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Park Se-hee prided herself on living a successful life.

After graduating from university, she landed a job at a major company on her first try and had been on a steady upward trajectory ever since.

Every project she took on was successfully completed, and her team consistently performed without mistakes. Thanks to her relentless dedication, her salary kept increasing, albeit not dramatically.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if she became a team manager next year, following her promotion to deputy manager.

The standards for success vary for everyone.

By Park Se-hee’s standards, her life—being recognized at work and earning a salary that allowed her to live comfortably in a central Seoul officetel—was well within the bounds of success.

That was until she realized something was missing.

“So, Se-hee, when are you bringing home a husband?”

“Mom! We haven’t seen each other in a while, and that’s the first thing you say?”

“Hey, you! You need to find someone soon! Don’t you want me to see my grandkids before I die? Stop focusing only on work and meet some men! How can you not have a boyfriend at your age?”

“I…”

“What, are you married to your job or something?”

“…You got me there.”

“Ugh, I can’t deal with you… I’ll be lucky if I don’t die of old age before you settle down.”

“Mom! If I really wanted to, I could find a man anytime!”

She stopped herself mid-sentence.

‘Wait… do I even have any close male friends?’

She knew plenty of men, but they were all colleagues, not close friends. Most of them were also over 40.

Looking back, in her 30 years of life—through an all-girls middle school, high school, and university—she had never had any meaningful connection with a man.

Romance?

She had been set up on a few blind dates.

Park Se-hee didn’t think her looks were bad, and she had even been asked out a few times.

Yet, the reason she never pursued romance was… to put it nicely, she was a workaholic. To put it bluntly, she was hopelessly addicted to work.

Her life revolved around the company and her home. Stella, the foreign company she worked for, was notorious for overworking its employees, and the projects she handled were overwhelmingly demanding.

As a result, she spent her weekdays shuttling between work and home, and her weekends passed in a haze of exhaustion.

Under these circumstances, romance was completely out of the question.

Of course, she could have cut back on work if she wanted to.

But Park Se-hee was the type who felt most alive when she was working. She thrived under pressure, a rare breed who found exhilaration in overwork.

Because of this, men who were initially drawn to her polished appearance quickly backed off once they realized her true nature.

Years passed like this, and now she even had a nickname at work: “the work-crazed lunatic.”

‘Guess I’m doomed to be single in this lifetime.’

Just as she was rationalizing that it wasn’t so bad, she met Jeong Ji-hwan.

At first, she thought he was a parachute hire through connections.

Jeong Ji-hwan, brought in by Stella’s CEO Park Joon-hyuk, was given the critical role of game tester despite having no prior experience. It was hard not to think he was a nepotism hire.

Park Se-hee’s first impression of him was that he was a gloomy man.

He was quiet, almost to the point of being mute, and his eyes were unsettling. He was overweight, but if he lost some weight, he might not look too bad.

However, according to a colleague from HR who knew him well, he was a violent ex-convict who had even committed murder.

Whether that was true or not, the aura he exuded made it hard for anyone to approach him.

‘Well, as long as he does his job well, it doesn’t matter.’

For Park Se-hee, whose top priority in life was work, it didn’t matter if he was a criminal or not. She worked with him without caring about others’ opinions.

Over time, she naturally realized something.

Jeong Ji-hwan was even more of a workaholic than she was.

Park Se-hee was used to being the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave.

But Jeong Ji-hwan practically lived at the company. No, he *did* live there.

“Ji-hwan, how many days has it been since you went home?”

“Uh… do I have to go home?”

“What are you… wait. Don’t tell me you don’t have a place to live?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m not homeless.”

“Then go home! Seriously!”

Jeong Ji-hwan spent weekdays and even weekends at the company’s break room, working unpaid overtime that far exceeded legal limits.

Was work really that enjoyable? It didn’t seem so, given his perpetually somber expression.

What drove him to be like this? What kept him so chained to his work?

Park Se-hee grew genuinely curious.

“Ji-hwan, take this.”

“What is it…?”

“Have you never seen an iced Americano before?”

“No, I have, but…”

“Don’t you like it? Coffee.”

“Uh… no, I do. I like it.”

“Right? You’re like a ghost, Ji-hwan.”

“But why are you giving this to me?”

“I meant to order a hot drink but messed up. So you take this one.”

“Ah… thank you. I’ll drink it.”

“No problem. I’m glad you’ll have it.”

“But… what about you? Didn’t you order anything?”

“……I forgot.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Or just say you found it on the way. Anyway, back to work.”

