I Think I've Poked a Sleeping Bear
Chapter 6
Love is Forgotten with (Fake) Love
Iheon stared down at the documents laid out in front of him.
Briefings on pending issues, financial statements, business performance reports, agenda items for the board of directors and shareholders…
Tasks he used to grind through like a machine.
But what meaning does any of this have for me anymore?
Why am I even doing this?
President in name only, but how was he any different from a caged lion?
Never once experiencing what the open plains felt like, locked in a cage his entire life just eating whatever feed they threw at him.
…His entire life.
Suffocated by the thought, he looked out the window.
Yet what else could he do?
There was no way a lion raised in a zoo would know how to hunt on its own.
‘It’s the President! That’s who I like!’
Suddenly, a voice flashed through his mind like lightning. Such an intense confession that it popped up without warning, at all hours of the day.
Every time it did, a quiet chuckle slipped out despite himself.
Even in serious moments like this.
…Wait a minute.
“Should I start from there?”
What a caged lion needed to do to take a step toward the plains.
Figuring out what it actually meant to have feelings for someone in the first place.
***
“Phew. What a brutal day.”
Dan-a finally found a brief moment between tasks and stepped into the break room.
She worked in crisis management for Saja Group within the Public Relations Office. Whenever corporate rumors or negative press erupted, her job was to formulate response strategies and protect and manage the entire company’s reputation.
For two solid days, she had been glued to her monitor, drafting fact-check reports on fake news, distributing press releases, and posting emergency announcements through official social media channels.
“Sugar. Must have sugar. Sugar. Sugar.”
Chanting like a monk before the vending machine, she bought a can and gulped down the drink in one breath.
Ahh. Sweet and icy cold. This was the only reason she endured corporate life.
“Is that good?”
“Yeah. Insanely goo—.”
A massive shadow loomed over her out of nowhere.
Why is this person so tall?
She craned her neck higher and higher, finally catching sight of his face…
Mr.… President?
The moment she registered who it was, she bowed at a sharp ninety-degree angle.
“Good afternoon, sir! I’m Lee Dan-a from the Public Relations Office!”
“…Lee Dan-a-ssi.”
“Yes, sir! Lee Dan-a reporting!”
Seeing her pumped full of nervous military discipline, he extended a hand.
“I’m Ra Iheon.”
“Ah.”
She hurriedly wiped her palm against her clothes before carefully taking his hand.
“…”
“…”
An awkward, tense silence stretched between them.
“Um, Lee Dan-a-ssi.”
“Yes, sir.”
“My hand…”
Oops. She had kept holding on, expecting him to let go first.
As she pulled her hand away in a panic, a small smirk played on his lips.
“Do you happen to have any coins?”
“No coins, but I have cash!”
Instinctively bringing her hands together in a polite posture, she fed a bill into the vending machine.
As she did, she stole a glance out of the corner of her eye, only to find him staring intently at her. She offered an awkward smile and turned away, but an uneasy feeling gnawed at her gut.
What was with that look, like he had a mountain of things to say…?
Did I do something wrong?
Don't tell me he thinks I'm slacking off.
Mr. President, I’m not a wage thief! I was working hard and just stepped out for a second, truly just a second!
While she was frantically racking her brain for any possible infractions to confess, a memory surfaced—faint at first, then blazing with crystal clarity.
‘Ra Iheon! I like President Ra! I’ve been crazy about him since the very first day I joined the company!’
Gasp.
Oh, right! I’m supposed to like the President!
The memory of that reckless confession she had blurted out to her friend flashed back, sending a wave of burning heat straight to her face.
Her heart thudded against her ribs.
Don't tell me he came here to bring that up?
To ask what kind of embarrassing nonsense I was pulling at work instead of doing my job?
She needed to clear things up fast, but her brain scrambled, unable to string a coherent excuse together.
“Lee Dan-a-ssi.”
Ah, too late.
“Yes? Yes, sir?”
Her heart hammered frantically.
“What is the name of that drink?”
“…Pardon?”
