UR | Chapter 13

It was Jihoon. He held her hand in front of all the employees.

‘Why…’

She was so flustered that her eyes widened involuntarily, but Yujin couldn’t turn her head. Even in her surprise, she couldn’t bring herself to look at Jihoon.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, is there something over there?”

The employee sitting across from Yujin turned his head to look around the store. He was curious about what had startled her.

“Oh, the beer was so cold that it gave me a brain freeze for a moment.”

It seemed like the older she got, the better she became at lying. Yujin awkwardly smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. Meanwhile, Jihoon released her hand.

She was curious why he had done that, but she couldn’t ask here.

Even if they were alone, could she ask?

Probably not.

Yet her heart was pounding like crazy.

Leaving her in such a state, Jihoon remained calm. He quietly drank his beer and occasionally chatted with the employees.

Yujin was shaken by even his smallest actions.

It hurt her heart to realize that Han Jihoon treated her as he pleased, but she couldn’t show it.

‘Is it two months left now?’

Yujin, who had counted the days until the end of her year with Han Jihoon, drank her beer just like he did.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, I’ll drop you off on the way.”

Something was definitely off with Han Jihoon today. He, who couldn’t possibly be drunk, said this to Yujin in front of the employees.

He said he’d drop her off on the way, but Yujin’s house was further away.

“It’s okay, President.”

“It’s hard to catch a taxi from here anyway. The driver is already here, so let’s go.”

Jihoon, who had disappeared as soon as the dinner ended, was acting strangely, making the little alcohol she had consumed seem to evaporate.

But the other employees seemed to think it was possible.

Since Yujin was the only woman at the dinner, they seemed to think the president was being considerate of her. Even though Han Jihoon was cold, considering the late hour, it didn’t seem like an unusual gesture.

In the midst of this, Section Chief Hwang Wonjun spoke up.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, since we’re heading in the same direction, it might be better to take my car.”

Then, the employees, who had been silent until a moment ago, exchanged knowing smiles.

Everyone knew Hwang Wonjun liked Kim Yujin. Seeing him openly take action amused them.

Suddenly, the employees, equipped with camaraderie, sided with Section Chief Hwang.

“Yeah, Assistant Manager Kim Yujin. You should take Section Chief Hwang’s car.”

“That seems like a good idea, doesn’t it?”

As everyone pushed the atmosphere, Yujin found herself in a difficult position.

It was uncomfortable to take Jihoon’s car here, and taking Wonjun’s car made her too conscious of Jihoon.

“Uh, I’ll just take a taxi.”

Thinking it was best to remain neutral, she answered, but it was in vain.

“The driver is here. It’s cold, so just take my car quickly.”

Jihoon gestured to the driver approaching from the other side and looked at Yujin.

“……”

He always did that.

He always looked at Yujin with eyes she couldn’t refuse.

Today was no different. Jihoon was speaking with his eyes instead of words.

It was better to just follow his lead.

Feeling the chill of the cold night air, Yujin clutched the front of her jacket to keep warm and, like a magnet drawn to its opposite pole, had no choice but to follow Jihoon.

As the two of them left first, the remaining employees started talking.

“What was that? Something’s weird.”

“Exactly. It doesn’t seem weird, but it is.”

When Jihoon first offered to take Yujin home, it seemed possible. But seeing Jihoon insist on taking Yujin in his car, even after Hwang Wonjun stepped in, was too striking.

“Section Chief Hwang Wonjun, do you think you have to compete with the president?”

When someone asked, Hwang Wonjun questioned back if that could be the case.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin seemed really cold earlier. Maybe that’s why?”

Some people accepted this explanation, but others didn’t.

“The president isn’t someone who worries about things like that.”

However, Deputy Chief Kim Hyungwoo, who interacted with Jihoon the most among the research lab staff, drew a line.

“Why did you guys have a meeting so late today?”

“What?”

“The president of M&O is coming to Korea next Tuesday. We need to finalize the investment contract. Formally, Assistant Manager Kim Yujin will present next year’s research direction.”

Only then did people click their tongues.

