NSTAR - 46

Whether it was one character or four, the difference wasn’t significant.

But those four characters—”I miss you”—shook Joo-eun’s heart fiercely.

It felt like receiving an overwhelming confession.

Even just looking into his eyes had felt like a heartfelt confession, making it hard for her to meet his gaze.

But this confession, delivered through text, struck her chest in an entirely different way.

She could almost hear her own heartbeat quickening in her ears.

Was he feeling the same way?

The mere thought of him staring at his phone after sending the message made her heart race with excitement.

Was he sitting on the couch, gazing at the beautiful scenery outside? Or lying on his side, fiddling with his phone?

Wherever he was, his deep gaze would surely remain unchanged.

Just imagining him made her cheeks flush.

“Oh no, I forgot to reply…”

In her flustered state, she had completely forgotten to send a response.

Once again, the cycle of writing and deleting began.

—You didn’t look well when you left work earlier. Are you feeling better now?

It felt too intrusive, like she was watching him too closely.

—What are you doing?

She deleted that too, fearing the conversation might drag on. And then…

—Shall I come see you now…?

Realizing what she had typed, Joo-eun bolted upright in shock.

Her thumb frantically tapped the delete button.

“Ha. What am I thinking? Coming to see him now would be dangerous.”

She muttered to herself, as if scolding her own thoughts.

Meeting at this hour without a plan—it was something she absolutely shouldn’t do.

Besides, hadn’t he been upset today because of Vice Chairwoman Jin-sook?

Joo-eun still suspected their argument had something to do with her.

Otherwise, why would the Vice Chairwoman, who rarely engaged in public activities outside of the art museum, come to the company to argue loudly with her son, only to stop and ask, “Who are you?” along the way?

She didn’t want to be the cause of both pain and comfort.

If she had to choose, let it be just one—just one…

Swallowing hard, Joo-eun sent a brief reply.

—You must be tired. Get some rest. Goodnight!

She added an exclamation mark to emphasize her intention: Do not reply further.

As expected, there was no response even after a long while.

Flop.

Joo-eun collapsed onto her side, burying half her face in the pillow.

Her half-open eye blinked slowly, staring blankly into space.

With each passing moment, regret filled her gaze.

She regretted sending such a formal, impersonal message. Was it really so hard to offer a warm, comforting word?

How could she tell someone who said they missed her to “get some rest”? What kind of goodnight was that?

The more she thought about it, the more regretful it felt.

Letting out a soft sigh, she closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, she promised herself, she would definitely say something comforting—offer even a small bit of support if she could.

Lost in her reflections, Joo-eun finally fell asleep as dawn approached, still clutching her phone.

________________________________________

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“It’s that sleepy time, isn’t it? Have a drink.”

Team Leader Gam entered the office with a tray in each hand, followed by Assistant Manager Kim, also holding drinks.

Short exclamations of “Oh!” echoed around the room.

Lunch had already been surprising enough.

Thrifty Team Leader Gam, who always nagged about how expensive coffee was, had actually bought coffee for everyone.

It was only natural to be amazed.

“We’ll enjoy this coffee, Team Leader!”

“I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I got a variety. Pick whatever you want. Oh, and leave the iced caramel macchiato—it’s for our Song Ju-eun.”

The team teased Team Leader Gam for singling out Joo-eun, but no one truly minded.

“You even remembered my preference. Thank you, Team Leader.”

Joo-eun awkwardly smiled, unsure of how to react.

“Aigoo, I have to remember these things. Don’t feel burdened. Hehehe.”

Though his words were meant to ease her, they unintentionally added pressure—but she didn’t dislike it.

There was no reason to dislike an openly apologetic boss going out of their way to please her.

With a slight bow of gratitude, she took a sip of her coffee.

The sweetness hit the back of her throat, instantly banishing her drowsiness.

Savoring the treat made her think of Minhyuk.

If he went through the trouble of buying coffee, why didn’t he get something for Director Min too…?

Their lively chatter would’ve been nice to hear. She felt a tinge of disappointment.

Her worried gaze drifted toward the director’s office door, which had remained closed for two hours.

“Ugh, but this delicious coffee won’t go down.”

Choi Kwang-jang’s sigh caused the previously cheerful atmosphere to deflate.

Assistant Manager Kim, munching on cookies bought with the coffee, asked, “Why not?”

“I need to go report this to the director.”

To the director?

Joo-eun’s ears perked up, her eyes widening.

“Eh, getting scolded quickly is better than dragging it out. Just go and get it over with, then come back and enjoy your coffee.”

