Chapter 55
55. She Has a Boyfriend
2023.06.24.
Han So-eun's movements abruptly stopped. Only then did the smell of alcohol hit her. Tae-joon's scolding, the farcical war of nerves between Tae-joon and Eun-pyo—she'd been so out of it that she hadn't distinguished between water and alcohol, gulping it down. Emptying a cup containing about two shots of soju in one go was fatal for the delicate So-eun.
"Han So-eun! ...Chief!"
Crash.
Tae-joon shouted and jumped up, causing his chair to fall backward. Ignoring this, he rushed to So-eun in a panic, urgently patting her back.
"Spit it out, spit it out! Spit it out!"
He wanted her to throw up the alcohol she'd drunk.
So-eun, biting her lip, shook her head with tears in her eyes. She didn't understand why Tae-joon was making such a fuss, which only made her feel more and more embarrassed. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't even recognize that she was in danger.
Director, please don't do this. I'm not going to die.
Krrreeeuk.
Thanks to Tae-joon patting her back with his large hand, the alcohol went down with a refreshing burp. Tae-joon's face turned pale, and So-eun's face turned red.
For some reason, Director Song Mun-gyeong, who had been frozen, suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
\
- If you want to marry me, bring a real ring.
Even though they worked in the same company, in offices just a few steps away, Hyun-ji conveyed her message to Hee-wook via text. Hee-wook gritted his teeth.
Why do I have to beg you to marry me?
If this is how I'm treated by my future wife, why would I want to get married?
'But I have to.'
Hee-wook rose from his seat with a bitter sigh.
'I'll endure it just this once.'
Because I did something wrong. And because I feel wronged.
Hee-wook took out the ring case from his pocket and left the office. He had clearly switched the rings, but he couldn't understand why this ring was supposedly the real one. But he'd already bought it and couldn't return it now, so he had to give it back to its owner.
Because I want to get married. Because I need a trophy wife.
Hee-wook arrived in front of Hyun-ji's office in just a few steps. Laughter was flowing out of the office. It was a man's voice. Hee-wook frowned and yanked the door open.
"Oh, you scared me!"
Hyun-ji, startled by the unannounced visit, raised her hand over her prominently displayed chest. A male lawyer colleague was in front of Hyun-ji.
"Lawyer Yang! You come in without knocking!"
Hyun-ji reproached him.
Hee-wook didn't like that Hyun-ji was keeping their relationship a secret from her colleagues. Besides, she was in the company and didn't even come to see him, but was fooling around with another guy. And with a guy who even has a girlfriend.
Hee-wook glared at Hyun-ji and asked the male lawyer.
"Lawyer Park, what's going on?"
"Oh, we were just talking about something funny that happened today. Well, Lawyer Choi, take care!"
"Yeah. Buy me food!"
Hyun-ji waved her hand with a bright smile, and Hee-wook felt a surge of anger.
Since when did they start speaking informally to each other? It's the same as with me.
Is she trying to flirt with him too? Is it her hobby to seduce men who have girlfriends?
Last Friday, Hyun-ji's flirtatious greeting to Tae-joon came to mind again.
Hyun-ji held out her hand to Hee-wook, who was suppressing his anger. She was telling him to hand over the ring. Hee-wook, furious, obediently placed the ring case on Hyun-ji's palm.
Hyun-ji's eyes narrowed as she opened the ring case.
"Is this the real one?"
"Of course, it's the real one."
"How can I believe that?"
"Go back to the store and ask!"
"Why are you getting angry! Am I doing this for no reason? This is a reasonable suspicion."
"No, reasonable or whatever, would I present a fake twice?"
"So, you admit it was fake."
Hyun-ji raised one corner of her lip in a sneer. Hmm, Hee-wook cleared his throat.
"Be grateful. What kind of guy proposes to his girlfriend with a fake ring? Only I would accept it."
So-eun jumped for joy even after receiving a Simple ring.
So-eun said she wanted to give her love as much as she received, and she would even give our mom her liver.
Hee-wook's mouth was itching, but he thought another fight would break out, so he couldn't bring himself to say it and changed the subject.
"But did you contact my mom?"
"No. Why? What's going on?"
"My mom said she's called you several times since the day before yesterday, but you didn't answer?"
"How can I answer the phone when I'm busy? Tell your mother. I'm not someone who can answer the phone anytime. Would you like it if my mom called you abruptly during your work hours?"
Hyun-ji picked up her phone, which was placed far away, and glared sharply. He understood Hyun-ji's position, but he felt uncomfortable, as if she was looking down on his mother. My mom likes you more than me.
"My mother must be happy. How great is it to have a daughter-in-law who is a lawyer with a good family and great specs for free?"
Hyun-ji muttered, rummaging through her phone's call history. Hee-wook's heart stung. It was the same thing his mother and sister had occasionally said to So-eun.
Hee-wook left Hyun-ji's office with his pride wounded.
Han So-eun came to mind again.
Yesterday, Hee-wook impulsively went to see So-eun.
