Na Ri was very surprised to hear that I Hyun and Ye Rin were hugging each other.

She asked again, thinking she must have misheard.

“What?”

Na Ri covered her mouth with both hands to stifle the exclamation that was about to burst out.

‘They’re crazy. What on earth were those two doing in the changing room?’

However, Na Ri spoke up, struggling not to reveal her confused state of mind.

“Ah, don’t you think Secretary Choi must have seen wrong?”

“No. I saw it clearly.”

Secretary Choi muttered as if he still couldn’t believe what he had seen with his own eyes.

“The director had even unbuttoned all the buttons on his shirt…”

“What?”

“He was hugging Secretary Han Ye Rin from behind.”

“…”

Na Ri finally understood why Secretary Choi looked so shocked.

The phone Na Ri was holding fell to the floor.

Thud-

At that sound, Na Ri belatedly came to her senses.

“Come on. That can’t be true. Those two aren’t that kind of relationship, are they?”

Na Ri was also very surprised, but she had to pretend not to be for now.

‘No, in the car earlier, she definitely said her relationship with Director Cha I Hyun was difficult.’

Secretary Choi wasn’t the type to speak nonsense either.

Judging by his dazed expression, what he said must be true.

There’s no way their feelings could have suddenly flared up in this short time.

‘Did they hug each other in surprise when Secretary Choi suddenly came in while they were changing clothes?’

That was the most reasonable inference.

It would have been better if she had brought the clothes herself and seen that scene.

How shocked Secretary Choi must have been to see that sight, completely unaware of the subtle emotions passing between those two.

Lost in thought, Secretary Choi looked at Na Ri and spoke as if seeking agreement.

“I really didn’t expect the two of them to be waiting for me already undressed like that.”

Secretary Choi plopped down in a chair and let out a deep sigh.

“I thought they’d be waiting, so I opened the door without knocking to deliver the clothes quickly…”

“Ah, is that so?”

Only then did Na Ri start to understand the situation Secretary Choi had seen.

It seemed Secretary Choi had opened the door without warning, and I Hyun had suddenly hugged Ye Rin to shield her inside the changing room.

Na Ri spoke kindly to Secretary Choi.

“It’s okay, Secretary Choi. These things happen.”

“How could I make such a mistake after being an executive secretary for years?”

Hearing Secretary Choi’s self-reproach, Na Ri spoke in a warm voice.

“Secretary Choi, you’re human too. Everyone makes mistakes.”

At Na Ri’s consolation, Secretary Choi slowly turned his head.

Na Ri smiled brightly at Secretary Choi.

“I think I understand very well Secretary Choi’s intention to deliver the clothes quickly, don’t you think?”

Just then, sunlight poured through the window, falling on Na Ri’s face.

“So don’t blame yourself too much.”

Secretary Choi’s heart began to beat even faster at that smile, as radiant as the spring sunshine.

Much faster than the heartbeat from the mistake he had made just moments ago.

It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in so long that Secretary Choi was staring at Na Ri with the same dazed expression as before.

“Secretary Choi?”

“Ah, yes, CEO Kim Na Ri.”

Hearing Na Ri’s warm voice calling him, Secretary Choi belatedly came to his senses.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m completely fine now thanks to your consolation, CEO Kim.”

Hoo-

Secretary Choi exhaled deeply and stood up.

“That’s good.”

Na Ri smiled brightly and picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor.

The screen had cracked from when she dropped it in surprise.

Secretary Choi noticed and made an apologetic face.

“Oh no. Is your phone okay?”

“Yes. It still turns on.”

Na Ri tapped the screen a few times and then made a short “Ah-” sound.

“What’s wrong?”

Secretary Choi grabbed Na Ri’s hand that was touching the phone screen.

There was a small droplet of blood.

Na Ri spoke with a slightly furrowed brow.

“I think I touched the cracked screen with my hand.”

“Really?”

Secretary Choi took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it tightly around Na Ri’s bleeding finger.

“We should go to the hospital just in case.”

“No, it’s just a small prick.”

“Still, it could be dangerous to leave it be in case there’s glass stuck in it.”

At Secretary Choi’s serious voice, Na Ri nodded as if enchanted.

“Okay. That would be good.”

Secretary Choi picked up Na Ri’s phone and gently held her finger wrapped in the handkerchief.

Just then, I Hyun and Ye Rin returned to the cafeteria after changing clothes.

“Oh, you two…”

This time it was I Hyun and Ye Rin who were surprised.

It was understandable, since Secretary Choi and Na Ri, who hadn’t seemed very close until this morning, were suddenly holding hands.

Before they could ask what was going on, Secretary Choi spoke urgently.

“When I told CEO Kim Na Ri that the two of you were hugging in the changing room earlier, she was so surprised that she dropped her phone.”

As if to prove his words, Secretary Choi held up the shattered phone in his hand like evidence.

