Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Joo-eun tried her best to ignore her wildly pounding heart as she snapped coldly,
“What exactly are you doing right now?”
Min-hyuk’s gaze, steady and intense, was unbearably alluring as if he were unfazed.
“I’m recommending a book.”
The more nonchalant he acted, the harder Joo-eun had to work to conceal her emotions.
“I’m not really the type who reads books based on recommendations. It’s fine.”
“That’s disappointing.”
With a slight raise of his thick eyebrows, Min-hyuk slowly withdrew his arms.
Joo-eun snatched the book from his hand with deliberate brusqueness and moved to sit at a distant sofa.
“If I read this, 30 minutes will fly by. You must be busy, so please get back to work.”
“I’m not busy.”
Despite having just finished handling urgent matters with Jang-wook, he acted as if he had all the time in the world, picking up another book to sit with.
But the book was merely a prop.
His gaze and posture remained entirely fixed on her.
Overwhelmed by his piercing stare, Joo-eun turned away, trying to avoid it, but his presence lingered heavily, impossible to ignore.
It felt like being a deer nervously grazing while a predator watched, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Either read the book or look at me. Choose one.”
Joo-eun spoke without lifting her eyes from the book.
“I’ve been doing just that—steadily.”
Ha. He was nothing if not consistent. Blatantly obvious from start to finish.
Unable to hold back, Joo-eun finally raised her head.
“How am I supposed to read with you staring at me like that?”
“Why? Does it make you nervous?”
“No, not at all.”
“Then why are your ears red?”
“They turn red when I’m angry too. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“They were already red when I handed you the book. Have you been angry since then?”
Caught off guard, as if her inner excitement had been exposed, Joo-eun fumbled with her words.
“I-I could’ve taken the book myself, but you stood so close while handing it to me. It made me uncomfortable.”
“Good to know.”
“...What’s good about it?”
“If there’s anything else you don’t like in the future, tell me directly. I’m not great at understanding hints.”
It’s not that you’re bad at understanding hints—it’s that you live a life where you don’t need to!
Joo-eun shot back inwardly before refocusing on the book.
Maybe now he’ll let me concentrate…
“What do you look for first in a man?”
Ha. Joo-eun let out a small sigh of exasperation.
“Go ahead and appeal to me. Face? Body? Wealth?”
This man just wouldn’t stop…
“Your appeals won’t work on me. I’m not falling for it.”
“Still, humor me. I’m curious.”
“Cliché, but… the heart.”
“How cliché.”
His dry response caused a faint crease to form between her brows.
“Would it feel fresh if I said I looked at faces, bodies, and wealth instead?”
“You’re saying that because you’re upset. After checking everything out at first glance, claiming to care about the heart later feels unfair to the person who’s already shown everything.”
“I-I didn’t check everything out!”
Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. Min-hyuk smirked wickedly.
“Not done looking yet?”
“Haa!”
She slammed the book shut, causing her wavy hair to flutter lightly.
“I can’t possibly read this beautiful piece of intellectual nourishment amidst such irreverent conversation. I’m leaving.”
As she stood, Min-hyuk followed suit, wearing an expression that seemed to say, This isn’t what I intended.
“Already? It hasn’t even been two hours yet.”
“Tell yourself I hurried through the motions and wrapped things up quickly.”
“Wow.”
“What’s with that exclamation?”
Joo-eun glared at him, and he pointed at her dramatically with an extended index finger.
“I was just thinking that if I were to act now, I’d probably do exactly what you described. I’m surprised you guessed it so accurately.”
What… what is this? I’m leaving. I want to leave…
Joo-eun bit her lower lip hard and strode over to the bookshelf, hastily shoving the book back into place.
“I’ll walk you out. Let’s go together.”
“No need. People might think you’re too preoccupied to even see your girlfriend home.”
Why did her mouth keep running ahead of her like this? She felt mortified as soon as the words left her lips and couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.
She could feel him shrug his shoulders as he chuckled softly.
“That does make sense, but I don’t want to be the guy with less stamina than a girlfriend. Let’s go together.”
Before she could protest, Min-hyuk had already moved swiftly toward the entrance.
But she really wanted to leave on her own…
The thought of being alone with him in the car already made it hard to breathe.
---
As expected, it was exactly as she feared.
His silence, focused solely on driving, made her increasingly uncomfortable.
After stealing glances at him for ten minutes, Joo-eun finally mustered the courage to speak.
“Shall we… turn on the radio or something?”
“I don’t like noisy things.”
“Ah, okay.”
Her carefully considered attempt at conversation was immediately shot down.
How embarrassing.
Pretending not to be flustered, she stared out the window.
“I just like listening to your breathing. I want to focus on it more.”
The reality of this impossibly attractive man whispering sweet confessions nonstop was utterly unbelievable.
Who could resist when he said her breathing sounded better than music?
