Chapter 8.1

Min-kyung craned her neck over as soon as she heard the sound of water boiling in the teapot. Mixing the hot water with some cold, she drank the warm water and stretched her neck from side to side.

Unlike Se-ah, who didn't sleep well and suffered from insomnia occasionally, Min-kyung could sleep well anywhere at any time as soon as she was lying down. Yet last night, it was the opposite. Se-ah had drunk all the rest of the beer before staggering and dragging a blanket up to herself. 

"I haven't slept well for the past few days."

"So then, why did you two break up?"

"No, it's not because of that. It was just that suddenly I was like, "What are we, and where is this going? I'm older, and what am I going to do next? I make a good living, and I'm well off. Will every day be like this?" As I was questioning myself and giving myself encouragement, I started getting a headache and feeling sick. Then I thought I might be sick… while worrying about everything, it just hit me... it's all so stupid and boring."

"Haha, okay, maybe next time, focus on one question."

"Like what?"

"Hmm, what should I eat tomorrow?"

Se-ah laughed as she pulled her hair back, "This is why I like you, Min-kyung."

"I've known you for 15 years now."

"Let me sleep in your room, just for tonight."

"Umm…"

Without any help, Se-ah curled up and fell asleep suddenly. To her surprise, it was the opposite. This time, Min-kyung was the one who couldn't sleep. She got up to have a drink of water and patted her chest. She hadn't swallowed a chicken bone, but it felt like there was something deep in her chest, throbbing and scratching inside with each breath.

*     *     *

Min-kyung zipped up her track jacket and put earphones tightly in her ear. A Chinese conversation flowed quickly through the audio from the language app. She turned the volume higher than usual because she told herself that if you run with something so loud you can't think, then you will end it without any thoughts.

The complex's track was almost always empty, even at dawn, and even more so on the morning of a weekend. Her run was easy and went by smoothly, but as Min-kyung started running her last lap, her phone rang. Answering quickly, a mechanical sound came through her headphones, saying, 'This is a call from… Executive Director Tae Yi-seop.'

Min-kyung stopped her jog and accepted the call, getting a call at this hour meant it could be an emergency.

“Yes, haaa… Executive Director…”

— Are you running?

She thought she should've taken a longer breather before answering. Min-kyung closed her mouth, breathing through her nose, trying to prevent hearing her belabored breath.

“Ah yes… haa… It’s my morning exercise… sorry”

Lee Seop's short laughter rang in her ears.

"What are you doing?"

— Deputy Director, you must have bad eyesight.

"Yes? Sir, even if there's a mistake or a problem with the data… ha…"

— No, it's not about work.

"Then, what…"

— Mostly because…

Min-kyung wiped the sweat flowing down her brow with the back of her hand. Cold, moist air pierced her lungs every time she took a deep breath. Maybe because his voice sounded so casual that she looked around.

The blue dawn energy that greeted her when she started her exercise had disappeared. The sun broke through the high-rise apartments, illuminating the tall trees. She looked up at the light pooling on the red track before her. Spring had arrived in the landscaping of the apartment complex's gardens surrounding her. Small blooming trees, with flowers before their leaves, were lined up in rows with petals falling like bubbles. Holding her hand out to grasp a falling petal, Min-kyung's gaze stopped while she looked down the row of trees. At the end of the row was something…

Min-kyung squinted her glasses-free eyes towards a tall man in sportswear standing in the haze of spring. Even though his facial features were out of focus, her heart, which had been slowing after the run, began to quicken. Min-kyung shook her head.

'It's my imagination.' Lee Seop wasn't the only tall, slim man with broad shoulders and long legs. 'This is all because of Se-ah, don't think about this nonsense.'

— You're not running anymore?

"Call… You called, is there something urgent?"

— Nothing has happened.

'No. Way.' Min-kyung's eyes narrowed, focusing, then widened repeatedly. The tall man was walking towards her.

The biting wind hit Min-kyung's cheeks, cutting through her sweat-soaked hair, then wrapped around her neck. Goosebumps rose up her body. Even though she was no longer running, her breath quickened. 

Not hearing a sound through her headphones, "Executive Director… Why"

Lee Seop answered while walking slowly towards her.

– Deputy Director Kang, are you for real? Did you come here to exercise so early in the morning?

"No, not at all. I live in this complex with my friend, and it's her place. I'm sure this is embarrassing since I didn't tell you in advance…"

– I knew that a while ago, I heard it from the HR office…

"Ah… yes."

Her official address in the company's database was the address of her family's main house in Gongju and her aunt's address, which was a multi-unit villa in Seocho. That was her registered residence. While in college, it wouldn't have been good to move her registration to Se-ah's since she lived there for free, and when she started at the company, she didn't for other reasons. She didn't want people to gossip since it was an apartment in one of TK's landmark complexes.

However, when she started working as the Crown Prince's personal assistant, Min-kyung signed a consent form to undergo a full background check. The personal information included her actual residence, credit score, and family background, which the human resources office then managed.

"I wasn't trying to hide that I lived here, I wanted to tell you… but I didn't cause I was afraid it would make you uncomfortable…"

— Why would I be uncomfortable because of you?

Lee Seop spoke in an arrogant tone, which made her interpret it more as, 'Why would I be uncomfortable with people like you?' Her eyes fell as she pondered, and then the man stopped. Min-kyung looked up to see Lee Seop standing right before her. His hair around his forehead and the back of his neck were wet with sweat. As the light hit his wet hair, it appeared darker than normal.

"You exercised out here today?"

Lee Seop tapped his earbuds with his index finger, ending the call. As the call clicked, the Chinese conversational audio started playing at a deafening volume. Lee Seop smiled and chuckled as he said something, but it was drowned out, and she couldn't hear. Grabbing her phone, Min-kyung fumbled, trying to hurriedly turn off the audio.

"... because the weather is nice." Lee Seop gestured his hands around, not realizing Min-kyung was looking down at her phone. When she finally raised her head, Lee Seop looked at her quietly. He somehow felt like a stranger with his sweat-soaked hair covering his forehead. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her.

Min-kyung took a deep breath and then held it. The familiar scent of aftershave mixed with the heavy body musk coming from the sweaty man before her. Still holding her breath, she pressed her lips together, looking up at him.

Although they had seen each other this close countless times before, an inexplicable awkwardness crept up through them this time. Min-kyung wished he would laugh and say some hateful scolding to cut the feeling down, but Lee Seop's lips didn't move into a smile.

"Shit." Quiet cursing instead fell from his lips. "Deputy Director, do you need to get on with your run?"

"Yes." Min-kyung wanted to end this uncomfortable meeting swiftly, bowing at the waist and ending with, "Have a nice weekend, Sir."

Min-kyung began running again. She felt as though Lee Seop turned as she passed and followed her with his gaze, but she didn't look back to confirm. Her heart was beating so fast and hard that all she could hear in her ears was a loud 'ba-bump.'

She passed by the flowering cherry tree with bubble-like buds popping open and then entered the area surrounded by maples with tender green buds on the tips of the branches. She started running faster.

'Shit.'

Min-kyung gasped. The sound of Lee Seop's low voice and vision of his lips whispering profanity had grown a feeling inside her. And it stuck in her body and wouldn't leave.

All of that cemented in… even that smell.