episode_0043

Even now, when I lay my body on the bed, a sense of loss clouds my mind.

The plush mattress, soft enough to completely envelop a little girl’s body, felt unfamiliar compared to the hard mattress in the orphanage.

People who tidied up the bed in the morning, those who helped with simple grooming in front of the vanity, all seemed unfamiliar.

Even having people pour drinks for you at the large table in the spacious dining hall felt strange.

Most of all, the fact that he had gained a family felt the most unfamiliar.

“Are you up, Alice?”

Alice looked up from her soup as a woman entered the dining hall.

It was Lee Jaeyeon, who had now become her foster mother. She looked elegant in her bathrobe, ageless.

Sitting across from Alice, she picked at the prepared meal.

“I’m sure you’ve had a lot to share while adapting here. Until now, I haven’t intervened to help you adjust to this unfamiliar environment.”

“…”

“Did I overstep? Aren’t you curious why I became so fixated on you?”

“…I am curious.”

She wondered why Lee Jaeyeon had deeply involved herself in the orphanage, even mentioning adoption.

“If there was truly nothing special about you, I wouldn’t have adopted you.”

Lee Jaeyeon spoke softly, tearing apart a piece of soft bread.

“Isn’t the world too vivid for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. Everything in your field of vision is imprinted precisely in your brain, and when you try to recall it later, it appears like a photograph.”

Lee Jaeyeon gazed into Alice’s blue eyes. Alice also met Lee Jaeyeon’s black eyes.

Just now, Alice sensed something after hearing Lee Jaeyeon’s words.

Lee Jaeyeon had viewed the world in a similar way to herself. For a moment, Alice felt a sense of kinship with Lee Jaeyeon.

“Your exceptional memory and extraordinary observational skills are due to that talent. As someone with a similar nature, I hoped that talent didn’t go to waste in the orphanage.”

“Is it charity work?”

“You know some big words.”

“…Maru taught me.”

“Ah, that child.”

As Lee Jaeyeon replied, she observed Alice’s face.

While her expression had been indifferent until now, mentioning Maru’s name relaxed the tense muscles in her face.

“Did you say charity work? In other words, regret… I had a difficult childhood, so I didn’t have many opportunities to hone this talent. I hope you can flourish with that talent without being hindered like me.”

Alice realized what Lee Jaeyeon was expecting from her.

The chairwoman of Sungkwang was projecting her own image onto Alice. By nurturing Alice, she sought to alleviate her regrets and satisfy her projection desires.

No matter how much she thought about it, it was far from the typical psychological state of a foster mother.

“Your life will be different from now on. Grow your abilities to your heart’s content in an environment where nothing is lacking.”

After finishing her words, Lee Jaeyeon rose from her seat. She had only eaten a piece of bread, which was the entirety of her meal.

Watching Lee Jaeyeon leave the dining hall, Alice once again focused her gaze on the soup bowl.

“An environment where nothing is lacking…”

Lee Jaeyeon’s words were wrong.

The most important thing was lacking here.

*

*

*

Time flew by swiftly. Before she knew it, she had become a middle school student, and the second phase of her training had begun.

Subjectively, the time spent at the orphanage felt longer.

This indicated how empty Alice’s current life was.

She went to school, returned home for additional education, and visited various sites related to Sungkwang Group, following Lee Jaeyeon’s instructions.

Following Lee Jaeyeon’s guidance, Alice absorbed all that knowledge without hesitation. This knowledge was not merely static.

“Great! One more time!”

Kim Hyerim, the performing knight, shouted to Alice as she lifted the mace higher. After a simple demonstration, Alice jumped up high, extending her flexible legs.

Thud!

Alice’s kick landed crisply on the mitt. After landing gracefully on the ground, she wiped the beads of sweat trickling down her white neck.

“Wow~. Bravo~.”

Lawyer Lee Yujung, who was watching from the nearby terrace, clapped enthusiastically.

“I may not be well-versed in martial arts, but to me, it looked like a crane dancing!”

“You observed well. The lady’s posture is impeccable.”

Despite Yujung’s flattery, Knight Kim Hyerim tossed the mitt aside onto the ground.

Alice’s agility differed significantly from Bumjae’s.

Her ability to anticipate her opponent’s movements and utilize her own body joints was exceptional.

‘Her spatial awareness is so refined, almost mechanical.’

When she just kicked the mitt with her foot, that spatial awareness shone through.

Rather than unnecessarily pushing the mitt with the sole of her foot, she fixed her aim precisely on the mitt and raised her foot only as much as necessary.

With no wasted energy in her movements, her punches and kicks were remarkably powerful, making it challenging for peers to find a match.

