Chapter 7

“Please sit over there and wait for now. I’ll contact the Director’s secretary’s office and let you know.”

Leeyeon had no choice but to move to a corner of the lobby.

Last night, she had clearly said she would come early in the morning to sign the contract.

Did something urgent come up, causing him to leave?

Or did he forget about me?

Thinking this, she sat in the lobby and waited.

The staff member at the information desk, who had said they would contact the Director’s secretary’s office and let her know, seemed too busy and didn’t call for Leeyeon.

Time passed like that, and as her fever began to rise more and more, Leeyeon’s eyelids started to droop.

As her nodding head tilted and her body swayed, about to collapse—

A strong, masculine hand suddenly appeared and supported her body.

Then, a low, deep voice poured down over her head.

“You really keep getting on my nerves.”

It was Dokyeom, the man she had been waiting for so desperately.

***

Before the sun even rose, Dokyeom started his day by answering a call from Secretary Choi.

“What’s the matter?”

“Director, there was a fire at the factory in Gyeonggi Province…”

Dokyeom quickly finished preparing and headed to the factory in Gyeonggi Province.

Fortunately, the fire was extinguished while he was on his way, and there were no casualties.

After visiting the factory to identify the cause of the fire, Dokyeom returned to Seoul, staring intently at his still-unresponsive phone.

“Have you still not been able to reach Secretary Han Leeyeon?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Do you think she might have changed her mind after just one day?”

As if that were impossible, Dokyeom turned his gaze to the window.

For some reason, Leeyeon seemed to want to stay by Cha Heeyoung’s side.

If he wanted to, finding out the reason would be as easy as pie for Dokyeom, but he didn’t particularly want to dig into Leeyeon’s details that deeply.

What he needed was information on Cha Heeyoung’s movements.

When Dokyeom’s car was entering Seoul,

A signal appeared on Secretary Choi’s phone, which was connected to the car’s Bluetooth, indicating an incoming call.

“Director, it’s a call from the company. I’ll take it for a moment.”

As Secretary Choi answered the call, the voice on the other end echoed through the car.

“This is the information desk. A person named Han Leeyeon is here to see Director Ji Dokyeom.”

Dokyeom’s face, which had remained expressionless, subtly shifted the moment he heard Leeyeon’s name.

Secretary Choi, startled, continued the conversation.

“What? She’s already there? I thought we postponed the appointment to the afternoon. Didn’t the Director send her a message? Did she not see it? Is she sitting in the lobby now?”

“Yes, she’s been waiting for a while.”

“Ah…”

Secretary Choi glanced at Dokyeom’s expression through the rearview mirror.

The woman who couldn’t be reached was apparently waiting for Dokyeom at the company.

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“Ten minutes.”

Secretary Choi ended the call after informing them they would arrive soon.

Although Dokyeom was still gazing out the window, his face showed signs of deep thought.

Why didn’t she read the message I sent, and why is she spending her time at the Jicheol Construction building from early morning?

As he pondered over this unpredictable woman, he suddenly recalled that Leeyeon had been caught in heavy rain last night.

Could that be why her phone was broken?

Ha—

A short sigh escaped through Dokyeom’s lips.

In some ways, it could be seen as foolish, and in other ways, she seemed like someone who lacked tact.

Instead of waiting like this, she could have gone back home and come again once she could be reached.

Just then, Dokyeom’s car smoothly entered the Jicheol Construction building.

Before getting out of the car,

Dokyeom gave a brief instruction to Secretary Choi.

“Get me a new Jicheol Electronics smartphone.”

“Yes, understood, Director.”

As soon as the car stopped, Dokyeom quickly moved his long legs and walked briskly.

The moment he entered the lobby, he saw a woman sitting in the corner, basking in the sunlight.

The warm spring sunlight happened to fall gently on Leeyeon’s face.

Looking at her figure, which seemed so honest and naive like a fool, brought about a strange feeling.

The moment he confirmed that Leeyeon, with her eyes tightly shut, was precariously swaying, Dokyeom’s hand instinctively reached out to support her as she was about to collapse.

