A Beastly Boss (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12

For a moment, silence filled the hospital waiting room.

“Oh my!”

It was Mi Jin who broke that silence.

“Eek! Did you hear that? He says he has a girl he likes!”

Mi Jin let out an involuntary shriek and gave Seul Hee, who was sitting beside her, a sharp tap on the back. Caught completely off guard, Seul Hee’s eyes flew open.

“Ouch! That hurts.”

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Ms. Seul Hee! It’s just—Mr. Ok, who’s always so cold, saying he has someone he likes? It’s so unbelievable! Really, really sorry. Oh dear, what’s wrong with me? I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry.”

Mi Jin wasn’t the only one utterly shocked. Next to her, Chae Rin chirped, “Wow, such rare news! We can’t keep this to ourselves. We absolutely must tell Deputy Director inside,” and hurried off. But above all, Seul Hee couldn’t even catch her breath.

Why did he have to announce in front of everyone that he had a girl he liked? She shot a glare toward Eun Woo, but he merely shrugged his shoulders, completely unfazed by her stare.

Why did it feel like things were spiraling out of control, contrary to his original intention? His head began to ache.

Just as the morning clinic was winding down, Eun Woo’s phone, sitting on his desk, chimed.

[Eun Woo, wanna grab lunch together today? I’m off work, so I’ve got plenty of time.]

It was a text from Jin Ho. Eun Woo lowered his long lashes and stared at the message.

Though they often bickered, he and Jin Ho were very close—so close, in fact, that despite his reluctance to admit it, he might as well call him his best friend.

Considering Jin Ho had even brought his wallet all the way to the hospital last week after their trip to Wonderland, Eun Woo figured he should at least treat him to a meal. He sent a quick reply:

[Sure, I’ll pay.]

To his surprise, a reply popped up almost instantly:

[Nah, I’ll pay.]

A frown creased his brow.

[All of a sudden?]

Jin Ho was offering to pay for a meal?

Jin Ho loved teasing Eun Woo, always jokingly calling him “young master” and playfully demanding he treat him to food. In all the ten years Eun Woo had known him, Jin Ho had never, not even once, offered to pay for anything himself. Not a single time.

Besides, wasn’t Eun Woo the one who owed him a favor right now?

So it was utterly baffling that Jin Ho would volunteer to treat him. Jin Ho replied:

[Yeah, I really want to pay.] [Why?] [I’ve got a favor to ask you.] [What favor?] [I’ll tell you when we meet. Let’s meet at the sushi place in front of your hospital at 1 p.m.!]

As if that weren’t enough, his eagerness showed again as another message followed immediately:

[You’ve gotta come!]

Something felt off. This wasn’t like Jin Ho at all.

Frowning, Eun Woo stared down at his phone, a creeping sense of unease welling inside him.

Something was definitely wrong. The restaurant Jin Ho had chosen was an upscale sushi place, even by Seocho standards—a high-end lunch spot where a meal easily cost hundreds of thousands of won.

There was no way Jin Ho would pick a place like this.

As Eun Woo slid open the wooden door and stepped in, he was met by Jin Ho—his face flushed as red as Eun Woo’s growing anxiety—who waved his hand high in the air.

“Hey, Eun Woo!”

Eun Woo narrowed his eyes, trying to read his friend’s intentions. Jin Ho impatiently waved both hands.

“Over here! I’m right here!”

“…Oh, okay.”

Was he going to ask to borrow money? Why did he look so frantic?

No, Jin Ho wasn’t the type to recklessly spend cash. If he needed money, he’d boldly say, “Young master, you’re rich! Lend me some cash!” with his usual swagger. Curiosity gnawed at Eun Woo.

Impatient with roundabout talk, Eun Woo got straight to the point the moment he sat down.

“What’s going on?”

“Huh? What?”

Startled by the blunt question, Jin Ho furrowed his brow. Eun Woo asked again.

“I said, what’s happening? What kind of mess did you make that you’re treating me at a place this expensive?”

“No, it’s just—I have to treat you somewhere that suits your taste, Young Master. If I’m paying, it might as well be proper.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Eun Woo narrowed his eyes.

They knew each other too well for that excuse to fly. Under Eun Woo’s sharp gaze, Jin Ho finally lowered his head.

“You see, Eun Woo… it’s like this…”

Uncharacteristically hesitant for someone usually so bold, Jin Ho trailed off.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Ugh, just spit it out already!”

Frustrated to the point of suffocation, Eun Woo scowled—prompting Jin Ho to finally confess.

“Can you… introduce me to a girl?”

“A girl?”

Taken aback by the sudden request, Eun Woo frowned. Of all people, Jin Ho—someone who couldn’t be further from romance—was asking him, of all people, for a girl’s introduction? Jin Ho continued.

“I went to your hospital today, and—there was this woman. Totally my type.”

And with that, Jin Ho grabbed Eun Woo’s hand. Warmth seeped into Eun Woo’s skin.

“What are you doing, Lee Jin Ho?”

“Please. Just introduce us once. I want to ask for her number, but you know I’m hopeless at this kind of thing. I never ask for stuff like this. Seriously, I don’t.”

It was true. Jin Ho was somewhat dense when it came to dating, and Eun Woo had never seen him ask anyone for this kind of favor before.

But still…

Getting tangled in romantic matters within the hospital was awkward. Who had even been there? Pulling his hand away, Eun Woo asked,

“Who?”

