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Chapter 10
Charge Me Up
“CEO Baek. Are you leaving early again today?”
Secretary Yoon was thoroughly bewildered these days.
In the past, his workaholic boss lived at the office, routinely working overtime as if it were second nature. Yet ever since he was discharged from the hospital, he was busy getting ready to leave as early as two or three in the afternoon.
Not only did he refuse to give an explanation when asked, but he also instructed Secretary Yoon to completely clear his afternoon schedule for the next few months, giving him an absolute headache. It was practically a case of “Our boss has lost his mind! He’s completely out of his mind!”
“I told you beforehand. I’ll be leaving early for the next few months.”
“I know that, sir, but you really have to attend today’s meeting.”
Unable to simply walk past Secretary Yoon’s distressed expression, Ho-rang paused in his tracks and asked, “What meeting?”
“You have a dinner appointment with Director Han Seol-hee of HB Cosmetics. It was scheduled months ago, so canceling it now would be extremely difficult.”
Ho-rang was well aware of that meeting. With the rise of the Hallyu wave, HB Cosmetics was a global power with a massive worldwide customer base. The meeting had been arranged months ago to discuss placing their main outlet on the first floor of the new shopping center Ho-rang was preparing to open.
“What time is the meeting?”
“At 4:00 PM.”
Ho-rang rolled back his sleeve and checked his smartwatch.
The current time was 3:00 PM. Remaining battery: 20%.
If he waited until 4:00 PM and stayed through the meeting, the battery would completely drain. And if that happened, he wouldn’t be alive to see tomorrow.
“Postpone it.”
“Pardon? But CEO Baek, the meeting with HB Cosmetics is crucial—it could make or break the shopping center’s revenue—”
“Secretary Yoon.”
“Yes, CEO Baek?”
At Ho-rang’s icy call, Secretary Yoon’s mumbling voice gradually trailed off.
“Have you ever seen me repeat myself?”
“A-Ah, no, sir.”
Ho-rang understood the importance of the meeting with HB Cosmetics better than anyone. But he needed to survive first. Only by staying alive could he apologize for breaking the promise and reschedule the meeting.
“From now on, do not schedule any important meetings in the afternoon.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Leaving Secretary Yoon behind, Ho-rang moved briskly.
There was no time. He had been so immersed in work that he hadn’t realized how low the battery had dropped. He had to go get charged right away. If he was any later, that woman, Na Bo-bae, wouldn’t spare any time for him.
Getting into his car, Ho-rang started the engine and slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
Three days had passed since he was discharged, and Ho-rang had returned to his daily routine. Every morning, he woke up to exercise, had a light meal, and headed to work. He received reports from department heads and accelerated preparations for the shopping center opening.
He was frantically busy, but it was the same routine as before—an impeccable, perfectly structured life.
Except for just one thing.
“Look at the rich tycoon stamping a loyalty coupon so meticulously.”
“Frugality is the key to living well.”
“Keep saving like that and you might actually become rich.”
“I’m already rich.”
“Right, right. Of course you are.”
Stopping by the cafe where Bo-bae worked after leaving early—that had become Ho-rang’s new daily routine and the most important part of his day.
Because of his decision to leave early, Secretary Yoon was suffering a massive headache trying to cram all major meetings into the morning, but that was a sacrifice Ho-rang had to accept. If he didn’t meet Bo-bae, he would die.
“I’m using a coupon. I collected all ten stamps.”
“Look at you being so thrifty, completing it already. The usual, right? Decaf Americano.”
“Put in plenty of ice. It was too lukewarm yesterday.”
Finishing his payment thriftily with the coupon, Ho-rang took a seat closest to the counter and locked his eyes on Bo-bae.
To think that sitting in the exact same spot for three days straight and waiting for Bo-bae until her shift ended had become the most important part of his day—the more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
On top of that, that woman treated him like a ghost, not even glancing his way. Just how many people in South Korea would dare treat the great Baek Ho-rang with such cold indifference? Na Bo-bae was by no means an easy opponent.
“Oh my goodness! Unnie, that customer is back again!”
Normally, a reaction like that was the expected baseline.
“He’s as handsome as ever today, too.”
