I couldn't stop thinking about Seo Jun's invitation.
It was strange. Everything about it was strange.
I barely knew him. In fact, if someone had told me a few days ago that I would accept an invitation from a complete stranger to attend an important event, I would have laughed in their face.
Yet here I was, sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the jacket he had given me at the wedding.I picked it up from where I had left it and ran my fingers over the sleeve.
Why had he invited me?
What kind of event was it?
And why did he need a partner in the first place?
I sighed and dropped the jacket back on the bed. Maybe I shouldn't go.
It wasn't like I owed him anything. Actually...
I paused.
Did I?
I had practically grabbed his hand in front of Jinyoung's mother and announced that he was the father of my baby. I covered my face with both hands.
Oh God. I still couldn't believe I had done that.
I barely knew the man and I had used him as a shield because I was desperate to escape another round of humiliation. I slowly lowered my hands. Then again, hadn't he willingly played along?
And thanks to him, I had managed to walk away from that café without completely falling apart. So maybe I did owe him one. Besides, it wasn't as though I was promising him anything. I could go to the event, keep him company, return his jacket, and come home.
That was it.
No big deal.
I nodded to myself as though I had just settled an argument with someone.
"You're going."
I immediately frowned. "Who am I even talking to?" I laughed quietly. For the first time in a while, I actually felt a little lighter. Maybe going out was a good idea. Staying home alone with my thoughts had become dangerous. Every silent moment somehow led back to Jinyoung.
The wedding.
His face.
The way he looked at me.
His words.
"I'm never going to be your child's father."
I swallowed hard. My hand slowly moved to my stomach. There wasn't much of a bump yet, but I could still feel something different about myself. Something had changed.
Not just physically.
My life had changed.
I wasn't alone anymore.
I had a little person growing inside me who had absolutely nothing to do with the mess his father and I had created. I gently caressed my stomach.
"Don't worry," I whispered. "I'll figure it out."
I didn't know if I was saying it to my baby or to myself. Probably both. Because the truth was, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I had a job I didn't particularly enjoy. A salary that barely covered my expenses.
No savings worth mentioning.
No stable family support.
And now a baby.
My plans for the future could be summarized in two words:
Find job.
That was it. And even that wasn't a very good plan. I needed something better. I needed stability. I needed to be able to look at my child one day and know that I had built something for us. I picked up my phone and called Linda.
She answered almost immediately.
"Why are you calling me this early?"
"It's not that early."
"To normal people, maybe."
I rolled my eyes.
"I need your opinion."
There was a brief silence.
"Are you pregnant again?"
"What?!"
She burst out laughing.
"I'm joking!"
"Linda!"
"Okay, okay. Tell me."
I hesitated.
"Remember Seo Jun?" "The handsome jacket man?"
I groaned.
"Can you please stop calling him that?"
"No."
"Anyway, he invited me to an event."
There was another silence.
Then Linda screamed.
"YOU HAVE A DATE?"
"It's not a date!"
"You're going on a date!"
"It's an event!"
"With a man."
"Yes."
"A handsome man."
"I don't know if he's..."
"Kyrah."
"What?"
"Don't insult my eyesight. I saw him." I laughed despite myself. "Linda, I'm serious. I don't know what this event is about. I barely know him."
"And yet you said yes."
"Because I used him at the wedding."
"Used him?"
I sighed.
"I kind of pretended he was my baby's father."
"Oh."
She paused.
"Then yes, you owe him."
"That's what I thought."
"Good. We're going."
"We?"
"Obviously."
I smiled.
"I knew you were going to say that. Of course I'm coming. You cannot possibly be trusted to dress yourself."
"Excuse me?"
"You wore sandals to work yesterday."
"They were comfortable."
"They were tragic."
I laughed.
"Fine. Come over."
"I'm already getting ready."
"You haven't even hung up."
"I can multitask."
Before I could respond, she ended the call.
I stared at my phone.
"She's unbelievable."
But I was smiling.
For the first time in weeks, I actually looked forward to something.
Later That Afternoon, Linda arrived at my house carrying two large shopping bags.
I stared at them.
"What did you buy?"
"Possibilities."
"Possibilities?"
"Clothes."
"I didn't ask you to buy clothes."
"I know."
"Then why did you?"
"Because I know you." She walked straight into my room and dropped the bags on my bed.
"Now let's see what we're working with."
