“Now, it’s Jung Mi O’s turn. What’s the secret about our father?”

Ga Eul asked with a pounding heart. This was what she had been waiting to hear through their long conversation.

“I don’t know the details. Your father and Dae Un’s elder brother’s father were supposed to do business together, but because your father didn’t keep his promise, it fell through. Because of that, elder brother’s father ended up with a huge debt, and he passed away struggling with it.”

“Then, did our director know who my father was when he hired me?”

Ga Eul’s voice trembled severely. She felt as if the sky was falling. It felt like discovering that everything she had believed in was a lie.

“Probably. I heard the elder brothers mentioning Han Ga Eul’s name even when we were in America.”

After that, no words reached her ears.

So the director knew who she was from the beginning and hired her to use her.

Otherwise, why would he hire the daughter of someone who had harmed his father? He must have thought it was okay to use her because of what her father had done.

What does that make her, who had felt flutters for such a director? Why did she treat the director so casually? As if she were someone special to him.

Ga Eul, Han Ga Eul! You fool!

Jung Mi O repeatedly said she wouldn’t forget Ga Eul’s kindness if things went well and she didn’t have to go to America. Of course, Ga Eul let those words go in one ear and out the other.

After Jung Mi O left, Ga Eul locked the office door and came out. She couldn’t sit in the office full of traces of Director Ki Dae Un.

But unable to go home in this state either, Ga Eul started walking mindlessly. Walking in the scorching heat was painful, but less painful than the hurt inside her.

* * *

Ga Eul entered the office with a bright greeting. It was their first face-to-face meeting since the director returned from India.

“Director! You’re back!”

Though she had practiced dozens of times, it came out wrong from the start. Her voice was too loud and high.

Even after reminding herself while walking that the director was a person to be grateful for, it seems she couldn’t completely erase her resentment towards the director who hired her knowing who her father was and intending to use her.

Dae Un, who had been lying on the office sofa, groggily got up.

Something was wrong. Dae Un felt it as soon as he saw Ga Eul. This wasn’t the Ga Eul who used to jump into his arms. What on earth had happened while he was away in India? Ga Eul seemed even more distant than when she had begged him to date her.

“Have you been in the office all this time?”

Ga Eul asked, looking at the suitcase placed next to the sofa.

Dae Un stared intently at Ga Eul, who was still speaking to him in a bright voice.

When Ga Eul had jumped into his arms, he had seen hope. He thought he was almost there.

But upon returning, Ga Eul had retreated even further back than she had come forward. He hadn’t sensed any such sign in the texts Ga Eul sent while he was in India.

Embarrassed to show his joy to the distant Ga Eul, Dae Un asked gruffly.

“Did you go on vacation? Somehow you’re more tanned than me who went to India.”

“I felt my stamina was dropping, so I did some outdoor exercise.”

Ga Eul answered casually. She had done plenty of walking exercise under the scorching sun. Yet Ga Eul still hadn’t made a complete decision. Whether it was okay to continue nurturing her feelings for the director like this.

No matter what, the director is someone to be grateful for.

Besides her grandmother and Gyeo Ul, he’s also the closest person. Without the director, she wouldn’t have been able to endure the past year. He’s also someone who covered for her even though he knew she was doing spy work, whatever the reason.

Ga Eul tentatively concluded that. It’s thanks to that that she can at least see the director’s face like this.

If the director wants to use her, let him. Hasn’t she been using the director all this time too? Moreover, there’s the damage her father caused to the director’s father.

The feelings she harbors for the director are hers alone. It’s not something to confront the director about.

Dae Un stared at Ga Eul for a moment, then picked up a shopping bag from behind the suitcase and plonked it on the table.

What he wanted to see was Ga Eul’s eyes shining with vitality. Not empty eyes like extinguished windows as they were now.

From the past year’s experience, Dae Un knew when Ga Eul’s eyes shone with life. When she talked back or retorted to him.

Ga Eul would sit with emotionless, indifferent eyes, but as soon as he poked at her, her eyes would immediately come alive, sparkling as she pounced on him. He had often deliberately poked at her just to see that.

It was the same now. Wanting to see Ga Eul’s eyes come alive and sparkle again, he decided to poke at her.

“What’s this?”

The response came immediately. Ga Eul showed curiosity.

“A gift. There was a cashmere shop at the hotel.”

You were the one singing about being the ’embodiment of material greed’. Now wake up and be true to that title.

As Dae Un hoped, material desire awakened in Ga Eul. Hearing the word ‘cashmere’, Ga Eul was turning it over in her mind.

The director, who sings about growing up precious as a chaebol’s child, wouldn’t call something with just 10% cashmere content ‘cashmere’. The box looks quite big too, and 100% pure cashmere of that size. Ga Eul’s mouth split into a grin.

“It’s not for you, it’s for grandmother.”

Dae Un said, watching Ga Eul’s eyes shining with material desire. The light in Ga Eul’s eyes went out with a pop.

Such an easy-to-read and simple Han Ga Eul. A smile touched Dae Un’s lips for the first time today.

