Embedded Files
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As she savored the aroma of her Americano and was about to start work, a text message arrived from Cha Shin-woo.
“Let’s watch a movie after work.”
She hesitated, unable to reply to the date-like invitation, when another message came from him.
“Of course, after the movie, we’ll have sex too.”
“I don’t mean anything else. It’s more fun than just having sex. We can even have sex while watching the movie.”
Before she could even question whether sex partners should watch movies, he added a detailed explanation, as if the movie was merely foreplay for sex.
“Okay.”
The newly reborn, cool Song Hee-jin was enjoying herself. Each day, with the weight lifted from her shoulders, felt fresh.
“Oh my gosh! Breaking news, breaking news!”
Kim Hye-mi, the assistant manager, started the morning with her usual dramatic flair, creating a commotion.
“What’s it about today?”
“It’s about our team leader.”
“Our team leader position is vacant, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean Team Leader Cha Shin-woo, no, he’s an Executive Director now!”
Hee-jin furrowed her brows at Hye-mi’s rambling words.
“I heard that Team Leader Cha Shin-woo went to the Executive Director’s office.”
“You heard already?”
“Didn’t he go to fill the vacant positions for executive assistant or administrative assistant?”
Hye-mi spoke triumphantly, as if showing off her information network in front of Hee-jin, who had gotten it wrong.
“No, that’s not it. He became an Executive Director!”
“What?”
“He’s Chairman Lee Sung-ho’s grandson!”
“So, Executive Director Cha Shin-woo...? He’s the chairman’s grandson?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.”
Her head felt numb, as if she’d been hit in the back. She had already heard whispers of his connections at headquarters, so she’d guessed he had some serious backing.
Cursing at the head of the battery business division, driving an imported car in a domestic car company, an apartment in the heart of Gangnam with a stunning night view, and the wealth to buy a luxury bag for a woman he’d only slept with once—there were more than one or two unusual things about him.
But she had never imagined he was Chairman Lee Sung-ho’s grandson. She vaguely assumed his surname being different meant there was no connection there at all. Even if they had the same surname, she probably wouldn’t have thought Cha Shin-woo was the chairman’s grandson. She belatedly lamented her lack of deductive reasoning.
“Oh? But Assistant Manager Hee-jin, how did you know Executive Director Cha Shin-woo went to the Executive Director’s office?”
Hee-jin vaguely fumbled a reply to Hye-mi, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“I overheard people talking in the pantry earlier.”
“So the rumors have already spread far and wide.”
“Yes, you know, the speed at which rumors spread in our company.”
Fortunately, Hye-mi just shrugged it off and started working, as it wasn’t the first or second time people in the company gossiped.
Hee-jin now realized that Cha Shin-woo was an even more remarkable person than she had imagined.
And suddenly, she thought it was a good thing they were sex partners. Dating the chairman’s grandson was ridiculous from the start. It was surprising, but maintaining a sex partner relationship with such a Cha Shin-woo seemed acceptable.
Before starting work, Hee-jin sent Shin-woo a text message.
“I thought you just went to the Secretary’s Office, unaware. Congratulations on your promotion, Executive Director.”
________________________________________
“I thought you just went to the Secretary’s Office, unaware. Congratulations on your promotion, Executive Director.”
Buzz. Shin-woo chuckled to himself, checking his vibrating phone on the desk.
Kim Tae-hwan, the Head of Corporate Strategy, saw his expression, tilted his head, and asked,
“Are you dating?”
Shin-woo quickly wiped his smile away, stretched languidly, and flipped his phone face down on the desk.
“Is it that obvious?”
“It’s a world-shattering event. The guy who wouldn’t even glance at the lines of respectable women your aunt set up for you.”
“It just happened.”
Kim Tae-hwan, Shin-woo’s maternal cousin, was sharp-witted and highly ambitious.
Kim Tae-hwan, who had walked a similar path ten years before Shin-woo, had also been manipulated by his maternal grandfather, Chairman Lee Sung-ho, and pledged loyalty to his cousin Lee Sang-hyuk, only to realize the truth later.
It was when Kim Tae-hwan was forty that he understood Chairman Lee Sung-ho’s true intentions: despite doting on his grandchildren, he had no intention of handing over the company.
