SMBM 04

Chapter : 04

Traces

When Chaekyung opened her eyes, the room was completely still.
As her blank mind snapped back, the night with the unfamiliar man flashed past like a film reel.

Once she realized where she was, the steady breathing at her side made her heart pound violently.
Without making a sound, she slowly turned her head.

The handsome man’s face was familiar.
His features were perfectly balanced—nothing lacking, nothing excessive.
Her hand stopped mid-air as she reached toward his peacefully sleeping face.

He’s not Senior Junheon.

Even when she first saw him yesterday, the cold, sharp gaze made her realize he was someone else.
Now she needed to sever ties—with Senior Junheon and with this shadow of him.

Dawn was faintly breaking outside.

There was no way on earth she could wake up next to him and face him.
She could not stay here another minute.

She slipped out of the bed as quietly as she could.
The moment her foot hit the floor, her whole body screamed from the roughness of the previous night.

“Ah…”

She bit her lip to swallow the sound.
She turned anxiously, but he remained fast asleep.

Even knowing it was only the two of them in the room, she had no courage to walk out naked.
The robe lying by the foot of the bed looked impossibly far away.

Why is it all the way over there?

In the end, she slipped on the robe he had tossed aside.

The oversized robe wrapped her body completely.
The woodsy scent that had enveloped her in his arms rose again, making her blush as if she were back in his embrace.

Her first taste of pleasure had been overwhelming—so intense that the memory alone made her flustered.

What are you thinking, Min Chaekyung? Have you lost your mind?

She shook her head hard and crept toward the door.

Just before she left, she turned back.
She traced his silhouette on the dark bed with her eyes and whispered in her heart:

Thank you. And…I’m sorry.

She tore herself away before her eyes could soften further.

She didn’t know who she was really saying it to—but she felt it was enough.

Out of the room and dressed at last, the luxury suite came into view.

“How much does a place like this even cost?”

She never imagined her reckless offer and words would lead her to a suite.
Chaekyung emptied her wallet—eight fifty-thousand-won bills—and placed them on the table.
She had no idea if it covered anything, but she needed to ease the weight on her conscience.

Suites are expensive. So… at least this much.

She considered leaving a note, but the thought of a one-night partner leaving a message felt ridiculous.
So she left the hotel as if fleeing, and got into a taxi.

“Whew.”

Only after the hotel disappeared behind her did she relax, leaning her head against the window.

Min Chaekyung, you’re insane. What have you done?

That impulsive decision was strong enough to shatter the values she had lived by.

It was her first time uttering tempting words,
and her first time with a man who gave her a thrill Junheon never had.
On her way home, her mind sank deeper into the reckless memories of the night.
The more she remembered, the more her mood dimmed.

Chaekyung collapsed onto her own bed when she got home.

“Ugh. I’m exhausted.”

She had taken a day off yesterday, so she couldn’t rest today.

I skipped yesterday, so I must go in today.

Dragging herself up, she rushed to get ready.
Her naked body made her gasp.

“What is this?”

From below her neck to her collarbone were red marks—rough, insistent bites.
Below that… she didn’t even want to look.

Whew…

She took a deep breath and braced herself.

This is the end. Impulsive, yes. But I won’t regret it. I’ll forget the past—forget him—and live well.

She hurried out the door.
Every dull ache that radiated up her body reminded her of last night.
She shoved those memories down and walked into the office.

The atmosphere was different.
Even the department head—who hated idle chatter—stood chatting with Manager Cho.

Sensing something strange, she greeted Manager Kim carefully.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, Deputy Min. Why’s your face like that?”

He grimaced at her expression.

Flustered, she rubbed her cheeks and mumbled,
“Nothing happened. I just couldn’t sleep.”

She tried to sit but winced from the soreness.

“Did you hear?”

As soon as she sat, Manager Kim dragged his chair close.

“Hear what?”

“Our company’s new vice president. He’s being transferred here from HQ.”

“I see.”

Her flat reaction only encouraged him to talk more, his tone almost accusing her of indifference.

“They say he’s single, ridiculously handsome, and famous for making bold plays and succeeding at HQ.”

“Why would someone like that come to the Korea branch?”

“Exactly! That’s why the higher-ups are so tense.”

Chaekyung barely cared.

