Jae Yi closed her eyes and then slowly opened them.

It was difficult for her to judge whether what she heard was really true or not.

“Did you not hear me?”

“Yes. I, I didn’t hear you.”

In fact, she heard everything Manager Cha said.

She wanted to confirm once more whether what she heard from him was really true or not.

Because those were the words she really wanted to hear.

Geon Hak made an expression that he could answer as many times as needed. He tucked Jae Yi’s hair behind her ear that flowed down her shoulder and spoke in a calm voice.

“I like Han Jae Yi a lot.”

Jae Yi’s large eyes shook back and forth. Geon Hak burst into laughter and kissed her cheek lightly.

As his lips touched and separated in an instant, the startled Jae Yi covered her cheek.

“Ma- Manager.”

“Are you coming to your senses a bit?”

“Yes. A, a little?”

When he firmly kissed Jae Yi’s lips this time, Jae Yi hurriedly pushed Geon Hak’s shoulders away. Geon Hak’s thick eyebrows twitched and rose.

“Ah, that’s… not it.”

Jae Yi gripped the edge of the blanket tightly and mumbled.

As if he couldn’t hear Jae Yi’s voice, Geon Hak came closer.

When Jae Yi was startled and pulled her head back, he stared at her intently. It was embarrassing to talk to Manager like this from the morning.

Geon Hak’s attire after finishing getting ready for work was not the suit he wore yesterday, but a different shirt.

His hairstyle, which usually covered only half, was different today as well. It was a style that covered his entire forehead.

“I, I haven’t even washed up yet.”

Geon Hak burst into laughter.

“So what. We just did it last night without that.”

“Ah.”

As Jae Yi’s lips parted slightly, Geon Hak took her lips.

Covering her cheeks, Jae Yi couldn’t come to her senses due to Geon Hak deeply entering her.

It was difficult to accept his lips that filled her mouth.

As their lips separated with strong friction, Geon Hak rubbed her trembling lips with his thumb.

“I couldn’t resist when you were sitting on the bed and seducing me like that.”

Jae Yi blinked.

Following his gaze, Jae Yi’s eyes that lowered her head expanded.

“Do- don’t look.”

As Jae Yi hurriedly covered her body with the blanket, Geon Hak flicked Jae Yi’s reddened cheek with his index finger and said,

“Because you’re always embarrassed like this, it makes me feel like I’m the only bad guy.”

“I like it too. It’s just that I’m embarrassed, Manager.”

At her answer, Geon Hak laughed out loud.

Perhaps it was because she had never seen him laugh so loudly like this, her heart was pounding and beating as if it would burst.

“Do you know how I feel every time Han Jae Yi answers my casual remarks?”

“How do you feel?”

“This woman is not ordinary. Her skill in eliciting awkward answers is no joke. Seeing this, I wonder if she was like this to the men she met before.”

Jae Yi hurriedly shook her head.

“No. You’re my first, Manager.”

A smile appeared on Geon Hak’s lips. He stroked Jae Yi’s hair.

“I know that even if you don’t say it. That I’m Han Jae Yi’s first.”

As Geon Hak narrowed his eyes and smiled kindly, Jae Yi’s lips parted slightly.

Perhaps it was because she only saw his dashing appearance since this morning, but her heart felt like it would burst.

“I already asked Secretary Kim to load your luggage earlier, so don’t worry and come out after washing up. Let’s go to work together.”

Jae Yi nodded her head vigorously.

* * *

A luxury sedan stopped exactly at the entrance of the officetel.

The driver’s side window slid down and Geon Hak looked at Jae Yi.

“Get in.”

Jae Yi hurriedly got into the passenger seat. Seeing her moving her head back and forth while looking out the window, Geon Hak held her hand.

“I told you not to worry. Are you nervous again?”

“Just in case.”

Geon Hak stroked her hair.

The inside of the car wasn’t cold thanks to the heater he had turned on in advance. Perhaps it was because Geon Hak was there, but the trembling emotions seemed to have subsided.

As he abruptly moved his body towards Jae Yi, she looked at Geon Hak with a startled face.

No way, again?

As Jae Yi’s eyes slowly closed, Geon Hak’s laughter was heard.

“Ha, this is driving me crazy.”

Ah. It wasn’t that.

“Do- don’t misunderstand. I closed my eyes knowing you were putting on my seatbelt.”

Geon Hak’s lips also curved into a smile at the sight of Jae Yi lying with her neck turning red.

She’s cute, Han Jae Yi.

“Then I’ll start driving.”

Geon Hak smiled at Jae Yi next to him and stepped on the accelerator. With a loud engine sound, the vehicle left the officetel.

Thump, thump.

Park Tae In, who was hiding around the corner, stared blankly at the place where the two disappeared.

“They… spent the night together?”

Tae In’s fist, which was clenched tightly, began to tremble.

When their eyes met, he saw the corner of Cha Geon Hak’s mouth rise. It seemed like he was deliberately showing him the sight of picking up Han Jae Yi by even lowering the window.

Just the fact that the two of them did that thing at the officetel last night made the back of his head tingle.

Tae In, who had been guarding the front of the officetel all night, wiped his face.

Just then, a black van that pulled up in front of Tae In stopped, and he naturally got on.

“Whew, I knew this would happen. What was he thinking, saying he would do it moderately and then staying up all night.”

Tae In looked tired as he raised his arm to cover his eyes.

“Just don’t say anything and go to the filming location.”

At Tae In’s low voice, the manager sighed deeply and sealed his lips. If he gave more advice or nagged here, he didn’t know where Tae In would run off to with his personality.

He was still a rookie actor, so it was only to this extent, but Tae In was someone who would try to beat even the CEO if his head grew a little more.

