I Think I've Poked a Sleeping Bear
Chapter 33
The moment Dan-a saw Lee Heon, a bright smile spread across her face.
“President Ra? What brings you to our floor's break room?”
“I was just passing by.”
Then why do you look like a totem pole that’s been planted here all day?
“Um, President Ra. Has something… happened lately?”
“By the way, why is Han Jihoon-ssi from another floor here again?”
Was it just her imagination, or had that razor-sharp, icy chill she felt earlier actually blown in from right here?
“I think something must have come up in the Marketing Team lately because Ji-hoon seemed to be having a hard time. So he just stopped by for a moment to see Yunseo.”
She understood how Ji-hoon felt.
The feeling of gaining strength just by looking at the person you love while at work.
After all, seeing Lee Heon's face like this during the workday sent endorphins rushing through her system too.
“President Ra, could you come with me for a second?”
“What is it?”
“Shh. Quickly, come on.”
She led him into an empty meeting room. Then, she planted a quick kiss on his lips.
“I’ve always wanted to try this. A secret office romance.”
“A secret romance. I like the sound of that.”
“Just the sound of it?”
“Hardly.”
Lee Heon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her once more.
Ah, a stolen kiss with her boyfriend in the middle of the workday.
It was so utterly wonderful that her heart practically ached.
I’m so happy.
I’m happy, but… why do I feel so uneasy?
Dan-a had no idea that even as Lee Heon kissed her, his eyes were cold as ice, fixed intently on the break room outside.
Nor did she know that beyond the break room wall, Ji-hoon was frantically darting around, startled by the laser-like glare burning into his back.
***
“Dan-a! Dan-a!”
Yunseo came dashing over to Dan-a’s desk.
“I’m being transferred to the Marketing Team!”
“Huh? The Marketing Team?”
“Yeah! Ji-hoon’s been so busy lately that we couldn’t even see each other, especially after their desks got moved. Yesterday, I was just whining to him about why we couldn't be in the same department, and it’s like heaven answered our prayers! A transfer overnight!”
Just as Yunseo said, a personnel transfer notice had indeed been posted on the company intranet.
A transfer notice for Yunseo alone.
“There wasn’t any talk of a department transfer. So suddenly, without even an interview?”
“Who cares about that? I get to work with Ji-hoon!”
Is… is that so?
“Only God or the President could pull off something like this. But there’s no way it was the President, so it has to be God, right? I need to pack my things!”
“S-So suddenly?”
“Aww, my Dan-a.”
Yunseo pulled Dan-a into a tight hug.
“I’m so, so sad to leave your side, but we’ve been on the same team for two years now, so let me go to Ji-hoon already!”
With that parting declaration, Yunseo began packing up her desk without looking back.
‘A transfer overnight! Only God or the President could pull off something like this. But there’s no way it was the President, so it has to be God, right?’
Damn it. Why did it feel so much like the President's doing to her?
Moving the entire Marketing Team to another floor overnight, and now transferring Yunseo too.
Who else could do that if not the President?
“Still, there’s no reason for the President to do all that.”
There wasn’t—no reason at all—so what was this?
What was this nagging, uncomfortable feeling that refused to go away?
***
“I’m home.”
Seo-rin greeted the house as she stepped inside.
“Where on earth have you been wandering around lately? Are you seeing President Ra regularly?”
The moment she crossed the threshold, the nagging from her mother, Mrs. Joo, came pouring down. Seo-rin froze in place.
“You know you shouldn't overexert yourself with the wedding coming up so soon, right?”
“……”
They would find out soon anyway.
Yet the single sentence stating that she wouldn’t go through with the marriage refused to leave her throat.
‘I’m not okay. Of course it weighs on my conscience and makes me feel guilty. But a man appeared whom I don't want to lose, and he wants me too. So I’m going to try. Whether a cliff or a flower bed lies at the end of it… I'm going to find out together with him.’
I want to be cool and confident, just like Lee Dan-a-ssi…
Seo-rin managed to steady her trembling heart and parted her lips.
“Mom, about that marriage. If I don't do it…”
Just as she was struggling through her stuttered words, Mrs. Joo’s phone rang.
“Oh my, Director Yoon! Oh, we're doing just fine, don't worry about us. Everything peaceful on your end as well? Yes, yes. With President Ra, we're the ones who are grateful. I pray so much for President Ra, wishing him even greater success. Ahaha! He's already doing so well that I don't need to? Goodness, he's practically our son-in-law now, so of course I must pray for him.”
At the words son-in-law, Seo-rin flinched. The head she had barely managed to lift sank right back down.
“Yes, yes. I’m just waiting for the wedding date to be set. Yes, Director Yoon. Don't worry about a thing, and let's have a meal together sometime. All of us, with the children. Yes. Yes. Take care now.”
Mrs. Joo set the phone down with an irritated clatter.
“Ugh. That Director Yoon woman, putting on airs when he isn't even her own biological son. Honestly. Look here, Seo-rin. Starting today, you’re taking intensive bridal lessons. We can’t have Director Yoon—no, your future mother-in-law—looking down on us.”
“……”
“Don’t you dare think of going over there and doing things half-heartedly. I refuse to have our family's reputation tarnished because of you.”
“Oh, Mom, what's the point? She’s already a walking blemish on the family anyway,” her older sister, Ae-rin, chimed in, eyeing Seo-rin up and down. Mrs. Joo let out a heavy sigh.
