Even after leaving Ji-Heon’s office, Jeong-o’s heart continued to race. She felt dizzy, as if her blood were pumping at an accelerated pace.
If his secretary hadn’t pointed out her next schedule, she might have remained frozen in that office. The mere thought made her knees go weak.
*‘No, how did he manage to spend seven years becoming so…’*
…lewd?
Even the way he looked at her made her breath hitch, and his persistent gaze and touch had left her completely rattled.
According to a conversation between Ji-Heon and Eun-Bi that she had secretly overheard, Eun-Bi claimed Ji-Heon hadn’t been with anyone.
Did he not have a steady girlfriend, but instead just played around? Was he living a licentious life, flirting with countless women?
For some reason, she felt that might have been the case. Otherwise, she couldn’t explain his fox-like behavior.
It wasn’t just his fox-like nature; it felt as if so much had changed. Or, could she even call it a change?
It was as if his existing abilities had skyrocketed, making him seem like an entirely different person.
Stronger, more aggressive, more persistent, and more lewd.
In any case, Ji-Heon Jeong had changed a lot. And yet, amidst all that, flashes of the man from seven years ago would surface, catching her off guard time and again.
Because some things had changed while others hadn’t, Jeong-o felt as if she were pinned down, unable to move. She was surprised at herself, just as she had been once before.
In truth, Jeong-o had once resented him so deeply that she had tried hard to erase all memories of Ji-Heon Jeong. She must have succeeded in forgetting quite a bit, just as she had strived to.
Nevertheless, there were things etched into her body that could never be erased. Just as a retired ballerina might perform the same choreography to the same music decades later, she realized she was reacting to his actions in the very same way.
*‘Ji-Heon must be feeling very pleased right now. I moved just the way he wanted.’*
She felt a flicker of indignation. She had given him satisfaction against her own will.
Regardless, she couldn’t turn back time; what was done was done. Now, Jeong-o had to think about what lay ahead. She had to use her head.
*Mrs. Jang dislikes me. That much is certain.*
If she already knew about Yena, her approaching Ji-Heon might irritate her. She might even try to harm Yena.
But what if she didn’t know about Yena’s existence and was only finding out now? She might hope that Jeong-o would stay away, intending only to take Yena.
*‘I need to see a lawyer first.’*
In the off chance that Mrs. Jang tried to take Yena, she had to move discreetly.
As she turned the various possibilities over in her mind, her phone vibrated.
*‘Oh!’*
As soon as Jeong-o checked the text message on her screen, she shut it off immediately.
– *I’m coming back to the office. Let’s leave work together. I’ll drive you home.*
This man really had no sense of caution!
It seemed that giving Ji-Heon a warning was the top priority.
– *No! I’m going home alone! And while we’re at the office, absolutely not! Let’s not have any personal contact! And don’t make it obvious at the office either!!!!!!*
With a sigh, Jeong-o pressed send.
It felt like a countdown had begun. Thinking about the future made her heart race, but it also filled her with dread.
*
Secret office meetings notwithstanding, now that he had parted from her, he wanted to see her again immediately.
Ji-Heon could think of nothing but Jeong-o throughout his outside meetings.
He had lived a life where he often looked elsewhere, yet his work never suffered. As Seung-Gyu said, if he put 80% effort into his work, there were never any setbacks. He could manage smoothly even while expending only a little energy.
It felt as though the free time he had once found tedious was suddenly filled to the brim. It felt as if a heart that had been asleep for a long time had finally awakened. That unfamiliar sensation even gave his work a new vitality.
“Director, you seem to have some good news. You look unusually bright today.”
An executive from Seryeon Food, their client, asked Ji-Heon kindly. Usually, he would have brushed it off with a casual “Not at all,” but today, Ji-Heon responded pleasantly.
“Do I look that way?”
“Yes. You look very happy.”
“Thank you. My staff has been working hard, so I’ve been in a good mood lately.”
Ji-Heon didn’t utter a word about his private life and gave all the credit to his staff.
While on the move, he sent a text to Jeong-o, and she replied with a request containing ten exclamation marks. It was a cute message that made him feel as if he could hear her voice beside him.