Though he himself had been used by his maternal relatives, Tae-hwan couldn’t bear to see Shin-woo suffer the same fate, so he joined forces with him.
His true intention was to assist Shin-woo, the smartest of his cousins, and rise again, rather than remaining loyal to his useless uncles’ sons.
“Who? Assistant Manager Song Hee-jin?”
“What?”
Shin-woo furrowed his brows at Tae-hwan’s guess. He had been trying hard not to make it obvious to avoid making Hee-jin uncomfortable at work, so he was simply amazed at how he knew.
“What’s there to be surprised about?”
“Cha Shin-woo, even if you’re occasionally rude, you’re not the type to swear in front of official business. I guessed it as soon as I saw your tone with Division Head Lee Seok-jun.”
“You’re so quick-witted, you work well, you’re diligent. With a brother like this, why did Sang-hyuk stab you in the back?”
“Hey, you bastard. Don’t even talk about that Lee Sang-hyuk.”
Tae-hwan, who had been badly burned by his cousin Lee Sang-hyuk just like Shin-woo, shuddered at the mention of his name and got up from his seat.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Look after her well.”
“You should look after me well. What do I have to look after?”
“No, not me.”
“Then who?”
“Song Hee-jin.”
Tae-hwan, who was about to casually leave the Executive Director’s office, turned around and burst into boisterous laughter.
“Wow, Cha Shin-woo, you had this side to you?”
Shin-woo casually raised one eyebrow.
“What? I’ve always been like this.”
“Always? Your uncle is that famous henpecked husband, and you used to treat women as insignificant, so I thought you were truly the chairman’s bloodline.”
“Looks like I’m going to become a henpecked husband too.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Tae-hwan chuckled cheerfully and exited the executive director’s office.
Shin-woo picked up his phone again and reread the text message he had just seen.
Then, suddenly, he burst into a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by the fact that Hee-jin considered him a sex partner, while he was envisioning a future where he might become a ‘henpecked husband’ because of her.
________________________________________
“Assistant Manager Song Hee-jin. How’s work?”
“Good morning, Division Head.”
Hee-jin turned pale and sprang to her feet like she’d seen a ghost, seeing Division Head Kim Tae-hwan unexpectedly ask about her well-being.
“Why are you getting up? Take it easy. Sit, sit.”
“Yes...”
The sudden appearance of the division head made the planning team members glance at Hee-jin. Hye-mi, seated next to her, even turned her chair around to watch Tae-hwan, as if enjoying a show.
“Do you know what a strawberry becomes when it loses its job?”
“Huh...?”
“Strawberry syrup.”
Tae-hwan handed Hee-jin a chocolate with strawberry syrup inside, along with a shockingly cheesy dad joke. Hee-jin’s pupils trembled violently as she looked at Tae-hwan.
“Division Head, why didn’t you give me one?”
Hye-mi, being friendly, pretended not to hear the dad joke and asked Tae-hwan with an unchanging expression. He chuckled awkwardly to himself and cleared his throat.
“It’s for you to share, I guess.”
“Did you come all this way just to give this to Assistant Manager Hee-jin?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
It was Hee-jin who felt her face flush at Hye-mi’s bold questioning. Hye-mi, who had always been innocently cheerful and lacked 2% of tact, had a habit of asking her superiors audacious questions.
“Let’s have a company dinner tonight.”
“A company dinner?”
“Ah...”
Sighs, almost inaudible, erupted from various corners.
Hee-jin, too, was frustrated by the sudden dinner, especially since she had plans to meet Shin-woo after work, and it was a Tuesday.
Memories of past company dinners with Division Head Kim Tae-hwan, who loved to drink, flashed before her eyes, remembering being held until the last bus had left.
“Why a sudden company dinner?”
“Since the team leader position is vacant, to boost morale and such. See you all later.”
With her gaze fixed on Division Head Kim Tae-hwan’s retreating back, Hye-mi whispered into Hee-jin’s ear.
“Could the Division Head be interested in you, Assistant Manager Hee-jin?”
“What? N-no way!”
Hee-jin was startled and waved her hands. But Kim Tae-hwan’s actions today certainly looked like those of a middle-aged superior interested in a subordinate...
“No way, you say? He’s a bit older, but he’s a decent man, isn’t he?”
