Chapter 7
She should have brought the broken glasses back immediately. But at the time, Yoonseo didn’t want to. The moment the glasses shattered, it felt as if her heart had shattered with them.
Yoonseo was the one who broke the glasses, but the cause was clearly Seungwoo. The fact that he did something like that without even realizing she had been in danger made her hate him in that moment.
She decided to leave the glasses behind and came back, telling herself it didn’t matter anymore. As expected, they had now disappeared without a trace. The staff cleaned up the trash every dawn, so the glasses must have gone somewhere she could never find again.
Still, she couldn’t just leave things like this.
“What do you mean?”
Yoonseo’s mouth felt dry.
She needed to warn him about Manager Han.
But it wasn’t something she could say without grounds. And right now, she barely even had time to think of a reason.
“Do you have time this evening?”
Seungwoo’s eyes flickered with a strange light.
“It would be too long to explain right now.”
By evening, she would have enough time to come up with an excuse convincing enough. And nothing drastic would likely happen within just one day.
Manager Han had clearly said “within a month.” If he planned to act immediately, he wouldn’t have used the word “month.”
Even if it meant taking a longer route, being certain was better. After making up her mind, Yoonseo continued calmly.
“What is it?”
Seungwoo frowned irritably. He was busy, and her hesitation made him both curious and impatient.
“I’ll tell you tonight.”
Yoonseo stubbornly repeated the same words without giving a direct answer.
Seungwoo didn’t press further. He didn’t have time to anyway.
“I won’t be back until midnight. If you’re not planning to fall asleep again and embarrass yourself like yesterday, come to the hotel.”
Yoonseo’s eyes widened.
“I’ll send a car at six.”
She hadn’t expected to go to the hotel. After hesitating, Yoonseo nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
As soon as he heard her answer, Seungwoo opened the door and left as if he had no more time to talk.
Mrs. Kim hurried out to see him off, and Yoonseo bowed beside her.
After the door slammed shut, Yoonseo slowly straightened up.
“Is your stomach feeling better now?”
At Mrs. Kim’s question, Yoonseo turned her head.
As if by magic, her appetite suddenly returned, and she felt hungry.
“Yes, I think I feel a little better.”
“That’s good. You look better than before. Come and eat a little.”
“No, you probably already cleaned everything up.”
“Cleaning and setting it up again doesn’t take long. Just wait.”
At Mrs. Kim’s words, Yoonseo touched her face.
Feeling better—why did she suddenly feel better? All he had done was listen to her words.
Yoonseo lowered her gaze and looked at her hand, the one Seungwoo had touched.
Just looking at it made her heart feel restless again. She clenched her hand tightly and took a deep breath.
As usual, it was a hectic day for Seungwoo.
Meeting after meeting, followed by discussions with various stakeholders—people he had to deal with by putting on a polite face.
Catering to others’ moods was something Seungwoo hated, but strangely, people often changed their minds after meeting him. They said he was trustworthy in many ways.
Because of that, Seungwoo attended most meetings himself. Today especially was packed with them, and just looking at his schedule had annoyed him.
“What’s wrong with me?”
He kept smiling for no reason today.
He had never really gone on a proper date with Yoonseo.
When she was his secretary, she sometimes accompanied him, but that was strictly work—not a date. During those times, Seungwoo was always on edge, and Yoonseo was busy trying to accommodate him.
After they got married, it became even harder to spend time alone with her. Between running the hotel and handling the tasks Chairman Jung assigned him, he couldn’t even take a vacation.
So this felt almost like their first date.
When the time came, he handed off the unfinished work to Manager Han and went to the restaurant where he was supposed to meet her.
Yoonseo was already seated.
“Hah…”
As Seungwoo approached, Yoonseo lowered her eyes awkwardly.
She looked the same as usual, yet somehow different. She normally wore neat, neutral-colored clothes, and today was no different in style.
But somehow, it felt like she had put in more effort—her makeup, her outfit.
The finishing touch was what hung around her neck.
Seungwoo narrowed his eyes.
Martin was an extremely picky man. No matter who it was—even Seungwoo—he would never make anything without a prior custom order.
