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The car was filled with silence, heavy and unbroken.
As if completely unfazed by the weight of it, Min-hyuk drove on with an impassive expression.
Joo-eun’s pent-up frustration finally erupted.
“Why on earth did you have to say you like me so much in front of her…!”
Her sudden outburst caused the car to screech to a halt, jerking violently.
Had he not instinctively reached out his long arm to shield her, her forehead might have collided with the windshield.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Instinctively protecting her, his actions made her heart race even more.
Don’t read too much into this. He’d do the same for anyone.
Clutching at her wavering resolve, Joo-eun snapped coldly.
“You did that on purpose.”
“I was startled because you suddenly screamed.”
Min-hyuk lowered the arm that had been shielding her, frowning slightly.
“I’m not talking about that. I mean what you said earlier—to my mom—about caring for me, liking me.”
“...”
“No matter how I think about it, it feels like revenge for me disappearing on you that day.”
After listening silently, he pressed the hazard lights with his index finger and pulled over to the shoulder of the road.
“My sincerity seems to have been reduced to something as trivial as revenge.”
His low voice carried a weight that was hard to refute.
“Or is there some other reason...?”
“What do you think?”
Her insides were already burning, and now heat rushed to her face.
Joo-eun pressed the back of her hand against her cheek to cool it down.
“I’m sorry.”
Her eyes widened at his sudden apology.
An apology from a man who seemed like he’d never uttered one in his life carried unexpected gravity.
“I didn’t think it through enough to realize it might cause trouble. It was your first request to me, and I just wanted to help properly.”
She knew exactly what he meant.
After all, she had been the one to impulsively press her lips to his when trying to deceive Chaerin.
“Hmm. I’ll just chalk it up to you being overly mischievous. Mom will be disappointed for a moment, but it’s better than letting her build false hope.”
“Do you really have to go that far?”
“Yes. If I don’t, she’ll imagine 100 movies’ worth of scenarios.”
“She must be happy.”
“She might even visit the company to see you.”
“I’ll buy her something nice, then.”
“In her mind, you’re already ‘Mr. Jeong’…!”
Amused by the term “Mr. Jeong,” Min-hyuk’s lips twitched repeatedly.
“It has a nice ring to it. Mr. Jeong.”
How can you laugh right now? How!
Joo-eun’s hands trembled with the urge to argue further.
“I don’t like it. It feels like dodging bullets only to land in a minefield.”
“Just follow me. I’ll make sure you walk through flower fields instead of minefields.”
“This isn’t a joke to me.”
“Nor is it for me. Just… trust me.”
He stiffened the corners of his lips, which had been curved into a playful smile moments ago.
His unwavering gaze always brought an unbearable heat that made it hard for her to hold his stare.
Hurriedly averting her eyes, Joo-eun unbuckled her seatbelt.
“I’ll get out here.”
“Let’s at least drive to near the office.”
“No. I don’t want to get tangled up with you anymore. This whole mess started because of my foolish request, so I’ll clean it up myself.”
Her rejection was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
The sound of his sigh rippled through her chest like a gust of wind, but Joo-eun clung tightly to her resolve, refusing to waver.
“It was a mistake sending that text, but I’m grateful for your help. Thank you.”
With that, she stepped out of the car and walked toward the subway station without looking back.
Though she strode away with apparent determination, her steps feeling lighter than before…
Why did her heart still feel so heavy?
Her once determined strides gradually slowed.
“Don’t stop. Just keep walking… If I push through this, everything will go back to how it was before, like nothing ever happened.”
Joo-eun urged herself on, biting her lip hard.
An inexplicable breeze brushed against a corner of her heart.
---
Between sentences. Between pages.
Every time the white space revealed itself, distracting thoughts crept in, disrupting Min-hyuk’s focus.
“I didn’t have to say that much.”
It was regret.
Regret for saying unnecessary things.
He knew better than anyone how suffocating the pressure of marriage could be, yet he had pushed her deeper into stress. The thought weighed heavily on his mind.
“Should I go back and tell her that I don’t actually like her that much?”
“Haa, no. That wouldn’t make sense now.”
Min-hyuk pressed his palm to his forehead.
Jang-wook, who had been standing nearby with his hands neatly folded, cautiously glanced at him.
“Is the draft not to your liking?”
“How could it be?”
Min-hyuk answered without a moment’s hesitation.
Jang-wook subtly turned his face away so Min-hyuk wouldn’t see him pouting.
There was already plenty of talk about how Min-hyuk rejected every proposal that came his way.
Rumors spread about an executive who had angrily questioned why they were rushing overseas expansion when they hadn’t even solidified their domestic position yet.
To Jang-wook, it felt like his boss was completely unaware that enemies surrounded him on all sides. It was frustrating, to say the least.
“Hmm. Director Min, are you really planning to expand into the U.S. and European markets?”
“What’s stopping us?”
Min-hyuk closed the document in his hand and tossed it onto the mountain of papers piled beside him.
Without showing any sign of fatigue, his hand immediately reached for the next one.
“True, there’s nothing we can’t do, but I’m saying this because the chances of success are slim.”
“If it were such a groundbreaking business opportunity, wouldn’t everyone have jumped in by now?”
“Well… true. But still, attempting overseas expansion right after arriving seems a bit…”
“If everyone believes we’ll fail anyway, would it matter if we did?”
