Chapter 69: 69

Hee-Jung squinted her eyes and carefully probed Na-Yool’s face. Na-Yool feigned indifference while handing her the americano and placed her own cup under the coffee machine. Suspicious of Na-Yool’s excessive concentration at carrying a task which should be done by simply pressing two buttons, Hee-Jung remained seated, her coffee in one hand, and stared at her.

“It’s about your ex, am I right?”

“What?”

“No? But from the dejected look you have…”

The shadow casted on Na-Yool’s face, who had not even spared a thought for Sang-Hoon, darkened.

“Well…”

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Roughly, yes. I never thought he would, but suddenly…”

Of course, his existence was nothing to her.

“Don’t tell me he came to meet you? To the office?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“You shouldn’t have broken off your promise with Seung-Jae but bring him with you instead! You should have shown him that you’re already dating a greater guy than him! That kind of jerk, that’s how you stop them from being deluded. ‘Is there any chance? She was the one who dated me, so if I push harder won’t she fall for me again?’ Men think ex-girlfriends are the easiest. They need to be taught what a lousy misunderstanding it is!”

There was no way Na-Yool could tell her that there was someone else beside Seung-Jae. And that it was not just ‘a greater guy’ but President Kwon, at that.

“If he contacts you again, just tell Seung-Jae. Ask him to pretend to be your boyfriend, or say that you’re dating a handsome guy like Seung-Jae. If it doesn’t make him fume…”

Hee-Jung suddenly shut up. Na-Yool followed her gaze. As her eyes shifted to the side, there stood Si-Jin who had just entered the break room. An ominous smile was drawn on his fair face.

“Good morning.”

“G… good morning, Mr. President.”

A blunt expression was the basic, and a tone without warmth was a bonus, but Si-Jin’s daily greetings were imbued with a faint trace of humanity. Really very subtle, but if she had to say, almost with an upbeat note…

As she tensed up at his tone, Hee-Jung answered with a trembling voice. After giving a brief glance at Hee-Jung along with a smile that burdened her mind, Si-Jin stared at Na-Yool.

Of course, it was not a proper smile, but he was smiling either way, and the sight gave a rather ominous feeling to the people witnessing it.

“Good morning, Mr. President.”

When Na-Yool belatedly greeted him, almost forcing herself, Si-Jin’s lips slightly curved up as he did for Hee-Jung.

Eventually, she had left Si-Jin’s house on Sunday’s late afternoon. Si-jin, who seemed to have to go to work every day ‒ even on weekends ‒ to be fully satisfied, had gone straight to work after dropping off Na-Yool… Seeing how he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, it was as if he had never left work.

Somehow, she was torn between the mixed feeling of having hindered him during an especially busy work period, and the feeling that she was not responsible since he had himself created such disturbance in his daily life. Obviously, since he was the one who had taken the lead, the latter clearly prevailed.

Na-Yool’s complicated eyes turned towards the coffee machine, which beeped to alert that the coffee was ready. Hee-Jung wanted to leave this place at any minute now. However, taking pity on Na-Yool, her feet could not bear to walk away. One foot already crossing the door, she looked back at Na-Yool.

Of course, Si-Jin was not one to concern himself one bit about either Hee-Jung’s tensed facial expression nor Na-Yool’s confused state of mind. But just as Na-Yool, her mug in one hand, and Hee-Jung waiting for her were about to walk out, Si-Jin spoke up while taking a carbonated drink out of the fridge. Nonchalantly, as he always did to his staff.

“Seems like something good happened.”

“Sorry?”

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“Between the editorial design staff.”

Na-Yool stared intently at Si-Jin, who smiled with an unfathomable expression. If it were anyone else, he might have looked expressionless, but she knew that for Si-Jin this much was usually the equivalent of a broad smile.

