The meal with the French business associates who arrived on time began. The interpreter, Ji Yeon Woo, and Nam Sung Hun sat side by side, and the course dishes neatly filled the table.

With the interpreter between them, Nam Sung Hun and the associate engaged in conversation. Seated to Nam Sung Hun’s left, Ji Yeon Woo maintained a smile throughout the meal.

It was not as easy as she thought to smile and observe in an unfamiliar setting, with unfamiliar food and people. As nothing felt familiar, it was inevitable that Nam Sung Hun beside her felt somewhat comfortable.

The interpreter flexibly led the conversation, but there was not much content Ji Yeon Woo could understand. It was mostly about business, the currency amounts were difficult to grasp, and with the addition of technical terms, it was hard to judge when to smile and when not to.

She smiled astutely. The foreign associate occasionally glanced at Ji Yeon Woo, and as if pleased by her spreading smile, he responded with a smile.

Every bite of food seemed to stick in her throat. Ji Yeon Woo emptied her plate at Nam Sung Hun’s pace, and although she seemed to have reached her limit, she continued eating so as not to disrupt the flow.

Before long, the meal ended. Ji Yeon Woo, who had been faithfully carrying out her duties without losing her smile until the very end, rose from her seat. Nam Sung Hun pulled out her chair halfway, and Ji Yeon Woo stood behind him after rounding the chair.

Nam Sung Hun conversed with the associates all the way until leaving the restaurant. Walking slowly, conscious of her high heels, Ji Yeon Woo watched Nam Sung Hun’s back as the distance between them grew.

Throughout the meal, Nam Sung Hun had not glanced at her once. He had not spoken to her either. Ji Yeon Woo wondered if she had done well, despite smiling so hard, and if the eventful day with many words and troubles was simply ending like this.

As Nam Sung Hun stopped to bid farewell to the associates, Ji Yeon Woo quickened her pace. Each step felt dizzying, as if she might stumble, but no one would know.

Reaching Nam Sung Hun’s back, Ji Yeon Woo put on a smile once again. It was not over even when it ended, so she could not stop smiling until the associates disappeared from sight.

The French associate, who had finished his greetings with Nam Sung Hun, exchanged brief farewells with the interpreter and looked at Ji Yeon Woo.

As the interpreter quickly conveyed the words, Nam Sung Hun glanced at Ji Yeon Woo. Already smiling, Ji Yeon Woo spoke in a small voice with an even brighter smile.

“Thank you. Have a safe trip.”

At Ji Yeon Woo’s words, the associate took her hand and lightly kissed the back of it. Startled by the sudden skinship, Ji Yeon Woo gripped her clutch tightly, and the associate released her hand, his gaze lingering with regret.

His gaze, which had been fixed on Ji Yeon Woo’s face for a while, slid down slightly towards her chest. Then, as if nothing had happened, he maintained his characteristic smile and took the elevator to leave.

The interpreter, having finished his duties, also quickly disappeared after saying a few words of appreciation. Left alone with Nam Sung Hun, Ji Yeon Woo wondered if it was time for her to disappear as well, merely trying to read the situation.

Even though an elevator in the opposite direction arrived, Nam Sung Hun did not seem to have any intention of getting on. With his hands in his pockets, he only looked down at the floor and began to chuckle.

‘Ah. Should I leave now?’

As Ji Yeon Woo hesitated, thinking she could say she would go first, her eyes met Nam Sung Hun’s as he turned his head and looked at her. Ji Yeon Woo thought this was the moment and opened her lips.

“Uh, Director Nam. I’ll be going too…”

“I shouldn’t have brought you.”

Ah. Ji Yeon Woo trailed off. Nam Sung Hun, who had not given her a single glance since their arrival, muttered while blatantly fixing his gaze on her, and Ji Yeon Woo, forgetting what to do, only fidgeted with her lips.

Her heart sank, wondering if there had been a mistake during the meal.

“I apologize.”

An apology spilled out without knowing the reason. As Nam Sung Hun stared at her face intently, the chilling coldness made the back of her neck feel cool. Was her smile lacking? No, should she have laughed out loud?

The complex thoughts were clearly visible on her face. As Ji Yeon Woo stood frozen with a shadowed expression, Nam Sung Hun turned his body to face her.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“Well, I thought maybe I didn’t smile properly.”

That was the only thing she could think of. She had not even spoken a word, nor had she eaten at a rushed pace. She had not even touched the wine, no.

Even if she had made a mistake in the middle, there was no way Nam Sung Hun, who had not glanced at her, would have noticed.

“…Sigh. You’re unbelievable.”

It felt like mockery.

Ji Yeon Woo wanted to know the reason for Nam Sung Hun’s coldness, but at the same time, she didn’t want to know. As the elevator went up and down several times, opening and closing its doors, Nam Sung Hun stood still, only giving her a glance, seemingly with no intention of moving or explaining the reason.

It was a long time before his voice was heard.

“During a meal where hundreds of billions in investment are at stake between the two companies, the French associate had a distracted look on his face.”

“…”

“He was like that from the beginning until the end, unable to regain his senses.”

Ji Yeon Woo felt a momentary sense of injustice, wondering if she had to bear the responsibility for the French associate’s distracted state of mind.

