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Episode 10.
Today, under Lee Jun’s special instructions, there were no outside work assignments.
Chaeyiryeong wasn’t clueless about the reason behind it. He was probably being considerate after the intense “exercise” they’d had together the night before.
She was grateful for his thoughtfulness, but at the same time, she couldn’t help feeling nervous—worried that their team members might find it suspicious.
However, when the executive director announced a major change in the department’s work process, no one questioned it. Thanks to that, Yiryeong was able to spend the day comfortably working inside the warm office.
As quitting time approached, she started to relax, already thinking about going home and resting.
[Wait for me. I’ll give you a ride.]
Just then, a text from Lee Jun arrived.
Her drowsiness disappeared in an instant, replaced by a wave of nervous tension.
How was she supposed to interpret his intentions?
She couldn’t stop thinking about how relentless he’d been about wanting her body, even until the moment she left the hotel. Heat spread through her at the memory.
“Are you feeling sick?”
Hyunwook leaned toward her subtly, sounding concerned.
“……Huh?”
“Your face is really red, Ms. Chaeyiryeong. Should I check your temperature?”
Just as he lifted his hand like he actually meant to measure it—
“N-no, it’s not a cold!”
“What do you mean, no? My hands are pretty accurate, you know. Just trust me once.”
She waved his hand away firmly to show her refusal, but—
“Aw, are you trying to run away? Come on, just let me check.”
Hyunwook wasn’t giving up.
“I’m really fine!”
“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?”
Yiryeong grew uncomfortable as Hyunwook kept pushing her into awkward situations and drawing everyone’s attention.
“Hyunwook, are you a straightforward type?”
“I didn’t know he was such a bold guy. Surprising.”
Team members rushing to leave began tossing jokes here and there.
Having experienced firsthand how a single joke could crush someone, Yiryeong found it unbearable.
She was just about to protest that their teasing wasn’t funny when—
“Chaeyiryeong!”
A loud voice, sharp enough to command the entire room, made everyone’s attention snap in one direction.
She too instinctively looked—at Lee Jun.
“What kind of report is this! Follow me to the meeting room, right now!”
He stood up, shaking a piece of paper furiously as he shouted.
The office fell silent, as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over everyone.
“I-I didn’t do anything. I just submitted the report that Ms. Chaeyiryeong wrote.”
Hyunwook’s once lively voice had shrunk to a mosquito’s buzz. For some reason, he looked especially cowardly today.
Leaving the team members behind, Yiryeong followed Lee Jun’s gesture and entered the meeting room.
It was a small department conference room—almost cramped with just the two of them.
“Which report are you talking about? I’ll review it and resubmit it right away.”
She stood in front of him with her head lowered.
“Where on earth is your mind these days?”
The papers in his hand fluttered furiously, and she couldn’t focus—but then she realized something odd about that sheet. Her eyes widened.
“Everyone else can go home!”
Lee Jun opened the meeting room door and shouted to the team, then slammed it shut with a bang.
“Wait, Director… the report is…”
“Can you see anything on this report, Ms. Chaeyiryeong?!”
Of course I can see—why are you waving around a blank sheet?
She stared at him in disbelief as he quickly lowered the blinds.
“If you understand, then praise me.”
Sometimes, he was like a cute puppy wagging its tail—
“But I’d prefer a kiss.”
—and the next second, like a beast revealing its primal nature. She couldn’t help but get swept away.
With the blinds down, the room was shrouded in a shadowy gray darkness.
Just the two of them.
“Sit.”
Before she could even react, he guided her into the chair.
“……Director?”
“Sorry for yelling. You’re not actually sick, are you?”
His voice softened as he asked, concern clear.
“Sick? Of course not.”
“You looked unwell to me. Let me see.”
His hand suddenly pressed against her forehead.
“Director……”
She wanted to tell him she wasn’t sick, but her trembling lips wouldn’t cooperate.
“You do have a fever.”
She wanted to say It’s probably because of you. But the words wouldn’t leave her mouth.
“From now on, don’t get sick alone.”
Even in the dim room, his gaze was piercingly clear. She could tell he genuinely worried about her.
“Director, I……”
Something stirred inside her, making it hard to continue. For a moment, it felt like he was the only person she could rely on in the world.
“Don’t get sick without my permission either.”
His low voice slipped into her ear and settled deep in her chest.
Her heart pounded wildly; her head spun. Her vision blurred—she really did feel feverish.
