Yuna still couldn't forget what had happened at the hotel that afternoon.
All the way home, her thoughts revolved around one thing: the long scratch marring the door of that man's black car. The harder she tried to forget it, the more clearly the image appeared in her mind. "Why did I have to use that cart today...?" she muttered.
Her gaze fell on the damaged cart sitting behind the van. Since that morning, it seemed like luck had been completely against her. The bouquet had nearly fallen, she'd left behind a box of greeting cards, and worst of all... She had scratched an important person's car. Not just any car. Kim Noah's car. Just hearing that name was enough to make her chest feel tight.
As soon as she arrived at Bloom & Beyond, Yuna placed the box of greeting cards on the counter before sinking into a chair. She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. "Come to the Daehan Group office at exactly nine."
The instruction still echoed in her ears. It sounded exactly like a summons to face punishment. Or more accurately, a summons to pay for something she wasn't even sure she could afford to bear.
Restless, Yuna reached for her phone. Her fingers quickly typed a name into the search bar. "Kim Noah."
A few seconds later, news articles filled her screen. "Daehan Group's only heir returns to Korea." "Kim Noah appointed Director of International Strategy." "Will Kim Noah take over as chairman?"
Yuna tapped one of the articles.
The sight of Noah's face filling the screen left Yuna frozen. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. It was the same man.
And yet, for some reason, the picture made him seem even more unapproachable than he had been when they met earlier. In a perfectly tailored dark suit, with a sharp, unreadable gaze, Noah stood among several famous corporate figures as though he belonged to an entirely different world from hers.
Yuna swallowed. "He's really Daehan Group's heir?" she whispered, her feelings impossible to describe.
Slowly, she opened the company's official website and searched for the address of its headquarters. Daehan Group's building was located in Seoul's financial district.
Yuna stared at the address for a long moment. Then her gaze returned to Noah's picture. "If it's just a small scratch... why does he look like he's about to sue me?"
The question hung in the air, unanswered.
"Yuna."
Someone's voice startled her.
Yuna immediately locked her phone and slipped it into her apron pocket. Standing in front of her was Min Ji-eun, the shop supervisor, holding a list of orders.
The woman studied Yuna's face for a few seconds before furrowing her brow. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Yuna replied quickly.
"Are you sure?"
Yuna nodded rapidly. "I'm sure. Just a little tired," she lied.
Ji-eun placed the order file on the counter but didn't leave right away. "Since you got back, you've looked like someone who just received a lawsuit. I'm worried."
Yuna gave a small, humorless laugh. "It's nothing."
"If it's nothing, why do you keep looking at your phone?" the elegant woman asked again, clearly still not fully convinced by Yuna's earlier answer.
"I'm looking for an address."
"Whose address?"
Yuna fell silent.
Ji-eun crossed her arms. "Yuna."
That tone told Yuna she wasn't going to get away easily. She bit her lip before letting out a quiet sigh. "I'm having a little trouble with someone, but don't worry. He's not one of our customers."
Yuna exhaled slowly. She had almost told her everything. But every time she remembered Noah's cold face and the price of that luxury car, the words she wanted to say caught in her throat again. "It's not serious. I can handle it myself," she added.
Ji-eun looked at her for a moment before finally nodding. "If it's serious, tell me. Don't carry it all by yourself."
Yuna gave her a small smile. "Okay."
That night, she went home with her thoughts still in disarray.
The first thing she did after entering her room was open her banking app.
The number on the screen made her heart sink even further. She didn't even have five million won in savings. Seeing the figure, she almost cried at the thought of her situation.
Yuna closed her eyes.
If repairing the car cost tens of millions of won... She truly had no idea what she was supposed to do.
Maybe she would have to sell her phone. Maybe apply for a loan. Or maybe...
"I can't."
She slowly shook her head.
"I can't burden anyone else."
Yuna grabbed a small note and wrote down the Daehan Group address along with the time Noah had given her.
9:00 a.m.
She stared at the writing for a few seconds before placing it on the bedside table.
She set three alarms. One after another.
But after the bedroom light was turned off and she lay down on the bed, she still couldn't close her eyes.
Streetlight spilled through the gap in the curtains, yet the small room still felt cramped and suffocating.
Every time she tried to fall asleep, the image of the scratch on the car door returned.
Then came the image of Kim Noah's calm, cold, unreadable face.
For some reason, that utterly expressionless face felt far more frightening than if the man had shouted at her in anger.