SMBM 09

Chapter : 09

What About Me?

“Isn’t it reasonable to suspect that the proposal was accepted because of me?”

“Reasonable suspicion?”

I scoffed, unable to hide my disbelief.
Instead of wanting to make her uncomfortable, a sudden urge to make her cry surged up.
Bad thoughts feed on anger and grow fast.

Kang-woo stood up and slowly walked toward Chaekyung.

“Assistant Manager Min Chaekyung. Are you not confident in your own work?”

“No.”

Her nervousness seemed to grow with every step he took.

“Then is my work a joke to you?”

“No.”

Her answer came quickly, shaken by his voice.

“I clearly told Shin Section Chief to gather Mote’s elites. If this is the best he could recommend—someone with so little confidence—maybe I should fire him.”

His tone sounded joking, but his voice was icy.
Standing right in front of her, his cold eyes bore down.

Startled, Chaekyung widened her eyes, but quickly looked away.

Kang-woo lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“That’s not reasonable suspicion. That’s what losers say.”

“……”

Seeing her eyes tremble at his mocking tone brought him a strange sense of relief.

“Assistant Manager Min Chaekyung.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

“Work is work. Learn to separate business from private matters.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“I told you—wait quietly for me to contact you.”

Chaekyung bit her lip.

Kang-woo was startled by the sudden urge to pull her lip free with his hand.
He turned away and headed toward the door, then glanced back.

“The briefing materials were good.”

“……”

Her head lifted at that.
He liked the way her expression shifted with every word he spoke.

“But… don’t bite your lip.”

He left the room with that unexpected warning, cool voice lingering in the air.

If he saw her biting her lip again, his hand might act before his mind did.

* * *

The question Chaekyung had asked in a moment of courage had now become an embarrassing memory.
A day she desperately didn’t want to run into him passed uneventfully.

The newly formed Strategic Planning Team, ambitious and busy, had fallen into a lively routine.

Even though it was a multinational company, it was no different from any other Korean workplace.

By the end of the Monday morning meeting, Section Chief Jang warmed up the room.

“Manager Yang, we’re busy, sure—but we’re a new team. Shouldn’t we at least have one team dinner?”

“The Vice President hasn’t said anything. Why bother?”

“Probably because he’s lived overseas so long. Doesn’t know how important bonding is in Korean companies!”

The others murmured in agreement, and Manager Yang nodded.

“True enough. We should at least have a meal together. I’ll ask the VP. If he says no, we’ll do it ourselves.”

“Sounds good!”

“Okay, that’s it for today.”

“Thank you, Manager!”

As they left the room, everyone chimed in about the dinner—
supervisors eager to drink, junior staff feeling reluctant.

It was decided quickly.
Kang-woo was always away on business trips anyway and rarely back before evening.
In the end, Manager Yang decided not to ask him at all and quietly set the date.

For Chaekyung, the dinner held no particular meaning—good or bad.
She just had to show up, stay a bit, then slip away.

“Hey Min, let’s really drink tonight! How long has it been since our last team dinner?”

Woo-kyung’s eyes sparkled with determination.

“It has been a while. It’s not like we do these often.”

“Right! Even a foreign company needs to follow Korean office culture. We have to enjoy it while we can!”

Woo-kyung’s cheerful nature made Chaekyung laugh.

The team gathered at a barbecue restaurant, buzzing with energy.
In front of her, Jung-seok grilled meat skillfully.

“Wow, are you really single?” Woo-kyung marveled. “With hands like that? What are women even looking at these days?”

Section Chief Jang joined in.
The two practically advertised Jung-seok like he was on the market.

“He’s great! Smart, good family—his dad’s an executive at K Group! He already owns an apartment, too. All he needs is a woman!”

“Seriously! If I were younger, I’d snap him up immediately.”

“Aww, Manager, you’re embarrassing me.”

He smiled, scratching his head—
until his eyes met Chaekyung’s, and he looked awkward again.

“Min, are you seeing someone?”

All eyes fixed on her—including her boss’s.

“Yes, I am.”

From her first year of college, the seat beside her had always been occupied by Jun-heon—her late boyfriend.
Even after his death, that habit, that answer, stayed with her.
Sometimes it saved her from questions; sometimes it was a lie she clung to because the emptiness terrified her.

“You do?” Woo-kyung blinked.

“Yes.”

“You never talk about him. And he barely contacts you. If he’s mediocre, dump him. You’ll suffer forever if you tie yourself to the wrong guy.”

“Yeah,” Jang agreed. “If you’re unsure, try dating other men.”

Chaekyung felt uneasy.

She drank her water repeatedly as the conversation narrowed in on her—
until the dreaded suggestion came.

“How about Jung-seok? THAT’s the kind of guy you should date!”

Chaekyung scrambled for a vague answer—
when a deep voice spoke from behind.

“What about me?”

A tall shadow fell over her.

Startled, she turned.
Kang-woo was standing there—
looking down at her with a gaze that burned.

The team jumped to their feet.
Chaos ripple through the table as they rushed to greet him.

Manager Yang hurriedly prepared a seat—diagonally across from her, the farthest possible.

“Vice President, right this way!”

Kang-woo brushed past without waiting for her answer.

He and Chief Shin had just returned from a business trip.
On their way back to the office, they overheard the team talking about a dinner and suddenly changed direction.

“Let’s leave now—Chief Jang keeps calling.”

“I’m ready. Why does our field day have to be today of all days? I’m scared—we all know Chief Jang’s a heavy drinker.”

“Oh! Hello, Vice President!”

They froze when they ran into Kang-woo.

“Did you say team dinner?”

“Yes… sir.”

One hand in his pocket, a frown deeply etched on his face.

“Where?”

“The barbecue place across the street.”

Sensing something dangerous, they answered quickly.

“Lead the way. Chief Shin, we’re his direct reports—we should attend.”

“Sir.” Shin hesitated, surprised.
Kang-woo never did company dinners—not abroad, not here.

“Chief Shin.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t argue.”

“…Yes.”

His voice was sharp enough to make everyone tense.
They hurried ahead.

He didn’t care about the dinner.
One thing bothered him—
Chaekyung was there.

A place full of alcohol she couldn’t handle.
A place where men talked about her like she was eligible.

At the restaurant, the contrast between the humble shop and his expensive suit and accessories made him stand out even more.

What grated most of all—
her saying she had a boyfriend.
Her coworkers pairing her off with Jung-seok.

He hated it.
Hated it enough to blurt—

“What about me?”

He wanted her answer.
And he wanted to interrupt the idea of her and Jung-seok before it took shape.

Seated at the head table, Kang-woo stared holes into her.

And his low voice cut through the chatter:

“Assistant Manager Min.
I asked—what about me?”

Every head turned.

Chaekyung flushed—
part embarrassment, part alcohol.
His relentless gaze bore into her.

“T-The Vice President is too much for someone like me.”

“Why?”

He wasn’t letting go.

“I’m… ordinary.”

“I’m just a person too.”

“……”

She couldn’t answer.

“He’s every woman’s dream,” Jang rushed in.
Woo-kyung chimed in, eager to smooth things over.

Kang-woo ignored them.
He stared a moment longer, then spoke quietly:

“Try being greedy.”

With that, he looked away.

And a wind stirred inside her heart.