Chapter 1
“I’m interested in you, Team Leader.”
Yeon-ha’s pupils fluttered in surprise at the bold confession, which had come straight at him without a hint of hesitation.
He hadn’t expected this at all.
But he didn’t want her to see that she was flustered, so Yeon-ha forced a nonchalant expression.
“And…?”
“I want to date you seriously.”
Her reckless heart fluttered at his unwavering, dark eyes.
She had noticed that he was interested in her. Having recently arrived in Korea and knowing almost no one, he was probably feeling lonely. It made sense that he had taken a temporary interest in her, as she was the person he was closest to at the moment. It was a feeling that would vanish once he had more people around him.
So she must not be swayed by his handsome face.
Steeling her wavering heart, Yeon-ha opened his lips.
“Do-hyun, you’re more naive than you look. Just because we slept together doesn’t mean I want to date. Sorry, but I have no such intention.”
“Why not? Was I not good enough last night?”
Yeon-ha’s ears burned at his blunt words.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t been good—it was the opposite. The pleasure she had never felt before, experienced three times, left her distracted for the whole day, making it hard to focus on work.
But she had no intention of telling him that. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistake twice.
He frowned slightly, perhaps taking her silence as consent.
“That can’t be true.”
He murmured softly, as if he couldn’t accept her words.
It was understandable—after all, he had given her a pleasure she had never known before.
“Anyway, I’m not going to date you, so just know that.”
Yeon-ha had no intention of correcting his misunderstanding and quickly turned to end the conversation. Being weak in matters like this, prolonged conversation would only be disadvantageous.
But just as her hand reached the emergency exit, his hand grabbed her arm. It didn’t hurt, but the grip was firm, impossible to break free from.
“One more time.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m confident I can satisfy you, Team Leader.”
His eyes were utterly serious as he said this.
Yeon-ha, who had planned to let him misunderstand and give up, was flustered that her tactic had only provoked him. She looked him squarely in the eye to clarify.
“It’s not that you weren’t good, Do-hyun. I don’t plan to date anyone.”
“So you’re not rejecting me because you dislike me?”
She replied firmly, and he smiled in relief.
“It’s not about liking or disliking…”
“If you don’t want a serious relationship, we can keep it casual.”
“Huh?”
Frowning, she asked again. Do-hyun tilted his head slightly and added:
“Like yesterday—drink when you want, sleep when you want, call me when you’re bored or lonely. I’ll come anytime.”
“What are you…”
“This is just my way of saying I want to stay by your side. So feel free to use me. I’ll let you.”
“Why go that far?”
“I told you—I fell for you at first sight.”
His dark pupils seemed to clutch her gaze.
Yeon-ha couldn’t understand the man in front of her.
Was last night with her that good?
Otherwise, why would a man four years younger be clinging to her?
As if to heighten her confusion, he smiled charmingly and continued:
“Don’t overthink it. Think of me like a pet. When you’re lonely or bored, I’ll play with you. How about that?”
Ridiculous. A pet? What kind of pet is this big…?
The image of a large black retriever with half-flopped ears wagging its tail at her popped into her mind. She flushed, as the image matched him perfectly.
Exhausted, Yeon-ha returned to the office after successfully hosting a department store launch event in Myeong-dong.
Tap. Tap. A few drops of rain began tracing lines across the car window.
As the rain thickened, the wipers started moving. Through the now-clear windshield, she could see the traffic crawling like slow turtles.
Sigh.
A soft exhale came from beside her. Yeon-ha turned to see Director Kim Yu-jin staring at the sky in frustration from the driver’s seat.
“Weather forecasts are useless. If you can’t get it right, just call it a weather report, not a forecast.”
She looked at the windshield streaked with raindrops as if it hadn’t been cleaned, seeming slightly anxious. Glancing at her wristwatch repeatedly, it was clear her worry wasn’t just about the sudden rain.
“Director, do you have an appointment?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“You keep checking your watch.”
Director Kim hesitated, then spoke:
“Actually, my husband and I planned to see a late-night movie for the first time since we got married. But with the traffic like this, we might have to cancel.”
Though she spoke casually, her face showed clear disappointment.
“What time’s the movie?”
“10:30 PM.”
The dashboard showed 9:20 PM. Stopping by the office to finish the report Director Park Seon-young requested would leave almost no time.
“Director, I’ll organize the report and leave it on your desk. You can check it tomorrow when you come in.”
“How can you do that? Director Park asked me to do it.”
“You said it’s your first movie after getting married, right?”
“But still…”
“If you really feel bad, treat me to lunch tomorrow.”
Her reassurance seemed to relieve Director Kim. Her face brightened as she parked near the subway station.
She tried to insist on taking a taxi to save time, but the traffic might make it impossible to reach on time, so she reluctantly agreed.
Yeon-ha pushed Director Kim gently forward and entered the station. Returning to the office at the end of the day felt unpleasant.
After standing all day, observing customers’ needs, ages, and preferences in the store, her neck hurt and her legs were swollen, as if weighted down with sandbags.
Thirty minutes later, standing at the subway exit, she considered buying an umbrella from a convenience store. Remembering she already had two at her desk, she used her handbag as a makeshift umbrella and ran the five-minute distance to the office.
Her breath was short despite the short distance.
As she shook off the rain and passed through the revolving door, a security guard recognized her.
“Ah, aren’t you off work yet?”
“I still have work to finish.”
Yeon-ha smiled faintly at the sympathetic guard and passed through the gate.
Since it was past regular hours, she didn’t wait for the elevator. She pressed the button and rubbed her arms. The AC air felt cold against her damp skin, sending chills down her spine.
I should have just gone home. Why did I meddle…
Sighing, the elevator doors opened with a cheerful sound. Yeon-ha swallowed her desire to leave and stepped out.
Walking down the corridor, she noticed lights on throughout the office even past 10 PM. Seeing that others were also working late eased her irritation slightly.
Entering the design office, she set down her bag and patted her hair and clothes dry with a tissue. Still shivering, she headed to the pantry for warm tea.
Since it was late, she used a dandelion tea bag instead of caffeinated green tea and filled the kettle with hot water. While the light brown water brewed, she checked her phone. No messages from the boyfriend who said he was going to a military reunion.
Having fun, I see.
Yeon-ha let out a bitter smile and turned off the screen. Tossing the used tea bag in the trash, she left the pantry and walked toward the design office at the end of the hall. She reached the meeting room near the development office when she heard a strange sound.
“Hm? Yes… yes.”
She stopped in her tracks.
