At Yong-tae’s grave demand, Da-mi pulled out her phone and opened the photo album. With a tap of her finger, a video began to play.
Her voice drifted from the black screen.
Throughout the video, Yong-tae’s eyes shifted restlessly. To the phone, to Lim Da-mi’s face, and back to the phone.
Hong Yu-yeon, who had bristled as if ready for a duel, had been utterly deflated by Lim Da-mi’s brazen assault. The heated exchange finally ended with her telling Lim Da-mi to get out, as though giving up.
Hong Yu-yeon surrendering what was hers this easily? Even after hearing the entire clip, Yong-tae could hardly believe it.
Only after replaying the video several times did Yong-tae’s restless eyes finally settle.
With tears welling in his eyes, he looked like nothing so much as a wounded beast.
Da-mi held his hands warmly.
Comforting him made Da-mi feel mature and wonderful, swelling her with pride.
After Lim Da-mi left, Yu-yeon gripped her walker and stepped into the hallway.
She had kept an impassive face throughout the encounter, but enduring it had taken every ounce of her strength.
To think they would turn her Optimum Path into Do Yong-tae’s work.
Long ago, Lim Da-mi had pried into every detail of Yu-yeon’s life. She could even recite the names of colleagues from Yu-yeon’s very first job, people she had never once introduced.
She had known Optimum Path inside out, too. What felt lacking and had just been patched, where proposals had been sent and which had replied, which company showed interest asking if it could be tailored for their needs…
From design to completion and pitching, Yu-yeon had narrated the entire journey to Lim Da-mi. The memory of her own foolishness made her blood boil.
As her anger flared, her strength surged with it. In no time at all, she powered through her daily goal of four laps down the corridor. Still unable to rein in her restless energy, she was just starting a fifth.
A large shadow fell abruptly around the corner, and Choi Hyeon-myeong popped into view.
He had a habit of appearing out of nowhere like Hong Gildong, so Yu-yeon wasn't even startled anymore. With a determined grimace, she kept marching and answered.
Something enormous had happened, then.
Finding her room empty, Hyeon-myeong had wandered the hospital until he finally spotted her. But before he could even register his relief, he was hit with dreadful news.
“…”
It was just as Hyeon-myeong had anticipated. Hong Yu-yeon, however, hadn't seen it coming and seemed thoroughly shaken.
Not long ago, Hyeon-myeong had planted rumors at TZ Construction about Optiroad being stolen. Do Yong-tae had likely caught wind of it and reacted.
In fact, even before Yu-yeon woke from her coma, Hyeon-myeong had gathered relevant records just in case, preparing to launch a lawsuit the moment she regained consciousness.
Between the evidence he had already compiled on Optimum Path, whatever Yu-yeon could gather now, and testimony from those who knew her, it was an entirely winnable fight.
Unaware of any of this, however, Yu-yeon brushed his suggestion aside.
She seemed worried about legal expenses and the time it would consume. Hyeon-myeong meant to weigh whether he should offer his help, but his focus kept wavering.
She was simply too endearing, gripping that walker for dear life and pushing herself forward with fire in her eyes.
She certainly looked like she had. As if refusing to let the past drag her down, she brushed it off and injected cheer into her voice.
This woman never gave in to despair, no matter the circumstance. Instead of clinging to the past, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, doing everything in her power to prevail.
Like an icebreaker crushing through frozen seas, she forged her own path.
He needed to be serious right now, yet stray thoughts kept creeping in. Growing prettier by the day, she was undeniably breathtaking today.
Her reckless streak, however, was rather concerning.
Hong Yu-yeon took one hand off the walker. Hyeon-myeong, who had been standing still, twitched on his feet. Seeing that she could support her weight reasonably well, he held back from reaching out and simply watched her.
When she focused under tension, she had a habit of biting her lower lip with her upper. Her gaze grew sharp and clear.
Watching this small woman pour herself entirely into a goal sent a tickle through his chest.
Wobbling briefly before catching her balance, Hong Yu-yeon drew a deep breath.
Then, inevitably, she let go with her other hand as well.
Hyeon-myeong watched her so intently he could barely swallow, feeling as if he were the one taking his first steps.
Oblivious to his frayed nerves, the woman was brimming with high spirits all on her own. Having successfully balanced with both hands off the frame, Yu-yeon cheered.
Whew. So precarious it made his head spin.
Dismayed at his own base impulses for taking her innocent shout the wrong way, Hyeon-myeong swallowed down his dizzy spell and gave a faint laugh.
As she lunged toward her goal, her cheeks—plumper now—lifted in a vibrant grin, and a very healthy urge stirred unbidden within him.
Hyeon-myeong held his breath to keep himself in check. And yet.
Standing firmly on the floor with both hands clear of the walker, Yu-yeon cried out in sheer exhilaration.
Her younger sister had been born when Yu-yeon was nine years old. Remembering how thrilled her father had been seeing the baby stand on her own, Yu-yeon finally understood his joy. Standing on her own two feet made her immensely proud of herself.
Now that she could stand unassisted, it felt as though she could do anything. Tempting fate, she boldly took a step.
She had been perfectly fine through that single step. It was all because of the man hovering right in front of her.
Short of stamping his feet, his panicked look made it seem as though the world were ending, and the strength abruptly drained from her legs.
The man lunged forward at once. Yu-yeon blindly flung her hands out toward him, grabbing at whatever was in sight.
Whatever was in sight.
Blindly.
Laden with her falling weight, Yu-yeon’s hand slid forcefully down the length of Hyeon-myeong’s body.
And then, a second too late, she registered it.
Right in the middle of his body, the unmistakable sensation of catching against something prominent as she slid down…
Something she desperately didn't want to identify, yet possessed a presence far too distinct to ignore.
Thud.
She hit the floor with an unceremonious clatter. It felt almost like the heavy clink of handcuffs snapping shut around her wrists.
What… in the world…
Yu-yeon sat frozen on the floor, barely daring to breathe.
Hong Yu-yeon, who never succumbed to despair, froze stiff in absolute mortification.
She wanted to cry. Her face burned furiously. She needed to get up, yet she couldn't even raise her head. She desperately wished for a hole in the ground to swallow her up.
Silently dropping to his knees before her, the man let out a heavy, inscrutable sigh. For some reason, his breath felt far too hot.
Was he wondering what on earth was wrong with her?
She had merely taken a single baby step, yet her heart thundered as though she had just sprinted a hundred-meter dash.
Gently taking her wrist as if to help her up, Choi Hyeon-myeong whispered in a smooth, quiet murmur.