“You must be tired. The location is not decided yet. I need to think about it now.”
Ji Hoon responded calmly to the question he had asked without much expectation.

The elevator they had been waiting for arrived, and Ji Hoon and Ha Joon stepped in.

Both of them pressed the button for their desired floors.

“Take this.”

Seizing the opportunity of an empty elevator, Ha Joon unexpectedly handed over a card.

“Why the card? It’s okay. Our team’s dinner card has a lot of balance left.”
Hyun Seong Group had separate dinner cards for each team, and within a certain limit, they could be used freely.

Having checked the balance after the dinner was decided, Ji Hoon gently pushed away Ha Joon’s hand, telling him not to worry.

“Because it’s the first welcome party…”
His words, shy and unfinished, crumbled at the tip of his lips.

Having never experienced corporate life before, the welcome party that night must have held a special meaning for her.

The first welcome party and dinner that would long remain in her memory.

Ha Joon decided to put aside the question he wanted to ask her and resolved to do what he could for her.

“Use the dinner card next time, go somewhere nice today. Somewhere with a good atmosphere and delicious food. Su Ah likes beef.”
He subtly decided on the menu and added a word.

“Don’t let Su Ah drink too much. She shouldn’t drink a lot.”
“Why? Why shouldn’t she drink a lot?”
Memories of Su Ah being drunk in the past quickly flashed through Ji Hoon’s mind in response to his question.

Excessive affection, unrestricted physical contact, and even an unexpected confession.

How could he possibly explain that?

“There’s a reason. Just don’t let her drink too much.”
Dingdong. Right on cue, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

“I trust you.”
Ha Joon pushed Ji Hoon out of the elevator, reminding him not to forget his advice.

“Kid. What on earth are you doing?”
Ji Hoon muttered, staring at the closing elevator doors.

Then, thinking of something amusing, Ji Hoon’s lips stretched into a wide grin.

It was a time when there wasn’t much left until the end of the workday.

Su Ah picked up her cell phone and composed a message.

[Ha Joon. Our team is having a dinner tonight, so I think I’ll be leaving work late. I thought I should tell you in advance.] Since she spent most of her time after work with Ha Joon, the message meant that he shouldn’t wait for her that day.

Not long after she sent the message, a quick response arrived.

[Yes, Ji Hoon told me. Call me when the dinner ends. I’ll come pick you up.] Oh, he’s coming to pick me up again.

Biting her lip to hold back a smile, Su Ah sent another message.

[No, don’t. I don’t even know when it’ll end, so don’t wait and just go home and rest.] She doesn’t know when it’ll end?

How long was she planning to enjoy herself that she didn’t know when it would end?

While he wished that she could enjoy herself fully at her first welcome party, the thought of it happening for real made him feel uneasy.

[I can’t rest comfortably when Su Ah is out. If you want me to worry all night without sleep, you don’t have to call me.] Wow, am I being threatened right now?

Su Ah grumbled as she glanced at Ha Joon’s message, but she wasn’t upset.

The fact that there was someone worrying about her safety until she got home.

It somehow felt like being protected.

It was a pleasant threat.

[Then I’ll contact you when I get home, so don’t come to pick me up. It’s a burden and I won’t be able to fully enjoy myself.] [Understood. Have a good time then.] Understood. Did she know that the word ‘for now’ was hidden in front of it?

For now, understood.

“Whether I’ll listen to that or not is up to me.”
Ha Joon chuckled to himself.

A beef restaurant near the office.

The marketing team members entered the store and were guided to the room they had reserved.

“Wow, this is my first time at a beef restaurant like this.”
The staff began to look around with wide eyes as they entered the store.

“Team leader, is it really okay for us to eat at a place like this? There isn’t much money on the dining card, is there?”
At the staff’s concern, Ji Hoon stopped and lifted the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t worry about the dining card, because I’m paying for the first round today to celebrate the return.”
“Team leader, it’s not too late. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“I’m not so broke that I can’t afford this much. Everyone stop worrying and let’s go in.”
With a group of worried staff behind him, Ji Hoon took the first step, and a few staff members followed with a resigned mindset.

Wasn’t it said that humans are creatures of adaptation?

As if they had never worried, the dining atmosphere quickly turned warm and friendly.

“Su Ah, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
They expressed their greetings by clinking their glasses together.

“The side dishes are expensive beef, but the drink must be soju!”
“Su Ah, let me pour you a drink.”
Min Joon held out a bottle of soju to Su Ah.

“Yes, thank you.”
Su Ah watched her glass being filled with alcohol and wore a blissful expression.

Wow… look at this radiant figure.

Just when she was admiring the transparent liquid, a click sound passed by in an instant.

But since it was a noisy place, the sound of a camera coming from somewhere went unrecognized and scattered into thin air.

At that moment, in the vice president’s office.

Ding Dong. The sound indicating that a message had arrived on Ha Joon’s cell phone could be heard.

The moment he picked up his cell phone and pressed the check button.

Ha Joon’s face began to harden.

It was because the screen was filled with the image of Su Ah, joyfully laughing as she received alcohol from a male colleague at the dining table.

The one who sent the photo was Ji Hoon.

[Ha Joon, we’re having so much fun. We’re having such a good time with your card. Thanks, Ha Joon.] It was clear that he sent it to provoke him.

Ha Joon spread his thumb and index finger to enlarge the sent photo.

It was to confirm the face of the male employee sitting with Su Ah.

Before he could verify it, the second photo arrived.

The image of Su Ah, arm in arm with another man.

In reality, this arminarm was something they all did together as a show of solidarity.

How he managed to cut and shoot it in such a way.

It was the moment Ji Hoon’s plan was revealed.

Ding Dong. And the last photo that followed.

Upon checking the last photo, Ha Joon abruptly stood up, hastily grabbed his jacket, and left the vice president’s office.

On his mobile phone, a clear picture of Assistant Manager Kim Min Joon, covering Su Ah’s knees with his suit jacket, was captured. Su Ah was wearing a skirt.

lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)

Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me

One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.

Synopsis:

Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.

But this is still far from enough.

He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.

_____

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