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With his suit and slicked-back hair even sharper than yesterday, Joo-eun almost didn’t recognize Jae-hoon.
“How did you know to come here?”
She took a couple of steps closer to ask.
“I obviously know where you work.”
Ah, right.
Basic information like her workplace and neighborhood would’ve been shared with him for the blind date setup.
“Still, you should’ve called first. What if I hadn’t been here?”
“If I hadn’t found you, I’d have called then. I wanted to surprise you.”
Surprise?
The word made Joo-eun hesitate briefly.
Why was he surprising her? She couldn’t bring herself to ask that directly to a friend who had come all this way.
“Greetings.”
A low voice interrupted her thoughts, and Joo-eun whipped around in shock.
Oh no—she’d completely forgotten Director Min-hyuk was there.
His presence wasn’t something easily overlooked. Maybe she was just too startled…
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
That expression on his face didn’t look like someone eager for introductions.
It felt as though the infamous tyrant King Yeonsan from history books had materialized before them. Something about it suggested neither party would benefit from being introduced.
Just as Joo-eun was about to tell Jae-hoon they could meet after work, Min-hyuk approached.
A chilling aura swept in with his slow, deliberate steps.
“Nice to meet you. Jeong Min-hyuk, Director of DK Media’s Strategic Planning Division.”
Min-hyuk greeted him with an expression far from pleased, extending his hand not so much for a handshake but more like preparing to crush whoever dared take it.
Jae-hoon, equally unimpressed, simply stared at the offered hand without taking it.
What gave him pause, however, was Min-hyuk’s title: Director.
A man around his age holding such a high position—at a massive company like DK Media, no less—was unexpected.
Was this the same “Director” Joo-eun and Se-young had mentioned in passing when talking about their flirtation rumors?
‘Damn…’
Of all people, why did the goalkeeper standing in his way have to be so formidable?
Frustration creased Jae-hoon’s brow.
To think that the first love he’d worked so hard to reconnect with through a blind date now had such an imposing figure by her side.
But he wasn’t ready to give up without trying.
He grasped Min-hyuk’s hand firmly, determination clear in his grip.
Their handshake turned into a silent battle of wills, knuckles twitching under the strain.
“I’m Park Jae-hoon, Joo-eun’s elementary school classmate. I work in Apex’s IT team and, as of today, am the new head of Kimphul’s IT team.”
“You got the job?”
At Joo-eun’s question, Min-hyuk—who had been glaring at Jae-hoon the entire time—turned his sharp gaze toward her.
His eyebrows shot up as if questioning how she knew which company he’d applied to.
This exchange made him doubt whether they truly met for the first time yesterday.
More importantly, this “classmate” of hers—
The way Jae-hoon spoke to and looked at Joo-eun was far from how one treated a mere female friend.
Perhaps he should’ve rushed to that chicken shop instead of working out last night.
Regret gnawed at Min-hyuk, his jaw tightening visibly as his cheek muscles twitched.
“Yeah, I just came from Kimphul.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
“I wanted to tell you first.”
“To me…?”
“Yeah.”
Min-hyuk abruptly released Jae-hoon’s hand as if throwing it away.
“Save the celebration for your reunion. Song Joo-eun, let’s finish our conversation inside.”
There wasn’t really any ongoing conversation to speak of…
“You’re going back inside? Aren’t you having lunch?”
“I’ll handle my meals later. Let’s deal with urgent matters first.”
Dealing with this classmate was currently Min-hyuk’s top priority.
“Ah, okay. Sorry, Jae-hoon.”
Though she couldn’t understand why they needed to discuss a business plan during lunchtime, Joo-eun whispered an apology to Jae-hoon, resigned to follow Min-hyuk.
“What’s there to apologize for? I guess I surprised you by showing up unannounced. I’ll call you later.”
“Be careful. Congratulations again.”
“Thanks.”
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up.”
Startled by Min-hyuk’s impatient call, Joo-eun flinched.
“Yes! Coming…!”
After exchanging a final glance with Jae-hoon, she hurried after Min-hyuk.
Jae-hoon watched her retreating figure with a pitiful expression.
The way the Director spoke left Joo-eun visibly tense each time. Could it be that he wasn’t the rumored flirtation partner?
Yet the jealousy in the man’s handshake was unmistakable.
Tilting his head slightly, Jae-hoon pondered over their departing figures.
