Chapter 43
“Oh? Team leader, you’re here?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah.”
Jaehoon was the one surprised and confused by Hyeyun’s usual attitude. He didn’t understand why she was acting like nothing happened. After all, when they broke up, she had acted like she lost the whole world. So it was no wonder that Jaehoon felt puzzled.
“I was going to visit your office when you came in. I’m sorry I keep slipping away.”
But the more casually she acted, the more nervous he felt.
“N-no, it’s okay.”
“Oh right, we brought some coffee. Would you like one too, Team Leader?”
“No, I’m fine. Then I’ll head inside.”
“Okay.”
In the end, Jaehoon rushed into his office like he was running away.
“Hoo… What’s going on…”
Even though he was relieved to see that she was fine, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
That strange feeling of anxiety kept creeping up on him.
And with that rising unease, Jaehoon finished his work for the day.
“Ha, I’m tired.”
He stretched his aching body and glanced at the clock on the wall.
“It’s already 8 o’clock.”
Because he hadn’t been working very efficiently, it took a while to finish everything, and he ended up staying way past office hours. Jaehoon hurriedly stood up to leave before it got even later. He had told Dayun he might be late, but he remembered she said she’d wait for him since he didn’t eat dinner yet.
Not wanting to keep Dayun waiting, Jaehoon quickly packed up and left his office. The office was dark and empty now. Everyone had gone home. Jaehoon walked straight toward the exit, not looking back.
But—
“Jaehoon, wait a second.”
He was stopped by someone calling his name. When he turned around, he saw Hyeyun standing at her desk in the dark office. Her presence made him flinch a little without meaning to. Who would expect someone to still be here, alone, in the dark?
In the end, unable to refuse her request to talk, Jaehoon followed her to a nearby café. When two cups of warm coffee were placed in front of them, Jaehoon spoke quickly, urging her to start.
“What do you want to say?”
Then Hyeyun replied, her tone slightly sharp but subtle enough that others wouldn’t notice.
“Are you that busy? Oh… Is it because someone’s waiting at home?”
“Yeah. She is.”
“…”
“So, I’m sorry, but can you just tell me what you wanted to say?”
Seeing how cold Jaehoon had become since their breakup, Hyeyun clenched her hands tightly on her lap. Then, as if nothing was wrong, she relaxed her hands, picked up her coffee, and took a sip.
“You’ve changed. You used to be like this with other girls, not me… But I guess I’m no different from them now.”
“…”
Jaehoon couldn’t say anything. He was clearly pushing her away out of discomfort.
“Like you said, I’ll get to the point. I’ve been busy and tired lately too.”
“…”
“The reason I called you out—it’s nothing special. I don’t want to cling to a guy who doesn’t like me anymore. But just because we broke up, I don’t want us to be complete strangers.”
Not quite understanding what she meant, Jaehoon looked straight at her and asked,
“What are you trying to say?”
“Exactly what I said. We broke up, but I still want to get along with you.”
“…”
“As a man, An Jaehoon was nice. But even as a friend or a junior, An Jaehoon is still someone I like. I don’t want our relationship to end just because we broke up. Let’s be good coworkers, good friends.”
Jaehoon thought hard about her words. Like she said, it felt a bit sad to completely become strangers. He had looked up to her, depended on her as an older colleague. But then he thought of Dayun. Staying close with an ex? No woman would be okay with that.
Maybe sensing his thoughts, Hyeyun sipped her coffee and looked at him casually as she spoke.
“Why? Is it Dayun? Are you thinking about her?”
“…Yeah.”
“Wouldn’t it be okay though? She’s one of the younger generation, right? She might understand…”
But her words were cut off.
“She might say she understands. But it could still hurt her. No woman sees her husband’s ex-girlfriend in a good light.”
Jaehoon spoke seriously, as if warning her not to say things she didn’t know. And in that moment, when he stood firmly on Dayun’s side, Hyeyun seemed a bit hurt. It felt like he really cared about that girl.
“Still, I’ll ask her. I do want to stay on good terms.”
She didn’t show her feelings, though.
“Okay, go ahead and ask. Let me know what she says.”
She only smiled, acting like everything was fine.
“But don’t expect too much. I’ll respect Dayun’s opinion.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
Hyeyun forced a smile, and Jaehoon stood up.
“Well, I’ll get going. I made Dayun wait too long.”
“Yeah. Go on. See you at work tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Even to the end, he didn’t look back—only thinking of Dayun.
After Jaehoon left the café, Hyeyun sat alone. She sipped her coffee as if everything was fine, then suddenly slammed the cup onto the table. Some hot coffee spilled on her hand, but she didn’t even flinch. She just looked annoyed.
Then, she suddenly pulled out her phone and made a call. After a few rings, a familiar voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Mother, it’s me. Song Hyeyun.”
“Oh… Did you meet Jaehoon?”
“Yes, I just did. I said what you told me to.”
“And how did he react?”
“He seemed unsure. I think that girl is on his mind. He said he’ll ask her.”
“I see. Then it worked. That boy… He’s more naive than I thought.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, let’s have a meal sometime. And you know what to do next, right?”
“Yes. I’ll keep at it.”
With that strange conversation, the call ended. And Hyeyun, now smiling with a hint of malice, whispered to herself.
“I’ll get everything back. An Jaehoon, the company… It all belongs to me.”
Even though her skin was red from the hot coffee, she didn’t care at all.
“Hoo…”
Meanwhile, outside the café, Jaehoon messed up his hair in frustration, then loosened his necktie.
Becoming friends with an ex… Honestly, he didn’t hate the idea. Hyeyun was a good person. But like he said before, Dayun was on his mind. Even if she said it was okay, would she really mean it?
It all felt selfish. Not wanting to lose Dayun as a girlfriend, but also not wanting to lose Hyeyun as a friend.
“Ah, I don’t know anymore…”
Just then, his phone rang. Seeing who it was, his face relaxed into a smile.
[Choi Dayun]
Just seeing her name cleared his mind and eased his heart.
Afraid she’d hang up, he quickly answered.
“Hey, it’s me.”
‘Oppa, when are you coming home? I’m not rushing you or anything… You said you’d be here earlier… But you’re still not here… It’s been a while now…’
Her voice was filled with worry and anxiety. Hearing her ramble made Jaehoon chuckle without realizing.
“Why? Were you worried?”
‘Well… Yeah, honestly I was. You said you left, but you didn’t come… I thought maybe something happened…’
Hearing that, Jaehoon laughed softly.
“Ah, you’re really cute.”
“What?”
“I said, you’re cute.”
She was honestly too adorable. So pure and bright that he couldn’t help but smile too.
From the other side, she went completely silent. She was probably blushing and didn’t know what to say. Just imagining her like that made him laugh even more.
“Stop worrying and just wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”
After hanging up, Jaehoon rushed to his car and drove straight to Dayun.
“Oppa…?”
Back at home, Dayun blushed deeply at being called “oppa” by Jaehoon. It felt strange and embarrassing to call him that, but also sweet when she thought of him.
Even though he wasn’t in front of her, her whole face was red.
“Oppa… oppa…?”
She kept whispering the word to herself. It was her first time calling Jaehoon that way.
“Ah… this is weird.”
Even when Jaehoon arrived, her red face hadn’t cooled down. So, without anyone knowing, she ended up being the only one to steal all of Jaehoon’s affection that night.
