Boss, Our Promise was Different (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Na Hee’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
“What? Assistant Manager Seo is Section Chief Han’s girlfriend?”
Who?
When Jae In raised her head, everyone was staring at her with their mouths agape.
Me?
Gah. Gah.
Jae In, who had been chewing on potato salad, suddenly choked hard.
She’d been eagerly waiting for the meat to finish cooking—why this sudden bolt from the blue?
She whipped her head sideways and saw Kyu Min winking one eye, grinning mischievously.
Ugh! Han Kyu Min, again?
Back in college, Kyu Min had always pulled similar pranks on Jae In whenever they were with friends.
The problem now was that this wasn’t college—it was a work dinner, and these weren’t friends.
“Girlfriend? So you’re saying Section Chief Han and Assistant Manager Seo are dating?”
Section Chief Park, seated diagonally across, asked with a look of disbelief.
“…No, ahem… ahem… It’s just… ahem!”
“Jae In, are you okay?”
As Jae In patted her sternum, gasping for breath, Kyu Min offered her a glass of water.
Giving me trouble and then offering relief?
Jae In shot him a glare and instantly downed the entire glass.
Just as she finally cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak—
“Who exactly did you say is dating whom?”
A sharp, icy voice came from behind.
Jae In didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Of all times,
at this exact moment,
it was Cha Do Hyuk.
“Team Leader! We’ve been waiting so long we thought our necks would snap—we just started!”
Section Chief Park leapt up from his seat to greet Do Hyuk,
unnecessarily adding extra explanation.
“Oh, didn’t someone just say Assistant Manager Seo is Section Chief Han’s girlfriend?”
“No!”
Jae In cried out in shock, her voice so loud it made people at other tables glance over.
While Jae In stood flustered and speechless, Do Hyuk coolly walked past Section Chief Park and sat down in the empty seat next to Na Hee—
directly across from Jae In.
What an unfortunate coincidence.
When Jae In looked up to greet him, she flinched at his icy glare.
For a split second, a subtle twitch crossed his sharp, clear eyes.
Ah!
Suddenly it hit her—the “no dating during contract period” clause in the agreement flashed through her mind.
［”Absolutely no dating the opposite sex during the contract period? What’s this about?”］
［”Isn’t that obvious? It’s for confidentiality.”］
［”It’s ridiculous! You’ll be with me 24/7—who am I supposed to date anyway?”］
She’d scoffed at that absurd clause back then, never imagining it would come back to haunt her like this.
Their team leader must have seriously misunderstood.
Jae In hastily began a frantic, half-hearted explanation.
“Team Leader, it’s absolutely not what you’re thinking!”
“What exactly am I thinking?”
“Kyu Min—I mean, Section Chief Han—is a friend from university.”
“…Kyu Min?”
Do Hyuk repeated Kyu Min’s name menacingly—when suddenly Section Chief Park cut in.
“A friend from university? So you two have been together since then?”
“Oh my! Section Chief Han, did you join our team on purpose just to work with Assistant Manager Seo?”
Even Yeon Ji chimed in, eyes sparkling with interest.
Why was the conversation veering so wildly off track?
Jae In waved her hands frantically, exasperated.
“W-what are you even talking about? We just happened to run into each other today after seven years!”
“Seo Jae In, really? Then why didn’t you mention it earlier if you’re just friends? That’s suspicious.”
“S-suspicious? No way! I was just too busy with work and planning to bring it up at this dinner. And Section Chief Han—why did you have to pull that weird prank! Say something already!”
You better take responsibility right now!
Jae In shot Kyu Min a scolding look. He simply grinned and spoke up.
“Sorry for startling you. I just remembered our old pranks. Since Jae In is a girl, calling her my ‘girlfriend’ isn’t technically wrong, is it?”
“Section Chief Han, really. I actually believed you two were seriously dating.”
Na Hee pouted playfully, giving him a teasing look.
Thanks to Kyu Min’s shameless grin, the other team members laughed it off, shaking their heads in amusement.
