In the morning, I was too busy, so I just left. But when I thought about it later, I felt a pang of regret. I should have packed some food for him before leaving.

Since he had no wallet, phone, and was even wearing someone else’s clothes, there was no way he had any money. There was some kimchi, rice, and eggs at home, but there was no way a young master from a conglomerate family would know how to cook.

‘He must have been starving all day yesterday too…’

As soon as she got off work, Eun Seo bought some kimbap and quickly returned home.

Kwon Seung Joo was sitting alone on the porch, gazing blankly at the setting sun. His shoulders, which were usually twice as wide as hers, looked small today.

Eun Seo carefully approached him and handed him the kimbap.

“Here, have this.”

“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

Perhaps he had calmed down a bit in a day, Kwon Seung Joo seemed relatively composed. With his mouth closed, he looked exactly like the original CEO Kwon Seung Joo, making her feel restless for some reason. After all, until a few days ago, she couldn’t even look him in the eye properly.

“Elder sister, eat with me.”

Only when he carefully pushed the styrofoam box containing the kimbap towards Eun Seo did she suddenly realize. Ah, he’s not that Kwon Seung Joo.

“I already ate. Please have a lot, sir.”

Even though he must have been quite hungry, he didn’t act greedily. Watching him pick up the kimbap one by one with neat chopstick skills and eat slowly, she thought, he really is a young master from a conglomerate family.

While eating the kimbap, Kwon Seung Joo suddenly asked.

“How much is one roll of kimbap?”

“It’s 3,000 won. Tuna kimbap is 4,000 won.”

“It was 1,000 won until yesterday…”

With those words, Eun Seo realized. This man knows nothing about the current world.

“Umm, sir. I think you need to understand the situation first.”

Waiting for him to eat the kimbap to some extent, Eun Seo carefully brought it up.

“I looked into it a bit, and it seems the chairman is considering changing the successor.”

He asked back without being surprised.

“Why?”

“I’m not sure about that either, but anyway, that’s what I heard.”

She couldn’t bring herself to mention the new mother and his half-brother to a man who was already in shock. Let’s talk about that slowly, Eun Seo thought.

“My father has always been dissatisfied with me. He says I only know my mother and ignore him… I guess it’s been like that all along.”

It wasn’t easy to tell him that his father dislikes him and wants to kick him out. Fortunately, he didn’t seem hurt even after hearing it.

“You’ve been working very hard as the CEO. To the point of coming to work even on holidays. I think you were desperate to keep your position.”

“Yes.”

“I was afraid that it might be disadvantageous for you, so I couldn’t tell the secretarial office and just came like this for now.”

Eun Seo hesitated and continued. Actually, this was the main point from here on.

“But, you know, you can’t stay at our house like this forever.”

She tried her best to speak softly, but Kwon Seung Joo made an irrelevant remark.

“You said you are the tenant of this house, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then who is the owner?”

“It’s you, sir.”

As soon as Eun Seo answered, Kwon Seung Joo declared.

“Then I want to stay in this house.”

“…What?”

Eun Seo looked at his face in bewilderment. He had a determined look on his face.

“Mom isn’t really dead, she’s just been missing for a long time and was declared dead. So she must be alive somewhere.”

“…Sir.”

Eun Seo was at a loss for words. Because she understood his feelings all too well.

“Even when she was separated from my father, Mom took me with her. She said she would endure until the end no matter how much my father tormented her, to protect me. She’s not the kind of person to die and leave me behind.”

Only then did Eun Seo understand the situation. She had wondered why the young master of a conglomerate family was living in a house like this with his mother, but it turned out his parents were separated. She could also guess the reason why they got separated. It must have been because of a mistress.

“So if I wait at home, she will come back someday.”

I get what he’s feeling. In his consciousness, it’s only been a year since his mother left home. At that time, there might have still been a possibility of her returning, but now, another 15 years have already passed.

“If your mother was going to come back, why hasn’t she returned already? She’s a healthy adult.”

After saying that out of pity, Eun Seo flinched belatedly. That’s exactly what the CEO had said.

[If she was going to come back, she would have already.]

After resenting her so much, only now did she think that. Maybe he felt the same way as I did, even though the way he said it was cruel.

Anyway, knowing how hurtful those words are, Eun Seo tried her best to speak carefully.

“It’s already been 15 years. It’s time to let her go…”

But before she could even finish her sentence, Kwon Seung Joo exclaimed.

“Maybe Mom lost her memory like me!”

“…”

“Then one day, while living, her memory might suddenly come back. What if she vaguely remembers the house and comes looking for it, but I’m not here then?”

It was the same thing Eun Seo’s late mother always used to say.

[Our Eun Ho just can’t remember right now. If his memory comes back while living, he will definitely come looking for us.]

That’s why Mom never locked the front door at night.

She knew what he was thinking. She understood it fully, more than enough. But realistically, it was impossible.

Eun Seo tried her best to persuade him.

“But you can’t stay here. I’m already living in this house.”

“Why not? The room I used to stay in is empty, so I can use that room.”

