209 New Job (1/2)

Yeo Ri blinked her eyes blearily.

She had just woken up from a fitful sleep, and the noisy ringing of her phone was making her even more annoyed.

She glanced at the caller ID.

[Han], the text simply flashed. It was her mother's parents.

Yeo Ri frowned as she glanced at the time: 8.05 a.m.

Yeo Ri had slept in for another hour after the exhausting day she had. It was not easy for her to fall asleep even with the sleeping pills' help, and because Gun was worried, she hadn't taken more than what she was prescribed. It was only at around 5 a.m. did she manage to fall asleep, so being woken up merely three hours after was not quite welcoming.

She unplugged her phone from the charger before turning it off in annoyance, refusing to pick up the call. She had been ignoring them for some time; they had previously tried calling her three times the night before, presumably to discuss about lunch... and the adoption.

She was not thrilled to talk about either of the topics, so she pretended that she was busy. It was not a full lie, though, seeing as she had, indeed, plenty of things to do lately.

Yeo Ri left her phone switched off for the entirety of the morning.

Without the distracting piece of technology making noise by her side, she was able to concentrate on her chores properly, completing them at around the same time she would usually be done on any other day.

Feeling satisfied that her efficiency had gone up, Yeo Ri hummed happily as she made breakfast.

There were barely any food left in the house, so she made a simple breakfast of toast, ham, and eggs. They would have to stock up on the groceries later, she thought absentmindedly. Luckily, technology made everything more convenient so all she needed to do was go online and order her groceries, and the store would deliver it to their doorsteps. It saved her the hassle of going out in public, she thought.

”Oppa is going now,” Gun announced, picking up a piece of toast on his way. He was wearing a formal suit with a black tie, looking more handsome with his hair smartly swept back.

”Mm,” Yeo Ri nodded. Although Gun had just barely recovered from his sickness, Yeo Ri could not bear to tell him to take another day off. He seemed to have an important presentation for a class, and it would apparently contribute a lot to his grades. She could only see him off with a stern ”take care of your health,” warning. Yeo Ri had also made him bring all the nutritious things that Ha Jun had bought for him to school, in fear that he might start feeling bad again while he was there.

Yeo Ri saw him off at the entrance, and with a worried heart, she kissed his cheek goodbye.

Now alone, Yeo Ri finished up the leftovers of her breakfast before going back to her phone. She barely lasted a few hours before she began feeling the withdrawal symptoms of not using the small and sophisticated gadget.

Switching her phone back on, she was suddenly bombarded with several missed calls and texts.

[Han - 3 missed calls]

[Auntie Soo Yeon - 1 missed call]

[Meddler - 2 missed call]

Ignoring the calls from her mother's parents, Yeo Ri skipped directly to Mrs. Choi. She had also sent a follow-up text, telling her to call her back as soon as possible.

Instead of calling the woman immediately, Yeo Ri tapped on the messages that Heo Woo Seung—aptly saved as 'Meddler' in her contacts list—had sent.

'I heard about what happened. Should I send more people to protect you?' The message said.

'It seems like they were part of a gang. My sources found that they're taking orders from someone in prison. I'll try to find out who, but it might take a while,' Heo Woo Seung sent, merely five minutes after the first text.

'Please pick up my calls. I'm worried about you.'