Was I just being overly sensitive?
Bom let out a dry sigh after confirming that no one was outside the office. It seemed that exhaustion had built up, and lack of sleep had left her on edge.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t yet adjusted to the time difference. She’d tossed and turned all night, only managing to fall asleep at dawn. And then, forcing her eyes open, she’d made her way to work.
She turned her head toward the monitor, crammed with numbers and chaotic graphs. How long had she been so focused? Assistant Manager Kim walked up to her partition.
“Assistant Manager Han, let’s eat first.”
At his voice, Bom tapped her phone screen, her face puzzled. The time displayed showed it was already past noon. When had the hours slipped by so quickly?
“Where should we go? It’s the weekend, so the nearby restaurants must be closed.”
Most of the eateries around the company shut down on weekends. Since their main customers were office workers who didn’t work weekends, there was little reason to open.
“A new pasta place opened recently. They’re open on weekends too. You probably didn’t know since you’ve been on a business trip.”
At the unexpected but welcome news, Bom’s face brightened. On weekends, when she came in for work, she usually grabbed something quick from a convenience store because finding an open restaurant was a hassle.
“They say it’s a really good pasta place. Their first branch is in Hongdae, and they just opened a second one near the office. You like pasta, right?”
“Yes, I do…”
She trailed off, recalling the pasta Jung-hoo had ordered as room service two nights ago. Why was she thinking about that now, in the middle of chatting with her colleague? That night, Jung-hoo had just silently watched her enjoy the food. He’d probably had more beer than food himself.
…Is he upset I left without saying goodbye?
Even though she had left a note out of guilt, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Would he have been disappointed to wake up and find her gone? She had received so much help… maybe she should’ve said goodbye in person. She could come up with any number of reasons, but in the end, the truth was simple: lingering feelings.
“Why? Don’t like pasta?”
“No, it’s not that. I like pasta.”
Bom shook off the thoughts of Seo Jung-hoo flooding her mind and stood up. At her reply, Assistant Manager Kim looked visibly relieved.
He had already scouted the place with the female staff in anticipation of eating lunch with Bom today. With its cute decor, cozy atmosphere, and great food, it had received rave reviews. He was sure she’d like it too.
“Let’s go, then.”
The two of them stepped out of the office. Unbeknownst to them, a chilling gaze followed their backs.
***
Jung-hoo’s eyes rested on Bom’s profile as she smiled at Min-jae. Completely unaware of his presence, she chatted naturally with the man beside her.
“How much do you have left to do?”
“If I wrap things up tonight, I probably won’t have to come in tomorrow.”
“That’s good.”
Did he imagine the disappointment that flashed across the male employee’s face as he said that? Bom gave him a gentle smile.
Jung-hoo’s eyes narrowed. His lips pressed into a hard line.
“The new director—people say he’s impossibly picky. So fussy it’s exhausting. You probably shouldn’t give him any reason to nitpick. But knowing you, Assistant Manager Han, you’re not the type to get caught up in that stuff, so I’m not worried.”
The man praised Bom while tossing barbs at the incoming director. It was obvious to Jung-hoo that this was a guy with a personal interest.
The two entered the elevator, and once the doors shut completely, Jung-hoo slowly pulled his hand out of his pants pocket and smoothed his furrowed brow.
“You’ve seen the office?”
Jin-woo approached him. Having come down from the executive office, Jung-hoo had dropped by the Overseas Business Department to look around.
Because he was curious where Han Bom sat and how she worked.
He hadn’t expected the woman he’d shared such intimacy with to be here working today. He’d wanted to acknowledge her—but couldn’t, because of the other man.
Suddenly, he felt regret.
Maybe… he should’ve said something.
Just to find out exactly what kind of relationship they had. He was dying to know.
“Someone was at work.”
His gaze drifted back to the elevator doors, remembering the words that had stuck with him.
“Picky to the point of ridiculous.”
“Who is?”
“Exhaustingly meticulous.”
Even thinking about it now made him let out a dry chuckle. Jin-woo shot him a confused look, a strange unease prickling at his gut. The smile vanished from Jung-hoo’s lips, his expression turning glacial.
“Me.”
The word dropped from Jung-hoo’s mouth with chilly simplicity, leaving Jin-woo momentarily speechless. It wasn’t technically a lie, so he’d missed his chance to refute it.
“I’ll take care of it, sir,” Jin-woo said nervously, watching Jung-hoo’s unreadable expression. He hadn’t expected the gossip to spread so quickly—and certainly not to reach Jung-hoo’s ears.