“Don’t even joke like that. If his wife heard, the company would be turned upside down.”
At Hee-jin’s words, Hye-mi clutched her stomach and laughed.
“Wife? What wife? Division Head Kim Tae-hwan is single!”
“What?!”
“Remember that strawberry syrup thing earlier? I really had to bite my tongue to keep from reacting, I was so dumbfounded. If you laugh once, there’s no end to it. If he had a wife, she’d stop him from making those kinds of jokes, but he has no brakes.”
She had only considered his age and naturally assumed he was married. She almost made a mistake in front of Division Head Kim Tae-hwan.
“Now that you mention it, Division Head Kim Tae-hwan looks young for his age. And his face is decent, isn’t it? None of his features are bad. His humor might be low-brow, but compared to the pot-bellied managers, his self-care isn’t bad. If you look closely, he’s actually handsome. Go for it!”
“Go for what?”
Hee-jin glared at Hye-mi and sent a text message to Shin-woo.
“I think I’ll have to cancel our dinner plans tonight.”
Come to think of it, if Kim Tae-hwan was single, how should she interpret that situation earlier...?
Hee-jin had never thought of herself as deluded, but the incomprehensible kindness from her superior made her feel pressured.
“If you’re not going to eat the chocolate, I will.”
Hye-mi, reaching out from the next seat, quickly grabbed the chocolate Tae-hwan had left behind and ate it.
Chewing noisily and enjoying the chocolate, Hye-mi seemed to be having a thoroughly delightful time.
________________________________________
“Hah, shit. This is driving me crazy. I told him to look after her, not to call her to a company dinner!”
Shin-woo, who had grudgingly followed them to the planning team’s company dinner, glared at Tae-hwan and muttered.
“Why are you getting angry? I bought them beef, what else do you want me to do?”
“Haa... What company employee in the world likes company dinners?”
“Really? You don’t like them? Why not?”
Tae-hwan scratched his head, reacting as if he truly couldn’t understand. He was good at work, but perhaps because he was from a chaebol family, he seemed to lack social skills and empathy.
“No wonder they call you a relationship dummy.”
“Hey, you bastard. Anyone would think you’re some kind of player!”
“I am a player. Our Hee-jin goes crazy for me.”
“I’m going crazy, you fool. You really are just like your uncle.”
Shin-woo sat across from Tae-hwan at the table. Tae-hwan, sitting opposite him, raised a hand and greeted the planning team members with an overly enthusiastic voice.
“Sit here. Oh, Hee-jin, sit here.”
Hee-jin’s face turned pale and froze at Tae-hwan’s words, as he even pulled out a cushion for her and told her to sit next to him.
It seemed she was uncomfortable with Cha Shin-woo showing up at the planning team’s dinner. Sigh, he had tried his best not to make it obvious at the company to avoid making Hee-jin uncomfortable, but Tae-hwan’s obviousness made him feel he had no choice but to follow them here.
He should have never shown any signs in the first place. It was a mistake to admit anything to Tae-hwan, who had already noticed, as it was clear things would only escalate if he tried to equivocate. Shin-woo usually kept his true feelings to himself, but when it came to Hee-jin, he just couldn’t keep quiet.
He had tried to suppress the desire to boast to the whole world and had only confided in the tight-lipped Kim Tae-hwan. But Tae-hwan, who was serious at work, was completely different in private.
“Wow, Division Head! Is this hanwoo (Korean beef) today?”
Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi asked, looking around the butcher’s restaurant. Tae-hwan smiled kindly and glanced at Shin-woo.
“The Executive Director is treating us.”
“Executive Director, I missed you! Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
Shin-woo nodded at Hye-mi’s whining and kept his gaze fixed on Hee-jin.
Sigh, that crazy Kim Tae-hwan hyung placed chopsticks in front of Hee-jin and even poured her water. Song Hee-jin clearly looked uncomfortable; it seemed he had made a big mistake.
Should he get up now? He felt a sudden fear that Hee-jin might end even their sex partner relationship.
“Since the Executive Director is treating today, let’s have striploin.”
The ordered hanwoo arrived, and the planning team members at each table clinked their glasses, creating a lively atmosphere. But Shin-woo’s ears were open only to Hee-jin.