Nam Sung Hun looked at the silent Ji Yeon Woo and tilted his head slightly.

“No. Since the distracted fellow agreed to favorable contract terms for us, should I consider that Ji Yeon Woo has done her job?”

“…”

“I didn’t know, but Ji Yeon Woo, you have many talents. You even know how to make people tense just by sitting there.”

Every word seemed to have thorns. Nam Sung Hun exhaled a long breath as he spoke words filled with impure emotions.

It would have been reasonable for her to raise her gaze and ask what he meant, but seeing Ji Yeon Woo standing silently and listening, an unidentifiable anger surged within him.

A little while ago, when she arrived at the promised location—

Nam Sung Hun, who was standing and waiting for Ji Yeon Woo, gave his attention to a woman who particularly drew his gaze. She had an unrestrained and elegant aura that crushed all the surrounding scenery as she walked from afar.

She was tall and came from afar, so he thought she was someone else, but the moment he learned it was Ji Yeon Woo, his heartbeat began to race unevenly.

That was when it started. It became difficult for him to look at her. He had already spent quite some time trying to gather his disheveled thoughts, and he treated her as if she were invisible, trying his best to focus on his role.

If he looked at her, she would occupy his thoughts, and he felt he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the business discussion. Putting in a desperate effort he hadn’t made in a while, Nam Sung Hun turned a blind eye to Ji Yeon Woo.

But the Frenchman sitting in front of him was different. He couldn’t concentrate on the conversation at all. As she smiled at him throughout with an elegant demeanor like a bouquet of flowers, his appearance of being overjoyed was truly a spectacle.

Even while shaking hands at the end of the conversation, he waited eagerly for Ji Yeon Woo to approach, and he didn’t hesitate to perform the crazy act of kissing the back of her hand, blatantly scanning her chest with a perverted smile.

…The blood was rushing in reverse.

“What is money that I have to endure this sight?”

“I really don’t understand what you’ve been saying since earlier.”

As Ji Yeon Woo opened her lips, unable to endure it any longer, Nam Sung Hun lowered his head and let out a long sigh. As if ventilating, he closed his eyes tightly while holding his forehead, then opened them and looked at Ji Yeon Woo.

“If I made a mistake, please reprimand me. I can’t take responsibility, but I want to receive proper criticism.”

“Sigh… It’s not your fault.”

The moment the despicable man’s gaze touched her chest, it felt as if a nerve had snapped. She might not have been aware of it due to being absorbed in entertaining a foreigner from a completely different culture, but Nam Sung Hun could clearly see through the man’s dark intentions.

What thoughts he was having while looking at her. How heated his waist must have been under the table.

“Director Nam.”

“You didn’t make any mistakes.”

As Ji Yeon Woo called out in a small voice, Nam Sung Hun opened his eyes with difficulty and added.

His heart, desperate to see those worry-filled eyes relax, began to pound in the opposite direction, urging him to reassure her.

“Ji Yeon Woo, you didn’t make any mistakes. You did well during the meal. You smiled well.”

“…”

“Thanks to you, we were able to smoothly lead the contract.”

Ji Yeon Woo’s lips parted slightly. Wondering how to color them to make such pretty lips, he began to understand the Frenchman’s feelings to some extent.

Yes. It must have been difficult to take his eyes off her. His heart must have raced.

He probably couldn’t hear the words well.

“Well, I don’t fully understand everything, but if the contract went smoothly, isn’t that a good thing?”

“It went well. That’s why I’m on the verge of dying without being able to say a word. It’s frustrating and infuriating.”

He must have been happy when she smiled at him.

Yes. I understand. Because I would have felt the same.

He felt displeased, as if he had profited by selling her smile. The anger boiling up inside him was blinding, and he had no idea how to quell it.

The elevator opened once again. Thinking that he wouldn’t get on this time either, Ji Yeon Woo had already given up on boarding.

Nam Sung Hun looked directly at Ji Yeon Woo. Even while looking at her face, the deep neckline that caught his attention made him feel unsettled, so he took off his jacket and handed it to her.

“Put it on. The night air is still chilly.”

Ji Yeon Woo obediently put it on after receiving it in a daze.

Only then did Nam Sung Hun press the elevator button, and the elevator arrived shortly after.

As Ji Yeon Woo moved her feet, conscious of the high heels once again, Nam Sung Hun extended his arm. It was a signal for her to hold on to him.

“One employee falling and getting hurt is enough.”

Looking at Nam Sung Hun, who once again continued his words from before, Ji Yeon Woo carefully placed her hand on his arm.

With his assistance, Ji Yeon Woo easily boarded the elevator. As she reached for the button to go to her floor, Nam Sung Hun intercepted and pressed the first floor.

First floor? Ji Yeon Woo turned her head and looked at Nam Sung Hun.

Nam Sung Hun looked at her reflection on the elevator door and opened his lips.

“If it’s alright with you, let’s take a walk. I have something to say.”

It was a time that made her nervous for no reason.

“Yes. Director Nam. That’s fine.”

Only after hearing Ji Yeon Woo’s answer did Nam Sung Hun let out a long sigh. Those words, that single phrase, squeezed his heart and then released it.