Eunseo had no intention of interfering, but Naeun’s words made her want to challenge her.

“Do you even realize who Seungju is? Why would he care about a high schooler like you?”

But Naeun wasn’t phased.

“So what if I’m in high school now? I’ll go to college and meet him. He’ll be thirty-five by then, and he’d be grateful for a fresh twenty-year-old college girl, right?”

Her brazen confidence was somewhat endearing.

“Well then, this ajumma is off. Enjoy your solo drinking!”

Naeun tossed her empty can toward a distant trash bin, hitting the mark, and waved goodbye.

Regrettably, it was a perfect shot.

After Eunseo left, Seon-ah and Seungju entered the amusement park.

“Seungju, shall we ride that?”

Seungju obligingly followed Seon-ah around, but he seemed distracted.

It was a bright autumn day, crowded with people. After riding a few rides and having lunch, they headed to a picnic zone. Seungju took out some gimbap from his bag.

“Did Eunseo make these?”

“I did. Eat a lot, noona.”

“You’d make a top-class husband!”

While Seon-ah eagerly grabbed a piece of gimbap, Seungju suddenly asked,

“Why did you think I was a good person, noona?”

“What do you mean?”

“Eunseo noona said you didn’t think I was as cold as others perceived. You believed I was warm-hearted inside… Why? She told me to ask you directly.”

“Ahh, that.”

Seon-ah explained the incident at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders.

She had attended as a minor shareholder. When the agenda for appointing a new CEO came up, she had dramatically shouted, “Without Director Kwon Seungju, there is no future for this company!” and was then embarrassingly kicked out.

“I’m sure you thanked me silently that day. But Eunseo never believed it, saying it wasn’t like you. I started doubting if I saw it wrong.”

Seon-ah laughed, but Seungju was serious.

“I must have thanked you. It makes sense.”

Surprised, Seon-ah looked at him.

“Wait, do you remember it now?”

“I don’t. But considering the situation, it seems likely.”

The more Seungju studied about the company, the more he understood why he had become so unapproachable. He had to be flawless; any vulnerability would have been immediately exploited.

“Showing even a slight weakness meant being torn apart.”
Being sent as the eldest son to Daewon Construction, a subsidiary on the brink of ruin, was a clear snub. Others must have realized it too. Who would support a person already out of favor with the chairman?

According to the board meeting minutes Seon-ah sent him, his proposed projects were consistently thwarted by other executives. Even the consortium with Daehan Construction, which dramatically revived the company, was nearly scrapped by the board’s opposition, despite him personally convincing the chairman of Daehan Construction.

Becoming the CEO was no easy feat, even though it was a reward for saving the company. Although the group’s chairman appointed him, the board was against it. They only agreed to the appointment because they sensed the chairman actually hoped for its rejection.

It only passed after being brought to a general meeting of shareholders.

“Nobody inside the company was on my side. It was the shareholders who made me the CEO. Can you imagine how grateful I was to someone openly supporting me there?”

“Ah…”

“Thank you, noona, for being on my side.”

The sincerity in Seungju’s eyes was unmistakable.

The feeling of a fan being acknowledged by their favorite… Seon-ah had endured a lonely and tough journey of fandom without a single fellow fan. This one statement felt like a reward for her six years of devotion.

“It’s nothing, I didn’t do much.”

Afraid she might tear up, Seon-ah sternly looked at the Ferris wheel.

“And noona.”

Suddenly, Seungju’s expression turned serious. Seon-ah’s heart skipped a beat, anticipating a confession. But what came was a confession of liking another woman.

“I like Eunseo noona.”

“I can’t ask you to support me in this, but I wanted to be honest with you.”

Seon-ah, forgetting to breathe, looked at Seungju, who genuinely seemed sorry.

“I’m sorry, noona.”

After a long silence, Seon-ah suddenly smiled widely.

“Why are you sorry? I’m your fan, not someone wanting to date you.”

“…Noona.”

“I’ve been called noona by you, thanked by you, ridden amusement rides with you, and even eaten gimbap you made. That’s enough for several lifetimes of fan fulfillment. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

Firmly stating this, Seon-ah turned serious.

“But Seungju, liking Eunseo is fine, but can you commit to it till the end?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if you change your mind when your memory returns?”

When Eunseo asked the same question, Seon-ah had brushed it off, saying to worry about it when it happens. But now that it concerned Eunseo, she was genuinely worried.

Eunseo was kind and serious, having never dated or even been on a date till she was twenty-seven. If Seungju changed after regaining his memory, it would deeply hurt her.

“I won’t change.”

Seungju spoke with conviction.

“I think I liked Eunseo noona even before I lost my memory.”

“Why?”

“I just feel that way.”

His voice carried a certainty unusual for someone without memories.

Seon-ah thought about it. The two were just a CEO and an employee, a landlord and a tenant who only contacted after 15 years for an eviction notice. There seemed no way for them to have liked each other.

But given his assuredness, Seon-ah had to believe him.

“Eunseo is a good person. Don’t hurt her, treat her well.”

Seungju, who had been grateful, suddenly looked downcast.

“But I don’t think Eunseo noona likes me.”

“Why?”

“I’m just an older man to her. She’s six years younger than me…”