Her rank wasn’t high enough to feel threatened,
and Motte—a multinational—was a dream workplace with great benefits.
She had gotten in through hard work and was satisfied.

And after last night, she had sworn to build a wall between herself and men.
Whoever the boss was didn’t matter.

“We’re just rank-and-file. Why would it affect us?”

“Rumor is he’s building his own direct task force. If you get pulled in, it’s a fast track to promotion.”

“A direct team?”

“That’s why the department head and Manager Cho are losing their minds.”

Looking around, everyone was whispering intently.
Change was sweeping in.

“I want to join that team. Then I’d get to stare at a gorgeous VP every day.”

Chaekyung laughed.
Manager Kim fell in love easily—at least with faces.
Her target had simply changed to the vice president.

“What about Manager Jang in the next division?”

“Right? Still… I’m curious. They say he’s a total dreamboat.”

She stuck out her tongue, thinking of Manager Jang—currently her almost-relationship—not just a one-sided crush.
Her honesty was something Chaekyung admired.

The chaotic hours passed quickly.
In the afternoon, a notice popped up on the intranet.

The room buzzed.

Chaekyung opened it without much thought—and froze at a familiar name.

No matter how many times she reread the letters, they stayed the same.

“No way.”

The words slipped out loud.

“Oh my gosh, Deputy Min! You’re on the list!”

“I saw… but why me…”

“Lucky!”

Chaekyung stared blankly at the screen.

‘A new Strategy Planning Team will be established under Vice President Ji Kang-woo, assigned to the Korea branch.
The personnel are as follows—’

There it was—Deputy Min Chaekyung.

Kangwoo was in a foul mood from the morning.

Jinho, who had seen him with a woman the previous night, was barely holding back curiosity.

Kangwoo sat at the suite desk, glaring at his monitor.
Shin, the chief of staff, and Jinho quietly gathered the approved documents and slipped out.

“Director Kim, do you know why the VP’s in such a mood?”

“No, Chief Shin, you don’t either? Damn. Remember that trip last time?”

“How could I forget?”

“He stormed off to Siberia and suffered for two weeks! What if another off-road assignment pops up? I’m terrified.”

“Same here.”

They were like Kangwoo’s hands and feet.
He had exceptional foresight and business instincts,
but because they didn’t, they had to endure all the fallout.
They sighed in unison.

Right then, the library door opened and Kangwoo walked out with one hand in his pocket.

The two men tensed, swallowing hard.

“Chief Shin. I need every CCTV angle—from the bar where the meeting started last night, to the hallway outside the suite, down to the lobby—from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.”

“What? Did something happen?”

“VP, that’s nearly impossible. Hotel policy—”

They spoke over each other in panic.

Kangwoo scowled.

“There’s someone I need to find.”

“But even so—personal data like that, the hotel won’t release—”

Jinho tried to reason with him, then stopped.

“Coax them. Bribe them. Blackmail them. Do whatever it takes.”

Kangwoo paused at the doorway and nailed it home.

“Do I need to buy the hotel? Just get it, Director Kim.”

The look in his eyes said disaster would strike if they failed.

Their sighs deepened behind him.

Late afternoon, Chief Shin escorted Kangwoo to the hotel security room.

A hotel director was waiting.

“Welcome, Vice President Ji Kangwoo.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Ji Kangwoo.”

“To be honest, we cannot normally open CCTV footage, but per our Chairman’s instructions, we’ll show you. We ask that you ignore anything unrelated to the person you’re seeking.”

“Understood.”

Even complying, the director looked uneasy.

The security staff fast-forwarded through the previous night.

When Chaekyung appeared on screen, Kangwoo’s brow tightened.

“Stop there.”

It was her—the woman who had appeared before him last night.

Before dawn, Chaekyung boarded the elevator from the suite floor, hurried out the lobby.

Who are you? Where are you?

No matter how many times he rewound the footage, no clue appeared.

He saw her get into a taxi, but morning traffic was thick.
Tracking it down would be nearly impossible.

“Play that again. Can you zoom in?”

Without realizing, Kangwoo dug for details obsessively.
Despite all his effort, she vanished without a trace.

Even he didn’t understand himself.
He had never shown real interest in another person.

And as she’d said, a one-night affair should’ve been the end.

She left behind a memory impossible to shake.

Time passed.

And the woman Kangwoo desperately searched for appeared again—
revealing far more than he ever imagined.