“That’s right. Assistant Manager Kim Yujin can’t catch a cold at this timing. We need to secure that investment to aim for a KOSDAQ listing.”

“Han Jihoon is really cunning. Ugh, it’s exhausting.”

As the opinion that Han Jihoon was taking care of Yujin for the sake of business gained weight, everyone shivered at his meticulousness.

Yet, they worried about Yujin.

“Hopefully, Assistant Manager Kim Yujin doesn’t misunderstand. It would only be her loss.”

Already feeling uneasy, Hwang Wonjun couldn’t stand people making assumptions about Yujin’s feelings and snapped.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin isn’t interested in the president.”

He was serious, but his demeanor made people laugh.

Only after getting into Jihoon’s car did Yujin have such thoughts.

It seemed like Jihoon had made a move to prevent her from catching a cold.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, we’ll have a final check together on Monday afternoon. Make sure to thoroughly check for any errors and prepare well.”

He was in a very sensitive state, as they couldn’t afford to mess up in front of the people coming to Korea for a large investment.

Then why did he insist on attending the dinner earlier, instead of leaving it up to choice?

As soon as Yujin told the driver her home address, Jihoon closed his eyes. He was leaning back with his arms crossed.

She couldn’t tell if he was asleep or just resting his eyes, but it allowed Yujin to stare at Jihoon’s face.

It’s true that she fell for Han Jihoon at first sight because of that face.

But she kept questioning whether that face was really the reason she couldn’t break off this foolish relationship.

She often lay awake, wondering why she liked a man who didn’t like her, who had never treated her warmly, and who couldn’t remember a single thing about her.

Yet, when she met Jihoon, she would smile bitterly in her disappointment.

Just looking at Han Jihoon made her heart race.

The way he adjusted his glasses with his long, white fingers, the way he casually checked his watch, the way he immersed himself in experiments for hours, forgetting to eat or drink—she liked everything about him.

Sometimes it was terrifying.

They say it’s best to do things when others do them, but if she had known that having a crush at this age would be so hard, she would have liked someone during her teenage years. If she had repeated familiar emotions, she might have handled things more skillfully now.

“Did you drink a lot?”

Suddenly, Jihoon opened his eyes, causing Yujin to quickly lower her gaze.

“No.”

She had only drunk half a glass of beer, yet Jihoon, who had been sitting next to her, didn’t know that.

It wasn’t surprising anymore.

He showed kindness out of necessity, and he was thoroughly indifferent to everything else.

Thinking that way made everything neat and clean.

But one thing still bothered her.

Why did he hold my hand earlier?

She had never voiced her thoughts about Jihoon before. But the few sips of beer she had earlier kept urging her.

“President.”

Yujin called out to Jihoon, keeping her gaze fixed on the headrest of the passenger seat.

“Go ahead.”

“Earlier, did you accidentally place your hand wrong?”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask why he held her hand, so she asked indirectly. Even saying it like that took a lot of courage, making her heart tremble.

But Jihoon, as if trampling on the sincerity of someone who had mustered the courage to speak, said,

“Let’s go to my place.”

“What?”

Even though his sudden behavior wasn’t new, Yujin looked at Jihoon with resentment.

Yes, Han Jihoon wasn’t at fault.

If she disliked the situation, she should have rejected his proposal from the start.

In the end, everything was her fault, but anger welled up inside her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can today.”

Her dad was probably still awake, waiting for his eldest daughter. She had to see him off, as he had to leave for work early the next morning.

But Jihoon made Yujin feel utterly miserable.

“I don’t think that’s something Assistant Manager Kim Yujin can decide.”

Yujin knew that too. That’s why she had never refused him, but now she had to go home.

Even if she was tormented by her feelings for Han Jihoon, Yujin’s priority was always her family.

“My dad came home for the first time in a while. He has to leave early for work tomorrow, so I need to go.”

She tried to refuse by mentioning her personal life for the first time, but it was in vain.

“Do I have any reason to consider such circumstances?”

Jihoon was a selfish man to the core.

He told the driver the changed destination, as if there was no need for further discussion.