The woman who opened the lid of the jar.

The woman who was grilling meat.

And the man who was hiding inside the jar.

“……”

All three of them were silent for a long time.

“I, I’m sorry, representative.”

After a long time, Sun Ah muttered like a person who had lost her mind.

“I’m sorry, Eun Seo. I didn’t know you two were in that kind of relationship, and I interrupted without any sense…!”

As Sun Ah tried to stagger away, Eun Seo hurriedly grabbed her.

“You’re mistaken, Sun Ah. It’s not like that!”

“If it’s not like that, then what is it?”

The man who came out of the jar was even wearing an apron. Well, they were just making dinner together until a moment ago. It would be strange not to misunderstand this situation.

“No, I mean, that’s…”

Eun Seo knew she had to explain, but she hesitated for a long time, not knowing where to start or how to say it.

That’s when Seung Joo suddenly opened his mouth.

“Is this lady also an employee of our company?”

“……!”

For a moment, Sun Ah made a frozen expression with her mouth wide open. Looking at that face, Eun Seo thought.

My expression must have been like that too when he first called me lady, right?

“Hello, I’m Kwon Seung Joo from Class 1 of Grade 2 at Korea High School.”

Seung Joo politely bowed his head towards Sun Ah.

“I don’t remember, but I apologize in advance for being annoying.”

*

“Is this for real?”

“Well, I’m telling you it’s real.”

“So the representative is waiting for your mother, and you’re waiting for your younger brother?”

“Well, that’s how it turned out.”

Even after hearing the explanation, Sun Ah asked Seung Joo again as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

“So you’re saying that you’re eighteen years old this year, right?”

“Yes, lady.”

At Seung Joo’s answer, Sun Ah clicked her tongue.

“Your concept is really solid.”

“It’s not a concept.”

Sun Ah, who had been looking at Seung Joo with suspicious eyes for a while, suddenly spoke like a machine gun.

“What was the most recently popular song? Answer within 3 seconds, 3…”

The answer came back even before a full second had passed.

“I’m so sorry but I love you, it’s all a lie.”

Only then did Sun Ah make a face as if she was about to faint.

“It’s real!”

Sun Ah lowered her head for a long time, thinking about something. And when she raised her head, her eyes were filled with unexpected cuteness.

“Let’s get along well from now on, Seung Joo.”

Eun Seo was startled when Sun Ah suddenly called him in a very friendly way and smiled with her eyes. What the heck, why is she adapting so quickly?

Sun Ah picked up the tongs and placed the cooked meat from the grill onto the plate in front of Seung Joo.

“Our Seung Joo should eat a lot, okay? You need to eat a lot at the age when you’re growing.”

Let me tell you, Sun Ah was the same age as Eun Seo. In other words, Kwon Seung Joo was actually six years older than her.

“After eating all of this, if there’s anything else you want to eat, just tell me. I’ll buy it all for you.”

Honey was dripping from her voice. Eun Seo couldn’t stand listening to it anymore, so she asked Seung Joo.

“Seung Joo, can you go to the kitchen and bring some rice?”

“Yes, lady.”

As Seung Joo obediently disappeared into the kitchen, Eun Seo lowered her voice and pressed Sun Ah.

“What the heck, why are you suddenly acting like that?”

“It’s an opportunity given by the heavens. When else will I ever get involved with Seung Joo?”

Sun Ah clenched her fists as if she had made up her mind.

“I’m going with the concept of a pretty lady who buys him good food!”

Eun Seo understood what she was thinking, but she was still flustered. She reminded Sun Ah again.

“He’s eighteen years old, you know?”

“What are you talking about? He just has a temporary issue with his head, but his actual age hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s clearly printed on his ID card.”

Well, he’s not a minor, so there’s no problem as long as he’s okay with it? Eun Seo was puzzled.

Seeing Seung Joo coming back from a distance with a bowl of rice, Sun Ah whispered in Eun Seo’s ear.

“Anyway, I’ll come often from now on. Please take care of me!”

And so, the three of them ended up sitting around together and grilling meat. Eun Seo, who had been constantly bothered by hiding it from even Sun Ah, felt rather relieved. Above all, it was reassuring to have someone to discuss Seung Joo’s situation with. Sun Ah was even more on Kwon Seung Joo’s side than herself.

“Sun Ah, you said before that the chairman is considering changing his successor. I couldn’t bring myself to contact the secretarial office after hearing that.”

While eating meat, Eun Seo confided the story she hadn’t been able to finish earlier.

“So when someone from the headquarters came here looking for the representative, I’ve been hiding him until now.”

After hearing the whole story, Sun Ah clapped her hands.

“You did really well. If the chairman finds out that he lost his memory, it’s absolutely a no-go!”

“Really? Did I do the right thing?”

“Of course. If the chairman knew about this, he would have immediately taken away the representative position and given it to his second son, right?”

Sun Ah assured her.

“Just wait and see. When his memory returns, the representative will bow to you in gratitude.”

Eun Seo thought, ‘No way, with his personality,’ but she felt relieved now anyway. Yeah, I did the right thing. If Sun Ah, who would deserve a Ph.D. or even be called a world-renowned scholar if there was a Kwon Seung Joo-ology, says so, then it must be true.

“So, what are you going to do from now on?”

After hearing everything, Sun Ah asked Seung Joo.