Tae-hwan placed a perfectly cooked piece of meat onto Hee-jin’s plate. Hee-jin, meeting Shin-woo’s eyes, turned her head away uncomfortably, furrowing her brow.
“Division Head, hand me the tongs.”
Shin-woo snatched the tongs from Tae-hwan. Then, that bastard proceeded to pour soju into Hee-jin’s glass.
“First glass, bottoms up, you know the drill?”
“Haa...”
Shin-woo unconsciously sighed. His chilling breath made the gazes of the three people at their table fix on him.
“Division Head, please don’t pressure people to drink. I don’t want to hear any more talk about our company’s outdated atmosphere.”
As soon as Shin-woo’s words fell, Hee-jin downed the soju and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
To think that cheap, chemical alcohol, like garbage, was going into those beautiful lips. Her esophagus must be burning. What if she gets a stomach ulcer? Ah, just thinking about it infuriates him.
“It’s fine. I like drinking it.”
“She says she likes it, Executive Director.”
Tae-hwan intentionally grinned slyly and refilled Hee-jin’s soju glass. Shin-woo quickly placed three pieces of striploin onto Hee-jin’s plate, then snatched her glass and downed it.
“Executive Director, take care of me too.”
Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi’s nasal voice grated on his ears. Hee-jin’s expression was growing increasingly awkward.
Hee-jin carefully picked up her handbag and stood up, then opened her mouth.
“I’ll just go to the restroom for a moment.”
She wouldn’t get drunk from just one glass, but he was unnecessarily anxious, fearing she might stumble and fall. In the meantime, Shin-woo’s phone on the table vibrated.
“Meet me in front of the restroom for a moment.”
It was a text from Hee-jin, as if she was truly angry, planning a covert operation to secretly meet him by the restroom.
About a minute after Hee-jin disappeared, Shin-woo carefully got up from the table. Outside the restaurant, in front of the public restroom, Hee-jin was waiting for him with her arms crossed, looking displeased.
His heart sank. There were too many unfinished things for him to be dumped again before they even started dating.
________________________________________
It seemed Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi’s words weren’t an exaggeration. Carefully, this was definitely not Hee-jin’s imagination.
If Division Head Kim Tae-hwan didn’t like her, there was no reason for him to specifically come to Hee-jin’s desk to give her chocolate, nor to specifically tell her to sit next to him at the company dinner.
That wasn’t all. Every time a piece of striploin was cooked to perfection, he would place it, one by one, onto Hee-jin’s plate, and he refilled her glass with soju, which Division Head Kim Tae-hwan adored, pressing down to ensure it was full.
Hee-jin felt burdened by the actions of Division Head Kim Tae-hwan, who was more than ten years her senior, old enough to be her uncle. Even his actions alone were burdensome, but she felt suffocated by Cha Shin-woo’s strangely intense gaze from across the table, unable to remain seated.
The image of Cha Shin-woo cursing at the Battery Business Division staff who had harassed Hee-jin was vivid in her mind.
There was no guarantee that Cha Shin-woo, who had even spoken rudely to Division Head Lee Seok-jun, a much older superior, wouldn’t treat Division Head Kim Tae-hwan disrespectfully. After all, a single superior, more than ten years older, sitting a subordinate next to him and pouring them drinks was not appropriate behavior either.
Feeling anxious, she called Shin-woo out to the restroom. A moment later, Cha Shin-woo appeared before her, his expression cold.
“I’m just saying this out of caution.”
Hee-jin intended to get straight to the point, hoping to state her business quickly before others appeared.
“It’s about Division Head Kim Tae-hwan.”
Just the mention of “Kim Tae-hwan’s” name made Cha Shin-woo’s brow furrow.
“You were uncomfortable, weren’t you? I didn’t like it from the moment Division Head Kim Tae-hwan suddenly suggested a company dinner. I’ll apologize on his behalf, Hee-jin. You brought your bag, right? Let’s just leave together.”
She had just started putting meat on the grill, but hearing Cha Shin-woo suggest leaving right away made her realize it was a good idea to call him out.
If she had stalled any longer, she might have witnessed Cha Shin-woo cursing at Division Head Kim Tae-hwan.
“Ah, no. Please don’t do that.”
“You don’t have to force yourself. I’ll warn Division Head Kim Tae-hwan strictly.”
