The Woman Who Stole My Flower
Chapter 40
Chapter 40
40.
“She’s our CEO’s daughter, and she went to college in the States…”
He had no interest in hearing more. Having gotten the answer he needed, Joo-heon cut in ruthlessly.
“That’s all I needed to know.”
After taking a photo with the person as a reward for answering his question, Joo-heon headed down to the parking lot where Ho-jin was waiting, ready to leave for the training ground.
‘Second warning.’
Joo-heon repeated it in his mind.
A second yellow card meant an ejection. In other words, it was time to pull out the red card.
*
[I hate you, Director!]
Having lashed out at him for no good reason, Yeon-seo went up to the rooftop to cool her flushed face. When she returned to the office, Joo-heon was already gone.
‘He must have left for practice.’
Come to think of it, that was only normal. He was usually training in the mornings; he had only come to the office this morning specifically because of Yeon-seo. In the past, she would have cheered, celebrating her freedom, but for some reason, the wind had gone out of her sails. She hadn’t even managed to thank him for clearing her name yet.
‘I’ll definitely thank him tomorrow.’
Thinking this, Yeon-seo headed down to the Public Relations Office. When Joo-heon was absent, it made sense for her to work at her original post.
“Excuse me, just a moment.”
As she walked down the hallway toward the Public Relations Office, a man in his early forties wearing a visitor’s pass called out to her unexpectedly. His face looked familiar.
“Oh, hello!”
Recognizing who he was, Yeon-seo greeted him warmly. It was the captain of FC Thor, the team that had won the soccer tournament at the recent company sports day. She knew he worked as the store manager of Bellator’s directly managed branch in Incheon.
It seemed he had recognized her as well before calling out.
“You’re Kang Joo-heon-seonsu’s secretary, right?”
Though she was temporarily serving as his secretary by circumstance, it was the first time someone had actually addressed her that way. Everyone in the company still called her Manager Jung Yeon-seo. For some reason, Yeon-seo found it amusing and chuckled.
“Please call me Manager Jung Yeon-seo. But what brings you to headquarters, Store Manager?”
As if he had been waiting for the question, the man poured out his grievances.
“I came for the store manager training, but I’ve been wandering around for ten minutes because I can’t find the training room. Every hallway looks the same, the elevators all stop on different floors, and I just can’t figure out why everything has to be so complicated…”
Sympathizing with his plight, Yeon-seo chimed in.
“You’re right, this place really is confusing. I got terribly lost when I first joined the company, too.”
The building’s layout was surprisingly labyrinthine, making it effortless for anyone unfamiliar with it to lose their way.
“Where is the training room?”
“They said it’s the 21st-floor main conference room. Could you possibly tell me how to get there?”
“Of course. I’ll take you there.”
Giving directions verbally would likely result in him getting lost again anyway. As Yeon-seo took the lead and walked toward the elevator, the man quickly fell in step behind her.
“You were amazing that day. Congratulations again on the championship.”
When she offered her belated congratulations, the captain of FC Thor still wore a dazed expression.
“That day was truly… Playing on the same team as Kang Joo-heon-seonsu felt like a dream, I tell you.”
“I’m sure it did. You must have been thrilled.”
“Every night before falling asleep, I look at the photos we took that day until my eyes wear out.”
Seeing him so purely delighted made Yeon-seo feel just as happy, even though she had nothing to do with it.
“I took a few photos back then too. Would you like me to send them to you?”
“Oh, I’d be so grateful!”
Thinking it was fortunate she had already transferred the photos from her old phone, Yeon-seo pulled out her device. Perhaps it was his championship prize, but the man’s phone was also the same Apple Phone as Yeon-seo’s. Two Apple Phones could use the wireless transfer feature between them.
As she was sending the photos, the captain of FC Thor caught sight of Yeon-seo’s phone and let out a sudden gasp.
“Manager-nim. Is that pink color something extremely rare by any chance?”
“This? Well, I received it from someone, so I’m not really sure.”
A huge fuss had broken out because of it, after all. Thinking that to herself, Yeon-seo asked in return,
“Why do you ask? Is pink considered a rare color?”
“No, it’s just that if it isn’t, I can’t fathom why Kang Joo-heon-seonsu played just to get it.”
“Pardon?”
What did that mean? When she looked at him with an uncomprehending, puzzled expression, the FC Thor captain explained further.
“When Kang Joo-heon-seonsu joined our team as a ringer, we took his application over the phone without even knowing who he was, you see? But the condition he gave in advance was just that. He said he’d make us champions, so the winner’s prize had to be the pink one.”
