CEB - 20

Chapter 20: I’ll Take Miss Choi Dan-jung with Me

“Where did Miss Choi Dan-jung go?”

Min-hyuk stopped by the hotel front desk on his way out to look for Dan-jung. He wanted to finalize the arrangements to meet her parents the next day.

“Oh, Dan-jung is currently…”

“…”

As Soo-yeon hesitated, Min-hyuk’s brow furrowed deeply, his expression darkening with unease at not seeing Dan-jung immediately.

Why does she always seem to be with other men whenever there’s a chance? First Si-woo, then her ex-boyfriend, and now even the blind date candidate!

Though Min-hyuk knew it wasn’t Dan-jung’s fault, he was growing increasingly frustrated with these repeated situations.

“Dan-jung is in the staff lounge right now.”

Seeing Min-hyuk’s face darken, Soo-yeon quickly spilled the truth without further delay.

Being in the staff lounge during work hours could result in penalty points, but considering her fiancé was the president of the company, who cared about such trivialities?

“Thank you for your hard work.”

With that, Min-hyuk headed straight for the staff lounge to find Dan-jung.

“Where did Miss Choi Dan-jung go?”

Not long after Min-hyuk left, Manager Na approached Soo-yeon, who was manning the front desk alone.

“Uh… well…”

Soo-yeon hesitated to answer, knowing how much Manager Na disliked Dan-jung. Moreover, the president himself had come looking for her.

“Do you not know that leaving your post during work hours reflects poorly on your work ethic?”

Manager Na scowled as Soo-yeon stalled.

Of course, she was aware that Dan-jung was marrying the president, but if she showed any leniency here, the other employees might start disrespecting her.

“I told Dan-jung to rest in the staff lounge because she looked so exhausted. It’s almost dinner time, so I thought it’d be fine.”

“In that case, Ms. Soo-yeon, you can take the penalty points instead of Miss Choi.”

“What?”

Soo-yeon froze momentarily. While it was true she had encouraged Dan-jung to rest, she didn’t want to incur penalty points herself.

“Tch! Am I the only one getting married around here?”

Envious of Dan-jung’s impending marriage, Manager Na stormed off in a huff to find her.

“He’s going to run into the president if he goes now…”

Soo-yeon shook her head as she watched Manager Na march away.

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“Why isn’t she answering her phone?”

Min-hyuk arrived at the staff lounge in no time but couldn’t enter due to the “Women Only” sign. He paced anxiously outside, having called Dan-jung multiple times without success.

Just then, he spotted Manager Na approaching the lounge with an irritated stride and called out to stop her.

“Manager Na.”

“Oh! President Min, good evening.”

Though momentarily surprised by Min-hyuk’s sudden appearance, Manager Na quickly composed herself and approached him with a polite bow.

“Could you check if Miss Choi Dan-jung is inside the lounge? It’s women-only, so I can’t go in.”

“Oh? Just a moment.”

Manager Na, already planning to enter, felt a surge of irritation at this perfectly timed interruption. However, maintaining her poker face, she smiled faintly and stepped inside.

“Well, well…”

Upon spotting the sleeping Dan-jung, Manager Na crossed her arms and approached her. But with Min-hyuk waiting outside, she couldn’t afford to make a scene.

Moreover, she feared potential retaliation from Dan-jung after the wedding, so she decided to act rationally.

“Miss Choi Dan-jung~ Wake up. The president is looking for you.”

Manager Na gently tried to wake Dan-jung, but Dan-jung showed no signs of stirring.

“Miss Choi Dan…”

Suddenly, Manager Na’s suppressed frustration got the better of her, and she stopped trying to wake Dan-jung. She hoped Min-hyuk would see her as an irresponsible employee who slept on the job.

“President Min, I’m sorry, but Miss Choi Dan-jung won’t wake up no matter what I do.”

Stepping back outside, Manager Na informed Min-hyuk of the situation.

“She’s asleep?”

“Yes, and very soundly.”

Seeing Min-hyuk’s troubled expression, Manager Na couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“Is anyone else inside?”

“No? There’s no one else…”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Assured that no one was inside, Min-hyuk pushed open the door to the staff lounge without hesitation and stepped in. With hawk-like precision, he scanned the room and quickly located Dan-jung.

Standing over her, Min-hyuk sighed deeply.

“I must have pushed her too hard.”

He felt a pang of guilt seeing Dan-jung curled up tightly on the narrow bench, clearly exhausted. It was obvious she hadn’t slept because of him.

At that moment, Manager Na, unable to contain her anxiety, entered the lounge again.

“What should we do? President Min?”

“I’ll take Miss Choi Dan-jung with me.”

Without hesitation, Min-hyuk scooped Dan-jung up into his arms.

“What?”

“Oh, and please mark Miss Choi Dan-jung as taking half a day off today.”

Carrying Dan-jung, Min-hyuk headed toward one of the suites he occasionally used. Manager Na, unsure of what to do, followed along and helped move Dan-jung to the suite.

