Jeong-o didn’t hear Ji-Heon’s voice because she was busy trying to suppress her cough.
Ji-Heon stood up and stepped toward her to check on her, but Jeong-o held out a hand to stop him, shouting, “Whoa! Don’t come any closer!”
“…….”
“Don’t touch me.”
She brandished the warning as if facing a wild beast, then bolted away before he could react.
She ran in a random direction, blindly heading further away from the tasting venue.
However, Jeong-o soon realized it would be better to just turn around and leave.
Eun-Bi Chae would be at the venue too, and nothing good would come from causing an unnecessary scene.
At the same time, a surge of resentment welled up inside her.
*To think the father of my child had such wandering hands.*
If she had been just a few seconds slower, she would have been kissed.
Come to think of it, he had acted inappropriately during their meal, too. He had paused and pulled his hand back quickly, but he had definitely touched her cheek. She had stayed still because he’d acted as if there was something on her face, but his attitude had been unmistakably strange.
*‘It was on purpose during the last meeting, too.’*
She recalled the Dawon Liquor production meeting from two weeks ago. Ji-Heon, who was sitting next to her, had been restless for some reason. After acting so bothersome, he dropped his pen on the floor and grabbed her hand when she bent down to pick it up.
That, too, must have been a scheme of his.
*‘And I, not knowing he was this kind of man….’*
While she was thankful a thousand times over that Ye-Na was born, she deeply regretted the time she had been infatuated with him.
If only she had known his true colors sooner, she might have been hurt a little less.
But regret was useless. The past could not be changed.
She would have to be more careful in the future.
*
Seung-Gyu was feeling anxious.
As the days passed and Monday, June 7th, drew closer, he still hadn’t managed to persuade his friend.
Moreover, because he had brought up the subject of Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee in Ji-Heon’s office, it seemed something had gone wrong with Eun-Bi Chae as well.
He felt too ashamed to ask about the Monday schedule again.
*‘Ji-Heon Jeong isn’t the type to come back to this house just to play with someone else’s kids….’*
Since both the children and his wife firmly believed that Ji-Heon would visit again on Monday, Seung-Gyu couldn’t help but feel even more desperate.
“Oh, goodness….”
While Seung-Gyu was playing with the kids, deep in thought, Jin-Seo groaned and leaned against the bed.
“Doyun didn’t nap today. I’ve been wrestling with him all day, and my whole body is aching.”
Seung-Gyu rushed over to Jin-Seo and began massaging her shoulders.
Jin-Seo twisted her body as the children left for the living room, chasing paper airplanes.
“It’s fine. Go watch the kids.”
“They’re playing well.”
Seung-Gyu glanced vaguely toward the living room and returned to his massage. He needed to tell his wife, at the very least, that he hadn’t convinced Ji-Heon and that he probably wouldn’t be coming on Monday.
“Um, Jin-Seo….”
*Vrrr, vrrr.*
Just then, Seung-Gyu’s phone vibrated.
Wait, who could it be? Could it be his lovely friend, Ji-Heon Jeong?
Seung-Gyu stopped massaging and hurriedly answered the call.
“Oh! Buddy! What’s up?”
[There’s something I want to ask.]
Ji-Heon’s voice sounded unusually serious.
“Sure. Ask me anything.”
[Is there a rumor in the company that I’m getting married?]
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
[It seems there’s a rumor like that. Between me and Eun-Bi Chae.]
Seung-Gyu tilted his head. In fact, it hadn’t even been a year since Seung-Gyu transferred to Max Planning from another Seryeon Group subsidiary. As a member of the HR team, he had heard more rumors than Ji-Heon, but there were limits to what he knew.
“I’ve heard talk that you two are dating. But I haven’t heard anything about marriage.”
[Got it. Thanks.]
Ji-Heon hung up the phone abruptly.
Seung-Gyu stared blankly at the disconnected line.
*What a heartless friend.* Did he just say what he wanted and cut the line? Today, of all days, Seung-Gyu felt resentful of his callousness.
Just then, Jin-Seo, who had been groaning on the bed, sat up.
“Honey. Doesn’t it feel weird?”
“What’s weird?”
“It’s too quiet.”
