Min-hee walked fast after leaving the building.
She checked the time again.
"Just in time…"
At the kindergarten gate, a small boy was already waiting.
The moment he saw her, his face brightened.
"Mommy!"
He ran and hugged her legs tightly.
Min-hee's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
"I came fast, right?"
He nodded.
She carried him and kissed his cheek.
All the stress from the office slowly disappeared.
At home
The small apartment felt warm.
Ha-jun sat on the floor drawing messy circles.
"Mommy look! Dinosaur!"
"That's a beautiful dinosaur," she smiled.
She cooked simple dinner while he talked about his day in broken words.
"Teacher."
"Snack time."
"A boy who cried."
Normal things.
This was the life she protected.
Night
Ha-jun slept beside her, holding her sleeve.
But Min-hee couldn't sleep.
Her eyes stayed open in the dark.
Her thoughts returned to the office.
To him.
Kang Tae-ho.
She turned to the other side.
"…He really doesn't remember."
His calm face.
His normal voice.
His distant eyes.
No change.
No reaction.
Just a boss looking at an employee.
Her chest tightened.
"Maybe… that's better," she whispered.
If he remembered — everything would break.
Her life.
Her peace.
Her child.
She gently touched Ha-jun's hair.
"I won't let anything change," she murmured softly.
At that same moment —
at Kang tae ho apartment.
He stood by the window, thinking.
He didn't understand why the new employee bothered his thoughts.
He had met thousands of people.
Yet her face stayed in his mind.
Not clearly.
Just a strange feeling of familiarity.
Like a memory he almost had.
But couldn't reach.
He frowned slightly and thought.
"…Have we met before?".