Chapter 11
“Ruined?”
Yunseo nodded at Minjeong with bleary eyes.
“So what now? Should we go back?”
In front of them were a few empty bottles. All of them Yunseo had finished.
“No, no.”
She couldn’t back down like this.
Even if he was irritating and stubborn, he was her husband. She couldn’t just leave him in danger.
“We have to try again.”
“Why are you doing this, anyway?”
Minjeong looked at Yunseo with concern in her eyes.
“You know how tough the work is. Why insist on going there?”
“Just… because there’s nothing I can do to help.”
Yunseo had always been like this in front of Seungwoo. She had married him, leaving him with nothing but debt, and even after that, she hadn’t really been able to do anything useful for him.
Maybe that’s why standing in front of him always felt so hard.
“What do you mean by that? Nothing you can do to help?”
Minjeong asked, puzzled at Yunseo’s words, but Yunseo kept her lips pressed together and lowered her head.
Minjeong looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again.
“I don’t think the boss is someone who needs help from others.”
No. He does. Right now, he really needs it.
Yunseo bit her lip tightly. As she silently shook her head, Minjeong continued.
“And he’s not someone who asks for help beyond what’s appropriate. Strict as he is, he’s still a perfectly reasonable person.”
Yunseo furrowed her brows.
Reasonable. That was the most fitting way to describe Seungwoo’s personality.
Recently, her words and actions had failed to be accepted by him because they hadn’t met his standard of reason.
“Yes… that’s right.”
“I don’t know exactly what you’re planning to do. Don’t feel too burdened. Just be honest with him. Whatever he says, say it openly.”
Yunseo gave a bitter smile.
After parting from Minjeong, Yunseo entered her house, deep in thought. Crossing the living room, she was startled by a shadow standing tall in her way.
“You said you wanted to work, but were you out partying all night?”
The faint scent of shower cologne mixed with his natural scent made Yunseo feel her tipsiness return.
Seungwoo was standing there in a robe, still damp as if he had just showered. Bare skin peeked out from under the robe, pale and smooth.
Yunseo quickly turned her gaze elsewhere and replied bluntly, still tipsy.
“I think my chances of employment are gone.”
“Who said that?”
As he stepped closer, his scent grew stronger.
Dizzy, Yunseo lifted her eyes and met his steady gaze.
Right.
That perfectly reasonable man—why had he done something as unreasonable as marrying her?
Before she could wonder more, Seungwoo’s hand touched her face.
Maybe because of the alcohol, it felt warm. His touch. Strange feelings stirred in her. Yunseo blinked silently.
“Who said you couldn’t get a job?”
“So—”
“Go to work. Starting tomorrow.”
Yunseo’s eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly, frozen in disbelief at his words.
“But… you said I wanted to work.”
“Why? You said it wasn’t possible.”
“Because there’s nothing to lose. Secretary Park suddenly went on leave, so there’s no one to cover her.”
Probably that was the reason. Not because of what she had said earlier.
Still, she felt she should apologize for her earlier slip of the tongue.
“What I said earlier was—”
“What did you say?”
Did he really not remember? Yunseo felt a sting, even though she understood. And she couldn’t help but feel amused at herself for feeling hurt.
She lifted her head.
“No, it’s okay. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I didn’t make the decision considering anyone else’s situation.”
“I know. Still… thank you.”
Yunseo smiled lightly.
Seungwoo raised one eyebrow and turned his head. He removed his hand from her cheek and lightly clenched it.
“Go home early. You’ll be working from now on, so don’t cause trouble unnecessarily.”
“I will, sir.”
Bowing slightly, Yunseo watched him turn and enter the room. Watching his back, she noticed that his usually broad shoulders seemed slightly hunched.
Why…? Am I seeing things because I’m drunk?
It almost looked like he was shy. Seungwoo, the untouchable Seungwoo. But that couldn’t be.
Yunseo shook her head and smiled softly again. After all that worrying, the answer had come so easily.
Yes. Stop overthinking. I’ll do everything I can.
Turning, Yunseo entered the room. Soon, the living room was quiet and dark.
“Please take care of me again. I’m Choi Yunseo.”
Though she hadn’t slept much, Yunseo went to work feeling refreshed.