She broke out in a cold sweat at Cha Shin-woo’s firm words. Even if Song Hee-jin had decided to be a new person, she couldn’t just purge every male superior around her.
“About Division Head Lee Seok-jun last time, I was indeed uncomfortable. But Division Head Kim Tae-hwan hasn’t directly harmed me. Of course, it’s a feeling that has nothing to do with me, but it’s not necessary to be uncomfortable with a one-sided display of affection, is it? And I absolutely, absolutely don’t mean to lead him on or string him along. I haven’t even received a confession yet, so I’ll just tell him clearly that I’m not interested. Please don’t interfere unnecessarily.”
Cha Shin-woo, listening to Hee-jin’s detailed explanation, furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
“What did you just say?”
“I mean, I’ll draw a clear line. Pressuring me to drink is a bit uncomfortable, but he’s not a rude person. If I tell him I’m not interested, he’ll understand.”
As soon as Hee-jin finished speaking, Shin-woo let out a faint, flat chuckle through his teeth.
The man who was usually gentle but turned into a thug when his eyes rolled back, was now laughing out of nowhere, sending shivers down her spine.
She tensed up, expecting another incident, and watched his reaction. He stopped laughing and said,
“That’s right. Division Head Kim Tae-hwan isn’t someone who can’t understand what’s being said.”
“Oh, and could you possibly switch seats? Naturally. Being next to him makes him keep fussing over me with various things, which is a bit uncomfortable.”
Shin-woo nodded with a smile. His eyes, shining with a hint of tipsiness, were dazzlingly beautiful.
“It seems every man in the world likes Song Hee-jin. Right? It’s a face you can’t help but fall for.”
She tilted her head at his words, which somehow had a hidden meaning, and he chuckled softly, rubbing his face with his hand.
“Understood. So you’ve been looking at me with displeasure all this time?”
She tried to hide her expression, but it seemed she still couldn’t maintain a poker face.
“Yes. Of course, he’s a good person, but... I have Cha Shin-woo. So that seat isn’t comfortable for me.”
Only after speaking did she realize her mistake. She had briefly forgotten that as sex partners, they shouldn’t demand exclusive status from each other.
“Do you have me too, Song Hee-jin?”
The distance between them, as Cha Shin-woo stepped closer, was excessively intimate. Hee-jin took a step back and began to ramble explanations.
“It doesn’t mean anything else, though; it’s not like I’m leading people on everywhere and playing games...”
Before she could finish, he placed both hands on the wall, trapping her against it.
“I didn’t want to say this.”
“Yes?”
“Cute.”
“What’s...”
“Everything. Everything’s cute.”
As his lips drew closer, her heart pounded faster. Knowing it was inappropriate in a place where people could pass by at any moment, she gently closed her eyes.
Their layered lips met and clung intimately. A thrilling pleasure spread through her soft, suckled skin.
Cha Shin-woo’s hands caressing her back, pressed against him, were warm. His tender actions, like gazing at a beloved baby or caressing a cute puppy, filled her chest with a sense of fulfillment.
She felt like she had become someone precious to someone. It was an ecstatic joy she had never even received from a lover. Being precious to a sex partner? She thought it was a ridiculous sentiment, but the feeling was so blissful that she didn’t try to ignore it.
Hee-jin, who had been quietly savoring his tongue slowly exploring her mouth, carefully bit his tongue.
“Hah, shit.”
As soon as Cha Shin-woo’s teeth uttered an expletive of delight, his lower body, pressed against her, swelled hard.
“Song Hee-jin, you’re not cute when you do that.”
She blinked her large eyes at his words that she wasn’t cute anymore.
“F*cking sexy.”
An unexpectedly vulgar exclamation followed.
“Pfft.”
Hee-jin barely swallowed her bursting laughter and placed her hand on his hardened thigh.
As she stroked the thick shaft distinctly felt within her palm, his eyes, which had been languidly subdued, deeply stirred.
“Go ahead and change seats naturally. I’ll be right in.”
“Can’t we just kiss a little longer before I go?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
His breath tickling her philtrum from the impossibly close distance made her feet, barely rooted to the ground, threaten to give out, but she managed to stand firm.
“You should respect my opinion.”
Just like the provocative first kiss in the elevator, Hee-jin insisted he respect her opinion.
