CHAPTER1- PART3

* * * * * * * * *

 It was Monday morning. Through the revolving door, Kang-woo was arriving at work with the executives.   

“Good morning, Mr. General Manager.”

The women gossiped. There was a halo from the morning.   

[Wow, I think you should be an actress, don’t you?]

[Do you have a lover? I don’t know who it is, but I’m envious.   

[Haa…… Doha-eun, Ha-eun…. It’s too early to get tired already.]

She remembered the scene from last night’s dream, whispering in her ear. Heat rushed to her face.

It wasn’t enough that she’d had a sinister dream about him, she had a strange feeling. Haen pressed her nails into her palms in frustration.   

“Why are you doing this?”

One mistake shouldn’t be two, but my mind kept replaying that day in a panic, wondering what had happened.

The design department meeting was at 10:00. Team Leader Kim, Ha-Eun, and a few designers arrived at the conference room. I’m nervous.  

 I wonder if the work I’ve been doing all week will show in his eyes….   

Moments later, the door opened and Kang-woo walked into the room. His rich scent wafted into the room.

An unforgettably good smell.  My heart pounded in my chest. I was puzzled by the vividness of last night’s dream, and I didn’t like the look on Kang-woo’s face as he looked at the designs one by one.

After a glance, she slammed them down on the table.   

“I don’t see anything useful.”

“……So…….”

“I’ll give you one more week, until then, bring me a design you like.”   

Everyone’s eyes widened. This was the design department that worked overtime until 11 p.m. every night, and…. smelled bad.   

“Can you please tell us clearly what kind of feel you want?”

Ha-eun glared at Kang-woo.  She couldn’t just blindly design without giving her a clear direction.  Wouldn’t that be a waste of manpower?

Rainbow’s eyebrows shot up. There was a stifling silence.   

“Secretary Chung, bring them.”

His assistant slapped a photo down on the table in front of each of them. Ha-eun scratched her head.

The picture was of a barren piece of land overgrown with weeds.   

“This is a 50-acre plot of land in Paju. We have to build luxury townhouses on this lot, and we have one year to do it.” 

“Ta, townhouses? One, one year! We have to build a town in that short time… It doesn’t make sense.”   

The room erupted in laughter. This was ridiculous.  It seemed like it would take half a year just to lay the roads.

“If it doesn’t work, make it work. That’s how I do business.”   

Kang-woo’s gaze fell on Ha-eun’s cheeks. If the project was to succeed in a year, they needed more than a week to come up with a design. When the meeting ended and they walked down to the office, the exhaustion was palpable.   

“We’re up to our necks in this project.”

“Maybe.”

“What do we do? I can’t work overtime this week… The kid is sick.”

“After….”

Everyone on the team had an excuse. Mr. Kim looked at Ha-eun.   

“I don’t think our design is good enough. Should we put our hopes in Ha-eun?”

Ha-eun’s design was the one the head of the team looked at the longest. Ha-eun gritted her teeth.   

“Leave it to me. I’m sure I’ll come up with a good design.” 

“Ms. Ha-eun. Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.”

“You seniors just need to find the materials.” 

“Yeah!”

One of the team members patted Ha-eun on the shoulder.   

“I want you to find the most beautiful villages in the world. Every single one, especially in Europe.” 

“If it’s Europe, then….”

“If the special thing the general manager wants is a luxury townhouse, then we need to design it accordingly. Don’t make me go through all that trouble.”

Ha-Eun stretched deeply and loosened her fingers.

‘We’ll see…

* * * * * * * *

 A week of overtime, set by the head of the department, and it looked like today would be no different.    Ha-eun released her stiff shoulders. Team Leader Kim set the coffee on Ha-eun’s desk.

“I’m sorry to leave you with such a difficult task.”   

Team Leader Kim had been working late with Ha-eun until yesterday.

“It’s okay, you can go home.” 

