Chapter 30
“Let’s Talk”
After telling Lee Yeon to go up to the office first, Do-hyun walked straight out of the company building.
It looked like he was planning to stop by somewhere before coming back.
Lee Yeon’s expression soured.
He always made her feel unsettled and, in the end, never explained anything.
As soon as she came upstairs, Lee Yeon dropped off her things and entered the executive office.
She quickly tidied up the desk, turned on the air purifier, placed the morning newspapers neatly on the desk, and then came out to organise her own workspace.
Just as she was finishing up, a plastic bag landed on her desk with a thump.
“What’s this?”
“A hangover cure.”
Turns out he had stopped by the convenience store.
Lee Yeon opened the bag, looked inside, and let out a small laugh.
It contained liquid hangover drinks, jelly-type supplements, and herbal pill remedies.
It looked like he had bought every type available.
The convenience store must be nearly wiped out of hangover cures.
Do-hyun handed the bag to Lee Yeon and went into his office.
At first, it seemed like he had just grabbed things at random, but in the end, he had only chosen small, helpful remedies.
To Lee Yeon, that felt almost cute.
Lee Yeon unwrapped the pills, swallowed them, and washed them down with hovenia juice.
After finishing Do-hyun’s morning coffee, she stretched, ready to start her own work when the sharp sound of approaching heels echoed.
“Secretary Yoo, I have some matters to report to the Vice President regarding today’s meeting.
May I go in now?”
Last time, Yeon-jeong had pretended to be the sweetest, most innocent person because Jihoo was around.
Today, alone, she appeared sharp and cutting.
What’s this, is she headed to a blind date?
Wearing a tight red H-line skirt and a white blouse cut in a deep V, Yeon-jeong’s figure looked especially striking today.
“Alright.”
At Lee Yeon’s reply, Yeon-jeong quickly turned her head and walked into Do-hyun’s office.
She seemed even more prickly than usual.
Why was that?
Lee Yeon tried to focus on her computer, but her eyes kept drifting toward the office.
Yeon-jeong, smiling for some reason, twisted her body as she spoke.
What is she, a twisted pretzel?
Every time she laughed, she covered her mouth and bent forward, which irritated Lee Yeon.
Each time she leaned, the open neckline of her blouse risked exposing her chest.
Suddenly, Lee Yeon hated that Do-hyun’s eyes might fall on Yeon-jeong.
If she could, she would storm in and throw a padded jacket over that blouse.
She wondered what Do-hyun was thinking while looking at someone with a body like Yeon-jeong’s.
I want to cover those eyes.
Don’t look at another woman!
Pouring all her feelings into her glare, Lee Yeon stared at Do-hyun.
Then, while talking with Yeon-jeong, his gaze shifted and collided directly with hers.
Embarrassed that she had been caught watching, she hesitated, but Lee Yeon did not look away.
Their eyes clashed through the glass wall. Lee Yeon’s eyes were burning with jealousy; Do-hyun’s were locked in response.
In the end, Do-hyun was the one to avert his gaze first.
It didn’t feel like a victory.
Her lips pouted in frustration.
Only after Yeon-jeong finished talking and left the office did her lips return to normal.
She felt she needed some air.
Her head begged to be cleared with fresh autumn wind.
The weather had turned chilly now that fall had arrived.
Lee Yeon grabbed her cardigan and stood.
Using the excuse of buying Do-hyun’s coffee, she planned to stop by a distant café.
As Yeon-jeong left the office intending to head downstairs, she caught sight of Lee Yeon walking out with her cardigan.
“Ha!
With that face, she managed to seduce Jihoo?”
Yeon-jeong had taken quite a liking to the new recruit, Jihoo.
Do-hyun was far too high, like a tree she couldn’t even dream of reaching.
But Jihoo, while not as high as Do-hyun, was tall, handsome, with a good personality, and lacked nothing.
Judging from his bag, shirt, and watch, he clearly came from a wealthy family.
Yet since joining, he always seemed to find excuses to visit the Vice President’s office.
When an employee returning from maternity leave brought rice cakes, Jihoo insisted on delivering them himself instead of letting Yeon-jeong do it.
In the lobby, he even rushed over to help Lee Yeon with her package.
Yeon-jeong’s instincts told her that Jihoo’s actions toward Lee Yeon were far from ordinary.
“Jihoo, is Secretary Yoo making moves on you?
You two seem to be talking a lot lately.”
She had casually tested the waters while preparing for a meeting with him in the conference room.
It was a good chance to gauge Jihoo’s feelings.
But his answer was unexpected.
“Wouldn’t it look more like I’m the one making moves?
Doesn’t it?”
His words struck directly, as if asking why she was pretending not to know.
Yeon-jeong flinched.
“Well, I suppose it does look that way.”
“It was instant.
Love at first sight.”
“With Secretary Yoo?
She doesn’t have the kind of face that inspires instant attraction.”
Shaking her head, Yeon-jeong made it clear she couldn’t understand.
“I guess people see things differently.
Anyway, I plan to keep trying to win her over.”
It seemed Secretary Yoo had thoroughly captivated him.
Yeon-jeong could have accepted it if he had fallen for someone prettier than herself.