But she could list twenty reasons right now why she shouldn’t cross that line, so Joo-eun steeled herself to stay composed.
“Just…”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you like me? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.”
The fact that she had initiated a question for the first time seemed to please him, as his lips curled slightly upward.
“Are you thinking about me?”
“I’m not thinking about you—I’m saying I’ve thought about why you like me, and I still don’t get it.”
“Think about it more. I’d like you to spend that time thinking of me.”
“Is it because I’m good at… that?”
“Cough!”
At that moment, the traffic light changed, and the car came to an abrupt stop.
Most of the time, her flustered reactions were predictable—but seeing him cough awkwardly and look genuinely unsettled gave Joo-eun the resolve to push further.
“Other than that, I don’t see why. I’m probably not prettier than your long line of lovers, nor do I have more than Chaerin. Are you sure it’s because I’m good at… that?”
Min-hyuk, who had barely regained his composure, looked unusually flushed.
He shot her a look that clearly asked, Do you really want me to answer this?
Yes. I want an answer. She responded with her eyes, mirroring his gaze.
“Hmm. I wouldn’t know about the ‘long line of lovers’ since I haven’t had one, but if that night keeps replaying in my mind, then one reason I like you is pretty clear.”
“Ah… I knew it.”
Joo-eun smacked her knee in frustration.
Why did I have to be so good at that? Her expression screamed regret.
While she lamented her unnecessary skills, his face grew even redder, and he kept wiping away beads of sweat.
As her pointless worries deepened, the car arrived at their destination before she realized it.
“Hmm. We’re… already here.”
Min-hyuk leaned toward the steering wheel, peering outside.
“This neighborhood has a certain charm at night.”
Following his mutterings, Joo-eun turned her gaze outward as well.
She had always waited desperately for the day she could escape this gloomy alleyway.
But with just one comment from him, it suddenly felt like a romantic, picturesque street.
Even though she knew it wasn’t true.
Joo-eun let out a bitter smile as she lowered her head.
“Thank you for walking me to the door.”
“Get out. I’ll wait until you go inside.”
Before she could even say it was unnecessary, Min-hyuk had already turned off the engine, stepped out of the car, and opened her door for her.
“Then I’ll see you at the office tomorrow. I think I’ve done my part now, so from here on out, I’ll just be your subordinate...”
Suddenly cutting herself off mid-sentence, Joo-eun blinked in confusion.
Min-hyuk slowly turned his head to look at her.
“Why are you acting like that?”
“Don’t turn your head!”
Her urgent voice trembled faintly at the end.
After quickly scanning left and right, she whispered softly:
“I think there’s someone in that car over there.”
“The silver compact car?”
“How did you know?”
Joo-eun’s eyes widened dramatically.
“I thought we’d lost them. They’re persistent.”
“You mean the spy who was outside your house followed us all the way here?”
She sighed in disbelief.
“What more could they possibly want to capture...?”
“They probably haven’t gotten the decisive shot yet,” he said with a shrug.
“We were at your place for two hours, and they’re still suspicious? What exactly are they trying to confirm?”
“They couldn’t get a clear view inside the house.”
Was the idea of her being his partner really that hard to believe?
It was exasperating.
“Haa…”
Biting her lip tightly, she looked up at him with a determined gaze and slowly spoke.
“Can you protect me from getting fired because of Chaerin at work?”
Though he didn’t understand why she was suddenly asking this, he firmly replied since such a thing would never happen anyway.
“You won’t face any consequences because of Chaerin. I guarantee it.”
“Good. Earlier, I panicked a bit, so the angle might not have been great. Let’s make sure we get a good shot this time, okay?”
“...”
“You can put your hand on my waist if you want.”
Her sudden seriousness made Min-hyuk burst into quiet laughter.
“You don’t need to go that far.”
“I want to tie this up neatly. I don’t want to leave things half-done with lingering suspicions.”
Min-hyuk’s eyes darkened momentarily.
“That statement...”
Already close, the distance between them narrowed even further.
“This feels dangerous.”
Min-hyuk pulled her waist closer with a firm grip, causing her long hair to sway dramatically.
“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”
Joo-eun tightened her legs slightly, steeling herself.
“I won’t regret it. Not after everything we’ve done so far.”
Even though her heart was pounding wildly, threatening to burst out of her chest, Joo-eun pretended to be calm.
“You can pull me closer.”
Amused by her bold request, Min-hyuk smirked and slowly leaned toward her lips.
“How about this much?”
“F-fine...”
“And this?”
He sweetly captured her lower lip between his teeth.
“…!”
Joo-eun’s wide, startled eyes wavered intensely.
Ah… This isn’t what I meant…
“Looks like you’re fine with it.”
Turning his head slightly, Min-hyuk deepened the kiss, fully exploring the space between her lips.
Google Sites
Report abuse