NSTAR - 72

As Min-hyuk leaned forward, he draped Joo-eun’s arm over his shoulder, causing her body to sway unsteadily.

Assistant Manager Kim and the other team members awkwardly reached out their hands, ready to assist Min-hyuk. But they froze in place under his sharp, piercing gaze.

Min-hyuk radiated an intense, primal instinct to protect his woman.

“Everyone seems to have had a lot to drink tonight, so please don’t push yourselves too hard,” he said in a low, clear voice.

“Ah, yes…” they mumbled weakly.

“And…”

“Yes…?”

Min-hyuk’s eyes locked specifically onto Assistant Manager Kim.

Though Joo-eun hadn’t said anything, Min-hyuk had already picked up on the vibe—Assistant Manager Kim clearly had feelings for her.

“The wedding invitations will be sent out soon,” Min-hyuk announced coolly.

Assistant Manager Kim’s legs buckled as if all strength had left him.

The others were equally stunned.

Their expressions turned blank, confused about what was happening, trying to process the situation.

Min-hyuk, who had been walking while supporting Joo-eun’s waist with one arm, finally scooped her up entirely into his arms when she kept leaning too far downward. She felt as light as a doll, as though he were carrying a giant plush toy.

Tak tak.

In the heavy silence, the remnants of meat on the grill continued to sizzle and char, mirroring the unease among the team members.

Team Leader Gam muttered dazedly in a hollow voice, “I… didn’t mistreat Song Daeri, did I? I didn’t make any mistakes, right?”

“You’ve always treated us well, Team Leader. It’s my fault—I should’ve taken that project myself. Because of it, Song Daeri had to work overtime so much… What do we do now…?”

Choi Gwajang began to tear up, prompting Gam to subtly gesture toward Assistant Manager Kim.

“Oh… what can we say?” The murmurs spread around. Everyone could feel the weight of Min-hyuk’s pointed glare at Assistant Manager Kim.

“Huuuuhhh…”

Assistant Manager Kim let out a wail like a wounded animal.

While no one doubted that nothing inappropriate had happened between Min-hyuk and Joo-eun, the team members exchanged worried glances, unsure how the director would react or what words of comfort to offer. Eventually, after patting each other awkwardly on the back, they dispersed one by one. Assistant Manager Kim only managed to stand after downing every last drop of remaining alcohol.

________________________________________

The morning sunlight streamed brightly through the window, casting a warm glow.

Joo-eun rolled lazily across the large bed, feeling oddly content, before slowly opening her eyes.

An unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar wallpaper.

And an unfamiliar scent…!

Unfamiliar? Why does everything feel strange?

Her eyes shot open wide in alarm.

Where… where am I?!

“Oh, it’s home…” she whispered softly, letting out a sigh of relief.

It had been such a short time since moving here that the place still felt foreign—it almost gave her a heart attack.

“But somehow, I made it back home.”

Even though her memory was hazy, Joo-eun applauded herself for her incredible homing instinct.

Still… why had she dreamed something so vivid after not seeing him just one day?

The mere thought of it made her cheeks flush as she giggled sheepishly.

“How desperate must I be to dream something so indecent in a car? Ugh, Song Joo-eun, you’re such a bundle of desires.”

She wriggled in embarrassment, laughing awkwardly, when suddenly—

CRACK!

“Ouch!”

Joo-eun jumped in pain from the slap on her back. Turning sharply, she scowled at Hyejoo, who clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“Tsk tsk. Look at your face lighting up like that. How old are you, seriously? Letting yourself get carried home like that?”

“Carried home? What do you mean, ‘carried home’? Who carried me?”

“Who else could it be? My future son-in-law, of course!”

Her hand froze mid-rub against her sore back.

What?

Joo-eun studied Hyejoo’s expression carefully and asked hesitantly, “You’re joking… right?”

“Joking? Look at my face. Does this look like someone joking with you?”

No, no, no. Please tell me this isn’t real, Mom…

Joo-eun shook her head fervently, but Hyejoo simply glared at her as if saying, “What can I even do with you?”

“This… this can’t be true…”

So, that thing she thought was a dream in the car yesterday wasn’t… wasn’t a dream at all?

“Huuaaack!”

Joo-eun clamped both hands over her mouth in shock.

Hyejoo clicked her tongue again, looking at her daughter with exasperation. “What’s wrong with you?”

What do I do, Mom…? I practically tore open his shirt… and, and… below that…

“Uhhhgggghhhh!”

“Get up and eat breakfast. If you go to work without eating, you’ll end up sick.”

But food was the furthest thing from her mind right now.

Her face flushed crimson as Joo-eun tried to recall what happened.

She remembered pushing him away, telling him to stop… but he kept pressing closer. And then… ugh, the rest was a blur.

“I want to die. Just die. Die.”

She buried her head repeatedly into the pillow before snapping her eyes open again, staring blankly into space.

“What is it now? Did you remember something?”

Hyejoo wasn’t even surprised anymore. At this rate, she might as well grab some popcorn and watch her daughter’s ever-changing drama unfold.

