The rumor of discord between Do Hyun and Joo disappeared due to the kiss Joo had impulsively given in Yeosu.

Instead, a rumor spread widely that the two were sticking together like one body and sprinkling sesame seeds.

Thanks to that, Joo was able to focus on the meeting with JIN without being swayed by rumors anymore.

Joo put the freshly printed warm documents on the conference room table.

She had no choice but to put in more enthusiasm as the representative of JIN was coming directly.

When Joo was organizing the table, Assistant Manager Ryu, who would attend the meeting together, came in.

“I’m late. The construction team meeting ran long.”

“It’s okay. There’s still time before the meeting.”

Looking around the desk, Joo opened the conference room door.

“I’ll go to the supply room for a bit since there are no pens.”

“Yes, go and come back.”

Joo left the conference room, took the elevator down to the supply room on the 4th floor.

Then she found and took out new stationery neatly arranged in a box and left the supply room.

As the elevator coming up from the 1st floor stopped on the 4th floor, the door slid open to the side.

Joo, who hurriedly put her foot inside, fixed her gaze on the man who was already in the elevator.

‘Who is he? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.’

Joo was openly looking at the somehow familiar man, and their eyes met.

“Oh?”

As Joo let out a small exclamation, Seo Jin Won also recognized Joo right away and raised his index finger.

“At the department store, right?”

“Ah, yes. We meet again here.”

She had called the department store every day to retrieve the shoes.

But the lost and found center and the shoe store only said they hadn’t received the shoes.

Joo was having a hard time being nagged by Seung Hee to get new ones if she couldn’t find them, so she was very glad to see the man appear.

“I went home and was surprised to find women’s shoes that I couldn’t even wear.”

“You had them. That’s a relief. I wondered what I’d do if they weren’t there either.”

Joo sighed with relief at having found them again.

“They must be important shoes. I was so busy that I couldn’t even leave them at the department store without knowing.”

“They’re not my shoes, so I had to find them no matter what.”

“They belong to the person who was with you.”

“Yes.”

He wondered why she seemed so desperate when they weren’t even her shoes.

When they met at the department store, the woman’s hands were free, but on the contrary, Joo looked like she could barely move a hand.

Just from that, he could tell there was a power dynamic between the two.

He became curious about what kind of relationship they had that the woman with her was ordering Joo around like a subordinate.

“Can I get the shoes now?”

Jin Won narrowed his brows as if it was difficult.

“I really want to give them to you, but the shoes are at home.”

Joo hurriedly checked the watch on her wrist.

There were only 10 minutes left until JIN arrived.

On top of that, she hadn’t brought her wallet, so she didn’t even have a business card to pass on her contact information.

Looking at the elevator numbers going up quickly, Joo asked.

“I don’t have my business card right now, so could I get your contact information?”

“Here’s my business card.”

As if he had been waiting, Jin Won held out his business card and Joo promptly took it.

Without even looking at the company name printed in dark letters on the white business card, Joo stepped out of the open elevator.

“I’ll contact you.”

Joo, whose mind was in a hurry, ran without looking back.

Joo, who was hurrying her steps, noticed the outsourcing company employees standing in front of the conference room.

As the employees heard her footsteps, they naturally bent their waists.

It was just as Joo was about to bow, thinking they were greeting her.

“You’re here early, CEO-nim.”

Before Joo could question the word “CEO-nim”, Seo Jin Won, whom she thought had gone up in the elevator, was standing next to her.

“I had a meeting nearby, so I came straight here.”

CEO-nim?

The only external CEO who would come to this conference room was the CEO of JIN.

Only then did Joo look down at the business card Jin Won had handed her with a dumbfounded expression.

JIN Co., Ltd. CEO, Seo Jin Won.

No matter how much she looked, not a single letter was out of place.

Her gaze was pulled up with a start.

“I’m Seo Jin Won, the CEO of JIN.”

A white and soft male hand suddenly entered her field of vision.

The corners of his mouth pulled up in a long, pleasant smile, making the other person smile as well.

Joo, who had been delaying almost rudely, quickly came to her senses and reached out her hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Joo from the PR team.”

“I’m glad to meet you too. Is it because we’re acquaintances that I’m even more glad?”

It was a pleasant excitement she felt again after a long time.

As the pretty and small hand overlapped, Jin Won’s smile deepened further.

***

After about an hour-long meeting, Joo was organizing the conference room with Assistant Manager Ryu.

Assistant Manager Ryu threw the empty plastic bottle into the box and pushed the conference room door with his back.

“I think we’ve roughly wrapped up, so I’ll go throw this away and go straight up to the office.”

“Yes. You worked hard today.”

Not long after Assistant Manager Ryu left the conference room, someone knocked on the door.

As Joo, who had covered her laptop, straightened her waist, Jin Won, whom she thought had left, entered the conference room.

