“Take this opportunity to reconcile, Team Leader. I was going to mention it anyway… But you asked so politely that I couldn’t resist.”

While adding that it was absolutely not because of the offer to double the accommodation fee, Manager Choi grasped Team Leader Kye’s cold hands.

“If needed, separate rooms…”

“Ah, that’s going too far.”

“There’s no business in front of Bae San Im Su. I’m a Bae San Im Su baby too, you know?”

“That won’t be necessary, is what you mean.”

“You never know what might happen, is what I mean.”

Team Leader Kye finally gave a bland smile at the witty remarks of the Bae San Im Su baby who was grinning broadly.

In the distant open space, employees from both companies mingled naturally, chatting.

Their laughter rang out continuously, as if something was incredibly amusing.

“I hear all those developer nerds are single, right?”

An excited voice mentioning singles. For a moment, an ominous premonition flashed through the mind.

“Don’t tell me our next activity is… doing something with them…”

“Let’s do some patriotic service this time, Team Leader.”

Patriotic service…? Da Hae tilted her head at the unexpected word as her hand was caught again by Manager Choi.

“It’s a national waste for young men and women living under the same sky to struggle alone.”

Saying that ultra-realistic dating shows are popular these days, and although the ratio of men is higher, that’s actually better.

She continued her eloquent speech assertively, saying that since Samyeong Entertainment is already like a brother company, wouldn’t it be good in many ways to promote friendship on this occasion?

The cheerful laughter supported this.

After pondering for a moment, Da Hae said to do as they pleased.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves so much that there was no reason to stop them.

She said it’s not okay to tell the married women and executives to rest in their rooms and not worry about the others having fun.

If the person in charge leaves and an accident occurs, there will be issues under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act. So they must fulfill their assigned duties.

Detecting the sharpening eyes, Manager Choi used her signature experience to conclude the negotiation.

“How many nights have we spent under our perfectionist Team Leader? Ah, working day and night, we didn’t even notice spring had come, and now it’s already summer. Even in the coming winter, I…”

“Do it. Do it all. Everything. Whatever you want.”

Shouting “Yes!” in triumph, she ran off excitedly to share this joyous news with her comrades.

As soon as she arrived, the names of Kang Jae Kyung and Kye Da Hae were chanted. The cheers were tremendous.

Da Hae responded by awkwardly smiling and raising her hand, then tilted her head back to look at the sky.

The blazing summer sun. The blue sky was clear and bright.

She thought the sticky wind mixed with humidity was a characteristic of the beach. It was only later that she learned how eerily calm the sea was before a storm.

*

A wide sandy beach with the vast ocean as a backdrop. On top of it, a perfectly square court drawn by the engineering students.

Wheeee! The whistle signaling the start of the game sounded. The game was dodgeball.

Whether due to the alcohol consumed since lunch, the blazing sun on the beach, or the exchanged vibes, the faces of the mingling men and women, their boundaries broken down, were flushed red.

While the men circled around the designer friends, warning that the women from their own departments were quite fierce, the women giggled coquettishly and made flirtatious sounds.

They weren’t usually the type to laugh like that.

Anyway, seeing our protected girls looking so happy naturally brought a smile to Da Hae’s lips.

“By the way…”

The man who started this hasn’t been seen at all.

Far from the court, under the shade of a parasol.

Da Hae, who had been watching the employees while warming her bottom on the hot sand, lowered her sunglasses down her nose and stretched her neck.

Her posture, leaning out just enough to leave the shade, resembled a meerkat.

Even after diligently scanning the dynamically moving crowd, somehow a similar physique…

“Is that him?”

“What is?”

“Eek!”

A scream escaped from the lips that had parted to ask what she was concentrating on. A delicate “eek,” a hearty “ack.” Somewhere in between, a “kak.”

Kang Jae Kyung, who had suddenly appeared close to her face, sat down right next to her and smiled, stretching the corners of his mouth.

“Were you looking for me?”

“No.”

Well, it wasn’t a face that wasn’t him. The man’s shoulder, with his arm propped behind where he sat, kept bumping into Da Hae’s arm as she hugged her knees.

Snickering all the while. He certainly has a knack for being sly.

While scolding him to stop bothering her and move away, Da Hae stubbornly maintained her position, then suddenly turned her head.

