Clink, Ham Seokjeong set her cup down.

"It’s been a while."

"Yes."

Silence followed. Uijae waited patiently. The once familial bond between them had grown distant over the years. She turned her head, covering her mouth with her hand as she coughed lightly. Her complexion wasn’t good. Ham Seokjeong struggled to suppress another cough.

"Have you been well?"

"For the most part, yes."

"That’s… good to hear."

Uijae’s eyes drifted to the cane leaning against the chair beside her. It was the same one he’d seen during her press conference.@@novelbin@@

"You’ve been using a cane."

"Oh, you saw that on TV? I guess you haven’t been living in some remote mountain after all," she said with a short laugh. It felt awkward, even a simple comment was hard to respond to. Uijae forced a smile in return. Ham Seokjeong rubbed her left knee.

"I injured it a few years ago. After that, I stepped down from the frontlines... became an old relic left behind."

Silence again. Conversation wasn’t flowing easily. Was it always this difficult to talk with her? Uijae tried to remember, but his memories of their past interactions were foggy. He blinked.

‘Why does this feel so unfamiliar?’

This time, Ham Seokjeong broke the silence.

"When did you return?"

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