As Na-yeon, returning from cleaning a table, spoke with hearts practically floating in her eyes, Bo-bae replied with an indifferent expression.
“Raise your standards in men a bit. What’s so handsome about him?”
“If that customer isn’t handsome, then what man in this world is? Tell me!”
Bo-bae couldn’t answer Na-yeon’s question.
He had a refreshing appearance that could make even an early heatwave feel cool, a tall and well-proportioned stature, and deep, mesmerizing eyes.
Come to think of it, whenever Ho-rang appeared, the gaze of everyone in the cafe—regardless of age—naturally gravitated toward him.
“You can’t answer, right?”
“Fine. I admit he’s handsome.”
His looks were simply impossible to deny.
“By the way, why are there so many customers these days?”
Usually, the cafe would get busy after lunch and quiet down around this hour. But lately, it was getting even more crowded at this exact time.
“You really don’t know why?”
“Do you?”
When Bo-bae looked at Na-yeon with a puzzled expression, Na-yeon gestured toward Ho-rang with her chin.
“They’re all coming to see him.”
“What? Come on, no way.”
“What do you mean ‘no way’? Unnie, you leave right after your shift so you wouldn’t know, but whenever you and that customer leave together? The cafe empties out completely! The moment he leaves, it becomes totally quiet.”
Now that she mentioned it, the customers were almost entirely women. And a few of them were even shooting fierce glares at her.
To think that Baek Ho-rang had such a massive impact on the store’s sales revenue.
“Unnie, what’s your relationship with him anyway?”
“What do you mean, ‘relationship’?”
“He comes here every single day to see you, and you leave together when your shift ends.”
“Um, well… Ah! We’re in a study group together. You know I’m studying scriptwriting for dramas.”
Unable to explain every single detail, Bo-bae came up with a quick excuse, but Na-yeon wasn’t buying it.
“That’s not it.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s not it’? How would you know?”
“Just look at his eyes. Honey is practically dripping from his gaze whenever he looks at you.”
“Honey…?”
At the mention of honey dripping from his eyes, Bo-bae turned her head. Her eyes met his as he stared fixedly at her. Just as Na-yeon said, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a single second. Wherever she moved, his gaze followed her exclusively.
Honey dripping, though…?
To Na-yeon, it might look like honey was pouring out of Ho-rang’s eyes, but to Bo-bae, it looked entirely different. He just looked desperately preoccupied with charging his battery.
“He’s been staring at you like that every single day for three days straight without fail, and you’re telling me you’re nothing to each other?”
Bo-bae wanted to give a rosy dream to Na-yeon, who was looking at her with high expectations, but she had nothing encouraging to say. Reality wasn’t rosy—it was grey.
“Right? You guys are flirty and talking, aren’t you?”
“I told you, no. Oh, look at the time! I’m heading out now.”
“Go ahead, Unnie! Have a great date!”
“What date? See you tomorrow.”
As Bo-bae finished packing up and stepped outside, Ho-rang approached her side as if he had been waiting for that exact moment.
At the same time, the eyes of Na-yeon and all the female customers inside the cafe pinned right onto the two of them.
“Are you finished?”
“Why did you come so late today?”
“The meeting ran long; I couldn’t help it. You’re going home, right? I’ll give you a ride.”
“No thanks.”
“I’m taking you home.”
“Please let me have some time to myself. I haven’t even been able to write anything lately because of you, Mr. Baek Ho-rang.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?! I need to see you to survive!”
Whether because of his loud voice or the unexpectedly romantic phrasing, the eyes of the onlookers widened in shock. That was followed by an avalanche of unpleasant, judging glares directed up and down at Bo-bae. They could roughly be translated as: ‘Who do you think you are to reject a man like that?’, ‘He’s way out of her league,’ and ‘Is she rich? She doesn’t look it.’
Embarrassed by all the sudden attention, Bo-bae quickly grabbed Ho-rang and led him outside.
“How could you say something like that back there? People are going to misunderstand!”
“Why? Did I say anything wrong? It’s true that I’ll die without you!”
Ugh! This guy, seriously!
