The Telltale Receipt

Haeseo slipped cautiously into the hotel room Ruby had just paid for. Faintly, the sound of running water drifted from the bathroom—he must still be in the shower.

Her eyes were red and swollen. She had ended up crying on the way back from buying clothes. More than anything, she was ashamed that she had failed to control her private emotions and caused Ruby trouble because of it.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Ruby emerged in a robe, towel-rubbing his hair. The moment he spotted Haeseo standing forlornly in front of the door, he froze mid-step, visibly flustered.

"What is it?"

"You told me to bring clothes, so…"

"No, I know what I said. Haah—never mind. Just leave them there."

When Ruby turned back toward the bathroom for some reason, Haeseo called out to stop him.

"Waitt."

Ruby grumbled in a voice thick with complaint, his body half-hidden behind the bathroom door.

A strange sense of relief washed over her. This was always how Ruby acted around her. The Ruby at the event had given off an unfamiliar energy, something hard to put into words—but this was the man she knew.

"I'm… sorry about earlier."

"I'm sorry."

She was still bowing her head to apologize when Ruby cut in first. Bewildered, Haeseo tilted her head.

"I didn't know Mr. Wi had passed away. I'm sorry. If I'd known, I never would have called you in today."

So that's why he was trying to hurry me out with just a greeting. Ruby murmured, brow furrowing.

"Oh—no, it's fine. I'm the one who shouldn't have lost my composure in a professional setting."

"Lost what?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Wi Haeseo. It was my mistake. So anyway—don't go running around in crowded places. Even elementary schoolers learn that."

Does he really know nothing about what happened? It was such an audacious performance that she almost believed him for a second. Grateful for the kindness behind it, Haeseo managed a wobbly smile.

"You're not the kind of person who'd make a mistake like that."

"Exactly. I don't know what got into me. Well, I suppose Mr. Wi scolded me, didn't he? For making you cry."

"……"

"Like Mr. Wi would ever leave your side. I bet he's watching over you wherever you are. Even from heaven, he'll have his eyes glued to his granddaughter every second. Right?"

Absurd as it was, Ruby's eyes were so utterly earnest that Haeseo broke into a bright smile. It felt childish, yet it soothed her more than any conventional words of comfort could have. Her grandfather had always said he would do anything for her.

And I made up my mind then, too—that I would follow in his footsteps and devote myself to supporting Ruby as a member of BH.

Beneath the table, only the sound of two people breathing hung in the air for a moment. Ruby's eyes glittered with a peculiar anticipation, and then he tilted his head slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed hard.

Haeseo, staring back at him with a blank expression, raised her small palm and gave each of Ruby's cheeks a light little pat. Tap, tap.

"Ugh."

"If that's supposed to be you, then it doesn't really count as your grandfather protecting me, does it?"

"What?"

"He was picking on me every single day, I swear…"

Haeseo bowed her head and pressed her crown firmly against Ruby's chest. Ha—damn it. That was seriously not me. Listening to Ruby squirm through his protests, the corners of Haeseo's mouth curled upward into a round, contented smile.

Every time, he drew a line between himself and his future self and pretended to be a stranger—and yet he never once broke character. Only Ruby remained unaware of just how consistent he was, and how much comfort that consistency brought.

A pleasant warmth stirred in Haeseo's chest. At the same time, the thought that she had to keep her heart in check made her clench the front of his shirt in her fist.

"Summer. His memorial day is coming up soon."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Let's go pay our respects together then."

Haeseo lifted her head with a snap, gripping Ruby's shirt as though wringing the resolve out of it.

"Fine."

Unlike the green girl she'd been three years ago, Haeseo had grown quite adept at managing her expressions.

"But on one condition—you get your memories back."

And she hadn't forgotten what needed to be done, either.

Haeseo was at the department store for the first time in a while. She'd spent days cooped up at home with Ruby, but even if he was taking a break, she couldn't let her own work grind to a complete halt.

She had come to choose farewell gifts for the members of the TF Team Ruby was leaving behind. Granted, they were rank-and-file employees rather than executives, but they were a team built entirely of aces. Strengthening her bonds with talent that would only grow more important down the line was a worthwhile investment.

She planned to give individually tailored gifts rather than a lazy one-size-fits-all present. So she'd made her rounds through several sections of the department store, scouting out the right things. After reserving the items she'd marked, Haeseo returned to the cosmetics floor on the first level.

This time it wasn't for a gift—she was buying things for herself. During this temporary cohabitation that had begun as a lockdown in all but name, she'd been making do with whatever toiletries happened to be in Ruby's apartment. But since this arrangement looked likely to continue for a while, it seemed wisest to stock up on the essentials properly, for her body's peace of mind as much as her heart's.

She'd considered going home to pack a bag first, but in order to keep her time out of the house to an absolute minimum, she decided to buy everything here in one go.

It'll be a while before I can visit Grandma.

Her grandmother still lived alone in the house on the outskirts of Seoul where she and Haeseo's grandfather had lived together until his hospitalization. It was the home where the three of them had lived as a family, right up until Haeseo started her first job and struck out on her own.