“You said it was good.”
He pointed toward the can in her hand.
“Ah. The drink! I—I’ll press it for you!”
Whew, so that’s all he wanted to say.
Of course. Why would the President care about some pathetic confession he happened to overhear in passing?
Clunk!
At the sound of the can dropping, Dan-a reflexively reached in to grab it for him, only to freeze mid-breath.
“…!”
Iheon had leaned down to retrieve the can at the exact same moment, bringing their faces shockingly close together.
A trace of deep musk blended with subtle vanilla grazed the tip of her nose. The unexpectedly intoxicating scent made her look up at him.
He really was ridiculously handsome.
He was right in front of her eyes, yet it felt like she was looking at a high-end magazine photoshoot online.
Whoever gave birth to him, she wanted to cook them seaweed soup right now out of sheer gratitude.
Wow. How much does he work out to have a build like that?
And what is with the veins on his forearms?
As she stared without pulling away, the expression in his eyes shifted to mild curiosity.
“Uh… I was going to grab it for you…”
Flustered, she snatched the can and stumbled backward. Then, in a flurry of nervous energy, she scrubbed the mouth of the can against her clothes.
His eyes widened slightly.
“Uh, well, you see… there are a lot of germs around the rim, so they say it’s, um, better to wipe it before drinking.”
Iheon’s gaze drifted down to the fabric of her outfit that had just wiped the can.
“Ah, well, I should’ve used a tissue… But still, even with clothes, they say it reduces far more germs than not wiping it at all…”
I’m losing my mind. Who do I think I am, the director of public health? Why am I rambling about germs in front of the President?
“Thank you.”
“Ah, not at all, sir.”
“I’ll pay you back for the drink soon.”
“Oh, no need! You work so hard for the company, the least I can do is treat you.”
Ha, look at me showing off in front of a filthy rich president…!
Well, it wasn’t a lie. He did work hard.
Yet Iheon only stared intently at her with an unreadable expression.
Damn it, did I overdo it? Did that sound too suck-up?
“Uh…, I apologize. Compared to all your hard work, this seems a bit too meager…”
“No. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“…”
“Then… I’ll be taking my leave… now…”
“Lee Dan-a-ssi. Just a moment.”
“Yes? Yes, sir?”
Wearing that same inscrutable expression, Iheon took a slow step closer.
Her pulse spiked again.
Is this it? Is he finally going to bring it up?
‘Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was in front of my secretary because of you?’
Not yet, please not yet.
I haven’t even figured out a single word to say, let alone a whole sentence.
Just as her mind was spinning frantically to formulate an excuse—
Iheon smoothly held out a can toward her.
“You should take your drink. You seemed to be enjoying it.”
“Ah.”
In her haste to buy the President’s drink with both hands politely posed, she had practically abandoned her own on the table.
“Th—thank you, sir.”
Scamper.
Folding at the waist once more in a hurried bow, Dan-a bolted straight out of the break room.
Damn it all. She had only gone in for a breather, and instead of a regular supervisor, she ran straight into the President himself.
What was the President doing on the 11th floor, let alone in the PR Office break room, when his office was on the 20th floor?
She had been so much more tense than during actual work that her body froze and her words came out like a broken robot.
Seeing him up close, the aura he radiated was utterly overwhelming.
In front of a man like that, she would never in a million years be able to utter something like ‘I don't actually like you.’
She couldn't even greet him properly; what if he had brought up even a single syllable about that confession…?
A shiver ran down her spine.
She shook her head vigorously.
No.
They had plenty of time to talk, yet he hadn’t said a word about it. That clearly meant the confession meant absolutely nothing to him.
Besides, there was no reason they’d ever cross paths like this again.
Running into the President wasn’t an everyday occurrence.
Sure, she had seen him a few times lately, but each of those was just a random coincidence.
Right. That had to be it.
Then why…?
“The President is here!”
Dan-a snapped her head up from her work.
What did they just say…?
Right in the middle of core working hours, Iheon was walking straight into the department.
Her hands began to tremble.
