I Think I've Poked a Sleeping Bear
Chapter 28
Project Lee Dan-a ‘Date and Break Up’ – Mission #3: Date
Dan-a stood in the hallway, her eyes fixed on something in the distance.
At the end of her gaze, Yi-heon was heading toward the conference room with the board of directors.
Her heartbeat went into total overdrive.
Next, she watched him walk toward the restroom. Sure enough, her chest thrummed with a tingling ache.
Then, Yi-heon heading to the break room.
Yi-heon coming in to eat lunch.
Yi-heon waiting for her after work.
Every time she saw him, her heart pounded as if it would burst.
“Gah, startled me.”
Her own reflection, caught in the act of sneaking peeks at him, was mirrored in the office window. Watching him, she looked practically like the Joker.
She was grinning so widely her mouth seemed split from ear to ear with sheer delight.
So that was it.
I’ve fallen for the President.
I really, truly fell for him.
A man who had crept in like a thief and stolen her heart away.
No matter how hard she tried to deny it, her whole body was telling her the truth.
That she was completely, hopelessly hooked on Ra Yi-heon.
What was she going to do?
They were never meant to be.
They were destined to break up.
Her heart ached at the mere thought of parting with him. But she couldn’t afford to be greedy.
There was an astronomical sum of money on the line in the deal between the conglomerates.
Besides, it was a romance between a third-generation chaebol heir and an ordinary commoner. Wasn’t that trope already worn down to the bone? The ending was all too predictable.
She didn’t want to give him up, but giving up was the right choice. Before it was too late.
Right, it wasn’t too late yet.
She could still undo everything and return to where she belonged.
Because giving up on her feelings would be much faster than overturning all those reasons.
After work, right before she got out of the car in front of her house, Yi-heon asked:
“Is something wrong? Your face has looked dark ever since we visited the main house. You barely ate, too.”
“I ate a whole bowl, though.”
“You usually eat more than that.”
He’s already figured me out completely.
Sharing meals really does build affection…
“Well, that’s true, but…”
He took her hand.
“Come on, tell me. What’s troubling you so much that you’re losing your appetite? Is it something at work?”
What an attentive, gentle man.
“It’s really nothing…”
“All right, then. I won’t press you, so tell me whenever you feel ready. If it’s your trouble, Dan-a-ssi, I’ll listen as much as you need.”
“…President.”
“Yes?”
“By any chance…”
Do you like me?
You didn’t start dating me because you liked me, after all.
You only agreed to date because you thought I had feelings for you.
Then what did that kiss mean to you?
“Do you like… kissing?”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask if he liked her.
If he said yes, the future would look pitch-black, and if he said no, she would get hurt.
“Yes, I like it. Very much, in fact.”
As expected, a kiss fanatic…
“Do you not like it, Dan-a-ssi? Kissing me?”
“Of course not!”
She loved it completely. So much that her heart ached.
Yi-heon smiled and gazed at her softly.
“Then how about you initiate it today, Dan-a-ssi?”
She swallowed hard.
Right. In this setup, she was supposed to like him anyway. And he believed that too.
So now that she genuinely liked him, she could kiss him without feeling guilty.
Whatever his feelings might be.
She grabbed his lapels and pressed her lips to his. Moving her tongue deftly, she drew his tongue deep into her mouth.
As she sucked deeply, their lips tangled together hungrily, as if yearning to devour each other with tender desperation.
What a waste. To think she had to break up with such a sweet man.
When she had already tasted this pleasure.
The taste of his lips.
His gentle touch. His scorching breath.
It all felt like hers—how could she just hand him over to another woman?
“…”
…Did she really have to?
The look in Dan-a’s eyes shifted.
Right. What did the President’s feelings even matter?
When I like you.
What do I care about a few trillion won?
Even he doesn’t care.
You’re the one who proposed marriage to me.
You’re dating me right now.
I’ll just take you for myself.
Ra Yi-heon, you’re mine.
Dan-a’s desire flared into a blazing flame.
“Did you call for me?”
Entering Yeon-sook’s office, Do-hyun bowed politely.
“Secretary Kang.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you have anything to tell me?”
Do-hyun clenched his fists tightly.
Had she found out? That Yi-heon had declared his engagement broken and had been acting bizarrely ever since?
Out of loyalty to all their years together, he had held his tongue and hadn’t told Yeon-sook, but had she finally found out?
“Well, that is…”
“Of course you don’t. That workaholic Yi-heon is probably burying himself in work without a clue about what’s going on with his fiancée.”
She hadn’t… found out. Is this why elders always say everyday behavior matters?
Nobody suspects the President has regressed into puberty.
“Has something happened to Baek Seo-rin-ssi?”
“Secretary Kang, I need you to go on a business trip for a while.”
“Where to…?”
