Although Bo Mi’s mood was shattered by Ga Young’s sarcastic words, since she was more like a subcontractor even though she was the CEO of a collaborating company, she forcibly swallowed her bitterness.

“Even if I’m called CEO… it’s just a tiny company.”

“Your words… are going too far.”

“Oh my. I’m sorry. Did I hurt your pride?”

Ga Young covered her mouth and smiled maliciously. Be patient. I must be patient. Bo Mi didn’t want to ruin her first day on the new team.

“I highly value your abilities. It’s not easy for a small company to come to a place like this.”

“Team Leader Yeon Ga Young.”

“I don’t know much about augmented reality or metaverse, just show me when you make it. You know how important the perspective of an average consumer like me is, right? I’ll thoroughly analyze it from a consumer’s point of view. CEO Han Bo Mi.”

Shamelessly, Ga Young proudly stated her lack of knowledge about the project.

And that ignorance ended up making Bo Mi feel like a hamster running on a wheel.

When she showed a demo of an application that could overlay clothes or shoes directly onto a video of one’s body parts linked to an outlet catalog, Ga Young nitpicked even the most absurd things.

She threw a document with almost a page full of points to fix and asked Bo Mi to revise it.

Thanks to this, Bo Mi rarely had days when she could properly go home. She needed to prepare to welcome Yeo Reum too…

“Being a CEO… but can’t even decide when to go home.”

These were all things Bo Mi had to endure if she wanted to raise Yeo Reum without lacking anything.

“Haa… I don’t want to go in.”

Bo Mi loved work second only to Yeo Reum. She used to be so immersed in work that she was called a workaholic, but this strange phenomenon of sighing deeply just at the sight of the company was all because of Yeon Ga Young. That bad girl.

“CEO Han Bo Mi!”

“Su Young.”

“Did you work overtime yesterday too?”

“No… but I did go home at 12.”

“You’re working so hard. I should have stayed and helped more.”

Su Young patted Bo Mi’s shoulder with a worried look.

“No, it’s my part…”

“She picks out just your parts and fills them with revisions. You know she’s incredibly focused when typing then, right?”

“I guess she doesn’t like me.”

“No. It’s the graphic implementation of your product… but to nitpick even the design, she should be scolding the product designer. Is she telling you to tear apart and remake the product?”

Su Young heatedly took Bo Mi’s side.

“I know. But even if we complain, they have too little understanding of application development.”

Bo Mi’s lips protruded in a pout. Su Young put his arm around Bo Mi’s shoulder and pulled her towards his chest. He thought he was the only one Bo Mi could lean on as an old friend. Once she’s a little more stable, Bo Mi will forget about Nak Won too. When that time comes…

“CEO Han Bo Mi. Let’s cheer up.”

Bo Mi smiled as she gently removed Su Young’s arm.

“Thank you, CEO Ha Su Young.”

“We have Yeo Reum, don’t we!”

Hiding his now empty arm awkwardly, Su Young blurted out Yeo Reum’s name to hide his reddened cheeks.

Yeo Reum…

“Yes. Our Yeo Reum. My beautiful baby.”

“That’s right. My adorable nephew.”

Su Young chimed in.

“When did you say Yeo Reum is coming?”

“Ah… hold on, I’m getting a call.”

As if knowing they were talking about him, Yeo Reum called.

“Su Young, go ahead. I’ll come in later.”

Bo Mi remained alone in the hallway and pressed the call button.

−Mom!

“Yes, my love.”

−Can’t we do a video call?

“I’m at work, so…”

−Hnnng. I want to see Mom’s face.

“I want to see you too.”

−If it’s work, Yeo Reum should understand.

“Thank you.”

−Yeo Reum will sing a song to cheer Mom up.

On the other end of the phone, Yeo Reum started singing his favorite Gigaton robot anime song.

−… I never lose courage~. Brave robot.

The child’s clear voice tickled her heart, and a smile never left Bo Mi’s face.

“Thanks to you, I feel energized. Thank you.”

−Mom, I’m living with you starting tomorrow, right?

