Suna looked at Eunseo incredulously.

“Didn’t we hear a lot about it when we were kids, the chaebol lady’s disappearance case!”

“Ah!”

Of course, Eunseo knew about it. It was heavily featured in the news, and while she was searching everywhere for Eunho with her mother, they had even encountered people looking for that lady.

What she didn’t know was that the woman was Kwon Seungju’s biological mother.

“That was related to our company…”

The case remained in the limelight for several years. While the police almost gave up on Eunho’s disappearance after a few years, they continued to utilize extensive police resources for the chaebol lady due to her wealthy background, which Eunseo had found bitter.

“So, they never found her?”

Suna nodded.

“She was declared dead after five years, and that’s it.”

A missing person is legally declared dead after five years. Eunseo knew this all too well.

“Right after she was declared dead, the chairman remarried his second wife, who is now our CEO’s stepmother.”

“Why do you call her the ‘second’ if she’s a stepmother?”

Suna rolled her eyes.

“The stepmother’s second son is only three years younger than our CEO!”

“Ah…”

Eunseo almost slapped her knee in realization. Now she understood why Kwon Seungju reacted so violently that morning. Of course, he would resent a stepmother, especially one who entered the family through an affair.

“Anyway, Eunseo, seriously. It’s a story known to the entire nation, and yet you, an employee, didn’t know? That woman is known as ‘the nation’s second’.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

Eunseo was quite oblivious to worldly matters. Her focus had always been on finding her brother, leaving no room to pay attention to other things. She didn’t even know the popular dramas or songs of the time, often treated as an alien by her uninformed friends in school.

“By the way, Eunseo, when did you last eat meat?”

Suddenly, Suna interrogated Eunseo. Wondering why she asked after they just had lunch together, Eunseo replied.

“We just had pork stir-fry.”

“That dry lean meat doesn’t count. I mean proper meat, grilled sizzling on a pan. When was the last time you really enjoyed it?”

Eunseo just smiled in response, prompting Suna to roll her eyes again.

“See? After eating with me two weeks ago, you haven’t had any, right?”

“…”

“You’ve been just mixing rice with water and kimchi at home, haven’t you?”

“…”

Suna sighed and declared.

“I’ll come over this weekend with some pork belly. Let’s grill it in your yard.”

Knowing Eunseo’s habit of skimping on proper meals, Suna often took the initiative to take care of her. Eunseo was grateful but quickly waved her off.

“No, it’s fine. I need to prepare for moving this weekend.”

“Moving? Why all of a sudden?”

“The landlord is demolishing the house to build a new building. I need to start preparing soon; there’s less than two weeks left.”

“Suddenly like that? That’s terrible!”

Unaware that the landlord in question was the very Kwon Seungju she adored, Suna was outraged.

“Where will you go? You don’t have much money.”

“I have my deposit from the lease. I’ll look for a monthly rental room.”

Eunseo tried to sound upbeat despite her worries about the looming expenses.

“Then I definitely need to come. We’ll pack up after eating and I can help you overnight.”

“Really? Won’t it be too much trouble for you?”

Despite feeling it was too much to ask, the offer was tempting. The house was old and packing up was a big concern, especially with the demolition only about ten days away.

“What are you saying? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Suna rolled her eyes, and Eunseo couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart. Although they had met in the social world rather than school, Suna was a better friend to her than anyone else, even her schoolmates.

“Thank you, Suna.”

As she spoke, Eunseo suddenly thought.

‘Should I tell Suna the truth?’

She considered revealing Kwon Seungju’s accident but quickly shook her head. Suna would probably worry too much, and besides…

‘What? The CEO got hit by a car instead of Eunseo?’

She vividly imagined Suna’s shocked expression, her eyes wide.

‘Exactly, I don’t understand it either.’

Eunseo murmured to herself and sighed quietly.

[Star Icon]

Returning home after work, Eunseo found a large man standing motionlessly in front of her gate. As she approached, she almost screamed in surprise.

“……!”

It was Kwon Seungju.

Used to seeing him impeccably dressed in suits, she didn’t recognize him at first in casual clothes. That morning he had been in a hospital gown, but now he was wearing a snug sweater and cotton slacks.

‘He must have been discharged, but why is he at my house?’

Her heart sank as she remembered their last encounter before his accident.

[Being born the eldest son of a chaebol, joining the company with a director’s title, climbing to the CEO position in just four years, everyone else must seem like a joke to you.] [Someone like you, never having experienced pain or sleepless nights in distress, never cried with a heavy heart.]