“What do you mean by saying it’s theft?”

Young Hwa stretched her lips in a mocking smile towards In Ha at the mention of theft.

Young Hwa could easily guess why In Ha was searching the room.

In Ha frequently stole designs from Young Hwa’s drawing book. Although Young Hwa knew about it, she turned a blind eye to some extent.

She also needed to create reasons to stay in this house.

And when she noticed that her design had been stolen again for the dress work order of this planned product, she hid her drawing book.

They probably couldn’t kick her out right away.

But she didn’t want her designs to be taken anymore.

In fact, even so, she thought In Ha might hold out to some extent.

She didn’t think In Ha would act so quickly.

So now In Ha must be making up excuses to cover up the fact that she was searching Young Hwa’s room.

“This? Why is it in your room?”

In Ha held up a clean shopping bag. It was the shopping bag that contained the purse Sun Woo had given her.

“That’s what mother took yesterday…”

Ah.

It’s different.

In Ha clearly knew she had taken that bag to work this morning.

Young Hwa’s eyes moved to In Ha, who was still wearing the same clothes she had worn to work.

On Young Hwa’s desk was a bag with the same design as the one Sun Woo had given her.

And In Ha held up the bag and waved it in front of Young Hwa’s eyes.

“No, the one I took to work is mine. I bought it myself yesterday.”

There was another new bag, still in its packaging.

In Ha threw the bag in its shopping bag at Young Hwa’s chest.

Seeing this, Jae Hee stood up from her seat.

“I thought your behavior was a bit bad, but I didn’t think it would be this messy.”

Jae Hee clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Why is that here? You didn’t put it here yourself, did you?”

At least Young Hwa didn’t want to be treated like that. But she guessed well enough that no one would listen to her opinion anyway.

“Look at how she’s talking. I felt bad about yesterday, so I was looking for the bag to give it back to you. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I came to your room and it was here.”

In Ha grabbed Jae Hee’s arm.

“That’s enough. Mom, stop it. You were going to give it anyway, right? Just give it. She must have felt wronged.”

In Ha pulled Jae Hee out of Young Hwa’s room.

After all this, now I’m being treated like a thief.

Fine. Do whatever you want.

She suppressed the urge to leave this house right away.

It wasn’t time yet.

Let’s endure a little more. Just a bit longer.

She would expose their true nature in detail.

Young Hwa placed her eco bag on the desk with a thud.

The drawing book with vertical springs could be seen through the open gap of the bag.

***

In Ha returned to her room and locked the door firmly.

“It’s such a waste.”

She sat on the bed and kicked her feet into the air.

“It’s fine. It’s the same bag, so it’s good enough to silence her like that.”

“We could have just used some other accessory. Why a bag?”

“To shut her up properly, we need to take a loss too. If we use something flimsy, it could become a topic of gossip later.”

Still, In Ha seemed displeased that she couldn’t keep the first gift Sun Woo had given her intact and had to give it to Young Hwa.

“More importantly, what are you going to do now? You have to prepare for the design review, right?”

Jae Hee refocused In Ha’s attention that had drifted elsewhere.

“What should I do? I’m the team leader, I can’t be worse than the other designers.”

Smack-

Jae Hee slapped In Ha’s back.

“No wonder I thought you were doing well and couldn’t say anything for a while.”

“Mom!”

Jae Hee bit her lip.

Without Sang Hwa, they had no leverage to move Young Hwa now.

Both In Ha and Jae Hee were well aware of this fact.

The reason Young Hwa had been quietly listening to what they said all this time was all because of Sang Hwa.

“No, anyway, if you get married, you’ll quit the company using the excuse of supporting your husband, right? Can’t you manage somehow until then? You must have some experience by now.”

In Ha pouted at Jae Hee’s threat.

“What experience? I just copied everything. Do you know how many drawings she has? It’s no joke.”

In Ha handed her phone to Jae Hee with the photo app open.

It was full of photos densely packed with drawings from the sketchbook.

The designs included detailed notes on sewing methods, fabric selection, and how to add details.

“Haa. Even a worm has its special skill.”

“Why should I work hard when I’ve done this much? Working hard makes you age.”

“Oh, really?”

“What’s the secret to my youthful looks? It’s not getting stressed.”

