-“That…”
“I’m not trying to blame you, Secretary Oh. I was very grateful. I really was. But… you don’t have to do that anymore. I’m no longer Han Tae-seok’s partner, and I’m no longer part of NI. So please, don’t worry about me anymore. You’ve already done far more for me than you ever needed to.”
Jae-kyung hesitated before continuing.
“Ah, but there is one thing I’d like to ask of you. Now that this convenience store has become an affiliate of NI Company… I have to quit working here under the terms of our settlement. I’ll quit within a week, so please make sure Director Ji doesn’t hear about it until then. At the very least, I should finish handing everything over before I leave.”
-“Mr. Jae-kyung. You don’t have to go that far.”
“No. I’m uncomfortable with it. And I don’t want to spend my days worrying about what might happen.”
Jae-kyung stood up.
The convenience store was so quiet that even the scrape of the chair against the floor sounded unnaturally loud.
“…Does he know that I work here, too?”
-“…Yes. He knows.”
Of course he does.
No matter how carefully Jae-kyung had hidden himself—taking suppressants and burying himself under a blanket—there was no way Han Tae-seok could fail to sense the pheromones of someone he had imprinted with.
What had that man been thinking?
“Then I have even more reason to quit. Thank you for thinking of me. I should get back to work now.”
Jae-kyung began organizing the merchandise again.
Soon, he heard Secretary Oh get up and leave the convenience store.
When the jingling of the doorbell finally faded, Jae-kyung looked outside.
There was no one there.
Not Secretary Oh, nor even a passerby.
Strange.
He suddenly felt as though he were the only person left in the entire world.
“Ugh…”
The headache came rushing back.
It must be stress-related.
He honestly didn’t know how he had managed to endure five years in that house when something as minor as this was enough to give him a splitting headache, drain all the strength from his body, and leave him trembling.
Was it only possible because I was young?
If he were asked to do it all over again now…
Even if his younger sisters life were at stake, he didn’t think he could ever do it again.
Be the son -in-law of NI Company.
Be Han Tae-seok’s partner.
******
-“You’re scheduled to receive your second hormone injection today. Did you experience any unusual symptoms after the first one?”
“I was fine.”
The doctor made a note of Jae-kyung’s answer and nodded.
-“How about your heat cycle?”
“Not yet.”
-“I see. The second dose contains a slightly higher amount of medication, so your heat cycle could suddenly begin. It would be best to prepare in advance. And you must not take suppressants.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After finishing his consultation with the doctor, Jae-kyung followed the nurse to receive the injection.
He sat in the injection room and stared blankly ahead until the sharp needle pierced his skin.
Normally, the injections were supposed to be administered once every three months. But his heat cycle still hadn’t come, and perhaps Director Ji was becoming impatient. She had pressured the doctor until the appointment was moved up by a month.
As the medication spread through his body and dizziness began to take hold, Jae-kyung lay down on the prepared bed.
Feeling the medicine coursing through him, he was overcome by the sensation that his body was being changed.
Why?
He wasn’t sad. His heart didn’t hurt.
So why were tears falling?
Jae-kyung raised an arm over his face and covered his eyes.
He didn’t want anyone to see him like this.
He had intended to go back to the gallery, but Director Ji sent him a text telling him to go straight home, so he turned around.
The housekeeper had said she had somewhere to be that afternoon, so Jae-kyung simply cut up a few tomatoes, put them on a plate, and sat on the sofa to eat.
Silence filled the living room.
He felt as though he were trapped alone inside some ridiculous television set.
Come to think of it, it had been more than a month since he had spoken to that man.
They hadn’t crossed paths, nor had they eaten a meal together, which made the silence even more pronounced…
Occasionally, the housekeeper would tell him what the man had been doing, but Jae-kyung never paid much attention, so he couldn’t remember a single detail.
He had just one half of a tomato left when the phone sitting on the table began to ring.
He answered it, and as expected, it was his mother, who should have been with Jaeyoung at the moment.
-“Jae-kyung, it’s Mom.”
“Yes, Mother.”
-“How are you? Are you doing well…”
“Yes, I’m doing fine. Are you still in the United States, Mother?”
-“Jaeyoung transferred to a hospital in Canada, so I’m in Canada now.”
“Oh, is Jaeyoung doing well?”
-“Yes. She’s gotten much healthier. Thankfully, she received another injection last week, and she’s doing even better now.”
“That’s a relief.”
-“You’ve been through so much.”
“What do you mean…?”
-“Come to think of it, today is your first wedding anniversary. It really made me realize how quickly time passes. Is Division Head Han doing well? And is he treating you well?”
Jae-kyung hadn’t even realized it was his first wedding anniversary.
My goodness, time really does fly.