Following Jin-Seo’s cue, Seung-Gyu held his breath. The house was as quiet as if the children had vanished.
It was actually more reassuring when the kids were loud and playing. Real trouble usually started when it got quiet.
Seung-Gyu and Jin-Seo rushed to the living room.
“Argh!”
In the corner of the living room, Do-Bin, who had been eating honey with his younger brother Doyun, dropped everything and bolted away with a scream. Seeing his older brother run, Doyun took the hint and followed suit.
The honey jar was spilled.
The children’s hands and feet were covered in sticky honey.
They were smearing it all over the floor as they ran.
“Hey! Don’t run!” Seung-Gyu shouted, but it was useless.
“I said don’t run!”
“Dad’s just going to scold me!” Do-Bin argued back sharply while running.
“If you do something wrong, you should get scolded! Now stop running, you little rascal!”
The son was soon caught in his father’s hands.
“You little brat!”
Seung-Gyu hoisted Do-Bin up and took him to the bathroom to wash him off, scolding him all the while.
“Did I tell you to take things from the kitchen or not?”
“I asked for honey, but you wouldn’t give it to me!”
“So you took it secretly? And then you walked all over the floor with it? Huh?”
Jin-Seo immediately hauled Doyun to the bathroom as well. Seung-Gyu cleaned Doyun up until he was spotless.
Jin-Seo let out a weary sigh and started cleaning up the mess in the living room. Her energy drained with every sticky step she took.
Lately, a sense of melancholy had been visiting her for no reason.
This house never had a single quiet day.
She loved the “honey-dripping” looks of her favorite actors, so why was it so tragic when honey actually dripped in real life?
And it was her own son who had caused it.
Jin-Seo said to Do-Bin, who had just come out of the wash.
“You. Ye-Na is forbidden from coming over on Monday.”
Seung-Gyu’s eyes lit up at Jin-Seo’s harsh punishment. *’That’s it!’* he thought.
To Do-Bin, it was a cataclysmic disciplinary action.
“Mom! No!”
Terrified, Do-Bin fell to his knees, pressed his palms together, and pleaded toward Jin-Seo.
“Mom, please, anything but that!”
When Jin-Seo turned her head away, Do-Bin clung to Seung-Gyu.
“Dad! Mom says she won’t invite Ye-Na. Dad. Dad.”
“I don’t know about that….”
As Seung-Gyu tried to avoid the situation, Do-Bin burst into tears.
Seung-Gyu just wanted to stay out of it. However.
“If you want to invite Ye-Na, don’t cause any more trouble. Understand?”
Weakened by her son’s tears, the mother granted him clemency. Do-Bin wiped his tears and answered loudly, “Yes!”
Seung-Gyu’s shoulders slumped powerlessly.
*
Jeong-o took a long way around to reach the tasting venue. She had been so furious that she walked fast, so she didn’t arrive that late. It was a pub located on the first and second floors of a building that hadn’t been there when she was in college.
Mr. Yeong-gwang Park, who was standing at the entrance, greeted her.
“Assistant Manager Lee, you’re here? Did you have dinner?”
“I did. Where are the others?”
“They’ll be here soon. Shall we go in?”
Jeong-o entered the pub with Mr. Yeong-gwang Park.
Canned beers were stacked like mountains in the wide hall. It was a tasting event, but it felt like a party. Before drinking any beer, Jeong-o looked around.
Had Ji-Heon arrived yet?
As Jeong-o scanned the room, Mr. Yeong-gwang Park pointed behind the beer tower with his eyes.
People from Production Team 1 were surrounding a man wearing a red tie. Team Leader Chanseon An looked troubled for some reason.
“Assistant Manager Lee, see that man? The one holding two cans in one hand.”
“Yes. You mean the one with the red tie, right?”
“Be careful.”
“…….”
“He’s a very, uh, ‘Rere-Rere’ person.”
“Rere-Rere?”
“Someone who has crossed the line and gone crazy.”
“Ahaha. That’s fresh. Rere-Rere.”
“I’m not joking. I’m serious. Be careful.”
For the gentle Mr. Yeong-gwang Park to call someone crazy—she could imagine how difficult of a person he was.
