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Joo-eun’s face, clouded with worry just moments ago, instantly brightened.
“Min-hyuk…!”
His slightly damp bangs from the rain made him look even more sensual than usual as he smirked.
“I timed it perfectly. I was worried you’d already left, so I rushed over.”
Though he often came to pick her up on rainy days, she hadn’t expected him today, knowing how busy he was.
Joo-eun threw herself into his arms.
“You could’ve called. I would’ve waited.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
His love-filled gaze was met with her radiant smile.
“If surprising me was the goal, then mission accomplished. I was really surprised. But next time, don’t rush over like that, okay?”
“I will. You know I can’t disobey your orders.”
Sometimes, she wondered if he wasn’t some kind of robot programmed to follow her commands.
Nodding with a smile, Joo-eun suddenly remembered something and widened her eyes in alarm.
“Didn’t you say you were having dinner with Father today?”
That’s why she had made plans with Se-young for dinner too.
While Joo-eun was completely flustered, Min-hyuk remained unfazed.
“When it rains, everything gets canceled—no exceptions.”
You… canceled because of the rain?
To come pick her up, he canceled a dinner with his father?
This outrageous romantic was leaving her speechless. She stood there with her mouth agape, unsure whether to be happy or upset.
“Don’t do that again… I’m not a child. I can go home by myself. Don’t cancel dinners with Father so easily, okay?”
“It wasn’t easy.”
“…”
“I worked hard to cancel it.”
How could he say that so seriously?
Joo-eun couldn’t help but laugh at his absurdity, even though she knew this wasn’t something to laugh off.
“I’m serious, you know.”
After laughing, claiming he wasn’t joking somehow didn’t make her believe him, but she still wanted to scold him thoroughly to ensure this wouldn’t happen again.
But sometimes, even robots glitch.
“I’m serious too. Watching you worry about me while ruining my work isn’t worth it. Coming to get you is better. This is one thing I won’t compromise on.”
Min-hyuk stared down at her with an unwavering expression, as if vowing never to back down.
Surprised by his rare defiance, Joo-eun asked hesitantly:
“You said you’d listen to me no matter what. Is picking me up on rainy days that important?”
“Yes. That’s why I got married—to do this for the rest of my life.”
She let out a disbelieving chuckle.
He raised his thick brows dramatically, signaling, You’ll give in, right? Joo-eun took a deep breath, pretending to be exasperated.
“Fine. I admit it—I can’t win when you’re this stubborn.”
It was a love quarrel she had no choice but to concede.
Though she had told him not to do it, deep down, she was thrilled he’d come for her.
“Oh? Daeri!”
Startled by the voice behind her, Joo-eun quickly untangled her arms from around his waist.
A delayed wave of embarrassment washed over her. Even though they were married, being caught whispering sweet nothings at the company entrance felt inappropriate.
“Oh, Hanbyul…!”
“Hanbyul?”
Min-hyuk’s eyes widened slightly.
If this was Son Hanbyul, the new intern in the marketing team, why was he… a man?
Min-hyuk froze, confused. He had assumed Hanbyul was a woman based solely on the name.
Joo-eun introduced the intern.
“Remember I told you about our new employee?”
Had she said it was a woman? Or had he just assumed?
Min-hyuk furrowed his brows, trying to recall their previous conversation.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Son Hanbyul, the new guy in marketing! Wow, Daeri, your husband is so cool.”
Despite the cheerful greeting, Min-hyuk simply stared at him blankly.
More accurately, he was too busy piecing together their earlier conversation to process what the intern was saying.
Awkwardly smiling, Joo-eun gestured for the intern to leave.
“Th-Thank you. Be careful going home in the rain.”
“Yes! See you again. Goodbye!”
As the intern walked away, Min-hyuk finally pieced together the misunderstanding.
He had assumed the intern was female based solely on the name. She had never explicitly said it.
“Why are you making that face?”
Joo-eun nudged his side and asked.
“…Nothing.”
He didn’t want to seem like a petty, jealous husband after canceling an important meeting to come here.
Closing his mouth tightly, Min-hyuk stayed silent. Joo-eun playfully tugged at him.
“Aren’t you going to put your arm around me?”
“Oh… Right. Let’s go.”
He stretched his long arm around her shoulders.
The two running toward the parked car looked less like a married couple and more like lovers in the early stages of romance.
The umbrella tilted heavily toward her as they dashed through the rain.
________________________________________
So, they thought they had shared a rather romantic moment in the rain.
But now, all he did was drive in silence.
Joo-eun grew increasingly uncomfortable with his quiet demeanor.
