The café had found a new employee. They had hired someone much faster than I expected, and by now, he had already been working for half a month. Thanks to that, I was gradually entering the handover period so I could wrap up my work.
“So this is my last week… It feels strange.”
Fortunately, the new employee was exceptionally capable. He had majored in pastry arts, so his movements were extremely skillful, and it was obvious at a glance that he was highly experienced. On top of that, his résumé was incredibly impressive, filled with major awards from various competitions. I even wondered why someone so talented had applied to such a small café.
But contrary to my worries, he worked with great enthusiasm. For a place like ours that desperately needed staff, there was no reason to turn away a blessing that had practically walked through the door.
What concerned me most was that even learning our recipes posed no challenge for him. Within just three days, he had mastered every recipe and had already begun coming up with ideas for the new seasonal menu. Watching the new employee’s astonishing abilities, I felt admiration on one hand, but on the other, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed and empty.
I suppose no matter where you are, an empty space gets filled quickly. This place would be perfectly fine without me now.
Ever since my family fell on hard times, I had always worked alongside Jae Yi. He was the one who pulled me back up and kept me here when I was lost after having to put my studies on hold. Thanks to him, I managed to earn my degree, afford my mother’s medication, and pay her hospital bills. Whenever I was struggling mentally, he had also been there for me, giving me advice and encouragement…
And yet, in this unexpected situation, I couldn’t say a single word to him. The weight of it pressed heavily on my heart. I felt terribly guilty about being forced to lie to him.
But I had already been paid for this, and I had to fulfill the contract smoothly. Ultimately, this was a contract that benefited everyone involved, so the best thing to do was to bring it to a peaceful conclusion.
“Besides, my morning sickness is getting worse, so I can’t stay here much longer anyway. Now that there’s a capable employee to replace me, I can rest easy. I suppose this is as good an ending as any.”
When he heard that someone had been found and that I would be leaving this week, Director Cha Ju Heon seemed quite pleased. Maybe I should have done this from the beginning.
I kept repeating that to myself, telling myself that this was the best solution to soothe the inexplicable emptiness in my heart.
—“Eun Woo. Are you free right now? It’s quiet, so come sit outside and talk with me for a bit.”
Jae Yi jerked his chin toward the spot where he usually sat during his breaks and called me over.
After dropping heavily onto the bench, Jae Yi rolled his neck from side to side with a tired expression. No matter how capable the new employee was, whenever someone new joined, the café owner still had countless things to worry about.
He patted me on the shoulder as though telling me that I’d worked hard all this time.
—-“Even though I told you to rest and get better before coming back, Eun Woo… are you really sick?”
The sudden question, spoken in his warm voice, startled me.
There was suspicion in his tone. Yet I couldn’t give him any answer.
Noticing the subtle change in my behavior, Jae Yi let out a sigh.
“You’ve always been the type to say something right away if you’re hurting somewhere. That’s why it seemed strange when you suddenly said you wanted to quit without saying anything. And besides, why have you been gagging and throwing up so much lately? Be honest with me.”
Jae Yi narrowed one eye and asked bluntly, without beating around the bush.
Ah…
Actually, in this situation, it would have been stranger if he hadn’t asked.
I had always been someone who could drink spoiled milk and be perfectly fine. Now, suddenly, I was vomiting violently because of the smell of fish and other things. From his perspective, there were simply too many suspicious points.
The smell of eggs, milk, butter, and even the fishy smell of water. The kitchen was filled with things that made my stomach churn, and I, now entering my seventh week of pregnancy—the peak period of morning sickness—had no way to fight against it.
There was a certain certainty mixed into Jae Yi’s expression and tone.
Even so, I couldn’t reveal the truth.
It was a contract, and a contract wasn’t something to joke about. I didn’t even dare imagine the price I’d have to pay if I let something slip.
If that happened, never mind the Chairman. Cha Ju Heon himself certainly wouldn’t let me off easily.