Despite Mr. Yeong-gwang Park’s warning, she couldn’t avoid an encounter with the client.
Next to the client, Eunbi, who had been standing there with a bored expression, called out to Jeong-o as she passed by.
“Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to greet him? He’s our client.”
*Ah, I was planning to greet him once our whole team arrived.*
Jeong-o had no choice but to head toward the client. Fortunately, Mr. Yeong-gwang Park followed her.
“General Manager, this is Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee, a new copywriter on our Planning & Production Division 1 team. She’s the same age as me, but still an assistant manager.”
“Oh, really? What have you been doing while our Section Chief Chae got promoted?”
At Eunbi’s sour introduction, the client asked with a sarcastic tone. Jeong-o emptied her mind and lifted the corners of her lips into a smile.
“Hello. I’m Jeong-o Lee, a copywriter at Max Planning.”
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Hm. Then you can work even harder.”
The client filled a clear cup to the brim with beer from a can and handed it to Jeong-o. It was his way of making sure she drank it all.
It wasn’t that the drink itself was difficult, but…
“If you drink this, you’re dating me~”
At the moment she held the glass, his words left Jeong-o dazed.
*Is he telling me to drink it, or not?*
Mr. Yeong-gwang Park stepped in.
“Hahaha. General Manager, you are married, aren’t you?”
“Eh, Mr. Yeong-gwang Park. Wives are one thing, lovers are another. Don’t you know that? With such a beautiful woman in front of me, how could I think of my wife?”
*Ugh.*
Jeong-o gritted her teeth inwardly, but she gave a bitter smile and took a sip of the beer.
“Oh my, Assistant Manager Lee drank that so quickly? You must like the General Manager!”
Eunbi cheered, clapping her hands. At Eunbi’s words, the client’s face lit up as well.
Mr. Yeong-gwang Park snatched the glass Jeong-o was holding and downed the rest of it.
“I drank some too, so you’ll have to date me, General Manager. Hehe.”
“Ehey, what are you doing? I’m not interested in men.”
While the client’s voice grew louder, Mr. Park gestured to Jeong-o with a flick of his hand. *Run away quickly.*
Jeong-o took the hint, stepped away from the table, and headed to the nearby restroom.
She was washing her hands after using the stall when Eunbi walked in. Eunbi stood at the sink next to Jeong-o and said, looking into the mirror:
“You looked good with the General Manager.”
“That kind of talk is unpleasant. Don’t say things like that to me, or anyone else.”
“Why? He’s a married man, so isn’t it fine? I thought you liked stealing other people’s men.”
At Eunbi’s words, even though Jeong-o felt it was unfair, she couldn’t snap back immediately because of what had happened an hour ago.
Fortunately, Eunbi’s phone rang loudly, preventing any further pointless conversation.
Eunbi went “Oh?” in surprise before answering the call.
“Yes. Mother. Have you had dinner?”
Eunbi greeted her with a respectful tone, her voice rising an octave.
Jeong-o, who was about to leave, froze for a split second.
The person Eunbi could respectfully call “Mother.”
For some reason, she was certain it was Ji-Heon Jeong’s mother.
Her heart pounded.
“I came for work. One of the companies I’m in charge of is a liquor company. There’s a tasting event for a new product today.”
Jeong-o opened her bag and took out some cosmetics.
“You know I can’t drink. But since it’s work, I’m just going to sample a little and head home early. Ji-Heon Oppa already finished work early, but I don’t see him. I thought he left early to come to the tasting event.”
The conversation continued while Jeong-o pretended to touch up her makeup.
“You talked to Oppa? When?”
Eunbi seemed to be getting along quite well with Ji-Heon’s mother.
That was only natural.
“Ah… Did Oppa say that? He said he would talk to you soon?”
However, the voice that had been so high and proud, as if trying to show off to Jeong-o, suddenly turned dark and small.
Of course, that tone didn’t last long.
“I guess he’s going to talk about the wedding. He mentioned it to me briefly before.”
Eunbi pursed her lips toward Jeong-o and continued the call.
Wedding.
Even though she knew it all already, Jeong-o felt a sharp sting in her chest, as if a piece of sandpaper were hidden somewhere deep inside.