Chapter 2: Reunion
“I heard someone from Kwonseong came today. Did you see them?”
“I thought they were coming tomorrow. Why did they suddenly show up today?”
“How would I know? But I heard Executive Director Kwon Do-heon came in person.”
By the time Yoon-kyung finished cleaning up the spilled water and returned to her desk, news of Do-heon’s visit had already spread throughout the company.
Wherever she went, people were whispering his name—and the name of Kwonseong Group.
No one had expected him.
No one knew exactly why Executive Director Kwon Do-heon of the parent company had come in person without any notice, but if he had appeared unannounced himself, it couldn’t have been for anything trivial.
As his name continued to circulate around the office, Yoon-kyung looked away from the gossiping employees and slipped on her headphones.
No one was more distracted by Do-heon’s arrival than she was.
Still, she forced herself to push the thoughts aside and focus on her work.
If she couldn’t stop thinking about him…
…then she’d simply think about him while working.
Right now, what I need to do isn’t worry about Do-heon.
It’s finish the work in front of me.
Repeating those words like a mantra, she shut herself off from everything unrelated to work.
Even from Ji-hyun’s eyes watching her over the partition.
If anyone had been as surprised by Do-heon’s visit as Yoon-kyung, it was undoubtedly Ji-hyun.
The moment she heard he had arrived, she’d run straight to the CEO’s office.
Yet she had returned almost immediately.
Judging by the look on her face, she hadn’t even managed to exchange more than a few words with him.
If Do-heon’s strict separation of business and personal matters hadn’t changed over the past three years, that outcome was only natural.
So much for claiming they talked every day.
Apparently she hadn’t even known he was coming today.
Yoon-kyung curled her lips into a mocking smile, certain Ji-hyun was glaring at her from behind.
She had never wanted it, but she’d spent ten years living under the same roof as Ji-hyun.
Whether she wanted to or not, she’d learned everything about her.
She knew how Ji-hyun constantly watched her, wondering if she’d somehow meet Do-heon.
Afraid they’d cross paths.
Monitoring her every move.
Watching Ji-hyun become so anxious over the fiancé she supposedly spoke to every day was almost laughable.
Adjusting the brightness of her desk lamp, Yoon-kyung pushed her glasses back up her nose.
Ji-hyun wasn’t worth wasting her time on.
“You’re not leaving?”
“I just need to send this first.”
“Staying late doesn’t get you paid more. This company stopped giving overtime ages ago. Why bother?”
Manager Kim from Marketing yawned as he packed up his things.
“But seriously… wasn’t Executive Director Kwon ridiculously handsome?”
“Exactly! Jung-hyun and I happened to pass by him earlier. He’s unreal in person.”
“He’s not your man, so what’s the point?”
When Manager Kim poured cold water on the conversation, the women clicked their tongues.
“Jealous?”
“You think he’s giving us some huge new project?”
“Ugh. I hate having more work.”
Without even saying goodbye to Yoon-kyung, her teammates left the office one by one.
Still typing diligently, Yoon-kyung pressed Enter one last time before taking off her headphones.
A weary sigh escaped her lips.
“He definitely didn’t come here to deliver good news.”
She shook her head.
Three years ago, when Kwonseong acquired KD Health…
Could they ever have imagined the company’s sales would collapse this badly?
The results were bad enough that they wouldn’t have been blamed for regretting the acquisition.
The employees were incompetent and unmotivated.
But more than anything, the CEO’s poor management was dragging the company down.
Even the strengths that had once defined the company were slowly disappearing.
Maybe confiscating everyone’s laptops without warning had been Do-heon’s way of investigating what was really happening inside.
If he was in charge, the first thing he’d do would be identify the problems from within.
Whatever the reason…
The fact that Do-heon had moved personally meant this wasn’t something minor.
“Oppa, are you done?”
Ji-hyun, who normally would have gone home hours ago, was still at the office.
Yoon-kyung had just stretched when she heard Ji-hyun deliberately raising her voice on the phone.
As if making sure she could hear.
Yoon-kyung swallowed a dry laugh.
“Of course I waited for you.”
Ji-hyun’s sugary, nasal voice made Yoon-kyung grimace.
She had a strong stomach.
But no matter how many times she heard that fake baby voice, she never got used to it.
“You should try it sometime.”
“Try what?”
Only after Ji-hyun left did Yoon-kyung finally lean back in her chair.
“You know how girls make their voices cute when they’re acting adorable?”
“That’s your type?”
“No.”
“My type is Kang Yoon-kyung acting cute.”
