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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Is the Rumor True?
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‘She has a boyfriend?’
A chill settled over Eom Ji Hu's darkened expression.
No matter how many times he thought about it, it was a deflating remark.
Ever since the day Yi Yeon had mentioned her boyfriend, Eom Ji Hu felt rage surging every time the word crossed his mind.
He had thought it fortunate that she was disguised like that, figuring no one would dare go after her.
Who the hell had swooped in and stolen her in the meantime?
Eom Ji Hu's shadowed face grew increasingly distorted until it twisted into a crooked smile.
At least a boyfriend was something he could steal away.
Eom Ji Hu still calculated whether he had a chance.
Just when could he see the old Yi Yeon’s face again?
By now, everything should have gone according to plan, but nothing had.
It popped into his head again on Monday morning.
That’s when Kang Yeon Jeong had come in making a huge fuss about something.
Kang Yeon Jeong gathered everyone who was sitting around here and there.
“Everyone! Come here quick!”
“Assistant Manager Kang, what’s going on this early on Monday morning?”
It was a bit chaotic, but rumors Kang Yeon Jeong brought were never ordinary. That’s why it was intriguing.
Eom Ji Hu moved toward Kang Yeon Jeong to hear what was up.
“What do you think I saw yesterday?”
Kang Yeon Jeong lowered her voice dramatically.
Even the people from the next team, who had been sitting quietly, perked up their ears curiously.
“I went to the department store yesterday, and guess what? I saw the Vice President. No, I saw this tall, handsome guy walking by and thought, ‘Wow!’ Then I realized it was our Vice President. I didn’t see him right up close, but he wasn’t far away...”
“You should’ve bought a lottery ticket that weekend. It’s not like you run into the Vice President every day.”
“What’s so earth-shattering about that?”
The faces that had been full of anticipation at Kang Yeon Jeong’s words began to fall one by one in disappointment.
“Listen to this! And right next to him was this pretty woman in floaty clothes. When I looked closer, I think it was that rumored wife of his?”
“Really? So the rumor that the Vice President is married is true?”
There hadn’t been any direct confirmation from articles or eyewitness accounts yet, so the female employees had dismissed it as baseless gossip.
But what Kang Yeon Jeong was sharing now was an eyewitness account.
“She was so pretty it made me jealous as a fellow woman—I was annoyed. I even took a picture! Here.”
The photo, taken from afar, showed the two gazing at each other with affectionate smiles.
The full-body shot of Yi Yeon was so stunning, she could pass for a celebrity.
“Wow... she’s like a celebrity.”
“No way she’s a regular person. I’ve never seen an ordinary woman with looks like that.”
“Let’s keep this just among us. Don’t spread it around, or I’ll get in trouble.”
Eom Ji Hu, who had been listening quietly, suddenly shot up from his seat.
“No way.”
“Eom, what do you mean ‘no way’?”
“Assistant Manager, can I see that photo?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Kang Yeon Jeong handed her phone to Eom Ji Hu.
He stared intently at the screen.
Eom Ji Hu even zoomed in, and upon seeing Yi Yeon smiling happily with An Do Hyun, his eyes hardened.
“No way.”
Eom Ji Hu looked at the screen again and again, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Even swiping to other angles or the next photo confirmed it—this was definitely Yi Yeon.
Her face wasn’t common enough to mistake.
What the hell was going on? How could they suddenly be married?
Even up to the day they first met and had dinner together, she hadn’t seemed like she had a boyfriend.
Kang Yeon Jeong tapped the shoulder of Eom Ji Hu, who stood frozen clutching the phone.
“Ji Hu, do you know her?”
Well, not like he was the only one who knew her.
Eom Ji Hu handed the phone back to Kang Yeon Jeong.
“I thought I did, but I guess not.”
He flashed a bright smile as if he’d just mistaken her for someone else and stood up.
The details were jumbled and didn’t make sense, but the conclusion was that there was a rumor An Do Hyun and Yi Yeon were married.
Eom Ji Hu headed to Yi Yeon’s floor.
The elevator ride up was brief, but countless thoughts raced through his mind.
“So the guy who stole Yi Yeon was An Do Hyun?”
And he already knew all about her other side.
Eom Ji Hu, walking slowly toward Yi Yeon, came to a stop.
Unaware of his presence, laughter from Yi Yeon and An Do Hyun drifted over.
“Yu Yi Yeon, this is slacking off.”
“Me? I was working really hard.”
At a glance, it looked like playful banter, but Eom Ji Hu could tell.
The change in Yi Yeon’s voice when she was in love.
Moreover, An Do Hyun, who always exuded sharp tension, was smiling with a rare softness no one else ever saw.
