Every conversation from five minutes ago swept through Jeong-o’s mind like a panoramic replay of her life.
*And I did that without even knowing he was standing behind the pillar…*
She never knew she could regret her own actions—acting so insanely and fatally—this much.
Moreover.
*He’s my man, he’s my man, he’s my man…*
*Gah.* Good heavens!
She had criticized Eun-Bi Chae so much for her tall tales, only to end up spouting the exact same one herself.
Jeong-o Lee, you fool. Has this man ever been yours?
Even seven years ago, when you fell in love, he wasn’t yours.
How utterly ridiculous must those words sound to him?
“You spoke very well, I see.”
Ji-Heon, having pulled up close, teased her in a cold voice. Jeong-o covered her mouth, feeling like she might throw up the perfectly delicious abalone stone-pot rice she had just eaten.
*Good heavens. Why do you give me such trials?*
Amidst her desperate plea, Jeong-o heard the voice of God dwelling within her.
*’Run!’*
God had given Jeong-o sturdy legs specifically for times like this. Leaving Ji-Heon behind, Jeong-o sprinted toward the office. Her eyes welled up with tears.
*I need to get closer to him—I barely managed to become friends with him.*
*Why does such a disaster have to happen? Me, of all people, spouting lies.*
Rushing into the office, Jeong-o grabbed Mi-Ran’s arm and pleaded, “Team Leader, is there anything I can do for field work?”
“Hmm, let’s see? Why? Do you want to get out?”
“Yes! Please let me go, please!”
“Oh, sure, sure. The AE is going to a meeting at Sori Telecom, so go along with them.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Jeong-o hurriedly packed her bag and left the office. Avoiding Ji-Heon by taking the stairs, she hid in the first-floor lobby restroom and only emerged once she received the AE’s call.
*
Jeong-o Lee had run away. Like a flying squirrel.
Ji-Heon had hurried to chase her, but a phone call stopped him in his tracks.
After finishing the call, he rushed to the office to find Jeong-o, but she had already fled.
He wanted to tell her to come back immediately, but Ji-Heon suppressed the urge. He couldn’t rashly put a stop to her work, as this field trip would be helpful for her as well. She was bound to return eventually.
He was her superior, and given that it was fate for them to cross paths, Ji-Heon decided to enjoy the brief wait.
Just as the lunch hour was ending, someone knocked on his office door. The person who stepped inside was none other than Eun-Yeop Chae.
“Busy? I was at the office in the next building and decided to stop by.”
“Sure. Glad you came. Have a seat.”
Ji-Heon welcomed his friend warmly.
Eun-Yeop Chae, Eun-Bi Chae’s brother. Seven years ago, when Ji-Heon had his accident, Eun-Yeop, like Eun-Bi, had dedicated himself to Ji-Heon’s recovery. That was why Ji-Heon was still quite respectful toward him.
Although Eun-Yeop casually used the term “best friend” when dealing with Ji-Heon, Ji-Heon didn’t feel as comfortable with him as he did with Park Seung-Gyu.
Still, he was a decent friend who cared about his health.
But he was also a friend whose long-term closeness he couldn’t guarantee.
Because of the incidents involving Eun-Bi Chae, he had unintentionally caused her brother, Eun-Yeop, some worry, so he should have worn a serious expression. Instead, the constant thoughts of Jeong-o Lee kept him smiling.
“Why do you keep smiling?” Eun-Yeop asked, seeing Ji-Heon repeatedly suppressing his laughter.
“Just because. Something funny happened.”
“What is it?”
“Just a personal matter.”
Eun-Yeop wore a formal smile.
Actually, he was a little displeased. They were long-time friends, and many things were intertwined, yet Ji-Heon still seemed reluctant to yield that spot beside him.
He felt uneasy for some reason. It was as if something he had long desired was beginning to crumble.
Meanwhile, Ji-Heon asked, his voice as calm as if he were discussing the weather.
“Oh, by the way, did you hear that from Eun-Bi?”
“Hear what?”
