Nayeon was standing in the elevator with a paper cup in its holder. She didn't have time to at least have a sip of coffee before heading to work. That's because she woke up late, but there's no way she'd like to be late for work. So, it was a choice between not being late and having a full stomach.

Nothing is more important than her job right now, as it stands. Except for yesterday's scenario, in which Nayeon departed the ongoing meeting owing to significant worry.

Nayeon reached her office floor after only a few seconds. And, to her surprise, there was a woman, who was peering at the huge painting on one side of the wall. The woman standing there would not have known Nayeon had arrived if it hadn't been for the elevator's little bell.

As the woman turned around, Nayeon said, "You're here." She didn't have any better words to say than what was obvious.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" the woman inquired, her eyes glistening as she waited for an answer that would satisfy her. But Nayeon merely smiled at her, indicating that she wouldn't be responding. "You're never glad to see anyone," the woman could only reply, sighing loudly as she approached Nayeon.

"When did you return?" Nayeon asked, taking a step back to maintain a safe distance.

"It was only last night."

"Wonderful," Nayeon could only say. When she realized the woman was staring at her, she forced an awkward smile on her face.

She needed to get away from that start, so she walked to her office, and around her desk, placing the paper cup holder on top. She sat quietly, her chin resting on her clasped hands, after pulling a chair. It still didn't break the other woman's gaze, so she cleared .

"I have never seen your hair grow longer ever since you cut it short," the woman said after a while, causing Nayeon's forehead to wrinkle. It was an odd thing to say, so she assumed it was just to break the ice.

"I prefer it this way," Nayeon said flatly.

"But your hair was never cut that way for a long time," the woman pointed out, puzzling Nayeon.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Your hairdresser, the old lady, never did it that way, did she?"

"I don't understand, Coleen," Nayeon murmured, lightly shaking her head.

"You cannot see the difference because you almost never look at yourself in the mirror and don't make enough time for yourself," Coleen shrugged. "But I think everyone can tell how different it is, even though the length is similar."

"Why are we even talking about this?" Nayeon wondered, dumbfounded.

Coleen smiled, taking a moment to respond, "I'm saying it looks like Sana's work."

She felt compelled to add something after receiving no reaction from Nayeon. "Does your father already know that you found Sana and that you're attempting to rebuild your connection with her again?" she wondered.

"And why do I need his consent for that?" Nayeon questioned, lifting both eyebrows.

"Have you still not realized that he withdrew the plea because he wanted Sana to hate you?" Coleen asked, seeking to evoke Nayeon's sentiments. "If he had won the lawsuit, it could have given Sana the idea to get you back," "Mr. Nam-gil didn't want that."

"Coleen," Nayeon said following a brief pause. "I've already moved on," she grinned, letting the other know that no matter how hard she tried, Nayeon wasn't going to be torn apart. "Even if that's true, I really cannot care less."

"I am not someone who lives in the past and allows herself to be drowned in it, and I'd like you to know that for your enjoyment," Nayeon paused, her voice cold and deep. "Sana would be convenient to have in my company. Otherwise, I would not have her around."

 

 

 

Dahyun, after noticing that the door to her father's office was open, only walked over and knocked two times. She stayed there until Dae-won turned his chair around and signaled for her to come in. As a result, Dahyun went inside, wearing not an expression on her face.

"You asked to see me?" Dahyun had to start the conversation because the man only looked at her with a smile. For the first time, he looked as if he was excited about seeing his daughter, and Dahyun, of course, found it strange.

"Have you thought about it?" Dae-won finally asked, and from the way that his eyes shined in delight, he was expecting a certain answer. Dahyun smiled momentarily, though it was obvious that she was faking it. "I know for a fact that you would make the same decision as me," he added, assuming that what he was thinking was the same as Dahyun's response. "Mr. Zhang would be overjoyed to learn that you will be joining his son Cai Zen."

Dahyun asked, "Hmm, is that so?" "I am not making the same decision as you," she said, sighing and placing her hands in both pockets.

And that definitely dismayed the man. Although he was aware that Dahyun was known for making the most unexpected decisions, he assumed that the woman would be motivated by the advantages that she would receive. Dahyun may always go after what will benefit her the most, but she has her own set of rules. Her abilities and expertise must not be used or misused by anyone. Whatever happens, Dahyun will never be enslaved by materialism.

"You are not going to embarrass me like that, Dahyun," Dae-won remarked authoritatively, but his daughter responded with the same indifference. "Mr. Zhang never asks someone directly, so consider yourself lucky since he favors you," he continued.

Dahyun scoffed and shook her head, "lucky?"

"Do you realize how great of an opportunity you're letting slip through your hands? Why can't you be any smarter than this, Dahyun?" he said, enraged by his daughter's apparent degradation of his decisions for her. "You must take this, do you understand?"

