TET Ch 4

Yeonha answered curtly,

“No!”

Her cheeks flushed after her hasty reply.

It felt like she had blatantly confessed that she didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to let go of his hand.

She worried if Kanghyun would mock her for this, but the firm pressure on her hand remained.

What was this really… all about?

“Ms. Yeonha. Your water is spilling. Careful, careful.”

Lost in thought, she hadn’t been drinking properly. As her cup wobbled, Hanseok swiftly reached out and steadied it.

The problem was, Hanseok’s hand completely enveloped Yeonha’s hand which held the cup.

Startled, Yeonha looked at Hanseok. He, too, seemed surprised by his impulsive action.

“Oh, what’s this, Secretary Kim?”

“Hey, is it okay to hold hands so naturally?”

Instantly, attention turned to them, and the nearby tables buzzed.

“Oh, oh. I knew it from when you two were whispering together, Secretary Ban. Are we going to be eating noodles soon?” (Implying an upcoming wedding)

“No way. My stomach hurts. Ms. Yeonha, please hold my water glass too.”

It was chaos. Yet, for some reason, Hanseok didn’t let go of her hand. Flustered, Yeonha quickly made an excuse.

“No! Secretary Kim…”

She stopped mid-sentence, biting her lip in surprise.

In her panic, she almost blurted out, “Secretary Kim has someone he likes.”

As Yeonha hesitated, unable to move, her body suddenly swayed on its own.

“Ah.”

Her upper body tilted sideways and then quickly straightened. Some of the water in the cup spilled, running down Yeonha’s neck and onto her chest.

“Are you okay, Ms. Yeonha?”

Finally, Hanseok’s hand released hers, and everyone asked with concern,

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you very dizzy?”

Yeonha just blinked.

She couldn’t honestly say, “The Executive Director suddenly pulled the hand he was holding.”

It all happened so fast.

Even after that, Kanghyun hadn’t let go of her hand.

So flustered, Yeonha broke out in a cold sweat.

The skin around her neck flushed red.

“Ms. Yeonha. Are you alright?”

“Honey, your water spilled. Here.”

Only when she saw the tissue offered by the Chief Secretary did Yeonha come to her senses.

“Thank you.”

Regrettably, it was time to let go of Kanghyun’s hand. She needed both hands to adjust her wet clothes.

Yeonha pulled her hand away from Kanghyun’s. The firm grip released more easily than she’d expected.

As soon as his warm touch left, a cool chill swept across her palm. Only then did Yeonha realize how sweaty her hand had become.

It was a strange feeling.

In any case, she quickly dabbed and covered her blouse with the offered tissue. Hanseok had already turned his head away.

The back of his neck was flushed. Seeing that, Yeonha’s hazy mind and the effects of the alcohol abruptly cleared.

“Excuse me. I’ll be back after using the restroom.”

Yeonha bowed politely and stood up.

As she turned and walked away, she felt many eyes following her. She also sensed that Kanghyun’s wasn’t among them.

Everything was both natural and strange.

She felt as if her dazed mind was floating in the excited atmosphere.

✿˚.⋆

“I’ll walk you.”

Yeonha was alone in a secluded corner of the garden behind the venue, trying to calm her racing heart.

Not long after, she ran into Hanseok, who had come looking for her.

He looked incredibly apologetic. He probably thought Yeonha had spilled the water because of him.

“I got some fresh air and I’m fine now. Don’t worry and go back inside.”

Yeonha said so, but Hanseok didn’t listen. The delayed effects of the alcohol were kicking in, and Yeonha’s pronunciation had become slightly slurred.

Still, Yeonha continued to push Hanseok away with words. Hanseok lingered in front of her, then hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Um, Ms. Yeonha.”

“Yes.”

“Was the… chocolate… delicious?”

“Ah, that.”

Yeonha frowned slightly and mumbled a response. She couldn’t think about that in the midst of this chaos.

Hanseok stared intently at Yeonha.

“Um, Ms. Yeonha. Let me walk you home today.”

“Why?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Well, that’s…”

Yeonha assumed he was going to confide in her again about his unrequited love. She understood completely, knowing how often those feelings could swell and plummet without warning.

However, today was a little difficult.

“Secretary Kim, today is a bit…”

Yeonha rubbed her flushed cheeks as if washing her face.

Hanseok’s Adam’s apple bobbed visibly in the darkness as he followed her movement.

“Actually, about that chocolate…”

Hanseok reached out towards Yeonha’s shoulder. Just then, a voice called out for him from somewhere.

“Mr. Hanseok! Mr. Hanseok, are you there?! Where did he go? Mr. Hanseok! This is bad. The Executive Director is looking for you…”

It was the Chief Secretary’s urgent voice.

Hanseok stopped and sighed softly. He looked at Yeonha, whose eyes were slightly unfocused, and whispered softly,

“Wait here for a moment.”

“Here…”

“Yes, here. Promise?!”

“That’s…”

As if he wouldn’t listen to her answer, Hanseok squeezed her shoulder once with a determined look and turned away.

His light yet heavy footsteps faded into the distance.

Yeonha leaned against the stone wall and looked up at the sky to clear her dizzy head. Unlike the Seoul night sky, the stars were scattered abundantly.

The countryside night was clear and beautiful.

The thoughts she had pushed away naturally flowed back in.

Why… did he hold my hand?

No, even before that… why does it feel like he’s been watching me frequently lately?

That’s right.

Ever since that day of the new product launch, when she received the chocolate from Hanseok and ran into Kanghyun, Yeonha had often felt Kanghyun’s gaze on her.