He thought that just as he was so regretful about losing Han So-eun, Han So-eun would also miss him. If So-eun showed a willingness to start again, he wanted to continue the relationship, even as a secret affair. And who knows? After getting everything he could from Choi Hyun-ji, he might break up with her and return to Han So-eun.
So-eun, whom he met after a long time, seemed even prettier, and he felt a surge of lust. But Han So-eun rejected him with that pretty face. Moreover.
"What are you talking about? Who's having a hard time? And I have a boyfriend."
She has a boyfriend.
Han So-eun, of all people, the awkward one who had her first boyfriend at the age of twenty-six, already made a boyfriend less than a month after breaking up.
He couldn't believe it.
It must be a lie. But if it's not...
'Isn't she going to get caught by some weirdo and have her liver taken out this time?'
Out of genuine concern, he couldn't shake off his worries, so Hee-wook left the company.
\
As Bobae, who had drunk a lot, started nodding off, the company dinner ended in the first round. Director Song Mun-gyeong's husband came to pick her up and offered to take responsibility for Bobae as well, so Mun-gyeong and Bobae left first.
"Shall we go now too?"
Tae-joon suggested to So-eun and Eun-pyo.
"Yes. I'll take Han So-eun home."
Eun-pyo replied with a sense of duty to take care of his colleague.
"Chief Han, did you say your house is in Gwonseon-dong?"
Tae-joon didn't answer Eun-pyo's words and turned to ask So-eun.
"Ah, yes."
So-eun, not knowing why Tae-joon was doing this, answered cautiously. Tae-joon immediately seized the answer.
"I have some business in Gwonseon-dong. Let's go together on the way."
The reason he asked outright if she lived in Gwonseon-dong was for that reason.
"Is that so."
"Yes."
Tae-joon answered Eun-pyo's short question dryly. As soon as the short conversation ended, Tae-joon caught an approaching taxi, put So-eun in first, and then got into the taxi. A short time in which Chief Jang Eun-pyo couldn't say anything else. It was a seamless movement.
"Chief Jang, take care on your way."
"Yes. Please go carefully."
After receiving Eun-pyo's bow, Tae-joon closed the car door. As the taxi started, he finally took a breath and leaned back against the seat.
Haaa. So-eun tensed at Tae-joon's long sigh.
In the end, she couldn't throw up the alcohol. The cup of soju she had gulped down quickly made her whole body feel hot. On top of that, Tae-joon kept patting her back. Embarrassed and ashamed, So-eun's face turned even redder. After being scolded by Director Song Mun-gyeong, Tae-joon finally let go of So-eun, but he still didn't give up and talked about whether she should go to the hospital, and even called a doctor he knew to ask how to get rid of alcohol poisoning.
Tae-joon's actions were strange to everyone, not just So-eun. He had said several times that he had quit drinking, so that must be it, but there was no need to make such a fuss even in front of people.
Seeing Director Song Mun-gyeong laughing so much, it seemed like she had noticed something.
Anyway, it was her fault for not distinguishing between alcohol and water and gulping it down. She had been showing a silly side ever since she gulped down the alcohol, so he must have been anxious too. In case I made a mistake.
"Director, I actually like alcohol and can drink well. I said I wouldn't drink because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself because I like it so much. You don't have to worry."
So-eun felt sorry for causing Tae-joon unnecessary worry. Tae-joon reached out and gently held So-eun's hand.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm okay. Really."
"Are you really okay, or are you pretending to be okay?"
It was as if he couldn't trust her answer. It's so difficult to reach someone's heart.
Haaa. Tae-joon sighed deeply once more.
"From now on, tell me about anything right away."
"Yes?"
"Hearing about Han So-eun from someone else, especially Chief Jang Eun-pyo, is very humiliating."
It was about what happened yesterday when Yang Hee-wook came to see her. As expected, he was upset about that.
"Why did Yang Hee-wook come to see you? Did he ask you to get back together?"
So-eun, hesitating about what answer to give to his question, became lost in thought after a while.
"Did I even mention his name to you?"
Tae-joon, who was contemplating how to deal with Yang Hee-wook, became confused by So-eun's question. So, the answer came a little late.
"I couldn't help but know even if you didn't tell me. There was a picture on So-eun's desk."
In the past, there was a picture of Yang Hee-wook on So-eun's desk. A picture of Yang Hee-wook striking a pose in front of a nameplate that read 'Lawyer Yang Hee-wook.'
Ahhh. So-eun opened her mouth blankly as if she had just remembered, and then suddenly felt embarrassed and mortified.
"Then you must remember his face too..."
"I forgot. He was ugly."
Tae-joon tossed out the answer to the mumbled words. That wasn't important.
"What did that bastard say? Does he say he can't forget Han So-eun?"
Silence was an unmistakable affirmation. It was a reaction that was perfect for provoking Tae-joon's anger.
"That crazy bastard, he's got some nerve."
How should I kill this bastard?
Tae-joon gritted his teeth and growled.