She hadn’t even had time to calm herself after unexpectedly seeing Do-heon again.
Slowly suppressing the lingering turmoil inside her, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
The silence filling the empty office no longer felt unfamiliar.
Beyond the distant windows, the evening sky had grown dark.
She stared blankly into the fading light until the office lights suddenly shut off all at once.
She sighed.
“Since when does seven o’clock count as working late?”
Was it really time to turn off the lights already?
The glow from her monitor made her eyes ache.
“…I’m so tired of this.”
The workload and the bullying had only become this severe six months ago, after Ji-hyun returned from America and started working here.
Things hadn’t exactly been pleasant before.
But back then, the other employees hadn’t openly ignored or avoided her like they did now.
Yoon-kyung knew exactly what everyone feared.
The moment they displeased Ji-hyun—the CEO’s younger sister—they’d become her next target.
Endless harassment.
Considering that…
Sometimes even Yoon-kyung found it surprising that she still came to work every day despite everything.
“Because there’s something I have to protect.”
People with something precious to protect were stronger than those who didn’t.
They had to be.
Stretching out her hand, she traced the dent in her tumbler with her fingertips.
It reminded her of another cold thing that had brushed past her without a second glance—
Do-heon’s back.
As she absentmindedly tapped the tumbler, her phone began to ring.
She looked toward it.
“…”
Three familiar characters appeared on the screen.
But she simply stared at it without moving.
The vibration finally stopped.
A moment later, the screen lit up again.
<Why aren’t you reading it? You saw it, didn’t you?>
Yoon-kyung reached for her phone.
She sent a brief reply confirming she’d seen the message.
After sitting there for another moment, she stood.
That’s enough for today.
She packed up her things and left the office.
“You’re leaving late again today.”
As she stepped into the first-floor lobby, the head of security greeted her warmly from beside the entrance gate.
“Looks like it. Have a good evening.”
“You too. Get home safely.”
She bowed politely before passing through the revolving door.
“Is this really what late March is supposed to feel like?”
This was far colder than a simple spring cold snap.
The fierce wind hit her the moment she stepped outside, making her sniffle immediately.
Hunching her shoulders, she walked toward the exit.
Stopping near the front of the building, she looked up.
Because temperatures had stayed lower than usual, not even a single blossom had appeared on the apricot tree.
“It’ll probably bloom all at once overnight… like nothing ever happened.”
She murmured while gazing at the bare branches.
One of the few things she liked about this company was the apricot tree in front of the building—
And the flower shop next door.
“It’s seriously freezing.”
Unable to bear the cold in her hands any longer, she unzipped her bag to put away her tumbler.
It would stick out because of the limited space, but she didn’t care.
“What’s with this weather?”
“Seriously.”
Someone answered her.
Startled, Yoon-kyung turned toward the voice.
“It’s really…”
Standing with both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, Do-heon quietly finished the sentence.
“…”
It was Kwon Do-heon.
He was standing right in front of her.
As unbelievable as it seemed.
Just like three years ago—
And just like earlier today—
He had walked away from her with nothing but his back.
There was no mistaking him.
Slowly, Do-heon turned his head toward her.
For a moment, Yoon-kyung couldn’t believe the figure before her was real.
Am I hallucinating?
Then their eyes met.
“…Ah.”
It wasn’t a dream.
It was really Kwon Do-heon.
The moment reality struck her—
Just like she’d done in front of the elevators—
She dropped her tumbler.
It landed against the toe of his polished dress shoe.
Do-heon bent down and picked it up.
“Here…”
He frowned.
The tumbler hadn’t simply opened this time.
It had cracked while still tightly closed.
“I think it’s broken.”
“Th-thank you.”
Keeping her head lowered, Yoon-kyung hurriedly snatched it from his hand.
She couldn’t let herself look at him.
If she did…
She was certain she’d burst into tears.
Three years.
It had been three years since she’d last seen him.
Only three years.
Yet those years had stretched on like an eternity.
She swallowed the burning ache rising in her throat.
Do-heon hadn’t come back to her.
The only reason she still couldn’t forget him…
Was because she herself had never been able to let go.
Because she was foolish.
There had never been an end to her waiting.
She already knew.
The man she remembered no longer existed.
The man standing before her…
…was someone who had forgotten her.
Her hands trembled around the cracked tumbler.
If they ever met again, she’d always imagined greeting him with a smile.
As expected…
Nothing ever went according to plan when it came to this man.
“Well then…”
Just as Yoon-kyung tried to put some distance between them and leave—
“This tree.”
She looked back at him.
“Do you know what kind of tree it is?”
