Extra 3: After the Dust Settles

Early morning.

Dr. Choi, holding a bouquet of lilies, slowly walked into the cemetery. He came to pay his respects to Hyun Si-young every few months, and this time was no different.

There was already a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone. Judging from the state of the flowers, someone had probably just been here two or three days ago.

Perhaps it was Nam-hyuk and Qi Huai?

They were two very filial children, coming every week, never neglecting Ms. Hyun just because they were too happy in their new marriage or too busy with work. It was wonderful.

He placed the bouquet he was holding down, arranging it next to the existing one, and said with a smile, “Si-young, you must be very content now, right? You’re still so young in the photo, but I’m already old. Perhaps in another ten years, I’ll have to continue being your private doctor.”

“I also went to see that house you left behind. It’s very beautiful, perfect for a wedding. The children must have shown you the photos, right? They spent their honeymoon there too.”

“Everyone who attended the wedding praised your good taste. Of course, the tie and trench coat you gave me back then are still not out of style. My daughter-in-law said they’re very popular among young people and even bought me sunglasses and a hat to go with them.”

“Aigoo, forget the sunglasses, but a hat? I’m in my sixties, my hair is almost all gone. I feel like my scalp gets itchy when I wear those fashionable hats for young people.”

He shook his head, took a soft cloth out of his pocket, and gently wiped the tombstone. “You wouldn’t know, and the children probably wouldn’t tell you, but a lot has happened recently. Everything was like a dream, happening so quickly, and ending just as fast.”

“People my age always pride themselves on seeing through fate and death, but learning about those people’s deaths one by one, I still have a dreamlike sense of unreality.”

He sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “You actually did something like that. I really didn’t expect it.”

“Perhaps this is what it means to be human.”

Dr. Choi said with emotion, “It’s really hard for people to suppress their impulses, control their instincts, and maintain their composure. Many times, they act on impulse. And sometimes, to satisfy themselves, people will cause harm to others. In this world, everyone has their own desires and goals. Everyone acts to satisfy themselves. Once they fall into such selfishness, they simply won’t consider what impact their actions will have on others. It was clearly the fault of the previous generation twenty years ago, yet it continues to this day, making the next generation suffer the bitter consequences. Is it fate’s doing? Sigh, it’s just people making trouble for others.”

“Forget it, I don’t even know what I’m saying.” He stood up and patted the tombstone. “I’m old, and I’m too lazy to think about complicated problems. Anyway, I don’t have many years left to live. As long as I can spend the rest of my life peacefully, I’ll be satisfied.”

Dr. Choi walked away slowly. “I’ll come see you again in a while.”

---

Long summer days.

Yoo Ji-hoon’s favorite season.

Not only could he drink his beloved double-syrup, regular-ice hazelnut latte every day, but he could also pair it with a cool slice of tiramisu cake. How delicious~

This was the good thing about working at Mu-san. Although there was a lot to do and he was busy to death, his boss was generous with money and didn’t act like a big shot. In addition to the regular afternoon tea benefits provided by the company, they were also given an extra snack allowance.

Who could refuse such a good company?

Anyway, Yoo Ji-hoon couldn’t.

“Yoo-sunbae, excuse me, did I write this correctly?” Xiao Shi-yu held a stack of folders, placed the one on top on Assistant Yoo’s desk, his eyes full of a desire to learn.

Yoo Ji-hoon cleared his throat and put down his iced coffee. He scanned the document carefully from top to bottom. “Mmm, it’s well-revised. Actor Qi… cough, Chairman Qi doesn’t like things with too much nonsense. In the future, you can just use this clear, numbered format to organize the meeting minutes.”

Xiao Shi-yu let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“Are you under a lot of pressure lately?” Assistant Yoo threw him a caramel cookie. “Sit down and talk. Don’t always be in such a hurry. You’re now Chairman Qi of GATE’s personal assistant, not a life assistant running errands for a celebrity. Your image represents the company. If you’re seen looking flustered by the media, people will think something big has happened at GATE.”

“Ne…”

Assistant Xiao felt ashamed and obediently sat down. He said he understood and would do a good job, but he was still very anxious.

He opened the cookie wrapper and stuffed the palm-sized cookie into his mouth in two or three bites, crunching away. Ah, he thought, no wonder sunbae likes these things. They’re so stress-relieving!

Crunch, crunch, crunch… like a mouse. Everyone who walked past looked over.

Yoo Ji-hoon: “…”

Is this cookie really that loud? It’s so noisy… I must be disturbing everyone when I eat cookies, right?

He began to self-reflect.

“Thank you for the treat, sunbae.” After finishing the cookie, Assistant Xiao immediately stood up to thank him, bowing at a ninety-five-degree angle. “Then I’ll be heading back first, sunbae!”

He was very grateful now. Grateful to Chairman Qi, grateful to President Yoon. Although he had been implicated, thanks to Qi Huai-hyung, he had been sent to the hospital in time. Besides the slightly long hospital stay, the company had paid for his medical bills, promised to provide a year’s worth of nutritional supplements, and even promoted him to a different company!

He was just a student from an ordinary university, and he was a bit clumsy at his work. His only two advantages were his hard work and his youth. Qi Huai-hyung could have chosen someone more outstanding to be his personal assistant. But because he felt guilty for implicating him and getting him injured, he had given him such an important position. How could he not be grateful?

If he lacked experience, he had to ask more questions and learn from his senior’s way of thinking. If his education was not high, he would study after work. He couldn’t slack off just because he was a personal assistant.

Take every step steadily, work hard to go from 0 to 100, and similarly, be a useful person to Qi Huai-hyung.

This was his current goal.

“Wait!” Yoo Ji-hoon called out to Xiao Shi-yu, who was about to leave, and suddenly said embarrassedly, “Do you have an independent office over at GATE?”

Xiao Shi-yu was startled and quickly waved his hands. “No, it’s because the assistant team hasn’t been fully assembled yet, so I’m the only one in the room for now.”

“I see,” Yoo Ji-hoon sighed. “It’s okay, that’s close enough. It’s good to be alone. You can take these cookies and eat them.”

Sigh…

A cookie being too crispy was also a sin. To be able to respond to the president’s summons at any time, he couldn’t secretly go somewhere else to eat cookies. He could only give them to Assistant Xiao.

He took out a huge cookie storage box from his drawer. Inside were hundreds of packets of crispy cookies of various flavors. Xiao Shi-yu was astonished, his mouth forming an “O.”

Yoo Ji-hoon’s face was grave. He personally handed his favorite crispy little cookies to the obedient junior in front of him. “Shi-yu… take good care of them for me. Be sure to savor them carefully. Eat them all, okay? Don’t waste any.”

His gaze was as if he were entrusting an orphan.

Xiao Shi-yu’s heart tightened, and he immediately agreed. “Ne! Don’t worry, sunbae, I will definitely savor every flavor! I won’t let a single crumb go to waste!”

“Very good…” Yoo Ji-hoon wanted to cry.

“Sorry, Assistant Yoo, to disturb you for a… moment?”

Manager Pyo Yoon-jeong knocked on the door. Ms. Pyo, who was very particular about healthy eating, glanced speechlessly at the small cookies. “A friend of mine who produces shows just called. There’s a variety show that wants to invite the President and Chairman Qi to attend. Are you free? I’d like to discuss it with you first.”

A variety show? What variety show?

A bonus-docking competition?

Yoo Ji-hoon nodded in confusion. “Oh, okay. I’ll be right there.”