"I would never side with somebody who believes they are superior to others simply because they are highly privileged." "I would never side with them," she repeated, then continued empathically, "even if it means I will die." "You may have worked so long and had more experiences than me, but I've seen enough to realize how morally corrupt the system is."

"There are a total of twelve cases involving their former employees, eight of whom were sent to imprisonment for twelve to twenty years, and four of whom were sentenced to life," Dahyun continued, leaving Dae-won speechless. He didn't anticipate Dahyun delving deep before considering whether to accept the offer. "Never once did Mr. Zhang said nothing about it; in fact, he avoided the media and the families who sought justice for their employees' victims," she continued.

"If these are the types of individuals you choose to defend, it's not the same for me. I'm not chasing the money, and I'm not as easily swayed by it as you are," Dahyun noted. "I'm sorry if I can't be much smarter, but there's a reason for it: I've hit the smartest I could be, and you may not have reached yours yet."

In his frustration and anger, Dae-won couldn't help but stand up and slam his fists on his desk. He couldn't stand it when his daughter showed him such disrespect. "I'm warning you, Dahyun, watch your words," he tightened his jaw. "I didn't raise you to be that kind of person." "See, you are wasting your life trying to be what? You are who you are now because I made you that way."

"With all due respect, sir," Dahyun began, "you did not raise me." "You were never there when I was growing up," she grumbled, shaking her head from side to side. "You only knew me as your daughter when you needed something, my achievements, to brag about, and other times I'm hardly someone you remember existed."

It resulted in a silence between them. Dahyun pondered if she should have stated those things in the middle of nothing but the faint muffled sounds made by some people outside. She just didn't want to come out as a demanding daughter because, after all, she could take care of herself just fine.

"If you'd excuse me," Dahyun murmured. Once the man couldn't think of anything else to say, she gave a low bow as a sign of respect and turned away.

 

 

 

 

Nayeon, on the other hand, remained conflicted, sitting on her swivel chair. She hadn't expected to encounter Coleen after harshly rejecting the woman's genuine confession in the past. Coleen's reappearance was nothing more than bad timing for Nayeon. This woman and Sana had a falling out in college, so Nayeon isn't expecting any better from them now that years have passed.

Once more, it was the chime on the elevator that interrupted her serious reflection. Nayeon's gaze followed the direction of the wide-open door, where she could see who had just exited the elevator. It was Momo, who strode straight towards Nayeon, saying nothing.

However, as soon as Momo approached Nayeon's front side, she began to speak in a serious tone. "I deserve to know where you were yesterday," she claimed, only to have Nayeon chuckle in disbelief. "I did a really good job relaying the situation we're dealing with," Momo said, just trying to persuade the other woman to answer her question.

"How come you're talking to your boss like that?" Nayeon inquired, leaning her back on the backrest so she could cross her legs underneath. "But I recognize my responsibility in leaving you all hanging like that. There was simply something I needed to check, and I couldn't focus on anything else until I did that."

"Can't I know what that something is?"

"It's none of your concern," Nayeon replied simply.

"Is it a private matter?"

"No."

"Then why can't I know about it?" Momo said, leading Nayeon to groan in frustration and grasp her forehead.

Nayeon would have considered removing Momo from that position if it hadn't been for her skills and dedicated attitude at work. Momo is far too curious, and she wants to be a part of anything that piques her interest. Nayeon had no control over it, so all she could do was keep her patience intact.

"Because answering one question from you would lead to a thousand more questions, and I don't have time for that," Nayeon replied, but Momo remained unimpressed. Nayeon rubbed the sides of her forehead using her index fingers as a result of being troubled.

"I needed to see Ms. Minatozaki," she almost whispered.

"Sana?" Momo confirmed, despite hearing it well.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"See?" Nayeon asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "One question would naturally lead to another."

"Of course, I would ask for more! Sana is my friend, and I need to know if anything bad has happened to her that I should be bothered about," Momo reasoned. Although Nayeon wanted to end the conversation right then, the woman had a valid point.

Nonetheless, she did not have permission from Sana to discuss the situation with another person. Even if Momo is one of the woman's closest friends, Nayeon couldn't just tell her anything unless Sana requested her to.

"That is a personal matter," Nayeon replied, slightly puzzling Momo. "All right, so your friend called my phone the other night, but she didn't say anything. All she did was hang up the instant I tried to talk to her," she tried to explain, being cautious not to mention Sana's situation within her family in particular. "It was a normal reaction for me to be concerned, Mo, which is why I had to check on her first thing yesterday morning," she explained. "I'm sorry, but Sana is the one to ask if you want to know more about what's going on."

"Were you two in a relationship in the past?" Momo questioned abruptly, making Nayeon swallow hard with her eyes wide open. Momo could sense there was something suspicious about the situation based on her reaction.

After a brief pause, Nayeon responded, "That's the second most ridiculous thing on the planet." "I need to do something else, so please see yourself out," she had to urge before all of this led to another conversation.