Chapter 11 (Part 6)

As Jinwon got on the escalator, Shin-hye followed him, linking arms with him just as they reached the top.

On the opposite side, a woman on the ascending escalator was staring intently at Jinwon and Shin-hye.

That woman was In-ah!

Upon spotting In-ah, Shin-hye quickly shrugged off her outerwear to expose her shoulders, wearing a triumphant expression.

At the same time, Jinwon, who had also seen In-ah, quickly released Shin-hye’s arm.

The escalators carrying In-ah and Jinwon awkwardly passed each other.

In-ah had just met Haejeong at the nail salon in the department store.

“Why do you look like that?”

“What’s wrong with my face!”

Startled by In-ah’s sudden outburst, Haejeong flinched in surprise.

“Why are you shouting?”

In-ah pouted, clearly showing that something had upset her.

“Have you decided on a color?”

At the staff’s question, In-ah eagerly exclaimed.

“A color that looks strong!”

“Oh, if it’s a strong color… how about this one, ma’am?”

In-ah looked at the bright red sample the staff showed her and mumbled in a shrunken voice.

“This is too red. What if it scares people?”

Hearing In-ah’s words, Haejeong’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer.

“Who? Who would be scared?”

“No, I mean, I think people might find it scary.”

Suspicious of In-ah’s reaction, which was clearly hiding something, Haejeong squinted as she pressed for answers.

“This is fishy. Be honest. From the moment you suggested getting nail art, I thought it was strange.”

“Why? It’s just the right time to get it done. Why aren’t you choosing a color? Hurry up and pick.”

In-ah focused intently on the color samples.

Seeing her like that, Haejeong couldn’t help but smile.

She’s really bad at hiding things. Whether it’s something good or anything else.

Meanwhile, Shin-hye had followed Jinwon all the way to the department store’s parking lot.

Assuming she was going to her car, Jinwon had ignored her, but now he turned to look at her intently.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“No. I’m going to ride in your car.”

Jinwon silently questioned her with his eyes. 

What did she mean by that?

Knowing Jinwon well, Shin-hye quickly provided an answer.

“I didn’t bring my car. So you have to give me a ride. You know I can’t take a taxi, right?”

Jinwon let out a small sigh.

Without a word, he got into the driver’s seat, and an elated Shin-hye climbed into the passenger seat.

As soon as the car started moving, Shin-hye suddenly clapped her hands as if she remembered something.

“I’m going to Jeju Island too. If we’re lucky, we might run into each other!”

Jinwon visibly flinched at Shin-hye’s words. He was so startled that he was a beat late in hitting the brakes at the traffic light.

Seeing this, Shin-hye’s smile widened.

Bingo! I hit the mark!

*** 

The next day, at the company, a cold breeze seemed to blow from In-ah.  

Jinwon briefly passed her in the hallway, and the chill was enough to make him shiver.  

“Where are you going?”  

Jinwon asked In-ah, who was just about to leave the office.

Without looking at him, she replied in a businesslike tone.  

“I’m going to the store. Sanggu-dong.”  

In-ah left immediately, not noticing Jinwon’s surprised expression.

The Sanggu-dong store was where the irritating new sales representative was stationed.

The one who had flirted with In-ah during the new product launch training, asking to go to the arboretum!  

The guy with a devilish smile that made any man who saw it, no matter who he was, boil with anger – but only charmed women!

Jinwon instinctively moved towards the door In-ah had exited. At that moment, someone grabbed Jinwon’s shoulder.

“Team Leader Lee! Can you help me out for a change? You will, right?”  

Having given up chasing after In-ah, Jinwon asked Kang Cheol.

“What is it?”  

“My junior wants to open a furniture store, and I told them you’re the best. Can you give some advice?”  

“What advice could I give about opening a furniture store?”  

Kang Cheol immediately put on a pitiful expression, appealing emotionally.  

“Friend, can’t you help me save face in front of my junior? Just this once, please?”  

Feeling a bit soft-hearted, Jinwon tapped Kang Cheol and said.

“Try catching me sometime.”  

“Alright, as expected of my friend! I’ll catch you well.”

***  

In-ah was inspecting the furniture on display with the sales associate, Seung-woo.  

She was laughing continuously at his words, as if something was really funny.  

Suddenly, she felt a chill in the air.  

Jinwon stood there, glaring at her and Seung-woo as if shooting lasers from his eyes.  

“Team Leader, what brings you to our store? Welcome.”  