“To Executive Director Ra. To our Yi-on.”
“Pardon?”
“Keep an eye on what that boy is up to and report everything back to me.”
“Every… thing? May I ask what this is regarding…?”
“Baek Seo-rin.”
Yeon-sook pinched the bridge of her nose, looking as though a headache were setting in.
“Check whether our Yi-on is meeting with her.”
“Executive Director Ra and Baek Seo-rin-ssi? Why would she meet the Executive Director instead of President Ra…? Wait, no way.”
Do-hyun’s mouth dropped open in shock. When Yeon-sook glared at him, he promptly folded his hands together.
“Understood.”
“Go right now. Immediately.”
“Yes, Director.”
Stepping out of the Art Museum, Do-hyun exhaled the breath he had been holding.
“Unbelievable. What on earth is happening?”
Whatever was unfolding, he had secured a front-row seat.
Work was going to be entertaining for a while.
“Hello, I’m Lee Dan-a. I heard you were looking for me?”
“I’m Baek Seo-rin. Could we talk for a moment?”
The two of them took seats in a café.
“What brings you to see me?”
“I heard you’re dating President Ra Yi-heon.”
“Did Yi-heon-ssi tell you that? That he’s dating me?”
“No. I just happened to find out by chance.”
“By chance, you say. That chance wouldn’t happen to involve trailing me, would it?”
“…”
Dan-a scoffed coldly.
“Did you run a background check on me? Why? I was under the impression you two had already mutually agreed to break off the engagement.”
“That’s why I came.”
“If it’s about that, don’t worry. We’ll be breaking up soon. We just need some time—”
“It’s not that. I have no intention of interfering between the two of you. I just wanted to apologize.”
“An apology?”
Seo-rin took a sip of tea and spoke in a calm tone.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to have someone follow you either.”
“…”
“I was just curious why Ra Yi-heon-ssi wanted to call off the engagement. That was really all. Here, take this.”
Handing over the photos, Seo-rin stood up from her seat.
“I picked out a few good ones. I wish you both the best in your future.”
Wearing an elegant smile, Seo-rin turned away.
A flawless apology by anyone’s standards.
…How wonderful it would be if she could actually pull that off!
Far from approaching Dan-a, Seo-rin was barely managing to loiter around the Saja Group building.
Having rarely met people growing up, she was terrible at expressing her inner thoughts.
And an apology, of all things?
She had never done such a thing in her life.
Ra Yi-on, that psycho jerk.
Making such a fuss about apologizing for doing a background check.
Why couldn’t he realize that Lee Dan-a-ssi would be even more shocked if I suddenly showed up out of nowhere?
Still, their brotherly bond seemed nice.
She was jealous. Nobody had ever treated her like a sibling just because she was frail and sick.
At any rate, apology aside, she couldn’t find a single chance to meet Dan-a. From what she saw, Dan-a commuted to work with Yi-heon and went home with him as well.
Since the fault for the broken engagement didn’t lie with her anyway, Seo-rin had nothing to lose.
Being dumped was far better than marrying a man who loved another woman.
It was a relief things were turning out well, but what were the two of them going to do moving forward?
They were so hopelessly infatuated with each other, but once they found out the deal between the two conglomerates had fallen through…
Just thinking about it made Seo-rin’s head spin.
“Who am I to worry about anyone else? I should worry about myself.”
I need to apologize quickly before that psycho shows up and throws a tantrum.
She tried aiming for lunchtime like before, but Dan-a didn’t come out at all.
It wasn’t as if she could waltz into the company cafeteria just to confess to running a background check.
Should I just get a job at Saja Group?
Seo-rin let out a soft snort of laughter.
She had barely managed to attend university once she became an adult, and even then, she couldn’t attend every day, leaving her grades in shambles.
Just looking up at the towering building made her dizzy; what could she possibly do?
Seo-rin had no expectations of herself. Coming here after listening to that psycho jerk had been nothing more than pure obstinacy.
“…”
Right. What’s stopping me?
I’ll call her. Elegantly…
“Excuse me.”
Just then, someone approached Seo-rin’s bench. By the time Seo-rin lifted her head and recognized the face, the woman was already sitting right beside her.
Oh my god. It’s Lee Dan-a-ssi.
What is this? Encountering the person in question so unexpectedly sent Seo-rin’s heart thumping wildly.
Dan-a, glancing frantically in all directions, stared straight ahead as if speaking to a spy contact:
“It’s you, right, Baek Seo-rin-ssi?”
“…Uh, yes…”
“Could we move somewhere away from prying eyes for a moment?”
“S-Shall we?”
“Then I’ll lead the way.”
With her hands shoved into her pockets, Dan-a walked ahead, hyper-aware of her surroundings while trying desperately to look nonchalant.
Her heart pounded furiously. Seo-rin carefully followed behind her.