Chapter – 30
“Your lips are swollen.”
The first thing Kim Geon said when we met on the rooftop at lunchtime was unexpectedly sharp.
“I ate something spicy last night and went to sleep,” I replied.
“Really?”
The look on his face was strange after hearing my answer. It was hard to tell whether he was smiling or not, like usual.
“How are things with Lee Hyun these days?”
“The same as always.”
“If you’re sharing affection with your lips, I wouldn’t call that the same.”
“Don’t say weird things.”
At his words, what happened yesterday came rushing back to me.
While I had been clinging to Do Lee Hyun for a long time, one of his hot hands had slipped inside my clothes.
At that moment, I was certain—if we kept going, it would be dangerous. This time, neither of us would be able to stop.
That thought snapped me back to my senses, and I barely managed to push him away.
It was an accident. Do Lee Hyun had been drunk, and I, unable to handle the stress piling up lately, had indulged in an uncharacteristic lapse.
After that, he said nothing either.
And so, as if nothing had happened, we returned to our respective lines. Like before. As we always had.
“You’re not starting to have feelings for Lee Hyun, are you?”
“No.”
“I’m saying this for your sake, Minha—don’t like Lee Hyun as a man.”
The lunchboxes Kim Geon had grown accustomed to bringing were placed between us one by one.
“Why? Is there a special reason?”
“Hmm… If I were a woman, I think I’d feel uneasy. You know what I mean.”
Without answering, I lifted the bottled water in my hand and drank.
It was the same bottle Do Lee Hyun had handed me yesterday. I had brought it with me without thinking.
“And just in case I should add—Minha, this is Sungjin Capital. The very Sungjin Capital you’re trying to destroy. And Lee Hyun is a core figure here.”
“I know that.”
There was a swirling emotion inside me that wanted to add, Even so. But I forced it down.
There was no reason, no logic I could attach to it. It was a sentence that wouldn’t even make sense—something I myself couldn’t understand. So I sealed it shut.
“By the way, does Sungjin do workshops?”
“About twice a year? Are you going this weekend too?”
“I heard from Do Lee Hyun yesterday. Chairman Park invited me as well.”
“Hmm, that’s not exactly good news. The workshop itself is nothing special. Just some old executives from the affiliates gathering at a resort, drinking under the excuse of bonding. But…”
“But?”
Kim Geon’s brown hair fluttered in the chilly wind as he looked deliberately serious.
As always, there was a faint scent of something burned lingering around him.
“I’m worried those old men might bother you. Maybe that’s what Chairman Park wants to see.”
“Well… at this point, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just close my eyes and endure half a day.”
“Half a day? It’s a one-night, two-day workshop.”
One night, two days. That meant staying the night there.
Would I have a separate room from Do Lee Hyun? Or… since we carried the title of fiancés, would we share one?
My mind became consumed with that tense future.
“Don’t worry. I’ll try bringing it up with Chairman Park Jin-ho. It’d be better if you didn’t go, if possible.”
“R-right. Please.”
Time passed, and before I knew it, Saturday arrived.
Despite Kim Geon’s efforts, I ended up going to the workshop with Do Lee Hyun.
More than Kim Geon’s apologetic message telling me to meet him afterward, what weighed on me was the fact that I’d be spending one night and two days with Do Lee Hyun.
“Is that all your luggage?”
I loaded my minimally packed bag into the trunk of his car.
After gesturing for me to get in, he took the driver’s seat.
Unlike usual, Do Lee Hyun was dressed casually in a knit sweater, coat, and jeans. It gave him a different aura.
Even in light clothing anyone could wear, his striking features and build made him look like a nonchalant model from a designer brand’s pictorial.
“You’re driving yourself today?”
“Yes. Han-gyu deserves a day off sometimes.”
Once we were alone in the car, a familiar silence filled the space.
Was it because of the kiss that had been an “accident”? Being in such a confined space with him stirred a strange, sensual tension that dried my throat.