“That we decided to end our fake relationship.”
“…….”
“Did you know? That Eun-Bi was going around telling people she was going to marry me.”
*Twitch.* A spasm rippled under Eun-Yeop’s eye.
Ji-Heon had a subtle smile on his face, but his eyes were terrifyingly sharp. They were eyes that demanded the truth.
“Why don’t you just get married?” Eun-Yeop suggested, trying hard to hide his nerves. “You don’t have anyone close to you anyway, do you? It’s not because she’s my sister, but Eun-Bi is truly kind and understanding…”
“Eun-Bi needs to meet her true partner, too,” Ji-Heon said, cutting Eun-Yeop off sharply. Even while pretending to consider Eun-Bi, his attitude was strictly drawing a line.
*
After returning to the office from a very productive field trip, the moment Jeong-o placed her bag at her desk, she heard devastating news from Gihun.
“Assistant Manager Lee, Director Jeong says he wants to see you.”
“Crazy!”
Jeong-o blurted out before she realized it. The team members, unaware of Jeong-o’s grave situation, chuckled.
*I’ll resign.*
*I’ll change jobs.*
*I’ll end everything.*
Jeong-o searched for a resignation letter template online and printed it out.
Seeing Jeong-o scribbling on the paper, Manager Mr. Yeong-gwang Park asked, “What are you doing?”
“I feel more secure if I keep my resignation letter close to my heart.”
Assistant Manager Go Eun-Ju tilted her head toward Jeong-o. “What did you do wrong again, Assistant Manager?”
Jeong-o, having folded the resignation letter twice and tucked it into her pocket, looked at Eun-Ju and smirked.
“Assistant Manager Go Eun-Ju, you know I really like you, right?”
“……Let’s go.”
Perhaps Jeong-o’s desperate gaze had worked; for some reason, Eun-Ju agreed to accompany her immediately.
Gihun also pushed his chair back and approached. “Should I come too?”
“Oh. Then I’d be grateful.”
“But if we all move without a specific reason, wouldn’t the Director find it disrespectful? I don’t think he’d like that.”
“It’s fine. I don’t like him either. And I actually have something I need to report,” Eun-Ju answered Gihun’s question cynically.
The trio headed to Ji-Heon’s office. With Eun-Ju on the left and Gihun on the right, Jeong-o stood bravely before Ji-Heon.
Despite Ji-Heon’s perplexed expression, Jeong-o stood her ground vigorously.
“Director, you called for me, so I’m here.”
“I didn’t call for the two people next to you as well.”
“Yes. Assistant Manager Go Eun-Ju also said she had a report, so we came together. Gihun Song will also be listening to the discussion.”
Ji-Heon, wearing a cold expression at Jeong-o’s audacity, asked Eun-Ju, “What is the report?”
“It’s the design draft for the new Dawon Liquor product package,” Eun-Ju replied, handing over the document. Ji-Heon flipped through it casually and said dryly, “This will do. Anything else?”
“No.”
*Ah, no, Assistant Manager Go Eun-Ju…*
At Eun-Ju’s prompt, unhesitating answer, Jeong-o felt a chill run down her forehead.
The air was hot. She felt someone’s intense gaze. Jeong-o swallowed hard; she felt like she was being hunted.
*Should I hit him on the back of the head? Wouldn’t today’s memory disappear if I did that?*
*”He’s my man.”*
If she could just erase those three syllables from his memory, she might survive this. It was a tragedy that while she had to strive to help him recover his past memories, she was desperate to erase this particular one.
“Director, what was it that you wanted to say to me…….” Jeong-o asked, drawing out the end of her sentence.
“I heard you went to Sori Telecom. Does it align with the current production direction?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Yes. The CEO mentioned he likes storytelling. I think it should go well if we prepare as planned.”
“I see.”
*Tap, tap.*
With a short response, he tapped his fingertips on the table.
She felt the hairs on her entire body stand on end. Heat rushed to the tip of her nose. His fingertips. His voice. His gaze.
