A Name in the Aisle
She found Yu-won the moment she pushed through the glass doors of the café and rose from her seat. A woman called out to her with a wave, her smile bright and warm.
Short hair, tall, her steps light and lively—exactly as she’d been four years ago.
“It’s been so long!”
The woman rushed to the table, arms open wide, and pulled Yu-won into a hug.
She was the CEO of the eco-friendly cosmetics brand Seed Lab, Kang Ji-young. Though small—with only a dozen or so employees—Seed Lab had built a loyal following through honest ingredients and superior quality.
Yu-won ordered coffee with her, then they sat again.
“It’s been four years since I last saw your dad at his funeral, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“And your mother? Is she doing better?”
“She’s the same as ever.”
They exchanged brief news while the bell rang. Yu-won stood, but Kang Ji-young waved her down, snatched the drinks, and returned.
Kang Ji-young had once worked as an MD at the premium brand Taila. Burned out, she quit and started Seed Lab with her own hands. In the early days she received shipments from Yu-won’s parents’ factory and often treated Ian like home.
At the time Yu-won was working part-time at the factory and quickly became close with her.
“You’ve gotten so thin. Your face looks half the size.”
Kang Ji-young frowned as she stirred her iced Americano with a straw.
“How could you go four years without contacting me even once? I was worried sick.”
“I’m sorry. I was working full-time and taking care of Mom, so I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Ugh, what a life.”
Kang Ji-young looked heartbroken, as if yesterday’s tragedy were still fresh. Yu-won smiled bitterly and changed the subject.
“It’s fine. By the way, sister, I called because I wanted to consult you.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Kang Ji-young sucked on the straw and the level of her iced Americano dropped in seconds.
“I need advice on the Taila experience.”
Yu-won briefly explained the marketing plan she’d been assigned and the clash with Team Leader Seo Ju-eun. Kang Ji-young narrowed her eyes, listening intently, then clicked her tongue.
“It’s a classic ‘massive aesthetic’ strategy. Affordable luxury. I think your approach is spot-on.”
She downed the rest of the coffee and crunched ice loudly.
“I made the same mistake at Taila. When I released the Taila Light line, I dropped the price by about thirty percent and tried to grab a broader market. It went through the roof for the first three months—every month a record sales month. But then, what happened after six months?”
Yu-won thought for a moment and answered.
“The existing VIP customers left.”
“Ding-dong! Luxury isn’t real democracy. The rich want exclusivity, and only they can afford to be special. It took me three whole years to fix the image.”
Kang Ji-young snapped her fingers three times, then handed over the report.
“Here, the customer-churn analysis I made while crying my eyes out. Send it to your email. Use it for the plan.”
“Thank you so much. This is going to help a lot.”
“But wait—you said you’re the CEO’s secretary now?”
Kang Ji-young tilted her head, puzzled.
“Yes.”
“So why is the secretary writing the marketing plan?”
“Well… things just happened to turn out that way.”
“The CEO told you to do it?”
“Yes.”
Kang Ji-young’s eyes narrowed further.
“Is the CEO hiding something?”
“Hiding something?”
“You have the skills to analyze this industry. Why would he assign you the plan?”
The more Kang Ji-young squinted, the heavier the air grew. Yu-won remembered the night she’d spent with Woo-jin and felt her face burn.
“Is it because—”
Kang Ji-young stared straight at her, eyes gleaming with sudden understanding.
Time stopped. Yu-won’s mind went blank. Kang Ji-young’s fist clenched.
“Is that CEO some kind of twisted pervert? He enjoys crushing people’s spirits while playing bully.”
“N-no, that’s not—”
Yu-won shook her head frantically, suddenly drained. She took a long sip of her coffee.
“Anyway, how’s Seed Lab doing? Still thriving?”
Yu-won quickly shifted the topic to hide her flushed cheeks.
“It’s okay. We had a lot of trouble when we changed suppliers.”
She stopped mid-sentence. Kang Ji-young looked startled.
“You changed suppliers?”
Yu-won’s hand froze, straw clicking against ice.
“From the beginning I dealt only with Ian. I remember how much you praised your dad’s factory.”
“So you stopped getting shipments?”
“It’s… been a while now.”
Kang Ji-young rubbed her forehead, troubled.
“After the accident, Ian’s quality dropped sharply. We can’t use it anymore.”
“……”
“Before that, I tried a couple times. Factory Manager Kim Hak-yeon kept having incidents, but your dad trusted him so much I couldn’t say anything.”
A dark suspicion spread through Yu-won like ink.
Her father had trusted his childhood friend Kim Hak-yeon with everything. In the early days he’d even scolded Kim Hak-yeon for working too hard.
Yu-won desperately dug through faded memories. The day her father and Kim Hak-yeon had argued on the phone.
「Friends fight, too.」
Her father had smiled gently at her worried face.
Four years ago’s accident resurfaced. An icy road, no witnesses, her father speeding. No brake marks on the frozen pavement. Everything had been ruled an accident.
But had it truly been only his reckless driving?
The question she’d buried long ago rose again.
“Yu-won? Why are you so pale?”
“It’s nothing, sister.”
Yu-won forced strength into her trembling fingers.
“Sister, do you still have Park Ki-hun’s contact? The uncle who worked at the factory back then?”
“Oh, probably. Just a second.”
Kang Ji-young pulled out her phone and searched.
Park Ki-hun had been Ian’s head of production from the very beginning until the accident four years ago. A stern, honest man whom many liked and some hated. He was gruff but often slipped her candies or caramels. Yu-won had followed him everywhere.
After the accident he vanished from the factory. Everyone had just been too busy to wonder.
“Here it is.”
Yu-won’s phone vibrated. Kang Ji-young had sent the contact.
Kang Ji-young’s eyes widened at the spiderweb cracks on Yu-won’s screen.
“What happened to your phone? The screen is cracked—can’t even read the text!”
“I… dropped it. I didn’t have time to change it yet.”
“Of course the CEO is a bully. Hey, file a report with the Ministry of Employment right now! What kind of time is this?”
The words washed over Yu-won without registering. She clutched her phone and bit her lip.
It might not be the accident. The thought was still vague, but the buried hope stirred sharply.
***
“Shall we go?”
Yu-won’s words made Woo-jin button his suit jacket and stand.
Today they were heading to the Auxerre Resort in Yeosu on a business trip. The largest resort on the southern coast and a five-star property, Auxerre had just completed a major renovation to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. Every room’s furnishings had been replaced, and they would be choosing a new amenity partner for each suite.
“Be careful, Representative.”
Yu-won reached out instinctively, then quickly pulled back.
Woo-jin strode down the corridor without glancing at his tablet. Yu-won worried he might trip, but his sharp eyes seemed to see everywhere at once.
Yet when they reached the parking lot, instead of the back seat he headed straight for the driver’s seat.
“Representative, that’s the driver’s seat.”
Yu-won hurried over. He lifted his head calmly.
“Miss Shin Yu-won, do you drive well?”