Office Romance Scandal - Chapter 36

When Hae Jin lowered her eyes, she saw the health food, and when she raised them, she saw Tae Hong eating.

How did she end up eating with him like this?

When he suggested going out to eat together, she thought it would be a light meal. But predictions always went awry, and the food served was nothing short of a feast.

“Aren’t you eating?”

His gaze turned to the food that remained untouched, just as it was at the start. Although he gestured for her to eat quickly, it didn’t progress as fast as he thought.

Hae Jin only realized after the ordered food arrived. She had come to receive her clutch bag, but he hadn’t brought it out.

Even if they were to eat together, the plan was to have a quick meal and part ways, but that didn’t work with Tae Hong.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

Hae Jin emptied the glass of water. He then refilled it.

“Should I order something else? Or should we move to another place?”

None of the options included ‘It would be better to go home’. She shook her head and emptied the refilled glass again. He filled it once more.

“Are you thirsty?”

She had chosen to drink water simply because there was no option to say the food didn’t suit her, as he wouldn’t send her home even if she did.

“If you’re thirsty, keep drinking. I have trauma with cold water, you know.”

“Trauma?”

Only then did Hae Jin properly look at him. His mention of trauma suddenly brought worry.

“If you had such a thing, you should have told me last night.”

It was she who had handed him cold water from the refrigerator when he said he was thirsty. If she had known about the trauma, she obviously wouldn’t have done so. Hae Jin carefully examined him with concern.

“Don’t look at me like that, the person who gave me the trauma. It’s making my heart flutter.”

What does he mean? It’s not something he had before, but that I gave him trauma?

“What did you say when you gave me cold water yesterday?”

Ah, so he means the trauma with cold water came from last night’s incident. It was indeed my doing.

Hae Jin quietly put down the spoon she was holding. Then she drank all the water he had poured.

“Team Leader, this doesn’t seem right.”

Even with the still steaming food in front of them, neither of them picked up their spoons.

“What’s not right?”

Tae Hong rested his long arm on the back of the empty chair next to him. It seemed like he would listen, but his gaze suggested otherwise. As if something terrible would happen if she said something he didn’t like.

“I told you all my feelings yesterday, and I said we’re just company colleagues, nothing more, nothing less.”

His brow furrowed noticeably. As expected, she knew it was not what he wanted to hear.

“Does it have to be that way?”

He retorted. It also meant he had no intention of accepting that.

“Why should it be like that?”

Her answer stopped at his counter-question. She had to find an answer to the ‘why’, but he had no intention of waiting.

“That’s Jung Hae Jin’s decision. I’m pretty sure I expressed my feelings yesterday too.”

“That’s.”

She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it. She couldn’t bring herself to object under his gaze. She could see her own reflection in his wavering eyes.

“You’re the woman who left because I was burdensome.”

Who told you to struggle carrying the suitcase?

“You keep appearing in my mind.”

Who said you’d be weak at the gym?

“It makes me want to give you everything.”

Who said your legs would tremble after an hour of kissing?

“Why did you show such a side of yourself?”

Jung Hae Jin, what can you do now? You’ve stepped on your own foot.

Every word of his was filled with intense longing for Hae Jin. This wasn’t something that could be hidden. He would never give up, and how long could she keep pushing him away?

“Eat. You can’t ignore the bond of sharing a meal. I’m planning to start from there.”

His shoulders shrugged. He gestured with his chin for her to pick up her spoon. And he started eating again.

Watching this, Hae Jin had no choice but to use her last resort.

“There were instructions from the Chairman.”

Finally, she brought it up. This wasn’t the fundamental reason, but she wanted to blame it on this. She hoped this method would work on him.

“The Chairman is taking a great interest in the Team Leader’s marriage.”

The words that followed flowed smoothly. Se Young was mentioned, and she added that Jun Tae wanted to find in-laws of similar status to Yeon Chang.

“Even if this marriage doesn’t work out, the Chairman probably won’t give up.”

The last part was Hae Jin’s own thought, but she added it anyway. She wanted to blame our inability to be together on Jun Tae, if nothing else.

You’re a coward, Jung Hae Jin. Mockery towards herself poured out in her mind, but she couldn’t help it.

“I see. I heard you well.”

But Tae Hong hadn’t been fully focused while Hae Jin was speaking. He never made eye contact, concentrating solely on eating.

“Are you done talking?”

Only then did Tae Hong raise his head.

“So this is Jung Hae Jin’s excuse, is it?”

As expected, he was simple and straightforward. How quickly he grasped that it was an excuse. He clicked his tongue.

“But what can I do? I have no intention of living as my father wishes.”

Of course, she knew he wasn’t on good terms with his father, but couldn’t he at least tolerate it to some extent?

“It’s really funny. His own marriage is a mess, yet he’s trying to marry someone else off.”

It was a perfect sneer. He silently stared at Hae Jin. He wasn’t trying to answer or ask anything. He just looked on impassively.

