SELA - 54

The two people, who were amicably looking at the bridal magazine, suddenly stared at Sa-hee. Sa-hee, who was staring blankly and wishing for time to pass, was inwardly surprised.

“Um, I thought the one with the long veil from before...”

In fact, she couldn’t quite recall which dress she had picked. Since she hadn’t looked properly, her memory wasn’t clear.

“Um, this one?”

“Yes, that one.”

“I also liked this one at first sight. It seems we all have the same eye. Right?”

Sa-hee nodded vaguely, forcing a smile. Ji-young was pleased, thinking that Sa-hee was giving her thoughtful advice.

On the other hand, Sa-hee’s mood was sinking further. She couldn’t understand what she was doing. Not only had they broken up, but she was also helping her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée choose her engagement dress. She felt pathetic.

“Ma’am, while we’re at it, shall we choose jewelry too?”

“Secretary Yoon seems to have a good eye, so let’s do that.”

“Ah, I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, why? Please help us choose, ma’am. I’ll buy you dinner later. Okay?”

“I’m sorry, I...”

Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Sa-hee’s wrist, pulling her up. Surprised, she looked up and saw it was Ji-hyuk.

“Leave now.”

His expression was cold and indifferent, but his eyes were intensely warm. Thanks to that, Sa-hee knew. He was very displeased with the current situation. He was barely suppressing his anger, on the verge of exploding.

Why? Why was he so angry?

“Ji-hyuk, you really... I told you, your mother has something to ask Secretary Yoon.”

“I won’t say it again. Both of you, stop.”

At his low, rough voice, almost a growl, Young-shin and Ji-young shut their mouths. Sa-hee pulled her wrist out of Ji-hyuk’s grasp and greeted them.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be leaving now.”

There was no reply. It was okay. She didn’t expect anything from anyone.

“Do you want to erase everything?”

“Oppa, it’s not like that.”

“Keep your promise that you won’t bother me anymore after the engagement.”

She didn’t listen to the words behind her. Sa-hee struggled to control her churning stomach and opened the door.

“Secretary Yoon, are you alright?”

Secretary Choi Da-young, who had jumped up from her desk, asked Sa-hee when she saw her.

“Yes? Oh, yes. I’m fine.”

“Your face looks very pale.”

“Haha, I’m really fine. Where were we?”

Sa-hee, wearing a forced smile, returned to her seat. She could feel Secretary Choi Da-young glancing at her complexion, but she continued to smile as if nothing was wrong.

“We were talking about the visitor log and the snack brand list.”

“Ah, right. What’s next...”

It’s nothing. It’s nothing at all. It can happen. It happens.

Sa-hee recited these words in her mind, writing down various things that Secretary Choi should memorize on the memo pad. The black letters filling the paper felt like Ji-hyuk’s memories being constantly etched into her heart, making her feel bitter.

Sa-hee abruptly stopped writing, tore off the memo, crumpled it, and threw it into the trash can. Suddenly, his angry eyes as he grabbed her wrist flashed into her mind.

Why? Why was he so angry?

Resentment, resentment. She knew the answer but pretended not to know, and she thought she was being sly. She also felt sorry for him, trapped by her slyness. To be caught in such a cowardly love.

Sa-hee put her head down on the desk, still holding the pen. She couldn’t do anything for a while.

________________________________________

“Has it gotten this late already? Let’s all go home.”

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

“What time is it? 8:40? That’s nothing.”

“Let’s go before we get held up again.”

“Aren’t you going, Secretary Yoon?”

As the employees of the assistant department rushed out of the conference room, Assistant Manager Im, who was the last to remain, asked Sa-hee. Sa-hee smiled and nodded.

“Not yet. I’ll finish one more thing and go. You go ahead.”

“You’re working hard. Well, I’ll go first.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, take care.”

As soon as the conference room door closed, the rather noisy space became quiet, as if submerged underwater. Sa-hee stretched her neck left and right, then picked up her pen again. The remaining work was very simple, so she would be able to leave soon.

Thirty minutes later, she checked the time and saw it was past 9 o’clock. Sa-hee finished all her work and finally stood up. When she turned off the conference room lights and came out, the assistant department and the hallway were quite dark. Everyone had already left.

