“You wanted to see me, madame?” 

Mrs. Hwang lifted her head once she heard her office door slowly opening. A piping cup of tea was nestled around her fingers as she flipped through stacks of paperwork. Having decided not to occupy the company office today, it still meant she had billing to take care of at home. 

“Jihoon,” Mrs. Hwang spoke after taking a quick glance at the door. “Come in and close the door.”

Jihoon, Mrs. Hwang’s hired personal detective, listened obediently and shut the entrance behind him. With quiet steps, he came forward to sit on one of the two chairs that sat just in front of Mrs. Hwang’s desk. 

“You haven’t contacted me in quite some time, madame. Is it your husband again?” Jihoon rose his eyebrows, leaning back against his seat. “I’m sure I can capture more pictures of him with women, but his guards almost found me and I swear my life flashed before my eyes. You’re going to have to ramp up my pay.”

Mrs. Hwang couldn’t help but chuckle lowly. The sound of her placing her cup down back on the small plate echoed a small clink through her office. 

“It’s not him this time,” she exhaled. Reaching in her desk drawer, she pulled out several pictures of Yewon and slid them towards Jihoon. “I need you to watch her every move. Make sure you check in with me once a month with whatever you come up with.”

Jihoon, with knitted eyebrows, picked up the films and observed Yewon intently. “I know I’m not supposed to question you, but I have to this time. She doesn’t look like a threat, so why am I taking pictures of her?”

“She may not seem like a threat as of now, but if she continues to distract my daughter from her duties then we’ll be losing a lot of money.” Mrs. Hwang spoke in a tone firm enough to make Jihoon obey. She grabbed her cup again to sip her beverage, her eyes downcast. “I’m only doing this for my daughter’s sake. I love her too much to let one girl ruin her life. The money that’s under Eunbi’s belt is no laughing matter.”

“Understood...” Jihoon nodded slowly, stuffing the pictures inside of his jacket where he could keep them safe. “But since I’m at risk of getting caught, this won’t be an easy task especially since Eunbi is involved. What’s my pay?”

Exhaling in annoyance, Mrs. Hwang quickly pulled out her calculator to begin typing in how much she’d be willing to pay Jihoon. “Here,” she murmured, shoving the calculator towards the detective. “I’m paying you triple the amount. Just keep an eye on her and like I said, check with me once a month.”

—

“How long has Yuna been gone?” Sojung asked out of curiosity as she helped decorate their new cafe. It took a few months to get everything set, but the final decorations tied everything together. 

“Uhm..” Yerin pursed her lips as she began thinking to herself silently. “Almost nine months.”

The sadness in her tone was hard to hide and Sojung noticed. Did she accidentally hit a nerve? 

“I’m sorry,” Sojung apologized. “I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s fine,” Yerin smiled reassuringly. “I miss her just as much as anyone else. We’ve talked about five times ever since she left. I guess she’s just busy.”

“I would imagine,” Sojung murmured mostly to herself. “She was scouted by so many agencies, so it’s probable that they’re working her relentlessly to get her to debut as soon as possible.”