‘No matter the field, she will excel.’

“Good job, miss.”

The lawyer and the knight initially spoke casually to Alice when they first met her, but now they addressed her more formally.

Sitting on the bench, flipping her long ponytail, Alice drank water. As her neck moved, her chest covered by a sports bra moved vigorously back and forth.

“Her figure is really enviable… That’s a middle schooler’s body…”

Yujung sat beside Alice, wiping the sweat under her chest and abdomen with a handkerchief.

Despite Yujung’s gentle demeanor, Alice remained stoic. Hyerim glanced at Alice with a puzzled expression before speaking up.

“It’s almost time for the inspection. I’ll have the car ready, so go shower and come back.”

Upon hearing this, Alice wordlessly went back home. Yujung sighed while shaking the towel.

“It’s been several years since the facial reconstruction, but she still hasn’t opened up emotionally…”

“…Isn’t that natural? She was practically forced to come here for the orphanage’s sake.”

“Well… still, after all this time, one could develop affection… Every time I see her, I feel like having a daughter like her. I wish I could bear such a strong and sturdy daughter.”

“Then consider matchmaking.”

“There are no suitable men around. Should I just adopt her like the chairman?”

Though it was a haughty remark, Hyerim silently agreed that Yujung had a point.

“But does she act the same way at school? Does she have any friends?”

“Friends… not exactly, but there are boys who follow her around.”

“If not friends, then what, lackeys?”

“Similar. There used to be a group that bullied her, but after she dealt with them, many started following her lead.”

“She has quite the charisma. Touching the chairman’s illegitimate daughter.”

“There’s a saying about teenage rebellion. Youthful vigor can blind reason. From what I gathered, those who felt inferior to her followed her.”

“So, she’s the boss? Indeed, Miss Alice.”

Hyerim fell silent at Yujung’s response. The two women had different perspectives on the situation. Hyerim sometimes couldn’t understand why Yujung became a lawyer.

“I still hope she gets along with the chairman as well as she does at home.”

“That… might be difficult.”

Hyerim was convinced that such a thing would never happen.

“Why that expression? The chairman has changed a lot too.”

“What do you mean by ‘changed’?”

“Before, he saw Alice as a mere doll, but now… there seems to be emotion in his eyes. Could that be affection?”

“…That’s unscientific.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen all sorts of human interactions in court. If the two open up to each other, they’ll become close quickly, right?”

“They don’t talk openly, though.”

“…True.”

“We’re ready.”

Two women’s conversation was interrupted as Alice appeared. She seemed to have finished her shower quickly and come out quite early.

Dressed in a black skirt suit, she looked like a young entrepreneur from some venture company.

“Shall we go then?”

Kim Hye-rim took Alice and headed to the garage. As they entered the garage, they saw Chairman Lee Jae-yeon polishing a golf club.

“You’re here.”

Lee Jae-yeon set down the golf club and gestured towards the car. Alice sat in the back seat, while Kim Hye-rim, the driver, faced the front.

Even as they headed towards the affiliate company, Lee Jae-yeon threw a question at Alice.

“By the way, what was served for lunch two days ago?”

“White rice, grilled croaker fish, kimchi, beef bone soup, and mango pudding.”

“Who are those people following you around school these days?”

“I’ve bundled them under the guise of a study group. It seems acceptable to the teachers, and it’s easier to manage that way.”

Lee Jae-yeon’s question seemed to be evaluating Alice’s abilities on the surface, almost as if viewing his daughter as a mere tool or machine.

But perhaps it was due to what Lawyer Lee Yu-jeong had just said.

It sounded like Lee Jae-yeon was curious about his only daughter’s school life, prompting such questions.

Kim Hye-rim glanced at the rearview mirror discreetly. While Alice gazed out the window, Lee Jae-yeon’s eyes were fixed on her.

Apart from the business-like coldness in his eyes, other emotions could also be glimpsed.

—

“Happy birthday.”

“You’ll soon be entering society. I’ll rely on you then.”

“I’m the head of the Ulsan branch of Yutak Corporation. We recently signed a contract with Sungkwang.”

“You’ve become even more beautiful. Do you have a significant other?”

Although it was Alice’s birthday party hosted by Lee Jae-yeon, today was not actually her birthday.

The party had been postponed almost until summer due to a busy schedule. It was now more like a gathering of key figures in the industry than a party.

Intentionally ignoring the noise around her, Alice roamed around here and there. If she stayed still, she would be surrounded in no time.

Kim Hye-rim, the chauffeur, and Lawyer Lee Yu-jeong entered Alice’s field of vision. Alice approached the two women.

