Bitter memories surfaced, and she sighed.
Even though she was receiving plenty of love now, occasionally, a lingering sense of loneliness surfaced. It wasn’t resentment, but rather a realization that she wanted to be loved by him… self-inflicted.
Mumbling to herself that her tailbone was getting sore, she rose from the sofa. She went to the kitchen, grabbed the coffee pot, poured Americano into a new cup, and added plenty of syrup.
As she took a sip, the aroma of coffee spread in her mouth. She wondered why he liked Americano, but as she drank, she started to enjoy it.
Her phone rang. Without checking, it seemed like it was Kangwoo. He had a habit of calling at the right time unless he was extremely busy.
Placing the coffee cup on the table, she picked up her phone. As expected, it was him. Smiling, Seaea answered the call.
“Hello?”
Kangwoo didn’t respond immediately. Ambient noise echoed in the background—footsteps, conversations in English, rustling, and more.
[Sorry. Can you hear me?]“Yes. I can hear you now. Are you outside?”
[Yeah. What were you up to?]“I was working on my manuscript. I’m going to submit it for a contest.”
[Is CI Soft eventually closing down?]“It’s a long story, but anyway, it seems like I won’t continue working at CI Soft for various reasons. I’ll tell you in detail when you come back.”
[It breaks my heart as the CEO. Losing a talent.]Hearing his gentle tone, Seaea smiled.
There was a murmuring sound mixed into the phone. After a brief pause, a low voice followed. It seemed like someone was talking to Morse code.
[Yeah.]“Who are you with?”
[Yeah. With Seaea.]“Okay.”
“[Manager Lee came. He arrived this afternoon. So, G-Com’s branch manager and the three of us had a drink.]”
“Ah…”
Feeling a bit down, right? With a voice that had a hint of laughter, affectionately inquired.
“Well, what can you do? But when are you coming in?”
Seaea looked at the wall clock. It seemed almost midnight in New York.
[I just left. I’m going back to the hotel.]“Got it. Let me know when you arrive.”
After those words affirming their plan, the call was disconnected. She stared endlessly at the call end indication. Why does it make her anxious again? He’ll be back in a few days.
‘Does he really tell Kangwoo everything? Doesn’t seem like it.’
Minyoung’s mocking voice lingered in her ears.
What does she mean by that? She dismissed it as just an attempt to stir things up. Was his sudden participation in the business trip a coincidence? Surely, he wouldn’t keep her in the dark until later?
Her trust in Kangwoo was as light as a piece of paper, which was somewhat ironic. Until just before ending the call, she convinced herself that our relationship had become solid. Yet, with Minyoung’s words about him coming, her heart wavered.
Holding the mug with both hands, she took a sip of coffee.
As addictive as the coffee she drank every day. She promised to quit but couldn’t. Even though it didn’t suit her body, it was bitter, and it disturbed her sleep, without it, the day felt longer and more tedious.
For nine years, Kangwoo has been such a presence.
Tea is said to be healthier than coffee… Why didn’t she try something else? Having such thoughts, she chuckled and shook them off.
Anyway, she decided to wait until he returned to the hotel and contacted her.
She was confident that, among others, waiting for him was something she could do better than anyone else.
She was on her way to the hotel with Minyoung. Since she had come by car and would be staying at the same hotel, she asked for a ride, and Minyoung couldn’t refuse.
Kangwoo sat in the passenger seat, and Minyoung occupied the spacious back seat alone. During the 20 minutes back to the hotel, Minyoung asked questions intermittently.
Starting with business-related topics and transitioning to personal matters, each time Kangwoo responded with “Is that so?” or a nod. Eventually, as if giving up, Minyoung leaned back against the front seat, separating her chest from it.
They arrived at the hotel’s main entrance and passed through the revolving door. Together, they entered the brightly lit elevator. Kangwoo, using the business room on the 19th floor, pressed the button for the 19th floor.
“Which floor are you going to?”
“Same floor. Even I can’t splurge on business trip expenses.”
With a nod implying agreement, Kangwoo lightly gestured. Despite the elevator going up at an incredibly fast speed, it felt slow.
A sudden wave of fatigue washed over her eyes. She thought about relaxing in the bathtub and having a long conversation with Seaea.
While typing a message to Seaea saying she’d call in 5 minutes, ding, the elevator arrived.
We came out to the lobby together. Among the two directions, I don’t know which room Minyeong is staying in, but I decided to stop here for greetings.
“You must be tired from the long flight. Please rest well.”
After the bow, I turned around first.
“Oh my!”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
