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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Isn't That Too Bold?
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Kang Yeon Jeong's attention had shifted to Ji Hu.
Before she knew it, she was firing off all the questions she was curious about at him.
Ji Hu, who had just moistened his throat with some beer, set down his glass and spoke.
“After graduating from university, I did date a few people, but there was someone I still couldn't forget.”
“Ji Hu, you had someone you liked?”
Yeon Jeong coughed in surprise.
That was when it happened.
“Hello! Vice President.”
They say the protagonist always shows up late. Do Hyun appeared like the star of this dinner party.
“You don't need to stand. I'm just stopping by briefly.”
“Even so, please sit for a bit and have some meat before you go.”
The female employees, including Yeon Jeong, tried to get Do Hyun to sit down.
“I was just going to pay and leave, but I can't ignore your suggestion, so I'll sit for five minutes.”
“Wow.”
The female employees cheered.
Tch. Yi Yeon felt an inexplicable jealousy toward Do Hyun, who seemed all too familiar with this kind of situation.
It was obvious he'd be surrounded by women wherever he went.
Whether it was the employees' opinion or his own, Do Hyun agreed to sit and pushed through the staff toward the back.
Do Hyun's footsteps were heading toward the inner part of the restaurant where Yi Yeon was seated.
No way he's coming straight here so obviously.
No way.
Executives usually sat at tables with department head level or higher. After all, the lower the rank, the more they were intimidated by executives.
But.
“Secretary Yu is here too?”
'No way' had struck.
Do Hyun's voice came from above Yi Yeon's head as she kept it bowed.
As Do Hyun approached the inner table, the seated employees rose one by one with heavy movements to greet him.
“Hello, sir.”
Do Hyun returned a light nod of acknowledgment but didn't move his body away from being right next to Yi Yeon's head.
Yi Yeon followed the prickling gaze she felt on her head, turning to give Do Hyun a quick eye greeting.
“Oh, I'll move forward. Vice President, please sit here.”
“Set up one more place here.”
Yeon Jeong, sitting next to Yi Yeon, astutely moved to the seat beside Ji Hu.
Team Leader Kim asked a staff member to prepare the spot.
She had moved her utensils so quickly and smoothly—who knew when she'd swapped them. It was as if she'd been waiting for a chance to sit next to Ji Hu.
In that way that seemed natural yet unnatural, Do Hyun sat down next to Yi Yeon.
“I'll just pass through briefly.”
Do Hyun let the employees know in advance not to worry, as he wouldn't take much of their time.
“Mr. Eom Ji Hu, have a drink.”
Do Hyun offered first to Ji Hu, who kept catching his eye.
To others, it might look like he was looking out for Ji Hu, but in Yi Yeon's eyes, the situation felt entirely uneasy.
Yi Yeon hoped Do Hyun would hold back on the words.
Only now did Yi Yeon realize that Do Hyun had come all the way to this far table because he didn't like her and Ji Hu being at the same one.
“Yes, it's an honor if the Vice President pours.”
It was lip service he didn't mean.
Ji Hu felt deeply uncomfortable because of the two people sitting affectionately across from him. Emotions like anger, defeat, and loss welled up inside him, mixing together.
Among everyone here, probably only Ji Hu knew.
The expressions of those two people, who were conscious of each other.
The others were quite drunk, and besides, they couldn't even imagine the relationship between the two.
“I'll pour one for you.”
Ji Hu stepped up to fill Do Hyun's glass, pushing a fresh soju glass toward him from the table.
“I brought my car, so fill it with water.”
“Are you really leaving so soon? We're fine with it.”
Yeon Jeong tried to hold Do Hyun back with a gentle tone.
“I'm the one who's not fine.”
It was a warning not to hold him any longer.
How many times was she going to whine like that when once or twice would suffice? Yeon Jeong seemed perceptive at times, yet oblivious at others.
Catching on to Do Hyun's warning, Yeon Jeong backed off and said nothing more.
“You've all worked hard.”
Everyone raised their glasses following Do Hyun's short toast.
Yi Yeon gripped her glass and moved her hand toward the center to clink them.
That was when it happened.
Poke.
“Ow.”
Yi Yeon's hand went slack, and she let out a low, small cry as the glass slipped.
Fortunately, since she hadn't raised it high and there was only a little alcohol in it, the glass didn't break, and not much spilled.
“Secretary Yu! What's wrong?”
Yeon Jeong asked in surprise what was going on.
It was because, at the moment she was about to clink glasses, an unexpected touch came at Yi Yeon's knee.
Do Hyun's finger had suddenly poked it, and since she'd been sitting there blankly without thinking, she let out a sound in shock without realizing.
Explaining it was tricky.
'Why'd you poke me all of a sudden!'
She wanted to glare at Do Hyun but couldn't. Mentioning something that happened under the table could lead to misunderstandings.
Poke.
Do Hyun poked Yi Yeon once more. He was like a puppy demanding attention.
She wondered if she should deliberately ignore him even more. Why was he poking her perfectly fine knee?