“And while trying to operate the phone, her hand was pricked by the broken screen.”

“Oh my, are you okay?”

When Ye Rin asked worriedly, Na Ri smiled to reassure her.

With one hand still held by Secretary Choi.

“Even though she says she’s fine now, I think it would be good to go to the hospital.”

Ye Rin agreed with that.

“Yes, that would be best.”

“Then we’ll head up to Seoul first.”

I Hyun called out again to Secretary Choi as he was passing by.

“Secretary Choi, about earlier in the changing room. The door opened suddenly so I was trying to cover Secretary Han.”

“Yes, Director.”

“In case there was any misunderstanding.”

“I won’t misunderstand.”

Until just moments ago, he had been very curious about what kind of relationship I Hyun and Ye Rin might have and wanted to hear his story, but not now.

It felt like it was all his fault for saying unnecessary things that caused Na Ri’s phone screen to crack and her to get hurt touching it.

“I’ll contact you again after we get back from the hospital.”

“Alright, go quickly.”

Na Ri winked at Ye Rin and then disappeared with Secretary Choi.

“I could drive…”

Secretary Choi opened the passenger door, considerately making it easier for Na Ri to get in.

“If you use your hand more, the glass might get embedded deeper. I’ve heard that screen glass particles are especially small and can’t be seen with the naked eye.”

Hearing that, Na Ri also started to feel a bit scared.

The bleeding had stopped, but her fingertip that had touched the screen still stung.

Secretary Choi seemed quite familiar as he got into the driver’s seat, as if he had driven Na Ri’s car before, and smoothly started driving.

“I was thinking of taking you to Jiseok Hospital, is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Na Ri was very grateful to Secretary Choi for worrying about her finger as if it were his own.

The last time he had driven her home and they had beer together, she had thought he seemed like a very caring person and it had left a deep impression, and today was the same.

“Thank you, Secretary Choi.”

At those words, Secretary Choi spoke while driving and looking ahead.

“It’s Choi Hyun Jun.”

She belatedly realized that she didn’t actually know his name, since she had always just called him Secretary Choi.

Come to think of it, Hyun Jun wasn’t even her secretary, so she felt bad for calling him that way.

“Can I call you Hyun Jun from now on?”

Hyun Jun nodded slowly at that question and smiled brightly.

“That’s fine, CEO Kim Na Ri.”

“Then please call me without titles too.”

Hyun Jun’s eyes widened slightly as if surprised at that request.

“Let’s call each other by name. We’re not in a work relationship anyway.”

Hyun Jun glanced at Na Ri, who was defining things so simply, and smiled.

“Alright, Na Ri.”

In the car heading to the hospital, there was no other conversation, but both of them were thinking the same thing.

That it was really good they came to volunteer at the orphanage today.

After Na Ri and Secretary Choi left for Seoul first, I Hyun, Ye Rin, and Hee Jun volunteered to do the laundry.

Ye Rin stepped into a large rubber tub with blankets in it.

I Hyun, who was watching from the side, rolled up his jeans a few times and put his legs into the tub where Ye Rin was standing.

“It looks like it might be difficult to do alone, shall we do it together?”

“Okay.”

“Can you show me how to do it?”

Ye Rin gently stepped on the blankets, one foot at a time.

“You just keep stepping on it like this. Ah!”

Perhaps because there was a lot of detergent, it was slippery and Ye Rin lost her balance for a moment and stumbled.

I Hyun quickly reached out his arm and deftly caught Ye Rin’s waist.

Their bodies pressed close together and their gazes met in midair.

“Ah, thank you.”

Ye Rin brushed her fallen hair behind her ear and smiled shyly.

“You should be careful.”

Even though Ye Rin was standing steadily again, I Hyun didn’t let her go.

“Director? I’m okay now.”

“I think it’s best if we stay like this for a moment.”

“What?”

I Hyun whispered softly into Ye Rin’s ear as she widened her eyes curiously.

“Park Hee Jun is glaring at us from the diagonal.”

“Ah…”

She had felt her back burning, and now she finally understood why.

“Han Ye Rin, do you remember when you touched my lips while drunk before?”

“What? Yes. I remember.”

Just as she was wondering why he suddenly brought up that day’s story.

I Hyun moved a bit closer and gently cupped Ye Rin’s cheek with one hand.

Ye Rin’s face quickly flushed red as I Hyun’s gaze lowered.

“Sometimes actions speak louder than words.”

I Hyun slowly rubbed Ye Rin’s lips with his thumb.

It was just a finger touching her, but because of I Hyun’s intense gaze, it felt as if she was being touched by his eyes as well.

Because of that, Ye Rin was nervous and stood stiffly in an awkward attention posture.

Seeing that, I Hyun spoke up.

“Han Ye Rin, if you stand so awkwardly stiff like that, it will only look like we’re not really lovers.”

“Then how should I…”

“Shall we kiss?”