SELA - 30

“The smell... there’s a smell.”

Staring into the air, deep in thought, Officer Oh sipped her coffee. Leaning against the wall, she had been teasing Park with something she seemed hesitant to say.

“What smell?”

“What smell?”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“I think we’ll be eating noodles soon.”

At that, Park tilted her head in confusion.

“Noodles? What noodles?”

“Ah, it’s a metaphor! Someone’s getting married soon!”

“Who?!”

“The Vice President.”

“The Vice President?”

Startled, Park almost spilled her teacup. The hot, black liquid swirled precariously inside the cup.

Sa-hee, who happened to be nearby, was equally surprised. In the same pantry room, Sa-hee had been preparing snacks for Ji-Hyuk when she overheard their conversation—especially the talk about marriage.

Unconsciously pausing her movements, Sa-hee turned her head and ended up locking eyes with Officer Oh.

“Oh, Secretary Yoon.”

“Officer Oh.”

“You’re here too, huh? Haha.”

As they awkwardly exchanged smiles, it became clear that Sa-hee’s presence—being Ji-Hyuk’s assistant—was making them reluctant to continue their discussion. After placing the last teacup on the tray, Sa-hee bowed slightly with a gentle smile.

“Please continue your conversation.”

“Huh? Okay. Goodbye.”

After excusing herself, Sa-hee paused briefly outside the door. Soon, faint murmurs leaked out from inside.

“Lady Sa has been going around saying the Vice President is about to get engaged at every gathering. That means marriage is coming soon.”

“But is there anyone worthy of him? I thought he was meeting several women.”

“I heard it’s the daughter of the Chief Justice’s family. Her maternal side runs a hospital business.”

“Wow, sounds pretty impressive.”

“They’re tying the knot with Taesung Group—only a prominent family could pull that off.”

“True, but still… what an enviable life. People like us can only dream of such things.”

“Not necessarily. There’s a rumor that his second son is still single.”

“So what if he’s single?”

“What do you mean, ‘so what’?”

Their laughter bubbled over. Sa-hee quietly moved away and headed toward the Vice President’s office.

________________________________________

“The director from Young Group with whom you had dinner plans says he wants to postpone due to health reasons. He finds it difficult to keep the appointment. What should we do?”

“Let’s reschedule.”

“Yes. And also…”

“Secretary Yoon.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

Ji-Hyuk, sitting back with his legs crossed, looked up at Sa-hee. She kept her gaze fixed on the tablet PC until realizing he wasn’t speaking, prompting her to look at him.

“Vice President?”

“Now I finally see you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since you came in, you’ve avoided eye contact. I wondered if you were doing it on purpose.”

Was I avoiding eye contact? She hadn’t consciously done so. It was just that hearing about his impending marriage left her feeling strange.

“No, sir.”

“That’s good then.”

“For the tax-free business proposal data you requested last time...”

“Are you still not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Fine? Your face is pale.”

“I’m really okay. Perfectly fine.”

Sa-hee’s stubborn response caused Ji-Hyuk’s gaze to sharpen slightly. Feeling the weight of his stare, Sa-hee lowered her eyes.

“Take a break on the sofa for a bit.”

“I don’t need to...”

“I hate repeating myself.”

A sigh escaped Sa-hee involuntarily. Biting her lower lip to restrain herself, she turned to sit on the couch. Though plush and comfortable, sitting idly was unbearable without anything to do.

“...”

Placing the tablet and notebook aside, Sa-hee absentmindedly fidgeted with her hands. Time seemed to crawl by painfully slow.

Only after settling Sa-hee in front of him did Ji-Hyuk begin working. His hands moved briskly, yet his expression remained calm.

Watching him, Sa-hee recalled Officer Oh’s voice—specifically, the talk about Ji-Hyuk’s marriage. If their guess was correct, the person in question was likely Ji-Young. So, he really is marrying Ji-Young.

Ring ring.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

“Answer it.”

Without looking, Ji-Hyuk gave a monotone command. Strangely, Sa-hee found this easier to deal with.

“Hello?”

“Sa-hee, is that you?”

“Yes, this is she. Who’s calling?”

“It’s me, Aunt Hyun-Joo from Gil Restaurant.”

The moment she recognized the caller, Sa-hee’s heart began racing. Aunt Hyun-Joo, the owner of Gil Restaurant where her mother worked, never called unless it was related to her mom.