New light filled Ga Eul’s eyes. The light of expectation. A blatant look asking, isn’t there one for me?

Intending to tease Ga Eul once more, Dae Un placed a second shopping bag next to the first one. Watching as Ga Eul’s closed mouth opened again.

“This is for Gyeo Ul.”

Remembering how Ga Eul particularly suffered in winter, he couldn’t pass by the cashmere shop, but Dae Un still didn’t bring out Ga Eul’s gift.

“What about mine?”

“……”

“There’s nothing for me? Really? Truly? Does that make sense? I’m the one working under you, Director. Not grandmother or Gyeo Ul.”

The look in Ga Eul’s eyes that Dae Un wanted had returned. That would do for now. He could find out slowly what had happened.

“Giving two gifts to one household is enough. Grandmother makes my lunch box every day.”

“Then what about Gyeo Ul?”

“Gyeo Ul is a student preparing for exams. Isn’t the day of the college entrance exam supposed to be that cold?”

Ga Eul pouted. As always, the director was playing with her. As if he would stop only after seeing her feel upset. And she was dancing to the director’s tune.

Seeing him teasing her, it seems the director has returned to normal. Unlike her, still in confusion. Maybe the problem is that she found out something she shouldn’t have known.

“How very considerate of you.”

Although not understanding the director’s intention in teasing her, Ga Eul matched the director’s rhythm to the end. She wondered if she should add that he was as petty as a herring’s dry gall bladder.

Seeing the look he wanted return to Ga Eul’s eyes, Dae Un decided to retreat to the second floor for now. It was time to find out why Ga Eul’s attitude had changed.

“I need to rest upstairs for a bit, so don’t be lazy and work.”

“What kind of company welfare is this? This is why we need a labor union.”

Dae Un heard Ga Eul grumbling as he went up to the second floor. Dae Un smiled faintly. Then he slowly counted numbers.

It didn’t take long. Before he finished climbing the stairs, Ga Eul’s energetic voice was heard.

“Director, I’ll serve with loyalty!”

Ga Eul had discovered her gift hidden behind the suitcase.

“Hmph!”

Dae Un snorted and climbed the remaining stairs. His steps climbing the stairs became lighter.

* * *

Contrary to his words about resting, Dae Un turned on the computer as soon as he entered his room on the second floor. He needed to find out what had happened to Ga Eul during the few days he was gone.

Dae Un quickly rewound the videos recorded by the first floor camera, starting from yesterday. Ga Eul’s daily life unfolded rapidly in reverse. Dae Un slowed down the speed to watch it carefully.

Excessively honest and diligent Han Ga Eul!

On the day he first met Ga Eul, Dae Un made it clear that the second floor was off-limits to her. He told her never to come up, not to be interested in anything happening on the second floor, and not to let anyone in.

Since that day, Ga Eul had strictly adhered to it. Even when he wasn’t around, she didn’t even glance at the second floor. On the rare occasions she cleaned the stairs, she got his permission.

Thanks to the thorough security system he had installed on the second floor, Dae Un knew this. It was probably after knowing this that he started to take a liking to Ga Eul.

Then Dae Un started fast-forwarding the video again. Jung Mi O appeared. Dae Un went to the scene where Jung Mi O entered the office and started playing the video forward from there.

He had a hunch that Ga Eul’s change was related to Jung Mi O’s appearance.

Dae Un quickly skipped through the scenes of Ga Eul and Mi O talking. The scene of Jung Mi O leaving came up. After Jung Mi O left, Ga Eul also packed her things and left the office.

Jung Mi O must have done something again!

Dae Un rewound that scene several times to examine Ga Eul’s expression as she left the office more closely.

Then he picked up his phone.

− Elder brother! You heard from Ga Eul!

Jung Mi O answered the phone in a bright voice.

“What on earth did you say to Ga Eul!”

Dae Un shouted in anger. So that the anger would be fully conveyed to Mi O through the phone.

− What do you mean what I said. I just asked her to speak well to you so I wouldn’t have to go to America. What did Ga Eul say? Why is Ga Eul being like that? What did she say to you for you to be this angry!

“What else did you say besides that. Tell me honestly! Otherwise, I’ll call your father right now and tell him to send you to America immediately!”

− I, I… Ga Eul knew everything and asked. So I just confirmed it!

“So what did you say!”

Dae Un said through gritted teeth.

− You put Ga Eul in the maternal family business, right? Ga Eul knew that. I was shocked too. She knew everything and asked, so I had no choice, I told her about how your father was going to do business with Ga Eul’s father but called it off. That Ga Eul’s father didn’t keep his promise so the business fell through.

“How did Ga Eul know that I put her in the maternal family business? You must have told her.”

− Absolutely not! She knew before I said anything. I swear! It definitely wasn’t me who told her.

Dae Un hung up the phone and rubbed his face.

He didn’t fully believe Jung Mi O’s words, but he couldn’t just assume it was all Mi O’s doing either. That could lead him away from the truth.

So Dae Un rewound the video again.