SWP Ch 1
by mimi‘Wake up.’
The blackout curtains slide open with a rustle, and bright light stabs into my eyes.
‘Are you really going to do this? It’s the weekend we finally managed to plan.’
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A figure approaches the bed and sits close. Like someone waiting for the perfect moment, they pull the smaller body into an embrace and press it down beneath them. Seeing the surprised eyes widen, they kiss with satisfaction. On the bed overflowing with sunlight, their bodies tangle familiarly once more. When they slip under the covers and hold each other, the sound of a heartbeat fills the air.
A deep, resonant pulse. Warm body heat. Comfortable breathing.
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The moment it all evaporated like a lie, he opened his eyes.
“…”
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The surroundings were dark. It was the same bed, but the curtains blocked out every trace of sunlight. Turning from his side to lie flat on his back, a headache surged in.
“Phew…”
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It was a hangover, one he hadn’t experienced in a while. Junhyuk clutched his throbbing head and sat up. Only then did he realize he’d fallen asleep without even changing his clothes.
Closing his eyes and rubbing his temples to dull the pulsing pain, he reached for the nightstand. His phone slid familiarly into his hand. Everything felt different from usual, except for that one thing.
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He opened his bleary eyes and looked down at the phone screen. When he touched the dark display, a flood of unread emails, messages, and missed calls from the night before appeared in a row. Had he been so deeply asleep that he hadn’t heard any of them? Then he noticed the “Do Not Disturb” mode was on.
To think he’d had the presence of mind to turn that on, yet ended up in this state. With a heavy sigh, he got out of bed.
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Even as he walked, the smell of alcohol wafted up, and he let out a hollow laugh. He shuffled into the dressing room, stripped off every piece of clothing he’d been wearing, and headed straight for the bathroom. After a cold shower, he felt somewhat sane again.
He threw on some casual clothes and stepped into the living room. Opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water, he heard the sound of someone unlocking the front door.
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He glanced up at the clock on the wall. There was only one person who’d come at this hour. As the door opened and closed, he could sense the person pausing, noticing signs of life inside.
“Oh, Director?”
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They seemed startled to see a pair of dress shoes that were never there at this time. The housekeeper, Mrs. Hong, who came on scheduled days to take care of his officetel, stepped into the living room and hurriedly greeted him.
“You haven’t left for work yet?”
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“No. I’m running a bit late today.”
Without offering much of an excuse, he moved toward the dressing room. It was about an hour past his usual departure time. Normally, he woke up at the same time every morning, finished an early workout, and headed straight to the office, so they’d never crossed paths before.
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Most of their necessary exchanges had been handled through texts or calls. In a way, he was an easy employer to work for, but his home was also the one that demanded the most attention.
Mrs. Hong figured this unexpected encounter might be a good opportunity. There’d been something she’d been debating whether to bring up over the phone.
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She lingered between the living room and kitchen until Junhyuk emerged, dressed for work. When he appeared with his tie perfectly knotted and picked up the water bottle from the table, she spoke up from near the sink.
“Um, Director?”
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Junhyuk looked up when she called him. It must’ve been during her interview—when she’d casually called him “Boss,” he’d handed her his business card. Since then, she’d addressed him as “Director.” Neither “Boss” nor “Director” felt particularly flattering coming from someone hired to manage household chores.
“Do you have something to say?”
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He asked first, reading her hesitant expression.
“It’s about the things you told me to put away.”
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Mrs. Hong’s face flickered with uncertainty, as if broaching a difficult topic, but she pressed on, unable to hold back.
“Is it okay to throw them out now? You haven’t said anything for weeks… They’ve been piling up, making the utility room cluttered. But it’s awkward to put them back anywhere, so…”
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Among the housekeepers he’d hired, Mrs. Hong was the one whose work he liked best. That’s why he’d kept her on for years, even paying her a personal bonus.
Maybe it was her cleaning nature, but the clutter seemed to bother her. She might’ve found it odd that an employer who usually kept unnecessary items out of the house hadn’t told her to dispose of this stuff sooner.
