Could it have been Hong Yu-yeon?
By sheer coincidence, the rumor had begun spreading through TZ Construction the moment Hong Yu-yeon awoke from her coma. Was it truly a coincidence?
Yet there was no one on TZ Construction’s IT team who had any connection to Hong Yu-yeon.
Sitting alone at an empty cafe table, Do Yong-tae logged into his personal cloud drive on his tablet.
Both Optimum Path, which he had received from Hong Yu-yeon long ago, and Optiroad, whose source code he had altered, were saved there. Yong-tae compared the two programs’ code side by side. He had revised what he could, but it amounted to nothing more than stripping away Hong Yu-yeon’s personal coding habits. He had been utterly unable to touch the core of the algorithm. He simply lacked Hong Yu-yeon’s caliber of coding skill.
If Hong Yu-yeon were to file a lawsuit to establish authorship, it would be the end of him. He had no confidence he could win.
When he first heard that Hong Yu-yeon had woken up, regret had washed over him for not waiting for her, but now that his own survival was on the line, he found himself wishing she would simply close her eyes again.
As he clutched his head and let out a long sigh, the cafe door swung open. A sulky Lim Da-mi stepped inside.
Yong-tae jumped up from his seat and waved to her. Da-mi lifted her chin with an air of haughtiness, but her irritation dissolved easily enough. She didn't mind seeing that he had clearly been waiting on edge for her.
Still playing hard to get, she asked him with a coy pout.
In truth, he had been out of touch for so long, and even when she did manage to reach him, their conversations had been so hollow that she had been sick with worry.
Do Yong-tae grasped her hands in both of his. Da-mi gasped softly, wondering if he was about to propose.
Though they were already preparing for marriage, he had yet to make an official proposal, leaving Da-mi perpetually on the edge of anticipation.
“…”
It was entirely unexpected. Da-mi’s face instantly twisted in displeasure.
A tranquil Saturday afternoon.
Her younger sister had left for a college group project, and with the caregiver given the day off, Yu-yeon found herself enjoying some time alone for the first time in a while.
Two whole weeks had passed since she woke from her coma. Yu-yeon’s weight was currently forty-two kilograms. The doctor had scolded her soundly for gaining two kilograms in a single week, but Yu-yeon was pleased, feeling that her face finally looked somewhat presentable.
With the added weight came better stamina. She could now transfer herself from the bed to the wheelchair on her own, and her digestive function had recovered enough to handle regular food. It was a day that had started on a bright note, buoyed by the doctor’s assessment that she might be discharged in about five weeks if she kept this up.
Today, she would walk down the hallway four times with the walker. Free from her IV catheter for the day, she thought it might also be worth trying to stand on her own without the aid.
Marveling at her body’s daily progress, Yu-yeon took hold of the walker. Just then, the hospital room door opened.
Recognizing the visitor stepping through the door, Yu-yeon’s expression settled into a frosty chill. It was an unexpected guest.
Still standing supported by the walker, Yu-yeon asked her,
Both of us know that isn't true.
At Da-mi’s answer, draped in feigned goodwill, Yu-yeon let out a faint snort.
Deciding it wasn't worth answering, Yu-yeon ignored Da-mi’s question and moved toward her wheelchair. Her legs wobbled as her center of gravity shifted from the walker to the wheelchair, but she did not fall.
Once settled securely in the wheelchair, Yu-yeon gestured toward a nearby chair with a tilt of her head. Da-mi nodded and took a seat.
Da-mi began her business with a bizarre preamble.
Yu-yeon, who had been wearing a blank expression, felt a glimmer of curiosity stir. Strangely enough, hearing Da-mi boast about her romance didn't make her feel a thing.
She was simply curious about what grand point Da-mi intended to make after such a theatrical opening.
A program built together?
The faint spark of curiosity vanished, instantly replaced by an icy glare.
Though struck dumb by the audacity, her mind raced at full speed.
Ah, I see. So that’s why Do Yong-tae sent her here.
Lim Da-mi was a friend who knew about her past relationship with Do Yong-tae, the details of Optimum Path, and even how the related business ventures had progressed. If Yong-tae could warp the memories of a friend like that to frame Yu-yeon’s program as a joint creation, while diminishing Yu-yeon’s contribution, he could step forward as the sole patent inventor without raising suspicion.
When Yu-yeon calmly pressed her, Da-mi jumped in indignation.
So this is what it feels like to have your pocket picked in broad daylight.
Yu-yeon let out a silent, weary sigh at the realization that she had once cared so deeply for someone this cowardly and vile.
Seeing the quiet fury on Yu-yeon’s face, Da-mi smiled brightly, as if thoroughly enjoying herself.
“…”
Click. Click. Click.
Stepping outside the hospital building, Da-mi snapped several selfies with the facility behind her.
After taking photo after photo until she landed on a satisfying shot, Da-mi posted it to social media with a short caption.
— Visiting a friend in the hospital♥ We’ve been inseparable since we were six years old, but she was in a coma for two whole years after a car accident. I can’t begin to describe how happy I am now that she’s awake. Yu-yeon, stay healthy now. Love you♥
The moment she posted it, hearts rained down, followed by an unbroken chain of admiring comments.
— Oh my goodness, our pretty Da-mi, you must have suffered so much emotionally.
— Heaven must have been moved by your kind heart to grant such a miracle.
— Visiting a friend on such a lovely day! Your heart is as gorgeous as your face♥
Checking the flood of comments and hearts, Da-mi strolled away, her footsteps as light as air.
Hong Yu-yeon. Oh, Yu-yeon.
My dear friend, a plain-featured beauty who monopolized the queen’s throne for so long.
How gratifying it was to watch you tremble from head to toe, barely able to drag your own weight into that wheelchair.
I already felt like a victor before I even brought up Oppa.
From the very beginning right up until two years ago, how endlessly had she been compared to Hong Yu-yeon, merely because they were of similar height?
Face, figure, personality, grades, popularity… Everything had been grounds for comparison. People had measured her against Hong Yu-yeon in every conceivable area, steadily cultivating a deep sense of inferiority within her.
Her own family had been no different. Even her mother had tormented her, stacking the specs of Hong Yu-yeon’s boyfriends against her own.
Thinking back on those years, visiting the hospital today felt like the world’s overdue consolation to her.
Da-mi met up with Do Yong-tae again at a cafe near the hospital.
Do Yong-tae, who had been waiting on pins and needles, sprang up from his chair. Da-mi sauntered over and took the seat opposite him.
Da-mi’s vague response did nothing to soothe Yong-tae’s anxiety.
Two days ago, after confessing to Da-mi that he had stolen Hong Yu-yeon’s program, Yong-tae had begged for her help.
The only way out of this trap was to claim an ‘implied agreement.’ To argue that, because Hong Yu-yeon and he were lovers two years and four months ago, there was naturally no explicit contract, but both had mutually understood the work to be a joint project.
To pull this off, he needed Da-mi’s backing; he planned to substantiate the claim using the memories of Da-mi, who had been Hong Yu-yeon’s closest friend.
To that end, Da-mi had volunteered to go first and drive the final nail into Hong Yu-yeon herself. That was how Lim Da-mi’s hospital visit had come about.
Even after sending Lim Da-mi to the hospital, Yong-tae had been a bundle of nerves. It would be wonderful if it worked, but Lim Da-mi wasn't nearly as smart as Hong Yu-yeon, leaving no telling how things might turn out.
Despite Da-mi’s confident reassurance, Yong-tae could not shake his doubts. There was no way that fierce Hong Yu-yeon would give in so easily.