Chapter 15.  Unexpected Morning Greeting

As Lee Hyun and Yerin were about to leave, Byeonghun stopped them.

“What were you two doing at this late hour?”

A hint of annoyance crossed Lee Hyun’s face.

He quickly erased that expression and turned his body.

“I haven’t been feeling well today.”

“Ah.”

“Yerin was looking for some medicine for me.”

As expected, the cold eyes were fixed on Byeonghun.

“But then, wouldn’t you know it, President Han, you dropped by, pulling her outside in the middle of it all.”

“Oh, that’s…”

“My headache is getting worse.”

Lee Hyun pressed a hand to his forehead, playing the role of a sick person so convincingly it might not have been an act. Given how much stress he endured talking to Byeonghun, it was entirely possible he really did feel unwell.

With a friendly smile, Lee Hyun subtly grinned at Byeonghun.

“Can I go in now to take my medicine?”

His tone seemed to ask for permission, but the answer was already decided.

Byeonghun didn’t want to be the kind of inconsiderate person who would hold back someone claiming to be sick, so he nodded reluctantly.

Without hesitation, Lee Hyun took Yerin’s hand and disappeared into the house.

After the door slammed shut, Byeonghun finally came to his senses.

“Ah, I was going to ask for pocket money, damn it.”

However, he didn’t have the courage to open that firmly closed door again.

He didn’t want to face Lee Hyun again, who could intimidate him with just a word.

Reluctantly, Byeonghun left Yerin’s house, promising to try again next time.

***

As soon as Yerin entered the house, she let go of Lee Hyun’s hand.

She grabbed the wall and took a deep breath.

Just as Yerin was about to argue, Lee Hyun spoke first.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“Secretary Han, you told me to stay quiet in this house, but I suddenly went out and interrupted, so I apologize.”

Yes, she was going to ask why he did that.

But before she could argue, Lee Hyun had already apologized, leaving her at a loss for words.

Of course, there were other faults besides just barging in.

“More than that…”

Just as she was about to bring that up.

“And I also apologize for introducing myself as your boyfriend in front of your father.”

“……”

He was a quick-witted man, like a fox.

Yerin found herself at a loss for words again, her lips just twitching.

There was more to say, though.

She had tugged at Lee Hyun’s sleeve to tell him to stop talking, but when she realized it, she felt his warmth transmitted from her hand.

As soon as Yerin opened her mouth, Lee Hyun’s low voice reached her ears.

“I’m also sorry for grabbing your hand without asking for permission beforehand.”

She couldn’t even argue; Lee Hyun knew too well what he had done wrong.

Yerin exhaled a shallow breath.

“For someone who knows so much, why did you do all that?”

“I couldn’t just stand by when the conversation outside seemed to be getting louder.”

Lee Hyun defended himself, sparkling his eyes as if all his actions had reasons.

“I thought it would be better to say ‘boyfriend’ rather than introducing myself as your boss.”

“Ah…”

“Did I do the wrong thing?”

“No, you made the right call.”

She quickly corrected herself.

“I mean, it was better than introducing yourself as my boss. At least now my dad’s gone home with just a mild misunderstanding.”

“Oh, I see.”

He acted as if he understood everything but didn’t realize that part.

Yerin let out a short sigh and headed toward the sofa.

Lee Hyun, seemingly delighted, followed her like a big puppy.

When Yerin sat on the sofa, he sat right next to her.

Seeing their thighs touching too closely, Yerin subtly moved away.

“Why did you grab my hand?”

“Because I wanted to.”

“……”

“And if we were lovers, I thought it would be normal to hold hands in that situation.”

That was true, but they weren’t even lovers.

“Director, I haven’t decided to fake date yet.”

Whether they would become lovers in the future was uncertain.

“Oh, right.”

Lee Hyun smiled as if he had just realized something he hadn’t known.

“What am I going to do? It seems I introduced myself as your boyfriend to your father before we even started dating.”

“……”

In other words, it was a situation that could drive her crazy.

“I absolutely didn’t go out with that in mind.”

“Sure seems like you did.”

“I just didn’t want to leave you alone in a difficult situation, Secretary Han.”

“……”

Well, to be honest, thanks to Lee Hyun stepping in, things ended relatively peacefully today.

If it hadn’t been for him, she might have faced some harsh words, and Byeonghun would’ve stubbornly refused to leave until she gave him pocket money after barging into her home.

In any case, the conclusion was still positive for Yerin.

Although it was a bit unsettling that Byeonghun misunderstood the relationship between her and Lee Hyun, she figured she could just say they broke up if he came by again.

“Thank you.”

At Yerin’s gratitude, Lee Hyun subtly lifted the corners of his mouth and stood up.

“Are you leaving?”

Now that Lee Hyun was leaving, she felt a bit reluctant.

Since Byeonghun had interrupted, she hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation with Lee Hyun, and she wanted to ask how much of her conversation with Byeonghun he had overheard.

And honestly, she wanted to spend more time with Lee Hyun.

There were so many reasons she wanted to hold him back, but Yerin regretted blurting it out the moment the words left her mouth.

On the other hand, Lee Hyun seemed quite happy.

“Do you not want me to leave?”

Hearing his mischievous voice, Yerin quickly stood up.

