Chapter 31
- Don't Do This, Director
05.31.2023
The stairs on the third floor felt like a half-marathon of hardship. So-eun's forehead was beaded with sweat after completing the climb.
As soon as they reached the third floor, Tae-joon handed So-eun's bag back to her and asked,
"Can you go alone now?"
"Yes, of course."
"See you on Monday."
The two parted ways on the stairs.
"Thank you. Goodbye."
So-eun bowed her head and immediately turned around. She felt like she needed to get away from him quickly, so she deliberately ran to open the front door.
Her heart, which had been racing from the steep climb, didn't calm down easily even after she arrived in her cozy home.
When was the last time she had been fluttered by someone's kindness?
The last time Hee-wook had walked her home was on the day she was discharged from the hospital after her liver surgery. Even then, Hee-wook hadn't carried her luggage all the way to her door, saying he was busy and leaving first. She shouldn't compare, but it was the first act of kindness she had received since breaking up with her boyfriend, so she kept being conscious of it.
'No.'
She shouldn't mistake kindness for something more. She had to keep her distance. She had to be someone who didn't forget her place.
Strangely, her heart wouldn't stop pounding, and So-eun frowned.
Han So-eun, are you the kind of person who just falls head over heels for anyone who's nice to you?
Why am I like this? Why am I like this again after being treated so badly by Yang Hee-wook?
Besides, he's a director.
So-eun shook her head and steeled her mind.
Han So-eun, let's get a grip and live right.
If the director is nice to me again, I'll tell him properly.
Director, please don't do this. If you do this, I might develop feelings for you.
I keep thinking of this kindness as something special. I start to think of you as special.
I don't want that.
I don't want to be in a situation where my heart is too easily swayed and you become too difficult to approach.
So-eun was glad she wasn't wearing her contacts. If she had faced his handsome face properly and received his kindness, she would have really lost her mind and fallen in love.
\
Tae-joon returned home immediately after dropping So-eun off. Of course, the thing about having work at the office was a lie.
When he turned on the living room light, he saw the Moon Jar, broken in two, sitting forlornly in a corner of the sparsely furnished space.
The Moon Jar, with its insides exposed, seemed somehow ridiculous and insignificant. He also felt like he had revealed too much.
After the Moon Jar broke, he immediately contacted Department Head Song Mun-gyeong as a ploy to burden Han So-eun's conscience. He also calculated that no matter how many times he told her it was okay, she would feel burdened the whole time.
But what if that burden became too great and created a wall? What if Han So-eun became even more wary of him?
Returning home and being alone, he felt displeased with himself for acting so childishly.
The fatigue from staying up all night finally washed over him, and his mind felt hazy.
Tae-joon went straight to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
It felt like he had returned from a long picnic. He closed his eyes, but his mood was strange. He felt like Han So-eun's scent was lingering on the bed, and his heart throbbed. The pillow and blanket, somehow, felt unfamiliar, like they weren't his.
It was he who had brought her into the house against her will, but her brief visit seemed to have taken away all the peace of this house.
Han So-eun had slept soundly, but he felt tired and couldn't fall asleep.
\
Mal-hee was finally being discharged from the hospital.
When So-eun was constantly visiting the hospital and taking care of her, she wondered if she would ever be able to leave. But as soon as her son broke up with So-eun and brought home a lawyer girlfriend, she suddenly felt the energy to get up.
Thankfully, Hyun-ji visited her home to celebrate this joyous day.
"Congratulations on your mother's discharge! Please accept these flowers."
"Oh, you shouldn't have bought anything. I'm just grateful that you came."
Mal-hee received the bouquet from Hyun-ji with a beaming smile. Just seeing Hyun-ji made her smile involuntarily.
Mal-hee, who had returned home after three months, received a lunch prepared by Hyun-ji and Hee-wook. Hyun-ji had specially made a generous amount of side dishes for Mal-hee.
"I made it mild on purpose so that Mother can eat comfortably."
"Did Hyun-ji make all of this?"
"Yes. I don't have much skill, but please enjoy it."
"No, you must have been busy studying and working, how did you learn to do all this?"
"My mom taught me a lot in the past."
"You have a very wonderful mother. This is why family education is important!"
With every bite of the side dishes, Mal-hee exclaimed in admiration. It felt like the best day of Kim Mal-hee's life.
After a satisfying lunch, Hyun-ji got up from her seat.
"Mother, should I clean up now that you're done eating?"
"Yes. Hyun-ji, you sit down. Hee-wook will clean this up. I can't make a precious guest do such a thing."
Mal-hee grabbed Hyun-ji's hand and waved her other hand at Hee-wook. Hee-wook took the hint and got up to clear the table.
When told to sit down, Hyun-ji sat still without moving. She was quite different from So-eun, who had insisted on cleaning up herself and tried to get up several times.
'What if our Hee-wook ends up being henpecked later?'
The occasional fleeting expression seemed a bit haughty, which worried her, but it was nothing compared to So-eun. Mal-hee cautiously asked while Hee-wook was doing the dishes.
"I actually didn't hear properly from our Hee-wook. Your parents are abroad?"
"Yes. Both of them are in Dubai. My father runs a business in Dubai that deals with the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and my mother is a housewife."
"Oh, really. What's the name of the company?"
"Khasun Artificial Intelligence Industrial Technology, you probably wouldn't know even if I told you. Ah! Would you like to see this webpage?"
Mal-hee's eyes glazed over at Hyun-ji's natural English pronunciation. Hyun-ji, looking like it was difficult to explain, thought for a moment, then took out her phone, searched for something, and showed her a website. It was a building with a sign in squiggly letters.
