Episode 5
1088 Words
After seeing Choi Joon out, Shree stood by the door for a moment, lost in thought.
“He’s not the kind of person I thought he would be…” she murmured to herself. “I assumed someone as famous as him would have a lot of attitude. But the way he behaves with Nila… he’s actually very down-to-earth.”
Meanwhile, as Choi Joon walked away from her apartment, his mind was filled with questions.
Where is Nila’s father? What happened to him? And how did Shree end up in Korea all alone?
The thoughts lingered, but alongside them was something else—empathy. He understood, more than most, how difficult it was to grow up without one parent. The thought of Shree raising Nila on her own made him admire her even more.
Days passed. Both of them got caught up in their own busy schedules, but whenever they crossed paths, they would exchange smiles, greetings, and a few casual words.
Somewhere along the way, they had become… neighbors in more than just name.
One late night, Shree parked her car in the basement and stepped out, glancing at her watch. It was already 11 p.m.
As she walked toward the elevator, a black minivan pulled in from the opposite side. It was Choi Joon.
His manager dropped him off, saying, “Good job today. Be careful—I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 11 a.m.”
“Got it,” Choi Joon replied, before noticing Shree.
“Annyeonghaseyo,” he greeted her with a warm smile.
Shree returned the greeting.
He glanced at his watch again. “Did you just get back from work? It’s already 11.”
“Yeah,” she said, adjusting her bag. “Got held up in an important meeting.”
“What about Nila? Is she alone at home?”
Shree shook her head. “No, she’s at the secretary’s house. I’m going to pick her up now.”
“Ah, I see. Alright then, good night.”
The elevator doors opened, and Choi Joon stepped inside. He glanced back, expecting Shree to follow—but she didn’t.
Instead, she gave a small bow and walked toward the stairs.
The doors slid shut.
Choi Joon frowned.
Did she just avoid the elevator… because of me?
The thought bothered him more than he expected.
By the time the elevator reached the third floor, he stepped out and waited near the staircase.
A few minutes later, Shree appeared—heels in one hand, laptop bag in the other, walking barefoot up the stairs.
He blinked in surprise.
“Excuse me…” he called out.
Shree stopped and looked up at him.
“Why didn’t you take the elevator?” he asked, his voice more serious than before. “Was it because of me? Did I make you uncomfortable?”
For a moment, she simply stared at him—then raised an eyebrow.
“Are you done?” she asked calmly. “Or do you still have something else to say?”
He immediately shook his head.
Shree let out a small sigh.
“I just needed to clear my mind,” she explained. “Walking helps me think. It might sound strange, but it’s my way of dealing with stress. If I don’t, I’ll end up with a headache.”
She shifted her bag slightly before adding,
“And if I was uncomfortable with you… I wouldn’t have waited in the basement until you got out of your car.”
Choi Joon paused, then let out a quiet breath.
“Oh… is that all?”
Shree nodded, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“The secretary’s house is on your floor, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“So… you’re really planning to walk all the way to the tenth floor?”
She smiled brightly. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“It helps me relieve stress.”
Shree gestured ahead. “Now that you know the reason, can you move? I need to go up.”
Instead of leaving, Choi Joon fell into step beside her.
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
She nodded.
After a brief silence, he asked, “By the way, I forgot to ask the other day… where do you work?”
“I work at HJ Industries.”
“Oh, so you were doing overtime? I’ve heard employees there work a lot. Looking at you, I thought you might be one of those people the higher-ups take advantage of…”
Shree stopped mid-step and slowly turned toward him, raising one eyebrow.
“Oh? Mr. Choi Joon… I didn’t expect you to judge people so easily.”
He immediately looked taken aback.
“To answer your question,” she continued, “yes, we do overtime—but it comes with proper benefits and incentives. And no…” she added with a slight smirk, “I’m not the one who gets pushed over. I’m the one who does the pushing.”
“I’m the senior manager and head of the marketing team at HJ Industries.”
Choi Joon blinked, clearly impressed—and slightly embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Shree laughed softly. “Relax, I was just teasing you.”
By the time they reached the tenth floor, Shree slipped her heels back on.
“Good night,” she said.
“Good night,” he replied, before hesitating. “Can I come say hi to Nila? It’s been a while since I saw her.”
Shree gave him a look. “A while? Didn’t you see her yesterday when she came back from kindergarten?”
Choi Joon scratched his head awkwardly.
“Okay, okay,” she said, smiling. “Wait here. I’ll go get her.”
A few minutes later, Shree returned, carrying Nila in her arms.
“She fell asleep,” she said softly.
Choi Joon’s expression softened instantly.
They both spoke in hushed voices.
“Is she asleep?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Alright… I’ll see her tomorrow then. Good night.”
Shree nodded and turned to open the door, but struggled slightly with Nila in one arm and her bag in the other.
“Here, give her to me,” Choi Joon said gently.
Shree carefully handed Nila over.
He held her with surprising ease and stepped inside, placing her gently on the bed. He tucked her in, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
Leaning down slightly, he whispered,
“Good night, little princess.”
- Writer