Haeseo had briefly moved back in while caring for her grandfather, but once she joined BH Group, she'd begun renting a place again in a neighborhood near the company headquarters.

Back then she'd tried to persuade her grandmother—sell the house and come live in an apartment with me—but the old woman had been unshakable. She wanted to spend her remaining days in that house, with the garden her husband had tended still growing outside.

Knowing her grandmother's heart, Haeseo had never pushed again. Instead, no matter how busy life got, she made a point of visiting at least once a month.

But for the time being, she had no idea how things would unfold. She would have to call often, so her grandmother wouldn't worry—resolving this, Haeseo quickened her pace through the store.

Frankly speaking, since she couldn't leash Ruby to the house, she was a bundle of nerves wondering whether he might sneak out the moment her back was turned. It felt like leaving a child alone at the water's edge.

Anxious, Haeseo swept up the cosmetics she'd already shortlisted, paid, and turned to go.

"Fancy running into you here, Secretary Wi."

"Oh my goodness!"

Startled by the sudden greeting, Haeseo practically jumped out of her skin. Clutching her pounding heart, she turned her head.

"Did I scare you?"

There stood Gibaek, smiling as he folded his long, serpentine eyes. Of all people—why did it have to be the one person I least wanted to run into? Haeseo forced down her visceral unease and curved her lips into an eye-smile.

"Not at all. Imagine meeting you here, of all places, General Manager."

No matter which way she looked, the floor was nothing but women's cosmetics shops. Unbothered by her stiff response, Gibaek merely stretched his crimson lips into a smile.

"What a relief, honestly. When Ruby cleared out his office without so much as a proper farewell, I thought you'd never be seen again, Secretary Wi."

"Ah—yes."

"I half wondered if you'd both skipped town in the night. Wouldn't you say?"

She hadn't expected him to probe quite so directly, and for an instant the corners of Haeseo's mouth faltered. Or is it just a joke? Gibaek's eyes were always so measured, so drained of feeling, that his true intentions were impossible to read.

"Well… as you heard, my mistake gave the Team Leader a mild concussion."

"Oh dear."

He clearly already knew, yet Gibaek clicked his tongue as if hearing it for the first time.

"The doctor recommended full rest until his trip to the States rather than pushing himself to come in, so we wrapped things up quickly."

"I see, I see."

"Truly, for this turn of events, I cannot apologize enough to your family."

Haeseo bowed her head in a formal greeting. With a difficult counterpart like this, stiff formality was the safest ground to stand on.

"No, no. Rest is a good thing. It's just that I was worried about… something else entirely."

"Something else? What could you…"

"Well, one does wonder—since he took a knock to the head—whether he's still lying in that hospital bed, unable to get up."

"…Forgive me for saying so, General Manager, but that remark of yours is—"

"Oh, come now, have some understanding. As his cousin, I worry, and dark thoughts do creep in. It's been ages since I've laid eyes on him, after all."

As if the two of you were ever on visiting terms to begin with. Watching Gibaek lie without a drop of shame, Haeseo felt every nerve go taut.

And why on earth was he standing so close? They were in the middle of a bustling department store, yet he had closed in until not a handspan of breathing room remained between them.

It wasn't as though she'd never spoken with him before, but today he was more slippery, more unsettling than ever. So this is the fang he'd been hiding behind that smile all along.

Haeseo regretted, bitterly, the day she'd obediently slid into his car at Ruby's instruction and heard out his recruitment pitch. From here on out, she'd have almost no opportunity to give him the cold shoulder!

"Naturally—there's no physical injury or anything of the sort. You know perfectly well how sensitive our Team Leader is, General Manager."

Haeseo forced her lips into a smile, doing her best to smooth over the atmosphere.

"He wanted to rest properly before departure, that's all. I was quite surprised myself when he suddenly announced he was finishing up at work."

Gibaek, who had been gazing down at her mild, gentle face as though measuring it with cool eyes, drew a slow arc at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, that's Ruby for you."

Heh heh heh. Haeseo let out a staccato little laugh.

"So will you only be working until Ruby leaves Korea, Secretary Wi?"

"Ah. That's under discussion at the moment."

"Let me know once the discussion ends. What I said before—I meant it, sincerely."

"Yes, of course. Well then, I really must be going."

Lest he strike up another conversation, Haeseo dipped into a deep bow and slipped swiftly out through the lobby's revolving doors.

"Guarding herself after all. Suspicious."

Muttering dryly as he watched her retreating figure, Gibaek turned to go—and a small slip of paper drifted to rest at his feet. He picked it up. A receipt, most likely dropped moments ago by Haeseo as she hurried away.

The receipt, bearing the name of the brand Haeseo had just purchased from, was packed edge to edge: a full basic set of toner, lotion, and cream, along with cleansers, foundation, and an assortment of simple color cosmetics.

As if a woman who had never owned a single beauty product in her life were furnishing a vanity table from scratch.

"Hmm."

Gibaek narrowed his eyes and stroked the underside of his jaw. A haul that size wouldn't have been burned through overnight—and even moving to a new home, a woman would bring her used things with her.

Which left exactly one sensible conclusion. She'd left everything at her own place—because she needed supplies to fill a third space.

"Moved in with that bastard Ruby, has she."