“That’s right…”

“The documents.”

Both Choi Kwang-jang and Assistant Manager Kim turned their heads toward Joo-eun.

“Huh?”

Standing behind them, Joo-eun smiled faintly and spoke.

“I’ll take them in.”

“Song Ju-eun…?”

Their expressions clearly questioned her sanity—why volunteer for this?

Yes, she understood their unspoken skepticism.

“I was planning to ask the director about the U.S. market promotion anyway, but I hadn’t found the chance. I’ll use this as an excuse to go in and ask.”

“Really? I’m grateful, but… I’m worried you’ll end up being the only one scolded again…”

“Why! What! What could possibly happen to Song Ju-eun? Choi Kwang-jang, just go in!”

Team Leader Gam leaned forward in his seat and shouted.

Though his concern was appreciated, now wasn’t the time.

Joo-eun awkwardly laughed.

“It’s fine, Team Leader. Nothing bad will happen.”

“Stop making Song Ju-eun run errands!”

“No, no! She insisted on doing it herself…”

Choi Kwang-jang furrowed his brows in frustration, prompting Joo-eun to quickly address the team leader.

A document folder jutted halfway off the desk.

“See? I need to do this. Isn’t this proposal something you need to report too, Team Leader?”

When Joo-eun pointed directly at the folder, Team Leader Gam’s mouth dropped open.

“Eh? How did you know?”

Of course.

He had placed it on the left side to avoid forgetting it, but his reluctance to deal with it had pushed it aside.

“I’ll take this in too.”

“…”

Though he had told her to stop running errands, the moment she offered to take care of his own documents, his expression brightened.

“Song, Song Ju-eun… Do you have wings hidden somewhere? Are you truly an angel?”

“I sold them on Hobak Market because they were too cumbersome.”

Joo-eun replied with a laugh.

“What is this, Team Leader! You scold me but praise her.”

Choi Kwang-jang burst into forced laughter, shooting back at him. Team Leader Gam pretended to focus on typing furiously.

Finally, I have an excuse.

Cradling two folders tightly, Joo-eun headed toward the director’s office.

Ignoring the team’s concerned gazes, she knocked.

Knock knock—

Instead of the icy response she expected, silence greeted her.

What was going on?

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, tilting their heads. Worried, Joo-eun knocked again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

“Is he sleeping…? Maybe I should come back later.”

Team Leader Gam whispered from afar.

If Secretary Byun had been present, she could’ve asked how to handle this situation.

But since he was out on errands, Joo-eun stood uncertainly at the door.

“He didn’t look well earlier. Do you think something’s wrong?”

Choi Kwang-jang’s question froze Joo-eun mid-turn.

The thought that something serious might have happened made her hesitate to leave.

“I’ll quietly leave the documents and check on him while I’m inside.”

“But what if waking him up causes trouble for Song Ju-eun?”

“It’s fine.”

“W-well, okay.”

Even Team Leader Gam nodded, growing concerned about what might be happening inside.

Joo-eun cautiously opened the door.

What she saw was Minhyuk, stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep.

Looking at his exhausted figure, Joo-eun stepped inside carefully, placing weight on her tiptoes to avoid making noise.

Every movement was deliberate, fearful of waking him with the sound of the closing door.

Creeping silently toward the desk, she placed the folders she carried alongside the already towering pile of documents.

What could he possibly be working on to have so much paperwork…?

Stress from work must have been immense, and then Vice Chairwoman Jin-sook had shown up to stir things further.

How exhausting it must have been.

No wonder he had fallen asleep like this.

Turning slowly, she gazed at his sleeping form.

His reclining posture was as beautiful as a sculpture.

His sharp features looked stunning even when awake, but with his eyes closed, they evoked a fluttering sensation in her chest.

Startled, she turned her gaze toward the window when his brow twitched slightly.

Was it the sunlight…?

It seemed the intense light was keeping him from sleeping deeply. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Approaching the window to lower the blinds, her footsteps seemed to disturb him further—he shifted uneasily.

Did I wake him up?

Feeling guilty, she paused and turned her head. Fortunately, Minhyuk was still asleep.

Is he dreaming…?

She wondered, noticing him mutter something under his breath.

It sounded like “thank you.”

What kind of dream was this? Why was he sweating and saying thank you?

Joo-eun hesitated, unsure whether to wake him or not.

“Ha… Please, wait…”

Watching him tremble and sweat became unbearable.

“Director Min…?”

She gently touched his arm with her fingertips, intending to wake him softly.

“…!”

In an instant, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.