Except for one person—Do Hyuk.
Surely the misunderstanding was cleared up now,
Jae In thought, glancing toward Do Hyuk—then froze, breath caught in her throat.
His eyes were narrowed so intensely they looked like they might shoot lasers.
Could he still be misunderstanding?
Come on—I explained everything clearly! It’d be strange if he still didn’t get it.
Even if our team leader is eccentric…
Well, maybe that’s exactly why he’s acting like this.
Ugh, forget it. Let’s just eat.
Jae In deliberately acted calm as she placed two large pieces of meat onto a lettuce leaf.
“Seo Jae In, you still eat heartily, huh?”
Kyu Min grinned and added more meat to her plate.
Jae In felt a surge of frustration and whispered, full of reproach,
“It’s because I’m drained from your stupid prank! That childhood joke isn’t even funny anymore—just stop it.”
“Sorry, sorry. After so long, watching you get flustered is just adorable.”
“Adorable, my foot! I just aged three years because of you.”
“To me, you’re still as pretty as ever. Anyway, looks like I’ll have to earn a lot of money if I want to treat you to meat.”
“I told you to stop joking!”
Was he always this shamelessly cheeky?
Back in college, he’d been like a playful younger brother.
But now, Kyu Min felt distinctly different—though she couldn’t quite put her finger on how.
His smile, soft like a spring breeze, made Jae In involuntarily smile back.
Meanwhile, Do Hyuk watched the two bicker with narrowed eyes, sharp as a hawk’s.
Seeing Jae In’s bright, unrestrained laughter—something she never showed him—made his blood boil.
‘Totally defenseless. She barely smiles with me…’
And she even affectionately called him “Kyu Min.”
She’d only called Do Hyuk by name once before—
［”That’s overstepping your authority. Please be careful, Mr. Cha Do Hyuk.”］
—And her expression had been ice-cold.
Hmm. Do Hyuk exhaled sharply through his nose and gripped his water glass so tightly it seemed it might shatter.
He downed the entire cup in one gulp, yet the heat inside him wouldn’t subside.
‘It’s too late to reverse it now…’
He’d hired Kyu Min believing he was the perfect fit for the project—now he felt like he’d dug his own grave.
The more he thought about it, the more Kyu Min’s ambiguous behavior—disguised as a joke—irked him.
‘There’s definitely something going on.’
A deep, ominous unease rose from within.
Dammit. I’m already exhausted dealing with Na Min Woo.
Why does Seo Jae In have so many men around her?
Faced with this unexpected rival, Do Hyuk instinctively went on high alert.
Just then, Na Hee—seizing her opportunity—spoke to Do Hyuk in a gentle, sweet voice.
“Team Leader, it feels even nicer running into you outside the office. Let’s do a celebratory toast.”
“No, thanks. I don’t drink alcohol.”
“Oh, you don’t? Is it because your body doesn’t agree with it? Mine agrees too well—that’s my problem. Hehe.”
“…”
Despite Do Hyuk’s silence, Na Hee couldn’t stop smiling, as if she’d just been chosen by a king.
She leaned close to him, accentuating her curvy figure, and asked,
“By the way, Team Leader—what do you usually do after work?”
Without a hint of hesitation, Do Hyuk replied instantly.
“I work.”
“Oh my! Team Leader, you’re so funny.”
Jae In, without realizing it, perked up her ears.
Kang Na Hee, he’s not joking.
It’s sad, but I’m living proof.
Jae In bit her lip hard to keep from speaking.
“What about weekends?”
“I work.”
“Oh my! Team Leader, you’re absolutely hilarious!”
Na Hee laughed so hard she nearly fell backward.
But Jae In, facing the weekend, let out an involuntary sigh.
Just as expected.
I’ll be working all day on the weekend too.
She’d anticipated this—Cha Do Hyuk was a notorious workaholic—but hearing him confirm it felt crushing.
She’d made plans to meet Yu Ra this weekend—how was she supposed to bring it up now?
The future heir himself was dedicating his entire weekend to work.