Her tightly shut eyelids slowly opened, and he was met with her intensely trembling brown eyes.

“Ah, Director…”

“Why is your body so hot?”

The moment Dokyeom caught her falling body with one arm, he was startled by the heat radiating from her.

Leeyeon hurriedly straightened her posture and stood up.

“When did you arrive?”

“You seem to have a fever.”

If her body felt this hot to others, it must have been even more unbearable for her.

And yet, she had been waiting endlessly for him to arrive.

Dokyeom exhaled a short breath and asked,

“If you couldn’t reach me, why didn’t you just go back and come again later?”

“Last night, I clearly said I would come early this morning.”

As if she had simply kept her promise, Leeyeon gave a faint smile.

Dokyeom slowly rubbed his eyebrow with his index finger.

“If you’re busy, I can come back in the evening.”

He was busy.

There was an urgent meeting regarding the fire at the factory, which he had to attend soon.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Because of the woman standing in front of him.

Dokyeom was someone who was far too used to others adjusting their time to accommodate him.

But Leeyeon was different in some way.

It evoked pity and had the power to make others feel guilty.

That’s why, whenever someone tried to give her something, she would refuse, saying she wouldn’t accept baseless goodwill.

In short, she constantly scratched at people.

Little by little.

Before long, Secretary Choi, who had followed behind, quickly approached Dokyeom and Leeyeon, who were still standing idly in the lobby.

“The phone.”

“Here it is.”

Taking the shopping bag containing the newly released Jicheol Electronics smartphone, Dokyeom handed it to Leeyeon.

“I’d like you to take this.”

Leeyeon didn’t take the shopping bag but instead glanced at the item inside.

It was the phone that had been heavily advertised as having revolutionary performance.

“Why would I need this…?”

“The time I wasted because I couldn’t get in touch with you.”

Dokyeom raised his left arm to check the time.

“Exactly 15 minutes and 43 seconds.”

Dokyeom took Leeyeon’s arm, which was frozen in place, and placed the shopping bag in her hand.

“Since I’ll be heading straight to Jicheol Gallery today, it seems you won’t have time to visit the service center either.”

That was true.

She had just been wondering whether she’d have to spend the entire day without a phone.

“Secretary Choi has already activated it, so just use that phone for now.”

“Director…”

“Save your rejection. I’m giving it to you for my own convenience, so it’s not baseless goodwill.”

As Dokyeom watched Leeyeon, who was about to say something, he explained his reasoning once more.

“Think of it as compensation for the time you wasted waiting for me today.”

In his life, he had never gone to such lengths to explain something just to give it away.

Having only ever encountered people eager to extract even the slightest benefit from him before he could offer anything, Leeyeon was truly a refreshing presence.

“I’ll contact you again. See you.”

He made it impossible to refuse by creating a reason, and then Dokyeom, seemingly truly busy, left the scene abruptly.  

Leeyeon watched his disappearing back for a moment before leaving the place herself.  

Her fever was rising even more.

***

Today was one of the rare days when Gallery Director Cha Heeyoung was fully focused on work. 

Saying she was planning to hold a competition to nurture new artists, Cha Heeyoung convened a general meeting.  

Leeyeon was sitting in a corner of the meeting room, sweating coldly.  

She didn’t have time to buy medicine, so she was just enduring it.  

“If anyone has ideas about the competition, share them.”  

Everyone enthusiastically shared their opinions, engaging in a heated discussion about everything from the application period to the selection benefits.  

Leeyeon sat quietly in the corner, listening to the conversations.  

“Develop these ideas further and bring them to the next meeting. Secretary Han, come see me.”  

As soon as the meeting ended, Cha Heeyoung quickly left the meeting room.  

Leeyeon struggled to get up and followed her into the director’s office.  

The door closed with a sharp *thud*, and a piercing voice that grated on the ears rang out.  

“Why haven’t you read the messages I sent you! Are you ignoring me on purpose?”