He smiled only at her, as if she were the only one in his sight.
To Eom Ji Hu, it looked like the leisurely smile of someone who had everything.
He’d wanted to ask about that photo, but now he’d witnessed it all with his own eyes.
They were getting closer.
Was there really no chance at all? Had something gone wrong in his approach?
To have Yu Yi Yeon now, he’d have to get over not just a boyfriend, but a husband.
An Do Hyun, the Vice President, no less.
All his plans were now useless.
Even if he met her again, not having Yu Yi Yeon would just leave him angry and resentful.
His clenched fist trembled, but Eom Ji Hu turned away indifferently.
He walked off quietly, but his mind was noisy, unlike his footsteps.
* * *
“Huh?”
Yi Yeon, mid-laughter in conversation, widened her eyes.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear something just now?”
“I didn’t hear anything. Are you changing the subject?”
“No, I must’ve misheard.”
“I like you like this.”
An Do Hyun made the sudden confession.
The love brimming in his gaze made the already perfect man even more alluring.
With eyes overflowing with fluttering emotion, Yi Yeon whispered softly.
“Being like this should keep the filthy flies away.”
“Still, someone might get drawn in like you did to the Vice President, so stay alert.”
An Do Hyun’s sparkling eyes dulled in less than a second at her words.
“Then I’ll twist that guy up. But why do you sound like you want someone to get hooked, Yu Yi Yeon?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
Yi Yeon whispered back quietly.
“Then you know. Oh, you know we have a meeting, right?”
An Do Hyun ended the sentence and headed straight into his office.
‘Was there a meeting?’
Yi Yeon hadn’t checked her schedule and hurriedly followed him into the office.
As if waiting, An Do Hyun pressed the remote in his hand.
The office glass, transparent just moments ago, turned opaque.
“Why... why did you change it...?”
Yi Yeon stammered, flustered as everything behind her became obscured.
“We’re having a meeting.”
“Good luck. I’ll head out then.”
As Yi Yeon turned to leave, An Do Hyun closed in right behind her.
She flinched at the feel of his firm body against her back.
An Do Hyun wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing close.
He buried his face in her shoulder and let out a shallow sigh.
Then he deeply inhaled her scent.
“Where are you going? I’m having a meeting with Yu Yi Yeon.”
“What meeting?”
“A meeting to share love.”
As he answered her question, An Do Hyun gently rubbed his face against her shoulder.
He wanted to breathe in as much of her faint fragrance as possible.
“Just five minutes. Five minutes is fine, right?”
“Exactly five minutes.”
Even just holding her like this for five minutes felt like it would melt away his stress.
An Do Hyun turned her around to face him from behind.
She wore a loose white blouse and navy skirt today, but it no longer looked sloppy like before.
No matter the look, she was beautiful and captivating in his eyes—his Yu Yi Yeon.
“But do you know?”
“What?”
“What a ‘meeting to share love’ is.”
An Do Hyun lowered his lips. Anxiety over someone coming mixed with strange excitement.
The opaque glass blocking inside from outside created a thrilling pleasure laced with the fear of someone approaching.
An Do Hyun’s lips, devouring hers, were soft.
“I want to get off work quick.”
“Me too.”
Just eating face-to-face with An Do Hyun would be enough.
Sitting side by side on the sofa would be enough.
Lately, Yi Yeon felt what they meant by the rice cake and salt for newlyweds.
The ‘meeting to share love’ stretched past the promised five minutes toward ten before wrapping up.
Yi Yeon returned to her seat. She glanced at An Do Hyun through the glass.
These days, her life overflowed with An Do Hyun, happiness spilling over.
She worried if she could really be this happy, with no dread waking up the next day.
Coming to work meant seeing An Do Hyun right in front of her, and that was great.
She wished this happiness could last forever.
Trials and hardships would come, but with An Do Hyun, she felt they could overcome them.
Just then, an internal company notice arrived for Yi Yeon.
[Company Dinner Location Notice]
It was a group announcement about tomorrow’s dinner location.
Details on attendees, venue, menu, and the next day’s schedule were listed.
Woosung Card held dinners by semester. Since Yi Yeon was under Vice President An Do Hyun in the org chart, she was invited.
Most people didn’t welcome her, but a few did look out for her.
“Which teams are going this time?”
Yi Yeon checked the list of RSVPs.
Seeing Eom Ji Hu and Kang Yeon Jeong’s names together meant they’d be attending too.
An Do Hyun might not like her going with Eom Ji Hu, but the dinner was already set.
‘No big deal, right?’
Though an inexplicable unease crept in, Yi Yeon soon forgot it and started on the work she’d put off for their love-sharing meeting.
