Chapter 27

Leeyeon headed to Dokyeom’s penthouse early in the morning.  

It was a house she had visited a few times before, but for some reason, she felt nervous every time she went.  

Since Dokyeom had already registered her as a visitor, she was able to reach his penthouse easily.  

When she arrived at the door and rang the doorbell, the door opened.  

His bangs were slightly damp, as if he had just taken a shower.  

Even early in the morning, he was a man who flaunted his incredibly good looks.  

“Come in.”  

Leeyeon hesitated as she stepped into the house.  

Unlike usual, the house was filled with the smell of delicious food.  

Since she planned to finish her report quickly and leave immediately, Leeyeon moved toward the living room sofa.  

However, Dokyeom headed to the kitchen and called out to her.  

“Where are you going?”  

When Leeyeon turned her head, Dokyeom gestured toward the kitchen with his chin.  

“I’ve prepared breakfast, so let’s discuss while we eat.”  

Thinking he meant for her to sit across from him and report while he ate, Leeyeon entered the kitchen.  

But on the table, there was food prepared for her as well.  

The dishes were steaming, as if they had just been cooked.  

“What are you standing there for? Sit down.”  

Caught off guard, Leeyeon sat down across from him.  

“Eat first, then report.”  

Dokyeom gestured with his chin, as if telling her to pick up her utensils.  

“Ah… I’m not very hungry.”  

Of course, she hadn’t eaten breakfast before coming, so she was indeed hungry.  

And the smell of the food, likely cooked by someone skilled, was incredibly appetizing.  

But she declined because she couldn’t eat comfortably when she was with Dokyeom.  

“That’s really strange.”  

Dokyeom placed his chopsticks on the table and stared intently at Leeyeon.  

“Whether I meet you in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening, you always say you’re not hungry.”  

“……”  

“You’re not living without eating, are you? Or is it uncomfortable to eat with me?”  

Startled by his pointed remark, Leeyeon flinched.  

“To be more precise, is it being with me that makes you uncomfortable?”

Dokyeom was always someone who didn’t know how to speak indirectly.  

Well, he grew up without ever needing to.  

His blunt questions always made her feel n*ked in front of him.  

He was like a man who insisted on unwrapping the packaging just to check what was inside, even when she tried her best to keep it covered.  

“No matter what, we’re even in a relationship now. Isn’t it about time you started feeling comfortable?”  

It had been quite some time since they started working together.  

But as Dokyeom said, the distance between them hadn’t narrowed at all.  

That was probably only natural.  

Leeyeon had been deliberately keeping her distance, focusing solely on work.  

“Or are you using all your strength right now to declare that I’m completely not your type?”  

“No, that’s not it. But it’s true that you make me uncomfortable, Director.”  

At her honest confession, Dokyeom let out a short laugh.  

“Doesn’t everyone feel uncomfortable around you, Director?”  

“Probably. But Han Leeyeon, you’re the first person to ever say it to my face.”  

“Ah…”  

Leeyeon slowly licked her lips with her tongue, as if feeling troubled.  

Dokyeom didn’t take his eyes off her face.  

He already knew that Leeyeon found him uncomfortable.  

But he had intentionally asked the question because he wanted to hear her say it out loud.  

He had expected her to make that flustered, awkward expression.  

And he wanted to observe that expression for a long time.  

It was a strange desire.  

While observing Leeyeon, Dokyeom realized something about himself that he hadn’t known before.  

‘I have some odd preferences, don’t I?’  

Whenever he asked something about Leeyeon out of curiosity, he would end up discovering new things about himself as well.  

Dokyeom barely managed to tear his gaze away from Leeyeon and directed it toward the food.  

Then, he casually tossed out his thoughts.  

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped drawing such clear lines and stopped feeling uncomfortable around me.”  

“I’ll try.”  

Dokyeom continued eating.  

Leeyeon, too, hesitated for a moment before picking up her chopsticks.  

She could have simply waited for him to finish eating while sitting in front of him, but since he had gone through the effort of preparing, she felt bad just sitting idly.  