How many times must Yeo Reum have counted the days with those small fingers? Just imagining that scene made a part of Bo Mi’s heart ache. I miss you. My son.

“Yes. I’m so excited… I miss you.”

−Yeo Reum misses Mom very, very much too.

Yeo Reum made a kissing sound on the phone.

“I love you.”

Bo Mi also kissed her phone after removing it from her cheek.

Lovable Yeo Reum. When she held Yeo Reum in her arms, she felt as happy as if she owned the whole world.

Just as Yeo Reum was counting the days until meeting his mom by folding his chubby fingers, Bo Mi was also folding the fingers in her heart one by one. Finally tomorrow. After successfully finishing the presentation tomorrow, she should take Yeo Reum out for meat or something for dinner.

Bo Mi’s heart swelled just thinking about meeting Yeo Reum.

Although meeting Ga Young was torturous, at this moment, Bo Mi’s steps towards the office became lighter.

[This is the timeline separator]

After hanging up the phone, Yeo Reum waddled around humming a song.

“I never lose courage. Brave robot.”

Thinking about living with Mom starting tomorrow, Yeo Reum excitedly dragged his luggage out to the living room.

In the living room, Great-aunt Winter was watching the news on TV.

[Regarding this electric car recall issue, Do Jae Kyung, the director of Do Won Group, officially announced the position on behalf of Do Won Motors. The compensation targets are…]

“Look, that’s where your mom works.”

“Wow, is it such a big place?”

Along with a photo of the Do Won Group building, the caption read “Do Jae Kyung, Director of Do Won Group”.

Yeo Reum blinked his eyes seriously while watching the screen.

“Your mom takes after me, that’s why she’s so smart.”

Winter boasted and then looked at Yeo Reum packing his bags. He put a robot and a snack box in a small backpack. Yeo Reum would always put something precious in a snack box.

“Are you happy to live with your mom? Sigh. If only your mom hadn’t given birth to you.”

Winter trailed off.

If CEO Hwang Min Jun had found her a marriage match from a rich family… she ruined her own fate. Winter was dissatisfied that Bo Mi, despite her looks and abilities, was still single after meeting someone like Nak Won.

“Mom, why are you saying such things to a child?”

Mi Rae, who had been in the bathroom for a while due to irritable bowel syndrome, scolded Winter. She must be nervous about having to take the train alone with Yeo Reum tomorrow.

“Mi Rae aunt.”

As Yeo Reum stood up and spread his arms, Mi Rae picked him up.

“Well, I’m just saying Bo Mi is wasting her potential. These days, remarriage isn’t so bad.”

“Mi Rae aunt, what’s remarriage?”

Though his body was smaller than average children, his cheeks were plump. The dimples that appeared when he smiled reminded them of the late Nak Won.

“Yeo Reum, would you like to have a dad?”

“Yes! If I had a dad, he’d play with me. He said we’d go to the park to ride bikes and play soccer. He’d take me to Gigaton Land too.”

“Remarriage means your mom brings home a new dad for Yeo Reum.”

“My dad isn’t coming? Isn’t he supposed to come see me if I behave well?”

Bo Mi, unable to explain death to Yeo Reum who couldn’t understand it, vaguely told him that dad was traveling in heaven.

Mi Rae smiled gently and hugged Yeo Reum tightly.

“Then if Yeo Reum is a good boy, he’ll come to see you. Let’s prepare hard to go to mom tomorrow.”

“Yes! Yeo Reum likes just dad better than a new dad.”

Yeo Reum answered brightly, raising his arms.

“Yeo Reum, take this with you.”

Winter put a pair of shoes in front of Yeo Reum.

“Wow! Gigaton robot! Grandma, thank you.”

The shoes were designed with Yeo Reum’s favorite character.

“I’m not doing this because I hate you. Listen well to your mom and Mi Rae aunt when you go there, okay?”

“Mom, why are these shoes so big?”

They were oversized for Yeo Reum’s feet. Yeo Reum didn’t mind and happily put his feet in the shoes.

“Shoes are supposed to be worn one size bigger. Kids your age grow quickly. The last shoes became too small too fast, I thought the child’s feet would burst.”

“No matter what, these are too big. They might come off when running.”

