Chapter 13
“Isn’t This Just Gossip?”
“Vice President?”
“Where, where?”
When their eyes met, Do-hyun walked straight toward Lee Yeon.
“Wow, Yoo Lee Yeon, you must be living the dream getting to feast your eyes on this every day.”
It was the first time Do-hyun and Hayul had ever come face-to-face.
“Vice President, what brings you down here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?
To buy coffee at the café.”
Do-hyun almost never came down to get his own coffee.
He always drank what Lee Yeon brought him, or he’d have someone else fetch it if he wanted more.
Seeing him here, actually standing in line to buy it himself, was a first for Lee Yeon.
“Ah, I see… right.”
She hesitated, wondering whether or not she should introduce Hayul to him.
But before she could even make up her mind.
“Hello!
I’m Lim Hayul, Lee Yeon’s best friend.”
Hayul jumped right in, cheerful and confident.
Flustered, Lee Yeon quickly stepped closer to Do-hyun, rising on her toes to whisper in his ear.
“Hayul’s the only friend who knows about… us.”
Her eyes curved into a sly smile.
Do-hyun gave Hayul a polite nod.
“I’ve heard so much about you, Vice President.
You look even more handsome in person!”
“Ah… thank you.
I’ve heard a lot about you as well.”
Heard a lot?
Lee Yeon had never once mentioned Hayul to him.
Still, she was grateful he said it.
If he hadn’t, Hayul might’ve sulked for weeks.
“Anyway, when you guys do a housewarming.”
Lee Yeon jabbed her elbow into Hayul’s side before she could finish.
Housewarming?
Here?
Now?
Seriously…?
All Lee Yeon could do was laugh awkwardly beside her.
“Well then, I’ll head back up first.”
Dohyun slipped a card from his wallet and handed it to Lee Yeon.
The unspoken meaning was clear: buy her coffee, buy his, and bring his up later.
“Thank you!
I’ll enjoy it,” Hayul said brightly.
He’d come down to buy coffee himself, but went right back up instead.
That could only mean one of two things either he didn’t feel like waiting in line, or he couldn’t be bothered with Hayul.
Not that Hayul had any idea.
She was practically glowing as she added,
“Thank you so much, Vice President!”
When he walked away, Hayul clung to Lee Yeon, gushing nonstop.
“He’s insane!
So handsome.
So commanding.
Oh my god, how do you survive next to that every day?”
As the line crept forward, Lee Yeon suddenly overheard a few other employees nearby.
“That secretary I was talking about?
That’s her.”
“Oh wow, you’re right.
No wonder she looks so shabby.”
Lee Yeon froze where she stood as their careless whispers carried on.
“Hey, isn’t this straight-up gossip?”
Hayul muttered in disbelief.
“Just lower your voice,” Lee Yeon replied flatly.
“What?
But why?”
“There’s no point picking a fight.
They’ll say their piece and move on.
Just leave it.”
Hayul’s jaw dropped.
“If they saw the real you, they wouldn’t dare breathe a word!
Honestly don’t you ever want to take off those glasses and shut them up?
Rub their noses right into the dirt?”
“What for?”
Lee Yeon brushed it off, her tone indifferent, eyes fixed only on the counter as their turn to order finally came.
“Ugh, you drive me crazy!
Are you really that soft-hearted… or just too used to this?”
Hayul’s chest tightened as she watched her friend pretend not to hear the nasty whispers behind her back.
Do you know what kind of friend she is to me?
More precious than that wretched family of hers yet here she was, being treated like this.
Hayul had even cheered her on when she agreed to that contract marriage, hoping it would change things.
But the relationship hadn’t moved an inch.
Do-hyun still hadn’t seen the real Lee Yeon.
What she wanted more than anything was for that contract marriage to turn into the real thing.
But with no sign of hope, her frustration burned all over again.
Eight years is enough.
It’s time.
She clenched her fist with new resolve.
I’ll take responsibility.
I’ll rip that wig off her head myself if I have to!
Hayul’s eyes glimmered with determination.
The Vice President had gone off to a meeting.
Lee Yeon’s stomach was full.
It was the kind of lazy afternoon that begged for a quick nap.
Rrrring.
Her peaceful lull was shattered by the sharp trill of the phone.
