A Beastly Boss (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
He didn’t let go of her tightly held hand—not even once. It was a firm man’s hand, unlike her own small and delicate one.
“Shall we start… with holding hands?”
“Yes.”
Naturally, Eun Woo took her hand.
“Do you dislike it?”
“It’s not that I dislike it…”
It wasn’t dislike—more like…
Her heart didn’t feel like it was in her chest anymore; it seemed to have moved into the hand clasped with his.
Thump, thump.
Her previously cold fingertips now burned hot. Seul Hee avoided his steady, direct gaze. Her fair neck had already turned crimson. Still looking down, she tapped the floor lightly with her toe.
“Do we really have to go this far?”
“I think we need to do at least this much to avoid suspicion.”
No—but just how far did they have to go to avoid suspicion? Did it really require this level of meticulousness? Going on dates, holding hands, and then…
She looked up at him. His eyes shone in the darkness, his sharp nose below them, and his red lips…
Lips.
Surely, they wouldn’t go that far?
He slightly twisted his lips. At the sight, a jolt of warmth shot through her chest.
He couldn’t have noticed, could he?
What am I even thinking? That’s impossible. Mortified by where her thoughts had wandered, Seul Hee quickly shook her head.
“No, not that. Definitely not that.”
“Hm?”
Hearing her mutter to herself, Eun Woo tilted his head and looked at her.
“It’s nothing.”
“What’s not?”
He lowered his head to examine her face. In an instant, the space between them shrank.
Warm breath pooled between them.
Though she’d been worried they might have to do more than just hold hands, she couldn’t bring herself to say it—no matter how her mouth twisted. In the end, she stood up silently, still holding his hand.
Click.
Standing alone with Eun Woo, hand in hand in the dimly lit parking lot with the lights off, made her head spin. Their soft skins brushed gently against each other.
In that awkward moment as they walked—
The door on one side of the building clicked open, and someone stepped out.
A round-faced, cute-looking man. He blinked into the darkness, scanning around until his eyes landed on Eun Woo—and immediately ran over.
“Oh!”
Did they know each other? Without hesitation, he waved his hand and shouted as he approached Eun Woo.
“Oh! Young Master! You’re here!”
Young Master…?
Seul Hee turned to look up at Eun Woo. His previously calm expression had crumpled into a scowl.
“Oh my, for our Young Master to grace us with his presence here—what an immense honor!”
“Lee Jin Ho.”
His voice dropped menacingly.
“What’s this ‘Young Master’ nonsense?”
At his harsh tone, Jin Ho—who had been beaming and rubbing his hands together—froze instantly.
“Oh.”
“You wanna die? What did I tell you when I called?”
Killing intent practically radiated off Eun Woo. His posture suggested he might crush the man right in front of him, prompting the other to wave his hands frantically.
“No, I just— You almost never come here. You’ve been so busy you won’t even see me. I got excited, that’s all!”
“…”
“Don’t be mad. You’re scaring me.”
Eun Woo let out a soft sigh. Jin Ho immediately checked his expression.
“You’re not actually mad, right?”
“No, I appreciate you staying late today. Oh—Seul Hee.”
He gestured toward Jin Ho and continued.
“This is Lee Jin Ho, my university classmate. And this is Yoo Seul Hee.”
Seul Hee hadn’t expected to meet someone he actually knew, so she blinked in surprise and then bowed slightly.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Oh—yes! Nice to meet you, Ms. Yoo Seul Hee! What a beautiful name. Wow, wow…”
As Jin Ho greeted her, his eyes landed on their clasped hands. His eyes widened, and he alternated his gaze between Eun Woo and Seul Hee.
“What’s going on? What on earth is happening? Eun Woo actually came with a woman? Oh God—could this be real? Am I dreaming?”
Just as Jin Ho started rambling on again, Eun Woo growled like a dog.
“Lee Jin Ho. What did I say?”
At Eun Woo’s low, warning voice, Jin Ho snapped his mouth shut.
“You said not to act like this.”
Eun Woo’s teeth ground together audibly. Jin Ho flinched and took a step back, then gave Seul Hee a bright, apologetic smile.
“I’m Lee Jin Ho. I—I’ve just never seen Eun Woo with a woman before, so I got carried away. My apologies.”
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he apologized.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Eun Woo’s close friend.”
“Just a friend.”
Eun Woo interjected immediately.
“His closest friend.”
“Since when did you become my closest friend?”
“Who’s closer than me?”
Watching them banter back and forth, it was clear they were genuinely close.
Eun Woo always seemed encased in rigid armor. At the hospital, he rarely spoke about personal matters and seldom smiled warmly unless addressing pet owners.
So even Mr. Ok had a friend—and one this casual, at that. Jin Ho grinned broadly and continued.
“In any case, I’m glad you came. Feel free to look around. Eun Woo knows this place better than I do, so you won’t need a guide. It’s probably best if you two enjoy some quality time together.”
He deliberately stretched out the word “quality time,” making Eun Woo’s expression darken again.
Crunch.
The sound of Eun Woo grinding his teeth echoed. Jin Ho flinched and waved both hands.
“You’re gonna hit me if you keep that up.”
“I’m actually considering it.”
“Then I better leave before you decide. See you again, Seul Hee!”
