DA 12

Su-jeong went back to the clinic the next morning.

She had originally planned to check the test results the same night she brought Seong-chan to the clinic. However, his unexpected behavior had disrupted her plans.

She could have received the results by email or courier. However, Su-jeong avoided any method that would expose the situation to outsiders.

The attending doctor, Ahn Jeong-suk, was a kind and gentle woman to whom Su-jeong had been secretly introduced by a trusted acquaintance.

To be honest, Su-jeong was worried that Jeong-suk might have heard about what happened from the nurses. Fortunately, Jeong-suk didn’t ask any questions or show any curiosity.

She simply gave the necessary information as a doctor, explaining objective facts about fertility rates.

“See the sperm count and motility? They are quite high.”

…However, hearing about Seong-chan’s exceptional sperm count and motility was a bit of an ordeal. Especially coming from a middle-aged woman.

‘Why does he have to excel in this area too?’

Was it because he was an athlete? The sample the clinic tested was his third ejaculation of the night. Was it possible to have such a high sperm count and motility after that?

The memory of the previous night’s events made Su-jeong’s ears burn.

After confirming that there were no problems with Seong-chan’s test results, Su-jeong underwent some pre-pregnancy check-ups. She had planned to do them at the same time as Seong-chan, but… the unexpected turn of events delayed them.

After the check-ups, she consulted with Jeong-suk about the most suitable days for conception.

The date was set for two weeks from now.

It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either.

It was enough time to get used to Seong-chan, as he had suggested, and to have sex.

If they had sex within that time and she got pregnant on the first try, the next steps should go smoothly.

Then Ju Seong-chan won’t try anything funny.

She didn’t know how much of what Hye-mi had told her about his sexual preferences and bedroom habits was true and how much was exaggerated rumor. But she was sure of one thing.

Even if he was sexually adventurous, he wasn’t physically violent. He might act crazy like yesterday, but he wouldn’t force himself on her without her consent.

Ironically, in a way, he was the safest man.

With him by her side, she could avoid her father’s forced arranged marriage, keep other men away and protect Wings Apparel.

His presence alone solved many problems.

So, leaving her father aside for the time being, all she had to do was manage Ju Seong-chan.

Things were going surprisingly well.

For now.

***

“What is this…?”

As if to mock her earlier confidence, trouble began immediately.

Arriving at work, Su-jeong was stunned by the item delivered in her name. A huge bouquet of flowers sat on her office table. Five hundred red roses to be exact.

“Who sent this?”

Su-jeong stared at the bouquet in disbelief and asked Hye-mi who was standing next to her.

Hye-mi, subtly glancing at the male employees outside the glass walls of the office, whispered to Su-jeong,

“That… that person.”

“That person?”

At the mention of ‘that person’, Seong-chan’s face flashed through Su-jeong’s mind and his voice echoed in her ears like a replayed drama scene.

‘Just so you know, I put a lot of effort into the people I’m in a relationship with.’

‘I’m the kind of person who has to do things properly once I start, so I never do anything half-hearted.’

‘Whether it’s on the field or in bed.’

Su-jeong picked up a small card tucked inside the bouquet. After reading the message, she sighed and buried her face in her hands.

[Think of me today and stay strong, honey!❤️]

***

“CEO, another quick delivery……”

A few days later, Su-jeong buried her head in her hands at Hye-mi’s words, informing her of another ‘quick’ delivery.

“Haah…...”

“Where shall I put it……?”

Su-jeong looked around her office with a resigned expression and waved her hand vaguely.

“Just put it anywhere there’s space.”

“Yes….”

There was no ‘space’ left in her office, but Hye-mi didn’t argue. They had made space until there was none, and now the flowers were piling up on the floor.

“Secretary Oh…”

“Yes?”

“Is this how relationships should be?”

“…….”

Asking someone with no dating experience was pointless, but Hye-mi didn’t say anything. Her boss wasn’t looking for an answer based on personal experience. She also knew that Su-jeong wasn’t looking for a definitive answer.

Ever since she had agreed to Seong-chan’s ‘real relationship’, Su-jeong had received flower deliveries every day.

At first, she had tolerated the five hundred red roses and the card with a heart. She had thought that she had agreed to his proposal, so she had to accept it.

The problem was that this was only the beginning.

Starting with five hundred roses, Seong-chan escalated his floral gifts, sending more and more extravagant and extravagant bouquets.

When they exceeded the size of flower arrangements at flower festivals, Su-jeong’s patience finally ran out.

She confronted him and asked him what he was doing. And he had the audacity to act innocent, asking what was wrong with sending flowers to his girlfriend? He even doubled down, saying he was the type to be extravagant in relationships.

“If you’re not happy with the delivery man bringing them, I can bring them myself.”

He even offered to deliver them to her office himself, leaving Su-jeong no choice but to back down.

It was an elaborate form of torture disguised as a ‘real relationship’.

Her once bare office was now a flower garden. And now the employees looked at her with strange expressions when they came in for approval.

They probably had a lot of questions, and rumors were probably already circulating.

She now regretted her decision to install glass walls in her office to create a more open and horizontal atmosphere.

Horizontal, my ass. She was now trapped in a giant flower fridge, a spectacle for all to see.

Remembering the last few days, Su-jeong rubbed her forehead and sighed.

“How am I supposed to get rid of all these? Are they considered general waste?”

“The flowers themselves should be general waste … but the soil is a bit tricky. Should I ask the guard later?”

“Yes, please do.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Su-jeong nodded at Hye-mi’s helpful response.

She could see some employees outside the glass walls of her office. They had been looking at her since the large bouquet had been delivered earlier. They quickly looked away when Su-jeong looked up.

“…….”

She had to get rid of the flowers as soon as possible.

***

It was evening after a busy day.

Su-jeong was alone in her office, everyone else had left for the day.

She didn’t believe that spending long hours at her desk necessarily led to increased productivity. Unless there was an urgent matter or a project deadline, she encouraged her employees not to work overtime. This applied to herself as well.

However, she had been busy with various things lately and hadn’t spent much time in the office. So today she stayed late to catch up on her work.

Buzz. Buzz.

She was going through the documents piled up on her desk when she heard a buzzing sound.

Su-jeong reached for her phone.

[Ju Seong-chan]

“What the……?”

A video call this late at night?

Su-jeong frowned at the incoming video call from Ju Seong-chan. She stared suspiciously at the screen before slowly pressing the answer button.

– Hey, honey. Hi.

Seong-chan greeted her from the screen.

“What is this, all of a sudden?”

– ‘All of a sudden’? What are you talking about? We’re lovers. I can call you whenever I want and we can see each other whenever we miss each other.

“…….”

– By the way, guess where I am, honey.

An unexpected question following an unexpected video call.