II - 65

I-ryeong gently slipped her arm around his waist first, then playfully poked him to tickle him.

“If it’s too complicated, please cancel it.”

“No, we can make it. Would you like me to add it to your order?”

“Yes, and could you please pack the last coffee separately?”

Finally, the order for eleven cups of coffee was complete.

I-ryeong felt glad that she had come with I-jun, but at the same time—

“I’m also grateful to Secretary Kim. Hmm?”

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt and ended up glancing at him nervously.

“You memorized all of that?”

“Look, even though we could have ordered here in the cafeteria, I went out of my way to get it elsewhere. I feel both sorry and thankful, okay?”

Thanks to Secretary Kim stepping aside, they had been able to discuss the unresolved issues weighing on their hearts that day.

To her, Secretary Kim was an incredibly grateful person.

“Alright, do as you wish. But this is the last time you’re being so kind.”

“Got it.”

I-jun’s sulking expression, pouting like a child, was utterly adorable.

If they were at home, she would have kissed those petulant lips.

I-ryeong glanced once at the busy barista preparing the coffee, then turned back to survey the café. Still, the only customers in the cafeteria were the two of them.

“Thank you.”

She playfully patted his protruding, sulky bottom.

“I’ll make one for you myself next time. How about that?”

Then, rising on her tiptoes, she whispered into his ear.

“Myself?”

I-jun’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“Of course. But first, do that thing you did earlier again.”

“What thing?”

Pretending not to understand, I-ryeong tilted her head quizzically.

“Here. Hold me like you did earlier.”

He pointed to his waist, asking her to hug him.

Public displays of affection at work? She liked how much more relaxed he had become compared to before.

“I’ll do it every day.”

“Since you did it today, I’ll hold you tomorrow.”

The tension melted away again, and the couple exchanged broad smiles as they waited for their coffee.

“Um… Miss I-ryeong?”

Two female employees approached hesitantly.

Recognizing the voice calling her, I-ryeong turned to see who it was.

“I’m so sorry.”

“We’re really sorry.”

As soon as their eyes met, the employees bowed deeply to apologize.

Caught off guard by this sudden situation, I-ryeong furrowed her brow.

“Who are you?”

Of course, she knew exactly who these women were—the same employees who had loudly gossiped about her in the cafeteria that day. But she pretended not to recognize them.

“We posted something about you on the company bulletin board.”

“We’re really, really sorry.”

The employees took turns explaining the situation and repeatedly apologized.

“A friend of mine works at First Apparel. While talking about your marriage, I mentioned your name, and then my friend…”

They trailed off, but I-ryeong understood. They must have called her a homewrecker or something similar. For a moment, I-ryeong bit down hard on her tongue.

The despair she had felt that day when reading the company bulletin board resurfaced.

“We posted it for fun. It was entirely our fault—hundreds of times over.”

“We’re truly, truly sorry.”

The employees kept bowing deeply.

I-jun found it awkward to face them directly.

On the day the post appeared, the company’s legal team had immediately identified the employees responsible. He had instructed them to delete the post right away, but seeing the flood of real-time comments from other employees, he reversed his decision and left it as is.

His intervention to protect his wife had inadvertently fueled the fire, worsening the situation. Though he later withdrew his directive, he regretted leaving the post up more than anything.

“We planned to apologize to you today anyway. We saw you were here in the cafeteria, so we came over.”

“There’s nothing we can say to justify ourselves. We’re truly sorry.”

In the end, the employees broke down in tears as they apologized.

I-ryeong stared silently at them for a moment before exhaling softly.

Why now, of all times, when she was feeling happy? And since this apology was unilateral, she couldn’t hide her discomfort.

“An apology doesn’t erase what you’ve done.”

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Of course, I haven’t forgiven you either. Keep apologizing until I say it’s okay. It might have been fun for you, but I was in so much pain I wanted to die.”

Though she couldn’t fully express the mess of emotions inside her, she tried to remain as calm as possible.

“You’ll never understand how unjust and miserable I felt that day, no matter how many times you apologize. So keep begging for forgiveness until I say otherwise.”

She had no intention of forgiving them. Spreading unverified rumors and turning it into a witch hunt was unforgivable.

“Please leave now. You’re making me uncomfortable.”

With that, she firmly rejected their apology.

She didn’t care what rumors might spread within the company—she wasn’t ready to accept their apology just yet.

“We’re so sorry.”

“We’re truly, truly sorry.”

