Alice set the office glass to transparent with the remote, picked up her work tablet, and entered the office.
The office exuded a modern and intense vibe, reminiscent of Ryan’s personality. The stunning city view of Seoul was framed through the glass behind Ryan, who sat in the center.
Alice walked in following the direction of the sunlight.
“There are no meetings scheduled for the morning, and there are two internal video conferences in the afternoon.”
Alice shared the schedule with Ryan by tapping her finger down the tablet screen.
“What time is the last meeting?”
“It’s at 4 PM.”
“I’ll leave right after the meeting.”
Did Ryan want to leave early too?
“Yes, understood.”
After answering, the corners of Alice’s mouth slowly lifted.
Oh yeah, I can leave on time today!
Ding-.
I have arrived in London.
Checking the alarm that rang just in time, it was a message from Olive.
Olive was the only person who knew why Alice had transformed like this. She was a precious friend with whom they shared wounds that no one else knew.
[Where have you been?]
[I told you I’d be in Switzerland for a week!!!]
Did I? It seemed like a friend who wouldn’t usually go silent had gone quiet.
The three exclamation marks conveyed her anger. Alice felt she had to lie and say she knew about Olive’s trip.
[I knew! Just kidding. When did you arrive?]
[Yesterday. I’ll let it slide if we meet today.]
Requesting to meet right on the day she could leave on time was perfect timing.
***
As soon as Alice got off work, she hurried through the crowd of employees and flew into the Chicken Slice restaurant where Olive was waiting.
Upon entering, Alice looked around for the unique hair color among the round street food tables.
She spotted a woman with ash-gray hair near the wall, not far from the entrance, and walked over to her table.
“Did you come? I could smell you, Alice Wesley. Here, this is for you, a gift.”
Knowing that Alice was running low on her perfume, Olive had brought her a bottle from her trip.
“Thank you! Now that I’ve received the gift, can I go home?”
Alice smiled playfully. As she made a gesture to get up with the present, Olive waved her spoon in protest.
“Traitor! If you take it and run, I’ll report you!”
Alice laughed out loud, finding Olive’s anger amusing.
Seeing Alice laugh, Olive joined in.
Olive didn’t have an outstanding appearance, but her smile was truly beautiful. Her cheeks were round like two eggs, and her neat smile lines and crescent-shaped eyes were charming.
“Every time I see you in that disguise, I feel so awkward. Who am I eating chicken with right now?”
“Isn’t it about time you got used to it? You know I’ll still tear it apart just fine.”
She was consistent. For years, Olive had made the same awkward comment every time Alice appeared.
After nearly 17 years, she still hadn’t adjusted.
Perhaps she was checking if her heart was still closed off, and in response, Alice would hint that she hadn’t changed, so it wouldn’t feel too heavy.
“If I had been born with your face, I would have chewed through this world. I would have debuted in the entertainment industry. Then I would have succeeded and used my own money to move out of that shabby house and live comfortably!”
Olive habitually belittled her own family. Alice instinctively sensed that something was bothering her.
Olive had learned she was a love child after losing her only family, her mother, in an accident during high school.
Olive’s biological father was Limold Canolt, the vice president of Ranoid Holdings, one of the top three food companies in South Korea.
After Limold took in the orphaned Olive as part of Ranoid, she grew up eating the leftovers of the Ranoid family’s neglect.
Though she left the main house after becoming an adult, it seemed she couldn’t completely free herself from the Ranoid family as long as she was associated with them through Limold.
Lost in conversation, Olive suddenly raised her hand toward the ceiling, forgetting to place her order.
“Auntie! Please bring us spicy chicken and a bottle of coke!”
Fortunately, the ordered food arrived quickly and was set on the table. Olive opened the coke, saying that stress should be relieved with spicy food.
“Let’s have a drink first.”
“Did you have fun on your trip?”
Alice asked as she received the coke that Olive poured with one hand.
“The prices were ridiculously high, but it’s a great country for healing. You should go there later. Oh, with your husband.”
At the mention of “husband,” Alice only managed an awkward smile without responding.
Seeing Alice’s awkward smile, Olive exclaimed.
“Why are you giving it away like that? No way, are you still not over it?”