None of it was a direct threat, yet Jeong-o felt paralyzed.
*This man is angry.*
*I dragged a man who already suffered because of Eun-Bi Chae’s lies into another world of tall tales. I shouldn’t have said such a thing.*
Jeong-o lost the will to resist.
“Then, I’ll call you again next time.”
He said politely and returned the document. Jeong-o, along with the others, remained there, unable to move. She walked out with heavy steps.
And then, at that final step.
*Click.*
The moment the door closed behind them, Gihun turned around. Only he and Eun-Ju had emerged.
“Huh? Assistant Manager Lee didn’t come out.”
“I suppose she has something urgent to talk about.”
“Shouldn’t we be keeping watch?”
“We’ve done enough. Let’s go.”
Eun-Ju walked ahead toward the hallway.
The door locked quietly from the inside.
…It was locked.
That silence was filled with suffocating tension. Jin-Seo, who had remained in the office of her own volition, found herself trapped between the entrance and Ji-Heon’s body.
She spoke cautiously.
“Director, about what I said earlier…”
“Whose man am I?”
However, he cut her off. As expected, he had pounced on that phrase first. She felt so sorry that she couldn’t bring herself to speak any further.
“If you said I was yours, you have to take responsibility.”
Jin-Seo slowly shook her head.
*No, no, you’re not mine. Ji-Heon is his own person…*
“What gave you the courage to say something like that?”
Ji-Heon tossed out random words, observing her reaction. Over time, he had learned her habits. When she was at a loss for words, she would start racking her brain. There were moments when her pupils shifted left and right, as if she were tallying numbers in her head.
He wanted to seize that moment. He wanted her to think only of him.
Ji-Heon quickly lowered his head and kissed her deeply before pulling away.
He didn’t ask. It was she who had made him someone else’s. He had nothing more to say than, *I am yours, so you can’t hold me accountable.*
*I’m your man, after all.*
After the brief kiss, the face that looked up at him was dazed. Jeong Ji-Heon, the ultimate opportunist, would never let this moment pass. He lowered his head again.
*Tap.*
But, just as she had done once before in front of the tonkatsu restaurant, she smacked his lips.
Jin-Seo immediately realized that something had gone wrong. Her plan to start as friends had crumbled. She had been so busy guarding herself—because he had shown her so many sides different from seven years ago—that she had failed to consider the simple truth:
That this man still regarded her as a woman.
That he was approaching her in a way he had never shown to Eun-Bi.
Her eyes welled up with tears in her confusion. Still, she couldn’t let her guard down. She was a realist.
*Tap.*
After smacking his lips once more—her body moving faster than her words—she pushed him away.
He swayed backward as easily as she pushed him; he truly seemed to be hers. It was almost too easy, which only made her more flustered.
*I need to at least keep my head straight.*
“You’re the one who’s wrong,” she argued earnestly, her eyes filled with fierce determination. “No matter how urgent the situation was, you shouldn’t have done that. It’s not like you can have a fake lover but not a fake marriage promise. Neither is acceptable; both are wrong.”
*You were wrong from the start. You shouldn’t have done it. Your decision must have been nothing but false hope for Eun-Bi.*
Pushed to the edge of the sofa, he leaned back against the cushions. As he tilted his body, his eyes met hers. Even though she was being so serious, he was still smiling.
The gentle smile that seemed to embrace the entire world dug deep into her heart. She couldn’t help but feel her resolve weakening.
Flustered, she began to stutter.
“So, I mean… you need to practice self-reflection until the Eun-Bi situation is resolved.”
“I understand.”
“Again, again! You shouldn’t do that. Saying you understand so nonchalantly, lying, and then enjoying it when you get caught.”
Even as she fumed, his expression remained truly amused.
“I understand.”
“Hah. Really. This is not the time to be laughing. What do you understand?”
“I know.”
“……”
“That Jin-Seo’s speech has become more informal.”
With that reply, he moved to kiss her again. His persistence in closing his eyes and doggedly searching for her lips was no different from seven years ago.