An inexplicable heaviness hung in the air, making her steal glances at him nervously.
Finally, she spoke up in a slightly higher-pitched tone:
“Oh, I’m so excited to eat chicken at Se-young’s place. Back in the day, we used to have chicken every single day.”
“…”
No response.
Something was definitely wrong.
“Hmm. Am I imagining things, or does Min-hyuk seem upset?”
“Nope.”
The fact that he answered so curtly meant he was clearly in a bad mood.
“Aww, my little Min-hyuk. What’s making you grumpy now?”
Joo-eun teased, poking his cheek with her index finger. He shot her a sharp glare.
“Stop it.”
Her playful mood vanished at his stern tone, and she pouted.
“What happened to the man who promised to tell me whenever he was upset? Huh?”
“I’m driving. I told you not to mess around dangerously.”
Why was he being so serious?
Feeling awkward, Joo-eun placed her hands neatly on her lap and turned her gaze to the window.
When she fell silent, the situation flipped—he began stealing glances at her.
“Hmm.”
“…”
“Hm hm.”
Clearing his throat didn’t help. She was determined to stay sulky.
“Hmm, well… Sorry. I was just being strict because I don’t want any accidents.”
“…”
“Sorry…”
This time, he tugged at her sleeve.
She wasn’t mad to begin with, but his attempt to console her was so adorable that she pretended to sulk even more.
“It’s fine if you focus on driving safely. Keep your eyes on the road.”
“The light just turned red…”
“If you don’t tell me why you’re feeling down, I’m not forgiving you.”
An awkward silence filled the car.
What? Did something actually happen to upset him?
Joo-eun’s brows furrowed slightly.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“So why are you being so stiff over nothing?”
“I’m not upset.”
“Okay, then why are you talking so rigidly? Enough already.”
Min-hyuk hesitated before answering.
“The intern…”
“What about him?”
“Hmm. I didn’t know the intern was a guy. I was a little upset you didn’t tell me earlier. That’s all.”
Blink. Blink.
Joo-eun’s large eyes fluttered rapidly.
“I did tell you last time.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Didn’t I?”
Her pupils darted left and right as she tried to remember.
Come to think of it, maybe she hadn’t mentioned it. But was this really something to get upset about?
Wait… Could it be…
“Are you saying you acted stiff because of that? Not because you were angry?”
“Hmm.”
“Really?”
“No.”
“Really?”
“No.”
“Aww… You’re totally lying.”
Fed up, Min-hyuk abruptly pulled over to the shoulder.
Screech. The brief sound of tires against asphalt froze Joo-eun’s teasing expression.
Things were escalating.
But his hesitant explanation far exceeded her expectations.
“He’s cute.”
Joo-eun’s jaw dropped.
What did he just say? Her expression demanded clarification.
“You said it last time. That the intern was cute. That he reminded you of yourself back then.”
True, the intern was undeniably adorable—plump and round like Winnie the Pooh, always bustling around energetically. His enthusiasm reminded her of herself in the past.
But if she said that now, he might get jealous even of Pooh Bear and demand separate rooms.
Filtering her thoughts, Joo-eun paused before answering.
“Aww, compared to my husband, he’s not even cute. Right?”
His expression remained unchanged, as if her words didn’t quite sink in.
“Can cuteness even be measured numerically?”
Min-hyuk’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at the unexpected question.
“Well, hypothetically, if it could, my husband would rank at least 558 trillion times cuter. Sexy and adorable—the ultimate handsome type.”
“Hmm.”
He coughed awkwardly into his fist, suppressing goosebumps but silently urging her to continue.
Suppressing laughter, Joo-eun pressed on.
“How did I end up with such a charming man? What did I do in my past life?”
“Who knows? You probably did a lot of good deeds.”
“And you? What about your past life?”
“I… probably saved the universe or something.”
Snort. Joo-eun couldn’t hold back a strange laugh and lowered her head.
Their playful quarrel ended, as always, in laughter.
“Do people know? That Korea’s innovative CEO is secretly a jealous lover?”
Joo-eun leaned into him, resting her hand on his arm.
“No. If they find out, they’ll fall in love with you too. So let’s keep it between us.”
“Your training skills seem to improve every day.”
“And you seem to get cuter every day.”
“Am I still sexy?”
The very question itself oozed sexiness.
Joo-eun looked up at his smoldering gaze and replied.
“This morning was so heated—it’d be a lie to say you’re not sexy. You know that.”
Her sweet response made his Adam’s apple bob noticeably.
“Shall we… go home?”
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