For a moment, I doubted my ears.

And as Jae’s face instantly turned red, Geon Hak smiled and said:

“Han Jae. What are you thinking?”

“Ah, I, I mean, that’s…”

Seeing her stutter in embarrassment, Geon Hak chuckles.

“Don’t hesitate, go wash up.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“I’m not fine. I’m unexpectedly the type who can’t stand seeing filth.”

Jae’s gaze turned towards her blouse.

Indeed, it had become messy. I wish the wine had spilled more prettily. I caught myself having such nonsensical thoughts.

How could wine spill prettily in this situation?

“Then I’ll just go home and—”

“If you’re worried about me, I’m fine.”

As Jae hesitated, Geon Hak rose from where he was sitting on the sofa. He picked up the wine glass and half-empty wine bottle from the table and stood up.

He gestured towards the shower with his chin.

“Wash up in there and come out.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

With those words, as Geon Hak showed his broad back and left the bedroom, Jae looked at the closed door and turned her gaze.

“Sigh, can’t be helped.”

She moved her steps and entered where Geon Hak had indicated.

Entering the powder room, Jae looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Though he said the alcohol content wasn’t high, perhaps because it contained alcohol, her pale cheeks had turned slightly red.

She cupped her face and lightly patted her cheeks. Then she began to remove her clothes one by one.

Perhaps because she was nervous about showering in someone else’s home for the first time, her fingers kept slipping as she unbuttoned her blouse.

“I’m not even drunk, why am I so nervous? Someone might think I’m doing something momentous.”

She smiled slightly and placed all her clothes on the powder room counter.

This feels strange.

Looking at her unclothed body, she hurriedly opened the shower door and stepped inside.

As expected, the bathroom size was extraordinary. The square bathtub by the window was made of cypress wood, giving off a subtle woody scent.

Above all, the television installed on the wall caught her attention. Jae looked at it for a moment before entering the shower stall.

As she turned on the shower, warm water poured down onto her crown.

Shhhh—

“Han Jae, now you’re even using the executive director’s shower.”

She tilted her head back slightly and closed her eyes as the warm stream of water touched her face.

Steam had already risen in the bathroom.

Jae turned off the shower and lightly rubbed the foggy mirror with her palm.

“Is this the shampoo?”

She pumped it two or three times and rubbed her palms together to create lather. She began washing her hair, massaging with her fingertips.

Mmm, nice. The executive director’s scent.

For a moment, feeling like a pervert, Jae shook her head.

You’re crazy, Han Jae.

As soap got in her eyes and stung, she hurriedly turned on the shower. She slightly turned her head at the faint sound of a door closing.

“What was that? Did I mishear?”

* * *

The shower took longer than usual.

After thoroughly showering, Jae took a towel neatly placed on the bathroom shelf, dried her whole body, and wrapped her hair in the towel. Then she put on a bathrobe and came out to the powder room.

Her face looked rosy, perhaps because all her makeup had come off. Since she usually went to work bare-faced, her current appearance felt more familiar.

“So that was the sound of the door opening.”

Whenever it had been prepared, women’s basic skincare products were placed in the powder room. She dampened a cotton pad with toner to refine her skin texture, then applied lotion and cream all over her face.

The fragrance was so nice, she applied it several times.

It was comfortable enough that she didn’t feel inconvenienced showering in someone else’s home. Jae’s gaze turned to her underwear and clothes she had placed earlier.

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened.

The clothes she had clearly placed on the vanity had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Her underwear was still there, but the clothes were gone.

Thinking they might have fallen, she bent down to look, but her clothes were nowhere to be seen.

What’s going on? Why did only the clothes disappear?

She paced back and forth, unable to leave.

Knock knock.

Jae’s head whipped around at the sound of knocking on the bathroom door.

“Han Jae. The shower is taking too long, is everything alright in there?”

At Geon Hak’s voice, Jae tightly closed her bathrobe and said:

“Um, Executive Director.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“My clothes… they’ve disappeared.”

Unlike her flustered voice, Geon Hak’s voice from outside sounded rather calm.

“The housekeeper must have forgotten to bring a change of clothes.”

“What?”

“Wait. I’ll send them up soon.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Jae nodded and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Even though she hadn’t been naked in front of him, her ears were bright red.

A moment later, there was a knock and Sung Kyung’s voice was heard. Jae slightly opened the door and Sung Kyung handed her a change of clothes with an apologetic word.

“Oh my. I forgot to bring clothes, didn’t I? You must have been surprised.”

“It’s alright. Thank you for your consideration. I was able to use the skincare products well too.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Sung Kyung glanced outside cautiously and whispered softly in Jae’s ear.

“Actually, this is the first time, but our executive director insisted so much. That’s why I came up. Don’t worry too much, your earlier clothes are being washed.”

As Mrs. Kim winked, Jae bowed her head slightly in gratitude.

“Thank you for your consideration in many ways.”