Upon hearing how seemingly unflustered and genuinely curious he sounded, Na-Yool wondered if all was not a smokescreen put up in front of Hee-Jung. But usually, was not the best smokescreen to pretend not seeing anything if you had seen something which does not concern you?

Na-Yool was still looking at Si-Jin when Hee-Jung opened her mouth instead, yielding to the awkwardness.

“What good thing? We were just discussing about how Na-Yool should ask Seung-Jae for some help to resolve a personal issue. Since they are personally close…”

When were we ever close?… Although Hee-Jung’s muffled words made her feel uncomfortable, Na-Yool kept quiet instead of denying it, judging it had nothing to do with her anyway.

“Is that so?”

It was also Hee-Jung who had been triggered by Si-Jin’s meaningless inquiry. Hee-Jung nodded her head and was about to add something when Si-Jin interrupted her to then go on with his indifferent tone.

“ ‘Boyfriend’, ‘Seung-Jae’, ‘dating’… I think I’ve heard you speak of something along these lines?”

Whether it was a smokescreen for Hee-Jung or a poor pretense game of knowing nothing, Na-Yool did not want to hear about this subject from him, even as a joke. Even putting aside their own ambiguous relationship. In this short time, had employees’ excessive curiosity not raised gossips and groundless rumors, leading to an exhausting and endless questioning to answer to?

Of course, that Si-Jin’s mouth would indulge in such gossip was one of the worst experiences she had ever faced. Na-Yool looked at Hee-Jung slightly retreating back while waving her hand in denial.

“Hey, how could it be! Dating someone from her workplace?! With Na-Yool’s personality, never…”

“I don’t know her personality well, after all.”

“You see, Na-Yool, she is…”

“Yes, how is she?”

Si-Jin lied with a straight face, putting on an oblivious facade. Right in front of her, at that…! Na-Yool barely contained her astonishment. He was not even looking at her anymore, only focused on Hee-Jung’s words.

“From the fact that her team is running properly despite two of its editorial designers being on maternity leave, her ability speaks for itself… Of course, you know it best, Mr. President, but her personality is very upright, just like how she handles her work.”

She does? Si-Jin’s meaningful eyes glanced at Na-Yool with a hint of disbelief. But she could not tell whether it was because he doubted her working ability, or her uprightness, or both. In any case, he honestly looked unconvinced. And though Na-Yool was used to it, a small sense of shame and annoyance surged in.

What if your coworker praises you for your ability? Such a perfect temper had no hope of being recognized anyway.

“And so, does having an upright personality have anything to do with dating someone from work?”

Only Na-Yool understood that Si-Jin truly meant to ask what the correlation between both was. As for herself, she really did not think much of it. Hee-Jung, who could not get it, looked at Na-Yool with a confused “Why is this person suddenly doing this to me?” expression.

To begin with, it was also Hee-Jung who had made assumptions after prying into Na-Yool’s private life, then randomly spread troublesome rumors in the office for anyone to hear. Although Na-Yool could not fully conceal her irritation on the matter, her current opponent was Si-Jin.

Na-Yool naturally took pity on any helpless lamb who had to face him. At least, she knew what she had done wrong in the first place, and therefore the responsibility of fixing it one way or another.

While Na-Yool was looking for the right timing to break into the conversation, Hee-Jung finally answered back to Si-Jin.

“With such an upright personality, dating someone from the office would be exhausting. When you start by thinking that there will be no benefits for either of them, dating can only be thought of as a minus. That’s why there is no way she could date a coworker.”

Ultimately, Hee-Jung was not complimenting Na-Yool, but instead expressing that with such a personality she would hate dating a coworker. Because, from the employer’s point of view, the two people dating would most likely be seen as salary thieves, playing around instead of doing their job. Besides, Na-Yool was one of the employees Si-Jin overworked most…

However, Hee-Jung had no way of knowing that things had gone too far between them for such a small thing to trouble Si-Jin.

Therefore, Na-Yool was grateful for Hee-Jung’s good intentions but…

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