“I’m going to get sick. It’s not just one night, it’s been two weeks of late nights.”

“I was born healthy.” 

“Then eat something. There are cup noodles in the break room.”

“I’ll do it.”   

After Team Leader Kim left the office, Ha-eun was alone in the office.

Ha-Eun sipped her coffee, her hands moving quickly. Her hands were busy designing. ‘A luxury townhouse… What should I do?

” She couldn’t think of a design. I drew and erased it in my sketchbook for the umpteenth time. Eventually, I swiped away my entire day’s worth of designs.   

“I’m hungry….”

She felt like she needed to eat something. HaEun got up from her seat and headed to the restroom.

Each floor was lit up to see if anyone else was working late.  

Ha-eun’s eyes were drawn to the fifth floor. I wonder if Kang-woo is also working late?  His the head of the department, so I’m sure his busy….

‘ Ha-eun went into the bathroom, took out some cup noodles, and poured hot water on them.

Then, a message came in.   

[“Really, I’m sick of….”

It was Nam Joo-an, who had been trying to contact her without success, changing her cell phone number. Ha-eun rejected the call and picked up a chopstick of instant noodles.  But her appetite had already dropped.

Ha-Eun tossed it in the trash and walked away. The sting of betrayal didn’t fade over the next few months.   

Ha-Eun wanted to succeed in order to make amends with the pair that had screwed me over. To succeed, she needed to make a big splash.

The group you set up.  It was a great opportunity. If my design caught the eye of the general manager, and we could build what we decided to build together, we would be on the road to success.

‘Ha…. But there are too many mountains to climb for that….’

To successfully complete the project, I had to resolve the awkward relationship with the general manager. It’s true that I crossed an irreversible line even if I divided the credit and blame…

Did she really think the day would be okay?  When she stumbled back into the office, she saw a large shadow and gasped. That back…! It was Kang-woo.

Feeling popular, Kang-woo looked back.   

“The general manager is… This is…..”

“It’s still before dinner.”

“It’s ……?”

“I don’t want to eat alone, so I came.”   

There were two bento boxes on the table. Ha-eun’s fingertips twitched with nervousness.    Kang-woo looked at the chairs and gestured for her to sit down. Ha-eun sat down.

“Thank you.” 

“You have to eat well to come up with great designs.” 

“Yeah… yeah….”   

My lunch was sushi. I nervously picked at the sashimi with my chopsticks because of the rainfall right in front of me.   

“Don’t you like sushi?”

“No, I’ll eat it.”   

Ha-eun popped one into her mouth and chewed. The flavor was wonderful. She’d never had sushi this good in her life.

The sashimi melted in her mouth. Kang-woo didn’t open the lid of his lunchbox when he said he’d have dinner with me.   

What is it? Why is he looking at me like that? Is it a scavenger hunt?

Ha-eun wasn’t the only one bothered by Kang-woo staring at her face. She kept imagining strange things. My face was burning.

“So, what about your ex-boyfriend?”

“Kolok… Kolok… Now… Wait… Kolok….”

Ha-eun heard the Saree and cough, and Kang-woo gave her water. The horseradish ran down her nose and made it sting.   

“I’m not surprised. It’s not that big of a deal to break up with someone.”

“It is since you brought it up out of the blue.” 

“I was wondering.” 

“About what?”

“I went up to the hotel room in front of him, just to see if he’s gonna be a jerk again.”

“…………”

“Is he still?”

“It’s my job.” 

“Okay then.”   

Kang-woo was speechless.

Ha-Eun ate nonstop, realizing that if she didn’t finish the sushi soon, they would continue to sit uncomfortably across from each other.   

When she finished, Kang-woo got up from his seat.  I thought he was leaving the office, but he was heading to Ha-eun’s seat.

“General Manager?”

“I didn’t get a good look at it earlier.”

“I was trying to get rid of that design, it’s too unrealistic….”

“That’s for me to see and judge.”