Once they arrived, Min-hyuk carefully laid Dan-jung down on the bed, ensuring she wouldn’t wake up in the process.

“You may leave now.”

“Yes, please rest well.”

Manager Na bowed respectfully and closed the suite door behind her. Only then did she fully accept the reality that Dan-jung was marrying the president—she was destined for a life far different from her own.

“Hmph! Cheap trick!”

Still, Manager Na harbored resentment toward Dan-jung. She disliked how Dan-jung had been chosen as the kindest employee three times, likely because of her pretty face, and how all the male employees fawned over her.

Because of this, Manager Na constantly picked fights with Dan-jung and spread most of the negative rumors about her.

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How tired must she have been to sleep so deeply?

Min-hyuk, having removed his suit jacket, gazed silently at Dan-jung, who lay sound asleep on the large bed. To avoid startling her when she woke up, he positioned himself at a respectful distance and lay down facing her.

He couldn’t leave her alone, and besides, he was also unusually tired from waking up early that day.

‘What? Why is he lying next to me?’

However, contrary to Min-hyuk’s assumption, Dan-jung wasn’t actually asleep. She had woken up the moment he lifted her into his arms.

But catching sight of Manager Na hovering nearby, Dan-jung quickly shut her eyes again. She worried about what Manager Na might say in front of Min-hyuk and found some satisfaction in seeing her squirm.

Still, she never expected Min-hyuk to lie down beside her. Now, with mandatory half-day leave imposed, returning to work was out of the question.

“Oh well, might as well sleep more.”

Resigned, Dan-jung tried to drift back to sleep.

But despite the passage of time, she couldn’t fall asleep. Surely by now she should’ve drifted off… Slowly, she cracked her eyes open.

Her gaze met Min-hyuk’s deep, intense eyes staring back at her.

“Are you awake?”

“Ah!”

Startled, Dan-jung flushed red. Though she knew he was lying next to her, she hadn’t realized he was watching her so intently.

She blinked rapidly in surprise, but Min-hyuk didn’t avert his gaze, continuing to stare at her.

“…”

“…”

A subtle tension began to fill the air between them. Dan-jung felt that even if Min-hyuk kissed her right then, it wouldn’t feel awkward at all.

But contrary to her thoughts, Min-hyuk didn’t make a move.

“You looked so tired, I brought you here to rest. No matter how much I tried to wake you, you wouldn’t budge.”

Seeing the vitality return to Dan-jung’s face upon waking, Min-hyuk felt relieved. His intense scrutiny stemmed from genuine concern for her health.

If she collapsed from overwork, it could disrupt their wedding preparations.

“I’m… I’m sorry. During work hours…”

Unaware of Min-hyuk’s intentions, Dan-jung blushed even harder, her ears turning red at his gentle tone.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

Her heart raced like a runaway train, refusing to slow down.

Embarrassed by her body’s blatant reaction, Dan-jung bolted upright.

“I should get going.”

As she moved to get off the bed, Min-hyuk quickly grabbed her arm.

“You’re marked as taking half a day off, so you can continue resting.”

“…”

What did this mean? Dan-jung stared at Min-hyuk’s hand gripping her arm.

Realizing how it might look, Min-hyuk awkwardly released her.

“It simply means you’re allowed to rest. You haven’t had a proper break in days.”

Min-hyuk was genuinely worried about Dan-jung’s health, even if it was all for the sake of their marriage. Besides, he was just as exhausted as she was.

If possible, he wanted to stay like this with her for a while longer.

“But still, it doesn’t feel right to be resting during work hours. I didn’t even apply for the half-day leave myself.”

Though part of Dan-jung wanted to stay with Min-hyuk, another part of her yearned to return to work as soon as possible. This was a serious breach of conduct, one she knew could warrant disciplinary action.

She also dreaded the gossip that would surely follow.

“Then I’ll wait.”

“What?”

Surprised by Min-hyuk’s words, Dan-jung reflexively questioned him.

“It means I’ll wait until your shift ends. We can have dinner together if you’d like.”

“Oh…”

“Do you not want to?”

“No, I’d like that.”

Dan-jung was taken aback by Min-hyuk’s unexpectedly proactive attitude. He seemed naturally adept at romance without needing her guidance.

“I’ll wait for you at the main entrance at 10.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Dan-jung gave him a formal bow, as if addressing her superior, and left the suite.

“What a shame.”

The words slipped out of Dan-jung’s mouth as her tension eased. Truthfully, she had been so nervous around Min-hyuk that she could barely breathe. If he had kissed her, she might have melted completely.

“Phew, pull yourself together.”

Slapping her cheeks lightly, Dan-jung returned to work. As this was her last day before marriage, she needed to properly bid farewell to her colleagues and ensure a smooth handover of her responsibilities.

“What a shame.”

Left alone, Min-hyuk muttered to himself as he listened to Dan-jung’s retreating footsteps.