Noticing Alice approaching, the two women looked at her.

“Miss? This is a corner…”

“Wow, the gold dress suits you well. Being blonde suits you.”

“And the chairman?”

Alice asked about Lee Jae-yeon’s whereabouts. Kim Hye-rim felt a mix of complicated emotions at that formal address and opened her mouth.

“He’s busy, so he might come closer to the end of the party.”

“…If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have called me.”

Watching Alice unexpectedly reveal her emotions, Kim Hye-rim swallowed dryly.

Trying to lighten the mood, Lawyer Lee Yu-jeong spoke up.

“Oh, right. The chairman prepared a gift for you. You didn’t receive it last birthday, right? Just wait a bit longer…”

“I’ll leave. Please tell the chairman.”

The two women couldn’t stop Alice. Eventually, both the host and the protagonist of the party disappeared.

“This is truly gloomy.”

Beside the dejected Lawyer Lee Yu-jeong, Kim Hye-rim checked her phone.

[Lee Jae-yeon Chairman: Keep her until I arrive.]

[Lee Jae-yeon Chairman: There’s a gift, so wait.]

[Lee Jae-yeon Chairman: (Photo)]

[Lee Jae-yeon Chairman: She loves real potatoes. I’ll buy this too.]

After checking the messages, Kim Hye-rim sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling of the hall.

‘My emotions have become too conflicted.’

She had started off on the wrong foot.

Meanwhile, Alice changed out of her dress in the dressing room and put on a suit. She waited for the elevator to escape from the hotel.

While waiting for the elevator, she felt her phone vibrate. It was a call from Chairman Lee Jae-yeon.

Alice stared at the phone screen for a while, then answered, lips pursed.

“Why did you call?”

“If there’s nothing important, I’ll hang up.”

[You need to have something urgent to talk to your daughter.]

“If you have nothing to say, I’m hanging up.”

“You’re going home. Why are you acting so recklessly?”

“Reckless…?”

Alice chuckled and roughly loosened her tie, unbuttoning the collar of her shirt. She felt stifled.

“My birthday has long passed, and the host still hasn’t shown up. I don’t want to stay in this superficial place any longer.”

[You regret missing your birthday, that’s why I made a spot for you, albeit late.]

“It’s a social gathering disguised as a birthday party, isn’t it?”

[…I’ll send the gifts home. Are you heading back to school now?]

“Since when have you been so interested in my whereabouts?”

[I heard about what you did at school. I suggested dealing with people, not handling them that way. Even if you’re at school, don’t cross the line.]

“…Forget it.”

“He asked me to give you a ride, Kim Hye-rim.”

Without waiting for a response, Alice abruptly ended the call and left the building.

Amidst the dazzling cityscape, numerous pedestrians passed by Alice.

Cutting through the warm night air, Alice reminisced about past birthday parties.

Of course, she couldn’t actually have a birthday party at the orphanage. The orphanage building burned down on the day of her birthday.

However, she remembered vividly the day before when she prepared for the party.

She held Kim Maru’s hand, walked through narrow alleys, and went to a small hole-in-the-wall shop. There, she tasted junk food for the first time.

Returning to the orphanage afterwards, she fell asleep in the same bed, looking forward to the next day.

Alice paused at a bus stop, reminiscing about the past. Passersby glanced at her.

‘The memories are too vivid.’

Her talent that Jae-yeon mentioned was a curse.

Vivid memories of the ten years without Kim Maru overshadowed her past recollections.

Wanting to neatly forget meaningless memories and cherish only the nostalgic ones was impossible.

A life without Kim Maru initially felt strange, but now a life without him had become all too familiar.

‘I wonder if he read the letter.’

She didn’t expect a reply. Leaving him was her choice. Even if he forgot about her and moved on, it wouldn’t be his fault.

But the thought of fading away from his memory frightened her.

While she vividly remembered him, he slowly forgot her.

With a dark expression, Alice picked up her phone again.

And she dialed someone. Moments later, the other person answered.

“[Alice?]”

“Yuri, I’ll be returning soon.”

“I guess it’s about time. A lot happened while you were gone. I’m going to get involved now.”

“Summon a meeting at the end of the semester. Let’s talk then.”

“Have you finished your business?”

Alice remained silent at Yuri’s question. Understanding the meaning behind Alice’s silence, Yuri changed the subject.

“I’ll pass the message to the executives.”

“Thank you.”

“You can take your time coming back.”

Ending the call, Alice absentmindedly watched the bus approaching the stop.

“I left without even having a meal.”

She craved a baked potato.