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chapter 16
Once again, Dohyun politely pressed the open button and waited so that she could step out first.
Yeonha strode out of the elevator without waiting for him and walked straight toward her apartment.
But soon enough, he matched her pace and came to stand beside her, speaking casually as if in passing.
“Have you thought about it?”
“What?”
“Friends with benefits.”
Gasp.
Yeonha, who had asked absentmindedly, inhaled sharply and darted her eyes around in shock. Thankfully, the hallway was empty.
She immediately turned and glared at him.
FWB literally meant “friends with benefits,” but nowadays it referred to a purely physical relationship.
“Are you doing this on purpose just to make things difficult for me?”
“Of course not. I just thought you might have forgotten my proposal, so I was reminding you.”
His expression was so calm that Yeonha couldn’t bring herself to argue further.
“There’s no need to remind me. I remember it well enough.”
Even in the middle of preparing for evaluations, his offer kept lingering in her head.
If she only looked at the conditions, there was no reason to hesitate.
Model-like physique, warm looks, a kind personality, and… even the so-called “bedroom compatibility” was flawless.
Only two things held her back.
First was age. She had never been able to see younger men as “men.” And yet, strangely, Nam Dohyun never felt young to her—whether before she knew his age or after—perhaps because of his steady, mature personality.
The second problem was that Nam Dohyun was a coworker. After her ordeal with Son Kyungjin, office romance had become a trauma. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistake, nor did she want to risk her career.
So the normal response should have been rejection.
And yet, the words of refusal never made it out of her mouth.
“Then that’s fine.”
“What’s fine?”
“The fact that it’s taking you time means you’re thinking about me. It means you’re seriously considering my offer. I won’t push you anymore. But… please don’t avoid me at work.”
“I’ve never avoided you.”
Startled, she denied it outright, but it was obvious she had already been caught.
He looked at her with unreadable eyes before speaking quietly.
“Then let’s have lunch tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Manager Jung said there’s a new pasta place near the office that’s pretty good. Let’s go together.”
Her pupils trembled slightly at the unexpected invitation.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why? Don’t you like pasta?”
“It’s not that. I just don’t want to become the subject of office gossip. I’d rather just keep a low profile at work.”
It might sound overly sensitive to make such a fuss over a simple meal, but in the office even the smallest things became rumors.
And especially if it was with him, it would be worse.
She firmly drew the line and quickened her steps.
But he quickly caught up, grinning as he said,
“Then you’re not saying you dislike me, right?”
“That doesn’t mean I like you either.”
She instinctively raised her guard against his sharp remark.
“Okay. I get what you mean.”
As she built her wall, he nodded as though he understood.
Yeonha wanted to ask what exactly he thought he had understood, but it felt like that would only put her at a disadvantage, so she kept quiet.
As they continued walking in silence, he suddenly spoke again.
“I’m planning a housewarming this weekend. When would be a good time?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because it’s my first time hosting one in Korea, I don’t know what time is best.”
His tone carried no pretense.
Feeling a little guilty for being so defensive, Yeonha answered calmly.
“Usually people do it Friday evening or Saturday during the day.”
“What about the food?”
He took out his phone like a diligent student, ready to take notes.
“It depends on the household. There’s no fixed menu.”
“Then what food did you like best when you went to housewarmings?”
“Well… I eat just about anything.”
“Still, just pick your top three.”
His eager eyes sparkled, and in the end Yeonha relented.
“Braised short ribs, japchae, and radish wraps? Those were usually well received.”
“Okay, got it.”
“But those all take a lot of work. Just make whatever’s easiest for you.”
“I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
Before long, they arrived at her place.
Yeonha was about to say goodbye and go in when he stopped her again.
“Do you have plans this weekend?”
“I was just going to rest at home.”
“Then I’ll see you Saturday at six.”
“What? Why?”
“For the housewarming.”
“This suddenly?”
“I’ll prepare the food accordingly, so you have to come.”
Without even waiting for her reply, he tossed out the words and strode into the apartment next door—leaving her no room to refuse.
Left alone in the empty hallway, Yeonha stood frozen, dazed as though bewitched.
At the office.
Department Head Jung Sungtae flung open the office door.
His eyes went straight to the empty desk of Manager Yoon Ilyeong, and his voice rose sharply.
“What the hell! Manager Yoon isn’t here yet?”
“One moment… I just got a call. Apparently, he was in a fender bender on the way here.”
A female staffer who had taken the call answered cautiously, lowering her voice as if afraid the anger might spill over onto her.
“What? An accident? How?”
“It seems a car rear-ended him while he was stopped at a light.”
“Is he badly hurt?”
“They said he strained his back and neck… He’s on the way to the hospital now.”
“Of all days… today, of all days.”
Jung Sungtae bit his lip in frustration.
He wanted to curse, but you couldn’t yell at someone who had just been injured.
Instead, he roughly ran a hand through his hair.
In just fifteen minutes, Manager Yoon was supposed to present the project at the executive meeting. The situation was dire.
From the start, he had felt uneasy—his bad dreams that morning had been a warning.
As he tugged at his tie to ease the tightness in his chest, his eyes caught sight of Nam Dohyun at the edge of his vision.
Jung Sungtae’s eyes lit up.
“Nam Dohyun!”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re presenting in Manager Yoon’s place today.”
“Me?”
“You wrote the report yourself, so you know it inside out, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“No time to hesitate. Come with me.”
His tone left no room for refusal. Jung Sungtae turned on his heel and strode out of the office.
For a moment, Nam Dohyun stood there blankly, then let out a deep breath and followed.
Executive Conference Room.
“…On a consolidated basis, last year’s revenue was 1.9007 trillion won, down 3.5% year-on-year, and operating profit came in at 62.2 billion won, down 66.4%.”
When Jung Sungtae finished his report, the deep furrow in Chairman Kwon Jinman’s brow grew sharper.
In that instant, the atmosphere in the room turned as cold as an Arctic front.
“Director Jung, what do you think is the reason operating profit dropped by 66.4%?”
The chairman’s low, icy voice caught in Jung’s throat.
“Well… the prolonged recession and rising prices weakened consumer confidence, and…”
But the chairman’s frosty gaze pierced straight through him.
Flustered, Jung stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Who asked you for such an obvious excuse?”
At those words, the tension in the room grew even heavier.
“I apologize.”
“If you were really sorry, you would have prevented this outcome in the first place. Didn’t you account for such variables in the planning stage?”
His voice wasn’t raised, yet each word cut like a knife.
“N-next year, I will definitely raise the numbers.”
“Tch. All talk, no results.”
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Chairman Kwon cast a displeased glare at his son-in-law, Vice President Cho Seokjin, seated nearby.
Seeing his incompetent son-in-law unable to present a concrete solution at critical moments, the chairman’s frustration only deepened.
With a sharp turn of his head, he looked away, unwilling to waste another glance.
Just then, his gaze landed on the employee who had presented earlier.
“You’re Nam Dohyun, right?”
Tall, well-built, with sharp features—an impression that could easily rival that of an actor.
He was the same man the HR director had praised endlessly not long ago as a remarkable new talent.