But when she looked up or met his gaze, he was already looking elsewhere, so she dismissed it as just a feeling.

But after experiencing this incident, she felt as if he had truly been watching her all along.

“Ha.”

Yes, even so, that was… a stretch.

It was complete nonsense, more absurd than saying she would extract dinosaur DNA from amber formed a hundred million years ago and recreate the Cretaceous period.

But… why does this feel so good?

This is driving me crazy.

Yeonha covered her face with her palms. The warmth that filled her hands was unclear whether it came from her hands or her face.

Especially from the hand he held, she seemed to smell his unique scent of a lakeshore at dawn.

A scent that made her heart flutter with just a whiff.

Yeonha buried her face deeper into her palms as if inhaling the scent.

As she lingered in the warmth and scent…

“Do you like it?”

A deep voice resonated right next to her.

The situation from a few days ago naturally overlapped in her mind.

“Did you enjoy it, Secretary Ban?”

That crooked gaze and voice.

Lowering her hands and turning her head, she saw that same hard, quiet gaze looking down at her.

As if it were a preordained picture, as if the person who should be here was rightfully present.

“…….”

“…….”

Kanghyun’s cool eyes and indifferent gaze in this night were both familiar and unfamiliar.

He had been leaning against the stone wall beside her, just like Yeonha. Now, he straightened up and said,

“Let’s go.”

“…Where?”

He checked his wristwatch.

“2 hours and 15 minutes left. The deadline for Secretary Ban’s proposal to me.”

“Ah.”

How could she have completely forgotten about that?

She’d been so worried about it…

Yeonha stood up, feeling dazed. She moved as if possessed.

As she was about to take a step after Kanghyun, she remembered what Hanseok had said as he left. He had asked her to wait.

“But Secretary Kim…”

As Yeonha hesitated, Kanghyun glanced in the direction Hanseok had disappeared and asked her,

“Will you wait?”

Yeonha couldn’t help but be surprised.

She hadn’t explained the situation, only saying, “Secretary Kim…,” yet Kanghyun already knew everything.

Since when had he been watching?

No, more importantly than that…

His inquiring eyes were very clear. It was as if he was asking if she really wanted to wait.

As if to say that if she did, their conversation would end here, and he would leave without regret.

“I can’t do that…”

Yeonha murmured without realizing it.

She felt bad about leaving without fulfilling her promise, albeit not a formal one, with Hanseok.

Yeonha also looked in the direction Hanseok had disappeared.

“I heard the Executive Director was looking for him.”

Kanghyun smiled faintly.

“That’s right. And now I’m here.”

“…….”

That explained everything.

“Will you wait?”

Kanghyun asked again, his voice dry.

“No. Let’s go.”

Yeonha was powerless. She lacked the strength to resist his bait, knowing he had orchestrated this situation.

Perhaps falling for someone, holding them in higher regard and with a more passionate gaze than others, meant losing one’s moral compass.

For the first time in her life, Yeonha broke a promise with someone without a second thought.

Kanghyun walked first towards the dark path behind the venue. Yeonha stared blankly at his back before starting to follow him.

✿˚.⋆

The early September night air in the countryside was refreshing.

They left the garden located at the foot of the mountain and walked along a dirt road that divided a small, old village and a vast rice paddy.

With a vague question of where they were going, Yeonha looked at Kanghyun’s back. As if answering her unspoken question, he moved to walk beside her.

Even if she wanted to interpret it simply as meaning they should just walk, she couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering.

His sharp profile was close, just over her shoulder. It stood out like a sophisticated and intellectual hologram, unable to blend in with the rustic countryside backdrop.

Yeonha couldn’t help but steal glances at his picture-perfect appearance.

It was a night stroll surrounded by the sounds of crickets and her own heartbeat.

“Did you dispose of the chocolate?”

He suddenly asked, looking at Yeonha.

Yeonha quickly turned her head away, as if caught looking at something she shouldn’t have. Her cheeks twitched, trying to feign composure.

Her answer came a beat late.

“Yes.”

After the dress incident that day, Kanghyun, for reasons unknown to her, started giving Yeonha proper practical review tasks for the first time.

And yesterday, after a meeting in his office with the staff members whose reports Yeonha had reviewed, he had kept Yeonha alone in his office and calmly asked,

“Do you like sweets?”

“Yes? …Yes.”

“They’re not good for you. Especially chocolate.”

Yeonha was taken aback.

Was he finally telling her that he didn’t like the chocolates she occasionally included with the refreshments?

That was all Yeonha could think of. She quickly bowed her head.

“I apologize. I’ll dispose of them right away.”

“Yes. Dispose of all of them.”

All?

Did he dislike them that much?

As soon as Yeonha left Kanghyun’s office, she went to the pantry and removed all the chocolates from the refrigerator.

And now, at this moment, Kanghyun was asking her again, not with that stern face from before, but with a languid expression.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Then I won’t know which one is the most delicious.”

“…….”

“Good job.”

It was a compliment Yeonha didn’t know how to interpret.

After some thought, Yeonha asked,

“By any chance, were you referring to the chocolate Secretary Kim gave me when you told me to dispose of the chocolate?”

Just like a frog can be killed by a stone thoughtlessly thrown by a child, Yeonha was acutely aware that he was the child and she was the frog.

Secretly holding hands in a crowded place, and now this cryptic conversation.

Everything he did was clearly a ‘stone thrown at her powerless self, suffering from unrequited love.’

Whether it was a prank or not, Yeonha first needed to confirm if her assumption was correct. Only then could she tell him that the stone he threw hurt.

His reply was concise.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?”