“Yes, I know you. Is something wrong with Mom?”

“Your mom got burned on her arm while working. She was just rushed to the hospital by ambulance.”

Dizziness washed over Sa-hee as she clutched her skirt tightly.

“Where is the hospital?”

“It’s H Hospital in Mokwon-dong. I’ll stay with her until you arrive, but please hurry. She’s in a lot of pain.”

“Okay, I understand. Please stay with her until I get there. Thank you.”

Hanging up, Sa-hee buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes. A burn? How painful must it be? Checking her phone, she saw there was still about an hour left before her workday ended.

“What’s the matter?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Sa-hee slowly straightened herself. There was no time to hide her panic.

“Mom got badly burned at work...”

“Then why are you still here? You need to go now. Get up.”

Furrowing his brow, Ji-Hyuk stood abruptly and grabbed his jacket.

“But it’s still an hour until my shift ends.”

“Are you joking?”

Ji-Hyuk’s incredulous expression prompted Sa-hee to rise. As she reached for her tablet and notebook, Ji-Hyuk pulled her along.

“Follow me.”

________________________________________

She couldn’t remember how she made it to the hospital. All she knew was that Ji-Hyuk drove her there himself, and somewhere along the way, she had unconsciously leaned on him.

“Mom, Mom!”

Rushing into the emergency room, Sa-hee quickly spotted her mother’s bed. Her mom lay pale-faced not far from the entrance.

“Mom, are you okay? How’s your arm?”

“Ugh, it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

“Nothing serious? You wouldn’t have come to the ER in an ambulance if you were fine.”

Sa-hee slumped into a chair beside the bed, tears welling up. No matter how hard she tried not to cry, seeing her parents grow weaker and more vulnerable with each passing day broke her heart.

“It was just some hot water splashing. They said it won’t leave much of a scar.”

“Are you sure? It’s not serious?”

“Yes, I am. Would I lie to you?”

One more blink and the tears would spill. Not wanting to cry, Sa-hee hastily wiped her eyes. Her mother looked up at her with concern.

“Where’s Aunt Hyun-Joo?”

“She went back to the restaurant. I told her to go since I’m fine. These days, every minute counts for people living paycheck to paycheck.”

“I should’ve come sooner. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that.”

Sa-hee stared at her bandaged arm, guilt-ridden. Her mother smiled brightly to reassure her.

“By the way, who’s the person behind you...?”

“Oh right, silly me.”

Wiping her tears again, Sa-hee sprang to her feet. Turning around, she saw Ji-Hyuk standing there, looking strikingly out of place in the ER.

“Oh, Mom. This is our Vice President...”

“Hello, I’m a friend of Sa-hee’s.”

Friend? Sa-hee was stunned as Ji-Hyuk stepped forward to greet her mother.

“We were together when we heard the news and came straight here. Are you alright?”

His face reflected genuine concern. Sa-hee’s chest tightened. She was touched by how sincerely he cared, as though it were his own issue.

“Yes, I’m fine. Sa-hee, I’m okay. Isn’t your workday not over yet? You should go back. What if something important happens?”

Their eyes met. Ji-Hyuk nodded.

“It’s fine, Mom. I got permission to come.”

“Really? Permission? Such a kind person. Oh, Sa-hee, could you call the doctor...? My arm suddenly hurts.”

“Your arm hurts? Just a moment.”

As Sa-hee panicked and searched for the doctor, Ji-Hyuk stopped her.

“Stay here. I’ll call someone.”

With that, he hurried away.

Holding her mother’s lukewarm hand, Sa-hee watched Ji-Hyuk’s retreating figure, her heart heavy with emotion. Memories of seeing that same back when she was sick flooded her mind. Now those memories felt lonely, belonging solely to her.

Soon, the doctor returned with Ji-Hyuk, and her mother received more painkillers. There wasn’t much else they could do.

After completing her mother’s admission procedures, Sa-hee rushed out of the ward to meet Ji-Hyuk waiting in the hospital lobby.

Exiting the elevator, Sa-hee pushed through the crowd toward the lobby. But he wasn’t there.

“Where...?”

Spinning around, Sa-hee’s face paled. Outside the glass doors, a familiar figure stood near the hospital entrance.

It was Chul-Woo.