“Why would you see Seul Hee again?”
Then, Eun Woo gently tugged Seul Hee’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
Even through the commotion, he never let go of her hand.
The place Eun Woo brought her to was the zoo at Wonderland.
This was her first time visiting a zoo at night. What’s more, walking through a place with absolutely no visitors made it even more surreal. Though few people were around, occasionally a staff member passed by and gave Eun Woo a respectful nod.
“You must come here often.”
“I interned here—for about half a year after graduating university.”
That explained why he moved through the vast zoo without hesitation. When Seul Hee had visited before, even with a map, she’d found the layout confusing—but he didn’t seem lost at all.
The place they arrived at after walking together was the Marine Pavilion.
“Oh, this place…”
It hadn’t existed when Seul Hee had come before. She vaguely remembered news reports from last year announcing it as Korea’s first facility of its kind.
“Have you been here before?”
“Oh—no. This is my first time.”
Eun Woo’s lips curled into a small smile.
“I’m glad. I’m happy we’re experiencing it together for the first time.”
Then he tugged her hand forward.
Passing through the long tunnel at the entrance, they stepped into what felt like the ocean itself.
Before them, blue water shimmered everywhere. The entire wall—over ten meters high—was a massive aquarium, with a circular tunnel running through its center.
Inside the tank, manta rays as tall as a person, vibrantly colored fish, and a house-sized whale swam leisurely. Each time the whale’s tail flicked, white bubbles bloomed in the blue water.
“Wow.”
She couldn’t find words. She simply stood still, taking in the breathtaking sight.
It was so beautiful—unbelievably beautiful.
Watching her with her lips slightly parted, Eun Woo lowered his head to study her expression.
“Do you like it?”
“…Yes.”
“If I were to go on a real date with you, Seul Hee, I thought this would be a good place.”
He whispered softly, as if afraid to disturb her awe.
“The zoo?”
He nodded.
“You like animals, don’t you, Yoo Seul Hee? Isn’t that why you joined the animal hospital?”
Had she mentioned that before? Or had she told him herself?
“Did I say that?”
“Yes. On your first day at the hospital.”
“…Ah.”
Now she remembered.
It had been Seul Hee’s first time working at an animal hospital, and she hadn’t even majored in a related field. On her first day, she’d arrived at the clinic extremely nervous—only to be greeted by none other than Mr. Ok.
The moment the Deputy Director introduced her to Eun Woo, he raised one eyebrow slightly and scrutinized her face thoroughly. Just as she was about to suffocate from the tension and silently pleaded for him to say something, his lips finally parted.
“I’m Ok Eun Woo. You said this is your first time at an animal hospital?”
His expression held not a trace of a smile.
“Have you ever owned a dog?”
She shook her head at his question.
“What about a cat?”
His sharp tone made her voice shrink.
“No, but…”
“Then why do you want to work at an animal hospital?”
She fidgeted with her lips.
‘Because of the salary? Most people work to earn money, after all.’
She wanted to say that—but his serious demeanor made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate such a flippant answer. After turning various phrases over in her mind, she finally managed to stammer out:
“B-because I like animals?”
At that, Mr. Ok’s already stern expression darkened further.
“I really hate hearing things like, ‘I work here because I love animals.’ This isn’t a hobby space. It’s a place where you work with professionalism and a sense of duty.”
Stunned by his sudden lecture, she could only blink at him.
“Have you ever met a doctor who became one because they love people?”
Caught off guard by Eun Woo’s random question, Seul Hee shook her head.
“Or a dentist who became one because they love teeth?”
Love teeth? What a strange thing to say. But overwhelmed by his intensity, she quickly shook her head again.
“Exactly. So why does everyone insist on saying they work at an animal hospital because they love animals?”
Feeling scolded, Seul Hee spoke up.
“I’m sorry.”
She really should’ve just said it was for the salary.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I just hope you, Yoo Seul Hee, will work with a sense of responsibility as a professional. I want you to remember: you get paid, so work hard!”
“Then… you didn’t become a veterinarian because you love animals?”
At her quiet, timid question, Mr. Ok gave a small nod.
“No? Of course I love animals. I love puppies, kittens—all of them.”
That was the conversation they’d had—long ago. He remembered that talk? Even though back then, he’d seemed so sullen. Honestly, she’d thought he was just a bit odd; the whole conversation had felt strange at the time.
“You remembered?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you specifically chose this place?”
“Well, if we’re going to do it anyway, might as well spend time somewhere you’d enjoy.”
That made sense—
But still… it was just a fake date. Did he really need to go this far for her?
Seul Hee did love animals—but not for that reason. Not simply because they were alone together here with no one else around. It was because… he remembered a conversation from so long ago. That thought left her speechless, her lips moving soundlessly.
Unable to say anything, she looked up—not at the aquarium, but at Eun Woo.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh—nothing. I just…”
Now that she thought about it, she’d never been on a date like this before.
With Chan Jeong, their dates had always felt like brief intermissions between errands—during college, just killing time between lectures or after class around campus.
“This feels like what a real date should be. It’s… different from what I expected.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“No—I like it. I really like it.”
Saying that made her feel shy, so she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, disrupting her neat hairstyle.
He reached out and gently smoothed her tousled hair as he whispered,
“Yeah. I like it too.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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