Chapter 57
- A Company Where Love Blossoms
2023.06.26.
The previous night, in the dark.
After confirming that the lights were off in So-eun's apartment from outside the building, Hee-wook parked his car near the entrance on the first floor and waited for So-eun.
"Where did she go? She's coming back really late."
Is she working overtime? Or does she really have a boyfriend and is out gallivanting on a weekday?
It dawned on him that the woman who had been his just a month ago was now so distant that he couldn't even reach her.
After waiting for about two hours, a taxi appeared. A tall man got out of the taxi and immediately averted his gaze, and then Hee-wook noticed a woman following him. Because he paid attention late, he only realized that the woman was Han So-eun when the entrance door to the studio apartment building opened. Hee-wook belatedly pressed the video recording button on his phone. Han So-eun went inside the building with the tall man.
So it was true that she had a boyfriend.
Is it normal to get a boyfriend so quickly? And she's already letting him into her place?
Hee-wook was so dumbfounded that he let out a burst of laughter.
Han So-eun, what kind of boyfriend could she have? She'll probably get fleeced like a pushover and then dumped.
"She has a gentle personality, but she's not fun..."
Hee-wook's voice, which had been muttering sourly, trailed off. The path he had never taken came to mind.
How beautiful Han So-eun's body is. The curves he had only seen on the outside were already like that, so how thrillingly beautiful would it be in reality?
If someone is into women's bodies, it's only natural for them to be drawn to Han So-eun.
Hee-wook let out a rough sigh and clenched his fist tightly. He felt like he was going to die of regret.
She was mine. She was mine.
Hee-wook wanted to rush into So-eun's apartment right away, drag the unknown guy outside, and beat him up. But the silhouette of the guy, which he had checked again in the video, was so large that he couldn't bring himself to do it.
'I will definitely see that bastard's face.'
But the guy didn't appear again.
'Could they be sleeping together in there?'
Han So-eun becoming so promiscuous. The more time passed, the more frustrated he became.
Hee-wook spent the night staring only at the entrance door of So-eun's studio apartment.
And then, morning.
Hee-wook, who had dozed off and woken up, recognized the man getting into a taxi not far away, and his eyes widened as if they would pop out.
Kim Tae-joon. Kim Tae-joon, the head of the central headquarters of K Electronic Service.
It was definitely him. Hee-wook hurriedly took a picture with his phone and compared it to the video he had taken last night. The video from last night was blurry, but that silhouette couldn't be anyone else. Kim Tae-joon had spent the night at Han So-eun's place and was only now leaving.
Hee-wook, furious, went straight up to So-eun's apartment.
Ding-dong. Not long after he rang the doorbell, So-eun opened the door with a welcoming expression. But as soon as she saw Hee-wook's face, her complexion quickly turned pale.
"The guy you're seeing, it was Kim Tae-joon, that bastard?"
As he took a step forward, questioning her, So-eun screamed and pushed Hee-wook out the door.
However, Hee-wook held onto the door frame tightly and resisted.
"It's trespassing. You know that, right?"
"You opened the door for me, so what trespassing?"
"Get out! Get out!"
"It's so noisy!"
So-eun deliberately raised her voice, and the door next door burst open and a woman came out. The woman, who shouted in a tone that she couldn't stand the annoyance, met So-eun's eyes and asked.
"Miss, are you okay? Should I call the police?"
"Yes! Quickly!"
So-eun asked the woman for help. The woman went back inside to get her phone and called the police in front of Hee-wook. Only then did Hee-wook back down. But even as he left, he didn't hold back his curses.
"Han So-eun, you seem to be mistaken that you're something special, but do you think a guy like that is sincere with you? Wake up!"
So-eun could only let out a hollow laugh.
"You're the one who needs to wake up. Did you come to me now because you were dumped by Choi Hyun-ji?"
Hee-wook growled and turned around, but then turned back again as if he couldn't shake off his anger.
"...Even with your body like that, that bastard likes you?"
He was talking about the scars from her surgery. It felt like salt was being rubbed into her wounds, and her skin ached for no reason. So-eun clenched her fist tightly.
"What's it to you!"
She wanted to slap him across the face, but she didn't want to escalate things, so So-eun held back. Hee-wook, who had been panting, didn't say anything more and ran down the stairs.
Only after confirming that his footsteps were fading away did So-eun come inside. Her legs were shaking, and she collapsed in front of the front door.
Yang Hee-wook even knew the name Kim Tae-joon. It meant that Yang Hee-wook's information network was excellent. That's why it was even more eerie.
She couldn't understand why he was acting like this now.
Why is he doing this? He should just forget about someone like me and live well.
So-eun, who had calmed down by stroking her startled heart, immediately picked up her phone. Tae-joon, who had told her to tell him about anything right away, came to mind.
But before she could press the call button, her finger stopped.
'He left in a hurry, saying he was going on a business trip to the United States.'
If she called him now, it felt like he would drop everything and run to her.
The belief that he would run to her. She couldn't understand why she had developed such a thing.
She had fallen asleep in front of him several times without a care in the world, so had he been holding her while she was asleep and hypnotizing her, saying, 'Trust me, trust me'?
The thought that he would run to her if she just said the word strangely brought her peace of mind. So-eun put down her phone.
I want to run to him right away, but for his sake, let's wait until he arrives in the United States. He won't be able to run from there.
Patience was So-eun's greatest asset.
\
Tae-joon contacted her, saying that he would be boarding the plane soon. So-eun exchanged ordinary greetings as if nothing had happened. She heard that it was a grueling 14-hour direct flight. He boarded the plane at 11 a.m., so he would arrive in the United States at 1 a.m. Korean time.
