Chapter 28
“Don’t Laugh It Will Be Twisted”
“Don’t smile like that at the fox.
It twists me up inside.”
Huh?
Who was this “fox,” and what was Dohyun even talking about?
Lee Yeon was confused.
Could he mean Jihoo?
But why would that make him feel twisted?
‘No way… he’s not jealous just because I’m close with Jihoo, right?’
Yeah, that seemed impossible.
“Are you talking about Jihoo?”
At Lee Yeon’s words, one of Dohyun’s eyebrows twitched violently.
Ah, she had just said Jihoo’s name outright.
She should have at least added his title.
“When did you get close enough with that fox to drop honorifics?”
“……”
“I heard you talking informally just earlier.”
He must have overheard the way she and Jihoo spoke while walking over.
The colder and sharper his gaze became, the more Lee Yeon’s whole body trembled.
She figured she had to explain honestly.
“We were college friends.
I didn’t expect to run into him here either.”
She silently pleaded, I really didn’t expect to see Um Jihoo here.
“Sounds like you two were pretty close?”
“Sort of… at one point…”
“You sure have a lot of men around you.”
Dohyun’s words bristled with barbs like a hedgehog’s spines.
“I don’t.
Not at all.”
Was he seriously saying she had a lot of men around just because of Jihoo?
That felt absurdly unfair.
“Because you smile like a fox.”
This time Lee Yeon thought she understood what he meant.
Jihoo did have a fox-like face.
“So, that friend you just ran into after so long it was that fox?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Dohyun started to say something but stopped.
He fell silent.
After a brief pause, he walked back toward his desk and spoke.
“What’s today’s schedule?”
“At 10 a.m., there’s a monthly report and proposal meeting with the Brand Strategy Department, and at 2 p.m. a meeting with the law firm Yeolchon.”
“Tell Attorney Hong and Team Leader Lee to come see me before meeting Yeolchon.”
“Yes, I’ll check if 1 p.m. works for them.”
Most lawsuits that came to the card company were handled by the Legal Management Department.
When a complaint arrived, the relevant department collaborated with the assigned lawyer to respond.
But if the case was complicated or involved a large amount, it was usually delegated or advised by a major law firm.
For big, sensitive cases, executives sometimes attended meetings to stay on top of things.
“No need to book another conference room we’ll just do it here in my office.
Prepare some proper snacks and coffee.”
When Dohyun asked for snacks and coffee, it meant the meeting would be long, so he wanted her to buy good ones from outside.
Normally, they’d just serve break-room cookies and coffee from the machine. Special treatment was only for tough cases or hardworking staff.
Noting that down, Lee Yeon gave a polite bow and left the office.
Dohyun’s eyes followed her out.
As soon as she sat back at her desk, she picked up the phone, likely confirming the schedules he mentioned.
Dohyun thought back to the warm, cheerful voices he’d overheard earlier that morning on his way in.
He had tried to let it go casually, but the moment he saw Lee Yeon’s bright smile, he failed.
Before he knew it, he was striding up to the two of them.
This time, he had immediately called Lee Yeon inside, but he couldn’t keep separating them like this every time.
Just imagining the two of them giggling outside his office again made his self-control fray dangerously thin.
And to think the guy he ran into yesterday turned out to be that guy, with her, no less.
They’d already had a meal together, dropped formalities… what next, building emotional closeness?
At that moment, Lee Yeon reentered his office.
“Both Attorney Hong and Team Leader Lee said 1 p.m. works.”
“Don’t you think lamb skewers are tastier than dumpling hot pot?”
Dohyun glanced at her.
Her eyes, which had been dull while reporting about the meeting, suddenly lit up like a puppy spotting a treat at the mention of lamb skewers.
“There’s a really good lamb place near my house.”
Gulp.
Her slender throat twitched.
“Or maybe lamb ribs would be better?”
Her head gave the tiniest shake.
Nod, nod.
“We should go tonight.”
“Alone?”
“With you, Secretary Yoo.”
It was his roundabout way of asking her to eat together.
Tonight, he wanted to test her figure out what was really going on in that small head of hers.
And what she thought of that so-called fox.
“So tonight’s menu is lamb, then?”
Lee Yeon clasped her hands and smiled as if she were truly happy.
Dohyun felt a shiver run through every nerve and organ in his body.
Like someone had grabbed his lungs and let go, he couldn’t breathe.
Her happiness seeped straight into his chest.
This feeling, which he’d sensed countless times before, now overflowed completely, bursting within him.
‘God… I really do like this woman a lot.’
Freckles?
Moles?
None of that mattered to him.
All he cared about was chasing her gaze, holding onto her attention.
If anything, he just wanted to rip away those glasses that blocked her eyes.
