop this.”

Ji Wan turned the steering wheel irritably and left the parking lot.

“I always waited. I waited like that for someone who wouldn’t come, thinking they would come.”

Yi Seol’s complaints continued on and off until they arrived at the Korean University Hospital parking lot.

“Get out.”

Until Ji Wan got out of the driver’s seat and walked around the car to open the passenger door, his eyes were cold.

“I don’t need the hospital, take me home. So I can drink more and just die.”

Ji Wan grabbed Yi Seol’s wrist as she resisted and pulled her out.

“At least get some vitamins. Your face looks terrible.”

Shaking off his hand, Yi Seol screamed.

As if she couldn’t calm down unless she threw a tantrum like that, even though it wouldn’t work.

It was always like this in front of Ji Wan.

Resentment that had strayed from its path, a past that couldn’t be changed.

Even though Ji Wan had no choice either, all the blame was his.

“You’re shameless! Disgusting!! You must hate me every time I’m like this, right? You wish I would just disappear! So just leave me alone, let me die!”

Thump thump.

Offering his chest fully to the woman’s fierce blows, Ji Wan picked Yi Seol up.

“Put me down, I said put me down!! You, you bastard!”

Not content with hurting him with harsh words, Yi Seol beat Ji Wan’s chest with her clenched fists, scratching and leaving marks.

Regardless, Ji Wan entered the VIP ward of Korean University Hospital carrying the woman.

The black car that had been following Ji Wan from the officetel parking lot flashed a few times and then turned to leave the parking lot.

*****

Last night, Ji Wan didn’t come home.

After dropping Do Eum off at the Hwa-an-dong house, Woo Seok looked so urgent that there was no time to ask what was wrong.

Do Eum tossed and turned, half-sleeping, in case Ji Wan might return late in the early morning.

In the end, he didn’t come without even a single contact.

She wasn’t in the mood to smile.

Tring.

Do Eum quickly took out her phone at the message notification without a sender.

The screen was filled with pictures of a man and a woman.

From pictures of the man entering a building to pictures of him carrying a woman wearing only a bathrobe.

The moment she confirmed that the familiar silhouette was Ji Wan, whom she had been desperately waiting for last night,

Her heart started beating loudly and her eyes grew hot.

It became clear where Ji Wan, who didn’t come home last night, was and with whom.

After sending someone else in response to her message asking if he could come, to whom he had rushed instead of her.

Do Eum quickly turned off the screen after rapidly scanning through the last of the photos.

*****

In a high-end restaurant overlooking the Han River.

Seo Hyeon’s lips curled up slightly as she looked at her phone screen.

She had just sent Do Eum the photos received from the person she had set to follow Ji Wan last night.

Little by little, gaps were forming, and eventually, the end of their relationship was what she desired.

“What, did something good happen?”

Across the round table,

Ki Hyeok asked about the smile that had formed on Seo Hyeon’s usually stiff face.

Seo Hyeon silently tilted her wine glass at the question from the man who usually didn’t care about her mood.

“It sounds like my mood is quite important to you.”

“That’s why I came here with flowers like this, asking for a meal. Your mood is always important to me.”

Seo Hyeon was about to ask if there was anything more important to him than rolling around with women in hotels, but she closed her mouth.

Recalling the young woman Ki Hyeok had just started meeting, according to information received through a private detective agency, Seo Hyeon shifted her gaze to the bouquet on the table.

“It’s pretty.”

It wasn’t just empty words.

The woman who was the flower shop owner was young and pretty. Enough to make her heart feel desolate, wondering what she herself had been like at that age.

“It’s a flower shop near the company. I thought you’d like it.”

It was white roses.

When would this insensitive man realize that his wife had a flower allergy?

Even if she liked them, it wouldn’t be thorny roses.

Achoo.

Seo Hyeon wiped her eyes with a napkin.

Unlike her well-hidden inner thoughts, she couldn’t hide the sneezing caused by her allergy.

She wished those flowers she couldn’t stand to look at would be removed from her sight immediately.

Preferably along with the man sitting across from her, smiling slyly.

“CEO.”

San Ha, who had been standing at the entrance, was suddenly by her side.

“The publishing company contacted us about the books you’re donating to the Healing Forest Library.”

This was a matter that had already been agreed upon between herself and the publishing company in the morning.

San Ha, who had assisted her with this, couldn’t possibly not know, so this question was purely for her current situation.

“Are you going to proceed as planned?”

It meant he would gladly take her out of here if she showed even a hint of discomfort with the current situation.

“Or do you want to reconsider once more?”

Leaning forward, San Ha’s emotionless eyes looked down at her.

Whether due to her allergy or not, her nose tip was ticklish and she felt like crying.