Starting with that small gesture, their relationship gradually improved.

They shared meals, worked late nights together, and talked about various things.

Through these interactions, Park Se-hee learned about Jeong Ji-hwan’s life. She heard about his troubled family, the sudden misfortunes that befell him, and how he joined the company for the sake of his younger sister.

In the end, the reason Jeong Ji-hwan was so devoted to work was his sister.

He couldn’t bear to leave the company because he was worried about her.

When she learned this, Park Se-hee cried so hard in the restroom that she surprised herself.

Time passed.

Before she knew it, the two had become the closest colleagues in the company.

Park Se-hee acknowledged Jeong Ji-hwan, and slowly, others began to recognize him too as someone who worked harder than anyone else.

And then, around that time, Jeong Ji-hwan disappeared.

All Park Se-hee heard was that he had submitted his resignation and vanished without a trace.

The man she knew wouldn’t just leave like that. He wasn’t the type to abandon his only family, his sister, and run away somewhere.

Park Se-hee set out to find Jeong Ji-hwan herself.

With no family other than his sister, she was the one who had to file a missing person report.

She called the police station daily to check if there were any leads on Jeong Ji-hwan’s whereabouts.

When that wasn’t enough, she even went to his home.

By then, Park Se-hee herself didn’t understand why she was going to such lengths.

Why was she so obsessed with finding a man who was just a colleague?

Why was she so fixated on him?

In her 30 years of life, she had never been so attached to anyone. It was bewildering.

‘What’s wrong with me? Why am I like this…?’

It took her months to realize that what she felt was romantic affection.

On one hand, her heart felt like it was breaking. The person she had feelings for was not only missing but possibly dead.

‘Even if something happened to him and he died…’

She wanted to find his body.

She wanted to build a grave for him.

Only then would she feel at peace.

Only then could she close this chapter of her heart.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, sorry. I just can’t believe I’m here with you, Ji-hwan. Anyway, let’s not dwell on it. Drink up.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Park Se-hee raised her wine glass toward Jeong Ji-hwan.

He silently clinked his glass against hers, producing a delicate sound.

Park Se-hee sipped her wine while observing Jeong Ji-hwan.

Even the way he drank wine was dignified and elegant. Having lived as Tristan for so long, his demeanor had become second nature.

Yet, Park Se-hee didn’t find it unfamiliar. Perhaps because Tristan was modeled after Jeong Ji-hwan, but the aura he exuded was the same.

An unspoken pressure that warned others not to approach carelessly. And beneath his occasional cynical attitude, a warm interior.

Even though he had lost weight and his speech had changed, his essence remained the same.

“The service launch is coming up soon.”

“Yeah, it’s not far off.”

“How’s the company?”

“Still busy, same as ever. CEO Park hasn’t been around much lately. And since you disappeared, I’ve been transferred to another department, so I’m not involved in game testing anymore. I don’t know how far along the game’s development is.”

“I see.”

“But they haven’t made any major changes to the game since you left, and they haven’t hired a new game tester. It’s practically been left untouched. I have no idea what CEO Park is thinking.”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t worry, though. I have a lot of connections at the company, so I can dig around and find out what he’s up to.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“This is nothing compared to what I went through trying to find you.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, then spend some time with me today. That’s enough, right?”

“Is that all?”

“It’s not ‘all.’ I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long…”

Park Se-hee trailed off, feeling embarrassed, and cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Can you hold your liquor?”

“…I don’t have many good memories with alcohol.”

“Hmm. Guess you’re not good at it. Then drink moderately. You can handle at least one glass, right?”

“Sure.”

Park Se-hee smiled and tilted her glass.

Alcohol is a mysterious drink.

The more you drink, the more emotional you become, often saying things you wouldn’t normally say.

That’s why Park Se-hee wanted to use this opportunity to gauge Jeong Ji-hwan’s feelings.

“Here, drink up.”

*

I remembered the time I drank with Helga.

When I woke up, Helga was in my bed.

I realized just how terrifying it is to black out.

Since then, I’ve been cautious around alcohol.

I wanted to refuse the drink, but it was hard. How could I say no to someone who had gone to such lengths to find me?

So, I sipped the wine slowly, pacing myself.

I also drank plenty of water in between to stay sober.

Patience or not, if I got drunk, there’d be no saving me.

Of course, I didn’t know how long this method would last.

Since it was my first time drinking with Park Se-hee, I had no idea how much she could handle.