The employees wiped their tears and begged for forgiveness, but they had no choice but to leave. The only sound left in the cafeteria was the whirring of the coffee grinder.

I-jun held his wife’s hand tightly as he watched the employees walk away. If his wife wished, he was prepared to file a lawsuit against them, regardless of their status as employees.

“Our wife has gotten stronger, hasn’t she? But let’s not dwell on bad thoughts. Honestly, hearing it from your own lips makes it unbearable for me.”

He smiled through his anger, but inside, he was seething. The shock of learning she had thought of dying was immense.

“I’ll grow even stronger. To protect myself and to protect you, I need to be strong. Strong enough so no one can ever hurt my husband.”

I-ryeong looked up at him with determination.

She shouldn’t have let the words “I wanted to die” slip out. She should’ve covered her ears to ensure I-jun didn’t hear them, but it was too late.

“I’ll become strong enough that no one can hurt me or you. Just wait and see.”

“As I said before, I’m not someone who gets pushed around.”

The couple exchanged awkward smiles, burying the hurtful words they had exchanged for now.

Their hands were laden with coffee carriers.

I-jun felt awkward holding coffee, as it was his first time visiting the cafeteria and carrying drinks.

Together, they took the elevator up to the marketing department.

“Smile.”

“I’m smiling plenty. Look, my face is twitching from all this forced smiling.”

I-jun tilted his chin up and thrust his face forward.

“And even if I don’t smile, so what? My image is already that of a cold-blooded person anyway.”

He lowered his chin again and put on an indifferent expression.

“Oh, I-jun. How did you know?”

“I’m not blind or deaf. Everyone’s been whispering about it. How could I not know?”

“So smile. You look best when you’re smiling.”

I-ryeong thought he looked good no matter what expression he wore because she loved Seo I-jun as a person.

“Best? Are you sure you’re talking about me?”

“Of course. With just the two of us here, who else could I be talking about?”

Holding only one coffee carrier, I-ryeong covered her mouth with her free hand and laughed. His playful reactions were too adorable to resist.

“Your reputation is already excellent. You’re perfect at work. But it’d be great if you could charm the employees with your dazzling smile. A kind boss is better than a scary one.”

He was a man destined to climb higher than the position of executive. She hoped he would be a boss loved and respected by everyone.

“Alright, is this the smile Cha Eun-ryeong wants?”

I-jun stretched his lips into a wide grin, revealing his perfectly aligned teeth, which only added to his charm.

“You really are such a mischievous guy sometimes.”

I-ryeong moved the hand covering her mouth to pinch his cheek lightly. His flawless, poreless skin was irresistible.

“You’re feeling okay, right?”

“Of course. How could I feel bad when I’m with you? I feel perfectly fine.”

She gently stroked his cheek.

“Thank you.”

“What’s making you look so grateful?”

I-jun rubbed his cheek against her hand, mimicking how she had done it to him once before.

“Are you thanking me because my cheek is soft and fun to touch?”

Her expression turned sorrowful, as if she might cry, so he teased her with a joke.

“Yes, it’s softer than castella cake. I feel like taking a bite out of it.”

“In that case, tonight I’ll show you exactly what ‘Seo I-jun Castella’ tastes like. Look forward to it.”

As the couple joked and lightened the mood, the elevator arrived at the floor of the marketing department.

He stepped out first, and she followed behind. Naturally, they walked side by side toward the office.

The hallway was bustling with employees hurrying to their desks. Amidst them, the couple strolled leisurely, looking as carefree as if they had no worries in the world.

In the distance, the marketing department came into view.

With both hands full, I-jun nudged the door open with his shoulder to let his wife pass through easily.

“Oh my, Vice President!”

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

The team members buzzed excitedly upon spotting I-jun.

“We thought you’d moved offices for good. What brings you back here?”

“Ah, newlyweds are something else. Even seeing each other every day isn’t enough during the honeymoon phase, huh?”

The team members openly laughed, glancing between I-jun and I-ryeong.

I-ryeong bit her lip and hid behind I-jun, her face flushed red from their teasing.

I-jun felt her hot breath against his back as she tried to hide. For a moment, he had an overwhelming urge to inhale every bit of that warmth before snapping out of it.

“I’ve come to deliver coffee. As you can see, there’s too much for my wife to carry alone.”

He waved the coffee carriers, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Wow, seriously? Did you hear that?”

“Wife? Kyaa! Vice President, since when did you become such a loving husband?”

The female employees slapped their palms together and squealed louder than dolphins, acting as if this were their own joyous occasion.