Ji-Heon agreed with her plea not to make their relationship obvious at the office. With the situation involving Eun-Bi Chae, and given that Eun-Bi mistakenly believed Jeong-o Lee had wedged herself between them, he couldn’t afford to reveal his feelings carelessly.
While he was momentarily lost in thoughts of Jeong-o, the executive spoke up again.
“Ah, Team Leader Chanseon An made a suggestion to me a while back, but I said I’d look into it and then forgot. It was a very compelling opinion. Could I perhaps ask about it now?”
“Is that so? I’ll ask right away.”
Ji-Heon picked up his phone immediately to call the Team Leader of Planning & Production Division 1. However, Chanseon An didn’t pick up.
Ji-Heon thought to ask other team members and called the extension for Planning & Production Division 1, but paused and hung up. Since it was a nearby team, he figured it would be fine to ask Jeong-o.
– *Is Team Leader Chanseon An not at his desk? I can’t seem to reach him.*
He sent the text, and she replied immediately.
– *He’s not. Should I tell him to contact you the moment I see him?*
– *Yes. Please do. So, is there nobody at the Planning & Production Division 1 desks right now?*
Even with the formal text messages going back and forth, Ji-Heon found himself smiling. He found this more interesting than the conversation with the executive, and he grew greedy for more replies. That greed was tucked into his question mark. However—
– *There is nobody at all.*
Ji-Heon blinked at the strange four-word sentence.
A moment later, new text messages from Jeong-o arrived in succession.
– *There isn’t there isn’t there isn’t!!!!*
– *I said there is nobody at all!!!!!*
*Hmph.*
A laugh he couldn’t hold back escaped his lips.
Reading the text messages, it felt rowdy. It was as if he could hear her shouting. She must have made a typo while dealing with work in a rush, and sent the correction in a hurry, embarrassed by the mistake.
“You must have a lot of fun things happening,” the executive said, watching Ji-Heon’s expression.
“A staff member made a typo in a text message, and it’s just so funny.”
“Oh, you were laughing at a staff member’s typo?”
“I apologize.”
Ji-Heon barely managed to suppress his laughter, sat up straight, and composed himself. The executive smiled as if he found it pleasant.
“Not at all. Other executives tend to scold their staff if they make typos in text messages. As expected, Director Jeong is different. I’m quite envious of your division’s staff.”
Thanks to Jeong-o Lee, he received an unexpected compliment.
*
Jeong-o kicked her legs out into thin air, thinking back on her mistake.
She had been acting like a zombie the whole time, and then she’d even made a typo in a text to Ji-Heon. She wanted to be a sharp, smart, and flawless person; she felt pathetic for showing those gaps to Ji-Heon. She even worried she might accidentally reveal Yena’s existence first at this rate.
Eun-Bi Chae didn’t show up for overtime tonight either. She had acted as if she would work so hard in the morning, but by evening, she left, claiming she was sick again.
That was understandable.
*‘I pushed her so hard, so her feelings must have been hurt.’*
That didn’t mean she had any intention of apologizing or taking back her words, but she did feel a little pity for Eun-Bi’s situation.
“Assistant Manager Lee, regarding the idea for the subsidiary cooperation project that the Director mentioned earlier today. I’ve come up with a few options; what do you think?”
A staff member from the planning team handed Jeong-o a thick document. Jeong-o reviewed it and gave her input.
“These are all so good! The ideas are sparkling. I think it would be best to show the Director everything we have for now. Since he said he would propose it himself, I think he will be able to judge the practicality.”
“Ah, thank you. If I show this to him, could I perhaps…”
“Are we going to have to work overtime?”
“Do you want to?”
“No. Not at all.”
The entry-level AE shook his head so hard his jowls wobbled.
Speak of the devil—Ji-Heon appeared down the hallway. He had just returned from an outside meeting at this late hour.
Jin-seo’s expression stiffened.
She contemplated taking small, careful steps to sneak away, but Ji-Heon stopped right in front of her and addressed the staff nearby.
“Let’s not stay any later tonight. Let’s pack it up; it’s already late.”
It was 8:00 PM. The employees, who had expected to work at least until 10:00 PM, brightened up. Even the team leader couldn’t argue with a director’s order. Miran said to everyone, “Let’s wrap things up and head home for today.”
