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“Wh-what am I supposed to do…?”
Unable to withstand his intense gaze, Joo-eun averted her eyes.
“What should you do to make the documents legible to me again?”
Though he wasn’t physically advancing toward her anymore, it already felt as if they were touching.
Even breathing deeply felt like a struggle. Knowing there was nowhere left to retreat, Joo-eun hesitated and replied:
“If someone walks in now, this will look bad. I should probably leave...”
With just a light tug from his large hand, her body reflexively leaned into him, pulling her into his arms.
“Director…!”
Joo-eun’s wide eyes trembled violently.
“Don’t talk about misunderstandings. Don’t act like we’re nothing.”
Through the layers of their bodies pressed together, she could feel the pounding of his heart, like a great drum being struck.
The steady beat transmitted through her palm resting on his rock-solid chest.
Through the burning gaze that locked onto her.
But what difference would any of this make? Even if her heart raced like this, what could they possibly do?
“I can’t even give you one-thousandth, no, one ten-thousandth of what Chae-rin can offer you.”
Chae-rin. Just thinking of her made Joo-eun’s chest ache.
The thought of him regretting losing that woman after the flames of passion for her had burned out—it was unbearable.
“In the hallway earlier… I saw Chae-rin.”
At the unexpected mention of that name, Min-hyuk’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“They say GB Group is going to make an unprecedented investment... Congratulations. I almost ruined everything by meddling unnecessarily.”
Min-hyuk’s jaw muscles twitched.
He couldn’t understand why she was deliberately bringing this up when she clearly knew how he felt about Chae-rin.
“Are you trying to make me angry?”
“Why would I? I just want Chae-rin and you to succeed so the company can grow even more…”
“Say that name one more time.”
His growling warning made Joo-eun’s eyelashes quiver faintly.
Hadn’t they looked so perfect together just moments ago? Was I mistaken?
Questions swirled in her mind, begging to be voiced.
But did it matter whether their closeness was real or not? What mattered was the fact that an unprecedented investment was coming.
Nothing mattered more than the fact that she had nearly become the villain who ruined it all.
She decided it was time to properly put an end to this.
To this ambiguous relationship.
Deliberately, she mentioned Chae-rin’s name again.
“You didn’t even try to see Chae-rin properly. If you got to know her better, you might realize she’s not so bad… Ah—!”
A strong arm pulled her waist with such force that an involuntary moan escaped her lips.
Her face flushed red as Joo-eun looked up at him with trembling eyes.
“Director…”
“If you’re not deliberately trying to provoke me, stop talking about Chae-rin.”
His raspy, enraged voice left her unable to add another word.
All she could do was try to pull away.
But her body refused to budge.
“If you want, I can tell you exactly where my eyes, my heart, my body are directed.”
His blazing gaze was so intense that Joo-eun couldn’t respond.
“If you don’t want this, push me away. I’ll leave without a second word.”
Before she could even process what was happening, his lips crashed into hers, silencing her completely.
The firm hand cradling the back of her head prevented her from retreating, forcing her to accept his invasion through her parted lips.
The force of his kiss pushed her backward until her back hit the wall with a dull thud.
By the time he pinned her against the wall, his lips hungrily devoured hers.
His sharp nose rubbed harshly against her small nostrils.
The wet sounds of their tangled breaths filled the narrow space with an overwhelming intimacy.
This kiss was different from the sweetly teasing ones before.
The mere mention of Chae-rin’s name seemed to have pulled the safety pin holding back his restraint.
It felt impossible to calm this man down with words now.
When he aggressively filled her mouth, and when he sweetly sucked on her lips as if melting her entire body, Joo-eun felt as though even her soul was being drawn into him.
Slowly, strength drained from her hands, crumpled like paper in his large grasp.
The musky scent unique to him brushed past her nose, heating her entire body.
His scorching lips trailed down her earlobe and neck, leaving marks, causing her head to tilt back instinctively.
“Haa… haa…”
Ragged breaths escaped her lips, now freed from his kiss.
Her chest, rising and falling with each breath, was crushed against his body, harder than concrete.
From above and below, he pressed down on her relentlessly.
Though she knew he wouldn’t dare go further than kissing in the office, the hardness pressing against her sent a jolt of clarity through her mind.
Overwhelmed by an unfamiliar fear, she pushed him away.
“Haa… Director, pl-please stop…”
Only she could ignite this fire in him, and only she could calm him.
Though calming him was never easy.
Their lips slowly parted after a brief but intense kiss.
Despite the deep kiss, Min-hyuk’s thirst seemed far from quenched as his gaze lingered on her swollen lips.
“Do you understand now?”
“…”
“My body, my heart—they’re all directed at one person. Do you get it?”
What kind of answer could she give to a kiss like that?
Joo-eun couldn’t bring herself to argue, only looking up at him with trembling eyes.
