Chapter 11
. That Much Value
Late afternoon, a residential neighborhood.
Seon-i was trudging along with some snacks in her hand.
“Phew…”
She rubbed her churning stomach and let out a long sigh.
The day-long torment of a terrible hangover was the price she paid for overdrinking with Eun-young the night before.
“Anyway, it should be around here…”
Following her phone’s navigation that told her she was close to her destination, Seon-i looked around.
Then, she spotted a small sign attached to the side of a three-story house.
“Kids Fan. Found it.”
Recognizing the familiar name, Seon-i hurried her steps.
“It’s in the basement?”
A little surprised, she carefully descended the stairs and peered inside.
Inside the small semi-basement office, Eun-young and Ari were busily unpacking boxes.
“Tada! I’m here!”
Seon-i shouted with a cheerful smile.
“Wow! Unni!!”
Ari ran up to her, snatching the bag of snacks out of her hands—clearly more excited about the food than about seeing Seon-i herself.
“Tteokbokki, soondae… where’s the fried squid?”
“Am I less important than fried squid to you?”
“That’s not it! But fried squid is the star of any snack set. Wait—are you sulking?”
Ari asked in an apologetic, playful tone.
“Go away.”
Seon-i pouted and shoved Ari aside, pretending to be upset.
“Why are you here? I told you to come starting next week.”
Eun-young, who had walked up, looked at her curiously.
“Before the chance slips away, I want to do something—anything.”
“You had a chance to begin with?”
“Unni!”
Seon-i flared up cutely at Eun-young’s teasing.
“Are you feeling any better? You drank a lot yesterday.”
“I’m dying. If I drink again, I’m not human.”
She shook her head in mock despair.
“Wow! So good. Mm, this seasoning is just perfect.”
Ari, already munching away, shouted after popping another bite into her mouth.
Watching her eat, Seon-i chuckled and then glanced at Eun-young.
“Unni, you should eat too.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got this.”
Seon-i pulled out a pocket stuffed full of chocolates and candy.
“Still not over it?”
“Almost.”
“It’s funny. Normally you’d never even touch sweets.”
Eun-young laughed in disbelief.
“Exactly. Why do you think that is?”
Seon-i said while unwrapping a piece of chocolate and popping it into her mouth.
“Anyway, just hang out today and go home. Overdoing it only hurts you. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Her exaggerated response made Eun-young chuckle before she turned to Ari.
“I’m meeting CEO Choi to settle things, then heading straight home. You can leave whenever you’re done, okay? And don’t go blabbing nonsense. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
Ari answered, sneaking a glance at Seon-i.
After giving one last look of warning, Eun-young grabbed her coat and stepped out.
Click. Thud.
As the door closed, Ari looked at Seon-i.
“Come to think of it, I never heard about your trip—too much going on. Was it all sorted out? Nothing happened?”
“…Yeah. It’s all taken care of now.”
Though she said it casually, a lingering weight she couldn’t shake pressed on her chest.
“Good. Both I and the boss were so worried.”
Not noticing the heaviness behind her words, Ari kept eating her soondae.
“Thanks. And sorry, to both of you.”
“What’s there to thank or apologize for? We’re family.”
“I’m thankful for the worry, and sorry for causing it. That’s what family means, right?”
“Tch. You sure talk smooth.”
Ari pouted at Seon-i’s warm smile.
“By the way, why’d you guys suddenly move offices?”
Seon-i looked around at the much smaller office, in a location that couldn’t compare to their old one.
“…You don’t need to know. Something happened.”
“What do you mean, ‘don’t need to know’?”
“Sigh. I can’t tell you.”
“What is it? What happened?”
“Well… the boss told me not to say anything. Ugh.”
Ari hesitated, clearly torn.
Seeing her hesitate only deepened Seon-i’s unease.
“…Why? What happened?”
“It’s just that… um…”
After biting her lip, Ari finally spoke as if making up her mind.
“Actually, he came by.”
“He?”
“…Yeah. CEO Consensio.”
Ari reluctantly admitted it.
“Kyeon-hee came?!”
Seon-i’s shocked voice made Ari nod slowly.
Her eyes trembled violently as a wave of anxiety crashed over her.
“…Tell me everything.”
Her face hardened as she pressed Ari again.
“I shouldn’t… but fine. Whatever.”
Ari began speaking hesitantly. And as Seon-i listened, her face grew darker and darker.
Outside the CEO’s office at Consensio.
“Damn it…”
Secretary Kwon ran his hands through his hair, pacing nervously.
He knew too well that once Kyeon-hee made up his mind, he wouldn’t back down. The frustration was eating him alive.
“There’s got to be a way…”
He bit his lip.
Then, a memory of Sera’s words suddenly flashed in his mind:
‘Sharing? So if a man’s in pain, the woman feels it too? That’s kind of messed up.’
‘…This! This is it!’
His face lit up.
Knock knock.
He entered the office.
“What now?”
Kyeon-hee looked up from his papers, unimpressed.