Besides, the smell of the food was so good that her hunger was starting to grow.

After finishing a simple meal, the two moved to the living room, where Leeyeon began reporting on Cha Heeyoung’s activities from the previous day.  

Since Cha Heeyoung interacted with a wide and diverse range of people, there was quite a lot to report today.  

“That concludes today’s report, Director.”  

Dokyeom, who had been staring intently at Leeyeon and listening carefully, slowly nodded as if he had no further questions.  

Then, he opened his mouth to speak.  

“Han Leeyeon, may I ask you for one favor?”  

“Yes, please go ahead.”  

Leeyeon naturally assumed it was a work-related matter.  

She thought he would ask her to look further into someone Cha Heeyoung had met.  

But what came out of Dokyeom’s mouth was completely unexpected.  

“Could you refrain from wearing perfume on the days you come to see me?”  

“…Perfume?”  

The delayed question came because she was trying to recall if she had ever worn perfume when meeting him.  

“Your perfume bothers me. It seems to be one of those long-lasting scents.”  

“Director, I’m sorry, but I don’t wear perfume.”  

At those words, Dokyeom’s eyes narrowed slightly.  

“Director Cha also prefers things to be subtle and understated, so I don’t use perfume.”  

As if he couldn’t believe her, Dokyeom spoke again.  

“Are you saying you don’t use floral-scented perfume?”  

At that question, Leeyeon thought for a moment and lifted the strands of hair that had fallen over her shoulder to take a sniff.  

“Oh, I think you’re talking about the smell of my shampoo.”  

At the word “shampoo,” Dokyeom’s frown deepened.  

Then, as if he still didn’t believe it, he stood up and approached Leeyeon.  

He bent down toward the long strands of hair that Leeyeon was holding in her hand.  

The sudden closeness caught Leeyeon off guard, and she froze on the spot.  

Her heartbeat gradually began to quicken.  

When Dokyeom closed his eyes and inhaled slightly, a rich floral scent wafted from her hair.  

Ha, this is maddening.  

It really wasn’t perfume.  

Was I seriously intoxicated by nothing more than the smell of shampoo?  

Dokyeom’s expression hardened as he stepped back.

“I didn’t know the shampoo scent bothered you. I chose it because it’s cheap and widely used.”  

Dokyeom was staring at Leeyeon with a cold expression, as if the scent really bothered him.  

“I’ll switch to a fragrance-free shampoo.”  

“No need.”  

Dokyeom rubbed his eyebrow slowly with his index finger as he stood up.  

“You can leave now.”  

After confirming that Leeyeon had bowed and left the house, Dokyeom immediately activated the ventilation system.  

He was annoyed with himself for being so bothered by the scent of a cheap shampoo, not even an expensive luxury perfume.  

Today was the same.  

The entire space from the living room to the kitchen was filled with Han Leeyeon’s scent.  

What company makes shampoo so well that the scent of someone who stayed briefly lingers for so long?  

Dokyeom let out a sigh of disbelief as he looked at the bustling morning scene outside the wide glass windows.  

Was it really so unsettling because of a cheap shampoo scent?  

It was truly baffling.  

Because he got closer to confirm, he ended up smelling not only the shampoo but also the woman’s skin scent.  

A scent that, unlike the floral one, stirred desire.  

Facing Leeyeon’s puzzled yet apologetic dark brown eyes, he felt something stuck in his throat.  

Why was I feeling this way?  

No, in fact, he knew exactly why.  

Why pretend not to know when he knew everything?  

Yes, there was no choice but to admit it now.

Ji Dokyeom wasn’t intoxicated by the cheap shampoo scent.  

He was simply interested in Han Leeyeon.  

“Should I have changed Cha Heeyoung’s secretary? Or should I not have involved Han Leeyeon in this work?”  

However, he hadn’t done that, and he had no intention of doing so in the future.  

Leeyeon was also a good business partner.  

Instead, he planned to change what he intended to do with her.