EOFD 41🔐

chapter 41

The old man was hiding a snake inside.

Jeong-ha listened quietly to the mayor’s demands, the corners of his lips curling upward. But his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“The budget—well, we set a provisional one last time, but our relationship with Director Woo and Ye-dun City doesn’t end here, does it? I was thinking maybe we could shave a little off the unit expenses.”

The intention behind his words was all too obvious. What he meant was that he wanted to skim some off the budget and stuff it into his own pocket.

“And about the materials too. I know a good place.”

“You want to meddle with the subcontractors as well?”

“Meddle? There’s nothing so serious as meddling. I’m just saying we should discuss it properly among ourselves and pick a good place to use.”

Jeong-ha’s gaze fell downward. The stack of provisional budget documents, already a source of trouble once, lay in front of them.

Dirty money had already been eaten up since the brawling for contracts began. Like the saying goes—greedy even when their bellies are full. This was exactly that.

“Well. It’s an interesting proposal.”

Jeong-ha’s face remained calm. Leaning back into the fine leather sofa, he let out a pleasant-sounding chuckle.

“I usually don’t consider things that make me take a loss.”

“A loss? What loss would Director Woo ever take?”

“A man like you, who knows perfectly well how construction companies live and eat, talks like this? There’s only one reason. Either you think Se-un is a joke…”

“Now, Director Woo—”

“…or you think I am.”

A short laugh filled the study. The mayor’s wrinkled lips pressed shut. Quietly, Jeong-ha snapped his fingers.

Truthfully, he had expected such a demand from the very beginning. As the mayor said, this wasn’t the first time Se-un Construction and Ye-dun City had worked together.

But what kept gnawing at his nerves was something else entirely. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window of the study sat a woman surrounded by flowers.

Seo Yeon-woo, dressed in a white-collared blouse, nodding awkwardly and smiling politely while trying clumsily to keep pace with the tastes of a lady she barely knew.

During this time, their schedule in Ye-dun City hadn’t been as hard to manage as expected. Most of the work was done at City Hall, and the rest involved meetings with field staff sent down from Se-un Construction.

Yeon-woo didn’t need to be sitting stiff-backed in every room where things were decided. Her work was mostly schedule management and document organization.

And strangely enough, Woo Jeong-ha seemed stable. If things continued like this, nobody would suspect there was anything wrong with him.

It was almost peaceful. Except for one thing.

“……”

The eyes. Their gazes kept meeting.

Yeon-woo began to notice it about a week after they’d arrived in Ye-dun.

There weren’t any schedules on the weekend here either, so she would often stroll idly around the yard. And almost always, when she felt a familiar gaze and turned back—there he was, Woo Jeong-ha.

“Going somewhere?”

“Not really.”

“Shall I grab us some coffee?”

“Let’s go together.”

Today was a rare day in the middle of the rainy season when no rain was falling, so it was nice enough for a walk.

At his words, Yeon-woo gave a small nod, and the two walked down the sloped road side by side.

The dread she had felt before coming to Gojung-eup had faded considerably.

As Director Won had said, almost everyone who might have recognized her had either left town or passed their family businesses down to their children.

“Do you like coffee?”

“…I used to drink instant mix coffee more often. What about you, Director?”

“Not particularly. I guess I just drank it every day without reason.”

I see.

Yeon-woo was slowly learning details about him she’d never known before.

For instance, Woo Jeong-ha didn’t really like fish. Maybe it was because he’d always lived in Seoul, but he especially couldn’t stand the fishy taste. And every morning he would drink coffee—always a straight Americano, which Yeon-woo herself could never stand because of the bitterness, but which he downed like water.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really thought it was tasty.”

She nodded in mild agreement at his words.

“…!”

At that moment, her foot caught on a stone at the bottom of the slope, and she lost her balance. Her ankle twisted and she nearly pitched forward.

But a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind, stopping her fall.

Her eyes went wide. For a split second she’d almost gone completely sprawling. Her heart thudded wildly against her ribs.

“Careful, will you.”

“…Thank you.”

Her pale neck flushed red. She wasn’t a child, and yet she’d been dangling helplessly from his arm—that thought was more than a little embarrassing.

Face burning, she began walking again.

Beside her, Jeong-ha said nothing, just stayed at her side, catching the scent of her hair, the faint sweetness that lingered in the air.

The white-collared blouse.
The long hair.
Images that kept circling in his mind, leaving afterimages. And that faintly sweet scent…

They stopped in front of the only teahouse within walking distance down the alley.

“By the way… have we met somewhere before?”

“…What?”

“Seo Yeon-woo, did you know me? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Rumble.

Even before his words had fully left his mouth, thunder rolled low over her head. Dark clouds were pushing in from a distance, as though the rain would soon pour again.

She had to answer properly. To say no, we’ve never met, this is our first time.

But instead, it felt like she’d been struck hard in the chest. Her face went white, lips locked tight.

And only much later did she finally manage to whisper faintly, “No.”

What does he remember—and how much?

Yeon-woo couldn’t even recall whether she had ordered coffee or grain punch. She had forced a smile, ordered something at random, and left it untouched.

By the time she returned home, the ice in her cup had long since melted.

Of course, Jeong-ha had noticed. But he said nothing.

“Looks like it’ll rain.”

The sky was growing darker, and so the two of them hurried home. Luckily, the silence on the way back was a blessing.

Once inside, Yeon-woo forced a smile, told him to rest, and then rushed to her room. She leaned back against the closed door and slid down to the floor.

Should I… tell Director Won?

If anything changes, call me immediately.

Her hand trembled slightly as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Director Won’s number glowed on the screen. She hovered over the call button again and again, hesitating.

After agonizing intensely—

…Maybe he really doesn’t remember me at all.

She chose instead to believe what she wanted to believe. Better not to stir up trouble over a needless worry.

If she reported this and Jeong-ha’s personal doctor were summoned all the way to Gojung-eup…

Then Jeong-ha would truly start to suspect her. He might even remember that there had been something between them, something deeply entangled in the past.

Yeon-woo’s frightened eyes stared at the floor. She squeezed them shut, then opened them again.