Lee Yeon frowned and picked up.
[Yes, this is Yoo Lee Yeon.]
[Lee Yeon!
Are you busy right now?]
On the other end, Sujin’s voice was frantic.
[No, the Vice President’s in a meeting.]
[Help me!
They suddenly told me to bring fifteen coffees!]
[What?
You can’t be gone long.
Let’s go quickly together.]
At Sujin’s SOS, Lee Yeon shot up and hurried toward the café.
“What kind of nonsense is this asking for coffee service thirty minutes before a meeting?
And of all days, Chief Choi had to be on vacation, so we’re short-handed.”
The two of them rushed to pick up the order.
Luckily, Sujin had called ahead, so by the time they arrived, everything was already packed and ready.
“Oh, Secretary Jung.
You got mine as a hot Americano, right?
I’m too old now cold drinks hurt my teeth.”
That was Director Ahn, the executive Sujin served, tossing out a comment on his way into the meeting room.
Sujin’s face twisted, her unspoken curse written plain as day: That bloated bastard.
Here it comes, Lee Yeon thought, trying not to laugh.
“Mangy old potbelly!”
Sujin mouthed silently, making Lee Yeon burst into a quiet grin.
Thanks to Lee Yeon’s quick help, Sujin finished setting up in record time.
But instead of returning to her own desk, she trailed right after Lee Yeon to hers.
“Shouldn’t you get back?
You can’t leave your seat empty for too long.”
“My destination was here all along.
I already set my line to forward.”
Sujin shook her phone at her with a triumphant grin.
“You said you were alone since the Vice President’s in a meeting, so I figured I’d drop by and chat for ten minutes.”
Well, good for you.
Well done.
She said “ten minutes,” but who knew how long she’d actually linger.
Lee Yeon stared blankly at the clock hanging on the pillar, sensing her freedom slipping away.
Goodbye peace.
Hello chatter.
“You heard about yesterday, right?
It was brutal.
Word’s already spread that the department head got completely humiliated.”
Sujin poked her finger at the floor, indicating the Marketing Department head’s office one floor below.
“Apparently he brought in the wrong market share numbers.
The Vice President caught it and, with just a few words, turned the whole room ice-cold.
Don’t you think it’s amazing?
So young, yet he has no trouble putting even his senior staff in their place.”
Her eyes gleamed as she clasped her hands together in near-worship, shaking them for emphasis.
And when she said “putting them in their place,” she even threw in a sharp little gesture, as if commanding soldiers.
A handsome man, a man with presence yes, that’s all true.
But he’s also the kind of man who secretly loves army stew, the kind who lifts the corner of his lips in that quiet little grin when she makes it for him, pretending not to enjoy it even as he does.
What else does the Vice President like?
The moment Dohyun’s name came up, Lee Yeon’s mind filled with little details she’d recently learned about him.
Just then, in the middle of her chatter, Sujin suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, I heard new recruits just came in?”
“In the secretary’s office?”
“No, through the open recruitment.”
“And what’s that got to do with us?”
Lee Yeon laughed and shook her head, but Sujin slammed her palm against the desk and leaned right into her face.
“Excuse me!
Good-looking rookies could’ve joined, you know.
In this ant-hell of a company, that’s practically headline news!
I mean, I can’t escape thanks to my monthly credit card bills, but at least we could try a little office romance.
It’s not like either of us is taken!”
“Office romance, huh.
True.”
Except for me, that would technically count as an affair.
“I think Strategy & Planning got a new recruit too.
Today’s his first day, though I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Mm.
If I see him, I’ll let you know.”
Lee Yeon didn’t care in the slightest, but she answered with polite interest, then nudged Sujin toward the door, insisting she get back to work.
That evening, Dohyun came home earlier than usual.
The house was dark and quiet.
“She must not be back yet.”
He strode inside, his tall frame cutting through the heavy stillness.
He was headed straight for his room when his feet stopped abruptly.
It had been a long time since he’d gone up to the second floor.
Suddenly, he found himself wondering.
What did it look like now?
How had Lee Yeon arranged it, how was she living up there?
He couldn’t bring himself to enter her room but the living room, the small kitchen… those, at least, he wanted to see.
He decided he’d just take a quick look and head back down, so he made his way up to the second floor.