Jae looked at the clothes Mrs. Kim gave her and smelled them. A warm scent lingered on her nose.

So the executive director was so thoughtful about every little thing.

A smile gently spread across Jae’s lips as she hurriedly changed into the clothes.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“Is it because it’s the executive director’s clothes? They’re too big.”

The loose pants and long sleeves covered her hands completely. Jae moved as if flailing and rolled up the sleeves.

After rolling up the pant legs and sleeves several times, she left the powder room and found Geon Hak sitting on the sofa reading.

Like Jae, he seemed to have showered as his hair was wet.

Above all, what caught her attention was Geon Hak wearing round silver-framed glasses. He looked so handsome as he concentrated on turning the pages.

The executive director looks good in glasses too.

Jae took in his appearance for a long while.

Even reading looks sexy.

As Geon Hak wrapped his large hand around his neck as if it was stiff and turned his head, his gaze met Jae’s as she stood there blankly.

“Did you shower comfortably?”

As he smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, Jae nodded.

“Yes. You showered too, Executive Director.”

“I felt like I smelled of sweat.”

She had rolled up the clothes so many times that it looked like the clothes were wearing her rather than her wearing the clothes.

“The clothes are much bigger than I thought. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Jae nodded.

It was strange.

Was the alcohol finally kicking in?

Or was her face hot from the shower?

Why was her heart pounding so much and why did she feel so warm? Her lips kept drying out.

He lowered his gaze and looked back at the book in his hand.

Jae pulled down the towel wrapped like a turban and let her hair loose. Her wet hair flowed down over her shoulders.

She pressed the soft towel firmly against her wet hair. As she stood there blankly, Geon Hak’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly.

He took off his silver-framed glasses and pressed the bridge of his nose.

His eyes, reflected in the light, looked even deeper than usual today.

“Why are you standing like that?”

“Pardon?”

“Come sit here.”

Jae slowly moved and headed for the sofa where she had sat earlier.

The cleaning must have finished at some point, as the sofa was now covered with a different colored fabric. As she sat clinging tightly to the edge of the sofa, he put down the book he was holding. It was the same book Jae had seen earlier.

On the table lay the carelessly discarded glasses and book.

Geon Hak brushed back the messy hair on his forehead and stared at her.

“There’s a hair dryer inside, why didn’t you use it? What if you catch a cold?”

“I prefer air drying.”

“I see.”

As Jae’s eyes met Cha Geon Hak’s as he tilted his head, her heart began to pound irregularly.

Jae quickly turned her head and pretended to be interested in the book on the table.

“It’s this book again.”

“Strange.”

He let out a dry laugh.

“I thought I was being quite gentle with you, Han Jae, but you haven’t looked at me at all.”

Well, of course.

How could I meet your eyes when you look at me with such a handsome face?

I like your messy hair.

I like your languid eyes from fatigue.

I like hearing your deep voice speaking slowly with each syllable.

“Why do you keep avoiding me, am I that unpleasant?”

At his question, Jae met his gaze.

His dark brown eyes were staring intently at Jae as if they would swallow her whole.

As her wet hair clung to her flushed cheeks, Geon Hak’s long fingers lightly touched them.

Flinch.

Jae’s body trembled slightly at his touch.

“Your hair was sticking.”

Jae looked at his face.

A person who makes her happy just by looking at him.

A person who has never left her heart for a moment.

A person who makes her smile just by looking at him, and makes her heart flutter every time.

It felt like if not today, she would never be able to confess her feelings.

If not today, it felt like there would never be another chance.

“Ex-Executive Director…”

“Yes, Han Jae.”

Jae’s lips parted slightly and closed again several times.

From her slightly parted lips came a trembling breath along with her voice.

Her tense state was clearly evident in her voice.

“I, I like you.”

“…”

“I… I like you, Executive Director.”

There was no trace of surprise or bewilderment on Geon Hak’s face as he stared at her face.

Rather, he acted flexibly, like someone who already knew her feelings. He slowly tucked her wet hair behind her ear and spoke in a calm voice.

“I know.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I already knew that Han Jae likes me.”

He already knew.

The executive director knew everything, was I that obvious?

I hope he’s not disgusted by me like this.

I hope he doesn’t think I’m strange.

“Ah, so you knew…”

Seeing her large eyes roll around, it seemed she was worrying about all sorts of things on her own.

Geon Hak burst out laughing.

His large hand gently cupped her cheek and lifted her face.

Jae’s wildly shaking eyes met his gaze.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard a confession. It feels nice.”

As the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, Jae’s eyes trembled. Then Jae brought her lips to Geon Hak’s first.

Seeing her flushed all the way to her neck, a smile naturally formed on Geon Hak’s lips.

For all her boldness in initiating, it was clumsy. What did she expect to happen by just pressing her lips like that? Even her method of seduction was so like Han Jae.

“Open your mouth. I’ll receive it.”