“Get some sleep. It’s quite far to the resort.”
“I’m fine. Should I turn on the radio?”
I’d rather borrow the radio’s noise than endure the awkwardness alone.
A familiar song that had recently been trending on Reels played.
“…Do you listen to songs like this too, Mr. Lee Hyun?”
“No.”
“Then what do you usually listen to?”
“Nothing in particular. I don’t really look for music.”
“Still, you must have a preference.”
“Why?”
For a fleeting moment, his dark eyes fixed on me.
“Why are you curious about my preferences?”
“No reason. I’m just curious.”
“My preferences seem to be changing a lot these days. Toward something I never used to think about.”
I turned my gaze toward the window at his cryptic words.
Why do I keep getting curious about Do Lee Hyun?
Is it sympathy for the boy smiling in that photograph?
Or because of the way his eyes sometimes linger on me?
Minha, this is Sungjin Capital. The very Sungjin Capital you’re trying to destroy. And Lee Hyun is a core figure here.
Kim Geon was right. Do Lee Hyun belongs to Sungjin Capital. I shouldn’t let myself have unnecessary sentiment, emotion, or sympathy.
Right then, as if on cue, a message arrived. From Kim Geon.
I stared at my phone for a while before Do Lee Hyun asked,
“Something happen?”
“No, nothing. It’s Geon.”
“Why?”
“He’s asking where we are. If we’re nearby, he wants to meet at the next rest stop.”
“Let’s just go. It’s a waste of time.”
“Wow, seeing you both here is so nice! Hyun, long time no see!”
“…I guess it hasn’t been long since you saw Yoo Minha?”
“Yeah. We meet often. We’re lunch buddies. Didn’t you know?”
“Do I need to?”
Despite Do Lee Hyun trying to leave, I persuaded him to stop at the next rest area.
I needed to quench my burning throat and loosen my tense body, even just for a moment.
“I’ll go buy some water.”
“I’ll come.”
“Let’s go together!”
The two men spoke at the same time, and embarrassment rose to my face.
“I’ll just get yours too.”
“Let’s go together, Minha. You’ll be bored alone.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll go too. I have something to buy anyway.”
It felt burdensome.
The stares from people around us were noticeable.
Even at a glance, walking between two tall, eye-catching men was not an easy, everyday moment.
‘Wow. What is this?’
‘Is this a shoot or something?’
Ignoring the whispers, the two walked beside me as if competing, matching their strides to mine.
Almost fleeing, I hurried into the store and grabbed several bottles of water.
Buy quickly. Leave quickly.
Suddenly, the weight of the basket disappeared.
“Why are you stubbornly carrying this alone? You should’ve made Kim Geon do it.”
Grumbling, Do Lee Hyun took the basket from me.
On an ordinary sunny weekend, at a highway rest stop convenience store, seeing him in a white knit sweater with his hair down felt strange.
Standing there like that, I felt as if I were the only one living in a different universe.
“What are you two doing? I picked out some snacks for Minha!”
My naive sentiment was promptly shattered by Kim Geon’s voice cutting in.
After paying, I briefly escaped to the restroom.
I washed my hands in water cold enough to snap me back to reality.
Get a grip, Yoo Minha. Don’t drown in pointless sentiment. We’re almost there. Don’t carry this unidentifiable emotion with you.
After taking a deep breath, I stepped back outside and quickly found Do Lee Hyun and Kim Geon.
They were hard to miss, even from afar.
But before I could take more than a few steps toward them, I stopped.
Two women approached them, saying something. It was obvious what kind of situation it was, even to someone completely clueless.
It was frustrating. Did those women even know what kind of work those polished-looking men did?
As I watched from a distance, a sour feeling kept rising inside me.
The harder I tried to shake it off, the more tangled my emotions became.
If I were a woman, I think I’d feel uneasy. You know what I mean.
Today, Kim Geon’s words kept stirring in my head like a curse.
