Chapter 10
. Reunion
Gyeon-hee stared at her hand, sprawled on the floor.
The rubber gloves she wore to clean up filth were not just loose—they hung off her hands.
“Uh, I’m unclogging the restroom right now, so could you please wait a bit before using it?”
It was her voice. He didn’t need to see her face to know.
“Sorry, sir, but—”
“…What a sight.”
Perhaps she recognized his voice. Her movement as she lifted her head was unbearably slow.
“G-Gyeon-hee.”
Her eyes were filled with shock and pain. She quickly pressed her hand to the floor and stood up.
The throbbing in her body seemed to transfer straight into his wrist.
“What… what are you doing here?”
But she forced herself to act like nothing was wrong and faced him.
“I should be asking that.”
“…Just helping out with something.”
Seon-i hid both hands behind her back, unable to meet his eyes. He silently watched her for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“Looks good on you. That look.”
His words pierced her chest like a sharp blade.
Gyeon-hee could tell that his words had hurt her.
In fact, he had chosen them precisely to wound her.
With that, Gyeon-hee left the restroom.
Choi, the manager, rushed over with a pale face when he saw him emerge.
“Oh, sir. The toilet broke down, so—”
“…Why is that woman doing this?”
Gyeon-hee asked in a flat, detached tone.
“Ah, well, she’s from a partner company. She begged us to accept a delivery, and when the toilet broke, she insisted on fixing it herself.”
Choi twisted his words as much as he could to make himself look better.
“Squalid.”
“Pardon?”
Gyeon-hee didn’t answer Choi’s questioning tone and walked straight out of the store.
If he stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure what he might do.
“Haa…”
Left alone, Seon-i let out a long sigh.
When she pressed the toilet lever, the water rushed down as if it had never been clogged.
“…You couldn’t have done that a little earlier?”
She muttered bitterly to herself before heading to the sink.
She peeled off the soiled rubber gloves and turned on the faucet.
As she absentmindedly washed her hands, her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror: empty eyes, disheveled hair, and an exhausted face.
“Looks good on you. That look.”
His cold voice echoed in her ears. Seon-i pressed a hand to her chest, as if to calm the stifling pressure there.
The tightness wouldn’t go away. Her throat constricted, something threatened to burst out, but she clenched her teeth and forced it down.
She splashed cold water onto her face, trying to hide her reddening eyes.
Screech—!
Gyeon-hee’s car came to a harsh stop.
His wrist still throbbed, and for some reason, his chest hurt as though something kept striking it.
“Ugh, what now…”
He furrowed his brow at the irritating pain.
“Is she self-harming or what?”
He muttered, annoyed, then stepped out of the car.
“Phew.”
He exhaled into the air, but his mood didn’t lighten in the slightest.
As he leaned against the car, his eyes fell on a restaurant across the street—the Sky Lounge.
The same restaurant he had once gone to with Seon-i, years ago.
Suddenly, the memory of her watching his face intently throughout dinner surfaced.
As she cut into her steak, Seon-i kept sneaking glances at his face.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
he asked while chewing.
“I’m just curious about something.”
“Curious?”
“Yes. I don’t even know your name, your title, or your age. Now that I think about it, it’s kind of strange. Working together for weeks with someone I know nothing about.”
Her words made him smirk faintly.
“Ask away.”
“Well… I might be rude asking this when we barely know each other, but…”
She carefully continued,
“What’s your job title?”
“My title?”
He frowned slightly, looking at her.
“Why do you want to know that?”
“No reason, just…”
“Yeah, that’s a rude question.”
He didn’t answer, instead putting food in his mouth, his brows knit in irritation.
“Then… what about your salary?”
At her second question, he set his fork down.
‘So she’s like the rest…’
He chewed his salad hard, then let out a hollow laugh. He figured it was better to just be blunt and cut it off.
“My salary is t—”
He was about to say two hundred million won (his pay before becoming CEO).
“Two thousand range?”
Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed. Startled, he froze, staring at her with a frown.
“That can’t be right…”
The disappointment on her face made him laugh bitterly.
Picking up a napkin, he wiped his mouth. His appetite had vanished completely.
As he set the napkin down and began to stand, she spoke.
“Don’t leave. Come to my company.”
“?”
He blinked at her words.
“If you’re in the two-thousand range, I can get you more. I may not look it, but I’m a recognized team leader.”
He was too baffled to reply.
“I’ve seen your work—you’ll go far. You’re creative, a great problem solver, and very driven. Well, your teamwork could use some improvement, but…”
She smiled cautiously, not wanting to offend him.
“For someone like you, two thousand is absurd. What do you think? Want to consider it?”
“…So the salary question was for that.”
“Oh—yeah. Sorry if I was too direct. But if I wanted to offer you a job, I had to know, right? I couldn’t just pitch that to someone already making a fortune. Even I don’t make that much.”
She laughed awkwardly.
‘What is with this woman…?’
He had never met anyone like her in his life.
“Just think about it.”