Under his steady gaze, Hae Jin inevitably averted her eyes. She couldn’t properly look at him after spouting what amounted to excuses.

“You’re not talented at lying.”

How cute, he smiled with one corner of his mouth raised. Cute, he says. She had used this as a last resort, but to him, it was just cute, nothing more.

“Is that what you talked about when you met the Chairman?”

“How did you.”

He knew. He already knew that she had met Jun Tae.

“I thought you might have received some instructions, seeing your expression wasn’t great.”

This wasn’t the last resort. This was just another excuse for him.

“Jung Hae Jin, there’s something I want to ask.”

He pushed his bowl to the side and leaned forward. She couldn’t meet his eyes as his face came closer. At some point, she found it burdensome to make eye contact with him.

“How did you feel seeing Jo Se Young by my side?”

Suddenly, Hae Jin felt her stomach churning. Although she had eaten little, picking at her food, it wasn’t eaten comfortably, so even that small amount was causing trouble.

“Tell me, how did it feel?”

He quietly and leisurely urged her to answer. This made her stomach churn even more. Instead of answering, she drank water as a temporary measure for her violently churning stomach.

“Team Leader, I think I need to go home today.”

Hae Jin’s stomach would occasionally churn when she hadn’t rested properly, was stressed, or when things weren’t going as planned. Right now, it was a situation that included all of these.

If this continued, her face would surely turn pale next. She needed to part ways with him quickly before that happened.

“I think I need to go home.”

Tae Hong’s eyes softened. He would probably think she was avoiding him again this time. But he didn’t seem to have any intention of pushing urgently, as he also stood up.

“Alright, let’s go home. But I didn’t bring the clutch bag.”

Hae Jin tried her best to manage her expression. Tae Hong returned after finishing the payment.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s really a mistake on my part. When I’m with Jung Hae Jin, I keep forgetting things.”

He was asking if she knew why, but she didn’t have the energy to answer.

“Let’s go together.”

They barely made it to his house. She couldn’t remember how they got there. It seemed like she had walked looking only at the ground, and when she came to her senses, he had gone into the room saying he would bring the clutch bag.

He hadn’t noticed her condition. That was understandable. Even in this disoriented state, she had maintained her voice and expression without blinking an eye. She endured with the thought that she just needed to get the clutch bag.

She saw him coming out with the clutch bag. Now if she could just receive that and leave, it would be perfect. One step, two steps, he was getting closer.

Why does everything seem to be getting blurry? A flash, is it a blackout? Something seemed to flicker, and then darkness.

Thud, Jung Hae Jin collapsed.

**

Hae Jin barely lifted her heavy eyelids. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view, and it was an unfamiliar bed. Outside the curtains, she could hear the buzzing of people’s voices.

When she moved her hand slightly, an uncomfortable sensation pierced through her flesh. Turning her gaze, she saw a long IV drip inserted.

So it’s a hospital. The last thing she remembered was Tae Hong approaching. Then she realized she had lost consciousness.

She often had acute indigestion, but it usually improved with medication. This was the first time she had lost consciousness.

But why was she alone? She could only see the shadows of people passing by outside the drawn curtains all around.

Was it because it was a hospital? Or because she was sick? Now that she was alone, she worried where the man from her last memory had gone.

Did she want him to be by her side? Was she grasping at straws because she was sick?

When did she start looking for him when she was sick, after pushing him away because he was burdensome? How fickle, Jung Hae Jin.

She raised her free arm and placed it on her forehead. The fluorescent light right above was too bright. As she covered her face with her arm to block the light, the curtain opened. Tae Hong’s face, shining brighter than the fluorescent light, appeared.

So he didn’t leave. Hae Jin deliberately covered her eyes with her raised arm. She didn’t want to reveal the complex emotions of guilt and burden, or whatever it was.

“Are you awake?”

His voice was filled with worry. That bothered her again. With that one sentence, she immediately understood how much he must have worried while bringing her here.

“Yes. Just now.”

Her voice was even more hoarse due to her brief collapse, but that only added to Tae Hong’s concern.

“How are you feeling? The doctor said it was acute indigestion.”

“I’m fine. It happens occasionally.”

Hae Jin calmly said it was something that happened often, not wanting to worry him, but his face was still full of concern.

“I’ve taken care of the payment. You can leave after finishing the IV drip.”

Why did she have to collapse in front of him of all people? She should have endured as much as possible. She didn’t want to be indebted to him even for this small favor.

“Thank you. Please give me the receipt. I’ll pay you back when I get my salary.”

His expression hardened immediately. The atmosphere, which had been full of concern, turned cold in an instant.

“Thank you for bringing me to the hospital. It’s something that happens often, and it’s nothing to me. So I don’t want to be indebted.”

So this is how you repay his kindness in the end.

Being sick really messes everything up, doesn’t it?