After all, the sound of a drum wouldn’t be constantly ringing in her ears if she were just a friend.

“Well, um…”
“Now, don’t worry, I won’t tease you anymore. Why are you so embarrassed about being seven years younger in today’s world?”

Surprisingly, she was so cool about it that Si Hyun was taken aback.

“Well, isn’t that a bit… he’s a kid I raised with my own hands.”
“You raised him, did you give birth to him?”

When Ju Eun said the exact same thing as So Yeon, Si Hyun felt a momentary chill.

“His mother, or rather, Tae Ha’s mother, might be applauding from heaven right now. She must have seen everything her son did to you.”

Still, Si Hyun didn’t feel at ease. Without realizing it, she found herself making excuses.

“You know, it’s true that Tae Ha likes me, but it’s not my fault that we got divorced. He was really the one to cheat….”
“Of course. Who is Kang Si Hyun?”

Before she could even finish her sentence, an answer flew back.

“No one you know would think that, so don’t worry.”

For some reason, she felt a lump in her throat and Si Hyun closed her mouth.

“After you left yesterday, we all clapped because everything turned out so well. What would have happened if that jerk hadn’t cheated?”

Ju Eun chattered on without stopping.

“Bring Tae Ha with you next time. Thanks to your good friends, we should enjoy the sight too. I think it’d be fun to just sit and look at his face all day.”

After hanging up, Si Hyun was lost in thought for a while.

She had thought that people would point fingers at her, and that the divorce would all be blamed on her. But the reactions she got were the exact opposite of what she had expected.

Maybe all along, I had been too scared of things that hadn’t even happened……

As she returned to her office lost in thought, she bumped into Tae Ha in the hallway. She quickly bowed her head to acknowledge him and tried to sidestep him, but it was already too late.

“Assistant Manager Kang Si Hyun, to my office for a moment.”

Tae Ha simply said that and turned his back, walking away with long strides.

If it was at home, that would be one thing, but at work, he was still a distant superior. She didn’t like it, but she had no choice, so Si Hyun followed Tae Ha.

As she stepped into Tae Ha’s office, Si Hyun, staring at the floor, asked.

“Why did you call me…..”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled into a hug.

“Were you mad?”

Si Hyun felt the heat spreading on her face. She had already been found out, but the kiss from last night kept replaying in her mind, and she could not say that they were nothing to each other.

Would it not be odd to hear the sound of drums constantly from someone you are not involved with?

“Um, about that…”
“I will stop teasing you now, so don’t worry and do well. What’s so embarrassing about being seven years younger in today’s world?”
Surprisingly, the words came out coolly, and Si Hyun was rather taken aback.

“Um, isn’t it a bit weird? I raised him with my own hands.”
“Did you raise him or did you give birth to him?”
Joo Eun’s words, exactly the same as Su Yeon’s, gave her goosebumps.

“Hey, wouldn’t Tae Ha’s birth mother also be applauding from heaven by now? She must have seen everything you’ve done for her son.”
Even so, Si Hyun was not at ease. Without realizing it, excuses slipped out.

“You know, it’s true that Tae Ha likes me, but the divorce wasn’t really because of me. It was really the other side…”
“Of course. Who is Kang Si Hyun after all.”
The response came even before she finished her sentence.

“Don’t worry, if you know, no one would think that way.”
For some reason, Si Hyun felt a lump in her throat and closed her mouth.

“After you left yesterday, we all applauded that it turned out well. What would have happened if that jerk didn’t cheat?”
Joo Eun continued to chatter incessantly.

“Next time, bring Tae Ha too. Thanks to having a good friend, let us feast our eyes too. It would be fun to just sit and look at his face all day.”
After hanging up the phone, Si Hyun was lost in thought for a while.

She thought that if others knew, they would point fingers, and the divorce would all be blamed on her. But the response she got was the complete opposite of what she expected.

Maybe all this time, I was too scared of something that didn’t happen…

Lost in thought, she unintentionally bumped into Tae Ha in the hallway on her way back to the office. She quickly tried to bow her head and pass by, but it was already too late.

“Kang Si Hyun, come to my office for a moment.”
Tae Ha said only that and turned his back as if to follow him, walking away briskly.

At home, it would be different, but at the company, he is still a distant superior. Although she didn’t want to, Si Hyun had no choice but to follow Tae Ha.

Even as she entered Tae Ha’s office, Si Hyun asked while looking down at the floor.

“Why did you call me…”
Even before she finished her sentence, she was suddenly hugged.

“Are you angry?”

Hugging Si Hyun tightly in his arms, Tae Ha asked cautiously. It was ironic that he, who had gotten angry just yesterday, was now anxiously considering Si Hyun’s feelings.

“I’m not angry. I’m not, so let go of me……”
Si Hyun, struggling to escape, was tightly embraced by Tae Ha with his entire body.

“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
“I told you, I’m not angry.”
“Then why don’t you look at my face all day long.”
The solid chest like a rock. The strong arm that she couldn’t even twitch. Feeling like her body temperature suddenly rose by 10 degrees, Si Hyun, being held, flailed her legs.

“Wait, I understand, so let go of me!”
“No.”
Holding Si Hyun tightly, Tae Ha stubbornly responded.

“You’ll run away if I let go.”
She was caught. Like a bird caught in a net, Si Hyun futilely flapped around in Tae Ha’s arms.

“I know you don’t see me as a man. Even though I knew, I got too angry yesterday and made a mistake.”
Tae Ha spoke quickly.

“You’re not going to say that we can’t, let’s stop, are you?”
Only then did Si Hyun understand why Tae Ha was so scared. She decided not to push him away, but was he afraid that she would call it off because of yesterday’s events?

She wanted to tell him that she had no such thoughts, but she couldn’t open her mouth because her face was burning first.

Tae Ha seemed to be very anxious as Si Hyun said nothing in the end.

“It’s okay to get angry, but say something, okay?”
He whispered, hugging her tighter, but he was out of breath. Boom, boom, boom, the sound from the heart was so loud that she was scared it might be heard by Tae Ha.

Suddenly, the phone on Tae Ha’s desk rang. Tae Ha, as if afraid she might run away, picked up the phone with one hand while holding Si Hyun tightly with the other.

“The director. The representative is urgently looking for you.”
The secretary’s voice reached Si Hyun’s ears through the receiver.

“I’ll go up soon, let him know.”
Taking advantage of the moment when his arm slackened while responding, Si Hyun quickly escaped from his arms. Leaving Tae Ha behind with a surprised expression, she fled the office as fast as she could.

((()))

Because Si Hyun didn’t even look at his face all day, Tae Ha didn’t know what to do.

“When was the last time you saw your son?”
Soo Yeon gave a bitter smile.

“I sent him to America just a month after he was born, and since then, I’ve never seen him.”

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