And Seungwoo’s order had been so detailed that Martin had initially refused, saying it was impossible within two months. After half persuasion, half pressure, Seungwoo had finally managed to get the necklace.
But he never told Yoonseo. It was meant to be a one-year wedding anniversary gift.
He had been on a business trip on their anniversary and hadn’t even seen her face. That was why he prepared it. But she probably thought it was just a gift from Martin.
“Martin would like that.”
Seungwoo deliberately brushed his gaze past her neck and spoke casually.
“Thanks to you.”
When Yoonseo smiled softly, Seungwoo felt something stir strangely inside him.
It was just a simple commemorative gift. Anyone could have given it. So why did that smile bother him?
His throat suddenly felt dry, so he ordered water first.
She shifted awkwardly, glancing around. Each time she moved, the necklace followed her body, scattering light.
Seungwoo kept drinking water, his throat feeling dry again and again.
“I ordered the food already.”
“Yes.”
Yoonseo lowered her eyes.
After letting out a long breath, she looked at the necklace resting like a charm.
Even if it was Martin’s gift, Seungwoo was the one who gave it to her. She had worn it, hoping it might make him believe her words, even just a little.
“So, what did you want to say?”
As the dishes began to arrive, Seungwoo finally spoke.
“Please be careful of Manager Han.”
After a brief silence, Yoonseo spoke slowly and cautiously.
“What?”
As expected, Seungwoo’s face tightened. Yoonseo let out a quiet sigh.
“I don’t want you to trust him completely.”
“Based on what?”
Yoonseo hesitated.
She had spent the entire day thinking about what to say.
“When I ran into him briefly yesterday, I accidentally overheard a phone call. And I think the person on the other end was President Jung Seungwon.”
Sweat ran down her spine as she told the lie.
But it was the best she could do. If Seungwoo started investigating, he would eventually discover that Manager Han had indeed spoken with Jung Seungwon.
Without realizing it, Yoonseo avoided Seungwoo’s gaze and touched her lips nervously.
Watching her quietly, Seungwoo took another sip of water and asked in a lower voice than before.
“What was the call about?”
Yoonseo hiccupped.
She had practiced many times before coming here, but she truly had no talent for lying.
“He said… that you were a nuisance, and that you should be gotten rid of quickly…”
“Don’t paraphrase. Tell me exactly what Manager Han said.”
With his arms crossed, Seungwoo stared at Yoonseo coldly.
Faced with his gaze, her mind went completely blank.
She was more nervous than during a job interview.
“He said you were a nuisance. That he needed to get rid of you quickly. That’s what Manager Han said—on the phone?”
When Yoonseo didn’t answer, Seungwoo asked again.
“No, not like that… He said within a month he would take care of it somehow. I mean—he didn’t say ‘get rid of,’ exactly…”
Her face red, Yoonseo rambled. Seungwoo looked at her with a disappointed expression, then turned away.
“Who told him to? Jung Seungwon?”
Thinking she had completely messed up, Yoonseo spoke urgently.
“No. That’s not it. Really.”
Seungwoo stood up.
“I made time for nothing. Eat slowly and go home. I have work piling up.”
“President.”
Yoonseo hurried after him.
She couldn’t let him leave like this. Without thinking, she quickened her steps.
There were a few steps near the restaurant entrance. In her haste, Yoonseo missed them and slipped.
“President—ah!”
As Yoonseo began to fall forward, Seungwoo turned around in shock. Without time to think, he reached out and grabbed her.
But because of the momentum, Yoonseo still crashed down.
“Ugh…”
Groaning, Yoonseo lifted her head—and strangely, the ground didn’t feel hard, and her body didn’t hurt.
Then she realized she wasn’t lying on the floor.
Seungwoo had caught her, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from falling first.
Yoonseo was lying on top of him.
Startled, she tried to push herself up, but ended up pressing hard against his chest.
The sensation under her hand felt strange. In her flustered vision, she saw Seungwoo’s tightly furrowed brows.
“What are you doing right now?”
Seeing him look back and forth between his chest and her with clear displeasure, Yoonseo felt like she couldn’t breathe.
