Se Hee doubted her own eyes.

She had clearly seen his figure like a mirage just recently.

But now he was right in front of her.

Se Hee froze in place, unable to say a word, like someone dumbstruck.

Kyle, who had been gazing at Se Hee with deep eyes, slowly approached.

Seeing Kyle coming closer, Se Hee instinctively hesitated and stepped back.

“I, I came for an interview with CEO Dave Ilian……”

Se Hee barely managed to say with a trembling voice.

“Dave Ilian was temporary, and the official email should have been sent out to everyone by now. There will be a brief inauguration speech tomorrow morning. Saying the new CEO has changed.”

Kyle calmly explained while closing the distance with Se Hee again.

“You don’t look well. It must have been…… very difficult?”

As Kyle reached out his hand, it was close enough to touch Se Hee’s face.

At that moment, Se Hee took another step back, avoiding Kyle’s hand.

“I’m sorry, sir. This is a public space. I would appreciate it if you refrained from personal behavior.”

Kyle felt a sharp pain in his chest at Se Hee’s cold rebuke in polite English.

“……A public space, is it.”

Fearing that the sensitive little bird might get hurt even more.

Kyle was extremely cautious.

Therefore, Kyle hesitated, then repeated the words Se Hee had uttered and soon stepped back, keeping his distance.

“Then shall we have a professional conversation? Sit down.”

Kyle pointed to the sofa prepared in the CEO’s office space.

Se Hee moved with heavy steps and carefully sat down in the chair.

Se Hee’s tightly clenched fists were so blue, as if extremely tense.

Seeing Se Hee like that made Kyle uncomfortable.

Although it wasn’t an unexpected situation, Kyle wanted to clear up the misunderstanding as quickly as possible.

Se Hee’s sharp gaze directed at him was hard to bear.

The urge to just pull her into his arms right then and there surged strongly.

However, believing that Se Hee’s reaction to his sudden appearance was only natural, he didn’t rush.

Kyle barely suppressed his emotions with the utmost restraint and took a seat across from Se Hee.

The breeze created by his movement stimulated Se Hee’s nose.

Kyle’s subtle body scent wafting over.

Se Hee became so sensitive she could hardly breathe at his unforgettable scent.

The fingertips of the extremely tense Se Hee were trembling finely.

Kyle’s eyebrows twitched.

Just seeing Se Hee frozen as if she would crumble at his touch made his heart ache.

“In the interviews with team members, I mainly asked about their future aspirations. What are Assistant Manager Lee Se Hee’s aspirations?”

Kyle spoke calmly in an extremely businesslike tone.

Although that wasn’t what he wanted to say, he had to wait a little longer.

He asked an unnecessary question he wasn’t even curious about.

“I will do my best and work hard. That is all.”

Se Hee’s response, deliberately in English, was even more businesslike and rigid than Kyle’s.

Se Hee fixed her gaze on the table as if she had nothing more to say.

Kyle’s expression darkened considerably.

To think he had been so anxious just for these few minutes.

All he could do was laugh bitterly to himself.

But Se Hee seemed unwilling to give even those few minutes.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be leaving now.”

Se Hee stood up from her seat.

“Don’t you have any questions for me?”

Kyle wanted to hold Se Hee back.

He just wanted to keep her by his side for even a few more seconds.

“No, I don’t.”

But the answer that came back was cold.

Se Hee bowed slightly and left.

* * *

Se Hee came out of the interview room, barely dragging her legs that had no strength.

Asking if she had no questions?

Why did he suddenly come to Korea?

And why did he acquire SY Hotel of all places?

There were so many things she wanted to ask.

But it was she who had already directly told him to separate public and private matters.

The moment she saw him, she lost not only the distinction between public and private, but even her reason, and ended up blurting out words she never meant to say.

Se Hee leaned against the wall, coldly berating herself.

“Assistant Manager Lee.”

Just then, Sun Ah came running up to Se Hee as if she had been waiting.

“You had an interview with the new CEO, right?”

“What? Yes.”

Se Hee nodded with difficulty at Sun Ah’s question.

“Are you okay? Your expression is no joke right now. He looks a lot like him, doesn’t he?”

Sun Ah asked Se Hee carefully.

Suddenly, Se Hee was startled.

Se Hee remembered that she had shown Sun Ah Kyle’s photo.

“I was drunk that day so I don’t remember exactly. But he looked really similar, right? Right?”

Sun Ah tilted her head as if recalling a hazy memory.

“What? Yes.”

Se Hee, who had been extremely tense, finally caught her breath.

Fortunately, Sun Ah, who had been tipsy at the time, seemed to think that the Kyle in the phone photo and the current CEO were different people.

Se Hee carefully calmed her surprised heart.

“You must have been so shocked. Even I felt my heart drop when I saw him. How can there be two men in this world with such perfect visuals! Where on earth has he been all this time? It’s such a shame.”

Sun Ah put her hand to her forehead and shook her head.

“What are you talking about?”

Manager Hong, who had been standing a little ways off, came closer.

“Oh, it’s just something. A secret between us women. Why are you trying to find out?”

Sun Ah spoke casually to Manager Hong, who had joined the company at the same time as her, and rolled her eyes.

“Come on. Assistant Manager Lee. Let’s quickly check our seats and go home. We start regular work tomorrow. On a day like this, we should have a drink, right?”

Manager Hong said with an excited expression.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s do it together. My husband couldn’t even submit an application. Still in Samcheok. Ahem…… I’m happy but also feeling down on a day like this, so we should have a drink.”

Sun Ah put forward a reason why she absolutely had to be included.

“I’m sorry…… but I’ll be heading home first. I have some things to do.”

Se Hee, who had turned pale, said absently.