“It doesn’t matter. They said it not knowing I was here.”
But one person didn’t get a pass.
“Something else is bothering me.”
Jung-hoo murmured the words more to himself than to Jin-woo. The icy edge in his voice made Jin-woo flinch.
“If you tell me who said it—”
“I said it doesn’t matter.”
Jung-hoo gave Jin-woo’s shoulder a couple of light pats. Jin-woo finally exhaled, trying to ease his tension with a dry swallow.
Even though they were friendly outside of work, Seo Jung-hoo was a difficult man. Jin-woo tried to read his expression, but there was nothing to read. He glanced at his wristwatch.
“Shall we go get lunch?”
“No. I need to check out the director’s office.”
Jung-hoo pressed the elevator button. Jin-woo sighed inwardly at his boss’s unshaken composure.
They had only just landed in Korea this morning. Even flying first class, ten hours in the air was draining.
Jung-hoo had worked on his tablet the entire flight. And upon landing, he’d ordered the car straight to the company without a single break. Now, having toured the department, he still had no intention of resting.
Jin-woo felt despair at the long day ahead.
“Aren’t you tired? Maybe rest a bit before you officially clock in?”
“Why? Are you tired?”
“A-ah, no. I’m just worried about you, sir.”
He couldn’t very well whine about being tired in front of his boss. So he disguised his weariness with concern—but Jung-hoo wasn’t buying it.
“If you’re tired, go rest.”
“I’m fine, really.”
As Jin-woo insisted again, Jung-hoo leaned back against the elevator wall.
“You don’t listen, huh? I said go rest.”
He turned toward the transparent glass wall, squinting slightly at the direct sunlight pouring in. As soon as the elevator arrived, he strode out with confident steps.
***
As usual, Bom was the first to arrive at the office. She raised the temperature, then stepped into the changing room. She took off her coat, hung it neatly in the closet, and slipped on a cardigan.
After checking the break room, she returned to her desk and powered on her computer. Soon, the voices of her coworkers filtering in signaled the start of the day.
“Bom, your face looks a little haggard already. How much did the team leader work you while you were gone?”
The one who affectionately dropped titles and called her “Bom” was Manager Lee Chae-won. From the days when Bom was just an intern, Manager Lee and Assistant Manager Yoon had looked after her like a younger sister.
“Work me? Not at all. Manager, weren’t you swamped while I was away?”
“That’s just how work is. The moment things settle, it gets busy again. Especially now that we’ve got a new director coming in—it’d be weird if things were quiet.”
Manager Lee’s ever-positive attitude was something Bom deeply admired.
“You even came in over the weekend. And today too—were you the first to arrive?”
Carrying a cup of instant coffee, Manager Lee glanced toward Bom.
“It’s just a habit now.”
“Habits are scary. The older you get, the harder they are to change.”
Manager Lee took a sip of her coffee and sat down. Bom responded with a warm smile, agreeing silently.
From her intern days, she’d always arrived first. She’d check the desk setups, the office supplies, and the break room before beginning her workday.
Was it just another habit?
Like how winter always reminded her of Seo Jung-hoo.
If so, she’d need to stop before the habit became unbreakable.
“Whoa!”
Assistant Manager Yoon So-hee’s voice rang through the office, loud as ever.
“You startled me! I almost spilled my coffee.”
Manager Lee scowled as she dabbed at her desk. Bom quickly offered her a tissue and turned to Yoon So-hee.
“What’s the matter, Assistant Manager?”
Yoon clasped her hands together excitedly and declared,
“The new department director starts today!”
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted to them. Bom swallowed nervously. Manager Lee, however, looked unimpressed.
“So what? We’ve known that for days.”
“The man’s gorgeous! I thought he was a model!”
“A model?”
“Yeah! Like one of those overseas runway models. He’s tall, and he looks amazing in a suit!”
Gushing over the director’s looks, Yoon clasped her hands dreamily. Manager Lee looked at her with amused affection.
“Manager, he’s here!”
Yoon pointed dramatically toward the door, her face flushed with shyness. Everyone’s gaze turned. Bom instinctively followed.
And then her widened eyes trembled faintly.
“Starting today, I’ll be overseeing the Overseas Business Department…”
The man’s voice trailed off, his gaze sweeping across the room—as if looking for someone.
And then, finally, his steady eyes locked onto her.
“I’m Seo Jung-hoo.”
Bom froze.