He remembered there’d been a time when Lee Yeon had stood right on these very steps, chattering away to him.
About here, wasn’t it?
Step by step, Dohyun climbed, tracing the memory of her footsteps.
He thought about turning on the light, but since she might return at any moment, he figured he’d better just take a glance and leave.
The moment he reached the landing, the contrast with the first floor was striking.
The space felt warm, cosy, unmistakably a woman’s touch.
A rice bowl.
A soup bowl.
A stuffed elephant was propped up on the living room sofa.
Why on earth is there an elephant here?
And what’s that on the wall?
From one side of the room to the other, a line of Polaroid photos dangled on a string.
Dohyun regretted not switching on the light, so he pulled out his phone and flicked on the flashlight.
Shuffling sideways, he examined them one by one.
But the further he went, the more his expression twisted.
What kind of ridiculous hobby is this…?
He couldn’t help but let out a small laugh of disbelief.
Each photo was of that same stuffed elephant: the face, the oversized, round ears, the chunky legs, the little tail that looked like it might swish if you touched it.
Shaking his head, Dohyun turned, deciding it was time to go back downstairs.
But just as he was about to step toward the staircase.
Click.
Lee Yeon’s bedroom door swung open.
He froze.
Like a statue, Dohyun stood rooted in place.
Lee Yeon stepped out and pressed the switch on the wall.
The living room lights flared to life.
“Eek!
A ghost!”
She yelped, dropping straight to the floor in shock.
And still, Dohyun couldn’t move.
Because what he saw when she came out of that room utterly stunned him.
Lee Yeon, in a pair of shorts and a simple T-shirt her smooth, slender…
Her bare arms and legs were left completely exposed.
Dohyun couldn’t tear his eyes away.
The scars he had imagined were nowhere to be found.
All he saw were smooth, toned limbs her legs flawless and elegant, her arms long and supple.
So this is how she dresses upstairs… so unguarded.
“Secretary Yoo.”
Still sitting on the floor, Lee Yeon peeked at him through the narrow gap between her hands, her face hidden behind them.
“Your glasses probably have fingerprints all over them now.”
She had pressed her palms so tightly over her face in fright that the lenses were smudged and foggy.
“Vice President!
You scared me half to death!
What are you even doing on the second floor?”
Her voice rose, flustered.
Only then did she glance down at her outfit.
“Eek!”
With a startled squeak, she bolted back into her room.
Dohyun just stood there, staring at the sight of her startled, shrieking, running to hide.
The rawness of it was so unfamiliar that he didn’t even think to apologise.
Instead, he found himself realising: for all her composure, she had a surprisingly cute side.
He could almost see through the door, imagining her fumbling around in a panic inside.
And then he laughed.
Out loud, without meaning to.
Click.
The door opened again.
She emerged once more, this time in a long hoodie that covered her from head to thigh.
“Even if you leave your arms and legs bare like that, I’m not interested.”
The words came out differently than he felt.
He’d said it to reassure her, in case she’d been embarrassed by him seeing too much.
Especially since she was the kind of person already self-conscious about showing skin.
“Oh?
Then what are you interested in, Vice President?”
Her sudden retort caught him off guard.
When he turned his head to look at her, she was glaring up at him with her eyes narrowed, her shoulders hunched defensively.
Dohyun let out a soft, deflating chuckle, the corner of his lips quirking upward.
His eyes curved, betraying how amused he was.
“Elephants.”
“Elephants?”
“The photos on your wall.
All those Polaroids of that stuffed elephant its face, its ears, its feet.
I’ve never seen a hobby that strange before.”
Her lips parted slightly, as if she finally understood.
“Oh, that.
I just wanted to decorate.
Polaroids give a nice vibe on the wall.
You know I don’t like taking pictures of myself, so… the e
lephant was my stand-in.”
“I see.
I thought you had some bizarre hobby.”
He left unsaid the phrase that had almost slipped out something perverted.
“So why’d you suddenly come up here anyway?”
She fixed him with a look, as if protesting.
You’ve never set foot up here before.
Why now?
But Dohyun found no excuse worth offering.
“That’s why I’m going back down now.”
He turned on his heel.
Behind him, he caught her startled voice “What?” but Dohyun didn’t slow.
He hurried down the stairs.