At least for now, she wanted to be alone.

“You, you will? Okay. I guess it would be hard for you. Are you thinking about him a lot? Okay. Go home and get some rest first.”

Sun Ah patted Se Hee’s shoulder as if understanding her feelings.

“Ah, what’s going on?”

Manager Hong asked again.

“Never mind, Manager Hong. Let’s have a drink together. Let’s go.”

Sun Ah grabbed Manager Hong’s arm and pulled him along.

“Hey, Kim Sun Ah. I told you to call me elder brother, didn’t I? Not Manager Hong, but Manager Hong~”

“We agreed to speak casually since we’re the same age. Are you already senile? Just come on out.”

Sun Ah roughly dragged Manager Hong out.

After the two of them left, Se Hee moved towards the team’s inner area to check her seat.

But she was dumbfounded.

They said the CEO would give work instructions directly within the TF team, which was under his direct jurisdiction, so they made the CEO’s office inside the department.

Of all places, the CEO’s office was right behind Se Hee’s seat.

Was this intentional too?

They had even attached all the nameplates already, so she couldn’t even ask to change seats.

She was so taken aback that she couldn’t even speak.

Would she really be able to endure it?

If she broke the contract, she would have to pay that enormous amount in compensation.

Her head became complicated.

Se Hee, who had left the hotel, visited her regular noodle shop near the company after a long time, to soothe her troubled mind.

“Have you been well, auntie?”

Se Hee greeted her familiarly as she entered the shop.

“Oh my. Welcome. I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve lost so much weight?”

The owner of the regular shop, which Se Hee had frequented since she first joined the company, immediately noticed Se Hee’s haggard appearance.

“Did something happen?”

“Yes. I think a lot of things happened. I really want to eat the hot noodles you make, auntie.”

Se Hee said with a completely drained expression.

“Aiyoo. Well. Okay. I’ll make you an extra special bowl today, just wait.”

“Thank you, auntie.”

Se Hee smiled weakly.

A moment later.

“Here, this is on the house.”

Next to the steaming noodles, Se Hee’s favorite menu item was placed.

Grilled chicken gizzards mixed with lots of garlic.

It was a popular special menu item here as well.

“It’s a gift from auntie to cheer you up.”

The owner winked and turned away.

“Thank you.”

Se Hee picked up one chicken gizzard with a savory aroma wafting from it and a well-roasted garlic clove and put them in her mouth.

The crispy texture was exquisite.

The savory taste spread through her mouth, blending with the rich garlic flavor.

That taste that naturally called for beer.

“This is the best. How can I not drink alcohol with this?”

Se Hee laughed playfully as she got up and took out a bottle of beer through self-service.

And just as she was about to pour herself a glass of beer at her seat, she heard the sound of people stirring.

What?

Se Hee turned her head towards where people were murmuring.

And her heart sank right then and there.

A man with a large build in an expensive suit that seemed completely out of place in the small noodle shop was slowly walking towards Se Hee.

While receiving everyone’s stares.

Kyle, who had walked over with his exceptionally long legs, looked down at Se Hee, who was staring blankly at him, with an arrogant smile.

“Dinner?”

He spoke naturally, as if nothing had happened between them, and sat down across from her without hesitation.

Se Hee was so flustered by the current situation that she was at a loss for words.

At the same time, her heart was swelling at the fact that he had come looking for her.

She was angry at her own contradictory emotions.

She shouldn’t waver, she shouldn’t do any more foolish things.

She shouldn’t forgive him.

She kept telling herself this, but the moment she saw him, Se Hee’s body and mind had already fallen into the confusion of ambivalent emotions.

“Was, was he with you?”

The surprised owner stammered as she approached and quickly set down a new glass that hadn’t even been asked for, then disappeared.

The owner didn’t forget to keep glancing and stealing looks at Kyle until the end.

As always, Kyle didn’t give his attention to anyone else.

The only one occupying his blue gaze was Se Hee alone.

“I haven’t had dinner yet either. Shall we eat together?”

Se Hee’s heart trembled at Kyle’s soft voice.

Kyle’s attitude was so natural that Se Hee momentarily mistook this place for the private room at Francois Restaurant from before.

Even the old noodle shop had been completely taken over by his atmosphere from the moment he entered.

But thinking she couldn’t play along with him anymore, Se Hee struggled to compose herself.

Se Hee, whose expression had turned cold, looked up at Kyle.

“……What brings you here, sir?”

Se Hee’s dry voice using English was directed at Kyle.

“You seemed uncomfortable in public spaces. I thought this place where you feel comfortable might be an appropriate private space to have our conversation?”

Kyle spoke smoothly, deliberately ignoring Se Hee’s sharp expression.

“I don’t think there’s any reason for me to meet with you in a private space, sir.”

Se Hee said in a businesslike tone tinged with displeasure as she stood up from her seat.

“It seems I have some explaining to do. Don’t you think you should at least give me a chance?”

Kyle’s dark eyes stared directly at Se Hee as if trapping her.

A scornful laugh burst from Se Hee’s lips as she met his gaze straight on.

Suddenly appearing and saying he would explain?

What explanation.

When all the circumstances had already been clearly revealed?

“……You have nothing to explain to me, sir.”

Se Hee coldly rebuked him and immediately turned away.

In that instant, Kyle quickly blocked her path.

He almost collided with Se Hee who was trying to walk out.

His rich scent was scattered in the breeze that brushed by so closely.

At that moment, an inexplicable hot emotion swept over Se Hee’s entire body.

At the same time, Se Hee’s heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

Se Hee’s wavering gaze became fixed, as if captured by his intense stare that persistently held her.

His low voice that could be heard was making Se Hee’s heart race even faster.

“You must have things you want to ask.”