“Mom, what is this memory?”

“What now?”

“He told the team something.”

“What?”

“That we’re getting married.”

“Well, thank goodness. You’ve been stressing about telling them. Our future son-in-law sure has guts.”

Without waiting for a response, Hyejoo added, “Come out quickly!” and left the room. Joo-eun collapsed back onto the bed in defeat.

“I can’t go to work. I won’t…”

This was her heartfelt cry.

________________________________________

But regardless, she had to go. To work.

Even though she dreaded facing her colleagues—and especially him—there was no way she could skip work.

With the mindset of heading into battle, she dragged herself to the office. As expected, everyone tiptoed around her, stealing nervous glances.

“Forget it, just give it to me,” Choi Gwajang insisted first.

They all knew there was already plenty to do, yet Choi acted as if adding another task was necessary now.

“No, I started it, so I’ll finish it.”

“But it was originally my job, and somehow Song Joo-eun—er, Song Daeri—took it over. So now that I have free time, I’ll handle it.”

Since when did you suddenly have free time…?

“I couldn’t sleep last night. It’s probably because Song Daeri took over my work. Give it back to me—I need to do it to sleep soundly.”

“All the research is done; I just need to organize it. I’ll take care of it. Okay?”

Choi Gwajang backed away, shouting over his shoulder, unwilling to argue further.

“The team leader will assign new tasks. There’s plenty to do, so don’t worry.”

“New tasks?”

When Joo-eun turned to look at the team leader, he visibly tensed up.

“Are we starting a new project, Team Leader?”

“N-new project? Well, there is one… but Assistant Manager Kim will handle it. Don’t worry—I’m not the type of boss who panics over assigning work. How about some coffee? Want me to grab you one?”

“No, I’m fine…”

“Right. Sorry for mentioning coffee without thinking. You’ve worked enough. Take a break.”

Of course. This was exactly what she’d feared.

Everyone was avoiding her like the plague.

Joo-eun wanted to scream at them to stop acting so weird—but knowing her teammates, they’d probably shrink back even more.

She also wanted to storm into the director’s office and demand why he’d made such a unilateral announcement without consulting anyone—but guilt over her actions stopped her from facing him.

Sigh. There was no solution.

She pressed her palm to her forehead in frustration.

But then, unexpectedly, things shifted after lunch.

Thud.

Choi Gwajang tossed a thick stack of documents onto Joo-eun’s desk.

Surprised, she looked up at him. She’d skipped lunch due to her gloomy mood and had been reviewing old files.

“Hmm. It’s too difficult. Since you started it, you should finish it.”

“…What?”

“It’d be awkward for me to claim credit for it now. So, I’m leaving it to you. Good luck, Song Daeri.”

He spoke arrogantly, but his voice trembled slightly, and he avoided eye contact.

Why’s he acting like this…?

Joo-eun tilted her head curiously as she flipped through the papers. Whatever his reasons, she was grateful to have the chance to wrap it up and chuckled softly to herself.

Just then, Team Leader Gam rushed in, calling out, “We’re starting brainstorming sessions for next year’s advertising campaign ideas today. Song Daeri, book the meeting room for 4 PM and join us later.”

“Yes, sir!”

Joo-eun responded enthusiastically. Marketing strategy planning was her favorite part of the job, and her expression brightened instantly.

From behind, Assistant Manager Kim tapped her shoulder lightly.

“Song Daeri, there are five minutes left until lunch. Want to grab something quick together?”

“Sure.”

Joo-eun seamlessly blended back into the group dynamic.

Finally, the tension in her chest lifted.

She couldn’t hide her shy but happy smile as her colleagues congratulated her.

“Well done.”

As Min-hyuk passed by Team Leader Gam after lunch, he murmured quietly, “As I mentioned earlier, treat Song Daeri the same as before—work her hard and make her stay late. I’ll endure it.”

“…Huh?”

Min-hyuk patted Gam’s shoulder lightly, signaling for him to figure it out himself, then returned to his office.

Gam, visibly shaken, collapsed into his chair.

During the lunch break Joo-eun had missed, Min-hyuk had appeared individually before each team member, instructing—not quite commanding—that they treat her normally again. Alongside gentle threats that if she felt uncomfortable, they’d all suffer, he ensured cooperation.

Thanks to his intervention, the team scrambled to act natural, pulling off clumsy performances to maintain the pretense of normalcy. Oblivious to all this, Joo-eun regained her relaxed smile.

“Adorable.”

Back at his desk, Min-hyuk muttered to himself, thinking of her.

After sulking all morning, she’d bounced back so quickly, chatting animatedly with her coworkers. Her expressions were utterly endearing.

He tried to catch her gaze, but she kept avoiding it. Could it be…?

“Does she remember what happened last night?”

Though she was the one who’d gotten drunk and done something embarrassing, why was his face heating up?

“Hmm. It’s hot.”

Min-hyuk loosened his tie slightly and ran his fingers through his hair.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Jang-wook rushed in.

“Director, have you heard?”