He longed for the day he could rain kisses all over those eyes without restraint.
A growing desire to claim Lee Yeon as his own swelled inside him.
The restaurant was only five minutes from their homes.
Lee Yeon had never noticed it before, since she rarely explored the neighbourhood.
Who knew there was a lamb place here?
Seated, Dohyun poured water and set the glass in front of her.
‘We should go tonight.
With Secretary Yoo.’
As she looked at the man placing the glass before her, Lee Yeon’s cheeks flushed.
Was this… a date invitation?
Or just a casual meal?
“Should we start with lamb skewers first?”
Trying to shake off her foolish hopes, she spoke to shift her thoughts.
“Up to you.”
“And drinks?”
She pointed toward the alcohol menu with her finger, glancing at him with an expression that clearly said Of course, we should drink.
After a bit of hesitation, Lee Yeon finally said,
“Shall we get this beer?”
As soon as she said it, Dohyun pressed the bell to call the waiter.
“One bottle of baijiu, please.”
“You really know your stuff, Vice President.”
It was different from the beer she’d suggested.
Somehow, he had read her unspoken desire, and ordering so decisively was strangely captivating.
“You’d been staring up there for a while.”
Along the wall above were shelves lined with empty baijiu bottles.
Her gaze kept wandering there without her realising.
Had he been watching all that time?
Lee Yeon then spaced out, staring at the skewers slowly rotating on the machine.
“They won’t cook any faster just because you stare at them.”
Dohyun chuckled at her intense focus.
“After skewers, I’m having lamb ribs too.”
“I came prepared for that.”
He sprinkled cumin on the small dish in front of her.
Then, after turning the skewers a few times until they sizzled perfectly, he placed one on her plate.
“Looks delicious.”
The two clinked glasses and downed the baijiu.
The strong aroma wrinkled Lee Yeon’s nose.
Before the flavour faded, she quickly bit into the skewer Dohyun had given her.
Maybe because her mood had been off, the baijiu slid down more easily than usual.
“Vice President, why the sudden craving for lamb?”
She kept chewing as she asked, unable to stop her mouth from moving.
“Because it seemed like you wanted it.”
“I never even said the word ‘lamb.’”
“It was written all over your face.”
As soon as he said it, Dohyun set another perfectly grilled skewer onto her plate.
His eyes were full of amusement, like he was enjoying teasing her.
The more she got to know him, the more she realised Dohyun liked to joke around and laugh.
Lee Yeon raised her glass again.
After polishing off even the lamb ribs, Lee Yeon felt the world spin when they stepped outside.
Maybe it was the strong baijiu everything felt like it was moving.
“Let’s make round two at your place.”
She giggled and tugged his arm.
“You’re already drunk, aren’t you?
Enough.
You should drink in moderation.”
Dohyun caught her wrist, which was gripping his jacket.
He didn’t let go, worried she might stumble and fall.
He’d drunk more than half the baijiu, but since she’d downed hers quickly, she got tipsy fast.
“I’m really, really not drunk at all.”
“Sure.”
Back home, Lee Yeon changed into comfortable clothes yellow hoodie and black sweatpants.
She looked completely relaxed.
Opening the fridge, she found mango slices neatly cut by the housekeeper.
“Mango, huh.”
She carried a plate of mango to the table, along with almonds and peanuts on another dish.
“Finish.”
She popped a piece of mango in her mouth with a fork and nodded enthusiastically.
Her eyes, glazed from the alcohol, crinkled as she smiled.
To Dohyun, her slurred words and yellow hoodie looked unbearably cute.
Her lips pouted slightly as if sulking, words spilling out softly from her loose tongue.
Dohyun chuckled at her drunken mumbling and took a sip of liquor.
Meanwhile, Lee Yeon kept chewing mango nonstop, already halfway through the plate.
Even with a full stomach, she seemed to have room for fruit.
The saying about women having a separate “dessert stomach” rang true.
In her yellow hoodie, eating a yellow mango, she looked like a tiny yellow chick.
In that moment, Dohyun felt a surge of desire to pull her into his arms.
His plan had gone completely awry.
He’d meant to grill her about her exact relationship with that fox.
But with her this drunk, that wasn’t possible.
Chewing mango, Lee Yeon’s eyes soon fluttered closed.
Wait, what?
“You have to finish chewing the mango b
efore sleeping.”
He shook her lightly.
“Of course, I’ll finish it.”
She swallowed the piece in her mouth, then stood up, swaying as she tried to head upstairs.
Worried she’d collapse, Dohyun followed close behind.
“Ah!”
Just as she nearly stumbled, Dohyun scooped her up in his arms.
His body moved instinctively, wrapping around hers.