The house was big enough for one person anyway. But that’s not the issue, is it?

“You must have your own house where you live alone. Where was it again?”

Eun Seo desperately tried to remember what Sun Ah had said.

“Ah, it was called DH Signature Apartment, a newly built place that’s really nice. I think she also mentioned something about a penthouse. It will be incomparably better than here.”

However, Kwon Seung Joo shook his head.

“I don’t even know where that house is. This is my home. I’m the owner, aren’t I?”

As he stubbornly insisted, Eun Seo’s pity began to fade and she started to get angry.

“Well, you may be the owner, but I’m renting it now. At least until the contract period ends, it’s legally my house.”

It was absurd. Regardless of his mental state, he’s a healthy adult man, and she’s supposed to live with him?

Moreover, he is the CEO of Eun Seo’s company. What crazy person would have their boss living in their house? If he was someone she was comfortable with, it might be a different story, but to Eun Seo, Kwon Seung Joo was the most uncomfortable and difficult person out of the 8 billion people in the world.

“Anyway, I will never leave this house.”

At Kwon Seung Joo’s words, Eun Seo snorted.

“Do as you please. It will be demolished in ten days anyway…”

As she was talking, Eun Seo suddenly shut her mouth. A thought struck her like lightning.

‘Wait a minute, this person is the owner of the house, right?’

That’s right. Even if he lost his memory, he was still Kwon Seung Joo.

The only person who could stop the demolition.

In an instant, a fierce agony arose in her mind. Yes, that’s it. No, even so…

The moment she turned her gaze to the apple tree with only a few leaves left, her mother’s last words came to mind.

[The tree… Eun Seo, okay?]

Before she even made up her mind, her mouth was already moving.

“But I have a condition.”

Kwon Seung Joo looked at Eun Seo as if his ears had perked up.

“Cancel the demolition. Then I’ll let you stay in the house.”

At Eun Seo’s suggestion, Kwon Seung Joo flinched.

“Can… Can I do that?”

“You’re the owner. You were the one who ordered it in the first place, so why can’t you?”

As soon as she said that, he answered immediately. As if he was afraid Eun Seo might change her mind.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it right away. Just tell me how.”

Now that he had agreed to do it, she came to her senses belatedly.

Eun Seo was a sensible person after all. It was true that she was desperate, but she couldn’t bring herself to take advantage of this situation when the other person was unable to lead a normal social life. It would be best for his parents to take care of him.

“I’m sorry. Please forget what I said. Since you need a guardian right now, it’s best for you to go to your parents’ house after all.”

Kwon Seung Joo desperately tried to persuade her.

“You said my father is trying to kick me out of the company by finding fault with me. If he finds out I’m in this state, I’ll be in big trouble, won’t I?”

“But you can’t hide it forever either.”

“Just until I get caught. My memory might come back during that time, right?”

Well, the situation was rather special. To the hesitating Eun Seo, he pleaded.

“As soon as my memory returns, I’ll make sure to repay you. You said I’m the CEO of your company, right? I’ll give you a promotion, a big raise, and… I’ll do anything. Okay?”

“…”

“I’d rather die than go to my father’s house. That lady I saw at the hospital will be there too.”

Eun Seo, who had deliberately not mentioned his stepmother earlier, felt her heart sink. So he already knew.

Kwon Seung Joo bit his lip with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

“If it wasn’t for that lady, my mom wouldn’t have separated from my father. Then she wouldn’t have left home and gone missing. But how can I call that lady ‘Mom’?”

Eun Seo tried to put herself in his shoes and think about it.

An eighteen-year-old who woke up one morning to find that 15 years had passed and learned that his mother was as good as dead. It was already a shocking situation, but if he had to go to a house with his father who had committed infidelity and his mistress…

“I won’t cause any trouble for you, elder sister. I absolutely won’t be a bother and will stay quietly as if I’m dead. So please let me stay here for the time being. Please.”

He even put his hands together and begged. The man who always looked down on everyone from above with an arrogant attitude was pleading not to be kicked out, and it was quite pitiful.

Eun Seo closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

“…”

Yes, it’s for everyone’s sake.

She would stop the demolition, Kwon Seung Joo would keep the company, and young Kwon Seung Joo would wait for his mother.

Eun Seo decided to convince herself that way.

“Until the end of this year.”

It was already mid-October, and there were less than three months left this year. Kwon Seung Joo flinched as if it was a shorter time than he thought, but Eun Seo continued firmly.

“You can’t hide forever anyway, even for the company’s sake.”

“…”

“So if your memory doesn’t return within this year, you have to promise that you’ll either go to your father’s house or figure it out on your own then.”

“I promise.”

The large man abruptly held out his pinky finger, startling Eun Seo. As she hesitantly reached out her finger, he quickly locked pinkies with her and even stamped it.

With the face of a normal adult, Kwon Seung Joo smiled a pure smile.

“Thank you, elder sister.”

It was then that Eun Seo felt it for the first time, not with her head but with her heart. That the person in front of her was truly ‘different’.