“Aunt, they fit perfectly. Look, I can walk like this, and I can run too.”

Yeo Reum pretended to run, putting strength in his toes.

Yeo Reum seemed to have no intention of taking off the shoes, probably because he liked the Gigaton robot design.

“If Yeo Reum likes them.”

Mi Rae agreed that a larger size might be better, since Bo Mi wasn’t the type to pay attention to such details. Kids grow fast anyway.

“Yeo Reum is so excited to see his mom.”

“We’ll be at ease now that he’s going there, since your mom finds Yeo Reum such a burden.”

“It’s because it costs money. Do you know how much money your father is spending? I want to love the child too.”

“It’s not like sister Bo Mi doesn’t give living expenses, but mom always says that.”

Winter didn’t mention that she had gone to Min Jun to get more money because that wasn’t enough.

“Yeo Reum, do you like your new house? I wonder if Bo Mi prepared properly since she’s so busy.”

Winter changed the subject to divert Mi Rae’s attention.

“I saw Yeo Reum and mom’s room through video call, and it was really nice. Mom said she bought new bedding too.”

“Okay, don’t bother your mom when you go there.”

“Yeo Reum will take care of Bo Mi, so how could he be a bother?”

“That’s right. Mom can’t do much besides work, so Yeo Reum has to protect her.”

Yeo Reum said bravely, clenching his fists.

“Our Yeo Reum. So dependable.”

Mi Rae hugged Yeo Reum tightly, finding him adorable.

“If you go there and listen well to mom, your dad will surely come to meet you.”

“Yes, yes.”

As Mi Rae patted Yeo Reum’s back, she began to wonder when to help Yeo Reum understand Nak Won’s death. It’s better if he doesn’t know for now, right?

Like Bo Mi, Mi Rae also didn’t want to make the lovable Yeo Reum face reality.

Having watched Bo Mi still unable to escape Nak Won’s shadow, Mi Rae knew better than anyone.

“Your dad must miss Yeo Reum a lot too. So he’ll always be watching over you.”

“But, aunt.”

Yeo Reum whispered, tickling Mi Rae’s ear.

“It’s a secret from mom about dad.”

Yeo Reum knew better than anyone that mom longed for dad.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ga Young blew dust off her fingertip with a bored expression.

“Hmm… I think the original was better.”

“Team Leader Yeon Ga Young.”

Bo Mi bit her lip and made an angry face.

“What? You can just go back to the original, right?”

Although Bo Mi’s precious time had been wasted, Ga Young seemed completely unbothered.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t save the original data? Isn’t that the basics of basics?”

“… Don’t you consider how hard it was to make the modifications?”

“That’s not my problem. Now that I’ve seen it, the original is better, so what can I do?”

“Fine, Team Leader Yeon Ga Young. This is just a sample and demo, so it’s okay, but once it’s approved, we have to digitize all that large amount of data. You can’t say no then.”

“Well, if it’s still not good after doing all that, what can we do?”

Ga Young waved her hand dismissively as if it was no big deal.

“Anyway, you’ll be getting investment money, contract fees, and salary from Do Won Group, so isn’t it good if the work takes longer? We have to present the demo version to the executives tomorrow, so complete it by today and show me tomorrow morning. Understood?”

“Ha… I’ll revert it to the original and show you.”

“Yes, yes.”

Ga Young answered halfheartedly and muttered as she turned her head.

“Acting like a CEO of a tiny company.”

Bo Mi was furious at Ga Young’s attitude.

She couldn’t understand why Ga Young hated her so much.

From a young age, Bo Mi had been a thorn in Ga Young’s side.

“Anyway, reverting it will be easy since I have the previous data.”

Her heart fluttered at the thought that she might be able to leave work on time today if she just did a little more.

The past few days had been really terrible since Ga Young arrived. She needed to finish organizing the house so Yeo Reum could live comfortably when he came… The half-unpacked moving boxes were still scattered around the house. Maybe she should have accepted Mi Rae’s offer to come help one more time.

“I’ll go home today and finish organizing everything to prepare for welcoming our baby.”