“Haa...”
Shin-woo exhaled a rough breath and slowly ground his lower body against hers. The hard shaft pressed against her mound felt like it would burst at any moment. His cock, distinctly felt through their clothes, burrowed into the cleavage.
A pulse throbbed between her legs. Hee-jin unconsciously let out a wanton breath.
“Hmph...”
“My mind respects you, Song Hee-jin.”
The sensation of Cha Shin-woo’s genitals entwined and grinding against hers was vivid. Her sensitive lower parts became moist with a distinct wetness. Just his cock pressed against her clothes made her secrete fluid without even needing foreplay.
“But my dick just wants to treat your pussy roughly, Song Hee-jin.”
His obscene words made her vision dizzy. Shin-woo placed his hand over Hee-jin’s and made her grip his cock. She felt the throbbing pulse of his overly engorged shaft in her palm.
“After the company dinner, please treat my pussy roughly.”
Hee-jin bit her lip and pushed him away. She felt a gush of fluid foaming in her panties.
Shin-woo, his eyes flashing with lust, turned back into the restaurant, looking at her repeatedly.
Only after he disappeared could she breathe properly, as if a vacuum had been broken.
________________________________________
When she returned to the restaurant, Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi was already sitting next to Division Head Kim Tae-hwan, exchanging drinks and conversation, even before Shin-woo could ask to switch seats.
Feeling relieved, she sat down, yet Song Hee-jin remained on his mind. As he struggled to cool down his swollen lower body, the brazen words she had uttered kept him from wiping the smile off his face.
‘After the company dinner, please treat my pussy roughly.’
A brazen fox. A lovely rabbit.
How he wished she would become his girlfriend soon.
Cha Shin-woo’s heart was already far ahead, but where was Song Hee-jin’s heart?
‘I have Cha Shin-woo.’
She said she had Cha Shin-woo. Yes, that’s enough.
If even a nascent feeling had sprouted, he would be the warm sunlight sometimes and the cool spring rain at others.
He would wait for Song Hee-jin to one day fully blossom like a flower and open her whole heart to him.
“Assistant Manager Hee-jin, why are you just coming now? We were waiting!”
A moment later, Hee-jin casually appeared and sat next to Shin-woo. He discreetly stroked the back of her hand with his finger under the table, and she, startled, subtly pushed her hair back, feigning ignorance.
“You took so long, I got bored and switched seats. Is that okay?”
Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi, already tipsy, poured soju into Hee-jin’s glass with a nasal whine.
Shin-woo instinctively reached for Hee-jin’s glass, but she was quicker, downing the alcohol in one gulp.
“Stop drinking.”
Worried about Hee-jin downing the soju, Shin-woo feigned nonchalance and sent her a text message from beside her.
“I want to drink.”
Hee-jin’s reply followed.
Shin-woo and Hee-jin pretended to be looking at their phones, but in reality, their hearts pounded with the thrill of secretly texting each other right next to their colleagues.
“Then at least eat well with your drinks. I grilled plenty of meat for you, why aren’t you eating any?”
“Stop nagging.”
“Because I’m worried.”
“Today, you can just take care of me, Shin-woo.”
“Of course I will.”
“Then I’ll drink without worries.”
It was natural for him to take care of her, but her saying she would drink without worries made him anxious. It wasn’t a weekend company dinner, but a Tuesday one, so she’d be tired for the rest of the week.
“Later, please be gentle with my pussy.”
And then, Hee-jin’s next text message...
“Hah, shit.”
Swallowing the expletive that burst out from excitement, he put down his phone. The people around him looked at Shin-woo, startled.
Song Hee-jin was the only person in this world who could manipulate Cha Shin-woo so completely.
His barely calmed lower body stiffened again. As he took off his suit jacket to cover his thighs, he saw Hee-jin turn her head, unaware of his pain, giggling with a heaving chest.
“Why, Executive Director? Is something wrong?”
The friendly Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi asked Shin-woo with a worried face.
“Haa...”
With rising heat, he briefly held his breath and managed to reply to Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi.
“We’re out of meat. Order more so we don’t run out.”
“Oh, Executive Director, you really hate running out of meat. Me too! We’re totally in sync.”
When he casually brushed it off, Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi shouted to the waiter.
