Even before the sun fully revealed its light, Selina was already awake, sitting with her back against the wall.
For a moment, her left hand reached for her right, gently stroking it as she muttered something unclear under her breath.
As usual, she went through her routine—until she reached for money to buy breakfast and realized her cash was still in the jacket she had worn the night before.
"How stupid," she murmured.
Even the money she earned herself could never truly belong to her.
Selina let out a rough sigh. All she had left was the change from buying sweet potatoes the night before, still tucked inside a small black plastic bag.
"It's fine. This is more than enough to buy sweet potatoes again."
Besides, the man from last night was still young. His life ahead of him was longer and brighter than hers.
It didn't matter if her wages had ended up in his hands. The mistake was entirely her own. She told herself to accept it—perhaps that money was never meant to be hers.
While sweeping the streets, the pain often returned, growing stronger whenever her thoughts drifted back to those times.
The road was still quiet, with only a few vehicles passing by.
"Hey."
I turned my head to the side, staring at the elderly woman beside me in confusion.
"It's been a month since we've been working at the same place, and you've never once greeted me."
Selina: "…"
Silence, followed by lowering my head—that was my only choice. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak… but in the end, they would be afraid if they knew who I truly was.
Lost in my thoughts, she suddenly pulled my hand and led me under the shade of a large tree. She took the broom from my grip and leaned it against the trunk.
"Sit down. Let's have breakfast together," she said.
I clenched my hands tightly, on guard. Slowly, I lifted my head to look at her face—but the moment her gaze met mine, I hurriedly looked down, hiding my eyes behind my hair.
She smiled. "Eat."
"I-I'm not hungry."
My eyes drifted toward the road, which was starting to grow busy, while the woman beside me watched me intently.
I didn't know what she was thinking, offering food to a stranger without fear. Selina was certain that soon, the woman would get angry and leave.
But instead—
"Eat," she said, holding the food up to my mouth. "I don't have any bad intentions. I'm just sharing. My daughter made too much breakfast—if it's not eaten now, it'll go bad."
"I've noticed that after sweeping, you always go work at the restaurant across the street. I'm sure you haven't eaten at all."
She pushed the bread toward me insistently. Selina had no choice but to accept it.
The woman smiled and continued eating calmly.
Watching her eat with such ease made Selina smile faintly, just for a moment.
"What? My daughter would never harm her own mother! Eat—it's not poisoned. Look, I've already eaten half of it, and nothing happened."
"My daughter is very good at cooking, and the portions she makes for me are always big. It would be such a waste if I didn't finish it. Please help me this time, alright?"
The woman beside me was very talkative. Even so, everything she said was meant only to persuade me to eat with her.
"Thank you."
"Here! Drink this."
I hadn't even swallowed the bite yet, but her kindness made my chest feel tight.
"Hah… so refreshing," she said as she lay back on the green grass. "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name?"
She frowned slightly and propped her head up with one hand, tilting it toward me.
"Yes, your name. You do have one, right?"
Selina clenched the bread tightly. Her heartbeat raced—just being asked her name was enough to frighten her.
"S-Selina."
She braced herself for curses or shock—but the woman's reaction was completely different.
"Okay, Selina. I'm Meyline." She lay back again, hands resting on her stomach. "Am I too talkative?"
Selina shook her head, and Meyline chuckled softly.
"To be honest, even my daughter says I'm talkative. I suppose that's true—I'm a talkative single mother."
"The bread your daughter made is delicious. Thank you," Selina said.
Meyline laughed proudly. "Of course it is—my daughter is smart! I'll be sure to pass along your thanks."
Selina nodded and gave a faint smile. Meyline looked at her with curiosity.
"Isn't it hard for you to see? Your hair blocks your vision."
With bangs that always covered her eyes, anyone would find it strange.
Selina nervously touched her bangs, adjusting them to make sure her eyes stayed hidden.
Meyline sensed she had asked too much for a stranger and didn't bring it up again. It was obvious Selina was uncomfortable.
"I-I think you're still young," Selina said, changing the subject.
"I'm only twenty-five," Meyline sighed. "There are many things in life that don't go as planned."
Selina flinched inwardly. She was still young—only a year younger than herself.
"The past is the past. Besides, I have someone I need to fight for."
Selina understood Meyline's feelings. She was in the same position.
After a long silence, Selina finally said, "You're… a wonderful young mother. Someday, your daughter will be proud of you."
Meyline looked at her with emotion, her eyes shimmering before she burst into warm laughter.
"Of course she must be proud! If not, I'll be angry. I carried her with all my heart—one day, she must love her talkative mother."
Selina stood up. "I have to get back to work. Thank you for the breakfast. I'll repay you next time."
"Ah, no need. Just be my friend, okay?!"
A friend?
"I'm late," Selina said, ignoring Meyline's offer of friendship and hurrying away.
Meyline shook her head, muttering, "Hah… making friends isn't that complicated. I don't have any friends either. Such a shy girl."
---
"Mr. Elias, will you be going back to the place from last night?"
Usually, when Mr. Elias was disturbed, he would go out again until his mood improved.
He should have been more careful yesterday. Who would've thought an elderly woman would be wandering around at night?
"Have you found her personal information?"
"Not yet. I'll search for the woman's identity as soon as possible."
This was the hardest part—the woman's face hadn't been clear last night. There were no women matching her appearance in that area.
"Then forget it. It doesn't matter if you don't find her."
"Yes, sir."
Even though he said it wasn't necessary, Alaric would still search—just in case Mr. Elias needed it.
As his personal secretary was about to leave, Elias suddenly asked,
"What's under Juan Bridge?"
Alaric frowned. "I'm not entirely sure, sir. All I know is that there's a narrow passage near the bridge usually used by homeless people."
Elias fell silent for a moment—then let out a brief, quiet laugh.
That woman thought he was homeless. Damn it.
"What is it, sir?" Alaric asked. He had clearly heard the curse.
"Nothing. You may go."
Alaric exited the CEO's office and hurried to prepare for the meeting. But as the door closed, he glanced back, uneasy.
To be honest, he wondered what was inside that brown envelope—and why Mr. Elias had suddenly laughed after hearing about Juan Bridge.
"Mr. Alaric, the meeting materials are ready. Is there anything else I can assist with?"
"Oh, alright. Have Manager Jang handle the meeting this time. Deliver this to Mr. Elias."
"Yes, sir!"