Surprised, Seung-woo greeted him.  

“I came to check out the atmosphere.”  

“Ah, I see.”  

Seung-woo replied warmly, looking at In-ah.

“The atmosphere is good. Since the rumor spread that another company copied Designer In-ah’s design, her popularity has increased.”

Hearing that, Jinwon’s gaze sharpened.

The design leak incident had passed without being resolved.

Seeing Jinwon’s reaction, In-ah tried to change the atmosphere by speaking up.

“How’s your girlfriend doing?”  

Seung-woo’s face darkened as he shook his head.  

“We broke up.”  

“Oh no, you’re not crying, are you? You’ll meet someone better.”  

In-ah jokingly tried to console Seung-woo. Jinwon shot In-ah a glare, but it was useless.

Because Seung-woo, with a smile that could charm anyone, said something that raised Jinwon’s blood pressure.

“Someone like you, Designer In-ah?”  

Flustered, In-ah glanced at Jinwon.

Jinwon, looking more composed than expected, spoke in a businesslike tone.

“Can I see the sales figures?”  

“Of course.”  

After finishing their work at the store, In-ah and Jinwon got on the elevator together.

“Excuse me, Team Leader. Why did you follow me to the store?”  

In-ah’s tone was still icy.

“I didn’t follow you. I came for an inspection.”  

“Ah, out of all the stores, you just happened to want to inspect this one?”

As they bickered, more people crowded into the elevator.  

Regardless, they continued their argument.  

“Aren’t you too friendly with the store staff?”  

His barbed question was met with her confident reply.  

“Of course, we need to maintain good relationships. They’re on the front lines, selling our products directly to customers. And you!”  

Whispering their argument in the crowded elevator, she suddenly turned to him, seeming angry.  

“Not even a store employee, but linking arms with a study abroad classmate, huh?”  

At In-ah’s slightly raised voice, the man in front turned to look at her.

In-ah awkwardly smiled and nodded slightly at him.

But then, in the next moment, the man shouted in annoyance.  

“What do you think you’re doing?”  

However, the man’s glare wasn’t directed at In-ah but at Jinwon.

Startled, Jinwon flinched back in the narrow space.

In-ah, not knowing what was happening, looked between the man and Jinwon.

In the underground parking lot, In-ah was holding her sides, laughing loudly.

If it weren’t for the parking lot floor, she might have rolled on the ground laughing.  

“How shocked must that guy have been? Some guy suddenly grabbed his hand! Hahaha!”

Jinwon quickened his pace toward the parked car, looking embarrassed.  

But she couldn’t stop teasing him.  

“Imagine if it had been a woman’s hand instead? Creepy!”  

“Stop laughing.”  

Jinwon finally managed to say as he got into the driver’s seat.

In-ah, barely suppressing her laughter, got into the passenger seat. She managed to stop laughing but couldn’t contain her playfulness.

“Shouldn’t I be the one who’s upset?”  

When Jinwon looked at her as if asking what she meant, In-ah explained.

“I mean, you mistook that man’s big, thick hand for mine.”  

“There were so many people. I didn’t have time to feel anything.”

She seized the opportunity to tease further.  

“Then why were you trying to hold hands if you wouldn’t notice the feeling?”  

He was at a loss.  

Realizing he couldn’t win against her in an argument, he broke out in a cold sweat instead of surrendering.  

“Tell that woman, Jeong Shin-hye, clearly.”  

Her sudden change of topic left him bewildered.  

“Oh, I’ll definitely tell her not to link arms.”  

Watching him speak as if making a firm resolution, she thought,  

This guy doesn’t even know why I’m mad.  

***  

When Jinwon was 10 years old, on Valentine’s Day, the little girls, thinking they knew what Valentine’s Day was, each gave him chocolate gifts.

Eight-year-old In-ah, for no reason, sulked at Jinwon, who had received a mountain of chocolates. Of course, little In-ah had a very clear reason.

But young Jinwon, who couldn’t know that reason, gave all the chocolates he received to her.  

A moment later, one of the girls who had given chocolate saw Jinwon’s empty hands and asked,

“Did you already eat all the chocolate I gave you? Was it good?”  

Jinwon nodded. The girl, delighted, skipped away.

In-ah threw all the chocolates she had received from Jinwon at his face and left in a huff.

***  

Back then and even now, Jinwon doesn’t understand a woman’s heart.  

It seemed like it would take time to get rid of that woman, Jeong Shin-hye.