Chapter 26
And once again, silence fell between them.
Of the two, the one watching the other with predator-like eyes was Seung-eon.
Seo I-su tried her best to avoid meeting the icy gaze that seemed to radiate cold air from him. Because of that, her head, which had lowered, stayed down for quite a while.
“Team Leader Seo I-su.”
The one to finally break the long, long stillness was also Seung-eon.
When she heard him call her name and looked up in surprise, it was just like—
Like a rabbit.
The eyes peering out from behind the black-rimmed glasses had widened so much they looked like they might pop out. Her pale face looked even more drained than usual, enough that Seung-eon briefly worried. But she quickly spoke in a calm tone.
“How much did you hear?”
“…Sorry?”
“My conversation with Woo-jin. How much of it did you understand?”
At the sharp question, awkwardness spread over Seo I-su’s face.
How much I heard?
Truthfully, there wasn’t much to “hear” or “not hear.”
She’d been right there in the hallway outside his home talking to Woo-jin. It was practically the same as begging him to listen to her story.
But Seung-eon had to act unshaken—especially since there was the possibility that the man in front of her might be her missing boyfriend in disguise.
When Seung-eon saw Seo I-su hesitate, she gave a faint smile.
“So… you understood all of it to the end?”
Instead of answering, Seo I-su gave a silent nod.
Well, she was a genius among geniuses. A few words from young Woo-jin would’ve been enough for her to piece the whole situation together.
Seung-eon let out a short sigh.
“That’s right. I have amnesia.”
“Amne…sia…”
When Seo I-su repeated the word as if she couldn’t believe it, Seung-eon spoke without hesitation.
“I don’t remember the last two years. More precisely, I have no memories after June 13th, 20X3.”
Hearing her admit it darkened Seo I-su’s expression.
“Of course, I have some trouble recalling even earlier things as well—”
“…Sorry?”
“But thankfully, I remember most of the things related to Echo, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Currently, Lukin was dealing with an owner risk.
Her long, unintended absence from her position had only made it worse.
Fortunately, her return had brought Lukin into recovery mode, but if word got out that she had a head injury, the stock price would plummet in an instant.
Because she treasures Echo more than her own life.
He’d said she’d gone to graduate school just to create Echo, a concept she’d been planning since she was a child.
But that plan had been derailed by Seung-eon’s accident, so it would be natural for him to resent her.
That was why she’d emphasized that she remembered Echo clearly—yet Seo I-su’s face only stiffened more.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing his obvious fluster, she asked. Seo I-su didn’t answer for a while, then slowly parted his lips.
“You mean… you can’t remember things from before that date either?”
“No. Not everything—just some things.”
“…”
Seo I-su didn’t respond right away, seeming deep in thought.
What’s with him?
His face had gone so pale it was starting to bother her. But she needed to say the next part.
“If it gets out that I’ve lost my memory, releasing Echo will become extremely difficult.”
Seo I-su’s eyes trembled violently.
He must have been afraid.
Not that I blame him.
He wanted Echo’s launch more than anyone else.
Suppressing a bitter smile, she watched him repeatedly open and close his lips.
Huh?
It was frustrating waiting for him to finally speak. Every time it looked like his lips would open, they shut again. The heaviness in her chest deepened.
In the end, she just let the words stuck in her throat spill out.
“If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out. I’ll answer.”
Her tone carried a hint of annoyance, but Seo I-su only hesitated before finally speaking.
“Then… is that why you’ve been acting differently lately, CEO?”
Seung-eon flinched.
Different?
Me?
A few days ago…
After personally experiencing Echo, she had scoured the company from top to bottom looking for her hidden, runaway boyfriend.
She had even gone as far as trying to strip Jung Hee-do—something the old her would never have even imagined.
But to someone who didn’t know the details of her personal life, there wouldn’t seem to be much difference between her now and two years ago.
“You say I’ve changed? In what way?”
When she narrowed her eyes and asked, Seo I-su instinctively closed his mouth again.
When she added, “I’m just curious if others see it that way too,” he finally answered, slowly.
“They say you’ve been leaving work later than usual.”
Well, that was because she only had three months.
If I’m going to find my missing boyfriend, I have to keep my eyes open 24/7.
“And I’ve heard that instead of brewing your own coffee in the office in the morning, you’ve been using the in-house café.”
Well, that was because—
I need to use the café to at least make guesses about who my boyfriend might be.
Since any man was suspicious at this point, staying holed up in her office wouldn’t help her track him down. She needed to interact with people to find clues. And also—
“And lately, you’ve been visiting Director Jung’s office much more often…”
“That’s because Hee-do might be my—!”
Her eyes widened mid-shout.
“But,” she said instead, lowering her voice and narrowing one eye, “how exactly do you know all this, Team Leader Seo?”
Seo I-su froze. Her gaze grew sharper.
“How do you know every single move I make?”
It might have been nothing, but it felt suspicious.
Don’t tell me he’s interested in me?
No way. This man, who had always seemed indifferent to everything except Echo, having an interest in her?
Impossible.
Watching his face go pale, Seung-eon let out a dry laugh.
“I guess the employees in Development Team 3 talk about me a lot, huh?”
He didn’t answer, but the truth was obvious.
“Take their words with a grain of salt. Not everything they say is true. Most of it’s been spiced up with seasonings.”
Even after her sincere advice, Seo I-su stayed quiet.
He must have just picked up some random gossip.
This was Seo I-su, after all.
A man who had walked only one path—developing Echo. There was no way he was the type to make up rumors himself. And he wouldn’t have been watching her closely, either.
It was probably just that he’d overheard office gossip and drawn his own conclusions.
Still, I should be careful.
If even Seo I-su, who stayed as far from the rumor mill as humanly possible, had started noticing her behavior…
Then people like Jung Hee-do or Yoo Hyun-joon, who were closer to her, would definitely notice the change.
“Anyway, thanks for looking after Woo-jin today.”
“…”
“But from now on, you don’t need to worry so much about him. And remember what I said earlier—keep quiet about my memory loss.”
Seo I-su remained silent.
She didn’t bother asking things like “How long have you been living here?” or “Is this really your place?” or “Have we ever bumped into each other on our way to work?”
She wasn’t expecting answers, anyway.
Seeing his lips as tightly sealed as if they’d been zipped shut, she started to turn away.
“Woo-jin, let’s get—”
Bang!
Huh?
Thud!
“CEO!”
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Seung-eon’s body was thrown toward the sofa.
It was because Seo I-su—who hadn’t moved the whole time—had lunged toward her.