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“How long has it been?”
“Huh?”
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She didn’t immediately catch his question.
“Since I asked you to put them away.”
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“Oh… It was late last month, so… about a month, I’d say.”
Mrs. Hong quickly calculated the time and reported back. Hearing her, Junhyuk picked up the bag he’d briefly set down.
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“Throw them out.”
With that brief instruction, he turned away.
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“Yes? Oh, yes.”
She’d been waiting for that answer, but hearing it left her with an odd feeling. She wasn’t unaware of what those items were. But she had to pretend she was. That was the first rule she’d been given when she started this job.
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“I’m heading to work.”
“Yes, yes. Have a good day.”
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Mrs. Hong hurried to the entrance to see him off. She bowed as Junhyuk opened the door and stepped out, watching his retreating figure. As always, his posture was impeccable. She wondered if she’d briefly paid him more attention than necessary.
Turning back, Mrs. Hong headed to the utility room. Holding the bags that had weighed on her mind, she let out a long breath. Then, without hesitation, she took them to the officetel’s recycling area.
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A month. Pressing the elevator button for the underground parking garage, Junhyuk mulled over the physical passage of time.
He hadn’t realized that much time had passed. Work had been hectic. There were countless projects to handle, late nights piling up. His schedule was so packed he barely had time to eat. If one thing fell apart, he’d find another solution, piecing together strategies like a puzzle. The role of Strategic Planning Director was an endless chain of tasks.
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It was only after closing a major project, during a company-wide dinner celebrating its success, that he’d had a moment to relax and drink. People egged him on, saying the hardest worker deserved to drink the most, and he didn’t bother resisting. He downed everything handed to him, yet didn’t get drunk easily. With stamina unmatched by anyone on his team, he walked out confidently even after the drinking ended.
He remembered calling a driver to get back to his officetel, smoking a cigarette before heading up, and then—blackout.
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Riding the elevator, watching the floor numbers flash, entering the passcode, feeling the silence, sitting on the sofa instead of the bed. Had he rummaged through his pocket for his phone? He vaguely recalled staring at a name far down his call log, unsure if it was a dream or reality.
‘I want to stop.’
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A dry laugh escaped him.
‘Maybe that’s for the best.’
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Hearing that voice echo like a hallucination, Junhyuk passed out. He might’ve woken up at dawn and crawled into bed like a ghost. Too exhausted to even shed his cumbersome clothes, he’d collapsed. When he opened his eyes, the familiar blackout curtains greeted him.
And then the dream. A dream about that woman. It felt so vivid, like it had happened yesterday, that he lost all sense of time. A month, though? Not realizing that much time had passed—whether that was good or bad, he couldn’t tell.
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Truthfully, he hadn’t even thought about it. He hadn’t clung to the woman who wanted to end things, nor had he asked why. There were more pressing matters, and a woman wasn’t a priority in his life.
How long they’d been together, what they’d done, what they wanted to do—it was a relationship without concrete plans. It flowed naturally, driven by impulse, taken and let go as his heart dictated. Perhaps it was more accurate to say he’d enjoyed the amusement within the boundaries he’d set.
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A relationship like that was destined to end. He might even owe her thanks for being the one to call it off. Lust, after all, could be satisfied by finding someone else.
Sorting his thoughts simply, Junhyuk headed to the office. After parking in the underground garage, he joined the waiting staff in the elevator. Being late, it was crowded. Standing a head taller than the rest, Junhyuk looked up indifferently as the doors opened on the first floor.
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“Good morning, Director.”
Receiving a chorus of greetings, his gaze landed on one person.
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Min Yeonsoo. A member of his Strategic Planning team, the only woman in the company who knew his officetel passcode. The one who’d abruptly ended things with him, yet still greeted him with the same smile after a month had passed.
“Good morning.”
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Junhyuk returned the greeting as if it were meant for her alone. Their eyes met briefly in the crowded space. Standing at the back, his gaze lingered on the round back of her head.
A month. Only after that time had passed did he finally register that the relationship was over.
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