After roughly organizing her desk, Sa-hee picked up her bag and left the space. The elevator area, which was always crowded, was empty and quiet. Making soft sounds with her heels, Sa-hee reached the elevator and pressed the button.

The elevator was slowly coming up from the 6th floor. 10, 11, 12...

“Are you leaving now?”

At the sudden voice, Sa-hee turned around. Surprisingly, it was Ji-hyuk.

“Ah, yes. Are you leaving now?”

“Yes.”

“It’s late, why are you just now...”

“I had something to check.”

As far as she knew, there was nothing he needed to check. Sa-hee tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then quickly dismissed the thought. It could be something unrelated to work. If so, it was outside her jurisdiction, and she didn’t need to care or ask why.

Nodding, Sa-hee looked ahead and quietly waited for the elevator. Soon, with a ding, the elevator doors opened on the 36th floor. The elevator was empty.

After a few seconds of silence, Ji-hyuk, who was behind her, passed Sa-hee and got on the elevator first. Naturally, Sa-hee, facing him, followed a beat later. She pressed the 1st-floor button, and the elevator doors closed, smoothly descending.

The space, with only the two of them, was too quiet. Thanks to that, her senses were keenly aware of the other person’s breathing and movements.

“...”

“...”

Sa-hee felt uncomfortable even breathing. It was purely because Ji-hyuk was standing right behind her.

She didn’t know if he was looking at her or not paying any attention, but Sa-hee was definitely aware of Ji-hyuk. She felt like his sticky gaze was clinging to the back of her neck.

However, she couldn’t openly show her discomfort. Sa-hee just stared straight ahead, wishing to escape this space as quickly as possible.

Ji-hyuk’s blurry figure was reflected in the shiny elevator doors. He was leaning against the wall, staring straight ahead. Fortunately, he wasn’t looking at her. But strangely, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was making eye contact with him.

19, 18, 17...

The elevator was only around the 10th floor, still descending. It felt too slow, probably because of her anxiety. Sa-hee bit her lip, watching the red numbers decrease.

14, 13, 12...

The numbers quickly decreased with each blink. If she endured a little longer, she would be free from this suffocating place. Just as she was thinking that, taking a deep breath, and calming herself...

“Huh...?”

The elevator noticeably slowed down and then stopped. The red numbers stopped changing at 10.

“Is it an accident?”

As the lights flickered, Ji-hyuk, who had approached Sa-hee, said dryly, as if it were nothing. Sa-hee looked at him, then brushed her hair back. Checking the time, it was already around 9:20. Since most employees had left, it was unlikely that someone would find them first. After thinking for a moment, Sa-hee calmly pressed the emergency call button. She was soon connected to the security office.

• Yes. What’s the matter?

“The elevator stopped here.”

• Just a moment, I’ll check.

“Yes.”

Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee stood side by side in front of the emergency call button, waiting for a response. After a moment of other noises, the security guard replied. They confirmed their location and said they would call the maintenance company.

“Um, how long will it take?”

• Well? Maybe 30 or 40 minutes?

“Ah, okay. Thank you.”

• If anything happens, please contact us again.

“Yes, we will.”

The connection was cut off. Now they had no choice but to wait for the elevator maintenance company to come and fix it.

“Did you hear? You’ll have to wait 30 or 40 minutes...”

“I heard.”

If only he would move away. Ji-hyuk stood close to Sa-hee, looking down at her, leaving the rest of the space empty. She sent him a “please move” with her eyes, but he didn’t seem to be willing to listen.

Eventually, Sa-hee gently pushed him away and moved to stand against the wall. Ji-hyuk followed her movements with his eyes and then leaned against the wall as well.

Time passed.

Sa-hee stood blankly, looked at her phone, pretended to be interested in something else, and fidgeted with her hands to kill time. Throughout it all, Ji-hyuk watched Sa-hee. Unlike his relaxed posture with his arms crossed, his eyes were thoughtful.

“I apologize for what happened earlier.”

Then, Ji-hyuk suddenly apologized to Sa-hee. Surprised by his sudden words, Sa-hee looked at him questioningly.

“I’m talking about what happened in the office this morning.”

“Ah. It’s okay. It was something that could happen.”

At Sa-hee’s response, Ji-hyuk, who was leaning against the wall, crossed his arms and stared at her.

“Are you really not bothered at all?”