So I had to remain composed in the face of his questions.
With the thought of the contract penalty flashing through my mind, I managed to keep my expression calm and unwavering.
“Hyung. I know what you’re thinking, but that’s really not it. My stomach just hasn’t been doing well. My mother’s condition hasn’t been good lately, so I’ve had a lot on my mind. I guess all the stress made my stomach act up.”
Although I felt guilty, what I said wasn’t entirely a lie, so I calmly gave him that excuse.
The fact that my mother wasn’t well and that I had been worrying about her was true.
Even so, I couldn’t completely hide the embarrassment on my face.
“Your mother isn’t doing well again? What about the hospital?”
“She needs a skin graft and reconstructive surgery. The burned areas keep contracting, so she has a lot of pain, itching, and a burning sensation. She’s been through so much. Fortunately, the hospital bills have been taken care of, and the surgery went well, but as for me…”
Apparently believing everything I said, Jae Yi let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me something like this was happening? How much stress do you have to be under for your stomach to get this bad? And where did you get the money for the hospital bills? What about your own treatment?”
There was something strange about his expression when he asked where the money for the surgery had come from.
It held both suspicion and concern, as though he was wondering whether I had borrowed money from some shady place.
“…My grandmother and aunt helped me, and I’ve moved too.”
The part about moving was also true.
Unable to meet his eyes, I lowered my head and continued.
“You moved? You’ve already moved?”
“Yes. I moved somewhere closer to the hospital so I can take care of my mother more easily.”
“So you withdrew the deposit from your old place to pay for your mother’s hospital bills? Don’t tell me you moved back into a gosiwon* again. Didn’t you already live in one for a long time? If things were that difficult, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Jae Yi bombarded me with questions.
If everything I had told him were completely true, he would undoubtedly have been willing to help me immediately.
Knowing how sincere he was made me feel even guiltier about doing this to him.
“Don’t worry too much, hyung. It’s not a gosiwon. And even if it were, it’s only temporary. I think I’d still be fine.”
“What do you mean, you’d be fine? Even if you’re a dominant, that’s still not a place where an omega can live comfortably.”
“Gosiwons are better than you think, you know? You and everyone else were really worried when I moved into one before, right? But I actually felt great back then.”
Looking at Jae Yi, who seemed unable to understand what could possibly have been good about an old, cramped gosiwon room, I found myself reminiscing about that time.
After my father died in a fire, my mother was severely burned. My father’s business collapsed after his death, and just when I thought I would have to shoulder all of his debts myself, Kang Gyu Ho’s mother helped me.
Because Gyu Ho and I had been close since childhood, our mothers had also grown close. Gyu Ho’s mother went out of her way to help my mother so that my father’s debts wouldn’t be transferred to me.
After that, she took me in and cared for me when I had nowhere else to go.
Gyu Ho also cared about me very much, but his father didn’t.
Having a complete stranger like me suddenly appear in their home must have made him uncomfortable. I was an unwelcome guest who had suddenly intruded into their private space.
He openly showed his discomfort toward me, and because Gyu Ho’s mother was constantly trying to protect me, the two of them often had loud arguments.
Because of that, the atmosphere at home grew worse and worse.
It was only natural that I had to constantly watch their expressions and tread carefully around them.
Feeling guilty for disrupting what had once been a peaceful family, I always tried to spend as much time outside as possible before returning home.
I usually skipped dinner and stayed at the library until it closed. Afterward, I would sit on the swing in the park in front of the apartment and wait until everyone had gone to sleep before sneaking back inside.
To me, that swing in the park brought more peace to my heart than the tiny room in Gyu Ho’s house ever could.
Eventually, the burden became too heavy, and I couldn’t stay there any longer, so I moved into a gosiwon.
Convincing Gyu Ho’s mother hadn’t been easy, but faced with my firm determination, she eventually agreed.