Kang-woo stared down at the design. He didn’t know what to make of the skeletonized, half-erased design, but he kept staring.

“It’s not finished yet.” 

“Let’s keep drawing.” 

“What?”

“Sit here and give me a rough sketch, because I want to see what you were trying to draw. You have quite a bit of material on your desk, and I think you’ve found a good source.”

“I was just thinking of a town in Western Europe.”   

Ha-eun sat back in her seat and fidgeted with her hands. I felt nervous with Kang-woo staring at my sketchbook right behind me, but I pulled out the design in my head.

Her hands never stopped moving. Once she got into a task, she was frighteningly absorbed in it. Even with an uncomfortable boss behind her, Ha-eun’s hands were engrossed in his work.    Suddenly, the nape of her neck tickled.   

“You need to revitalize this place.”

At the touch of his breath, her throat tightened. Her cheeks were less than ten centimeters from his lips. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was beating so loudly, that I was terribly embarrassed he’d hear it.

“…I can’t draw.” 

“What?”

“I don’t have any more ideas today.” 

“…I know. It’s already ten o’clock, and I didn’t realize how much time had passed.”

“I’ll save the rest for our next meeting.” 

“Okay.”

Ha-eun swept her hand across her chest.  Kang-woo glanced at his watch and then at Ha-eun. Why? What else was there to say?

“Get ready to leave.” 

“What?”

“I’ll pick you up on the way.” 

“Oh, no, thanks.”

Ha-Eun waved her hands furiously.   

“I’m not going to eat you, Ha-Eun.” 

“You might get the wrong idea.” 

“We’re the only two people in this building right now.” 

“They’re ……?”

“They’re all off work.”

“……a….”

Kang-woo’s lips curled into a charming smile.  Ha-eun bit the flesh in her mouth.

“It means that even if it wasn’t you, if there was an employee getting off work late, you would have driven them home.” 

“………….”

“If you’re conscious of me….”

“Not at all.”   

Ha-Eun snapped.   

“Then let’s go.” 

“Okay.”   

The steps down to the parking lot were heavy.

The driver was off work, so he took the wheel himself. Naturally, the seat next to him was Ha-Eun’s. Her nervous body stiffened. She became increasingly self-conscious.   

It was then that an elongated hand reached out. My heart dropped with a thud. Why! Why? My heart pounded frantically as his face approached.   

Pop, pop.

A series of shouts followed.   

“Seatbelt.”

“Ah… yes….”

“What are you blushing for?”

“It’s hot, hot, hot!”

Ha-Eun waved her hand.   

“I’ll turn on the air conditioner.”

Soon the car was filled with a cool breeze, but as time went on, she felt uncomfortable. The scent of his body.  It had become a deadly attraction, and Ha-eun felt like a thorn in her seat.   

“Home.”

“What?”

“An address. Unless you want to keep driving through the Han River.”

“Hwagok-dong.” 

“That’s pretty far.” 

“I’m just, you can drop me off at the subway station.” 

“Now’s a good time for drunken bugs to hook up, no.”   

Rain gripped the steering wheel, pounding, pounding. Her damn heart was beating against her will.

When I turned to look, I saw the side view of Kang Woo reflected in the car window:

“……Handsome.”

The distance from work to home was an hour. When I saw a convenience store at the entrance to the alley, I gestured.   

“Hey, you can get off around there.” 

“I’m going a little further in any way.” 

“It’s narrow and I don’t want to run into oncoming traffic. I’ll just, uh, get off here.”

Kang-woo’s car pulled up in front of a convenience store. They got out and looked at the endless alleyway.   

“It’s dark.”

“It’s only dark here. If you go back that way, there are plenty of lights.” 

“Hmm….”

“Thank you for taking me. Mr. General Manager.”

Ha-eun bowed and ran down the alleyway. She could feel eyes on her until she was out of sight. My heart pounded in my chest.

