She had done this for Mr. Choi so often, so she was familiar with the staff. She greeted the store staff occasionally.
“You shouldn’t do this.” The store staff that was passing by her said feeling sorry for her.
“No, I’m fine. I’ll finish here, so take a break.”
Sun smiled. She soon started displaying the products from the beginning.
The products were already displayed in a perfected angle, so there was nothing to do more, but she still reached her hand out to them again.
Sun repeated displaying the products again several times like she needed something to focus her mind rather than displaying them.
“Hey, there.”
After a while, Mr. Choi returned.
He cleared his throat a few times like he had something to say to her and started speaking.
“Follow me if you really want to help.”
President Choi turned away, seemingly disgusted while pouting his mouth.
She quickly followed him, and he guided her to a large warehouse.
“I have some new stuff that’s coming in, so I have to clean this place up. Can you help me with that?”
It seemed like he was asking her help, but it was actually no different from imperatives.
“Sure, of course.”
“Then start with the stuff on top over there.”
Mr. Choi patted her shoulder and exited the warehouse.
“Hah.”
Sun looked around the inside of the warehouse and exhaled a shallow sigh.
She wondered if she could finish everything in half a day.
“It might be better for me.”
She thought maybe she could forget the thoughts about him if she concentrated on something.
Sun rolled up her arm sleeves with a bitter smile.
She carefully climbed onto the scaffolding to clean up the stuff on the shelf where he was pointing.
As she reached out and picked up the box, the thick layer of dust poured all over her head.
“Whup…”
She closed her eyes and held her breath right away, but she touched the box beside her.
A box that was precariously shaking fell over on her right shoulder.
***
In the parking lot.
Gyeonhui didn’t put the papers down from his hand on the way.
His eyes stiffened as she felt motion sickness, but he deliberately focused more on the paperwork.
Whenever he lost focus for a moment, thoughts about her filled his mind.
“Hah…” A heavy sigh leaked from his mouth.
“Ugh.”
At that time, he felt irritation in his eyes that seemed like something had gotten into them.
“Why? Are you still uncomfortable?”
“… No.” Gyeonhui shook his head slowly.
He decided that he needed to get himself sorted, but whenever he came here to the building, he was shaken.
He was lost in thought for a while and remembered the coffee tree in his office.
“… Return the tree in the office to her too.”
If the scarf that he gave to her was the only recollection he had of her, then the only memory left for him was the coffee tree she left behind. He wanted to keep it, but he thought it was right to give it back. It was a tree with memories of her deceased father, and it was clear to him that it would be more precious for her.
“Really? Okay…”
Gyeonhui breathed a long sigh, and his eyes closed with pain.
Then, suddenly, his right shoulder began to hurt like he got hit by something.
“Ugh.”
Ojae’s eyes widened as he heard Gyeonhui’s moan.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“… No, it’s nothing.”
Gyeonhui clutched his shoulder and clenched his teeth tightly.
He didn’t say anything, but he knew what was going on.
Her pain was being passed on to him.
After a while, his throbbing shoulder sank a little.
Fortunately, it seemed like it was not a significant injury, but it was enough to recall the memories of her
‘… Cheonsun…’
With a firm expression, Gyeonhui clenched his teeth even more.
“… Go up first. I’ll follow you.”
“… Sure.”
After reading Gyeonhui’s feelings, Ojae got out of the car and went up to the office.
“Hah…”
Gyeonhui leaned over the chair and closed his eyes. However, the more he tried to wrap up this heart, the more her memories revolved around him.
***
“Hah.”
Sun looked through the inside of the warehouse, seemingly proud.
The messy warehouse was neatly organized.
A short time later, When Mr. Choi returned, he looked inside the warehouse like a supervisor.
“It’s clean.” Sun said.
“Sort of. I don’t like it much.”
Mr. Choi spoke bluntly, but he could not hide his satisfaction.
Sun was smiling but frowned at the sudden pain in her shoulder.
It was precisely between the collarbone and shoulder.
“Hah…”
“What’s wrong?” Mr. Choi looked at her and asked.
“Something fell on my shoulder from the shelf while I was cleaning.”
“What? I told you to clean, not to get injured.” Mr. Choi stated, making a fuss about it, unlike his usual way.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
She said, stretching, and moving her shoulder around while playing off her injury like it was no big deal.
Looking at her quietly, Mr. Choi started speaking. “You’re not going to ask for any kind of reimbursement for this injury, are you? Like insurance or payment for treatment.”
‘Oh…’
Sun smiled bitterly after she had read Mr. Choi’s thoughts.
“No, I won’t. It was my mistake.”
“Really? I’m going to record you, okay?”
Mr. Choi took the phone out of his pocket and earnestly pressed the recording button.
“Now, repeat after me, ‘I will not file any kind of claim for today, and I’m responsible for any injury…”
Sun struggled to smile, but only followed what he said.
***
“After.”
How long had it been?
After barely clearing his mind, Gyeonhui slowly left the car.
He tried to focus on the paperwork to forget about her no matter what, but it wasn’t easy.
Following a familiar path in the building, he pressed the button and waited for the elevator.
A short time later, the elevator door opened with a ringing sound.
He tried to get on the elevator with his papers, but he was a little thrown off that someone was already in it.
It was a designated elevator only for him, so there was no one to use it other than himself.
“Hmm.”
He coughed and looked at the person in the elevator over the papers he was carrying.
At that moment, his stride stopped because a familiar face came to his eyes.
It was her, Choensun.
He looked around quickly with a firm expression.
Only then did he realize that he was standing in front of a regular elevator for the staff.
He had passed his own elevator while he was focusing on the papers.
Sun, too, seemed surprised and tried to avoid his gaze without saying anything.
After a while, the elevator doors slowly began to close.
Her face faded away like slow motion.
Watching the door close, he suddenly reached out and blocked the elevator door.
The door began to open again.
He slowly stepped into the elevator that she was in.
The sound of his steps coming in was loud.
Inside the elevator, where the silence subsided, there was nothing between the two.
She did not even move an inch, keeping her gaze fixed in front of her.
The elevator slowly started to rise.
The first person who started speaking was him.
“… Have you heard from Ojae?”
His voice sank.
“… Yes. Thank you.”
“Hmm… Thank you…”
He smiled weakly, and bitterly.
“There’s no more reason for us to see each other anymore.”
“Right…”
He nodded bitterly. A short time later, the elevator door opened.
“Bye.”
She moved away from him at the end of her sentence.
He stopped and watched her leave.
Her slender back steadily faded away.
As she turned around the corner and disappeared in front of his eyes, his heart started accelerating.
He unwittingly reached out his hand to her.
He wanted to run and hold on to her, but he was only standing there.
“… I have to let her go…”
He seemed to be distressed and mumbled to himself while clenching his molars.
His outstretched hand dropped powerlessly.