But this?
No matter how many times she thought it over, it didn’t make sense.
Why would a man like Jihoo settle for Lee Yeon…?
She burned with curiosity about how exactly Lee Yeon had managed to capture Jihoo’s heart.
From the beginning, Yeon-jeong had never liked Lee Yeon.
On her very first day, she had seen it despite her appearance, Lee Yeon carried herself arrogantly, her nose high in the air.
Even when Yeon-jeong offered her advice on hairstyles, clothes, or makeup, Lee Yeon ignored it, leaving Yeon-jeong feeling slighted.
Among the staff, Lee Yeon was even nicknamed “ugly.”
For some reason, Yeon-jeong just couldn’t warm to her.
What on earth did Jihoo see in such a cold, blunt person?
She decided she needed to keep a closer watch on how exactly Lee Yeon was managing to seduce Jihoo with that face.
***
When she got home, Lee Yeon flopped onto her bed without even washing up.
It was already overwhelming just to deal with her restless dreams, and now even Yeon-jeong’s outfit had irritated her.
She hadn’t realised her heart could be so small.
“Pathetic.
Yoo Lee Yeon.”
It felt like even her heart was becoming as ugly as her face.
Just then, her phone lit up, interrupting her thoughts.
It was a text from Do-hyun.
[Got something to say.]
Lee Yeon finally snapped back to her senses.
What does he want to talk about?
Before she could guess, there was a knock at her door.
“Yes?”
“Let’s talk.”
Judging from the time, he must have sent the text while standing outside her room.
“You could’ve just knocked.
Why text me?”
Do-hyun shrugged and laughed.
“So this is what your room looks like, Lee Yeon.”
Wait, my underwear and wigs none of that is lying around, right?
She scanned the room with hawk-like eyes.
Fortunately, everything was neat.
Nothing embarrassing was left out.
“I had too many questions.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”
“Alright.”
“First of all, why were you glaring at me like that earlier?”
“I never glared at you, Vice President.”
“This morning you were staring a hole through Manager Kang.”
Her heart skipped.
“Me?
I don’t remember that.”
Do-hyun let out a quiet laugh.
“Really?
I thought maybe you were jealous.”
So this was the thing that kept him awake?
Lee Yeon tilted her head in confusion.
“Yoo Lee Yeon.”
Hearing her name from his lips startled her.
Why say it so sweetly?
Why again…
“Yes?”
“Just wanted to call you.”
Cough, cough.
Flustered, Lee Yeon broke into awkward coughs.
She had no idea why he was acting this way.
It made her nerves rattle.
He must have eaten something wrong yesterday.
“Calling you Lee Yeon feels better than Secretary Yoo.”
He looked at her and grinned.
Why did it sound like nonsense to her ears?
She swallowed hard.
“I have no idea what you mean, Vice President.”
“I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“All of a sudden?”
“It’s sudden, yes.
But just watching you talk with that fox drives me mad.”
Me… and Jihoo?
“What is he to you that you keep smiling at him like that?”
Do-hyun asked seriously.
“I wanted to ask yesterday, but you got drunk.
I thought of asking in the car, but I didn’t want to miss a single expression on your face when you thought of him.
So I waited.
Now answer me.”
His words pressed down on her.
Lee Yeon still couldn’t grasp exactly what he meant.
“I came all the way here just to hear your answer.”
“He’s just an old friend.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Now, just a coworker.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
Watching Do-hyun’s eyes fixed firmly on her, tracking her every expression, made her so nervous that her words nearly caught in her throat.
Her chest thumped wildly.
Why was he asking things like this?
Like someone blinded by jealousy?
Then, suddenly, Do-hyun leaned his face right up close to hers.
Startled, Lee Yeon’s eyes flew wide open, and she instinctively leaned back.
“Your eyes are honest, Lee Yeon.
So it’s true.”
The corners of his lips curved upward in satisfaction.
“Then what about me?”
His gaze grew serious again, as if he had resolved himself.
Vice President?
The man I like…
But she couldn’t say that out loud.
With a bitter smile, Lee Yeon answered.
“You’re my contract husband?”
Do-hyun’s brow furrowed.
“Contract… couple?”
This time his eyebrows twitched fiercely.
“Work superior?”
He ran a hand roughly through his hair.
“Why are you doing this?
Why are you acting like this toward me?”
“I told you I’m going crazy.”
His eyes, stripped of all playfulness, bore into hers, sharp and intense, as though they could pierce through every corner of her heart.
“Why are you going crazy?”
How was she supposed to understand from such vague words?
Should she tell him to go see a doctor?
“Because of you.”
Lee Yeon’s lips parted slightly.
She froze, stunned, staring blankly at him.
“I like you more and more.”
Do-hyun stepped closer.
“
These days, what I regret the most—”
As he moved closer, Lee Yeon retreated a step.
“—is signing that contract.”
Again he advanced as she stepped back.
“No scheming against each other, we said.
But who could’ve predicted this?”
There was no room left to retreat.
Lee Yeon’s back hit the wall.
She blinked rapidly, staring at him.
“With this much desire overflowing, what am I supposed to do?”