“I—I found it. The reason you need me by your side.”
Kwon almost shouted in his urgency.
“What is it?”
Kyeon-hee asked without much interest.
Taking a deep breath, Kwon steadied himself and tried to sound calm.
“You’re feeling Ms. Seon-i’s nausea and pain, right?”
“So what?”
“But you don’t even know the full extent of it. And you don’t know if your pain is being passed on to her either.”
“…True.”
“Don’t you need someone to figure that out for you and confirm it?”
“Hm.”
Kyeon-hee folded his arms and studied him.
“You’d be in trouble if you got directly involved, and finding someone else to test it would be risky too. Who’d even believe a story about sharing pain? Not many.”
“…”
“And if this ever leaked? As a CEO, it could be devastating. Am I wrong?”
Kwon rattled off his words, then cautiously watched his boss’s reaction.
Kyeon-hee nodded slowly, piecing it together.
The man still had his uses.
“Fine. I’ll accept your resignation—as a written apology.”
He slipped the letter of resignation—now downgraded to a “reflection letter”—into his desk drawer. The drawer was crammed so tightly with documents and stationery it looked like a block-stacking game.
“Hah… thank you. Really.”
Kwon collapsed onto the sofa, legs weak with relief.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d confirm it.”
“You mean… right now?”
“My stomach’s churning even as we speak. I need to know what’s happening to me. Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind already.”
Kyeon-hee reopened the drawer and theatrically threatened to tear the letter apart.
“N-no way. Of course not! I’ll go, I’ll go, hahaha.”
Kwon bolted out of the office.
“Phew.”
Left alone, Kyeon-hee sighed deeply.
Kwon’s point had been sharp.
He could feel her pain—but did she feel his? That remained a mystery.
Staring down at his palm, he muttered:
“What on earth is happening to my body? Haa…”
His sigh dissolved into the empty air again.
Then his phone rang.
Since he rarely got personal calls, it almost never rang.
He picked it up.
On the screen flashed a saved name: “Woman 16.”
A café in a residential neighborhood.
Despite it being evening, it was nearly empty.
Seon-i was the only customer.
‘…That’s why I used to come here so often.’
She looked around with a bitter smile.
The simple, unremarkable interior. Just a few tables.
The elderly owner dozing off behind the counter, despite a customer being there.
It wasn’t much to others, but to her, it had been a special place.
Special because she had always been there with him.
“Haa.”
She let out a sigh, staring at her now-cold coffee.
Ari’s story still shook her to the core.
“Canceling the contract, just like that…”
The Consensio deal had been Eun-young’s greatest hope, the result of Kids Fan proving themselves with skill despite being a small design firm.
But because of her, it had all crumbled.
Ding-ding.
The doorbell rang.
A chilly breeze swept into the café.
Her mouth went dry. Her chest pounded with dread.
Step. Step.
Footsteps approached her.
Long, steady strides—she didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
The cold air brushed past her as he sat across from her.
“Yesterday was quite the reunion. Wouldn’t you agree?”
His words made the memories she wanted to bury resurface.
“Not intentionally.”
She tried hard to sound calm.
“And why’d you reach out? Don’t tell me you want to come back?”
His cold smile cut into her.
“…That’s not why I called you.”
Her voice was steady, though inside she had to steel herself over and over just to say it.
He leaned in closer.
His hand lifted her chin, eyes locking onto hers.
She should have turned away.
She should have pushed his hand off.
But his touch felt so natural that she just stared blankly at him.
“Lies.”
He said it with certainty.
“I can see it in your eyes. How uneasy you are. I can read you completely.”
His face drew nearer, their noses brushing.
His breath grazed her lips.
I thought I hid it so well…
Her mind went hazy.
His lips inched toward hers.
She should have pulled away, but instead, she found herself closing her eyes.
“If you want to come back, just beg. Who knows? Maybe I’ll forgive you.”
His cold voice cut through the moment.
Seon-i’s eyes flew open. She looked at him—at that predatory smile.
The same smirk he’d worn three months ago when he’d mocked her and walked away.
Finally, she managed to turn her head aside.
Her refusal widened his eyes slightly.
“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t come here to see Kyeon-hee the man. I came to see CEO Woo Kyeon-hee.”
“Misunderstand?”
“I heard about it. The Kids Fan deal—you canceled it.”
“Kids Fan? Ah… was that their name?”
He asked as if he hardly remembered.
Her heart sank.
Even after two years together, he hadn’t even known the name of her company.
“…Don’t you think that’s petty?”
For the first time, she used the strongest word she could muster.
“Petty?”
His brow twitched.
“I don’t want others suffering because of our personal history. Isn’t that a reasonable request?”
She held his gaze firmly, refusing to back down.
“Ha. Amusing.”
Tilting his chin slightly, he looked down at her.
“Who says they suffered because of us?”
“Well…”
“Seon. Do you honestly think you’re worth that much to me?”
His words shattered her like a hammer blow.
The walls she had painstakingly built inside her crumbled in an instant.