To anyone watching, they looked like a couple or at least two people in a romantic fling, but the reality was far from it.
“Forget it. How much is it charged?”
“50%.”
“Geez. That’s all? That’s why I asked why you arrived so late.”
“Don’t look so miserable. It’s not like I’m enjoying this either.”
“As if you’re suffering more than I am.”
For three days after his discharge, the two met every day and stayed together until the battery was charged.
It didn’t matter how many hours it took. Ho-rang only returned home after the battery was fully charged, and Bo-bae didn’t stop him.
She couldn’t let him die, nor could she bring herself to kill him.
Having failed to negotiate a “contract relationship,” the two decided to endure these three months in this awkward, middle-ground arrangement. It was uncomfortable for both of them, but they had no other choice.
‘Let’s just hold out like this for three months.’
‘Just three months.’
That was exactly what both Ho-rang and Bo-bae were thinking.
“Don’t tell me we have to climb those stairs again?”
Ho-rang furrowed his brow as he stared at the steep staircase stretching out ahead of them.
He had boldly insisted on walking her home, but what kind of house was practically touching the sky? He began to suspect whether heaven lay at the end of this path.
“That’s why I asked: who told you to follow me?”
When Bo-bae replied crossly and began walking ahead, Ho-rang let out a short sigh and followed behind her. Before he had even walked a few steps, sweat was pouring down his entire body. It was stiflingly hot just sitting still, yet they had been walking uphill for over thirty minutes. And now they had to climb those stairs on top of it.
“Why on earth do you live in a place like this?”
“What’s wrong with a place like this?”
Bo-bae’s tone as she shot back was far from pleasant, but Ho-rang failed to take the hint and continued.
“It’s old, dark, and shabby… It makes me wonder how a person can even live in a place like this.”
At his words, Bo-bae’s feet came to a sudden halt.
She hadn’t wanted to bring this man all the way here in the first place. Her home wasn’t nice enough to show anyone, so she had hoped to finish charging while working at the cafe.
However, the battery hadn’t charged enough, she was exhausted, and she thought it would charge somewhat on the way home—so she let him come along. And now he was calling it old and shabby? Asking how a person could live here?
“Look here, Mr. Baek Ho-rang. You live in a grand mansion, so you might not know, but for someone like me, any place where I can lay my head down is—Whoa?!”
Mid-rant, Bo-bae was pulled into Ho-rang’s arms by the sudden force on her wrist.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
When she shouted and looked up, Ho-rang muttered softly while covering her eyes with his large hand.
“The neighborhood security is garbage, too.”
“Huh? Security?”
Wondering what he was talking about, she pulled his hand down, only to catch a glimpse of a man’s bare legs as he ran away in the distance. It was a flasher—a so-called ‘trench coat man’—exposing his pathetic private parts to women.
Only after the flasher had completely vanished did Ho-rang remove his hand from Bo-bae’s eyes and release her.
“Seriously, why do you live in a place like this?”
Unlike before, his eyes were filled with deep concern.
His tone was no longer a complaint about living in an old, shabby place, but rather a worry-filled plea regarding her safety.
“Can’t you live somewhere safer? Places like officetels have proper CCTV and good security. It’s way too isolated here. Everyone passing by is a drunkard.”
Even while grumbling, Ho-rang craned his neck and glared fiercely down the empty alleyway—as if promising to kill the flasher if he dared to return.
Looking at Ho-rang like that, Bo-bae inexplicably felt reassured. She had already been creeped out by recent news of a pervert targeting women living alone to install hidden cameras, but having him beside her made her worries wash away.
“Are you worrying about me?”
When she looked up and asked, Ho-rang’s gaze shifted from the end of the alley back down to Bo-bae.
He’ll probably say no. He’ll probably ask why he would ever worry about me.
Even though she expected a predictable deflection, Bo-bae wanted to hear his answer. She was curious to know why he was looking at her with such worried eyes, and whether he had said those words out of even a tiny shred of genuine concern for her.
“I asked if you’re worrying about me.”
When Bo-bae asked a second time, Ho-rang replied nonchalantly:
“Of course I am.”
At his unexpected answer, Bo-bae’s eyes widened in utter shock.