I watched as she opened my wardrobe.
She stared inside for several seconds.
Then she slowly turned around.
"Kyrah."
"What?"
"This wardrobe is an insult."
I frowned.
"It's clothes."
"It's evidence."
"Evidence of what?"
"That you've given up on life."
I burst out laughing.
"You're dramatic."
"No, I'm honest."
She started pulling things out.
"This?"
"No."
"This?"
"No."
"This?"
She held up one of my old blouses.
"Absolutely not."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's older than your relationship with Jinyoung." I snatched it from her.
"Give me that."
She laughed.
"Fine. Keep your historical artifact."
We spent the next hour going through clothes.
Linda rejected almost everything.
Eventually she pulled out a simple black dress.
She held it against me.
"This."
I looked at it.
"It looks nice."
"Exactly."
"But isn't it too simple?"
"No. It's elegant."
I touched the fabric.
"I like it."
"Good. Try it."
I changed into it and stood in front of the mirror. It wasn't extravagant. It wasn't designed to make anyone stare.
It simply fit me. Linda stood behind me, looking at my reflection.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You look different."
I smiled slightly.
"Different how?"
"Like you're not trying to impress anybody."
I looked at myself again.
She was right.
That was the first time I realized it. When I had worn the red dress Jinyoung bought me, I had spent the entire time wondering what he thought of me. At the wedding, I had worn black because I wanted him to see what he had lost.
But this time...
I wasn't dressing for Jinyoung.
I wasn't dressing for Seo Jun either.
I was dressing because I wanted to feel good.
"You're right," I said softly.
Linda smiled.
"I usually am."
"Don't ruin the moment."
She laughed.
Then her expression suddenly became mischievous.
"So..."
I already knew where this was going.
"No.
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"Yes, I do."
"He's handsome."
"Linda."
"And he's obviously interested in you."
"I don't care."
She looked at me.
"At all?"
"At all."
I turned back toward the mirror.
"My baby is my priority."
Linda's expression softened.
"I know."
"I don't want another relationship. Not now. I need a job. I need money. I need to figure out where I'm going to live eventually. I need to prepare for my baby." I looked down at my stomach. "I can't afford to get distracted."
Linda nodded.
"Okay."
I looked at her suspiciously.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
She smiled.
"I'm not going to push you."
"Thank you."
"But..."
I narrowed my eyes.
"But what?"
"If the man happens to fall madly in love with you, that's not your fault." I threw a pillow at her.
She dodged it, laughing.
---
The Following Evening
The next day arrived faster than I expected. I spent most of the morning wondering whether I had made the right decision. I had barely spoken to Seo Jun since the wedding.
Apart from the jacket.
And the café.
And the fact that I had used him as a fake father.
Other than that...
Nothing.
I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to expect.
By evening, Linda had helped me with my makeup.
Nothing too heavy.
Just enough to make me look awake.
She straightened my hair and left it falling neatly around my shoulders. When I looked into the mirror, I barely recognized myself. Linda stood behind me with her hands on her hips.
"Beautiful."
I smiled.
"Thank you."
"And don't forget."
"Forget what?"
"You're going there for an event."
"Yes."
"Not a man."
"Yes."
"Good."
She nodded.
"Now let's go before I change my mind and make you wear something red."
I laughed.
"You're impossible."
---
The Future Technology & AI Innovation Summit
The moment I stepped out of the car, I knew this wasn't an ordinary event. I stared at the enormous glass building in front of me.
Digital screens displayed advertisements for artificial intelligence, robotics, smart homes, autonomous systems and software innovations.
People in expensive suits walked through the entrance. Some were surrounded by assistants.
Others were speaking into phones while moving quickly from one meeting to another.
I looked at Seo Jun.
"What exactly is this?"
He looked at me and smiled.
"I told you."
"You said it was an important event."
"It is."
"That's not an answer."
He laughed softly.
"You'll see."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You really like being mysterious, don't you?"
"Maybe."
He held out his arm.
I hesitated before gently taking it.
We walked inside.
A large screen displayed the name of the event:
ASIA-PACIFIC FUTURE TECHNOLOGY & AI INNOVATION SUMMIT
My eyes widened.
AI.
My heart skipped.
I hadn't realized how much I missed it. Software development had always been the thing that made me feel alive. Back in university, I could sit for hours writing code without realizing how much time had passed. I had forgotten what that feeling was like.
