“I’m not going back to Clark.”

“Really, you’re going to give up everything because of me?”

Unlike Shin Joo who was gripped by confusion, Nam Do Hyun’s expression showed little change, as if he had decided long ago.

Do Hyun walked leisurely past the desk and stood in front of Shin Joo.

“I meant it when I said I wanted to be something more than Nam to you.”

Until now she had been avoiding and running away, but Do Hyun made Shin Joo face him directly.

“I’d prefer if you made me your husband.”

“…”

“Your real husband.”

Look at how well he speaks.

Indeed, he didn’t become the CEO for nothing.

With just a few words, he was captivating her enough to make her forget all her firm resolutions.

“You think I’ll fall for you if you say you’re not going to Clark?”

The truth was, she was already half fallen for Do Hyun, like a house leaning to one side.

Not wanting to show all her true feelings, Shin Joo quickly tried to cover it up with a lie.

“It would be nice if you fell for my sincerity, but if not, there’s nothing I can do.”

Even though she acted as if it was impossible, Do Hyun didn’t seem affected at all.

“What if I never fall for you? What if it ends up as your one-sided love?”

“It won’t end. Because I won’t give up.”

When he suddenly smiled, it really looked like Do Hyun was completely smitten with her.

She thought he would quickly tire and give up if she kept pushing him away.

However, Do Hyun kept putting his foot in the widening cracks of her heart, regardless of Shin Joo’s rebuffs.

Now she had neither the strength nor the place to push him away anymore.

Just one more push, and it felt like Shin Joo would fall for Do Hyun.

“Shin Joo.”

Do Hyun, who had been gazing intently at Shin Joo, leaned down.

Maintaining eye contact, Do Hyun parted his lips.

“So when the time comes, pretend you can’t resist and fall for me.”

“…”

“Because I want to experience love with you, not just one-sided love.”

Do Hyun delivered that final push today.

***

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Shin Joo stared at the mirror with hazy eyes.

Even though she was already done preparing for work, Shin Joo was still replaying yesterday’s events in her head.

“What if I never fall for you? What if it ends up as your one-sided love?”

“It won’t end. Because I won’t give up.”

The Clark Resort project had completely gone to Director Kim, and Nam Do Hyun would continue working on domestic projects as before.

‘Is he really staying because of me? Why would I…’

Mere jealousy, mere interest.

Trying hard to convince herself it was just that, she thought if she rejected him a few times, if she consistently showed indifference, surely Do Hyun would give up.

She didn’t expect him to stay by her side, even giving up the work he had been putting effort into for over a year.

Knock knock.

At the sound of knocking from behind her, Shin Joo stood up from the chair.

Seeing that there wasn’t much time left until work, Shin Joo grabbed her handbag and opened the door to leave the room.

As the door opened, Do Hyun was visible with a black suitcase beside him.

Could it be he decided to go to Clark again?

Unable to shake off her anxiety, Shin Joo opened her eyes wide.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going on a business trip to Busan.”

“Ah. Busan.”

The relief that the destination wasn’t Clark was short-lived.

Even though it wasn’t Clark but Busan, the thought of being apart made her feel lonely right away.

“When will you be back?”

Instead of answering Shin Joo’s question, Do Hyun took a step closer.

Feeling pressured by his steady gaze, Shin Joo asked.

“What?”

“I was wondering if I saw wrong.”

Do Hyun’s dark eyes carefully scanned Shin Joo’s face.

“When I said I was going on a business trip, you looked quite disappointed.”

Ouch.

It seems her displeasure at Do Hyun leaving for Busan was evident on her face after all.

Composing her expression, Shin Joo shrugged her shoulders and feigned indifference.

“What do I have to be disappointed about?”

“Shin Joo wouldn’t be disappointed. You’d probably want to have this house all to yourself.”

“Of course. Just thinking about having this big house to myself makes me want to dance already.”

“I was thinking of coming back early if you asked me to, but I guess I should give you time to dance.”

“Enjoy lots of delicious food and take your time coming back.”

Would it hurt to honestly say that being together is still better than being alone?

Even with Shin Joo’s skewed words, Do Hyun lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Take good care of the house until I return.”

Do Hyun’s large hand rested on top of her head.

The warm touch gently stroked Shin Joo’s head a couple of times before pulling away.

“I’m off.”

As Do Hyun left the house with his suitcase, Shin Joo ran her hand through her hair.

Lifting her lowered eyelids, Shin Joo stroked her own hair.

“Come back soon.”

Only after Do Hyun had left did her true feelings spill out.

***

And so two days, three days, four days passed.

He left with just one small suitcase, so she thought he’d be back soon, but Do Hyun had been away from home for a long time.

It had already been four days, but there was still not a word from Do Hyun about coming back.

Standing in the pantry brewing coffee, Shin Joo looked at the phone in her hand.

The phone was faithfully fulfilling its role as a clock and nothing more.

‘If you’re going, you should at least say when you’re coming back.’

When there’s someone waiting at home.

With no promise of return, Shin Joo was just waiting for Do Hyun’s contact.

‘How busy must he be to not even have time to send one message.’