“Did you collude with our employees?”

“No need to be jealous. I just shared the schedule.”

What jealousy? More like a duel, if anything.

The voice that shot back without hesitation was quite arrogant.

The face that winked as he brought his gaze back from afar was also incredibly brazen.

After ignoring him when she said not to speak, this time it was his fingers tracing her forearm that irritated her.

The gaze staring intently from an angle was also annoying.

“It’s white.”

The voice saying those two syllables was as sticky as the climate.

“It must be gene…”

Da Hae, who had swatted away his hand in annoyance, couldn’t finish her sentence.

Because Kang Jae Kyung licked her, as if tasting, following his comment about her being white.

Goosebumps rose around where the alien sensation had touched her skin. It felt chilling all the way to the nape of her neck.

As she slowly turned her eyes that had been facing forward to the side, Kang Jae Kyung grinned.

“It’s sweet.”

He’s not a cannibal. He says he licked her because he was curious about the taste. At the S Corporation’s founding event, he even said he would eat her up.

As he thrust out his muscular arm and offered to let her have a taste, she expressed reluctance and they bickered. Just then, a small shadow fell in front of the parasol.

“Boss…”

A whining voice that sounded just like a kindergartener. A youthful face to match.

The woman, who seemed to be one of Kang Jae Kyung’s employees, pointed somewhere with a tearful expression. There was a plastic bag containing drinks sprawled on the sand where she was pointing.

“Help me… *sniff*”

Sniff…? Da Hae clicked her tongue with a sour expression and scratched the nape of her neck.

Soon, the hot sun beat down on her face. It was because the large mass that had been guarding her side stood up, removing the shade.

“Let’s go together.”

“No need. You go ahead.”

“Go ahead?”

The man, who kept acting sly until the moment he left, saying he would definitely come back if that’s what she wanted, moved away towards the bundle of drinks.

The woman who trotted along beside him, clinging to his arm and grinning from ear to ear, occasionally turned her head to glance at Da Hae.

It seemed less like she was checking Da Hae’s reaction and more like she was showing off, as if to say “Look at this.”

Da Hae dismissed it as a misunderstanding, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. Still, her gaze kept being drawn there, and their eyes met several times.

Soon, Kang Jae Kyung, who had mixed into the crowd, found his feet tied there.

The sound of people saying it was a shame for the entertainment company’s CEO to just watch the entertainment drifted over from afar.

The man glanced this way and shrugged his shoulders to signal that he would be unavoidably delayed.

The ranks were quickly reorganized. Soon after, wheeee! The whistle cutting through the air blew vigorously.

The game that included the CEO became much more lively. His appearance was quite different from formal gatherings, starting with his attire.

A striped cotton shirt and cream-colored shorts. Even slippers. It was an outfit exuding a refreshing charm.

While it was unfamiliar to see him mingling so casually with people, somehow it felt like a scene from a youth drama, and Da Hae smiled like a soft breath.

That small friend sticking to his back like gum was a bit annoying though.

Was dodgeball originally a sport with so much skinship?

Whenever his large hands caught the incoming ball effortlessly, she would jump up and down saying “Kyaa, so cool!” in such an adorable way.

Watching that scene made Da Hae’s mouth feel dry.

Even fanning herself didn’t easily cool down the heat that made her feel thirsty. Just then, Manager Choi, who had been out earlier, approached with angry steps.

“Are you just going to sit there?”

Legs spread shoulder-width apart. Hand placed on her waist. Even her sharp eyes and irritated tone seemed thoroughly angry.

“That little vixen. She’s so annoying I could die!”

She said that a fellow fox recognizes another’s tricks, and that was surely flirting with CEO Kang.

The employees from that company say that little vixen is famous within the company as Kang Jae Kyung’s ‘fan.’

“Come on, there’s no such thing.”

“Look, look, look at that! That’s totally an intentional back hug!”

The woman who had suddenly wrapped her arms around the man’s torso turned her head, as if sensing Manager Choi’s commotion.

Her expression seemed shy, but also like an arrogant puppy who had stolen the alpha male.

“Let’s go, Team Leader.”

The voice asking the boss to join the game was resolute.

Da Hae, who had been silently watching the scene with an indifferent face, slowly stood up.

She dusted off her bottom, then took off her sunglasses.

“Shall we go?”