Seo Jun noticed my expression.
"You like it?"
I looked at him.
"Very much."
He smiled.
"I thought you might."
Before I could ask what he meant, someone approached us. A tall man in a perfectly tailored dark suit. He had a confident smile and an easygoing expression that was completely different from Seo Jun's reserved demeanor.
Seo Jun looked at him.
"Youning."
The man smiled.
"Finally."
He turned toward me.
"So you're Kyrah."
I froze.
"How do you know my name?"
Seo Jun remained silent.
The man glanced at him.
"You didn't tell her?"
Seo Jun gave him a warning look.
Youning laughed.
"I'm sorry."
He extended his hand.
"I'm Liu Youning."
I shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
He looked at me for another moment.
Then he said,
"Seo Jun told me quite a lot about you."
I looked at Seo Jun.
"You did?"
He simply smiled.
"What did you tell him?"
Youning answered before Seo Jun could.
"That you're talented."
I laughed awkwardly.
"That's generous."
"No."
Youning's expression became serious.
"It's accurate."
He gestured toward a nearby table. "Have you ever heard of the university Home AI Developer Competition?"
I stared at him.
"Yes."
"You won it."
My smile disappeared.
"How do you know that?"
Youning glanced at Seo Jun.
Seo Jun looked completely calm.
I looked between them.
"How did you know that?"
Youning smiled.
"Seo Jun mentioned it."
I turned toward Seo Jun.
"You remembered that?"
"You mentioned it."
"I only mentioned it once."
"I remembered."
Something about his answer made me pause. He had remembered something I had practically forgotten myself.
Youning continued. "That competition was a big deal at the time. Your prototype received a lot of attention."
I looked down.
"It was just a university project."
"It wasn't."
He shook his head.
"You built an adaptive home-assistance AI system with limited resources and still managed to win." I didn't know what to say. I hadn't thought about that project in years.
It was something I had done because I loved it.
Not because I expected anything from it.
Youning looked at me carefully.
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm working in marketing."
"Marketing?"
I nodded.
"Unfortunately."
He smiled.
"Do you still develop software?"
"Sometimes."
"Do you still code?"
"Yes."
"Would you consider working in AI again?"
My heart stopped for a second.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a business card. "Because I think you should."
He handed it to me.
JUN CHAO GROUP
I stared at the card.
My eyes moved slowly upward.
"Jun Chao Group?"
Youning smiled.
"Yes."
I looked at Seo Jun.
He was watching me.
There was something in his expression I couldn't understand.
"What does Jun Chao Group have to do with this?"
Youning laughed.
"Nothing yet."
"Yet?"
He nodded.
"I'd like you to send me your CV."
I blinked.
"My CV?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because talent shouldn't remain unemployed simply because someone hasn't given it a professional opportunity."
I looked at the card again.
My fingers tightened around it.
"I don't have professional experience in AI."
"You have something more important."
"What?"
"Ability."
I didn't know what to say.
Youning smiled. "Send me your CV. If your qualifications match what we're looking for, we'll arrange an interview."
"An interview?"
"Yes."
I looked at Seo Jun again.
He still hadn't said anything.
Suddenly, everything began to make sense.
The invitation.
The event.
Youning knowing my name.
Knowing about my university competition. The strange way Seo Jun had encouraged me to consider working in Hong Kong.
I looked at him.
"Did you plan this?"
Seo Jun's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"I invited you to an event."
"That's not what I asked."
He shrugged.
"I thought you might enjoy it."
I stared at him.
He was impossible.
Youning laughed.
"Don't worry. I promise we aren't plotting anything against you." I smiled despite myself. "That's exactly what someone plotting something would say."
Youning laughed.
Seo Jun looked at me with quiet amusement. And for the first time in a very long time, my thoughts weren't about Jinyoung.
They weren't about the wedding.
They weren't about humiliation.
They weren't even about my broken heart.
I was thinking about something else.
A possibility.
Maybe my life wasn't over. Maybe it had only been interrupted. Maybe I had spent so much time believing that I had lost everything that I had forgotten to ask myself what I could still build. I looked down at the business card in my hand.
Jun Chao Group.
Hong Kong.
AI development.
A career.
A future.
I gently touched my stomach. "Maybe," I whispered, "we're going to be okay."Seo Jun had created an opportunity for me. Now I had to decide what to do with it.