“So the Director likes her, but she’s still unsure… Meaning, there’s still a chance for me.”
Indeed. He needed to confess his feelings sooner rather than later.
There was no more time to hesitate.
---
The marketing team froze once again in shock.
The Director, who had left for lunch looking furious, returned with Joo-eun trailing behind, visibly deflated.
Something must’ve happened again, leaving everyone unsure what to do.
‘Don’t worry. Even if he looks like he’s about to kill someone, he’s not actually going to hurt anyone…’
Despite her own unease, Joo-eun forced a smile at her concerned colleagues, who resembled timid herbivores.
Closing the door carefully, she turned around only to jump at finding him standing right in front of her.
“Eek, Mommy…!”
“The classmate you met yesterday?”
His towering frame and broad shoulders exuded an overwhelming presence, dominating her anew.
“Uh… Yes.”
“Were you two dating?”
“No, of course not! How could I date Jae-hoon…”
“That’s good enough. You may leave.”
He turned away coldly, striding back to his desk.
Joo-eun watched him, feeling awkward and confused.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
She had expected some dramatic display of jealousy, but his simple reaction left her oddly disappointed.
“It’s over.”
Without sparing her a glance, he flipped through documents dismissively.
“What about lunch…?”
“No appetite.”
“Oh… Okay, then.”
Embarrassed, Joo-eun exited the Director’s office.
Once the door closed, Min-hyuk glared at the papers for a long moment before irritably slamming them shut and running his fingers through his hair.
Jealousy was driving him mad.
But expressing it felt pathetic.
He’d called her in to separate her from that guy, yet now he couldn’t bring himself to say anything, leaving him seething.
In moments like these, he wished he could pay someone to teach him how to handle relationships.
Should he ask Jang Wook?
“I’m losing it… Completely losing it…”
After everything, asking Jang Wook for advice seemed absurd.
A deep sigh escaped involuntarily.
Why was this so difficult? It made no sense.
Releasing the tension in his fists, he pressed his palm against his forehead.
---
Maybe I shouldn’t have met him at all…
Exhausted, Joo-eun shoved her phone into her bag.
Since that day, Jae-hoon’s contact attempts had only increased.
Texts poured in nonstop during work hours, followed by calls after 6 PM.
She’d barely managed to turn down another meeting request today.
Unlike rejecting Director Min-hyuk, saying no to Jae-hoon felt natural, effortless, and guilt-free due to sheer fatigue.
“Sigh… I just want to go home and rest.”
Her eyelids drooped heavily as she escaped the hellish commute.
Vrrr— Her phone vibrated again inside her bag.
“Ugh… Again.”
Another sigh escaped.
How often was he contacting her?
This time, she decided to finally tell him to stop calling—but it was Se-young on the line.
Relieved, Joo-eun answered.
“Yeah, Se-young…”
[Why does your voice sound so drained?]
True to form, Se-young immediately picked up on her mood.
“I’m just tired…”
[Did that jerk Kwon bother you again? Or maybe Team Leader Gam?]
“No, he keeps apologizing whenever he sees me…”
[Then why are you so exhausted? You’re not the type to get worn out from work.]
Switching the phone to her other ear, Joo-eun sighed deeply.
“It’s because of Jae-hoon…”
[Jae-hoon? Park Jae-hoon?]
“Yeah… He’s kind of…”
The word “strange” lingered on her lips, unspoken.
Se-young still cherished fond memories of him as a childhood friend, and Joo-een feared ruining those memories by voicing her concerns.
[He does seem a bit off.]
When Se-young echoed her thoughts, Joo-eun jolted in surprise.
“Off…?”
[The way he looks at you, the way he brags about moving to a great company—it feels like he’s trying too hard.]
If she mentioned how he’d even come to her workplace just to share his job acceptance news, Se-young might freak out.
Joo-eun bit her lip nervously.
[Did you see his watch? Worth thirty million won. He’s not the innocent kid we used to know anymore.]
Thirty million won for a watch…?
While she didn’t find it inherently bad, the image clashed sharply with the Jae-hoon she remembered, leaving her momentarily stunned.
[Anyway, Park Jae-hoon has always acted weird around you. Last time, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Looks like he’s gearing up to confess soon.]
“Always… acted weird around me?”
[You didn’t know? He used to like you.]
Just then, she sensed movement behind her.
“Heading home?”
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