Jaehun’s gaze, upon returning home, was extremely ominous.

“Director is here.”

Hearing the woman’s voice from inside, he urgently took off his shoes and headed towards the dining room.

“Sa Secretary? Lajin!”

A middle-aged housekeeper, in the midst of taking off her apron, looked at Jaehun with surprise, frozen, as he breathed heavily.

“Director? What’s going on?”

Jaehun couldn’t hide his disappointment and frustration.

“Why are you here at this hour?”

The housekeeper was always supposed to finish all the work before he left for home. It was a measure to minimize contact with others in his personal space and focus on work.

“Oh, that’s right. Secretary sent something, and I was wondering if it’s okay to leave it as it is.”

At the mention of the secretary, a spark ignited in Jaehun’s eyes that were dimming.

“You said Secretary sent it now?”

“Yes. It was sent by a courier. Along with a message.”

His heart felt like it was about to burst.

Yeah, there’s no way Lajin would leave without leaving anything for me.

There’s no way she’d just evaporate like this, leaving me behind.

There’s no way the person she chose to meet last in Seoul was Jeong Sunwoo.

Certainly, there must be an urgent reason. Seeing the strained relationship with her family, it could be the reason.

“What, what did she send?”

Jaehun’s desperate questioning ended with his voice trembling weakly.

Mrs. Jung, the housekeeper, so astonished that she momentarily lost her words, didn’t know what to say.

During the more than six years he had worked here, she had never seen him shaken. Jaehun was always clear, solid, and steadfast.

Those employed closely with the Geonyoung Group leadership were carefully selected, and since the family background was complex, they actively shared information to prevent mistakes or accidents.

Understanding what happened at the company, checking his mood, serving appropriate food or not, all of this was part of their duties.

According to the long-time employees in the main house, when Jaehun’s parents passed away, and his suddenly changed little father threatened and blackmailed him to hand over shares for his nephew, even spreading unreasonable rumors to hinder him when he joined Geonyoung Foods as the successor, Jaehun had walked his path without shaking, without waver.

A person like that was trembling just because the chief secretary had sent something.

“Oh, it’s in the bedroom, so… um…”

Before Mrs. Jung could finish her sentence, Jaehun turned and headed towards the bedroom.

The distance from the dining room to the master bedroom felt several times longer than usual.

Veins swelled on the back of his hand as he gripped the doorknob tightly.

Upon opening the door.

He stood still, unable to say anything, looking at what was on the bed.

Mrs. Jung, who followed him with hesitant steps, finally opened her mouth.

“It might help with a good night’s sleep, so Secretary told me to put it in the bedroom. I followed the Secretary’s words, wondering if it would be okay, so I waited until you returned.”

“……”

“Is it okay to have something like this…”

‘Something like this’ was a teddy bear.

Except for a very young age, he had never brought this into the house, not even in the main house. It was a cute, round teddy bear that Suzy, the granddaughter of the vinyl housekeeper they visited with Lajin during their business trip to Gangwon Province, had given to Lajin.

“Is it a gift from Unni?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I really give it to Unni? This is Suzy’s favorite doll.”

“Yeah. But I need it more. It’s going to be a friend for me.”
Although the memories of Lajin were very small, they were incredibly vivid and clear.

Her face, filled with joy, as she tightly embraced the teddy bear, comes to mind.

It’s as if she received a gift for the first time in her life.

“……Ah.”

Suddenly, Jaehun realized.

Perhaps, maybe, she had never received a teddy bear as a gift before that moment.

Details will have to wait for Director Kwon’s report, but judging by her adoptive parents’ attitude, it didn’t seem like Lajin was treated kindly even when she was young.

So, was she so happy like a child because of that?

Looking back, it seemed like he couldn’t provide comfort to Lajin as much as the teddy bear did.

“Um, Director? Should I also clean this up?”

Mrs. Jung observed Jaehun’s gaze at the teddy bear with vacant eyes.

“…Leave it. And go home.”

“Oh, yes. I understand.”

Mrs. Jung, worrying about Jaehun who stood still without any movement, left the room.

Even after Mrs. Jung went home, Jaehun continued to gaze at the teddy bear for a long time.

Then he slowly took his steps. With each step, his heart ached.

He raised the teddy bear at a pace as slow as when he walked towards the bed.

And at the moment when he caught the scent of Lajin from the bear.

“……Ha.”

He exhaled the held breath. It felt like something that had been condensed for a very long time burst all at once.

The teddy bear seemed to be saying something.

That the only thing containing our memories is this.