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“Why are you here? Did you come to pick me up?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Let’s go inside.”
“Director Ji, I...”
Ji-hyuk pulled Sa-hee close with one arm and started walking while pulling her along. Sa-hee tried to remind Ji-hyuk of Ji-young’s presence by glancing back at Ji-young who stood there, ignored and dazed. But her attempt was in vain.
Thud.
The sound of the door closing echoed as Ji-young disappeared from sight. Unable to bear any more humiliation, she had left.
“I picked this out for you, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“Director.”
“Even if you don’t like it, please wear it for my sake.”
“Director!”
“What?”
Finally, Ji-hyuk came to a sudden stop. Sa-hee stepped back from his embrace and faced him squarely. A dark shadow, like storm clouds, fell over her face.
“If you let Ji-young go like that...”
“What if I do?”
“That’s unacceptable.”
At her words, Ji-hyuk exhaled deeply. Then he opened the large shopping bag, took out the clothes he had chosen, and handed them to Sa-hee.
“Both Moon Ji-young and you seem to be misunderstanding something.”
“Misunderstanding what?”
“Do you think there’s some kind of relationship between Moon Ji-young and me?”
“But—”
“Did I ever do anything with her?”
“Well, no, but...”
The rumors about you and Moon Ji-young are rampant. They say you’re going to get engaged and even married soon. But Sa-hee couldn’t bring herself to voice those thoughts that were choking her throat. Instead, she lowered her gaze and smoothed out the clothes he had brought.
“The only person I have a real relationship with... I thought you knew who that was. Was I wrong?”
Ji-hyuk approached her, untying the sash of her robe with a dry tone in his voice. Suddenly snapping out of her thoughts, Sa-hee grabbed his hand to stop him.
“Let me do it.”
Ji-hyuk locked eyes with her and nodded.
Sa-hee took the clothes and entered a nearby empty room. Judging from the narrow bed, small table, and chair, it seemed to be a guest room.
Once she changed into the outfit, she realized that the light blue blouse paired with the brown skirt didn’t look half bad on her. Sa-hee adjusted her clothes once more and smoothed her hair.
‘It’s fine now, so leave me alone, Oppa. From now on, I’ll handle my own affairs.’
‘I’ll tell Mother everything. That Secretary Yoon threw herself at Director Shin Ji-hyuk.’
Suddenly, Ji-young’s earlier words echoed in her mind. Even though their meetings had been brief over the past two months, she couldn’t help but feel that there would be many challenges ahead. The moment their relationship became public, Young-shin certainly wouldn’t stay quiet.
She was familiar with Young-shin’s hatred and opposition—it wasn’t new; she’d experienced it in her previous life. But familiarity didn’t make it any less frightening. Being despised by someone felt like living with a thorn stuck in your throat.
Feeling queasy just thinking about it, Sa-hee took a deep breath to calm herself. She steeled her resolve: ‘Despite everything,’ she couldn’t give up on Ji-hyuk. After all, she was the one who had traveled back in time for him.
With that thought, she felt a little courage rising within her. Sa-hee forced a smile onto her lips for Ji-hyuk and picked up the robe she had left behind. Her figure as she exited the guest room appeared solemn.
“Stop being stubborn and get in the car.”
“What will Driver Song think if he sees us?”
“What does he think? Am I supposed to care about what’s going on inside Driver Song’s head?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
After pressing the elevator button, Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee began bickering. It wasn’t exactly an argument, more like a clash of opinions, but neither was willing to listen to the other, making compromise unlikely.
Here’s the reason for the disagreement: Ji-hyuk had suggested they commute together in his car, but Sa-hee refused, feeling burdened by the idea. While they were indeed dating, she had no intention of broadcasting their relationship openly.
Adding fuel to the fire was whether or not Driver Song should be included in the “broadcast.” Ji-hyuk argued that since they’d be spending more time together in the future, it would be impractical to always travel separately. Sa-hee, however, insisted that this was a separate issue entirely. Their opinions clashed completely.
“Aren’t you usually close with Driver Song? Don’t you trust him?”
“It’s not about trusting Driver Song—I don’t trust gossip. Do you think the saying ‘words have legs’ or ‘word travels fast without feet’ exists for no reason?”
“Secretary Yoon.”
