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Chapter 10
“Please, go ahead.”
At Yeon-ha’s words, Do-hyun carefully placed the work order sheet on the table.
Looking over the sheet, Yeon-ha gave him a puzzled glance.
“This is the style I submitted a few days ago… Why are you bringing it back?”
“I double-checked before submitting it for approval, and I found an error in the materials list.”
“The materials?”
Only then, as she quickly scanned the entry fields, Yeon-ha’s face turned pale.
The design change had reduced the button requirement from five to four, but she had failed to correct it before submitting the order sheet.
Since it was a planned style to be mass-produced in quantities of over ten thousand, if the order had gone through as-is, it could have caused a huge loss.
“Has the order already been placed?”
“I checked with the production department. The order was placed, but the factory hasn’t started yet. I urgently called them and requested a correction.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. I just confirmed it on my way here.”
“Ha…”
A sigh of relief escaped Yeon-ha’s lips. The color slowly returned to her once pale face.
“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Do-hyun, this would have been a disaster.”
That day had been hectic from the morning.
Because the weather suddenly warmed, the president had ordered the shipping date to be moved up, and in the rush to make design revisions, she hadn’t had time to check thoroughly.
Although she was usually known for being meticulous, on that day a mistake had slipped through.
“Then please buy me a drink tonight.”
“Sorry?”
“You just said thank you.”
Well, that was true, but…
Yeon-ha bit her lower lip. She had promised herself to keep her distance from him, so it didn’t feel right to agree easily. But it also felt rude to coldly reject someone who had helped her.
After a moment of hesitation, she carefully replied.
“A drink might be a bit much. How about a meal instead?”
She wanted to express her gratitude, but she didn’t want to give him room to get closer.
So, she chose the safest, most neutral option.
“Why? You don’t want to drink with me?”
“It’s not that… I’m just a bit tired today.”
Since she wasn’t good at lying, she brushed her hair back and averted her gaze, pretending casually, afraid he might notice.
“Then can I at least choose the place?”
As he backed off but insisted on picking the location, Yeon-ha couldn’t bring herself to refuse and nodded.
At that moment, she wasn’t worried at all.
After all, it was just dinner.
When she arrived at the appointed place, Yeon-ha was briefly taken aback by the atmosphere.
The restaurant he had chosen specialized in seafood stew. While meals were served, the place was also clearly a drinking spot.
“They say the seafood stew here is famous.”
“How did you find this place?”
Seeing liquor bottles on every round table, Yeon-ha asked.
“Manager Yoon recommended it.”
Do-hyun set chopsticks and a water glass in front of her as he spoke, his expression completely straightforward.
Thinking he might have intentionally chosen a place that served alcohol, Yeon-ha quickly dismissed her suspicion.
They placed their order and waited for the food. She could feel his gaze, but pretended not to notice and looked around the restaurant.
“Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
Whether he had noticed her avoiding his eyes, or simply disliked that she was looking elsewhere, he called her.
“Are you uncomfortable being alone with me?”
His question hit the mark, and she instinctively replied.
“No.”
But despite her answer, his eyes deepened as though he could see right through her.
Yeon-ha bit the inside of her cheek. It wasn’t discomfort she felt — it was trouble.
Since breaking up with the man she had once promised to marry, she hadn’t shown interest in any man for the past three years.
Yet with Nam Do-hyun, things were strangely different.
As if tuned to the same frequency, her body reacted to his presence.
Wherever he was, she noticed him first. Among all voices, his was the one she heard most clearly.
And when he laughed, her heart would pound.
Having always been passive in relationships, she found this sudden change both unfamiliar and unsettling.
More than anything, what scared her was how impulsive she became when she was with him.
For her, love had always been about emotional connection, not physical intimacy.
Even her ex-fiancé and other men she had dated had wanted to spend the night, but to her, sex had always felt like nothing more than an uncomfortable “exercise.”
Naturally, she avoided it, and no relationship had ever lasted beyond a year.
Still, she had never felt dissatisfied with herself.
At least, not until Nam Do-hyun appeared.
Finally, when the seafood stew arrived, the awkward mood lifted a little. Looking at the mountain of shellfish and octopus, Do-hyun stared as if wondering how to even begin.
He must have found it unfamiliar after living abroad for so long.
Smiling, Yeon-ha picked up scissors and tongs, cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, and neatly served shrimp, abalone, and crab onto his plate.
“You look like a master I’ve only seen on TV.”
“Everyone does it this way.”
Her deft hands impressed him, and his gaze lingered with admiration.
Yeon-ha gave a faint smile as if it was nothing special.
“Thank you for the food.”
“Isn’t the work at our company tough?”
Watching him dig into the crab meat, she placed octopus and shrimp onto her own plate and asked.
“It’s not much different from my previous company, so I’m fine.”
“I heard your last job was at Scannan Siéodó. Is that true?”
“Yes. But how did you know?”
His eyes lit up with interest, pleased she knew about him.
“There are lots of rumors going around the company.”
She didn’t mention she had heard it from Jin-young in the design room.
“Then… may I ask, why did you quit such a good company to join ours?”
For the first time, the ever-present smile on his face stiffened.
It had been just a casual question, but the air suddenly grew heavy.
“If it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer.”
After a brief silence, he took a sip of water and spoke carefully.
“There’s someone I want to find.”
His unexpected answer left her speechless.
From his low, serious voice and the depth in his eyes, she could tell this was no trivial matter.
Meeting his gaze cautiously, she finally spoke, a beat late.
“I don’t know who it is… but I hope you find them.”
“You’re not curious who it is?”
“Somehow… it feels like you don’t want to say.”
Her considerate reply softened his eyes into a quiet smile.
The kind of smile that could melt glaciers. Feeling the heat rise to her ears, Yeon-ha lowered her gaze.
RRRRR. RRRRR. RRRRR.
Just then, his phone rang.
As he looked at the caller ID, his expression grew serious.
“Would you mind if I step out to take this?”
Yeon-ha nodded, and he left the restaurant with his phone.
While he was gone, she tidied the messy table and waited.
Soon, she heard the door open.
Glancing up absentmindedly, she froze.
It was the last person she wanted to see. Quickly, she turned her head the other way.
Step. Step. Step.
The footsteps came closer, and she prayed silently.
Please just walk past. Please don’t notice me.
But once again, luck was not on her side.
The footsteps stopped right in front of her.
“Well, well, look who it is.”
At the mocking voice, she reluctantly lifted her head.
Her ex-boyfriend, Son Kyung-jin, stood there with a brazen face. Behind him, a group of what seemed to be colleagues were waiting — likely a company dinner.
The man who had once sworn he’d never wear a suit now stood before her in a perfectly tailored one.
It made him look sharper than before, but the look in his eyes was still as murky and rotten as ever — like the cloudy eyes of a dead fish.
“It’s been a while, Seo Yeon-ha.”