If she turned out to be a heavy drinker…

I was afraid I’d wake up tomorrow in bed with her.

But that fear was unfounded.

“Honestly!”

“……”

“I knew you’d look good if you lost weight! I knew it!”

After about two glasses of wine, Park Se-hee was lecturing me with a flushed face.

“But I didn’t think you’d look *this* good!”

“…Sorry about that.”

I hadn’t expected her to be such a lightweight. She seemed even weaker than me.

This made it easier to control my own pace.

“Be honest!”

“…About what?”

“Am I attractive or not?”

Perhaps because she was drunk, Park Se-hee slurred her words as she asked me.

It was quite direct. I couldn’t tell if she was being honest or just bold.

“Yes or no!”

“Do I have to answer that?”

“Yes! Are you going to or not?”

“Hmm.”

There was really no need to think about it.

No matter how much I pretended to be cold-hearted, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her she wasn’t attractive to her face.

Besides, Park Se-hee was quite popular at work. If she hadn’t been so obsessed with her job, she would’ve had a boyfriend long ago.

“Answer me! Now!”

“I…”

“Count…”

At that moment, a sleepy voice chimed in.

When I turned my head, Wendy, who I thought was asleep, was rubbing her eyes and standing there.

“Wendy?”

She naturally sat on my lap and yawned sleepily.

“Count… I can’t sleep…”

Had we been too loud and disturbed her? Or was her bed uncomfortable?

“Can you tuck me in…?”

Wendy looked up at me with her moist eyes, and I instinctively responded.

“Sorry. Let me put Wendy to bed, and we’ll talk later.”

“I guess I have no choice. Hurry back, okay?”

“Got it.”

As I tried to take Wendy to her room, she shook her head.

“…Carry me.”

What a spoiled brat.

But what could I do? I had to indulge her.

In the end, I carried Wendy princess-style to her bed.

I lay down beside her, planning to stay until she fell asleep.

‘But this kid…’

Despite saying she couldn’t sleep, Wendy’s eyes were already drooping.

“Sleepy?”

“N-no…?”

“Really?”

“Yeah… I’m wide awake…”

She was lying.

The moment she lay down, her eyes were practically closed.

“Count… do you like Se-hee…?”

Out of nowhere.

I stared at her, but Wendy didn’t avert her gaze.

“Do I have a reason to dislike her?”

“Do you like her more than me…?”

“What?”

“Do you like her as much as you like me…?”

What kind of question is that…

“Comparing things like that is meaningless. Think about the time we’ve spent together.”

“But… I’m going to marry you, Count.”

“That’s far in the future.”

Of course, by then, she might find someone else she likes more than me.

“I want to get married now…”

“I don’t.”

“Ugh…”

“Crying won’t help.”

“What if I grow up to be a proper adult…?”

“It’s the same. No matter how much your body matures, you’re still you.”

“Heeeng…”

She just wanted to be spoiled.

“Stop whining and go to sleep.”

“If you kiss me, I’ll fall asleep right away…”

As if I’d do that.

When I pretended not to hear, Wendy mumbled in her half-asleep state.

“Kiss…”

“……”

“If you do…”

“……”

“Can’t you…?”

“Go to sleep.”

I stifled a yawn and patted Wendy’s stomach, like you would with a baby.

Then, I suddenly felt my consciousness slipping.

Whether it was the alcohol or the fatigue from transferring, I was hit with a wave of drowsiness.

“Count…?”

I needed to put Wendy to sleep and get back soon…

“Are you sleeping…?”

No, I’m not asleep yet.

That’s what I tried to say, but strangely, no sound came out.

……Damn, I’m so sleepy.

As I dozed off, I saw Wendy’s face in my blurry vision.

Her usual shy, flustered expression.

But what’s this? Why is her face getting closer… to mine?

“?!”

“……Are you awake…?”

It couldn’t have taken more than 10 seconds.

What jolted me awake was the warm sensation lingering on my lips.

“I… heard somewhere that your first love tastes bitter…”

“Wendy, you…”

“My first kiss was like that too…”

The bitter taste was definitely from the wine I had been drinking. The wine on my lips. Which meant…

“Don’t tell me…”

“Ah, goodnight…!”

Wendy hid her bright red face under the covers.

Thanks to that, even in my half-asleep state, I realized what had happened.

‘Ah…’

I was wide awake now.

‘If I had known this would happen…’

Maybe it would’ve been better to black out.

Because I had just confirmed the feelings of a girl I saw as a daughter, not Park Se-hee’s.

 

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