Chapter 4 – Traces
When Chaekyung opened her eyes, the room was eerily silent, devoid of any sign of life. As the fog in her mind slowly cleared, the night she had spent with a stranger replayed before her like a panorama.
The moment she realized where she was, her heart began to pound at the sound of steady breathing beside her. Holding her breath, Chaekyung turned her face without making a sound.
The man’s handsome face was familiar.
His features were perfectly balanced—neither excessive nor lacking. She hesitated, stopping herself just before her hand could reach out to the peacefully sleeping face.
This man isn’t Junheon sunbae.
She had known it from the moment she first saw him yesterday, when she noticed the cold sharpness in his gaze. Now, she knew she had to cut both Junheon sunbae and this man—who felt like nothing more than a lingering illusion—out of her life.
Outside, dawn was breaking in a dim haze.
There was no way she could bear to wake up beside him. She had to leave. Now.
She slipped out of bed as quietly as possible. The moment her feet touched the floor, her entire body screamed in protest, reminding her how rough the night before had been.
“Ah…”
She bit her lip hard to suppress the sound. Glancing back to see if he had woken, she found him still sleeping peacefully.
Even though she knew there was no one else in the room, she couldn’t bring herself to walk around naked. The robe lying discarded at the foot of the bed felt unbearably far away.
Of all places…
In the end, she put on the robe he had carelessly thrown aside.
It was large—just like his build—and swallowed her whole. The woody scent that had filled her when she was in his arms lingered heavily in the fabric. It felt as though she were being held by him again, and heat rushed to her face.
The pleasure she had experienced for the first time had been overwhelming—so much so that even recalling it now made her flustered.
What are you thinking, Min Chaekyung? Have you lost your mind?
She shook her head sharply, forcing herself back to reality, and headed quietly for the door.
Just before leaving, she turned back.
Her gaze traced the outline of his body on the bed in the dim room, and she murmured silently,
Thank you. And I’m sorry.
She turned away quickly, brushing aside the wistfulness in her eyes.
She wasn’t even sure who the words were meant for—but she felt they were enough.
Only after getting dressed did she fully take in the luxurious suite.
“How much does a suite like this even cost?”
She never imagined that her reckless proposal would land them here. Chaekyung emptied her wallet—eight fifty-thousand-won bills—and placed them neatly on the table. She felt like she had burdened him unnecessarily and wanted to lighten that weight, even if only a little.
A suite must be expensive… this is the least I can do.
She considered leaving a note, but the thought of a one-night stand leaving behind a message felt ridiculous. Instead, she fled the hotel as if running away and jumped into a taxi.
“Whew…”
Only after the hotel disappeared from view did she finally relax, resting her head against the window.
Min Chaekyung, are you insane? What have you done?
Her impulsive decision was powerful enough to overturn everything she had believed in until now.
It was her first time saying such seductive words, her first time feeling a tension she had never felt with Junheon sunbae. On the way home, her thoughts sank back into the memories of the night before—born of reckless courage. The more she replayed them, the heavier her heart became.
She collapsed onto her bed the moment she got home.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
She had already used a day off yesterday—she couldn’t skip work today.
I rested yesterday. I have to go in today.
Forcing herself up, she rushed through her morning routine. When she undressed to shower, she froze.
“Huh…?”
From beneath her nape down along her collarbone were vivid red marks—bite after bite. Below that, she couldn’t even bring herself to look.
Hoo…
She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
That’s it. It was impulsive, but don’t regret it. Forget the past. Forget him. Just live well.
She hurried to work despite the late start. The dull ache spreading through her body kept dragging her back to memories of the night before. She pushed them away and stepped into the office.
The atmosphere was different today.
Even the department head—who normally hated gatherings—was talking with Manager Jo, his right-hand man.
Sensing something was off, Chaekyung greeted Manager Kim cautiously.
“Good morning.”
“Morning. What’s with your face, Assistant Manager Min?”
Manager Kim frowned as he looked at her.
Embarrassed, Chaekyung rubbed her face awkwardly.
“It’s nothing. I didn’t sleep well.”
As she tried to sit down, the lingering ache made her bite her lip.
“Did you hear?”
Manager Kim slid his chair closer the moment she sat.
“Hear what?”
“Our company’s vice president. He’s being transferred here from headquarters.”
“Oh. Really.”
Her lukewarm response only made him more animated.
“They say he’s unmarried and ridiculously handsome. Famous for pulling off bold projects at HQ and succeeding.”
