Chapter 14 (Part 1)

In-ah and Hye-yoon visited the house of Jinseong Group’s Chairwoman once again.  

While waiting for the Chairwoman, tea was served as expected.  

Hye-yoon, with a visibly nervous expression, took a sip of the tea and, feigning calmness, spoke.  

“This tea tastes amazing. What kind of tea is it?”  

Without any change in expression, the secretary replied.  

“It’s Jerusalem artichoke tea.”  

“Haha, I see. Jerusalem artichoke… It must be a really plump potato, right?”  

Just as Hye-yoon tried to drag In-ah into her awkward humor, the door opened, and the Chairwoman entered.  

As they greeted her, the Chairwoman sat deeply into the sofa, and a cup of tea was placed before her.  

The Chairwoman took a silent sip of tea before finally speaking.  

“I apologize for calling you back and forth so often despite your busy schedules.”  

“It’s no problem. It’s part of our job.”  

In-ah replied in a businesslike tone.  

“Right, that’s true.”  

The Chairwoman immediately agreed with In-ah’s response, and both In-ah and Hye-yoon fixed their gazes on her.  

“I’m a busy person too, but I’m making time for you, so it’s the same for both of us.”  

The Chairwoman, moving with the grace of a slow-motion scene, took another sip of her tea.  

After waiting patiently for the Chairwoman to finish sipping, In-ah opened her mouth.  

“Chairwoman, we are not just ‘those people.’ We are Seo In-ah and Park Hye-yoon from Lysian’s design team.”  

Without any sign of intimidation or wavering gaze, In-ah spoke clearly and directly to the Chairwoman.  

The Chairwoman placed her teacup on the table and said,  

“I have to remember so many things, far more than you can imagine. That’s why I don’t bother remembering anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.”  

Listening to the conversation between the Chairwoman and In-ah, Hye-yoon fidgeted nervously, unsure whether to stop or support In-ah.  

Unaware of Hye-yoon’s inner conflict, In-ah retorted once more.  

“Then you will remember our names. After all, we’ll be the designers who create kitchen furniture that you’ll love for years to come.”  

The Chairwoman stared at In-ah intently.  

“Young lady, your arrogance is excessive. Speaking without any basis is nothing but recklessness.”  

In-ah swallowed dryly, feeling a bit nervous inside.  

“Let’s hear your explanations about what you’ve brought.”  

In-ah’s expression noticeably brightened.  

Unlike last time, when they weren’t even given a chance to explain, this time, at least, they could present their work.  

As In-ah and Hye-yoon explained their revised design proposals, the Chairwoman’s expression remained completely unchanged. Then, suddenly, she raised her hand to stop them and examined the tea in her cup.  

“The tea has gone cold.”  

In-ah and Hye-yoon looked at the Chairwoman in confusion. 

Was she asking for fresh, hot tea?  

“I’d prefer it if you could finish your explanations before the tea gets cold next time.”  

While Hye-yoon still had a puzzled expression, In-ah’s face showed clear frustration.  

“When you bring the revisions next time, try to make your explanations shorter. Just the key points.”  

Finally understanding the Chairwoman’s intent, Hye-yoon glanced at In-ah.  

The Chairwoman, indifferent to their reactions, added one more comment.  

“We’re all busy people, after all.”  

As the Chairwoman stood up to leave, In-ah suddenly asked,  

“Which parts did you not like?”  

The Chairwoman turned back at her unexpected question.  

In-ah, as if waiting for this moment, pressed further.  

“We need to know in order to make proper revisions.”  

Hye-yoon quickly observed the Chairwoman’s reaction, but her expression gave nothing away.  

Fearless, Seo In-ah didn’t stop there and delivered her final argument.  

“If you simply tell us to redo it without any feedback, we’ll all end up wasting time again, despite being busy people. That’s why I’m asking.”  

The Chairwoman stared at In-ah silently for a moment.  

In-ah met her gaze without flinching.  

Caught in the tension between the two, Hye-yoon was so nervous that her teeth were chattering.  

Finally, the Chairwoman spoke slowly.  

“Everything. I didn’t like any of it. Does that give you a clearer direction for revisions?”  

Despite the Chairwoman’s response, In-ah didn’t flinch and maintained her gaze.  

Just as it seemed the Chairwoman was about to leave, she spoke again.  

“This is a custom-made piece of furniture for an individual client, correct?”  

“Yes, that’s correct.”  

In-ah, who had been silent, immediately responded.  

The Chairwoman’s eyes showed a glimmer of curiosity.  

“Then, in such cases, what becomes the standard for design?”  

“The client’s preferences.”  

In-ah answered firmly.  

The Chairwoman stared at her for a moment.  

“So you brought a design knowing that?”  

“……”  

Faced with her accusatory tone, In-ah fell silent again.  

“If you bring another design that doesn’t align with my tastes next time, I might have to reconsider the order I placed with Lysian.”  

Hye-yoon, startled, swallowed nervously at the Chairwoman’s words.  

“I can’t keep giving you unlimited amounts of my time.”  

With those final words, the Chairwoman turned and left the room.  

As she exited, Hye-yoon bowed deeply, then immediately turned to slap In-ah lightly.  

“Why did you have to say all that? Now we’ve reduced our chances! We only have one more chance to revise it.”  

While Hye-yoon fretted and stomped her feet, In-ah was lost in deep thought.  