Dressed neatly in a suit, she felt like she had gone back to the days before her marriage.
The secretarial staff greeted her warmly, clapping at the sight of her.
Her eyes passed over each person and rested on the man with the brightest smile.
Director Han Juseok.
“Secretary Choi… or should I say madam now? Anyway, even though it’s temporary, it’s nice to have you back. Please sit here.”
“Yes, Director. And please treat me as comfortably as before. If you’re comfortable, I’ll be comfortable too.”
Yunseo spoke politely and sat in the seat Juseok indicated.
A little later, Minjeong arrived. She was supposed to hand over tasks to Yunseo until today.
Moving to the break room, Minjeong grabbed Yunseo’s hand and bounced excitedly.
“Hey, what happened? Until yesterday, you said it was ruined. Haha. Anyway, now that you’re back, it really feels like old times. I almost want to keep working too.”
“Nothing like that. I need to go take care of my mother quickly.”
“Yeah. But I gave some of the money you sent to our sister-in-law too. She was shocked and said she could continue caregiving. The brother’s debt is mostly paid off. Divorce won’t happen. It’s all thanks to you.”
Minjeong hugged Yunseo like she was a lifesaver and bounced again.
“That’s really a relief. But it’s not just the money, right? You handled things well in the middle too, didn’t you?”
“No. Our sister-in-law is pretty kind. She gets along with my mom. My brother’s a pain, but he said he’d get his act together after this. Oh… this isn’t the time to be saying that.”
Minjeong turned on her laptop after Yunseo sat down. The handover was quick. Some tasks were things Yunseo had done before, so little explanation was needed.
“The work should be fine. You can handle anything. By the way, have you seen the new hire? The one who came after you left?”
“No, I haven’t seen them around.”
“They’re good, but sometimes they come in late without noticing, especially with the new hire gone.”
Even as Minjeong spoke, her eyes gleamed for some reason.
Just then, there was a knock at the break room door.
A moment later, it opened. A man with pale skin and a sharp nose entered.
His bright face was handsome enough to be a celebrity.
If Seungwoo’s presence was dark and imposing, this man made the surroundings feel warm and welcoming.
“Sorry, my tire got a puncture on the way here.”
The man bowed. Yunseo looked at him, surprised, and quickly stood up.
“No problem.”
“I’m Shin Haejin. I joined last year as a replacement for a senior, and I’m 28 this year.”
Two years younger, huh.
Shaking his outstretched hand, Yunseo felt its warmth. Haejin smiled gently.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“Yes, me too. I’m Choi Yunseo.”
“I know. The boss mentioned it while scolding me earlier. I’ll serve you properly from now on.”
No need, Yunseo shook her hand.
“Shall we go then?”
Minjeong nodded, and Haejin agreed.
“Yes. If you wait, I’ll make coffee nice and warm for you.”
“No, it’s not necessary.”
“No, really. Since it’s your first day back, I want to treat you.”
Haejin looked serious, but Yunseo also kept her expression firm.
“No, it’s been a year since I last came, so I want to treat all the secretaries as a greeting.”
Partly for that reason, and partly to make allies by greeting everyone personally.
Seeing that Yunseo wasn’t stepping back, Haejin exhaled lightly and smiled.
“Then let’s do it together.”
Minjeong left first to hand over other tasks. Yunseo and Haejin prepared the coffee together.
Though Haejin had only been here a year, his friendly nature made it easy to get along with anyone.
Now was the time for Yunseo to gather information about the secretaries and the director. Making allies was beneficial.
“So, what brought you here? Were you always interested in secretarial work?”
Setting the coffee cups, Yunseo asked. Haejin smiled gently.
“Yes. I’ve always been curious about secretarial work. So…”
Before he could continue, the door slid open without a knock.
Yunseo straightened as a black presence crept through the crack. A sharp gaze fixed on her.
“Messing around on your first day?”
Seungwoo’s voice had no inflection, but carried a coldness that could freeze someone.
His displeased gaze swept Yunseo and Haejin.
“We were preparing the coffee.”
“I can hear your voices from outside. And does making one coffee really require two people?”
Yunseo bit her lip. More humiliating than being scolded on the first day was being scolded in front of a younger colleague.