I didn’t hate it.  I turned an alley. Suddenly, something jumped out at her.

“Zhuan,”

Ha Eun screamed, her heart racing,

“There’s a reason you’ve been avoiding my calls. Do you have a new boyfriend?”

Zhuan glanced over.   

“Ha, what does it matter if I have a boyfriend or not?”

“Why does it matter? I’m your boyfriend.”

“You’re being ridiculous. A man cheating on my friend is bullshit, it’s over!”

“You’re over, but I’m not. Let’s go to the car and talk about it first.”   

Zhuan grabbed Ha-Eun’s wrist roughly. Ha-Eun twisted her wrist and pulled away.   

“Are you crazy? Why do I have to take your car?”

“Let’s get in and talk.”

He grabbed her wrist in a vicious grip and dragged her away. Ha-Eun bit her lip tightly. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t resist the man’s strength. She screamed, but at 11 p.m., there was no one to help her.

“Get off me!”

“Listen to me… Aah!”

 At that moment, a hand grabbed Zhuan from behind.  Ha’eun was startled, for it was Kang-woo, whom she had thought had returned. He grabbed her chin with an eerie glare.   

“You should be able to open your eyes and see, not like a horny motherfucker.”

“Da, who the fuck are you? Get lost.”

“You’re the one to get lost, not me.”

“What? Side…… off. Fuck….”   

Kang-woo pressed his arm around Zhuan’s neck.   

“You broke up, that’s the end of it, why are you squirming?”

“…Fuck…. Who are you!”

“Me? Her boyfriend.”

“…What…?”

“Open your ears and listen. Ms. Ha-eun is my woman.”

“…………… Woman? Wait…. Her face looks…. Does she look familiar?”

“You’re even dumber than I thought. Even if I was drunk, I’d recognize you at once.”   

Zhuan’s face turned whiter and whiter.   

“Right, right? You…. The one who was kissing Ha-Eun in that club… Well, then… You two have been together ever since?”

“I’d say so.”

“That can’t be right, Ha-eun, can it? You’re not the kind of girl who would easily pick up another guy, are you?”

Kang-woo looked at Ha-eun.

“I’ll only believe you if you tell me.”

HaEun sighed heavily.   

“He’s right.”

“What….”

“We’re dating. Okay?”

“……aah….”

I felt sick to my stomach as Zhuan looked as if he had lost the world. Kang-woo slammed him to the ground, and soon a grim voice was coming out of his mouth.

“Now go away. Hang out with a girl in your class. A woman with the same level as the woman you cheated on. If you show up in front of my lover one more time, be prepared that it won’t end like this.”

“I don’t… I don’t… I don’t… Ha-eun, I don’t believe you!”

Zhuan said, backing away, but still managing to get the last word in. Ha-Eun patted her chest.   

“…Thank you.”

“I lied to him because it was the best way to get rid of him, but here we are.” 

“He’s not going to believe you anyway. He’s more persistent than I thought… I don’t want to get him in more trouble than me.” 

“…I don’t mind, but neither do I.”

“Still.” 

“It’s late, you should go.”

“Hey….”

“You said he’s tenacious, then you better have me around.”

Kang Woo stepped forward without knowing which way to go. Ha-eun’s chest filled with heat.

I walked further up the alley and saw an old villa. Her mother had worked hard to buy it, but it was in a state of disrepair and about to be redeveloped.   

Kang-woo glanced at the villa. She wasn’t ashamed of her poverty, but she felt a little uncomfortable in front of the chaebol.   

“You should go. You need to rest.”  

 Kang-woo nodded and headed back down the alley. I stood there for a while, staring at the spot he’d left until the darkness swallowed him whole.

she trudged up the stairs of the villa, which had no elevator. When I heard a knock on my door, I looked up to see Young-eun looking at Ha-eun.   

“You, since when….”

“Ever since that guy dropped you off.”

“Hearts are popping out of your eyes.”

