With Hyeon-myeong’s help, Yu-yeon managed to get up from where she had slumped on the floor. It was miserable to realize that even at a moment like this, she couldn’t do a single thing on her own.
Only moments ago, she had felt like dying of rage because of Lim Da-mi and Do Yong-tae, but now neither of them crossed her mind. She felt like dying of pure mortification.
Hyeon-myeong, having set her on her feet, reached out again as if to scoop her up into his arms. Yu-yeon flinched and pulled back, sending her body tottering once more.
When Yu-yeon refused his touch, Hyeon-myeong moved the walker over, placed her hands on it, and turned around.
No. Just leave me behind, please…
Watching Hyeon-myeong stride away with steady footsteps, Yu-yeon wore a desolate look.
Before she could even soothe her wounded pride, Hyeon-myeong reappeared, wheeling a chair toward her.
Unable to look him in the eye, Yu-yeon kept her head deeply bowed and allowed him to guide her down into the wheelchair.
As they made their way back to her room, his worried voice stung.
I’m only worried about how you must feel right now…
Unable to finish the thought aloud, Yu-yeon pressed her lips together and bit down on them.
Even so, feeling she ought to apologize properly, she spoke up again just as they were nearing her room.
“…”
Having barely summoned the courage to apologize, she felt so wronged by his reply that she jerked her head up and blurted it out in a tearful cry.
A passing nurse stared at the two with wide, round eyes.
Her face flushing red all over again, Yu-yeon hung her head.
While it was a relief that the man hadn’t blown his top, an uncomfortable feeling lingered all the same.
For some reason, rather than being displeased, he almost seemed amused. As if he believed he now held a weakness over her.
And so, the mortification was Yu-yeon’s alone to bear.
Having patched things up with Do Yong-tae, Da-mi seized the momentum and went straight with him to meet a wedding planner.
She finalized the planner’s recommendations for the photo studio, bridal gown boutique, and makeup parlor, personally verifying that Do Yong-tae wired the deposit. Deciding on Hawaii for their honeymoon, they agreed to each look up flights and accommodations before discussing them to make a final call.
With so many details settled, it felt like she had taken a real step closer to marriage. For the first time in a long while, her spirits soared.
When Da-mi returned home, Shin Young-hwa watched her with sullen eyes. Looking on at her daughter, who had looked like death only days ago upon hearing Hong Yu-yeon was awake but was now even humming to herself, Shin Young-hwa spoke listlessly.
Shin Young-hwa, who had been tossing out lifeless acknowledgments with a sullen expression, rushed right up to her at the mention of Hong Yu-yeon’s name.
Her mother never seemed to care whom she met, yet threw what seemed like a fit whenever it came to Hong Yu-yeon, so Da-mi’s tone came out sharp.
Her mother’s prodding had set her nerves on edge, and Da-mi snapped back. Completely ignoring Da-mi’s reaction, Shin Young-hwa pressed on.
When her mother visibly started at the pointed remark and her face suddenly drained of color, Da-mi grew even more puzzled.
Stiffly evading Da-mi’s gaze with a clumsy brush-off, her mother’s reaction made Da-mi knit her brows.
6:00 AM the following day.
On the thirty-fifth floor of Choiseon Mulsan Tower, the elevator doors parted. Choi Hyeon-myeong walked down the corridor toward the executive director’s office with a set expression. Though it was a Sunday, an unscheduled trip to the office had become unavoidable.
Park Cheol-min, Center Director of the Security Operations Center, who had been pacing anxiously outside the office door, caught sight of Hyeon-myeong and hastily bowed.
Giving a brief nod, Hyeon-myeong pushed open the office door. The center director followed him inside.
Taking off his suit jacket and draping it over the back of his chair, Hyeon-myeong gave the command. The center director reported in a voice thick with tension.