Saying so, the man glanced down at his own phone. It was gold.
“According to the player’s manager, Kang Joo-heon-seonsu played purely for the championship prize.”
“…”
“So I figured the pink one must be an extremely rare color that you couldn’t buy even with all the money in the world. But come to think of it, no matter how rare it is, I wondered if there’s anything Kang Joo-heon-seonsu couldn’t get his hands on…”
She could barely register his words after that. Half in a daze, Yeon-seo guided the man all the way to his destination, the main conference room.
“Phew, thank you so much. If not for you, Manager-nim, I would have wandered around for half the day.”
“Have a good training session.”
Parting ways and walking back to her office, Yeon-seo was lost in thought.
Until now, she hadn’t deeply questioned why Joo-heon had suddenly participated in something like a company soccer tournament. She had vaguely assumed that the company had asked him to play as a promotional event. Or perhaps because he had been resting for so long due to his injury, he had simply wanted to stretch his legs and run around lightly after all this time.
‘To think it was because of this?’
Yeon-seo stared blankly down at her phone.
That day, Joo-heon had pretended he was about to throw it away, claiming he didn’t need a new phone. That was why Yeon-seo had accepted it without feeling burdened. After all, she was only picking up something destined for the trash.
Yet according to what the FC Thor captain just said, far from being something he meant to throw out, it had been his precondition from the very beginning. He had even specifically demanded the pink color.
Why on earth had it been pink?
‘Pink, pink…’
As she pondered, a conversation suddenly surfaced in her memory.
[What color do you like?]
[Pardon? Ryu Chae-young-ssi?]
[I’m talking about you.]
[I… like pink.]
Yeon-seo clamped a hand over her mouth in shock.
“…!”
I told him. That I liked pink.
*
Looking back now, everything was crystal clear.
There was no doubt about it. Difficult as it was to believe, the reason Joo-heon had entered the company soccer tournament had been entirely to gift Yeon-seo a new phone.
She also understood why he had gone so far as to pretend he was throwing it away. He had known that if he hadn’t done that, Yeon-seo never would have accepted it.
What remained a mystery was why Joo-heon had gone to such lengths just to give her a new phone.
‘Just who am I to him?’
Yeon-seo fell into utter confusion. Until now, she had assumed his feelings toward her were naturally rooted in resentment. She had thought his proposal of marriage wasn’t born of affection, but merely because she was the one who had taken his innocence.
And yet…
The next afternoon, Yeon-seo sat at the secretary’s desk, her fingers toying idly with the new phone.
‘Could it be that he, just a little…’
Just as she was lost in that dazed thought, the door swung open and Joo-heon walked in.
“You’re back, Director.”
The instant she saw him, her face burned with a sudden flush of heat, and Yeon-seo hurriedly stood from her seat, bowing her head.
“Did your training go well?”
Just moments ago, Yeon-seo had been rehearsing what she would say once Joo-heon arrived.
‘Did your training go well?’
‘Yeah, it went fine.’
When he replied like that, she would thank him for clearing her name yesterday. She would thank him for giving her the phone, too. She was going over each sentence in her mind, but the response that came completely defied her expectations.
“…All my life, soccer is the only thing I’ve ever done.”
Startled by the unexpected remark, she looked up, only to find Joo-heon looking elsewhere, appearing thoroughly awkward.
“Aside from soccer, there isn’t a single thing I’m good at. I’m bad at expressing myself, and I don’t know how to treat someone gently.”
Noticing his tightly clenched fists, Yeon-seo was caught off guard. Could he possibly be… nervous right now?
“It’s not… what I truly feel in my heart, either…”
While it lacked his usual curt, snapping tone, it still wasn’t soft or tender. Yet why did her face keep burning hotter at those blunt, awkward words?
“I’m sorry for making you angry.”
Only then did Yeon-seo realize why he was acting this way.
[I hate you, Director!]
Because I threw a temper and ran off yesterday…
That hadn’t been it at all. In truth, she had been so grateful. She just hadn’t been able to say the words.
“It’s all right.”
Only then did Joo-heon steal a glance at Yeon-seo, carefully reading her expression.
“Are you not mad anymore?”
“Yes.”
He gave a nod, looking thoroughly relieved.
“Then that’s fine.”
After Joo-heon stepped into his office, the strength drained from Yeon-seo’s legs, leaving her to slump heavily back into her chair.
“What was that…”
He had merely apologized. It wasn’t anything more than that. Yet just as if he had confessed his feelings to her, her heart hammered wildly in her chest.