“Hearts. It’s not like that.”

“Who is it?”

“The head of my company.”

“Oh, so the head of your company is escorting you to work? I’m surprised.”

“It’s not like that. He is just giving me a ride because I’m working late.”

“Hmm… I don’t believe you.”

“Huh?”

“I can tell you’re not a normal person by the way you look. No chaebol.”

“Uh, does it say chaebol on your face?”

Ha-eun laughed at Young-eun’s quirkiness.”

“Am I stupid? Can’t you see that the news is all over the place about a merger and acquisition in your company’s group? If it’s someone from headquarters, there’s an 80% chance it’s a blood relative.”

“Heck… I’m surprised. You can lay a mat on the mare.” 

Not only was she a good student, but she had a good eye for people.   

“Anyway, chaebols are too different from us, so don’t like them.”

“I don’t like men.”

“Okay, let’s go inside. I got you some ice cream.”

Ha-eun went up to the fourth floor with Young-eun. As soon as she entered her room to change, she opened the window and looked out.   

Being on the highest floor, she could see the entire alley in the daytime, but it was dark. Ha-eun clicked her tongue and closed the window.   

An in-young came out of the darkness, looked at Ha-eun’s window, and turned around. Only the sound of Kang-woo’s footsteps echoed in the quiet alley.

* * * * * * *

Rain had a reason for not wanting to go home early. He came home late, and the party was long over. It was a family reunion for a certain group of people.   

He didn’t want to run into any relatives, so he entered the mansion through the back door. Kang Hyun, the eldest son, who was moderately drunk, blocked his path.   

“Are things going well?”

“Of course.”

“You know you’re going to head it into the ground, and you’re so proud of yourself.”

“Are you thinking of me?”

“Of course not.”   

The corner of Kang Hyun’s mouth curled.   

“Then just wait and see.”

“No matter how busy you are, you’ll still make it in time for your mother’s birthday.”

“Did I ever have a mother?”

“You’re ungrateful for the black-haired beast I gave you.”

“I never asked for it.”

“You’re pretending to be something you’re not by using your father’s money to pay for favors… If you don’t know how to thank dad for raising you like his own child, you’re just an animal.”

Kang-woo felt like bursting into laughter. Thanks for raising me. He had never heard such a shitty word in his life.  Kang-woo stood stiffly and stared at Kang-hyun.

“Don’t you know that when a beast bares its teeth, it goes mad? Once it bites its target, it won’t let go.”

“A stick is the medicine for a mad dog.”

“You’ll get your throat bitten out first before you swing the stick.”

Kang Hyun’s face contorted. He thought he heard a growl coming from Kang-woo.

“He won’t say a word.”

“So don’t touch him.”   

Kang-woo came up to his room and roughly loosened his tie.  Irritation surged through him.   

“I’ll show you what a mad dog looks like. Just wait,”

Kang-woo said, his eyes gleaming. My anger was fueled by physical needs. I wondered if digging deep all night would fill the void.

Kang-woo’s mind began to replay his night with Ha-eun. I pushed my p*nis as hard as I could into her hot, narrow v*g*na, and she clenched tightly as if to tell me not to leave.

The way she reacted to each hard thrust was so beautiful and stimulating. Kang-woo stroked his hair as he looked at his swollen p*nis.  

 * * * * * * * * * *

Another week has passed. This time, I made a miniature model house.   

“What do you think? Do you think it’s going to pass this time?”

“Yes, it’s perfect.”

“I’m very happy with it.”

“If this design is rejected again, the head of the department will have weird eyes.” 

The team members chimed in. The head of the department was also pleased with Ha-eun’s design.

“Yay. Ms. Ha-eun.”

“After….”

Ha-eun went to the general manager’s office to get the final confirmation. Smart. She knocked, but there was no answer. When she looked at the secretary, she gestured that she could come in.  The model house was quite heavy, so she didn’t refuse and went into the general manager’s office.

