The room lighting was dim and dark once again. Perhaps due to excessive tension, Jaein’s palms were sweaty.
“Should I escape right now?”
She thought about dealing with the aftermath later and was determined to somehow get out of this uncomfortable and awkward situation.
“But where to? I can’t afford to be homeless… Ugh, I’m so tired. I just want to collapse and sleep.”
Just.
Sleep.
Jaein’s eyes, which had been half-closed with exhaustion, suddenly widened.
Ah! That’s it!
“I’ll take a shower first and fall asleep while Team Leader is showering! What would we even talk about if we’re both asleep?”
It was a moment when a ray of hope shone down on Jaein.
Her crumpled face finally broke into a wide smile.
In the meantime, Dohyuk, who had taken off his coat, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. Despite that, he still rolled up his sleeves to the elbows.
Under the subtle lighting, his muscular forearms exuded masculinity.
Beneath the subdued lighting, a pair of well-built, masculine forearms were prominently displayed.
As the thought of being wrapped in those arms crossed Jaein’s mind, her spine inexplicably tingled.
“Ms. Seo Jaein, are you alright?”
“Yes, yes.”
Jaein reacted as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
With a puzzled expression, Dohyuk remarked, “You were standing there absentmindedly. Is it because of the long business trip?”
“Y-Team Leader. I’ll take a shower first!”
At Jaein’s hasty response, Dohyuk’s eyebrows twitched.
Although Jaein had different intentions, if you looked only at the words, it could be interpreted as something that might happen between a man and a woman intentionally entering a hotel room together.
It was a predicament brought about solely by Jaein’s determination to shower quickly and go to sleep.
There was no way to salvage this situation.
Jaein chuckled awkwardly and added, “No, it’s just… maybe because I came from afar, I’m a bit tired. Haha.”
“Alright then. I have some things to sort out for a moment.”
Dohyuk turned to sit in a chair and unfolded his laptop on the table.
Typing sounds. Tap, tap.
Dohyuk turned his back to the chair and unfolded his laptop on the table.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of the dry keyboard filled the room.
Watching Dohyuk quickly immerse himself in his work, Jaein bit her tongue.
“He’s a true workaholic. Was I worried for nothing?”
The image of Dohyuk, who had stared at Jaein with intense, almost fiery eyes back at the dimly lit port, seemed like a distant memory now.
For some reason, she felt a bit disappointed.
“Anyway, things went according to plan, so that’s a good thing, right?”
As her heart raced, Jaein entered the bathroom, nearly stumbling.
Wasn’t the wall of the bathroom next to the bed made of transparent frosted glass?
“Oh my goodness! Is this getting more complicated by the minute?”
Hastily scanning the bathroom, Jaein’s eyes fell on the white shower curtain hanging around the showerhead.
Dohyuk, still seated with his back turned, seemed deeply engrossed in his work.
“Phew, that was close!”
Jaein cautiously wrapped herself in the shower curtain and removed the thick, snug-fitting one-piece dress.
Even though there was no way he could see her, her face inexplicably flushed.
“I need to fall asleep quickly, so I won’t think about anything.”
Jaein, having showered at the speed of light, changed into comfortable clothing and headed outside.
Dohyuk, still focused on his laptop and typing away busily, hadn’t moved a muscle.
“Um, Team Leader…?”
As Jaein hesitated to speak, Dohyuk abruptly turned around.
For a moment, his gaze as he stared at her wavered dangerously.
Simultaneously, an evacuation alarm blared loudly in Jaein’s mind.
“Y-you should take a shower too, Team Leader.”
In the meantime, I’ll get some sleep.
Dohyuk, who had been staring intently at Jaein, wordlessly got up and headed to the bathroom.
Whew.
Jaein wiped her chest and lay down on the left side of the bed.
The sound of water droplets splashing on the floor behind her seemed louder than she had anticipated.
She couldn’t help but think that Dohyuk must have heard a similar sound when he was showering, causing her face to flush.
“It won’t work. Let’s fall asleep quickly.”
Jaein tightly closed her eyes and flipped the blanket over herself in an attempt to drown out the sound of water.
How much time had passed?
She heard the sound of Dohyuk, who had finished showering, coming out.
Startled, Jaein pretended to be fast asleep with the blanket pulled over her.
Her ambitious plan to fall asleep before Dohyuk came out had long gone down the drain.
Jaein was tormented by more vivid fantasies than ever before.
Steadily.
The sound of determined footsteps drew nearer.
Dohyuk stopped at the side of the bed where she was lying down and cautiously asked, “Are you asleep, Seo Jaein?”
Jaein even held her breath.
“Heh. I couldn’t hold back any longer.”
A hollow laughter filled with regret followed.
“I should have skipped the shower and gone straight to the point.”
The point? What on earth was he thinking?
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