“What?”

“There were several women there. Who are you talking about?”

Surely it wasn’t Yoo Seul Hee from that day—it was more likely Mi Jin, the manager, or Technician Chae Rin. Since Eun Woo hadn’t flat-out refused, Jin Ho brightened immediately.

“That… girl with the short hair…”

“Ah.”

Recognizing her instantly, Eun Woo shook his head.

“No.”

It was Chae Rin. As soon as he realized who it was, he shut it down firmly. Jin Ho jutted his head forward in protest.

“Why not? Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Ms. Chae Rin is twenty-four.”

“What?”

“She’s only twenty-four.”

He knew she didn’t have a boyfriend, but to Jin Ho—who was about to turn thirty—she was far too young. Having watched Chae Rin since she graduated high school, Eun Woo still saw her as a kid and felt uncomfortable about it.

“What’s six years? Back in the day, they didn’t even check compatibility for a six-year gap!”

“You’re off by two—it’s only a four-year difference.”

Jin Ho slumped, defeated by Eun Woo’s unyielding logic, and sighed, lips pursed.

“Haa….”

“…”

“Haa…. She’s just really, really great, though.”

He drooped visibly, head bowed for a long moment, his sigh trailing like a long, drawn-out thread.

Eun Woo’s head throbbed again.

They’d bickered since student days, but Jin Ho was a good guy—solid build, handsome, stable job, good manners, and deep down, sincere.

What to do? After a brief internal debate, Eun Woo reached out his hand.

“Give it here.”

“What?”

“Your business card. I’ll just pass it to Ms. Chae Rin. If she doesn’t contact you, drop it forever. And if you bother her after being rejected, I won’t let you off easy.”

“Oh, really? You’ll pass it along? Thank you! That’s all I need.”

Relieved, Jin Ho handed over his card. Eun Woo snatched it and tucked it into his wallet.

“We’re splitting the bill. I haven’t done anything to deserve a free meal from you.”

He didn’t want to feel indebted over something like this. Only then did he raise his hand to call the staff.

I can’t breathe—my throat’s closing up.

At lunchtime, Seul Hee had no appetite and merely nibbled on a hastily bought triangle kimbap. Even after taking a sip of water, the dry rice stuck in her throat.

But it wasn’t the kimbap’s fault. What really choked her was today’s big news. Ever since Jin Ho’s visit that morning, the story of Mr. Ok having “a girl he likes” had consumed the entire hospital all day.

“They say Mr. Ok has a girl now.”

“Yeah, I heard too.”

Whenever people gathered, they’d whisper about it. Dolmae Animal Hospital was the kind of place where nothing ever happened—

with barely ten staff members total who all got along well, drama was rare. So when a bomb like Mr. Ok’s love life dropped, of course everyone’s attention turned to it.

“Isn’t it amazing, Ms. Seul Hee?”

“…Yeah.”

That Eun Woo didn’t actually have anyone he liked—that it was all just a lie to fool his grandmother and Seul Hee’s friends—and that the person who’d gone with him to Wonderland that day was none other than Yoo Seul Hee herself, sitting right in front of them…

She couldn’t say any of it, so she swallowed her words. Seeing her lackluster reaction, Mi Jin tilted her head.

“I guess you’re not that surprised, Ms. Seul Hee?”

“Haha.”

Honestly, what could she even say?

Flustered, she just wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“That’s fair—you haven’t been here long, so you don’t know Mr. Ok well. But…”

Chae Rin, finishing her bento, looked up.

“Wait, where did Mr. Ok go today? Did he have lunch plans?”

“Yeah, he said he was having lunch with a friend.”

Just then, as if on cue, the break room door opened. It was Eun Woo.

“Oh, Mr. Ok! You’re back.”

“Yes. I’m back.”

Unlike his calm demeanor when he’d left, Eun Woo now looked visibly irritated. He let out a light sigh as he entered.

“Haa…”

“Why the sudden sigh?”

At Mi Jin’s question, Eun Woo rubbed his face wearily, then turned toward Chae Rin.

“Ms. Chae Rin. You can refuse or toss it right away—that’s fine. But I already promised…”

“What is it?”

“My friend who visited the hospital earlier really likes you. He asked if you’d be interested, maybe give him a call?”

“Oh.”

“Here’s his card.”

And Eun Woo held out the business card.

“Wow!”

So Mr. Ok’s friend had taken a liking to Ms. Chae Rin! Intrigued, Seul Hee and Mi Jin gathered around Chae Rin.

Flustered but seemingly not opposed to the attention, Chae Rin took the card, her cheeks turning pink, and mumbled shyly, “I’ll… give him a call.”

“What do you think he liked about our Chae Rin?”

“Probably her looks, right?”

“Exactly! Even we think she’s gorgeous.”

Amid the excited chatter, Mi Jin suddenly looked up at Eun Woo.

“What does Mr. Ok like about the girl he’s into? I’m curious—what’s his type?”

Caught off guard by the sudden spotlight, one of Eun Woo’s eyebrows arched upward.

“Does Mr. Ok also go for looks? Is she some stunning beauty?”

Even though he didn’t truly like her, hearing them talk about “his girl” made Seul Hee’s mouth go dry. Eun Woo’s gaze slowly shifted from Mi Jin to Seul Hee. With a faint twist of his lips, he said,

“I don’t know.”

“…”

“I just like everything about her.”

“…”

“Her face… everything.”