“They know all about that over there too. I was worried sick thinking I'd have to look after her for the rest of my life. How grateful should we be that he’s willing to marry her even after hearing about her condition?”
“They have their own hidden motives for doing it, obviously. Word is President Ra Iheon isn't Director Yoon's real child anyway. Maybe she just wants to dump him onto someone like her to get him out of her sight.”
“Still, look at the bright side! Under normal circumstances, she’s a girl who couldn't even dream of getting married, yet he's taking her off our hands.”
Seo-rin’s expression darkened.
“I feel dizzy, so I'm going to rest in my room.”
“Dizzy? Why now? You'd better hold yourself together until the wedding! If you act like an invalid and embarrass us, I won't let it slide!”
“Exactly. Just get married. That’s your only job.”
Leaving their harsh words behind, Seo-rin retreated into her bedroom.
They were words she had heard all her life, but today, they cut deeper to the bone than ever before.
‘Well, sure. If you have a better plan, let me know. Until then, why don't you go have a nice chat with your parents?’
Jerk.
Did he know all along that I wouldn't be able to say a single word?
Even though she knew Yi-on was entirely blameless, she couldn't help resenting him just a little.
At this rate, she would live the rest of her life without ever speaking up for herself…
‘Marry me, noona.’
For a woman who had lived her life like a pampered princess, it was the plainest, least romantic proposal imaginable.
And yet.
‘I’m a son of Saja Group too, aren't I? If you marry me, the deal between the groups stays intact, and you won’t have any reason to listen to your parents' nagging anymore.’
‘Pretty good idea, right? So hold on to me, noona. Hm?’
“……”
Seo-rin's gaze drifted toward her phone.
***
Dan-a had assumed that as long as her friends were happy, everything would be fine. But was being glued together too much a problem in itself?
The table where they sat in the company cafeteria was wrapped in total, icy silence.
After acting like they couldn't bear to be parted for a second, where had all that affection gone?
Yunseo and Ji-hoon were shoveling food into their mouths without uttering a single word to each other.
Because of them, Dan-a was so tense she couldn't tell whether the food was going into her mouth or up her nose.
“Did you two fight?”
“Why would we fight? We’re nothing to each other. We broke up.”
“What?”
Having glared at each other, the two turned their heads in opposite directions with a synchronized snap.
What kind of broken-up couple sat side by side sharing a meal?
Ugh, I really hate being stuck in the middle of couples.
She just wanted to enjoy a peaceful lunch at work.
“Why did you fight?”
“Listen to this!”
As if she had been waiting for the prompt, Yunseo launched into a breathless rant.
Though she went on and on about personalities, habits, and all sorts of grand grievances, stripping it down revealed the real issue: they had disagreed on a honeymoon destination, couldn't bridge the gap, and had both ended up sulking.
“Anyway, our wedding is off, just so you know!”
Cancelled for, what, an hour? Thirty minutes?
It was obvious this spat wouldn't last long.
Should I step in, or should I stay out of it?
“I see you're having lunch.”
At the sudden voice, all three heads snapped up at once.
Lee Heon stood there holding a cafeteria tray.
“President… Ra?”
“May I join you?”
“Uh, yes. Of course…”
Lee Heon slid into the seat beside Dan-a.
Aaargh. A double date out of nowhere?
It was something she had always wanted to try someday, but ever since she started seeing Lee Heon—the company president—she had written it off as completely impossible.
Yet that dream had turned out to be much closer than she thought.
Dan-a's heart thumped frantically in her chest.
Yunseo shot her a sly, teasing look that practically screamed, Ooh, look at you two.
In the past, that kind of look would have made her uncomfortable, but now that she genuinely liked him, it only left her blushing with shy delight.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all!”
You just saved my life, President Ra.
I really didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of a couple's fight.
“It’s an honor to have you join us,” Dan-a said, giving a polite little bow.
Lee Dan-a, how is it that even the way you greet someone is so utterly adorable?
Lee Heon gazed at her with affectionate eyes, then subtly reached down beneath the table to slip his fingers into hers.
Startled, she whispered through barely parted lips,
“…President Ra? We're at the office, you know?”
“That's why I'm only holding your hand.”
Otherwise, I would have devoured you.
“B-But I'm right-handed. I need to eat.”
“Eat with your left hand.”
“What? You're quite the jokest—”
Lee Heon stared directly at Dan-a. Seeing the surprisingly deadpan, serious look in his eyes, Dan-a quickly switched her spoon to her left hand.
“Lee Dan-a? Why are you suddenly eating with your left hand?”
Yunseo and Ji-hoon stared at Dan-a in bewilderment.
“Huh? Wh-What's wrong with that? I’ve always been left-handed.”
“Since when have you ever eaten with your left hand?”
Starting today?
When Dan-a sent Lee Heon a subtle, meaningful glance, he returned it with a playful wink.
Was this the true thrill of an office romance?
After practically radiating invisible heart eyes toward Dan-a, Lee Heon shifted his gaze over to Ji-hoon. In an instant, an intensely chilling aura washed over the table, making Ji-hoon flinch and stiffen.
“What were you discussing?”
“Ah, these two are getting married soon.”
“Han Jihoon-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Just when, exactly, is this wedding going to take place?”
Ji-hoon instinctively straightened his posture, snapping to attention.
“S-Soon, sir.”
“Soon, my foot! Didn't you say the wedding was off? Our wedding is cancelled, President Ra,” Yunseo declared with a defiant pout.
What…? Cancelled?
Lee Heon’s pupils dilated in pure shock as he sucked in a sharp breath.