There had been days when he wondered why time seemed to move so slowly. But in the end, it had kept slipping by, steadily and relentlessly.
-“Jae-kyung?!”
“Ah… yes. He treats me well. Don’t worry.”
-“It’s your wedding anniversary today. Are the two of you going to have something nice to eat together?”
“Yes. We agreed to meet at eight tonight and have dinner.”
Jae-kyung roughly calculated the time where his mother was staying and answered.
As he looked at the lone half tomato sitting on the white plate, he gave a bitter smile.
I didn’t even know it was our anniversary. Does that man remember?
No. He probably didn’t.
Even if he did know, he wouldn’t do anything about it.
So it’s better not to expect him to do anything for me.
-“That’s good to hear. Division Head Han seemed like such a kind person. I thought he would take good care of you. So even though we’re this far apart, I feel relieved.”
His mother told him she would be coming back to Korea soon, then hung up.
Jae-kyung finished the remaining half of the tomato. He felt somewhere between full and not quite satisfied.
Perhaps because of the injection, his body felt heavy and limp again, so he simply lay down on the sofa.
“I’m bored…”
That was about all he could bring himself to say.
Curious about what other people did on their wedding anniversaries, he searched on his phone while lying on his stomach. After reading about a few things that seemed like they belonged to a completely different world, he turned off his phone as well.
“Time to sleep.”
Afraid he might sink into an even worse mood, Jae-kyung got up from the sofa and headed toward the bedroom.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Neither the housekeeper nor that man would ever ring the doorbell, so it had to be a visitor.
Jae-kyung quickly looked at the intercom.
It was Secretary Oh.
Why is he here…?
Did he come alone?
He pressed the button to unlock the door and waited for Secretary Oh at the entrance.
Soon, the door opened, and Secretary Oh held out an enormous bouquet of blue roses and a cake toward Jae-kyung.
Jae-kyung hesitated, unable to take them, and Secretary Oh gave him an awkward smile.
-“Division Head Han asked me to give these to you, Mr. Jae-kyung.”
“He did…?”
-“Yes. He said that since today is your wedding anniversary and he’ll be getting off work late, he sent me ahead. Please take them.”
That’s impossible.
There was no way that man would send him something like this.
There was no way he could possibly remember their wedding anniversary.
And yet… could it be?
He couldn’t help letting that tiny hope creep into his heart.
Jae-kyung slowly reached out with both hands and carefully took the bouquet into his arms.
The enormous bouquet filled his embrace, carrying a lovely fragrance.
Secretary Oh set the box containing the cake down on the floor.
-“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Th-thank you, Secretary Oh.”
Even after Secretary Oh left, Jae-kyung stood in the entryway for a long while, holding the bouquet in a daze.
It was the first time he had ever received such a large bouquet of flowers. He had never imagined that he would receive something like this in his entire life.
Strangely, the tip of his nose tingled, and his heart pounded.
Is this what happiness feels like?
It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a year.
Jae-kyung quickly went looking for a vase for the bouquet. The wrapping was so beautiful that he couldn’t bring himself to undo it, so he found a large vase, filled it with water, and placed the bouquet inside. Then he set it in the living room.
Suddenly, color had been painted over the grayness that had filled the room.
His eyes seemed to open wide, his view suddenly clearing as he became immersed in happiness.
He carefully opened the cake Secretary Oh had left behind as well.
It was a strawberry cake topped with whipped cream.
How long has it been since I last had cake…?
Even his birthday had passed by without much notice, but he hadn’t expected anything from that in the first place…
As he wondered what he should do with the cake, he thought that perhaps he could eat it with him later, if he came home.
He had said he would be late tonight, but Jae-kyung was willing to wait.
But why did he suddenly give me a gift like this?
He had shown absolutely no indication that he was planning anything like this…
Was he really the kind of person who could give someone a gift like this?
It was strange.
Will we be able to talk tonight?
Jae-kyung became so cheerful that he found himself humming.
He rested his head on the table and stared at the whipped-cream cake for a long time. Then, worried that the cream might melt, he quickly put it in the refrigerator before lying down on the sofa and gazing at the flowers.
If it were now, maybe I could honestly tell Mother that he really is trying, when she asks whether that man treats me well.
Really…
After being ignored by that man for so long, it was almost pathetic how happy something this small could make him.
It left him feeling bitter.
I suppose I’ve become someone who can find happiness in the smallest things.
How much time had passed?
During the brief moment Jae-kyung dozed off on the sofa, his phone began to ring.
It was the phone in his pocket.
He stretched, sat up, and glanced at the clock.
It had just passed midnight.
He still doesn’t seem to be home.
The number calling was the same one his mother had used earlier.
Jae-kyung quickly pressed the answer button.