Chapter : 12
Business Trip
She could barely remember how she slipped out of his arms and made it home.
That was how overwhelming a day it had been because of Kang-woo.
When Chaegyung woke up, she curled up and hugged her aching body.
“Ugh, my head…”
Her head throbbed not only from being weak to alcohol, but also because of the relentless kisses he had pressed on her. She almost regretted ever getting involved with him. She grabbed her hair in frustration.
Even so, when she recalled those fierce kisses, every cell in her body tingled.
“You’re crazy, Min Chaegyung.”
She checked the clock and hurriedly got ready for work. Her lips were still swollen in the bathroom mirror, but she ignored them with half-focused eyes.
As soon as she got to the office, she opened her inbox. There was an email from Kang-woo’s secretary team.
[Domestic trip for advisory board meeting]
Deputy Manager Min Chaegyung,
This is Deputy Manager Kang Joo-eun from the Vice President’s Secretariat.
We will proceed with the advisory board meeting that was scheduled before the proposal presentation.
Location: Conference room, Convention Center, K Science University
Attendees: Four advisory committee members, VP Ji Kang-woo, Director Shin, Deputy Manager Min Chaegyung, university researchers
Time: Scheduled for 2:30 PM
Please prepare accordingly.
Thank you,
Kang Eun-ju
The word business trip to Daejeon snagged her attention.
“Why Daejeon, of all places… sigh.”
Chaegyung instinctively bit her lip, then quickly stopped. That action reminded her too much of him.
Yesterday, he had even taken her bitten lip into his mouth.
Now I remember the weirdest details.
She raked a hand through her hair, frowning to chase her thoughts away. These days, similar situations made him pop into her mind constantly.
A business trip with Kang-woo only added to her turmoil. Deep sighs didn’t help.
Secretary Kang found her at her desk and relayed the schedule apologetically.
“Deputy Manager Min, VP Ji’s schedule is really tight this week. Today’s the only possible day. His calendar changes by the day, so… I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It can’t be helped.”
She smiled for the secretary’s sake, though she didn’t feel calm inside.
“Since he’s planning to tour the research facilities too, I think you’ll get back to Seoul pretty late.”
Feeling guilty, Secretary Kang tried to be as helpful as possible.
“You leave in an hour. Let me know if you need help preparing.”
“No worries. The materials are ready — I just need to print and organize the data.”
“Thank you for your work.”
With the sudden schedule change, Chaegyung had no time to breathe.
She left Seoul in the morning in Kang-woo’s car.
Not his usual black sedan — a van fit for a celebrity.
The space was bigger, but being close to him was uncomfortable.
Sitting lined up with Director Shin, Kang-woo looked busier than anyone.
“Director Shin, where’s the cost estimate data for the budget? And the Michigan contract draft?”
“It’s right here.”
The way they worked so seamlessly showed they’d done this countless times.
The van felt like a mobile office. The tension between the two focused men was so different from usual that Chaegyung shrank quietly in the back seat.
Other than work talk and the sound of tapping on tablets and paper, nothing else could be heard.
Because year-end traffic clogged every road, even escaping Seoul was a struggle.
With little to do, her mind wandered. Her empty stomach and hangover only sharpened her nerves.
After they crossed out of the city, Kang-woo’s voice broke through the silence.
“Let’s stop at a rest area.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kang-woo and Director Shin got off first. Chaegyung stayed seated—until Kang-woo stuck his head back inside.
“Why aren’t you getting out?”
“Yes?”
He didn’t wait for her answer and walked away.
With no choice, she followed him.
I was really planning to stay in the car…
The rest stop was huge — famous brand-name food stalls included.
Kang-woo walked into one and took a seat.
“Don’t you normally skip breakfast or stick to something light?” Director Shin asked.
“Today’s an exception.”
No one questioned him.
The choice was surprisingly heavy — the rest stop’s famous bean sprout soup.
The bowl steamed violently, piled high with bean sprouts.
Chaegyung rarely drank, so even a little alcohol wrecked her the next day.
She instinctively reached for the hot soup.
It soothed her empty stomach immediately.
“Isn’t this your favorite, Secretary Jung?” Kang-woo asked.
“Yes. I didn’t think you liked it, sir.”
“In the States, yeah. You can’t compare Korean food over there with this.”
“Absolutely. It’s on a different level. Thank you for the meal.”
When talking work, he was sharp and cold — but with the secretariat staff, he seemed surprisingly down-to-earth.
Chaegyung felt his gaze and slowly looked up.
He stared at her blankly, as if without appetite.
“You usually eat breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“So it suits your taste. Must be the hangover.”
He casually stirred his soup.
“You eat better than most women I know. It’s nice to see.”
“I do eat well, thank you.”
Secretary Jung grinned.
“And don’t drink again when you can’t handle it.”
“…Yes.”
The man who always made her miserable was suddenly acting kind—almost unsettlingly so.
Kang-woo stood up with barely half his bowl eaten.
On the way back to the car, the secretaries stepped away briefly.
With just the two of them, he spoke offhandedly.
“Your lips look prettier than usual.”
“……”
Her swollen lips — and it was all his fault.
She frowned, realizing his teasing had begun again.
She almost bit her lip out of habit, but stopped.
“If you bite them like usual, I’ll make them last even longer.”
She resolved not to respond anymore.
You can’t win against him — avoidance was the only strategy.
The car sped south.
The office atmosphere resumed in full force.
At K University’s convention center, the president’s secretary greeted them.
“The President is waiting for you.”
“Let’s go. Deputy Manager Min, prepare the presentation.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chaegyung followed a researcher to the meeting room and set up alone.
Several university researchers drifted in and out.
A blond man entered and sat squarely in the center seat, staring at her slides.
His stillness soon unnerved her.
Golden blond hair, flawless skin, piercing eyes, sharp nose — a face so well-defined he could have been a world-class celebrity.
Even sitting quietly, he radiated presence. Sitting alone in the center of the room, focused on her material, made it impossible not to notice him.
Hey, the third data point on that slide is wrong.
Excuse me? That’s not possible.
She had checked it dozens of times — crunched the numbers herself. She was sure.
It’s tied to the second and fourth data points, but you linked it to the first and fourth. Combine the second and fourth and it should be 21%.
And that means the rest below changes too.
He proceeded to list the follow-on errors one by one.
Chaegyung recalculated frantically.
Only after ten minutes did she confirm he was right.
He had done in a minute what took her ten.
She knew K University gathered brilliant talent from around the world — but experiencing it firsthand hit differently.
Thank you. I tried hard to make it error-free, but I’m lucky you caught it.
When she smiled and thanked him, he grinned widely — a refreshing expression.
I just happened to see it. If you really mean thanks, buy me coffee.
It didn’t feel like flirting — just a dry little joke.
Because it wasn’t forced, she found herself responding positively.
There was still about an hour before the meeting.
She needed caffeine too.
Would you like some coffee? I’ll go buy it downstairs. Just wait here a moment?
Let’s go together. I’ll be bored sitting here.
When he stood, his height startled her.
As tall as Kang-woo — with the proportions of a model.
They sat at an outdoor café table facing the lawn.
Even someone shy around strangers like her found this oddly easy.
His social ease was astonishing.
Do you study here?
No. Just visiting for work. I’m Ray Rolf. You?
I’m Min Chaegyung. My English name is Chloe Min.
Chloe? Nice.
A shadow fell beside her.
Ray? What are you doing here—
Kang-woo stood behind her, expression clearly disapproving.
