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chapter 46
For the first time, Yeonwoo overslept. Seeing the clock well past nine in the morning, she let out a low groan.
Her whole body felt sticky, as if she had taken a shower in sweat. And her head was still foggy, of course.
But there was still work to do today.
“…Hah.”
Which secretary would say, “I’m not feeling well, Director, you go on alone”? No matter how much she wanted to stay in bed, she had to get up.
Just as Yeonwoo stepped out of her room intending to at least wash up, she noticed something dangling from the door handle outside.
“…?”
It was a white envelope. When Yeonwoo turned it over, she found more than five different kinds of medicine inside: fever reducers, cold medicine, throat lozenges, and various vitamins.
Her housekeeper wouldn’t have hung it there.
“No way.”
Yeonwoo glanced at Jeongha’s firmly closed door. At that moment, a memory flashed through her mind—back when they first met.
A boy with a gruff expression, who had bought medicine and bandages for her when she injured her foot at the beach.
As expected, it wasn’t the housekeeper. She had guessed as much. The only person left was Woo Jeongha. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
So he really had prepared the medicine.
Quietly making her way up to the second floor, Yeonwoo hesitated before knocking on the door. As if waiting for her, Jeongha appeared inside, looking down at her with his usual indifferent expression.
Dressed casually, he still carried the scent of body wash, suggesting he had just showered.
“Director.”
Yeonwoo’s voice shrank instinctively in front of him, as though he were silently saying, Speak if you must.
“…Thank you for buying the medicine.”
Her neck suddenly warmed, and she bowed her head slightly. Jeongha, staring at her with dry eyes, took a step closer. Then, he raised his hand and lightly touched Yeonwoo’s forehead.
“…!”
Startled by the sudden contact, Yeonwoo’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s. The lingering heat in her body made her flushed cheeks look even smaller, more vulnerable.
A low, rich voice whispered into her ear.
“If you’re grateful…”
“…?”
“Are you going to repay me?”
When she lifted her head, their gazes locked. Yeonwoo felt as if she were being pulled into the depth of his black eyes.
His hand, still on her forehead, drifted toward her ear. It brushed her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Every careful, gentle movement of his hand sent shivers of ticklish sensation through her.
“…I-I will.”
Blinking in confusion, Yeonwoo shrank under his touch that grazed her neck. She had only offered a simple thank you for the medicine—how had it come to this? Was this what people meant by “opening your eyes and being cut by a knife”?
Jeongha’s gaze flicked from her pale, white neck to her still-flushed face.
“You still have a fever.”
“…!”
“They say it goes away quickly if you transfer it. Shall we test it?”
He chuckled softly. His mood swung like a rollercoaster whenever he saw a woman.
The simple innocence of a girl who flushed red from a single act of kindness—knocking on his door without knowing what might happen—was thrilling. And she had such an expressive face, easy to tease.
A faint dimple appeared on Jeongha’s face as he drew closer, almost as if hypnotized by her.
In the narrow corridor, he extended his arm and pressed against the wall behind Yeonwoo, blocking her escape.
So close she could hear the roll of her own eyes. She realized it was too late to move, and her gaze wandered, unsure where to focus.
“…Th-”
The scent drifting from Jeongha’s lips grew stronger, teasing her nose. If she spoke, she would be devoured. Every nerve in her body screamed the warning: You’re caught.
She shouldn’t let this happen.
But her fevered mind had lost rational thought. Her gaze met Jeongha’s lips as he traced a line with his tongue, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
They were going to touch. The alarm blared in her ears—but what actually touched her lips wasn’t his lips.
“Just kidding. Closing your eyes like that—is that a signal to misinterpret?”
Feeling a stinging pain on her cheek, she opened one eye to see Jeongha gently holding her cheek with his fingers. His eyes glimmered with a soft smile as he looked at her tenderly.
“That’s not it.”
“I don’t have a hobby of touching people who are in pain, unfortunately.”
A pang of realization struck her. Relief mixed with guilt and shame—how could she have almost fallen for him? Even though she had met Chae Eunyoung just yesterday…
Feeling exposed and vulnerable, Yeonwoo lowered her gaze.
“Today’s schedule is—”
Escaping this teasing came first. Clenching her fists behind her back, Yeonwoo began to brief him on her plans. Jeongha shot her a disdainful glance.
“I’ll handle today’s schedule, so rest.”
“Huh?”
“It’s long, and I hate hearing whining.”
Caught off guard by his sharp words, Yeonwoo couldn’t respond. Her weakened state was entirely her own fault.
Seeing her face darken as if she’d been struck, Jeongha let out a short laugh. Without makeup, her face puffed up like a child’s. He didn’t mind having it all to himself. The discomfort she had suffered all night now seemed slightly more bearable.
“…Understood.”
Yeonwoo bowed her head slightly and turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.
“Ah.”
“…?”
“Don’t flirt with another man while I’m not around.”
“…Me?”
The remark was abrupt. Yeonwoo raised her voice in confusion, and a calm laugh followed.
“Yes, you.”
Frowning in bewilderment, Yeonwoo tilted her head, then remembered being with Kang Seongjun yesterday.
…but that was just because he spilled coffee.
She felt no need to explain. Jeongha quietly added a final remark.
“It’s disgusting. I don’t have a hobby of sharing what’s mine with someone else.”
His words carried weight. And when his fingers gently tapped her nose, she jerked her head away instinctively.
Their eyes met again. His gaze revealed the sincerity of his words, filled with her reflection and a small smile.
Yeonwoo bit her lip tightly, her heart fluttering like a sudden wave.