“No, I just meant I’d escort you to the first floor.”

It was a ridiculous excuse, but Lee Hyun seemed to believe it.

Lee Hyun took a step closer and lifted Yerin’s cardigan that had slipped off her arm.

In that brief moment, Lee Hyun’s warm hand brushed against her arm.

When Yerin flinched, the corners of Lee Hyun’s mouth rose simultaneously.

“It’s nearing spring, but it gets cold at night. What will you do if you catch a cold?”

“I’m strong.”

“If you get cocky and catch a cold, how will you face me then?”

Yerin awkwardly smiled and bit her lips.

It seemed like he was finally about to leave her home, as Lee Hyun headed toward the front door.

“Director, let me walk you to the first floor.”

“No need.”

“The stairs here are quite dark…”

“Secretary Han.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Relax and go to bed early.”

His voice was so kind that she almost nodded as if enchanted.

With his dress shoes on, Lee Hyun tilted his head slightly.

“You’ve been tense the whole time you were with me.”

“Not at all. I’ve never been like that.”

Saying it wasn’t true wouldn’t erase what had happened until now, but she wanted to deny it anyway.

He chuckled softly.

Lee Hyun laughed again at Yerin’s denial.

“Then, Secretary Han, have sweet dreams.”

After saying that, Lee Hyun closed the door and went outside.

Tap, tap-

Only after the sound of him going down faded did Yerin move from her spot.

“Sigh.”

As she entered the kitchen, the green tea cup they had shared was still sitting there.

After finishing the dishes, she was about to head to her room when her gaze lingered on the sofa for a moment.

Though the time he had spent in this house wasn’t that long, his lingering presence remained everywhere.

Especially, the unique pleasant scent he carried was permeated throughout Yerin’s home.

Her mind felt so…

Disturbed.

***

As spring approached, the weather had become quite warm.

However, due to the large temperature difference between day and night, it was a time not to be careless.

As Yerin entered the Jiseok Electronics Director’s secretary office, she greeted everyone.

Secretary Kim and Secretary Shin welcomed Yerin with bright smiles.

While she was sitting down organizing Lee Hyun’s schedule, he appeared in the office.

As always, his neatly combed hair revealed his well-defined forehead.

He looked radiant from the morning.

It was no lie that the office became even brighter when he entered.

“Good morning.”

Lee Hyun left a brief greeting and went straight into the office.

It was a common greeting, but Secretary Kim and Secretary Shin were astonished.

“Did you just hear that?”

“Did the Director just greet us?”

Yerin interjected, looking puzzled between the two.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“You wouldn’t know, Secretary Han. Our Director is someone who doesn’t greet or receive greetings.”

“What?”

Secretary Kim still had a bewildered expression.

“I thought I misheard!”

“In the three years I’ve served the Director, it’s the first time I’ve heard him greet anyone.”

While they were chatting, Secretary Choi, who was late, entered.

“What’s with those faces?”

“Secretary Choi, the Director just greeted us!”

“What?”

Secretary Choi dropped the briefcase he was holding with a thud.

“You’re not joking, are you?”

“It’s true.”

“Wow.”

As Secretary Choi hurriedly picked up the briefcase, he was surprised.

“We should ask the Director if he’s feeling unwell.”

“It’s really concerning.”

“The person who used to be as cold as ice seems to be smiling more these days.”

“What’s going on with him?”

Secretary Choi quickly placed the briefcase on the desk and knocked on the office door.

Yerin watched him and returned to her seat.

Then she slowly mulled over what the other secretaries had just said.

She had heard the rumors about Lee Hyun being a cold man.

However, she hadn’t seen that side of him at all while being with him.

‘He’s a good person. Maybe they just haven’t realized it yet.’

Yerin made that simple conclusion.

Soon, the office door opened, and Secretary Choi called for Yerin.

“Secretary Han, go in and brief him on the schedule.”

“Yes.”

Taking her planner, Yerin took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Lee Hyun’s head slowly lifted as he was reviewing documents.

“Did you sleep well, Secretary Han?”

Yerin quickly slammed the door shut.

She hurried because she was worried that the secretaries outside might hear what Lee Hyun said.

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t sleep well.”

“Did you have trouble sleeping last night too?”

With a bright smile, Lee Hyun replied.

“I barely slept for an hour.”

“If you’re tired, should we adjust today’s schedule a bit?”

“No need. Just postponing the schedule won’t make the fatigue disappear.”

Yerin tried to present the well-organized schedule to him for the briefing.

Lee Hyun brushed it aside as if it didn’t matter and rested his chin on one hand.

“So, have you made a decision about the proposal I made yesterday?”

“Ah, that…”

Originally, she had planned to go through the schedule briefing as slowly as possible and discuss it when they were done for the day.

“I was thinking of discussing it later…”

“Later, when?”

“Director, you have a lot on your schedule today. After I explain everything…”

“I’ll take care of this myself.”

That approach clearly wasn’t going to work.

Yerin straightened her posture and spoke up.

“Then, may I share my thoughts after we finish the day’s work?”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Will a decision change just because you think about it for a long time?”

“No.”

“Exactly.”

Yerin gently bit her lip and carefully spoke.

“I just thought it’d be better for you to hear it at the end of the day.”

This was purely out of consideration for Lee Hyun.