"This is my dad's company."
"This is your father's building?"
"The picture is a bit zoomed in, but it's actually not that big. Dubai is a huge city. My dad's company is small."
Mal-hee swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth. She had lived with her back bent trying to educate her son, and after making him a lawyer, she thought she would be a little more comfortable, but she got sick and suffered terribly. Now, she felt like she was finally getting her reward.
If my son's fate blossoms, our family will blossom too. My fate will blossom too!
Mal-hee grabbed Hyun-ji's hand with a greedy smile.
"Oh, our Hee-wook is just an only son from an ordinary family. Hee-wook has picked a princess from a tremendous family."
"Hee-wook is a complete prince too, Mother."
How could she say such pretty things? Unlike So-eun, there wasn't a single thing about Hyun-ji that she didn't like.
As if reading Mal-hee's mind, who wanted to marry Hee-wook off tomorrow, Hyun-ji shared her future plans.
"My mom and dad are briefly returning to Korea in a week for some business, so I think it would be nice to see them all together then. If Mother's health is okay, that is."
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm fine anytime!"
Hee-wook smiled proudly, seeing his mother, who had become a flower blooming with happiness.
\
Monday, when a heatwave advisory was issued nationwide.
Department Head Song Mun-gyeong greeted Tae-joon as he arrived at work.
"Director, you're here."
"Yes. Did you have a good weekend?"
"It was good except for the heat. Did you have a peaceful weekend as well, Director?"
"Yes."
They exchanged friendly greetings, but from Tae-joon's perspective, it was a soulless exchange.
After Han So-eun had visited, the essence of his home had been damaged. The home, which should have been peaceful and comfortable, had become a chaotic and uncomfortable space.
The bedroom was especially problematic. After dropping So-eun off at home, Tae-joon had gone straight to the bedroom and lay down on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep at all. It felt like Han So-eun's traces were left on the blanket and pillow. The fragrant scent that Han So-eun had carried was permeating everywhere. He couldn't close or open his eyes.
In the end, Tae-joon had to stay at a hotel on Saturday, leaving his perfectly good house behind. While staying at the hotel, he asked the housekeeper to clean and replace the bed sheets, blankets, and pillowcases. Only after confirming that the bedroom had been completely cleaned the next day was Tae-joon able to return home.
But it wasn't just a matter of that. Changing something didn't change the meaning of the space. It felt like Han So-eun's breaths, which she had inhaled and exhaled, were constantly rustling in the air. Maybe Han So-eun had really stolen Tae-joon's Sleep spirit. It was a more serious problem than he had thought.
In the end, Tae-joon spent another sleepless night and greeted Monday without his fatigue being relieved.
As Tae-joon, after exchanging brief greetings, was about to enter his office, Mun-gyeong chased after him and handed him a document.
"Section Chief Han So-eun came by this morning."
The document Mun-gyeong handed over was about the TF Team staffing. It was something he had briefly mentioned while having breakfast with So-eun on Saturday morning, but So-eun had already written a recommendation for additional TF Team personnel. One was Employee Park Bo-bae, who sat next to So-eun, and the other was an employee Tae-joon didn't know well.
Section Chief Jang Eun-pyo from the Mobile Service Team. Male.
He must have passed him by, but he couldn't remember the man named Jang Eun-pyo at all.
The reasons So-eun wrote for recommending the two were nothing special. Tae-joon felt inexplicably uncomfortable with the brief note that she had recommended them due to their active willingness to volunteer.
\
Perhaps because the weather was too hot, there weren't many visitors to the center. It was a tiring day even with the air conditioning running continuously as prescribed.
"Team Leader Kim Tae-joon bought ice cream for everyone!"
Around three in the afternoon, the members of the support team shouted as they handed out ice cream to the employees. Thanks to this, the center quickly turned into a party atmosphere. Customers who visited the center also received unexpected gifts.
"Wow, this is my favorite ice cream! Director Kim Tae-joon is really cool, isn't he?"
Bobae said as she handed So-eun an ice cream. So-eun smiled silently. It was also So-eun's favorite ice cream. She had never told Tae-joon, so he probably didn't do this because of her. But still, So-eun kept thinking of it as something special. It was a matter of the heart.
Kim Tae-joon was a good leader and a courteous person to everyone. She should never think of him as special. He was as far away as the distance between the 1st and 7th floors, as far as the distance between the 3rd floor of a one-room villa and the 30th floor of a luxury apartment.
"Section Chief?"
Bobae called out to So-eun, who was lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about so intently?"
"No, just a little hot."
"Right. It's so hot today. That's why the ice cream tastes even better. Our director is the best."
Bobae seemed to have fallen in love with the director with just one ice cream.
"Section Chief, do you talk to the director while working on the TF Team on the 7th floor?"
Bobae asked So-eun with curious, sparkling eyes.
"Um... we just talk about work."
So-eun, hesitating at Bobae's question, felt like she shouldn't talk about her connection, or rather, non-connection, with Tae-joon, so she answered briefly.
"You don't talk about personal things?"
"No."
"Well, the director is very busy. There wouldn't be any other point of contact besides work."
So-eun, at Bobae's quick agreement, once again reflected on how far away Tae-joon was.
Right. Like the ice cream on this hot day, I developed a liking for him because he was a man who showed kindness when my heart was desolate.
But I shouldn't misunderstand. He's just a kind and generous director to all the employees.
So-eun steeled her mind again.