At Miran’s command, the team members answered energetically and began tidying their desks. Jin-seo went over to the meeting room to clean up the mess left behind. Ji-Heon followed her there.
“You’re a copywriter. Shouldn’t you at least be able to send a text properly?”
Jin-seo’s hands, which had been packing up her laptop, froze.
She had told him never to make it obvious at the office, so the way he was teasing her with a slick, taunting look while keeping a careful distance—unlike in his office—was truly infuriating.
“Or, maybe you wrote it correctly and I’m just too dense to understand it?”
She glared at him sulkily, so Ji-Heon stepped forward and took her laptop.
“We only need to keep it under wraps at the office, right?”
“…….”
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Ji-Heon, carrying the other employees’ laptops as well, headed out of the meeting room first.
Jin-seo sighed. She had clearly warned him via text that she would be going home alone, but it was as if this man was doing it on purpose or had completely forgotten. Jin-seo hurried after him. Ji-Heon turned back and smiled as if urging her to hurry up.
But Jin-seo couldn’t follow any further. She saw Eun-Bi Chae walking toward them from the front.
Where had she been hiding before reappearing at this hour?
When she’d left for the day, she had looked half-dead, but now, Eun-Bi Chae had appeared with a face that looked completely recovered. She said to everyone, “Oh, are you leaving already? I took some medicine and got my energy back, so I came back. I just felt so bad about not being able to participate.”
“Oh, you should’ve just rested. Why come in so late? Everyone is leaving, so you should head home and rest too, Manager Chae.”
Miran said to her kindly.
“I suppose I should. I’ll work hard starting tomorrow. I’m sorry, Team Leader.”
Eun-Bi greeted them brightly.
*She’s really good at mooching off others’ success, and she’s quite lucky, too,* Jin-seo thought as she returned to her desk.
Ji-Heon didn’t even glance at Eun-Bi, simply placing the laptops he’d brought on the Production Team 2 desks.
“Assistant Manager Jin-seo Lee, your daughter must be happy that her mom is coming home early.”
Suddenly, Eun-Bi called out to Jin-seo with a beaming smile.
Jin-seo’s heart sank.
“Daughter?”
Team Leader Chan-Seop An stood up from his desk and asked, looking at them.
All eyes turned to Eun-Bi and Jin-seo.
Eun-Bi continued, unbothered.
“One of my friends is a former colleague of yours, Assistant Manager Jin-seo Lee. I heard it from her. She said you have a pretty seven-year-old child.”
Jin-seo looked at Ji-Heon.
Ji-Heon didn’t move. His feet were glued to the floor. No emotion showed on his face. For some reason, that terrified Jin-seo even more.
She had had one chance.
The day he drove her home, he had asked if she lived with her mother, and she had said yes. If she had known it would come to this, she would have revealed that she had a daughter back then.
Of course, if she had mentioned that first, he might not have approached her as boldly as he did now, but at the very least, she wouldn’t be a liar.
“Team Leader, I think this competitive PT will go well. It’s a story about a mother and daughter, after all. Assistant Manager Jin-seo Lee will understand a mother’s heart better than anyone.”
Every clear word from Eun-Bi felt like a stab in the chest.
Jin-seo could guess why Eun-Bi had been away for two hours. She must have met with a former colleague of hers to dig up her past and her weaknesses.
Since only a few people at her previous job knew about her family situation, she probably only heard a version of the story edited with sensationalist details.
The reason she came back was also obvious. She must have been itching to reveal this fact.
Eun-Bi prattled on, looking very pleased with herself.
“I thought you were single because you’re so pretty, Assistant Manager Jin-seo Lee. I had no idea you had a daughter who’s already seven.”
Jin-seo saw the side of Ji-Heon’s face, his expression now cold.
He had paused for a moment, then slowly began to walk away.
*The trust has been broken,* she thought.
As he pulled away, she felt as if her heart was fading as well.
Right now, there was nothing else she could do. She had to bear the consequences of her lies herself.
“I am single. I have a child, but I’ve never been married.”
Jin-seo confessed the truth with a calm expression.
“I’m a single mother.”
The past, in which she had suffered through world-shattering pain, helped her live in the present. Jin-seo did not despair easily.
*Eun-Bi Chae, you will regret today one day.*