Yi Yeon put on a social smile, calmly refilled her glass as if nothing happened, and called out “Cheers.”
Then she brought the soju glass, which made a crisp clinking sound, close to her lips.
She worried someone might see Do Hyun's fingers poking at her repeatedly.
Unless they bent down under the table, it wouldn't be easy to spot the quick poke-and-retract, but still, she'd been poked.
Yi Yeon stealthily lowered one hand under the table. If Do Hyun poked her once more, she planned to grab it.
Poke.
The moment Do Hyun poked, Yi Yeon grabbed his hand with the one she'd been waiting with. Do Hyun wrapped his hand around Yi Yeon's, which was clutching his index finger.
Yi Yeon's eyes widened as she sat still.
At that moment, her eyes met Ji Hu's, who was staring at her. Yi Yeon quickly averted her gaze.
Isn't that too bold?
The hands secretly clasped under the table came apart quickly.
It was as if he'd been poking to ask for her hand from the start.
By the time Yi Yeon finally retreated her freed hand onto the table, Ji Hu's voice came.
“Vice President, the employees were saying you're married—may I ask what your wife is like?”
Ji Hu asked with a faint smile, but his expression held no small amount of seriousness.
When rookie employee Ji Hu boldly asked about the much-rumored topic, everyone widened their eyes in surprise.
But only for a moment—curious about whether the marriage was real and what kind of person his wife was, the employees' eyes lit up.
“Yeah, we're curious.”
Assistant Manager Kang, sitting nearby, chimed in.
Do Hyun furrowed his brow briefly, then answered as if making sure it was heard.
“Even from afar, when my wife walks by, she shines. She loves her work, is responsible, positive. Above all, she understands me and gives me trust.”
As Do Hyun lowered his gaze and explained softly, the employees couldn't help but listen quietly.
“How did the two of you meet?”
“Well, like fate?”
“How long did you date before getting married?”
It was too persistent for a new employee's boldness.
Do Hyun's eyebrow twitched toward Ji Hu, who kept prying.
“Why is Employee Eom Ji Hu so interested in my wife?”
Ji Hu's interest in Yi Yeon irked him.
Of course, he wouldn't know his wife was Yi Yeon, but it still bothered him that Ji Hu kept asking.
“Oh, just curious. You said it was a fateful meeting, so I'm wondering what she's like. I want to meet someone like that too.”
“You'll meet her soon. Someone like that.”
So please stop talking to another man's wife and acting friendly.
Do Hyun thought to himself.
“It felt like fate, but maybe it wasn't, my fate. If it really was fate, would the chance come again if I wait?”
Ji Hu's voice grew quieter, becoming hard to hear.
As Ji Hu fell silent, Assistant Manager Kang kept the momentum going.
“Um, I saw you and your wife together at the department store!”
Yi Yeon, who had been quenching her thirst with water, nearly choked.
She'd seen her and Do Hyun. Yi Yeon looked at Assistant Manager Kang with wide eyes in surprise.
“Did you see us up close?”
“No, not close—from a distance.”
“Oh...”
“She was really beautiful. I get what you meant earlier about her shining even from afar. That's what you meant, right? She's so pretty she glows from a distance.”
“Of course.”
Do Hyun said with a low chuckle.
A moment later, Do Hyun tapped Yi Yeon's arm beside him.
“Secretary Yu, feels like your phone's vibrating.”
“Huh?”
At Do Hyun's words, Yi Yeon pulled out her phone. There was a message he'd just sent.
[Let's go home together.]
[Okay.]
Yi Yeon wanted to escape this dinner party quickly too.
She'd follow when Do Hyun left. She had to make a run for it.
Having made up her mind, Yi Yeon replied to Do Hyun that she understood.
“Now I should get going.”
Do Hyun glanced at his watch briefly and spoke. He stood quietly from his seat and went to the department head's side to say he was leaving.
The employees greeted Do Hyun as he headed out.
Do Hyun acknowledged the greetings and, before leaving, left one last glance at Yi Yeon before exiting through the restaurant door.
[If you leave right away, it'll be obvious. I'll head out in 5 minutes.]
Yi Yeon left the message and timed it.
“I'll head out first.”
“Already? Stay longer.”
Ji Hu tried to hold back Yi Yeon, who was leaving.
If she left now, who knew when another chance to meet and talk outside like this would come. He wanted to grab her and tell her not to go.
“I'm not feeling well, so I have to go early today. You're all drunk anyway, so I'll slip out quietly. See you tomorrow.”
Yi Yeon hurriedly gave her closing greetings and ran toward the parking lot where Do Hyun was waiting.
In the wide parking lot, she wandered around searching for Do Hyun's car.
“Where is it?”
Then, between the cars parked in the back, she spotted a familiar one.
Yi Yeon approached the car waiting for her, opened the passenger door, and quickly got in.
“Haa...”
She was a bit out of breath from hurrying.
“Yu Yi Yeon.”
Do Hyun grabbed the arm of Yi Yeon, who was catching her breath, and pulled her straight into his embrace.