Bo Mi wanted to clear her complicated thoughts. Desperately craving coffee, she entered the pantry where Deputy Manager Kang Seon Young approached her.

She was a team member who came from Hwang Do Construction’s resort division along with Ga Young, acting as Ga Young’s right-hand woman.

“Looks like you didn’t please the team leader again. It must be hard.”

“Ah… yes. No. It’s nothing.”

Bo Mi tried to brush it off, but Seon Young frantically shook the coffee machine.

“Oh my. Why isn’t this coming out? Why is it doing this? Strange.”

“It was fine just a moment ago…”

Bo Mi put down her coffee and approached Seon Young.

“Oh no. Look at this. It’s not working even when I press the button.”

“That’s strange… Let me take a look.”

“Oh my. Would you? CEO Han seems better at this than she looks, huh?”

“… These machines have a simple structure, so.”

Dealing with computer screens and building programs was better than human relationships. The same went for machines like this.

Bo Mi pressed the buttons but when it didn’t work, she checked the power button on the back of the coffee machine. The blue light that had been blinking on the ON position just earlier was now off.

“The cord was unplugged.”

“Oh my. You’re right. Why was it unplugged? How did CEO Han make coffee earlier?”

“I wonder. The power was on when I made mine.”

Bo Mi bent down to plug in the power cord and picked up her coffee cup.

“Is there a ghost in the pantry? Anyway, thanks.”

She felt odd about wasting time in the pantry. And Deputy Manager Kang Seon Young, who usually didn’t talk to her, striking up a conversation… No. Don’t be suspicious.

Bo Mi, seated at her desk, clicked on the hard disk with a bewildered expression. It wasn’t there. It had disappeared.

The data was not visible on either the hard disk or the shared cloud. For security, the only storage locations were the team’s shared cloud and Bo Mi’s personal hard disk.

All Narae Creative employees had access rights.

“Did anyone back up the data?”

“Well… Yesterday, the team leader rejected it, so we deleted it.”

One of the employees answered hesitantly.

‘It’s outdated, lacks sense, and even the touch response seems slow. If you’re going to do it like this, just quit. There are plenty of other companies.’

She also recalled being openly rebuked by Ga Young yesterday.

“No. If the data is deleted… It should still be on my hard drive…”

Bo Mi couldn’t find the previous version she had saved separately.

Did someone accidentally delete it after accessing Bo Mi’s computer? How could no one have the previous data? More importantly, the biggest problem was that Bo Mi, the person in charge, didn’t have it.

Could I have deleted it yesterday out of anger? Not having slept properly for days… Her mind wasn’t functioning properly.

Heat rose to her eyes. She mustn’t cry. Han Bo Mi, don’t be disappointed over this. You can just do it again.

“Bo Mi, are you okay?”

“Su Young… I think I’ll have to redo the first part.”

“Don’t worry. Since the algorithm is the same anyway, we can use the data I carry on my external hard drive. We should be able to finish before leaving work.”

“Senior, I can help restore it too. And it hasn’t changed much from the last work, so we can do it quickly.”

“For even the graphic data to disappear, this seems a bit intentional…”

Ji Hee, in charge of 3D motion graphic design, said while searching through her hard drive. If that was true, it might be the work of an insider. Bo Mi recalled Deputy Manager Kang Seon Young stalling for time to prevent her from returning to her seat.

No way… Bo Mi looked up and met Ga Young’s eyes across the glass partition.

The corner of Ga Young’s mouth rose crookedly as she wiggled the finger propping up her chin.

Deputy Manager Kang Seon Young was also by her side, watching Narae Creative as if observing monkeys in a zoo.

“Still, it hasn’t changed much from the original design, so we can do it quickly. Senior, let’s cheer up.”

Su Jung, the UI and graphic designer, also raised her head and struck a fighting pose.

“Thank you.”

Perhaps because they were members who had worked together for a long time, everyone quickly found their tasks.

Since Jung Hoon absconded with the investment money, the team’s cohesion had strengthened even more.

The employees were more loyal to the two of them, knowing that even in difficult situations, not a single person was fired, and Bo Mi and Su Young had taken care of everyone without pay.