“Never associate me with Chae-rin again.”
“…”
“If you provoke me with that name again, next time…”
“I won’t! I won’t do it again…”
Min-hyuk smirked, lifting one corner of his lips.
“Good girl.”
As he gently tousled her hair, her resolve crumbled along with it.
“You’ll never hear another woman’s name from my lips. So don’t mention other women in front of me either.”
What about Chae-rin? And the unprecedented investment? Won’t you regret it…?
The question lingered on her tongue, swirling inside her still-sensitive mouth.
“Isn’t this something from the list?”
“…”
“Fighting and then passionately making up. Am I right?”
Ah… So this was how they were making up.
“Are you satisfied now?”
His large hand caressed her cheek as he whispered, but her lips, oddly glued shut, refused to part.
Instead, her heart pounded wildly.
I’ve gone mad. Satisfaction…
It wasn’t enough.
‘I want more. I must be crazy…’
When Joo-eun remained silent, he stretched his wet lips into a mischievous grin.
“Should we continue?”
“N-no! I won’t talk about other women anymore. And I’m satisfied. Very satisfied. So I should probably leave…”
Her rapid-fire response made Min-hyuk burst into a bright smile.
That smile alone was dizzying enough to make her cheeks flare up.
“So you’re no longer upset?”
Yes, I’m not upset anymore. Not anymore!
She nodded vigorously.
Min-hyuk found even that adorable and chuckled again.
Stop smiling, you troublesome man…
Looking at his grinning face so close made her feel like her heart might explode.
Terrified of revealing her trembling emotions, Joo-eun just wanted to escape this suffocating space.
She couldn’t recall how she had managed to endure the day, committing small mistakes uncharacteristic of her before hurrying home after work.
‘Why did we do that at the office…’
The memory of that sweet, melting kiss tormented her all day, heating her cheeks until the moment she opened the door to her apartment.
‘Get out. Get out, you rude man…’
Joo-eun forcefully shoved the image of him out of her mind, casting it aside.
Thud. Even in her imagination, he took a deliberate step back, smirking seductively, shaking her heart even more.
‘Haa… Why am I doing this to myself…’
The increasingly heated relationship and physical contact left her flustered.
Most unsettling of all was the realization that she had wanted more.
If her desire had overflowed just a little more, she might have blurted out a request for more.
“Haa… What more could I want? I’ve gone crazy. Completely crazy…”
Joo-eun ruffled her bangs in frustration, only to recall the sensation of his fingers brushing softly over her scalp.
Those long, large fingers that had moved so gently.
She was definitely losing her mind. She needed to drink some cold water and clear her thoughts.
Wearing a sorrowful expression, she entered the house, only to hear heavy breathing coming from the kitchen.
Mom…?
Startled, she kicked off her shoes and rushed inside.
“Mom!”
Seeing Hye-joo sitting weakly with her hand pressed to her forehead, Joo-eun’s eyes widened in alarm.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Having undergone two major surgeries, Hye-joo’s health was always a concern for Joo-eun, and her heart sank instantly.
“No, no. It’s just… I had a nightmare.”
Hye-joo forced a weak smile as she answered.
Joo-eun knew her mother was trying to reassure her, which only made her heart ache more.
Still, knowing it was just a nightmare and not an illness brought some relief.
Letting out a small sigh, Joo-eun quietly fetched a glass and poured some water.
“Did you dream about that day again?”
At Joo-eun’s question, Hye-joo wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and responded slowly.
“I hadn’t dreamed about it for a while, but lately, it’s been coming back. After causing such chaos and ruining the pension business, why does he keep appearing in my dreams for 20 years…?”
The memories of that day haunted Hye-joo whenever she let her guard down, tormenting her in her sleep.
“If he were alive, he could have just said he was sorry for my sake back then. A single word would have stopped these dreams.”
The implication that he might not be alive anymore was clear, and those thoughts fueled her nightmares.
“It’s just a dream. Don’t worry about it…”
“Yeah, you’re right. Being upset won’t change anything. Only I suffer from it.”
Thirsty, Hye-joo gulped down the water in one go.
Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she muttered as if speaking to herself.
“I miss your father…”
Her voice was so sorrowful that Joo-eun’s eyes reddened.
“Mom…”
“If your father saw you dating, he’d be happier than anyone else.”
Yes, he would have been.
His hearty laughter would have filled the living room endlessly.
As Joo-eun nodded solemnly, Hye-joo, feeling guilty for dampening her daughter’s mood, forced a weak smile.
“But why aren’t you two dating?”
“Huh…?”
“You haven’t been on a single date. Are you meeting tomorrow?”
Tomorrow was the weekend.
Knowing how worried her mother would be if she said she had no plans, Joo-eun hesitated to answer.
The tears that had been threatening to fall suddenly receded.
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