Because she drank too much with no measures the previous day, So-young had to experience a hell-like hangover as soon as she woke up in the morning. The price was that she was so drunk that she couldn’t even remember how she came back home.
Team leader Cha Taekyung: Are you sleeping already?
Team leader Cha Tae-kyung: You must be sleeping.
Team leader Cha Tae-kyung: Sweet dreams and see you tomorrow.
When she checked her cell phone, she received several missed calls and messages from Taekyung. As soon as she checked the messages piled up over time, So-young felt more disturbed than her hungover. She was tired, so she went to bed early, and hurried to get ready for work.
“You’re here?”
So-young, who kept her time at work on time, sat down in a tragic position with a white complexion. Manager Joo greeted her with a thin face no differently.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Honestly, I’m dying. What about you, manager?”
“Me too, I’m the same goes for me. Why did it suddenly become such an intense drinking atmosphere yesterday? I don’t know even if I think about it now.….”
So-young, who provided the biggest cause of the formation of the drinking atmosphere, smiled awkwardly. Manager Joo rummaged through the drawer and gave her a hangover remedy.
“Let’s hang in the morning with this and go get some hangover soups for lunch.”
“Thank you, manager.”
It was then. Taekyung appeared from the team leader’s seat as if he had been waiting for Soyoung to go to work. As soon as So-young saw him, she stood tall.
Indeed, it was Taekyung she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Perhaps he lost weight while on a business trip, or his sharp face gave off a cooler and urban atmosphere. The body wearing a navy blue suit was still solid and sensuous. So-young felt a dull excitement with a reflective resentment. Her expression collapsed due to the dizzy swirling emotion.
At that moment, Taekyung’s eyes were on Soyoung. He opened his mouth without taking his eyes off her shaking eyes.
“Did you drink yesterday?”
“…….”
“Assistant Manager Han?
“Yes, team leader. We just drank with close people.”
When So-young bowed her head instead of answering, Manager Joo, who was looking at her with a puzzled face, awkwardly intervened. No matter how she tried, it seemed difficult to treat Taekyung casually when she even saw such a picture yesterday.
Taekyung’s gaze was felt, but Soyoung stubbornly fixed her gaze only on the floor. She was embarrassed that she was immediately caught lying in the morning, but soon she realized that even such embarrassment was ridiculous. Taekyung actually told an unacceptable lie.
Taekyung smiled with a face that had something to say, but eventually closed his mouth saying nothing. As if conscious of the subdued atmosphere, Manager Joo spoke to him in a more exaggerated manner than usual.
“How was your business trip? It feels like I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
From the moment Taekyung appeared, a strange atmosphere was formed in the office. The facial expressions of the team members gathered around him were also subtle. Taekyung shrugged with an indifferent face, as if he could not read the unorganized atmosphere or ignored it.
“The results are shared in real time, as I know, but the discussion ended well. However, it would be better to adjust the time for Director Kim’s report to tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, I think everyone should go home early today.”
With words encouraging imagination, people secretly exchanged glances with each other. At that moment, So-young opened her mouth as if she had been pushed by something.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone’s attention was focused on So-young’s brave question. Taekyung also couldn’t hide his unexpected expression. So-young turned her face red, but never stepped back.
So-young rarely did anything out of the ordinary, but at this moment, she was not conscious of the eyes of others at all. She stared at him like a prisoner on death row waiting for the final ruling.
Tae-kyung, who was not aware of So-young’s desperation at all, answered with no hesitation.
“It’s a personal matter.”
On one clear axis, as if there was no reason to say more, a firm line was drawn between the two.
So-young was emotional at the moment, but she knew that now was not a pleasant situation to express her feelings. Even if Taekyung wanted to be honest, he could not have done so in such an open situation. However, his complexion didn’t change at all.
“……Personal matter.”
When Taekyung disappeared, Manager Joo muttered to himself in a meaningful voice.
If Taekyung wants to talk properly, Soyoung will respond. She wanted to at least try to understand if he confessed everything honestly. She thinks that’s the courtesy of their brief relationship.
However, through the afternoon, there was no contact from Taekyung.
No matter how much Taekyung usually refrained from personal contact at work, she didn’t know it would even in this situation. So-young did her best to pretend to be her usual attitude, but even if she let her guard down a little, she deviated from her usual trajectory and couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Whether the mess was obvious on the outside, a message came from Taekyung at the time of work.
Cha Taekyung: You look very pale today, are you not feeling well?
Taekyung found out last night that Soyoung went out to drink. However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of questioning that fact. If he had done so, she could have been angry, but even this felt indifferent. It was like her heart was burned.
If possible, she wanted to tell Taekyung honestly. Not only her body but also her mood is a mess. There are ridiculous rumors about him circulating in the company, and there are even pictures of evidence…… She thinks that the rumor is true, so it’s really hard.
So-young, who was catching her breath for a while with her hands on the keyboard, raised her head. Then, she sent the answer without brooding.
Han Soyoung: Can I see you even for a little while today?