“Then why is someone like that coming to the Korean branch?”
“Exactly! That’s why the higher-ups are scrambling.”
Chaekyung wasn’t particularly interested.
She wasn’t high enough in rank for it to affect her directly, and Motte—a multinational company—had better benefits than most. It was a dream job for new hires.
She had earned her position through diligence and was satisfied. Since she had decided to draw a firm line after last night, it didn’t matter who came in as her superior.
“Would it even affect people like us?”
“Apparently he’s forming a team directly under him. If you get pulled into that, it’s basically a fast track to promotion.”
“A direct team?”
“That’s why our department head and Manager Jo are so desperate.”
Looking around, she saw everyone deep in serious conversation. Change was brewing within the company.
“I want in too. Then I could look at his handsome face every day.”
Chaekyung laughed. Manager Kim fell in love easily.
He always developed instant crushes on any good-looking newcomer. This time, the target had simply escalated to a vice president.
“What about Manager Jang from the next department?”
“Right? Still, I’m curious. They say he’s a total heartthrob.”
Thinking of Manager Jang—the man she was finally moving beyond one-sided affection with—Manager Kim stuck out his tongue playfully. His emotional honesty was something Chaekyung secretly envied.
The chaotic mood carried on until afternoon, when a notice suddenly popped up on the company intranet.
The office buzzed instantly.
Absentmindedly, Chaekyung opened the notice—and froze.
No matter how many times she read the name, it didn’t change.
“That’s impossible.”
The words slipped from her lips.
“Oh my—Min Assistant Manager, did you see? Your name’s on there!”
“I saw… but why me…?”
“I’m so jealous.”
She stared blankly at the monitor.
A direct team under Vice President Ji Kang-woo, newly appointed to the Korean branch, has been established.
The department is named Strategic Planning Team.
The following personnel assignments are announced.
There it was.
Min Chaekyung, Assistant Manager.
Kang-woo was in a foul mood from the moment he woke up.
Jinho, who had seen him with a woman the night before, was burning with curiosity but didn’t dare ask.
Kang-woo sat at the desk in the suite, glaring at the monitor. Secretary Shin and Jinho gathered the documents he had approved and stepped out.
“Director, do you know why the Vice President is like this?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know either. This is driving me insane. You remember that last business trip, right?”
“How could I forget?”
“He predicted it’d succeed, but we ended up suffering in Siberia for two weeks. What if another insane trip pops up this time? I’m terrified.”
“Same here.”
They were essentially Kang-woo’s limbs. His foresight and business acumen were exceptional—but the two of them, unable to predict his moves, often paid the price.
They sighed in unison.
Just then, the study door opened. Kang-woo stepped out, one hand in his pocket.
Both men swallowed nervously.
“Secretary Shin. From last night’s meeting until 6 a.m., I want the CCTV footage—from the bar, this floor’s hallway, and the lobby.”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Vice President, that’s against hotel policy. Why do you need that?”
They blurted out at once.
Kang-woo frowned.
“There’s someone I need to find.”
“But still, that’s personal data—getting it from the hotel won’t be easy—”
Jinho stopped mid-sentence.
“Threaten them. Bribe them. Use whatever skills you have and get it.”
Kang-woo turned back sharply.
“Should I just buy this hotel? Get it, Director Kim.”
His eyes gleamed dangerously.
After he left, a deep sigh followed.
Late in the afternoon, Secretary Shin escorted Kang-woo to the hotel’s security office.
An executive from the hotel was waiting.
“Good afternoon, Vice President Ji Kang-woo.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ji Kang-woo.”
“Normally, we cannot disclose CCTV footage, but at our chairman’s request, we’ve made an exception. Please avert your eyes from anything unrelated to the person you’re seeking.”
“I will.”
The executive looked uneasy.
Footage from the previous night played at high speed.
When Chaekyung appeared on screen, Kang-woo’s brow furrowed.
“Stop there.”
It was her.
At dawn, she exited the elevator on the suite floor and hurried through the lobby.
Who are you? Where did you go?
He rewound the footage repeatedly, but found no clues.
He saw her get into a taxi, but the morning rush made tracking it impossible.
“This part—play it again. Can you zoom in?”
Despite his relentless effort, she left no trace.
Even he found himself confused.
He had never fixated on anyone like this.
Just as she had said, it should have ended as a one-night encounter.
Yet the memory refused to fade.
Time passed.
And the woman he had searched for in vain reappeared—dumping far more information than expected—somewhere he never anticipated.