“I’m not sure. For now, I’ve been watching the news and stuff, thinking that my memory might come back…”

“What if it never comes back? You can’t keep making excuses about recuperating and being absent from the company forever. Even if your memory loss isn’t discovered, you’ll eventually be kicked out.”

“That’s true…”

Neither Eun Seo nor Seung Joo could come up with a clear answer. In fact, there was no alternative other than his memory returning quickly.

Sun Ah continued.

“You never know when the memory will come back, or maybe it will never come back at all.”

“That’s right.”

“You can’t live as an eighteen-year-old forever, but you also can’t go back to high school or enter college at this point, right?”

Sun Ah’s point was sharp. Each and every one of them was correct, but Eun Seo wasn’t sure what she was ultimately trying to say.

When they looked at her with puzzlement, Sun Ah finally presented her conclusion.

“So from now on, don’t think about anything else and study hard about the company, as if your life depends on it. And then seamlessly return as the representative.”

“Ah, there was such a way!”

Eun Seo felt like her eyes were opening up. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

“Study with the determination to return within this year. I’m sure our Seung Joo can do it.”

“But then there’s only a little over two months left this year. Can we make it by then?”

“You lost your memory, not your intelligence. Where did that brain go that graduated at the top of the business administration department at Korea University?”

After retorting, Sun Ah confidently looked at Seung Joo.

“Our Seung Joo, what rank did you get on your most recent exam?”

“Umm… I think I was around 115th.”

As Eun Seo was disappointed by the lower-than-expected ranking, Seung Joo added.

“In the entire country.”

“See that!”

Sun Ah was elated.

“We’re in the planning team, too. I’ll give you all the internal data, so study as if your life depends on it.”

It seemed like Sun Ah’s way was the best, but Eun Seo, who had lived her life as a workaholic, was still hesitant.

“Umm, Sun Ah, but we’re not allowed to leak our company’s internal data to the outside.”

Sun Ah rolled her eyes.

“What are you talking about? It’s for showing it to the CEO, so why is it leaking?”

“Oh, you’re right.”

The guilt disappeared in an instant. Eun Seo was genuinely impressed by Sun Ah. She’s a genius!

Of course, this method wasn’t without risks either. No matter how hard he studied and returned, he would naturally be inferior to the original Kwon Seung Joo. So in the end, he could be discovered to have lost his memory, or he could be pushed out of the company due to a decline in work ability.

However, it was much better to make some effort than to just wait blankly for the memory to return. If he just let time pass like this, the result would inevitably be getting kicked out 100 percent anyway.

It felt like they had finally found the way to go. With a clear goal in mind, Seung Joo’s face also brightened considerably.

“I’ll really study hard. Thank you for helping me, ladies.”

Seung Joo stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them.

“Don’t thank us. What wouldn’t I do for our Seung Joo?”

Sun Ah smiled with her eyes again.

While having this and that conversation, the sun had completely set before they knew it. The moonlight was nice, the meat was delicious, and all three of them were in a good mood. For Eun Seo, it felt like a dream that laughter never ceased in the house that was always only quiet because she lived alone.

“Now, shall our Seung Joo have a drink too?”

When Sun Ah poured soju and handed it over, Seung Joo looked troubled.

“I’ve never had alcohol before…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Your body will remember everything.”

He must have been quite a model student. As Seung Joo hesitated to take the glass, Sun Ah clicked her tongue.

“You’ll have occasions to drink when you return to the company later, so you need to practice in advance. Are you going to say you’ve never had alcohol even then?”

Only then did Seung Joo take the glass with a determined face. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed deeply, but he closed his eyes tightly and swallowed it in one gulp.

“That’s right, that’s right. Whew, whew. Oh, you drink well. One more glass?”

Eun Seo was watching Sun Ah, who kept filling Seung Joo’s glass without a break, with mixed feelings. Her conscience was shouting that he was a minor and she had to stop him, but his body was also a proper adult, so it seemed like there would be no problem.

In the end, Eun Seo also picked up a glass. Oh well, whatever. I’ll drink too.

“Give me a glass too!”

One for you, one for me. The atmosphere ripened more and more with the passing glasses.

“Our Seung Joo, do you happen to have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Ey, you’re lying. With this face?”

Seung Joo, whose face had turned red, lowered his eyes as if shy.

“I really don’t have one.”

Sun Ah clapped her hands while laughing.

“Oh my, I see! I happen to not have a boyfriend either.”

Eun Seo tilted her soju glass and sighed inwardly. You’re talking about 15 years ago, you don’t know about now, you fool.

Suddenly, Seung Joo asked back.

“What about you, Eun Seo? Do you have a boyfriend?”

Eun Seo silently tilted her soju glass, and Sun Ah said while giggling.

“She doesn’t, that’s why she’s living with you, isn’t it?”

“Did you originally not have one, or did you have one and break up?”

“Why do you keep asking about that?”

It was embarrassing to say that she was a virgin at this age, so she retorted as if rebuking him, and Eun Seo said as if making a pledge.

“Just wait and see. In just one year, I’ll go on blind dates, date men, and do everything.”

“Why one year?”

“…There’s a reason for that.”

While laughing, chatting, eating, and drinking, the bottles became empty, and the moon gradually tilted.

And as the night grew late.

It was confirmed that Kwon Seung Joo was a heavy drinker.