“Auntie! Please refill the striploin here so we don’t run out! And another bottle of soju!”
Shin-woo slowly turned his head to look at Hee-jin’s face. Her cheeks were prettily flushed, and she looked into his eyes, slowly taking a sip from her glass.
Hee-jin’s pure yet captivating expression melted his heart. No one asked him to, but he felt like kneeling before her beauty and offering her everything he had.
________________________________________
“I’m really not drunk.”
Hee-jin stumbled into his arms, insisting she wasn’t drunk with a playful whine.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I told you, I’m really not drunk!”
“I know. Our Song Hee-jin isn’t drunk.”
“Then why are you supporting me like this?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
“Huh?”
“I’m afraid I’ll lose you.”
Her steps, heavy with intoxication, were shaky and made him nervous, but her drunken protests about not being drunk were utterly adorable.
After the company dinner, he put everyone in taxis and met Hee-jin again, two blocks away, like a covert operation.
He had parked his car in the company parking lot, so he was waiting for a taxi, but for some reason, no taxis were available today, making him anxious.
“Let’s just go to a hotel. Hmm?”
Cha Shin-woo was the one who was desperate, but seeing Song Hee-jin nagging him from beside made him even more restless. Still, he had no intention of taking such a drunk woman straight to a hotel near the company.
“I have no desire to lay you down on a bed where other bastards have been naked and rolling around.”
“What does it matter? The blankets, and, um, the pillows, they must have all been washed...”
She seemed completely drunk, judging by how she slurred her words, even if she looked alright on the surface.
“No. Let’s go to my place. Your place is fine too.”
“My place is a 20-minute walk from here...”
She said it was a 20-minute walk, but her legs weren’t capable of walking. She was the one leaning on his arm, complaining about why he was supporting her.
“What’s the address? Put it in here.”
He confirmed the address Hee-jin typed into the smartphone map app, then turned his back to her and bent down.
He reached his arm back towards Hee-jin, whose eyes were blinking adorably, unsure of what he was doing.
“Get on my back.”
“Huh?”
She hesitated, perhaps too shy to get on his back even while drunk, so he just picked her up without asking.
“Let go!”
“Stay still.”
“I told you, I’m not drunk!”
“I know.”
“Put me down.”
“Okay.”
“Quickly.”
“Alright.”
“Hmm...”
Hee-jin, who had been arguing to be put down, had apparently fallen asleep, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing softly.
Song Hee-jin’s scent pleasantly tickled his nose. How could even her drunken breath be so sweet?
They say a heavily drunk person’s weight is like water-soaked cotton, but this woman, Song Hee-jin, was as light as fluffy cotton.
Why were his steps so enjoyable while carrying a woman on his back? He couldn’t control his pounding heart, and when he thought about it, it was because of the anticipation of soon knowing where Song Hee-jin lived.
He hadn’t entered Song Hee-jin’s heart yet, but since he could enter her home, today’s harvest was enough.
He would just go deeper each day.
It was a fortunate day, with much more to learn.
“Pff, annoying.”
Hee-jin muttered in a small voice, whether she was talking in her sleep or having a conversation, he couldn’t tell. His heart sank, wondering if he had made a mistake with her sudden declaration of annoyance.
“Am I annoying?”
“Yes.”
She seemed to be speaking her mind due to intoxication.
If it was a drunken truth, did it mean there was no chance of them ever becoming lovers?
“Who does she think she’s in sync with?”
“What?”
“I really, truly, phew... I’m not someone who hates people.”
Her rambling words were disjointed, but it was clear that Song Hee-jin was thoroughly annoyed.
“I’m sorry. Am I that hateful?”
“I really like Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi, phew...”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t see her that way, but why does she keep saying she’s in sync with you, and that you’re handsome...”
Shin-woo exhaled in relief at Hee-jin’s subsequent answer and chuckled to himself. It seemed she didn’t like Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi’s actions, who had been chatting with Shin-woo throughout the dinner.
“If I didn’t answer, I was afraid it would be obvious that Hee-jin and I were seeing each other, and you might dislike it, so I just casually replied. Should I stop talking to her from now on?”
“Yes.”
“Should I only like you from now on?”
He was already doing that, though.
“No.”
“Don’t like me?”
