Chapter 39
The Vice President is Coming?
“Tomorrow’s the company dinner, right?”
Sujin stopped by on her way up to the office and set two iced Americanos on Yeon’s desk.
“Why am I always so parched these days.
I don’t know how many times I’ve said this.
My throat burns, my insides burn.
I need a drink packed with ice just to cool down.”
It seemed Sujin had gone through another rough day thanks to their boss.
Yeon took a long sip of the coffee she’d received in exchange for listening to Sujin’s woes.
“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”
“Where’s the dinner going to be?”
“At that galmaegisal place on the corner.”
Sujin set down her cup, laced her fingers together, and leaned in with wide, blinking eyes full of expectation.
“Is that handsome newbie going too?”
“I don’t know about handsome, but yes, he’s going.”
“So, do you like that?”
What?
“You’re asking me if I like it?”
Sujin nodded vigorously.
“Yes! You! Yeon.
I thought we were close, but maybe it’s just one-sided love on my part.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a rumor going around that you’re interested in that handsome newbie and making moves on him.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Oh my, you scared me.
Why are you yelling?”
Sujin rubbed at her temples like her ears were ringing.
“I just heard it myself!
Actually, the moment I heard it, I came running with coffee in hand.”
She lifted her cup with a sly grin.
“I told them it had to be nonsense.
What could I not know about you?”
*That’s a problem.
There’s plenty I haven’t told you.*
“R-right.”
“Still, I’m jealous.”
Sujin gushed about Jihoo’s looks, never forgetting to attach “handsome” before “newbie,” and sincerely envied Yeon for getting to attend the dinner with him.
“Want to go in my place?”
“I really do.”
Her short rebellion over, Sujin flitted off again, clearly more intent on finding out whether Yeon truly had feelings for Jihoo than anything else.
***
“Mmm.”
The morning of the dinner, Yeon stood in front of her closet, torn about what to wear.
She had promised herself she’d just go with her usual office clothes.
But the moment she opened the doors, the rows of clothes Dohyun had bought her caught her eye and made her hesitate.
He’d bought them for her to wear.
She couldn’t wear a dress to a company dinner, but maybe she should at least wear one of the blouses.
.
.
.
“Whose woman is this?
She’s beautiful.”
Dohyun’s lips curved as he waited for her in the lobby.
Wearing the blouse he had chosen, Yeon looked like a pretty gift wrapped in white and navy.
He reached out, ready to draw that gift into his arms, but Yeon slipped past his touch in a flash.
His hand hung awkwardly in the air.
“No.
You’ll wrinkle the clothes.”
At her words, his brows wrinkled instead.
He hurried after her as she stepped through the front door.
“You value the clothes more than me now?”
He teased, half-serious.
Is he actually jealous of the clothes now?
“I treasure them because they were a gift from you.”
Yeon gave him the answer he wanted and lifted her sleeve, inspecting the blouse here and there.
“Hear that?
Now I can’t resist.
Hands are allowed to wrinkle, aren’t they?”
He took her hand in his warm grasp and smiled.
Then he tightened their grip until their fingers interlaced.
“I have a company dinner tonight.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?
I never told you.”
“I don’t need words to know.”
Is he a fortune-teller or something?
How could he know what she hadn’t said?
He tugged on her hand, and his lips brushed the back of it.
She hadn’t expected the feeling that had begun with courage to snowball so quickly until it filled her chest to bursting.
Having him show his affection so openly, first thing in the morning, made her absurdly happy.
Her commute felt lighter, warmer, simply because of a man who expressed his love without hesitation.
***
“Secretary Yoo, let’s go if you’re finished up.”
Team Leader Kim, one of the dinner attendees, came to hurry her along.
He was one of the few colleagues who actually looked out for Yeon.
After double-checking that her computer had fully shut down, she got to her feet.
“Let’s head out.”
Bag in hand, Yeon followed his lead.
Team Leader Kim curved his lips into a smile.
“Everyone else already went ahead.
It’s just us now.”
“Wait a moment!
I should say goodbye to the vice president first…”
But when she turned, his office was empty.
She could have sworn he’d been there a second ago.
I’ll have to at least leave him a message, she thought, then walked out with Team Leader Kim.
They pushed through the revolving door and clattered down the steps.
To Yeon, dinners were just another extension of work.
She often thought she deserved overtime pay for attending.
“Getting used to the workload these days?”
