{KOREAN-ENGLISH}
"Agh, my head..." Hye Sua groaned, rubbing her forehead as she sat up in bed. She glanced over and saw Joon So Min still snoring loudly, wrapped in her blanket like a cocoon.
"Wake up, So Min!" she whined, hitting her with a pillow.
"What?!" So Min blinked groggily, pushing her hair out of her face.
"I had a dream that Jung Hyun came and rescued us last night," Hye Sua said, rubbing her temples.
"That wasn't a dream," So Min muttered, sitting up immediately.
Hye Sua froze. "Wait... what?!"
"I'm going to get us some red ginseng," So Min said, standing.
"Yes, please. And what about Dae? Isn't he going to kindergarten today?" Hye Sua asked.
"Nope, it's a weekend. Now get your lazy self up," So Min replied, smirking.
⸻
Later that morning, both girls were in the kitchen. So Min handed Hye Sua a glass of red ginseng while sipping hers.
"You know Jung Hyun said he owns a restaurant now,somewhere near Gangnam," So Min said casually.
"What? Are you planning to go back to him now?" Hye Sua raised an eyebrow.
"No. I just mentioned it," So Min replied.
"Good. Because I won't let him come anywhere near you again. He broke your heart and disappeared like a coward. No calls, no visits. He doesn't deserve you," Hye Sua snapped, glaring.
So Min sighed. "I'm not getting back with him. He said we could just be friends. Besides, you didn't protest much last night when he rescued us," she teased.
"I was drunk. That's not valid evidence," Hye Sua pouted.
Then she turned serious. "So... are you going to accept that job?"
So Min frowned. "I don't want to."
"You have to! The money is insane. You could finally open your own shop, pay off the debt, and maybe even get a taste of that high-society life. Honestly, I'd do it if I were you," Hye Sua said, placing a hand on her hip and staring her down.
"Fine. It's not like I have a choice. Unless I want to go to jail or be haunted by that cold-hearted chaebol forever," So Min muttered, and both girls burst out laughing.
"Big sister!" a small voice called.
They both turned to see little Dae walking in, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, my little Dae!" Hye Sua grinned and picked him up.
"Aunty Sua, I missed you," he said, hugging her tightly.
"Sometimes I think you and Dae were meant to be," So Min joked.
"Yes, we are! I want to marry Aunty Sua when I grow up and make lots of money like Big Sister So Min!" Dae declared, making both girls giggle.
⸻
Meanwhile, at the Lee building, Lee Seo Jun sat in his office, eyes glued to the documents before him.
"Are they building the estate?" he asked Mr. No.
"Yes, sir."
"Then you may go."
"Sir..." Mr. No hesitated.
"What is it?" Seo Jun glanced up.
"Madam wants you to attend tonight's gala."
Seo Jun sighed. "Fine. Is An Nari back?"
"Yes, sir. She plans to attend as well. Will you both be going together?"
"No."
Mr. No gave a small bow and left.
Seo Jun stared at the documents, but his mind drifted. He and An Nari had been together since their university days. She'd pursued him,he agreed. But lately, the relationship felt empty. He didn't want to hurt her, but neither could he pretend anymore.
His phone rang.
• An Nari •
He answered.
"Seo Jun," her familiar voice chirped.
"What is it, Nari?"
"Are you coming to the gala?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'd have loved to go with you, but I have to get my nails done and stop by the mall. I've missed Seoul and really need a shopping fix."
"Alright. See you later," he said and hung up.
⸻
Across the city, An Nari was already sipping coffee with her influencer friends at a café.
"Girls, let's shop now. I don't have time later, I've got the gala," she announced.
The girls, all glamorous in designer outfits, sipped their overpriced lattes.
"Why don't you go visit your rich boyfriend instead?" one of them snorted.
"Che Hye, I love your sarcasm. But you've never even met him, so maybe zip it," An Nari replied coolly.
"You left for months, and now that you're back, he's too busy. His bodyguards never let us near him," another girl chimed in.
"That's because you're not on his level," An Nari snapped. "Anyway, are we shopping or gossiping?"
"Shopping," one of the girls said quickly.
An Nari flipped her hair and stood. They all strutted out like a flock of very expensive flamingos.
⸻
Elsewhere, Joon So Min was carrying heavy boxes at her workplace.
"So Min, leave that! Head to the mall and pick up the new designs," Miss Kim told her, gently taking the boxes from her arms.
"Yes, Miss Kim," So Min bowed and quickly ran off to grab her coat.
She felt off today,scatterbrained, distracted. Her head buzzed with thoughts she couldn't quite catch.
"Taxi!" she waved one down and climbed in.
She arrived at the mall, paid the driver with a polite smile, and headed inside.
But as she rushed toward the store, she wasn't looking—
BAM!
She crashed straight into someone.
"Are you blind?!" a shrill voice snapped.
So Min looked up.
An Nari.
Her jaw dropped.
"An Nari..."
"What the hell?!" An Nari gasped, glaring down at her ruined designer coat,coffee splashed across the fabric.