Choiseon Mulsan had established multiple layers of security to safeguard the personal information of millions of customers. An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) monitoring external threats, an Identity and Access Management (IAM) framework regulating access to internal systems, and an independent Key Management System (KMS) dedicated to data encryption and key governance operated in coordination, with the entire infrastructure under the real-time supervision of the Security Operations Center.
Hyeon-myeong, whose expression rarely shifted, pinched his brows together tightly. It was evident that this incident was far more than a mere firewall detour.
Hyeon-myeong went down to the Security Operations Center alongside Center Director Park Cheol-min. In front of massive monitors, the security personnel were moving around briskly. Traffic monitoring data updated in real time across the expansive screens, and the staff analyzed logs with tense faces.
One of the staff members called out to the center director in a low voice.
The center director responded at once.
Hyeon-myeong took a step closer to catch the conversation clearly.
Reviewing the logs, Center Director Park Cheol-min answered.
The furrow between Hyeon-myeong’s brows deepened.
Offering a word of encouragement to the staff, Hyeon-myeong left the operations center.
Ever since he joined the company, Choiseon Mulsan had enjoyed steady, stable growth. Minor accidents occurred from time to time, but they had always been manageable. Hyeon-myeong possessed exceptional skill in resolving crises, and there had always been enough time to handle the fallout.
This time, however, time was not on his side. It was a major incident, the likes of which had not broken out in a very long while.
On top of that, his father, Choi Jun-sik, CEO of Choiseon Mulsan, was currently away on an overseas business trip.
Narrowing his eyes, Hyeon-myeong pressed firmly against his temple.
SecureMail… If it’s SecureMail, would she know?
A woman surfaced in his mind like a single reed of hope.
Yu-yeon let out a groan and squirmed atop her mattress.
The previous night, she had transferred to the rehabilitation ward. The move had originally been scheduled for midweek next week, but she had pushed for an early transfer at her own pleading.
It was all because of what had happened yesterday afternoon. Stunned first by meeting Lim Da-mi, and dealt a second blow by touching Choi Hyeon-myeong, Yu-yeon chose to flee to the rehabilitation ward so she wouldn’t have to see him as much.
She had strictly ordered her younger sister, Jeong-yeon, never to tell Choi Hyeon-myeong her room number, so she figured she would be safe for at least a few days.
She couldn’t avoid him forever, but it would give her time to gather the remnants of her dignity.
Resolving to do that and changing rooms had seemed fine, but between overexerting herself during strength training and the strain of moving, her body took a hit, and muscle aches flared in her thighs.
It was a muscle soreness she knew all too well from her healthier days. It meant muscle was about to build up properly. She knew full well that pushing through this pain and exercising consistently was how real muscle was formed.
Only after telling herself to get up about ten times did she muster the courage to press the electric bed’s control button. Whirrr. The electric bed slowly rose, propping up her upper body, and today she felt exceptionally grateful for it.
Faintly smiling, Yu-yeon reached toward the wheelchair sitting nearby.
Just then, along with a polite knock, a man’s voice called out.
What on earth? How did he even know to come here!
Startled by Choi Hyeon-myeong’s voice, Yu-yeon yanked back the hand she had stretched out toward the wheelchair.
She immediately pressed the button to lower the head of the bed.
Whirrr… Whirrrr…
Oh, come on, you stupid bed! How long is this going to take…?
She needed to lie completely flat. The very electric bed she had coveted taking home just moments ago felt like dead weight now. Its excruciatingly sluggish pace made her blood boil with frustration.
Click. In the end, the door opened before it finished lowering.
Ack.
Before the backrest could fully recline, Yu-yeon took her finger off the button. Then, in an awkward scramble, she rolled over to face away from the door.
Step, step. As always, the man walked around toward the inner side of the room, to Yu-yeon’s right.
‘Ah, why does this man always walk around to this side? Does he have an obsession with the window side or something?’
Left facing Hyeon-myeong anyway, Yu-yeon quietly dragged the blanket up, pulling it all the way over her forehead.