Team Leader Kim asked.
“I’ve adjusted by now.”
“Don’t you think the vice president’s changed lately?”
“The vice president…?”
“He’s been married a few months now, hasn’t he.
Must be that.
Before, there was this sharpness about him, a coldness that kept people away.
But now, even when his face is expressionless, he feels warm somehow.”
Sharp-eyed as he was, Team Leader Kim had noticed the shift in Dohyun’s atmosphere.
Yeon had noticed too, and it worried her.
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one.
“He does seem a little softer.”
In truth, he’d softened so much he was practically melting like whipped cream.
She gave a weak smile.
She couldn’t fully agree or disagree with the observation.
“But seriously, Secretary Yoo, you didn’t know the vice president was married?
I thought for sure he’d have invited you.
You’re not just pretending you didn’t go, right?”
He nudged her with a playful, sidelong glance.
“Oh?
We’re here.”
She had never been so relieved to see a restaurant sign.
Thanks to his probing questions, the walk here had felt like ten, no, twenty miles.
“Welcome.
How many in your party?”
The staff hurried forward the moment they stepped inside.
“We have a reservation under ‘Useong Card.’”
“Right this way.”
As soon as he heard the name, the staff member nodded knowingly and led them upstairs.
At a long table, colleagues were already busy grilling meat, the air filled with chatter and sizzling sounds.
Team Leader Kim took his seat first.
“Secretary Yoo, sit here.”
Of course, the only empty spots were at the table where Yeonjung and Jihoo sat.
It was as if someone had deliberately saved the seat for her.
Usually Jihoo called her just “Yeon,” but tonight, with everyone listening, he addressed her formally.
“Secretary Yoo, what a coincidence.
Out of all these tables, this one had the empty seat.”
“Actually, Jihoo put his bag there earlier, so people just sat elsewhere.
Turns out he was saving your seat all along, huh?”
As always, Yeonjung’s nasal tone worsened when Jihoo was around.
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by reserving the seat next to me.”
Jihoo smiled faintly as he tended the grill with tongs, the perfect image of a polite junior.
“Oh, but why would anyone feel uncomfortable sitting by you, Jihoo?
I wouldn’t.”
Nobody asked.
Clearly, Yeonjung was here to feast on Jihoo’s attention rather than the meat.
“I heard the vice president’s dropping by tonight.
Usually you never see him at these dinners unless it’s the year-end or New Year’s party.
Supposedly he just stops in to settle the bill.”
Unlike other departments, their group welcomed Dohyun’s attendance.
The women loved the chance to catch his eye.
And the men loved that he’d cover the check and leave, freeing them to drink without worry.
“The vice president is coming?”
“Yeah, you didn’t know?
Weren’t you working with him today?
He didn’t even tell you?
Guess you two aren’t that close.”
Yeonjung laughed, clearly pleased by the idea.
So that’s why he already knew about the dinner this morning.
And of all the tables, it had to be Jihoo’s.
Just then, Yeonjung clapped her hands and turned to Yeon.
“Oh, right!
I noticed when you walked in—your blouse is from that luxury brand, isn’t it?
The new release!”
How on earth did she know that.
To Yeon, every white blouse looked the same.
But somehow, Yeonjung had spotted it.
“I’m into designer stuff, you know.
It looks simple, but it’s definitely not just simple.”
*Unbelievable.
Out of all the designs, she recognized this one?*
Yeon thought to just deny it.
“See here, the logo on the sleeve.
This one’s genuine.”
“I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice.”
“My eyes never miss.
And isn’t it a smaller size than you usually wear?
Did you just buy it?”
Her tone made it sound like she wanted to know whether Yeon had really bought it herself.
Yeon could hear the unspoken question: How could you afford that?
“I did just buy it.”
Technically true.
She nodded, quietly rationalizing it to herself.
“Brave of you, wearing something that expensive to a barbecue place.
The smell’s going to cling.”
If she kept talking to Yeonjung, she’d never get to eat.
Yeon stuffed a piece of perfectly grill
ed meat into her mouth and mumbled,
“I didn’t think about the smell.”
She’d only thought about showing Dohyun the blouse, not how it would reek afterward.
“Time for a drink.”
Team Leader Kim lifted his glass.
Thankfully, the atmosphere wasn’t one of forced drinking, so everyone could pace themselves.
“Jihoo, how come you don’t have a girlfriend?
You’re so handsome.”