'Then I'll be able to talk to him tomorrow.'
Tae-joon also wouldn't call her at 1 a.m., so So-eun was able to focus on her work with peace of mind. As time passed, everything became more or less okay.
After regular work hours, So-eun took Bobae and Eun-pyo up to the 7th floor as usual.
Department Head Song Mun-gyeong, who had a leisurely day today because Tae-joon was on a business trip, visited the office.
"Are you feeling okay, Bobae?"
"I think I was too nervous yesterday. I had a headache this morning."
"Oh dear, you must have had a hard time."
"I'm okay now. I had some hangover soup for lunch and I feel better."
"Okay. That's a relief."
Mun-gyeong, who had asked about Bobae's well-being, shared news about Tae-joon.
"Director Kim went on a business trip, to the United States."
So-eun quietly nodded in her seat, and Bobae continued the conversation with Mun-gyeong.
"When is he coming back?"
"Well? He said it wouldn't take long, but he didn't say exactly when."
"Wow! Then you're free in the meantime, Department Head?"
"He told me to take good care of the TF Team?"
Hahaha. How gracious, Bobae muttered a polite response.
Mun-gyeong's gaze turned to So-eun. Not only is she pretty, but she's also good at her job, kind, and sincere, Chief Han So-eun. If she has someone she loves, she'll love them diligently too. She was worthy of capturing the hearts of both Director Kim Tae-joon and Chief Jang Eun-pyo.
How beautiful. A company where love blossoms.
Suddenly, Mun-gyeong wondered which way Chief Han So-eun's heart was leaning.
"Are you feeling okay, Chief Han?"
"Yes, yes. Of course."
So-eun gave a simple answer as always. Mun-gyeong smiled like a mother and said to the TF Team members.
"You're all working hard when you could be out dating your lovers."
"Oh, Department Head. You know we don't have lovers."
Bobae smiled and replied.
"That's what I'm saying. You're all so young, vibrant, and wonderful, so why aren't you dating? Isn't there anyone you have your eye on? Someone you want to give the stars and the moon to."
"Ah! The heart of a liberal arts person!"
Bobae clapped her hands and started the conversation with Department Head Song Mun-gyeong's words.
"That's so romantic. How can you think like that? It's the feeling of wanting to give everything to the person you love. Actually, you can't pluck the stars and the moon."
"No. It's impossible to pluck the moon, but it might be possible to pluck a star."
As soon as Bobae changed the subject, Eun-pyo responded to it in a serious voice that had as much humor as the pin holding his SIM card. And suddenly, it was Earth Science class...
"When cosmic materials enter the atmosphere and reach the ground, most of them are destroyed by shock waves and compressive heat, and only some reach the ground, but even so, the kinetic energy is so great that even if they fall on a tree, they are likely to penetrate the tree rather than hanging on it like an apple."
Mun-gyeong's expression, who had been listening to Eun-pyo's words, gradually darkened. Bobae was nodding with a serious look in her eyes, burning with academic enthusiasm.
"If it fails to penetrate, then it might be possible to pluck it."
"That's right. The probability would be enormous. You'd have to pluck that cosmic material and give it to the person you love. How many people have there been in history?"
"I'd have to look that up."
I don't want to talk to you guys anymore.
Mun-gyeong, who was making a catfish face with the corners of her lips turned down, turned her blurred gaze back to So-eun. So-eun was unexpectedly smiling quietly.
"Is there something good going on, Chief Han?"
"No."
So-eun shook her head at Department Head Song Mun-gyeong's attention and focused on the experiment.
I can now understand the heart of a liberal arts person!
I wasn't going to receive anything or give anything. But now I want to create something out of nothing and give it. I want to pluck the stars and the moon and give them.
So-eun, who had become rich in romantic thinking, kept thinking that she was admirable. She kept missing Tae-joon, who was probably flying somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right now.
\
As So-eun had expected, Tae-joon called at 7 a.m. the next day.
[Did you sleep well?]
Hearing Tae-joon's voice as soon as she woke up brought the lingering feelings of yesterday back to life. It must be 6 p.m. in New York right now.
"Yes. Did you arrive safely, Director?"
[Yeah. How are you?]
Tae-joon, who answered briefly as if her work was not a problem, asked about So-eun's condition as a habit.
"I'm fine. Of course."
[Did anything happen while I was gone?]
The time had finally come. So-eun poured out the story she had wanted to tell all along.
"Actually, something did happen."
[What is it?]
"Yang Hee-wook came to my house."
For a moment, it was as if the call was experiencing severe delays, and nothing could be heard. So-eun bit her lower lip anxiously at his reaction.
[When?]
"Yesterday, not long after you left, Director."
[Why are you only telling me now?]
As expected, his voice became murderous.
"I was afraid you wouldn't go on your business trip."
[The business trip can be postponed. I'm the one who decides whether to go or not.]
"......"
[Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?]
"Yes. I'm fine. ...Yang Hee-wook found out about our relationship."
[What did that X bastard say?]
So-eun wondered if she had misheard. It wasn't 'that bastard' but 'X bastard'. The man who had never uttered a curse directly in front of her was using harsh words without hesitation about Yang Hee-wook.
[Ha. Okay. That crazy bastard must have been acting up. Did you report it?]
He asked about the subsequent measures as if he didn't want to hear it from So-eun's mouth.
"The neighbor reported it. He ran away before the police came."
[Should I get you a private bodyguard, just in case?]
"No. That's okay."
[You always say it's okay. Anyway, I understand. I'll take care of it, so contact me if anything else happens.]
"Yes."
[If you don't tell me about things like this in the future, I'm really going to tie you up.]
The words he threw out felt somehow solid, and So-eun already felt like her whole body was tied up.