Putting her phone in the pocket of the cardigan she was wearing, Shin Joo secretly swallowed a sigh.

During that time, Do Hyun had been courting her by taking care of meals, sending flowers, or going home together.

When all of that suddenly stopped for four days, she couldn’t help but keenly feel Do Hyun’s absence.

‘Is this why he was so nice.’

If the purpose was to make her feel empty, it was successful.

Thanks to that, she had repeatedly recalled Do Hyun, who wasn’t by her side, in her mind several times.

At the sound of the coffee machine’s alarm, Shin Joo grabbed a white mug and left the pantry.

Just then, Team Leader Park, who was entering the pantry with an empty paper cup, turned his body.

“Deputy Shin. I just got a call from the CEO, he said to proceed with the Jeju Island Sunset Package event. First, organize the content to be posted on the homepage and send it to me.”

“Yes. I’ll organize it and send it to you by the end of today.”

Shin Joo, with her back to the pantry, took out her phone from her pocket again.

She tapped on the screen, but the phone only showed an empty display.

“Why does this make me feel so upset.”

Of course, she knew he was busy and it was difficult to contact her, but it was disappointing that he could communicate work content to the company just fine.

Even so, isn’t it too much to have no messages for four days?

Holding her phone, Shin Joo hesitated for a long time before composing a message.

Tap tap, her fingers slowly tapping the screen paused in mid-air.

[When are you coming home?]

Her thumb hovered over the send button, debating whether to press it or not.

In the end, Shin Joo’s hand moved.

Her thumb finally pressed the send button.

“Ah. I don’t know.”

She didn’t want to send it because it might sound like she was waiting, but after four days she finally raised the white flag.

Pushing her phone back into her cardigan pocket, Shin Joo went to her desk and resumed work.

Her hands were moving over the keyboard, but her ears were focused on the phone in her pocket.

She was on standby to receive any messages or calls without missing them, as there would be a sound if they came.

However, the reply to the carefully sent message didn’t come even until it was time to leave work.

“Joo, I’m heading out first.”

“Good work today.”

Yang Mi, who had to pick up her child from kindergarten, was the first to leave the office.

There was no urgent work, but Shin Joo was still at her desk. Anyway, going home wasn’t appealing since Do Hyun wouldn’t be there.

As the PR team and other office staff gradually left, the busy office atmosphere slowly settled down.

Suddenly turning her head towards the wall clock, Shin Joo realized it was already past 9 o’clock.

Seeing the few heads remaining over the partitions, Shin Joo tidied up her desk.

Just as she was about to leave the office after saying goodbye to Team Leader Park of the PR team who was still there, it happened.

Rrrrr―

The phone call she had been waiting for finally rang.

Shin Joo, who had just stepped out of the glass door, took out the phone from her pocket and pressed the answer button.

“Hello.”

[You answered the phone quickly. Were you waiting for my call?]

He was clearly saying this knowing full well.

Even though Do Hyun’s voice, overflowing with composure, was annoying, a smile crept onto her lips.

“I didn’t know if you were dead or alive since there wasn’t a single contact from you.”

[No news is good news, right?]

“Ah. So that’s why you deliberately didn’t contact me even once. Because no news is good news?”

Shin Joo repeatedly pressed the elevator button in frustration, pouting her lips.

[Where are you now?]

“I just left the office.”

[You’re leaving work late. I thought you said you’d dance a lot at home since you’d be happy without me.]

“That’s why I’m going to dance to my heart’s content now. In various ways.”

[Too bad. I’m in Seoul right now.]

At the mention of Seoul, Shin Joo couldn’t hide her rising smile.

As the elevator doors opened from the upper floor, Shin Joo stepped inside.

In the elevator where she was alone, a voice full of vitality echoed.

“You’re in Seoul? Since when?”

[Thirty minutes ago.]

“Then you’re coming straight home, right?”

I’ll be able to see him today.

Shin Joo tapped the floor with her shoe tip, bending one knee.

But the joy at hearing he was back in Seoul was short-lived.

[I think I need to stop by the company. I might be late, so go to sleep first.]

“Will you be very late?”

She didn’t want to be clingy, but she already was.

[Yes. I’ll be late.]

“I see.”

[The call is breaking up.]

“It’s because I’m in the elevator. Should I hang up?”

[It’s okay. Let me hear your voice a bit more.]

At the gentle voice spreading out, Shin Joo’s lips rather stuck together.

[I said let me hear your voice, why aren’t you talking?]

At the sound of Do Hyun’s laughter, scattering like falling stars, Shin Joo’s heart bounced like an elastic ball.

The image of Do Hyun gently lifting the corners of his mouth appeared vividly before her eyes.

Since when had it been? Even though she had told him not to come into her heart anymore, she had already opened the door wide and let Do Hyun roam freely.

Maybe it had been from the start.

She liked him, but how could she hide her feelings of liking him?

“Senior.”

[Yes.]

It was a miracle that she had hidden it until now. And now she thought it was no longer possible.

These feelings had been bouncing around on their own and had long since escaped from her grasp.

“That one-sided love, I think we don’t have to do it anymore.”