He couldn’t collect himself around Song Hee-jin, who could play with his heart even when drunk. What was she going to say now, clutching and shaking his heart like this?
“Go in.”
“Go in?”
“Misery, go in. Hmph. You shouldn’t cling...”
“You called me a moron?”
Suddenly, who was she telling to go in? And what was this “moron” insult out of nowhere?
Hee-jin, who often mumbled even when drunk, gave no further answers. He didn’t know if she was talking nonsense because she was drunk or if her true feelings were coming out because she was drunk.
A smile spread across his lips at the thought that Song Hee-jin might have felt jealous of Assistant Manager Kim Hye-mi.
How could this woman’s drunken antics even be so lovely?
“Tell me the password.”
As he walked, coaxing and soothing the grumbling Hee-jin on his back, they had already passed through the backstreets of Yeoksam-dong and stopped in front of the one-room apartment where Hee-jin lived.
“You shouldn’t tell your password to just anyone.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. Just tell me.”
“1201.”
“1201?”
“Yes, my birthday. Phew...”
“Who would dangerously set their password as their birthday, haa...”
What if a thief broke into the home of such a beautiful woman living alone? Anyway, so her birthday was December 1st. He felt good learning one more thing about Song Hee-jin.
What kind of birthday present should he get her? He’d bought her a bag, so should he buy shoes? No. His secretary said that even if a woman has a bag, she always needs a new one. Right. A bag.
Shin-woo stepped inside the entrance and paused, surprised by the unexpectedly narrow interior. It was a clean, newly built apartment, but it was his first time in a one-room living space, so the cramped square footage was disorienting.
“The room’s messy...”
Hee-jin, still stumbling, gathered her scattered clothes from the sofa, which he found adorable.
“This is pretty neat, actually.”
“I’m usually really good at cleaning... It’s really, really only like this today...”
“If you’re too lazy to clean, call me. I’ll do it for you.”
Shin-woo suddenly pulled Hee-jin by the waist. If it were up to him, he would have stripped her right then and there, drunk or not, and rolled around on the bed, but...
He intended to endure his burning desires for today, for Hee-jin’s sake, who would be tired all week from her hangover.
“You can live at my place too. I have plenty of spare rooms.”
Shin-woo lightly kissed Hee-jin’s lips and laid her on the bed.
He played with Shin-woo’s hand for a while, then found himself unable to leave, watching her fall asleep.
What would it feel like to have a night where he didn’t have to part with Song Hee-jin? What would it feel like to share a space where they could fall asleep together without having to leave?
Cha Shin-woo was thirty years old. Still an age with so much to be curious about. A man with endless curiosity, especially for Song Hee-jin.
Watching Hee-jin, who slept so sweetly and beautifully, he finally managed to leave her place at dawn. He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, yet his heart was filled with tender emotions. He was already looking forward to another refreshing day to begin with Song Hee-jin.
________________________________________
The morning, which began with a splitting headache, made her laugh in disbelief. To think she had dragged Cha Shin-woo to her humble home in her drunken state...
“Song Hee-jin, you’re crazy.”
She had said she’d be a new person, not someone reckless.
She had shown Cha Shin-woo her private space, which she had never even shown to her boyfriend of three years.
She felt embarrassed, as if her bare face had been exposed, but she was also touched by his unexpected actions—gently taking her home and not pouncing on her like a beast.
Hee-jin stood up, rubbing her face with both hands, and then froze in front of the bed.
He, whom she thought had left immediately, had apparently prepared egg drop soup on the dining table, though she didn’t know when.
“There were no ingredients in the fridge, so I just made this and left. Even if you don’t have an appetite, clear your head in the morning and go to work.”
Such thoughtfulness in preparing food.
Suddenly, her nose tingled. She had never expected breakfast from her parents, who were busy with their dual careers.
She had often skipped breakfast since elementary school, but her heart pounded at his sincerity, preparing soup himself and leaving it for her.
Grateful, happy, excited...
What was this feeling? What was this warm, soft sensation?
Hee-jin held the note Shin-woo had left in her hand, unable to take her eyes off it for a long time.
A man with handsome handwriting too.
Hee-jin smiled blankly, looking at Cha Shin-woo’s perfect handwriting, so much like himself.
She felt like she was going crazy from missing Cha Shin-woo already this morning.
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