DA 15

“…… What do you mean, ‘what are we going to do’?”

“You know.”

He smiled suggestively.

“The interruption is gone, we’re alone now… and our honey is all worked up.”

Seong-chan walked slowly towards her, closing the distance. Su-jeong instinctively stepped back.

“W-what are you talking about! Someone else could come in, what are you trying to do here? And more importantly, this is my company… Ahh!“

She stumbled backwards and fell onto the sofa. She had been so focused on getting away from him that she hadn’t noticed it behind her.

Seong-chan quickly followed her onto the sofa.

When Su-jeong bent her knees to stand up, Seong-chan grabbed her ankle and pulled it. She slid further down the sofa, unable to escape.

“Honey,”

He said in a sweet tone.

“At least think of a better excuse. What crazy person would come to the office this late at night?”

‘Secretary Oh just left!’

She replied inwardly, but didn’t say it out loud. It didn’t matter to Seong-chan and it would have been a pointless argument.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Well. What do you think I’m going to do, CEO?”

This CEO thing again. He was still in character.

Seong-chan positioned Su-jeong between his legs and leaned back against the sofa, his knees bent. As he took off his jacket, Su-jeong watched him nervously.

‘Don’t tell me…’

He wasn’t going to do anything, was he?

It sounded absurd, but after what had happened at the clinic, it seemed quite possible.

A feeling of foreboding washed over her.

“W-wait…!”

Su-jeong reached out desperately to stop him. Seong-chan grabbed her wrist and pressed his lips to her palm. His high bridge nose brushed against her fingers.

He tilted his head slightly and stuck out his tongue, licking between her fingers. Or, more accurately, the sensitive skin between her fingers. His warm tongue probed, teasing the sensitive spot.

“Hmm…!“

A shiver ran down her spine at the strange sensation.

Su-jeong’s face contorted in embarrassment. She was old enough to know what the act meant.

“L-let go! What are you doing?!”

Su-jeong snapped and pulled her hand away. Seong-chan, surprisingly, let go without resistance. But he remained positioned over her, showing no intention of moving.

‘Is he really going to do something here?’

As she looked at him anxiously, he finally spoke.

“Honestly, I want to rip my pants off right now, promises be damned.”

“…….”

“But it’s not my style to rush into sex and just get it over with.”

Thud.

Something landed lightly on her waist.

It was the jacket he had just taken off. Su-jeong looked at him in confusion. He got off the sofa and straightened his clothes.

“Put that on. You can’t even leave the office, let alone go home, looking like that.”

Seong-chan gestured with his eyes. Su-jeong followed his gaze and looked down, then gasped.

‘What? When did this happen?’

She finally noticed her torn stockings, which were beyond repair. Seong-chan had torn them while he was under the desk. And her immaculate skirt was now crumpled and wrinkled.

Anyone would think something inappropriate had happened. She looked disheveled and messy.

Seong-chan watched her reaction with amusement and chuckled.

“Oh, you were hoping for more?”

He raised his hand, spread his fingers and mimed licking between them, repeating the gesture he had just done to her.

“W-what?”

Su-jeong’s face flushed again. She swore she hadn’t hoped for more. She had just expected it, so she couldn’t deny it right away.

“I’m fine with it, if that’s what the CEO wants.”

Seong-chan, seizing the opportunity, grinned and came closer. He was still absorbed in his role-playing.

“…… That’s not going to happen, so stop talking nonsense.”

Su-jeong cut him off sharply. She tried to compose herself, but her cheeks were still red.

I have to get out of here. That was the only way Su-jeong could think of to escape the situation.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

As she put on the jacket and headed for the door, Seong-chan grinned and followed her.

“Are you running away because you’re embarrassed? Let’s go together.”

“That’s not it! Stop talking nonsense.”

They continued their playful banter and cold rebuffs.

Finally, the commotion died down as the office door opened and closed.

***

“CEO, are you feeling better?”

When Su-jeong arrived at work the next morning, she was greeted by Hye-mi’s worried face.

Hye-mi, who had arrived earlier than Su-jeong, was wearing her usual round glasses and had a worried look in her round eyes. Her innocent face gave no hint that she knew what had happened under Su-jeong’s desk the night before. Su-jeong couldn’t meet her gaze and looked away.

“……Yes, I’m much better.”

Since she had known Hye-mi, had there ever been a time when she had found it so difficult to look her straight in the eye? 

Su-jeong had first met Hye-mi when she was a college intern at the newly established Wings Apparel.

Because of her hardworking, friendly nature and her capable demeanor, Su-jeong, who had taken a liking to Hye-mi, offered her a job as her secretary, starting on the day that her internship came to an end. The offer included a salary and benefits that were incredibly generous, beyond anything a fresh graduate like Hye-mi could have hoped for.

And so Hye-mi became Su-jeong’s personal secretary.

Having worked closely with Hye-mi for a long time, it was natural for Su-jeong to share everything with her and rely on her. The boundaries between work and personal life became blurred. 

In fact, Hye-mi was the one who knew Su-jeong’s family situation best. She had even helped her find potential husbands to avoid Won-gil’s unreasonable demands for an arranged marriage.

Su-jeong trusted Hye-mi implicitly and had never hidden anything from her.

But today was an exception. Su-jeong felt guilty.

It wasn’t as if she had wronged Hye-mi, but she wasn’t completely blameless either.

How could she have done something so shameless?

Su-jeong closed her eyes and remembered the events of the previous night, which were too embarrassing to even talk about.

She was just thankful that she hadn’t been caught. If she had, she would have wanted to die of shame.

Hye-mi, oblivious to Su-jeong’s inner turmoil, continued.

“I brought some ginger honey tea from home, just in case. I read online that it’s good for gastritis.”

“Oh, really…?”

Her loyal secretary, who firmly believed Su-jeong’s lie, had even brought home-made ginger honey tea.

Not only that, she had even prepared a cup of hot ginger tea for Su-jeong, handing her the steaming mug.

“It’s best to drink only two cups a day, so don’t drink it too often.”

She even gave Su-jeong a separate container of ginger honey tea to take home.

“You didn’t have to…”

What kind of subordinate takes such meticulous care of their boss?

Su-jeong felt even more guilty and ashamed. If her conscience had a physical form, it would be riddled with arrows and nails.

“Thank you, Secretary Oh.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Su-jeong decided to escape to her office and accepted the ginger tea and honey. As she walked to her office, Hye-mi called out, “Yes, CEO. Don’t overwork yourself today, and if you feel unwell or need anything, please call me!”

“Y-yes!”

Hye-mi’s eyes sparkled with sincerity.

She would probably check on Su-jeong all day long… The day already felt exhausting.

Su-jeong quickly retreated to her office, although she was still visible through the glass walls. She sat down and let out a deep sigh.

‘Ju Seong-chan!’

Her teeth clenched at the thought of the root of all her problems.

His antics hadn’t stopped after they’d left the office the night before.

He had driven her home and insisted on walking her to the elevator, saying he would wait until she got on.

And then, when the elevator arrived, he had got in with her, claiming he needed to see her enter her apartment to feel at ease.