“That was because you’d given up everything. What was so great about that place?”
“No, hyung. I really liked it there. After my father died, it was the first time my heart had ever felt that peaceful. That cramped little space felt bigger to me than a palace. Because I was free there. I didn’t have to hold myself back or worry about being too hot or too cold. I could come home whenever I wanted, eat food whenever I was hungry, and sleep as late as I wanted. Most importantly, I didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s mood, so I felt completely comfortable. To me, it really was a place better than paradise. Maybe that’s why I studied better there too. That period of my life was genuinely happy.”
Those were sincere words.
A place that might have been despair to someone else had been happiness to me.
Life in the gosiwon had been free and comfortable. Perhaps that was why it had left me with nothing but good memories.
“I’m not saying it to make you sad. I’m saying it so you’ll know that I lived well there and won’t worry about me. And I’m not living in a gosiwon now, either.”
“Yeah. The most important thing is your health. If your stomach isn’t doing well, of course you’ll feel nauseous. I had no idea… You must have had such a hard time. And while we’re on the subject, let me ask you something honestly. Has that guy Kang Gyu Ho contacted you at all?”
At Jae Yi’s final question, I simply smiled faintly and shook my head.
Of course, Gyu Ho hadn’t contacted me.
At some point, he had become distant and started avoiding me. Then he left for America without saying goodbye, leaving behind nothing but the news that he had gone.
Along with that news, my love ended too.
Was it even right to call that emotion—something so close to unrequited love—love?
Thinking about Gyu Ho, who had given me hope, made me waver, and then simply disappeared, made my head ache again.
“With your abilities, if you’d continued pursuing music, you definitely would have gotten into Hankuk University. That Gyu Ho guy probably got bitter because you got in and he didn’t. And then you got into the English Language and Literature department instead of Music, too. That must have hurt his pride. Weren’t you two still on good terms when you took the college entrance exams?”
I had thought about that possibility too.
Everyone in his family had graduated from Hankuk University’s medical school, so the pressure on him must have been enormous.
Under those circumstances, I was the only one who got in while Gyu Ho failed.
I had felt terribly guilty at the time.
I had instinctively watched his expression.
But whatever. The person in question had already disappeared without a trace.
“I’ve made you sad again. Don’t think about anything else now. Just focus on getting better. Even though you’re quitting, you still have to keep in touch, okay?”
“Of course, hyung. Why would you say that? But I’m sad about not being able to work anymore too. When I was working, I didn’t have time to think about unnecessary things. I’m worried I’ll start overthinking again now.”
“That’s not unnecessary thinking. That’s anxiety. Your anxiety. I’m sure you have a lot to worry about right now. But for the time being, put your health first.”
Anxiety…
That made sense.
Haah. It was sad to have to be apart from such a good older brother for so long.
It would only be a few months, but until my belly grew and I gave birth, I probably wouldn’t be able to see him.
Until then, I just had to focus on taking care of everything that needed to be dealt with.
..............
Cha Ju Heon was standing there watching Eun Woo enter the building.
He didn’t know how long he had been standing there.
He hadn’t deliberately eavesdropped on their conversation.
After finishing his schedule outside and returning to the company, he had happened to see Eun Woo sitting on a bench with the café owner.
He could have simply walked past them.
Yet Ju Heon himself didn’t understand why he had moved toward them instead.
His body had simply moved on its own.
He swore he had no interest whatsoever in listening to other people’s private conversations.
But the words that reached his ears had made him stop.
The conversation was extremely private—details that hadn’t appeared anywhere in the investigation report.
And so, almost unconsciously, he had listened.
Although he knew everyone had their own troubles, Baek Eun Woo had undoubtedly been through far too much at such a young age.
From the brief conversation between the two of them, Ju Heon could infer quite a lot about Baek Eun Woo’s past.
He stood there for a long while, silently watching Eun Woo’s back as he disappeared into the café.