She held out her hand for a handshake.
A pale, slender hand—so fragile it looked like it could break with the slightest pressure—reached toward him.
Gyeon-hee just stared at her hand.
In front of the neighborhood convenience store.
Seon-i studied her own hand, then slowly opened and closed it. It throbbed, but thankfully it wasn’t badly injured.
Ding! The doorbell chimed as Eun-young came out of the store.
“Let me see.”
She sat down, furrowed her brows, and pulled Seon-i’s hand toward her. She gently applied the pain relief patch she had just bought to the swollen wrist.
“Why did you even go there?”
“You had a meeting, sis. When the boss is out, the team leader covers, right?”
“Ugh, you’re too soft-hearted. You can still smile after that?”
“What, should I cry instead?”
“Yes, at least cry. Why do you always smile when you’re rotting inside?”
“I’m not rotting.”
“Forget it. If you listened to me, you wouldn’t have gone there in the first place.”
Eun-young sighed, shaking her head.
“It was nothing.”
“Cleaning a toilet is nothing? What kind of man lets that happen?”
Seon-i left out any mention of Gyeon-hee, only telling the toilet part.
She knew Eun-young would eventually find out anyway.
“Boss Choi pulling stunts is nothing new.”
Seon-i tried to laugh it off as she reached to open her beer can.
“Ah…”
Her wrist hurt too much to manage, so Eun-young opened it for her.
“Unbelievable. You drive me crazy, you know that?”
Unable to hold it in, Eun-young gulped down her own beer.
“Hey—look, there’s a new animal hospital.”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
Seon-i craned her neck to look where Eun-young pointed.
“Blue Rose Animal Hospital?”
A clinic that hadn’t been there months ago had suddenly appeared.
“Think it’ll survive here?”
“Worry about yourself first.”
“True.”
Seon-i laughed lightly, and Eun-young let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Want to drink ourselves silly tonight?”
“Sigh… fine. No one’s waiting for us at home anyway. Let’s drink till we drop. No backing out.”
“Of course. Cheers!”
Seon-i lifted her beer with a playful smile.
The sharp bitterness stung her throat as the beer slid down.
“Looks good on you. That look.”
His voice, his tone, his expression—she couldn’t forget a single thing.
Tonight, she just wanted to get drunk.
As she drank with her eyes closed, her eyelids burned.
The next morning.
Dressed for work, Gyeon-hee came downstairs.
Secretary Kwon, already waiting, sprang to his feet.
“You’re up, sir.”
He bowed at a sharp ninety degrees, but Gyeon-hee’s face showed no change.
“And you are?”
His cold, unfamiliar tone made Kwon panic.
“Ah, come on… just give me one more chance. I know I messed up.”
“I’ve given you dozens.”
Adjusting his clothes in the mirror, Gyeon-hee’s voice was firm.
“Just this once, I swear.”
“Damn it!”
As Kwon burst out in frustration, Gyeon-hee’s expression suddenly stiffened.
“Ah…”
He grimaced, clutching his head.
“…What’s wrong?”
Kwon asked nervously.
“Quiet. Feels like my head’s splitting.”
He pressed his temples hard, but it didn’t help. His stomach churned and burned at the same time.
“What’s wrong with my stomach now…”
“Your stomach too?”
Unable to answer, Gyeon-hee slumped onto the bed, pressing his head.
“Get the car.”
“What?”
“Get the car ready.”
“O-okay.”
Kwon rushed out to the garage, with Gyeon-hee staggering after him, brow tightly furrowed.
At Dr. Seo’s office.
“Hm.”
Dr. Seo let out a shallow sigh as he examined him.
“Do you feel nauseous?”
“Yes.”
“And your head feels like it’s splitting?”
“…Yes.”
Gyeon-hee looked at him with tense eyes.
“Is it something serious?”
“Well…”
Dr. Seo hesitated, then spoke.
“It sounds like… a hangover.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you drink yesterday?”
“Sigh. I didn’t touch a drop.”
Frustrated, Gyeon-hee exhaled sharply.
“Strange. The symptoms are textbook hangover.”
“You think I’d come to a hospital over a hangover? My time is worth gold.”
Unable to suggest anything else, Dr. Seo tilted his head.
“The human body has something called nociceptors. They’re sensory receptors that detect pain. They exist so your body can protect itself when it’s injured or inflamed.”
Suddenly launching into a lecture, Dr. Seo made Gyeon-hee frown.
“There are two to four million of them in the body. But everyone perceives pain differently. Some feel excruciating pain even from minor injuries, while others barely react.”
“So you’re saying I’m being a baby?”
“That’s not what I mean…”
“Forget it.”
Gyeon-hee rose sharply, brows furrowed.
“Sigh.”
Outside, he exhaled in frustration.
His head still felt like it was splitting, his stomach churned and ached.
“A hangover? Quack doctor.”
Shaking his head, he was suddenly struck by a thought.
“No way… Cheon-seon?”
A chilling sense of dread crept through his body.