Bo Mi wanted to believe that it wasn’t an insider who deleted the data.

Having implemented it once before, the recovery work was fast.

Even though it was still focused on outlet products, Ga Young was so picky. Bo Mi felt dizzy imagining how much pickier she would become when the resort business became the main focus.

Putting aside worries about things that hadn’t happened yet, completing the demo version for tomorrow’s presentation was the most important thing now.

“Thanks for helping this far. I’ll organize the remaining materials and complete it for tomorrow’s presentation, so you all go home first.”

“CEO, will you be alright?”

“It’s faster for me to organize the presentation materials alone.”

The whole team was exhausted from frequent overtime due to Ga Young’s unreasonable nitpicking. Seeing her colleagues drenched in fatigue, Bo Mi couldn’t bring herself to ask them to stay.

“Then, since tomorrow is an important day, don’t be late. I’ll finish soon and leave too, so don’t worry.”

“Bo Mi, I’ll stay and help too.”

Su Young said, pulling up a chair next to Bo Mi.

“If you stay too, how will the other employees leave? Besides, you said today is your mother’s birthday.”

“Ah… well.”

Su Young wanted to choose staying with Bo Mi over his mother’s birthday, but seeing Bo Mi’s eyes, he knew leaving would score points. Mother, your unfilial son is coming.

“I sent a gift certificate, so don’t forget to buy a cake on your way. Give her my congratulations.”

“Ah… thanks. If anything happens, be sure to call.”

Su Young’s steps were heavy as he left Bo Mi alone. But having known Bo Mi for a long time, he knew well what she liked and disliked. He still remembered Bo Mi saying in college that she liked people who cherished their family. It was a retreat for a future advance.

In the quiet office, only the light from the monitor screen flickered.

Bo Mi didn’t dislike this time of quiet concentration. She put on her headphones and turned up the volume of the music.

Tap tap tap.

The sound of typing on the keyboard was buried in the music.

Her hand fell lightly as she placed the final period on the last page.

“Ahh! It’s done!”

Bo Mi stretched her arms and yawned.

“Saved too!”

If someone had deliberately deleted the data, she just needed to manage the data more thoroughly. They’d had designs stolen before, and company funds embezzled, so this was nothing.

As for Ga Young, Bo Mi should have responded more strongly. What was so scary about childhood memories…

Even in a superior-subordinate relationship, she should have acted as an equal in collaboration. At this rate, Bo Mi’s precious people would get hurt. She reproached herself for almost suspecting Narae’s employees today.

As her thoughts cleared, she stood in front of the shredder with documents to destroy, feeding in the papers. Bo Mi played the animation music that Yeo Reum had sung for her. Thinking about how happy Yeo Reum would be if they sang together, her body started moving on its own.

Humming along, she began to dance to the music flowing from her headphones. Someone might laugh if they saw, but now was the time when everyone in the Strategic Planning Office had gone home. Ji Hee had said that Naraetori’s clumsy dance was inspired by watching Bo Mi’s dance.

Am I really that bad at dancing?

Yeo Reum would give two thumbs up and cheer for mom’s dancing.

“I never lose courage!”

Who cares! There’s no one watching anyway.

The people in the Strategic Planning Headquarters had all left an hour ago.

“Brave robot…”

Humming while waving her arms up and down and turning her body, Bo Mi suddenly froze like a stone.

Bo Mi’s raised arms and legs stopped mid-motion, unable to breathe properly, her eyes only rolling, at the sight of a man standing at the entrance of the Augmented Reality team’s office.

Ah…

Those distinct features shadowed in the dim light. A smiling face with deep dimples.

“Won Il.”

“…”

She could see the man’s lips moving, but the music in her headphones drowned out the sound.

The faint monitor light shone on the two like a spotlight.

There was no way she couldn’t recognize who he was.

He’s not Won Il. Do Jae Kyung… Director Do Jae Kyung.

Bo Mi gently lowered her headphones and stared at Jae Kyung with a bright red face.

“Director…”

How long had he been watching?

So embarrassing. Bo Mi muttered, avoiding Jae Kyung’s gaze out of shame.