She had to admit it. She was being consumed, paralyzed by just the touch of his palm.
And at that moment, Chaeyiryeong fell for Director Seo Lee Jun—and began to carry him in her heart.
The two of them left work together.
Throw out the trash, and a real gem shows up.
She thought back on the almost magical turn of events from the past few days. And now she was in Lee Jun’s luxurious car.
She glanced sideways at him as Seoul’s city lights flashed by the window.
He drove silently, lips closed, and the sight was mesmerizing. His profile was so sculpted it made her forget to breathe.
“Do you have something to say?”
Maybe she’d been staring too obviously—his low, deep voice flowed through the car.
She hadn’t been admiring him, but she’d definitely slipped up.
“Huh? N-no, nothing.”
Startled, she squeezed her eyes shut. The heat she thought had calmed began creeping back in.
“Oh, come on. You’ve been staring for a while now.”
His persistence made her instinctively cover her face with both hands. Heat radiated from her palms.
Thank goodness it was nighttime. If it were daytime, he would’ve noticed her flustered expression right away.
And he might have caught the way her heart kept reacting to him like some broken machine.
“Who, me?”
She tried to play dumb, still covering her face.
“There’s no one else here but you to steal glances at me.”
His voice carried a trace of laughter.
Come to think of it, his tone had grown gentler lately.
“Nope, not me.”
She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Even if he had a reason for being sweet, it didn’t matter to her. She liked him, no matter what.
“If I end up crashing because of you, you’ll take responsibility. Got it?”
His teasing tone spread through the car, tickling her ears.
It didn’t matter what kind of person he was. What mattered was that he was the one who made her laugh the most right now.
“It’s dark anyway, so you can’t see.”
His cryptic comment caught her off guard.
“I’m talking about your red face. It’s so prettily flushed, it’s almost breathtaking. So could you stop covering it?”
A casual compliment—he was that kind of man.
But imagining him saying the same thing to countless other women stung her chest.
Her good mood plummeted instantly.
“Why do you keep forgetting?”
At a red light, he turned to look at her.
“Don’t tease me like that.”
Unconsciously, she rubbed her bitten lip. The gesture was intimate, tinged with hidden feelings.
“I’m going to roll the window down for a bit.”
Overwhelmed by a swirl of complicated emotions, she asked for permission and rolled the window down, hoping the cold wind would blow away his lingering touch on her lips.
“Chaeyiryeong.”
His moist, low voice struck her ear.
Why does he keep shaking me like this?
She couldn’t think straight anymore. She almost wanted to step out of the car and let the cold air wash over her.
“Look at me.”
As if reading her escape plan, he demanded her gaze.
Slowly, she turned to meet his eyes.
“……Director.”
Her voice trembled with emotion.
Her feelings were spinning out of control.
“Are you testing my patience?”
“What do you mean—”
Before she could finish, his long fingers touched her cheek. Her skin sank under his warm touch, like a perfectly ripe persimmon.
That small gesture shattered her completely.
A tingling sensation rose from her toes, and her pupils trembled uncontrollably.
“From now on, only react to me. Because that’s the kind of relationship we’re going to have.”
The kind of relationship they’re going to have.
Nothing else registered. The weight of his words made her feel like she was going crazy.
The car, which she thought was heading home, changed course.
She knew that following him to the hotel would mean crossing a line they could never return from.
And yet, she trusted him and followed him to the hotel lounge.
Even after sitting down, she felt dazed.
As the pre-ordered dishes were served and the fine wine was poured, her mind remained a tangled mess.
“Chaeyiryeong.”
His voice reeled her back in little by little.
Moments like this reminded her what a remarkable man he was. Just calling her name was enough to make her feel at ease.
“I wonder if you’ll like this.”
A small red leather box was placed in front of her. It was the size of a ring box.
“I asked you for one day, remember?”
The lighting reflected off his face as he gave a charming smile—one that could make anyone fall for him.
“Still, a proposal should come from the man.”
A marriage proposal. Her heart nearly stopped.
This was a marriage with clear intentions.
They weren’t marrying out of love.
“Go on, open it. It’s yours.”
She stared at the box, too hesitant to touch it.
Now that marriage was staring her in the face, her mind swirled with doubt.
She wasn’t sure anymore if she could really accept his proposal and marry him.
She was the one who had said they should get married—but honestly, it had been said in a fit of emotion.
