“Tell me you have something good for me.”

Jihoon chuckled once he heard Mrs. Hwang’s voice. She was facing the massive windows of her home that gave the perfect view of a private lake that only they could have access to. With a cup of hot coffee snug in her hand, she took a careful sip, allowing Jihoon to take a seat in front of her desk. 

“I believe I do,” he exhaled, digging through his bag to grab a few photographs he had developed the night before. “You seem stressed.”

“Well, if you have a hard-headed daughter like mine, you’ll always be stressed.” Mrs. Hwang sat after explaining her reason for being aggravated. “It’s been a month. What do you have so far?”

Spreading the pictures along Mrs. Hwang’s table, Jihoon pointed to each, explaining the time and dates that were written on the back. 

“This is it?” Mrs. Hwang scoffed. “This is all you have? These are just a bunch of pictures of that girl walking around by herself. What am I supposed to do with these?”

With pressed lips, Jihoon slowly retracted one last set. “These were from a few days ago.” He pushed the photographs closer for the other to see, several frames showing Byul and Yewon hugging. 

Mrs. Hwang rose her eyebrows in interest, picking a picture that falsely visualized Byul and Yewon kissing due to the angle the frame was taken. 

“This...” Mrs. Hwang whispered with a smile. “This is it. This just proves that wretched girl’s unfaithfulness to my daughter.”

“We should take this with a grain of salt,” Jihoon butted in. “The angle can make it seem like they’re kissing, but I’m not sure if they really did. It was dark and I was hiding behind another car—“

“Jihoon,” Mrs. Hwang silenced the other. “Your job is to take pictures for me, not to speak over me.”

Jihoon looked down, scanning the developed photos absentmindedly. He wasn’t sure how to react, but she was the boss with the money. 

“I’ll take this set,” she murmured, writing the other a check. “You can stop following her. This is enough for me. Thank you again.”

“Yeah...” Jihoon looked down at the freshly written check, swallowing thickly from how much the amount was. “Just call me if you need anything else.”

Eunbi stared at her reflection intently. She acted out too much the night before. Knowing her mother, if she went downstairs to eat brunch with her parents, she’d get an earful. 

Eunbi missed her own house. Ever since her mother found out about her and Yewon, she wouldn’t let her live alone as part of her punishment. She couldn’t understand her mother’s obsession with keeping her under control. What has Eunbi ever done wrong? This was the first time in her life that she acted against what her parents wanted. She knew she was a good child to both of them; she worked hard for their company and never asked for anything in return, but once she knew what she wanted in her life, both of them refused to support her. 

“Miss Eunbi?”

Eunbi escaped her thoughts once her personal maid knocked and opened her bedroom door. 

“Brunch is ready and your parents would like you to join them.”

Sighing heavily, Eunbi nodded in understanding. She went down to the dining area in silence, both of her parents already eating their share of food. 

Mrs. Hwang was silent which surprised her daughter. Eunbi expected her to yell, scream, embarrass her in front of the house workers, but all she got was a quick glance. 

On the other hand, her father had his eyes glued on his phone, most likely taking care of more international business. 

Eunbi was used to the silence. They didn’t talk to each other during meal times, causing her to distance herself even more from them. 

With only ten minutes passing, Mrs. Hwang already opened her bottle of wine for the day. Eunbi noticed and rolled her eyes slightly. 

“Where are you heading off to?” Mrs. Hwang asked in a curious tone, her right hand pouring her dark red wine in a tall glass. “You seem like you’re dressed to go somewhere.”

“Just heading out.” Eunbi’s tone was flat, secretly eating quickly so she could leave sooner. 

Mrs. Hwang exhaled, sipping her alcoholic beverage. “You’re seeing that girl again?”

“She has a name.”

“I don’t care,” Mrs. Hwang shrugged. “I won’t utter her name in my house, but if you really want to see her, then go on. I won’t stop you.”

Placing her butter knife and fork down slowly, Eunbi turned her head to face her mom. “What are you talking about?”

“I can’t control you, right? So you’re free to do what you’d like.” Mrs. Hwang’s stare was sharp as she looked at her daughter. “Go on. I’m not stopping you anymore.”

Eunbi pulled the napkin off of her lap as she stood. “Fine,” she nodded. “I was going to see her anyway.”

“I figured,” Mrs. Hwang chuckled, having already finished half of her wine glass. “Oh, and dear?” She reached beneath her plate, handing her daughter a thin brown envelope. “Open it before you drive off. Thought I’d give you two a present since I wasn’t that accepting in the beginning.”

Reaching out with visible hesitation, Eunbi grasped the brown envelope in her hand before walking off. Once she was seated in her car, she inhaled deeply. Did her mother mean what she said?

“That was such a great presentation,” Byul exclaimed as her and Yewon walked into an elevator. “They were really into what you had to say. Our partnerships will grow because of you.”

“That means so much, Byul.” Yewon blushed, her gaze lowering slightly. She’s never worked for a company where she felt so accepted. “I was really nervous.”

“It’s okay, but now you get to go home and rest.” Byul stepped out with the other towards the garage entrance. “I’m sure you’re tired. You stayed up last night again?”

“You know me,” Yewon chuckled. “But are you sure I can go home this early?”

Byul’s eyes rolled in amusement. “Of course. I told you, you can set your own schedules as long as you’re finishing your work.”

Yewon nodded as she was lead towards the latter’s vehicle. “Thank you for taking me home again, by the way... My sister is busy along with my best friends. I don’t want to stop their plans.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I try to help my employees as much as I can.” Byul’s words were soft and Yewon felt her sincerity just from her tone. “But are you okay? You seem sad.”

“Oh,” Yewon blushed again. “I just.. I just miss someone, that’s all. I hope I get to see them soon—“

Both turned their heads once they heard tires screeching from a distance. Without another second passing, Eunbi’s vehicle sped inside of the company’s gar