Everyone’s faces sparkled with strange expectations. Someone among them then asked, ‘Wasn’t there a boy living off their house?’ and got criticized for bringing up a longtime story.

At that very moment, the firecrackers went off one after another followed by the orchestra performance. The people in the banquet then directed their hopeful eyes on the podium. It was the beginning of the party.

Hanwool Group’s Eun family was walking into the hall, passing the loud fireworks and a flood of flashlights. They were the guests of honor in this party who deserved many congratulations on their appearance. Although the group of young successors felt apathetic about all that, they were outwardly clapping their hands as passionately as they could. When they found out someone walking side by side with Eun Jiho, the son of the chairman Eun Han Soo, their faces then suddenly changed.

Someone whispered, “Who’s that? Anyone who knows her?”

“Nope, isn’t she a new face?”

“Which family does she belong to?”

No one could answer that question. In the meantime, some girls were scowling at the stranger with tearful eyes. A few in the group stared at the girl walking next to Eun Jiho for quite a while in interest.

The party started smoothly as usual; however, as someone completely unexpected had shown up, the whole event was in an uproar.

* * *

The banquet was full of light, noise, and crowd. Walking after Eun Jiho, I suddenly raised my head. On the ceiling, a chandelier with crystal beads as thick as grapes, which scared me with my imagination of those parts falling on the floor, was emitting bright lights all over. There were also marble pillars supporting the ceiling, purple velvet curtains, dresses, and accessories, etc.

Lifting my eyes, I diverted them onto Eun Jiho’s profile face. Only looking forward, he was walking upright.

What I became so surprised earlier was that Eun Jiho’s father, Eun Han Soo, and Eun Jiho looked exactly the same except for their hair colors.

They resembled each other like mirrors of different times. So to speak, the chairman wouldn’t need to flip through his photo album to reminisce when he was young. He had the most perfect specimen right next to him. Likewise, Eun Jiho wouldn’t wonder how he might get old. He, as well, had the most impeccable exemplar beside him.

Having that thought in mind, I glanced at Eun Jiho. His chiseled, handsome silhouette under the chandelier looked like a face inside my dreams.

Suddenly, this whole situation felt so unreal that I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A hand then linked my wrist out of the blue. I opened my eyes in surprise.

“Ouf!”

Maybe I was too loud. Eun Jiho’s parents, the chairman couple, walking ahead of us, seemed to subtly pause their steps but soon kept on walking toward the front.

Oh my god. Feeling embarrassed, I clenched my lips and looked at my side. Eun Jiho, still, didn’t return the look at me but spoke a few words, looking forward, with his hand on my wrist.

“Don’t doze off while walking.”

“Um… I’m not.”

“I saw you closing your eyes.”

“That was because I was nervous.”

Letting out an aimless smile, Eun Jiho took his hand off my arm and adjusted his collar. Then I heard his convinced voice falling into my ears.

“I’m beside you, so what are you so nervous about?”

Blinking for a moment, I began to walk with my eyes looking forward again. People’s attention seemed to wave into me from all sides, but unlike before, I wasn’t afraid of it anymore.

As I recovered peace of mind, I tried to follow the chairman couple’s steady pace; however, a sudden thought made me perk the corners of my lips upwards.

“Eun Jiho,” I said.

“Uh-huh.”

“If Yeo Ryung was here just now, she would’ve sprung out at you.”

He then immediately responded in a sly tone.

“So, how lucky I am right now, huh?”

With that said, Eun Jiho turned his head to the front and bent his steps gracefully.

‘He is such a character,’ I thought. With ooh-and-ah, I glanced at Eun Jiho’s face, which looked unbelievably elegant for what he just said. Thankfully, my tension completely subsided when I got closer to the podium where Mr. Eun Han Soo would soon make a speech.

When we finally arrived at the stage, Mr. Eun Han Soo, linking his arm with his wife cordially, went upstairs to the small platform alongside his wife. Eun Jiho and I were, fortunately, able to stay under the stage.

Most of the anniversary events and presentations were done in the afternoon; I also heard that this party was the last ceremony for celebrating today. Still, Mr. Eun Han Soo didn’t show any signs of tiredness on his face under the chandelier light when the whole attention of the audience was on him.

“Let’s take a seat.”

With that suggestion, Eun Jiho led me to sit on the chair right under the stage. While I blinked my eyes from feeling uncomfortable with the eye makeup, Mr. Eun Han Soo opened a speech at last.

“Dear friends and families of Hanwool, I am sincerely thankful to all of you for joining us here today. It is an honor and a privilege for me to address you on the 15th anniversary of our group.”

The speech started, unexpectedly, ordinarily. The phrases were often used in news, TV shows, and even by our principal, so I soon became exhausted. Of course, I couldn’t do so in such a place like this.

However, I, eventually, nodded off a little. I had enough sleep last night; however, I studied in the library since early in the morning and later, something happened in the café where Ban Yeo Ryung was doing her part-time. Above all, being in the beauty salon kept me on my toes. I, therefore, wanted to make an excuse that I fell asleep for a while, not just because of my lack of stamina.

While I was in between being asleep and awake, the speech was halfway over at some point. That was when a remark flew over from the podium and struck my ears as I strained my eyes, trying to pull myself together.

“We are now living in an era that is difficult to believe in those that are invisible or do not last in forms.”

Flickering my eyes for a second, I raised my eyes in a daze. Under the pouring light, Mr. Eun Han Soo’s appearance, his sharp black eyes and jet-black hair, and his restrained yet comfortable-looking posture came into my eyes.

I murmured to myself, ‘Those that are invisible or do not last in forms…’

It was, none other than, Mr. Eun Han Soo who put those words out from his mouth, which was very astonishing to hear. That was because he looked like a man who didn’t care about what was no longer visible.

Mr. Eun Han Soo’s speech continued in silence.

“However, we know that what’s really important remains invisible and doesn’t last in forms. We are aware of that by listening and learning from our experience.”

His speech was now heading toward the end. I repeated his words in my mouth without conscious control.

‘Those that remain invisible and don’t last in forms…’

Mr. Eun Han Soo’s final words then struck me who was lost in conception.

“Only if we continue to remember those facts, we, Hanwool Group, will be able to move forward. Thank you.”

As soon as he dropped the gratitude, the audience broke into rapturous applause. Clapping and applauding after the people, I, on the other hand, glanced at my side.

Eun Jiho was listening to the chairman’s speech, sitting up straight, as always, in an exemplary manner. He then turned around to look at me as if he sensed my gaze. Soon, he couldn’t care more about me since he had to make an intimate appearance with his father, who just came down from the stage.

When he got up from his seat and smiled at Mr. Eun Han Soo while looking at each other, another round of applause came from around. There also followed a series of courtesy exclamations.

“Both of you look so alike.”

“The future of Hanwool Group is guaranteed as the father and the son are so alike.”

Listening to their compliments, I leaned my head to the side.

‘Look so alike? Not really…’

Until just now, Mr. Eun Han Soo in my head seemed to resemble Eun Jiho in terms of a person who never lost his judgment, which, in other words, seemed too cold somehow. Thinking further to that point, I tilted my head quietly.

After listening to Mr. Eun Han Soo’s closing remark, I, however, thought I might be completely wrong.

“We know that what’s really important remains invisible and doesn’t last in forms.”

Those that remain invisible and don’t last in forms… what would that mean? If I’m not getting it yet, is it because I am still too young?

Having those thoughts in mind, I watched the Euns standing face to face and producing a pleasing sight. At that very moment, Eun Jiho’s mother came close to me. As I didn’t know what to do, which was putting me in a dither, she smiled with her head down to make eye contact with me.