As the image of the two came to Tae In’s mind with his eyes closed, he roughly ran his hand through his hair.

He took out the cell phone he had put in his jacket and made a call. With a short ring, the other person’s irritated voice was heard.

― Ah, why are you calling in the morning! Do you want to die?

“…Jae Yi noona.”

― Are you really crazy? What, you’re looking for Han Jae Yi from the morning. So annoying!

“Ahjumma…”

As Tae In stopped talking there, Ga Yeon’s voice was heard over the phone.

― What, now you’re looking for ahjumma?

“…”

― You acted like you would handle it on your own, but now you’re looking for ahjumma. I told you. Tell me quickly. What, should I tell you?

At Ga Yeon’s question, Tae In’s brows furrowed.

“No, I’m just hanging up.”

Tuk. Tae In threw the cell phone he was holding onto the seat next to him.

Ring, ring. The cell phone started ringing again. Tae In made a dry wash.

“Phew.”

Then, what he saw in the lobby was not a mistake. The person who made the unmoving Han Jae Yi react was none other than Cha Geon Hak.

* * *

“Jae Yi?”

At the sight of Jae Yi looking dazed, Su Bin reached out and waved her palm in front of her.

“Yes?”

“Did you take medicine?”

“What medicine?”

As Jae Yi blinked and looked at Su Bin, she put her palm on Jae Yi’s cheek.

‘I couldn’t resist when you were sitting on the bed and seducing me like that.’

Suddenly, what happened this morning came to mind, and Jae Yi was startled.

“Why are you so surprised, making people embarrassed. I touched it because Manager Han seems to have a slight fever.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“Fine, my foot. Don’t do that and take some cold medicine. Your face has been red all day. Come to think of it, Jae Yi, you have a surprisingly low stamina, so how can you get sick so often.”

‘Do you know I have low stamina? Let’s say I exercise a bit. It would be troublesome if I struggled with just this.’

The image of Geon Hak looking at her last night with his forehead glistening with sweat came to mind, and Jae Yi’s heart started pounding and beating.

“See. Your face is red like this. What’s fine, don’t do that and take an antipyretic in advance.”

Su Bin took out the cold medicine she had put in the drawer and placed it on Jae Yi’s desk.

“I’ll take it after washing my face first.”

Jae Yi got up from her seat.

“Yeah, hurry up and take it.”

“Thank you for your concern. Manager.”

Jae Yi got up from her seat and hurriedly left the meeting room. Then she stroked her chest.

“Whew, I keep thinking about it, it’s driving me crazy, really.”

Jae Yi covered her face and tapped it with her palms. Then she quickly headed to the women’s restroom.

* * *

Ga Yeon, who stopped by Cha Myung Group for a brief meeting schedule, spotted Han Jae Yi passing by next to the meeting room.

In front, Manager Im kept talking about the meeting, but Ga Yeon could no longer hear it. When Park Tae In, who called her this morning, came to mind, Ga Yeon’s eyebrows twitched.

“Ah, Manager Im. I think I have something urgent to take care of, so I need to go first.”

“Yes. Then, Team Leader Park. I’ll see you again next time.”

Ga Yeon smiled brightly and moved her steps to where Han Jae Yi had entered. Click, click. The sharp sound of high heels echoed in the lobby.

Ga Yeon entered the restroom.

Splash―

As if she didn’t notice Ga Yeon coming in, Jae Yi was washing her face at the sink. Ga Yeon looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Her eyes were filled with irritation as she looked at Jae Yi. Ga Yeon slowly walked and opened all the stall doors to double-check if there was anyone else in the restroom.

As Jae Yi was washing her face, the cold sensation covering her face finally made her feel like she was coming to her senses.

Phew. Now I’m coming to my senses.

As Jae Yi turned off the faucet, several sheets of paper towels were thrust in front of her.

“Wipe it.”

When the startled Jae Yi looked at Ga Yeon with a surprised face, she furrowed her brows.

“Why are you so surprised. Did you see a ghost?”

When Jae Yi showed no intention of wiping the moisture with the paper towels Ga Yeon gave her, she threw the towels she was holding at Jae Yi’s face.

“Hey. I told you to wipe it.”

“…”

“Why can’t you understand when someone tells you to wipe it. I told you before. Don’t pretend you can’t understand!”

Moisture dripped from Jae Yi’s face. She sighed, looking at Jae Yi who still had her lips tightly closed.

“You ruined Tae In’s life before, and now this kid is doing it again.”

“…”

“Why are you trying to ruin the life of a guy who’s doing well these days again! Sheesh. Like mother, like daughter. Your mother ruined my dad’s life, and now you’re trying to ruin Park Tae In’s life?”

Who, ruined it. Me?

It wasn’t something the person who made my childhood miserable should say.

Jae Yi clenched her fists tightly.

‘I like Han Jae Yi a lot.’

After hearing Manager’s confession today, I realized.

That I, too, can be loved by someone. That I am a precious existence.

That there’s no reason for me to be treated like this.

“I… never did that.”

“What?”

“Why, are you saying that I ruined your and Park Tae In’s lives?”

Although Jae Yi’s voice trembled quite a bit, it wasn’t a big obstacle in conveying it to Park Ga Yeon.

“What? ‘You’? Ha, you’ve gone crazy.”

She started laughing out loud. It was a face that looked as if Jae Yi’s behavior was ridiculous and absurd.

“Hey. Say more.”

“Rather, how will you take responsibility for ruining my… life?”

“Ha, what? Responsibility?”

Ga Yeon laughed venomously.

“You didn’t get hit by me all this time, so I guess your head has gone strange. You need to be punished a bit, Jae Yi.”