“No way.”
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Sa-hee stepped in first. Ji-hyuk followed after watching her silently. A brief silence passed between the two as they stood side by side.
“When words enter one ear, they spread to ten people—it’s inevitable. Isn’t it better to be cautious?”
“Who says it’s better?”
“I prefer it this way.”
“Since you prefer it, I’ll tolerate it this one time.”
In the end, Ji-hyuk drove them both to the office himself. Though Sa-hee insisted on getting out before reaching the company parking lot due to all the prying eyes, and Ji-hyuk refused, they still managed to arrive safely after another round of bickering.
• Doors opening. Basement Level 3.
Ji-hyuk pressed the button for the 36th floor in the executive elevator. Inside, only Sa-hee and Ji-hyuk remained.
“Why do you look like that? Are you showing that we slept together?”
“Huh?”
“Look in the mirror.”
When Sa-hee pulled out a compact mirror to check her face, she was slightly taken aback. Her expression looked oddly flushed, unlike usual.
“Oh no, why is this happening?”
As Sa-hee frantically rubbed her cheeks, Ji-hyuk chuckled.
“This sounds like you’re saying I’m incredibly good.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes! What do I do?”
“Jokes? If a man and woman step out of an elevator and one of them looks flushed, what do you think people will assume? They’ll imagine all sorts of things, won’t they?”
Sa-hee’s face hardened at his words. What if everyone really did start assuming things?
“It seems a little better now.”
Ji-hyuk smirked and tucked a strand of Sa-hee’s hair behind her ear. However, Sa-hee was too preoccupied checking her complexion to notice. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her clothes again.
Watching her, Ji-hyuk took a step forward. They were approaching the 36th floor—32, 33, 34…
• Doors opening. 36th floor.
The doors slid open, and Ji-hyuk stepped out first. After giving her cheeks one last rub, Sa-hee followed. Just then, they ran into some employees from the annex office.
“Good morning, Director.”
“Good morning, Director.”
“Director, good morning.”
“Yes, good morning to all of you.”
Everyone was surprised by Ji-hyuk’s unusually warm greeting. Sa-hee, trailing behind, awkwardly quickened her pace. However, she was soon cornered by Chief Choi and a few other employees who began questioning her—not quite an interrogation, but close enough.
“How did you two come together?”
“You got off the executive elevator together.”
“This clearly means you came together.”
Under their scrutinizing gazes, Sa-hee fidgeted with her bag strap, trying to slip away.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going? How did you two come together?”
“Together? We bumped into each other by chance.”
“By chance? And ended up taking the executive elevator together by chance?”
“It’s faster. He asked me to take it, so I did. Nothing special...”
At that moment, a loud thud interrupted them as someone dropped a folder on the desk. Everyone turned to see Ji-hyuk standing there. He had dumped several folders onto the desk and spoke in a nonchalant tone.
“She was with me last night.”
Everyone froze, including Sa-hee.
“So, let’s not ask any awkward questions, shall we?”
Having dropped a bombshell, Ji-hyuk disappeared into his office. Only Sa-hee and the employees remained—like a lamb abandoned in the middle of a battlefield.
“What’s all this about?”
“They were together?”
“Just the two of them?”
Shin Ji-hyuk must’ve lost his mind!
Coming to her senses belatedly, Sa-hee plastered on a calm smile and denied everything.
“No, it’s not true. He was just joking.”
“Is Director Shin the kind of person to joke like that?”
“Well, maybe you don’t know, but he does that sometimes.”
“Come on, tell the truth. You were with him, right?”
“No, really, I wasn’t.”
“I think it might actually be true.”
“Oh dear, haha. Why would the director say something like that and cause misunderstandings?”
No matter how much Sa-hee denied it, the suspicious stares persisted. Fearing she might accidentally spill the truth if she stayed any longer, she quickly turned around and fled.
“He’s insane.”
The word slipped out of Sa-hee’s mouth the moment she returned to her desk. Acting on impulse without considering the consequences—what was he thinking? Moreover, his blatant disregard for her earlier concerns about discretion made her blood boil.
Sa-hee clenched her teeth tightly as she reviewed the documents Ji-hyuk had left behind. She vowed to herself:
Shin Ji-hyuk, just wait and see.
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