Jae Hee shook her head as if she couldn’t stand it.

“Isn’t there anything unused among these? Try to find something like that and use it.”

“There isn’t.”

In Ha cut off Jae Hee’s words sharply.

“And even if there was, I can’t use it. These are for next spring and summer’s new products. The trends, colors, and materials all change completely. I can’t use them. Mom, you don’t even know.”

In Ha waved her arms and legs as if wailing about the imminent issue.

“What should I do! If I’m worse than the new employees, how embarrassed will I be at the design review?”

In Ha looked like she was about to cry.

***

Sun Woo, who had come home after work, was smacking his lips while holding his mobile phone.

It was late at night.

But wanting to hear her voice, Sun Woo called without hesitation.

The action felt silly, like a novice man just starting to date.

“Where are you? Have you left work?”

Young Hwa answered Sun Woo’s abrupt question with a dejected laugh and then let out a long sigh.

“Why? Don’t laugh, just answer.”

-I’m home. I just got in.

“You worked overtime. That requires employer approval. Did you get it? That’s illegal.”

-I didn’t need approval since I won’t be using the company’s internal computer system. Anyway, as it’s a special job that allows for flexible working, I believe it’s not illegal.

Young Hwa’s answer was more clear-cut than expected, and Sun Woo closed his mouth.

Recently, Sun Woo had asked his friend Jae Seok to investigate Young Hwa again.

It was a very different feeling from when he asked about In Ha. In fact, he had requested information about In Ha out of a sense of obligation.

To avoid any problems with The K regarding his marriage to In Ha, perhaps.

But it wasn’t like that with Young Hwa.

He was genuinely curious about her.

Although what came back was only superficial data, Sun Woo carefully examined the documents Jae Seok handed over.

“Do you really have feelings for that friend In Ha? You’re asking for all sorts of things.”

Jae Seok seemed even pleased to see Sun Woo genuinely interested in a woman.

“No. It’s not In Ha I’m interested in, it’s Young Hwa.”

Sun Woo answered without lying.

“What?”

“I’m interested in this woman. Completely.”

“That’s a very dangerous statement. Are you serious?”

Sun Woo nodded.

“Haa. I don’t know what to say about this.”

Jae Seok kept wetting his lips and clearing his throat as if he was burning up inside.

“Ji Young Hwa. Her real name is ‘Lee Young Hwa’. She entered President Ji’s house as an adopted daughter around the time she was to enter high school. I don’t know why, but she didn’t enter high school. Her current education level is a high school equivalency diploma.”

“High school graduate? You mean she didn’t go to college?”

Jae Seok also told Sun Woo about the sister Young Hwa had mentioned, Sang Hwa, and a few rumors.

The curiosity he believed would be resolved still remained heavy in his heart.

Her past, her thoughts, her memories.

The moment Sun Woo heard Young Hwa’s voice, he realized that what he was curious about wasn’t data, but her heart.

Recalling his conversation with Jae Seok, Sun Woo bit his lip firmly.

And not wanting to lose to Young Hwa, he chewed his words and threw them out.

“I don’t like your back talk.”

-……

Young Hwa was silent.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Another silence. And then belatedly, Young Hwa’s voice was heard again.

-You told me not to talk back.

Why didn’t you go to high school?

Why don’t you leave that house?

Why did you tell me to get engaged to In Ha?

There were a million things he wanted to ask.

But Sun Woo instinctively knew he shouldn’t ask.

So he had to hold back. To maintain his relationship with her.

“The bag I gave you. Did you open it?”

-Ah. …Not yet.

“Do you have it?”

-Yes. It’s right next to me.

In Ha was carrying it.

Did she get it back?

“I put a message in there.”

-What? What message?

Sun Woo had never thought his existence was something to be grateful for.

In fact, it was more like, I was born so I have to live?

To that extent.

But he wanted to know Young Hwa’s birthday.

After pondering how to do it, he put a message inside the bag.

“My birthday.”

-What did you say?

Her voice was tinged with slight irritation. But Sun Woo grinned.

“Come to the place I mentioned that evening.”

-To be this one-sided…

Sun Woo hung up without listening to the end.

He didn’t want to hear any negative answers.