The general manager’s office had two conference rooms, with the executive office in between. Ha-eun walked into the room where the team usually met and placed the model house on the table.

“Where did he go?”

He was supposed to be inside, but she couldn’t see him. Ha-Eun moved the model house to the center of the table and put down the papers.

“Did he leave?

Ha-eun walked into the office. There was a large couch made of upholstery, with a shoe at the end of it.   

“Eh, Mr. Director?”

He was tired and asleep. Ha-eun stared at his sleeping face.   

‘Is the work hard? Well, if he doesn’t finish the project in a year, his position will be at risk. It will be his first project…….’

She wanted to help him, even if it meant risking the design department’s neck. Without realizing it, Ha-eun moved closer to him. That’s when she noticed the hair on her shirt.

The hair on her white dress shirt was an eyesore.  She cautiously reached out to tidy it up.   

“Ugh!”

She felt a hand grab her wrist, and the next thing she knew, she was on top of him. Ha-eun’s heart raced.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, there’s hair on my shirt….”

Standing up, he pushed against his hard chest. His muscular chest reached her fingertips through his thin shirt.  Ha-eun pulled her hand away in surprise.   

“It’s not the first time I’ve touched you, but you’re surprising me.”

“Oh… Ha…. Was it?”

“No place was untouched by you.”

“Uh, when? I don’t remember that.” 

“So you didn’t run away using the blackout as an excuse.” 

“What?”

“That day, you ran away without telling me.” 

“I, when did I run away… We had an agreement.” 

“Agreed.”

 Ha-Eun was puzzled. Shouldn’t we just pretend we didn’t know what happened that day?

“It’s supposed to be a blip on the radar. How do you look at your face in the morning?”

“You said it was your first time, that’s a lie.”

He was firmly in the wrong but didn’t want to be corrected.   

“Well, you believed it?”

“Never mind. It’s better than being naive.” 

“What?”

“Well, at least you won’t be begging for love.”

“What… what do you mean… Love doesn’t beg, it comes naturally.”

“I’m not like Ms. Do ha-eun, I don’t get sentimental.”

Kang-woo laughed cynically at Ha-eun’s words. He couldn’t agree more.

Was this man betrayed by his lover? Of course, he must have had a lot of women dumping him, so it’s not like he didn’t have a lover….

Who could have dumped him? What a ridiculous idea…    But then she reconsidered. The reason she came here in the first place was for official reasons.  Ha’eun cleared the uncomfortable air first.

“I’m here for a consultation, do you want me to come back later?”

“No, thank you. Let’s do it now.”   

Ha-eun went to the conference room and waited for Kang-woo. After a while, Kang-woo’s hair was damp from washing his face.   

“Doesn’t it make you look sexier?”

he asked, looking at the model house. Ha-eun pressed her nails into her palm.Stop looking. I’m going to punch you in the face!

“How about this one? Do you like it?”

“…………..”

“Mr. General Manager?”

“It’s close to the design I had in mind. Pretty much how I envisioned it.”

“Really?”

Ha-eun patted her chest. It had finally passed.

“Yes.”

“Ah! That’s great.” 

“Then let’s get going.” 

“What?”

“I need to see the site with my own eyes and work out the details.” 

“Now?”

“Ten minutes. Report out and come down to the parking lot.” 

“…Okay.”   

Ha-Eun hurried down to the office.

Ha-Eun came down to the department and announced the news to her teammates who were waiting for the results.

“Wow! Congratulations! It’s you, Ha-Eun. What did I tell you? I told you it would work this time.” “Good job, everyone.”

“You’ve worked hard.”   

“Now that the general manager has given us the green light, we’re going to be busy. Contact the contractor and supervisor, and hurry up. Prepare the drawings.”

“Yes, sir!”

She breathed a sigh of relief as if she had completed a difficult task. Ha-eun hurried out of the office.   

“I’m going to go on a field trip with the general manager.”