“...”
“On the other hand, even a small success would make the media and shareholders go wild with excitement.”
Jang-wook slapped his thigh.
“Ah, brilliant! Investment funds will pour in automatically. You had a plan all along, didn’t you?”
“You’re finally catching on.”
Min-hyuk flipped the page indifferently.
Relieved, Jang-wook leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk.
“Ahh, you’re amazing, Director Jeong Min-hyuk. I want to work with you for a long, long time.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“My younger brother got into a fight with his girlfriend yesterday, drank himself silly, and threw a tantrum at home. My head’s still pounding from it all. But now I feel completely better. Haha.”
No matter what Jang-wook said, Min-hyuk wasn’t the type to react much. But given the topic, curiosity about the next part of the story grew.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“So, what happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened? He went to his girlfriend’s house, knelt down crying and begging—it was a mess. Ugh, what a disgrace.”
“He really messed up.”
“Yeah, but thanks to that, they reconciled, and now they’re doing great. He didn’t even come home last night.”
“He didn’t… come home?”
Min-hyuk’s straight eyebrows twitched upward.
“He probably went somewhere nice.”
“That’s something you say when someone’s dead.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about my brother like that!”
“Hmm. So, you’d do the same? If you’ve done something wrong, would you kneel and cry in front of a woman too?”
Despite his earlier outburst, Jang-wook kindly answered Min-hyuk’s question.
“It depends on how bad the mistake was. Ultimately, it’s up to me to judge, and the person who’s angry is the other party. If you really don’t want to lose them, you have to apologize until they accept it. Once isn’t enough—twice, three times, take a break, and then start again.”
“What about pride?”
“You become completely worn out. But you don’t even feel it. All you can think about is that woman.”
Min-hyuk’s expression turned bitter.
The fact that Jang-wook knew something he didn’t left a sour taste in his mouth.
“But why are you asking about this? It’s almost as if there’s someone you want to apologize to. That couldn’t be, though. The great Jeong Min-hyuk apologizing to someone?”
“Mind your own business.”
“After I went through the trouble of answering all your questions too.”
Jang-wook pouted, pretending to be offended.
He muttered something about how unrewarding this was and left. Alone, Min-hyuk began tapping the desk rhythmically with his index finger.
“Become completely worn out, huh.”
He had never experienced anything like it in his life, so he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it felt like.
“What’s stopping me from trying it out?”
It was absurd that Jang-wook knew something he didn’t.
“I’ll set aside my pride. Just… don’t make me too worn out.”
Min-hyuk took a deep breath, steeling himself.
---
The one who ended up gasping for air was Joo-eun.
“Haa…”
She hadn’t needed to lash out like that.
After all, hadn’t he rushed over in just ten minutes, even though it was in the opposite direction of his commute?
She should have thanked him first.
Her mother’s delighted face kept flashing in her mind, which only made her angrier at herself.
And yet… hadn’t she been the one who sent that text asking for help?
“Song Joo-eun?”
“Yes.”
At her team leader’s call, Joo-eun stood up immediately, as always.
“Take this to Director Min.”
Ah, why now of all times…
“I’m sorry, but I have a lot of overdue tasks right now.”
She tried to find any way to escape, but her team leader gave her no room to maneuver.
“I’m busy too. Hurry up.”
Team Leader Gam shook the document folder up and down impatiently.
With so many senior colleagues around—assistant managers and section chiefs aplenty—it felt unfair that such an important task was handed to her again.
Reluctantly, Joo-eun accepted the documents with a gloomy expression.
“What are you waiting for? Go on.”
“Yes...”
The short distance to the director’s office felt like a thousand miles.
Standing in front of the door, Joo-eun clenched her teeth tightly before knocking.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Even just hearing his voice made her heart feel like it might explode.
“Don’t chicken out, Song Joo-eun. You’ve got this.”
Walking into the director’s office to deliver the documents felt like stepping onto a battlefield.
Summoning every ounce of courage, she stepped inside—but froze instantly, her resolve crumbling.
He was simply writing something, yet the aura emanating from him was overwhelming.
If anyone could stand before him without feeling nervous, she’d beg them to share their secret, even if she had to cling to their pant leg.
After a long silence, Min-hyuk slowly raised his head, noticing the employee who hadn’t said a word.
His sharp expression softened slightly.
“I thought it was someone else.”
“...”
“I was about to call you anyway. It seems my message got through.”
“Your… message?”
“Yes.”
“I, I also have something to say… Let me go first.”
Joo-eun raised her palm to stop him mid-sentence. His sharp gaze widened ever so slightly.
“Go ahead.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Anyway, you came to help me. I should’ve been more grateful, but I lost my temper and have been feeling terrible about it ever since. I wanted to apologize.”
What was he supposed to do with this adorable woman?
Min-hyuk’s lips stretched into a wide smile.
He had been prepared to become completely worn out, but receiving such an unexpected apology made her seem even more lovable—so much so that it drove him crazy.
Min-hyuk gently rested his clasped hands under his chin.
“With empty words?”
“...Pardon?”
“You scolded me so much that my heart is covered in wounds. Don’t you think accepting your apology with just words feels a bit lacking?”
Joo-eun swallowed hard.
“Then… what should I do?”
“Let’s go on a date.”
“Pardon?”
“At my place.”
His mischievous smirk left her utterly speechless.
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