“Did you perhaps forget something?”

Joo looked around the cleanly cleared tabletop.

“I think there’s something else we haven’t exchanged besides business cards.”

“Ah, the shoes.”

She had completely forgotten about the shoes because of the meeting.

“Is tomorrow after work okay for you?”

“Yes. If it’s alright with you, I’ll come to the company after I finish work tomorrow.”

As if pondering for a moment, Jin Won opened his mouth.

“How about having dinner together?”

“Dinner?”

“I want to comfortably talk about work-related matters as well.”

Perhaps he couldn’t get many meaningful opinions from today’s meeting.

As he showed enthusiasm for directly leading the advertisement as the CEO, Joo couldn’t refuse.

There could be more concrete work produced at the next meeting, so she positively accepted Jin Won’s suggestion.

“Would 8 o’clock be okay for the appointment time?”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

Jin Won looked down at Joo’s hand that he had held before the meeting.

Checking again, her left ring finger was empty.

‘It’s not there, the ring.’

Somehow, he felt relieved.

It was also the reason for adding one inevitability to the two consecutive coincidences.

It was around the time when the conversation between the two was about to end.

Do Hyun, who had an executive meeting on the same floor, was passing through the hallway.

As Do Hyun was walking toward the elevator, his gaze turned unintentionally to the conference room.

Seeing Joo through the glass door, he stopped abruptly in front of it.

He had heard from Team Leader Kang that there was a meeting with the TF team and an outsourced advertising company today.

Then the man in front of Joo must be one of the employees from the outsourcing company.

Do Hyun’s eyes, which had been still, suddenly surged.

Even without trying to know, he could feel the favorable gaze toward Joo in the man’s eyes.

It felt like something was boiling up inside.

No. It was like his stomach was twisting.

Unable to suppress the urge, Do Hyun flung open the conference room door.

The heads of Joo and Jin Won, who had been looking at each other, turned toward Do Hyun, who had suddenly entered the conference room.

“CEO-nim.”

“I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Do Hyun stared at Jin Won standing in front of Joo.

Before Joo could explain, Jin Won introduced himself.

“I’m Seo Jin Won, the CEO of JIN in charge of this Yeosu resort advertisement.”

Jin Won’s right hand was raised in the air.

Do Hyun, not revealing his displeasure, shook Jin Won’s hand.

“I’m Nam Do Hyun, the CEO of Anshain Resort.”

“All our employees are putting their heart and soul into this Yeosu resort advertisement. We will show you satisfactory results.”

“I have high expectations.”

Letting go of the hand he had briefly held, Jin Won said to Joo.

“Joo-ssi, I’ll see you next time.”

Joo-ssi?

Aren’t they seeing each other for the first time today? But he was affectionately calling Joo by name.

As if not knowing he was giving off an unpleasant atmosphere, Joo smiled brightly.

As Jin Won left the conference room, Joo finished organizing the laptop on the desk.

“He calls you by name, Joo-ssi.”

The corners of his mouth, raised at an angle, were expressing a very twisted mood.

Putting the laptop in her bag, Joo answered nonchalantly.

“We met by chance at the department store last week. Meeting again here, it feels quite nice, you know.”

“Ah. It was nice?”

Do Hyun let out an empty laugh.

No matter how much of a facade husband he was, she was openly showing her liking.

Or was she preparing for a transfer marriage?

As all sorts of thoughts crossed his mind, Do Hyun’s eyes suddenly fell on Joo’s left hand.

His brows furrowed deeply.

“What about your ring?”

“The ring?”

“Why aren’t you wearing your wedding ring?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Joo raise her straight fingers.

Perhaps because she had never worn a wedding ring, her ring finger was spotless without any marks.

“I guess I don’t wear it because I’m not used to it.”

“Show it off. That you’re married, that you have an owner.”

This is why other men are drooling.

Not knowing Do Hyun’s thoughts, Joo whined.

“It’s inconvenient to wear a ring.”

“Look here, Shin Joo.”

Do Hyun approached Joo by one step as if it was absurd.

It was only one step, but the leisurely distance narrowed in an instant.

“I showed it off. That I’m married, that I have an owner.”

“……”

“But you don’t want to do that because it’s inconvenient.”

Close!

Joo’s head pulled back at the narrowing gap.

Joo, spreading her palms, prepared to push Do Hyun’s chest at any moment.

“Why are you acting so resentful?”

Do Hyun lowered his head even deeper, as if there was nowhere to back away.

Somehow, it felt like Do Hyun’s gaze was lingering on her lips.

And Do Hyun made her realize it wasn’t a misperception.

“I saw it properly. I’m resentful right now.”

I’m dying of resentment.

Do Hyun’s hand grabbed Joo’s chin and lifted it up.

He slowly devoured the barely left gap.

“So I’m thinking of just kissing you like you did.”