How could a mere employee dare ask for time off to go out?
As Jae In sank deeper into worry, Na Hee—determined to pry into Do Hyuk’s personal life—asked another question.
“Team Leader, I heard your family lives abroad. Don’t you feel lonely living alone?”
Jae In flinched guiltily and glanced at Do Hyuk.
Their eyes met precisely in that instant.
A faint, lazy smile curved Do Hyuk’s lips.
What’s this ominous feeling?
His next words confirmed her dread.
“Not at all. There are two of us living together.”
“Team Leader!”
Jae In jumped in shock at Do Hyuk’s bombshell.
Everyone’s eyes instantly turned to her.
“Why are you so surprised, Assistant Manager Seo?”
Na Hee scolded her, but Jae In was too stunned to hear anything.
Her mind raced with only one thought:
‘Team Leader, have you lost your mind?’
But since she’d just yelled “Team Leader!” so dramatically, she had to say something.
Her eyes landed on a perfectly grilled piece of meat.
She delicately picked it up and placed it on Do Hyuk’s plate.
“Please try some meat. This place only uses premium pork, aged in wine for 72 hours—so it’s deeply flavorful, tender, with no gaminess at all… Anyway, it’s incredibly delicious.”
Just eat it and please, for the love of all that’s holy, stop talking!
Sweating profusely under everyone’s stares after her word-vomit, Jae In felt utterly drained.
Meanwhile, Do Hyuk looked perfectly relaxed—despite having just dropped a bomb.
‘Seriously! He’s the one who said it—why do I have to clean up the mess?’
While Jae In fumed silently,
Na Hee asked nervously,
“Team Leader, who are you living with? Could it be… a girlfriend?”
“Well…”
Just as Do Hyuk began to speak,
Jae In cut in urgently.
“Team Leader! Didn’t you say you got a puppy because you felt lonely? That it’s practically like having a partner?”
“A puppy?”
Relief washed over Na Hee’s face.
Do Hyuk gave a slight, amused upward twitch of his lips as he watched Jae In squirm.
“Exactly. I live with a puppy who’s completely clueless and never understands her owner’s feelings.”
Surely he’s not talking about me?
No matter how intently she stared into his eyes, she couldn’t read his thoughts.
At least the dangerous situation had passed without exposure—thank goodness.
Just as Jae In was sighing in relief, pushing aside her lingering unease,
Na Hee suddenly clapped like a seal.
“Oh my! That’s so cute! I absolutely adore dogs—I currently have a Poodle and a Pomeranian.”
Na Hee excitedly launched into a string of stories about all the dogs she’d raised.
Perhaps her tales were boring—the other team members focused on eating and stopped prying.
Jae In seized the moment to eat meat diligently.
After Kyu Min’s prank and Do Hyuk’s bombshell, she was running on empty and desperately needed to recharge.
Never thought I’d owe my life to a dog someday.
Now that the bomb had been defused, the more she thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
Fine, I’ll let Kyu Min slide—but what on earth was Team Leader thinking?
He acted like he was deliberately trying to reveal they were living together.
Why stir up trouble when saying he lived alone would’ve ended it right there?
How much time had passed?
Just when she thought it was finally over, Na Hee spoke again.
“By the way, Team Leader—what’s your ideal type?”
Kang Na Hee, please stop. I’m not the least bit curious.
The moment Na Hee finished speaking, Do Hyuk answered without a second’s hesitation.
“A girl who eats heartily while pouting through her tears.”
“Huh? That’s… quite unique.”
She’d probably hoped to mold herself to match his ideal—but
instead, Na Hee looked thoroughly bewildered by his bizarre answer.
But Jae In knew the truth.
If it were Kang Na Hee, she’d probably practice crying while eating just to fit the description.
Go ahead, try your best.
‘Anyway, a girl who eats heartily while pouting through her tears… So it’s not just his personality that’s odd—his tastes are unusual too.’
Jae In absently shook her head—and accidentally locked eyes with Do Hyuk.
For a split second, his dark eyes gleamed sharply.
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
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