Chapter – 29
“Minha.”
As always, I arrived at Seongjin Capital earlier than anyone else.
The reason I came so early was simple. In a place crawling with gangsters, I wanted to run into as few people as possible.
More than anything, I wanted time alone to sift through the scattered documents.
But today, for once, someone was lingering near Seongjin Capital before I got there.
“Sunbae…?”
It was Senior Choi.
“Thought it was you.”
“How did you even find this place…?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’d be keeping an eye on you. I couldn’t believe it.”
His loosened tie stood out today, messier than usual.
“Aren’t you ashamed? And you call yourself a legal professional?”
“…Just go. You know this place is full of thugs. It won’t do you any good to stand out here.”
“Exactly!”
As I tried to walk past him, his shout followed me.
“That’s exactly why I’m asking why you’re here!”
“I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
“No matter how much you like money, if word gets out that you’re working here, you’re finished in this industry. Do you understand?”
“Please!”
Being in the middle of Seongjin Capital was humiliating enough for me too. I had just been trying to tell myself I only needed to endure a little longer.
“Spread whatever rumors you want about me. I don’t care. Just leave. Before you run into these thugs.”
“…Do you have something going on with Director Do I-hyeon?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard something through a junior prosecutor I know. A few months ago, Director Do I-hyeon got engaged at the Korea Hotel. Rumor says the other person was a lawyer.”
“Don’t get carried away with your fiction.”
“But that was around the time you were barely at the firm. Even used up vacation days you’d never touched before. Funny timing, don’t you think?”
Several black cars slowly passed by us.
Through the windows, I could feel multiple suspicious gazes fixed on us.
There was no choice but to leave quickly. As I hurried away, Senior Choi’s voice rang out one last time.
“This is my final warning. Quit and get out of here. Or you’ll die with them. I’m not joking.”
“Traitor!” he roared, before his voice finally faded.
Choosing to come to work at dawn had been the right decision. At least fewer people would notice.
After walking a while—
Someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
For a moment, I panicked, thinking Senior Choi had followed me.
“Are you okay?”
It was Assistant Manager Oh. I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Oh! You’re here early too?”
“…Who was that?”
Right. With all that shouting, it would’ve been stranger if no one noticed.
“Just someone I know.”
“Ah. Someone you know.”
He stayed by my side in silence for a while.
“…Do you personally know Director Do I-hyeon?”
A chill settled between us.
“What exactly are you curious about?”
“I heard what that guy said. That you and Director Do have some kind of relationship.”
“He’s just being weird. Don’t pay attention to it.”
“Right?”
Assistant Manager Oh’s expression visibly brightened.
“I knew it. You don’t seem like the type to steal someone else’s man.”
“Someone else’s man?”
“Yeah. I told you—we’re seeing each other.”
Again. Her repeated claim needed confirmation.
“How exactly are you ‘seeing each other’?”
She pulled out her phone and showed me the messages she’d received.
The sender, identifying himself as Do I-hyeon, wrote that he’d been watching her, that he liked her—things along those lines.
I checked the number. It wasn’t the one I knew.
“Are you sure it’s really Director Do?”
“Of course! I mean—why wouldn’t it be?”
Confusion washed over me. Was it really him? Or was someone impersonating him?
Do I-hyeon didn’t come home until late that day.
I’d thought his absence was my default, but after seeing his face the past few days, the house felt strangely empty without him.
—This is Do I-hyeon. Is this Oh Hyun-joo’s number?
The message I’d seen on Assistant Manager Oh’s phone resurfaced in my mind.
The tone sounded like him. If it really was him, then why her?
If it were a woman connected to political circles, or someone who could benefit his business, I could at least understand.
I imagined him with another woman.
Someone at his side. Her hand slowly tracing down his shoulder.
Perhaps there had been countless moments like that when I wasn’t around.
My stomach churned. Irritation built inside me. Was I just becoming overly sensitive from accumulated stress?
Just then, the familiar keypad tone and his distinctive footsteps entered the space.
“You’re—”
I stopped mid-step.
A strong, unfamiliar perfume lingered around him. A woman’s perfume.
“You’re late tonight.”
His eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at me.
The sharp scent of whiskey mixed with the heavy perfume, swirling through the air with every movement he made.
“Why are you still awake at this hour?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Under the dim light, there was a smudged mark on his neck.
At a glance, it looked like lipstick.
“You drank a lot tonight.”
He rolled his neck and let out a quiet laugh.
“What else does someone rolling around in this world do?”
“Did you change your cologne?”
I failed, once again, to keep my thoughts to myself.
“No.”
As he walked past me toward the kitchen, it felt as though the owner of that perfume walked beside him.
“Really? It smells like women’s perfume.”
He came back with a bottle of water and smiled lowly at me.
“You’re awfully interested in me, Ms. Yoo Minha.”
He seemed oddly pleased tonight. Why? Because of the woman he’d been with?
“Now you’re even paying attention to my scent.”
“…If there’s something I should know, I’d rather know. It’s easier that way.”
“Is that really all?”
“Yes. What other reason would there be?”
He handed me the bottle of water. Even up close, the shadow of a woman I didn’t know seemed to follow him.
“Clear your schedule this weekend.”
“Why?”
“Let’s go on a date. Or something like that.”
“What?”
My heart began pounding uncontrollably. Surely it was just from how absurd that sounded.
“I’m joking. Why are you so startled?”
My heartbeat quickly returned to normal.
“Chairman Park Jin-ho invited you to the regular workshop. Originally, I was supposed to go alone, but things changed.”
It was in the external cooperation agreement—attendance at events upon request. So this was what that clause had been for.
“One thing—don’t draw attention. Stay quiet. Better yet, don’t say anything at all.”
“You must be disappointed.”
“About what?”
“You’d probably have preferred bringing another woman, right?”
My sarcastic tone kept slipping out, even though I hated it myself.
“…I’m sorry. I keep saying unnecessary things. Just ignore it.”
As I tried to step away, he took one step closer.
“There isn’t anyone else.”
The lingering perfume, the kiss mark on his neck, the smell of alcohol, his bloodshot eyes—
There was more than enough physical evidence not to believe him.
But at his single sentence, I wanted to believe.
Without realizing it, I pressed my lips to his.
It was only for a split second. The moment his soft lips touched mine, it felt like lightning struck me back to my senses.
What am I doing? Am I crazy? Is this some side effect of hitting my head?
But then his hand cupped the back of my head, warmth radiating from his palm.
Our lips met again.
Though awkward at first, they intertwined naturally.
The moist brush of lips and mingling breaths sent a strange, electric sensation through my ears.
