Towards Seung-Jae, who was full of talent but not a particularly practical one, Na-Yool sometimes was impressed. However, working with him most of the time gave her the feeling of shoving down a sweet potato with no water. So to say, he was frustrating, even until recently. The one thing that has changed is that to some extent she had grown attached to his playboy smile.
“If I quit, I want to do it after receiving your recognition.”
“……”
“Don’t look at me this way. After all, I am still struggling to be acknowledged by you.”
“…I do.”
“Liar…”
“I acknowledge you.”
“Still, sometimes, when you would smile at me and praise me…”
“……”
“Even if the President hammered me with critics, I felt good for the whole day.”
Upon Si-Jin being abruptly mentioned, Na-Yool’s heart felt even more complicated. She could vehemently deny, but Seung-Jae’s feelings were true. And that, both Si-Jin and their coworkers already knew.
“Later, I could not remember why I felt like this for you.”
“…Didn’t you say I was pretty.”
“Ms. Na-Yool, I like you so much that such a thing does not matter anymore.”
“Seung-Jae, I’m sorry, but I am…”
“I know I am making things awkward. I held it in until now because I feared that. I am not asking you to accept me right now, only—”
“—I can’t. Not now, and not later.”
“……”
“I’m sorry, Seung-Jae. I don’t see you as a man.”
No matter how pure his eyes were, no matter how much remorse they aroused in her heart, no matter how much he wanted to be recognized, to put it coldly, it had nothing to do with Na-Yool. No one had the right to force their love on her, and she had no obligation to answer to their feelings.
In other words, the latent irritation Na-Yool felt towards the colleagues who knew Seung-Jae’s heart and tried to get them together, did not suddenly subside. After knowing that Seung-Jae was sincere, she became even more annoyed with them.
But as for Seung-Jae…
“Don’t cry.”
“I am not crying.”
Aside from being pissed at her colleagues, Seung-Jae’s current look triggered some guilt in Na-Yool’s heart.
“You look like you’re about to.” She said gloomily.
“Maybe it’s because you are too cold-blooded.”
Seung-Jae flatly pointed out her coldness. Na-Yool felt as though she had been told something usually directed at Si-Jin. Like some contagious disease, did she catch his iciness by being by his side?
However, Na-Yool quickly self-admitted that this was her true self. Maybe that she was inexplicably attracted to Si-Jin stemmed from the fact that they were similar in that aspect.
“…I like you. In a slightly different way than you like me.”
“I know that.”
“So I want to have a good relationship with you. Whether as a colleague or as a close senior. Except for that one thing you want me to be.”
“……”
“Like we have been until now.”
“Alright.”
“You understand, right?”
“If the mentor asks, then I must oblige.”
“Is this the moment to be funny…”
“I know. I won’t make it awkward for you, Ms. Na-Yool.”
“Not me, but also you. Don’t make it hard on yourself, Seung-Jae.”
Seung-Jae was silent for a while, covering his face. Then, suddenly, he asked with a sigh.
“…Where is your friend’s house? Let’s just take a taxi.”
“Why, all of a sudden.”
“I am not in the mood to take the subway.”
Seung-Jae’s tone was still monotone. So calm, that the listener felt a bit hopeless. Na-Yool pursed her lips a few times as if carefully choosing his words, and let them slip out with resignation.
“Actually, I’m dating someone.”
“…What?”
The tone which did not fluctuate at all through the rejection, suddenly rose in tone. Seung-Jae’s expression of genuine surprise, rather than hurt, made Na-Yool realize how an outsider might deduce that she had no men in her life.
“We just started. After confirming each other’s feelings.”
“……”
“So if you take me home, I don’t think it would be polite to you or to that person.”
“……”
“Alright, I’m going. Be careful on your way too.”
Na-Yool left Seung-Jae’s flabbergasted face behind her and headed toward the station. While looking down one step later at her cellphone, showing missed calls from Si-Jin.
Chapter 35 – Monday evening 11:29 p.m.
“You are back?”
Si-Jin, who had left several calls on Na-Yool’s phone as though he was anxiously waiting for her at home, actually only left work nearly 30 minutes after Na-Yool first reached his house. As soon as Si-Jin’s somewhat weary face met with hers coming out to greet him, something felt a bit wrong.
Unlike him, Na-Yool, already done with her shower and completely sober, had a refreshed look. In other words, she looked nothing like someone who had spent her whole evening drinking. Not to mention her smile, and the hand reaching out affectionately towards Si-Jin…
“What trick are you playing now?”
“…What do you mean, ‘trick’…”
“Seducing me right when I’m back.”
Si-Jin gave her a strongly suspicious “Do you think I’ll fall for it?” look, and removed her hand from his face. Na-Yool’s expression fell to dismay at his gesture.
As she turned her head away with pouted lips, Si-Jin’s hand, which moved from her hand to her face, turned it back towards him and kissed her briefly.
“—But first, let’s give you what you were going for.”
“I was not aiming for that.”
“Then what?”
Si-Jin’s question went back to square one. He did not need to know about what happened today, but in any case, it was impossible for him not to know. If he was aware of Seung-Jae’s sincerity – to the extent of looking at Na-Yool’s relationship with him with no rose-colored glasses like her coworkers, but the scrutinizing eyes of a distrustful boyfriend – there is no way that he would not know.
Whichever way the atmosphere between Seung-Jae and her changes too.
Such being the case, it was better to bring it up first rather than be found out. Although she made her mind up, Na-Yool still carefully considered her wording as she followed Si-Jin’s steady steps toward the dressing room. What was the most natural way to lay the groundwork? And what should be her next step to not have to hear him scorn her for ignoring his previous warning?…
“Is that something you can’t say?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Lee Seung-Jae?”
“……”
“Seeing your clumsy attempt to make me happy immediately right when I arrived, it means something happened to make me upset.”
“……”
“And this punk is the only thing left by your side to make me feel so.”
“Mr. President, why are you always so harsh with him?”
The sudden thought of Seung-Jae’s depressed face caused Na-Yool to object. She sometimes doubted whether Si-Jin hated Seung-Jae or was simply jealous, but all was clear now. It was cute and silly, how this man does not even want to hide it…
“Make your senior/junior relationship clear. That bastard always annoys me first.”
…This openly bad-tempered jealousy of his. Indeed, quite cute. Just as something probably his eyes filtered, her eyes must filter too.
However, setting the cuteness aside, Na-Yool was swaddled in a sort of sense of duty to defend Seung-Jae.
“Seung-Jae is always eager to look good in front of you, Mr. President.”
“People look good only when they do their job well. That well-mannered bastard is always goofing around, smiling every day, being nice to people–”
“Those are good qualities.”
“–Being good at cooking meat is a better one.”
Go figure how manners, social skills and meat could be put on an equal footing! Si-Jin took off his jacket and hung it in the steam closet, glancing at her dumbfounded look.
The wide back wrapped in a shirt dazzled her eyes as usual, but it was not the time to lose her soul to this eye-candy.
“Anyway, I hope you will look kindly on Seung-Jae from now on.”
“I don’t even look kindly on you sometimes.”
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