In-ah had been trying to push aside the fact that the client was Jinseong Group’s Chairwoman. She had deliberately tried to exclude that fact from her mind.  

To her, she was just another client, like anyone else. She had repeatedly told herself this.  

But now, she realized that was a mistake.  

The Chairwoman was indeed a client. However, this client was also the head of one of South Korea’s leading conglomerates.  

How could I create client-centered designs without keeping that in mind?  

“How could she say she didn’t like everything? Not even a single part of it?”  

Hye-yoon muttered, unable to let go of her frustration. She sought agreement from In-ah, who remained silent.  

“They say she’s eccentric, and I guess that’s true, huh?”  

But In-ah couldn’t agree with her.  

The Chairwoman had pinpointed the exact problem with her designs.  

It was only now that In-ah realized it.  

***  

Back at the office, In-ah was working late into the night, filled with determination.  

That’s when Jinwon called her.  

– Where are you?  

“At the office. Working late. I’ll be home late.”  

– Have you eaten dinner?  

“No appetite.”  

Two hours later, Jinwon showed up at the office and was shocked to see In-ah.  

Her desk was piled high with materials related to the design, and she was the only one left in the office, working late.  

“This isn’t just working late; it’s pulling an all-nighter.”  

In-ah gave a sheepish smile and teased Jinwon.  

“Why are you here at this hour? What if we missed each other?”  

“Well, we didn’t.”  

Jinwon set aside his worries for a moment and held up the lunchbox he brought.  

“Tada! I made a lunchbox for you.”  

For some reason, In-ah gave him a suspicious look instead of a response.  

Feeling defensive, Jinwon raised his voice.  

“I’m not the same as before! I’m good at cooking now.”  

But the suspicion didn’t leave In-ah’s face.  

As Jinwon opened the lunchbox, In-ah’s eyes widened.  

“Tteokbokki!”  

With a confident expression, Jinwon gestured for her to try it.  

In-ah cautiously picked up a piece of tteokbokki and began chewing slowly.  

Her expression quickly changed to one of amazement.  

“Oh! It’s spicy.”  

The tteokbokki was perfectly tailored to In-ah’s taste, as she couldn’t resist spicy food.  

With a triumphant look, Jinwon shrugged his shoulders and said,  

“Told you.”

Jinwon had prepared a customized tteokbokki, perfectly tailored for In-ah, who couldn’t resist spicy food.  

With a triumphant expression, Jinwon shrugged his shoulders and said,  

“I made it just right for your taste, In-ah.”  

“But it’s just spicy.”  

Chewing on the tteokbokki, In-ah’s face scrunched up in displeasure.  

“Wait a second. I’ll get you some water.”  

As Jinwon hurriedly stood up, In-ah grabbed his hand firmly.  

“Where do you think you’re going? Come here. The person who made it should try it.”  

In-ah picked up two pieces of tteokbokki at once. Seeing this, Jinwon frantically waved his hands.  

“I’ll pass.”  

As Jinwon tried to escape her grip, In-ah pounced on him.  

“Come here! You need to share the pain!”  

Panicking, Jinwon struggled to hold back In-ah, grabbing her wrists to stop her.  

At that moment, with both her wrists held, In-ah suddenly leaned forward, sticking her head through the gap.  

Without hesitation, she went straight for Jinwon’s lips.  

In the blink of an eye, Jinwon’s lips were captured by In-ah.  

The next moment, Jinwon frowned deeply.  

“Hiss! It’s spicy!”  

With a delighted expression, In-ah giggled and cupped Jinwon’s cheeks with both hands.  

Then, with her lips still coated in the tteokbokki sauce, she leaned in for another kiss, her intentions clear.  

Jinwon, staring at In-ah’s lips, instinctively leaned his head back.  

Seeing him retreat, In-ah stopped her advance and looked at Jinwon with a serious expression.  

“What? Are you rejecting me right now?”  

“Yes, I’m rejecting you.”  

Jinwon answered without hesitation.  

Even when he saw In-ah’s lips droop in disappointment, Jinwon remained firm as he continued,  

“So could you please let go of my face now?”  

“Nope. You’re too cute right now. Come here~”  

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, In-ah approached him again.  

Jinwon barely broke free from her grasp and started running away.  

As In-ah gleefully chased after him, Jinwon tried to stop her by pointing at the CCTV camera hanging from the ceiling.  

“We can’t do this at the office.”  

Feigning surprise, In-ah cautiously waved her hands at Jinwon.  

When Jinwon approached her, wondering what was going on, In-ah leaned in close to his ear and whispered,  

“This spot is safe. It’s a blind spot.”  

At her words, Jinwon tried to flee again, but In-ah firmly grabbed his neck.  

Then, before he could react, In-ah captured his lips once more.  

As their breaths grew heavier, their mutual yearning evident, Jinwon gazed deeply into In-ah’s eyes as she slowly pulled away.  

Then, leaning close to her ear, he murmured,  

“This time, nothing like before will ever happen again. I promise.”  

The words In-ah had longed to hear melted into her ears.  

Before the lingering warmth of his words could fade, Jinwon suddenly exclaimed,  

“Hiss! Ah, it’s spicy!”  

Startled, In-ah’s eyes snapped open.  

Jinwon, flailing his hands as if in pain, muttered,  

“Half a bottle of chili powder was definitely too much.”  

“What?!”  

Startled, In-ah watched as Jinwon quickly escaped her embrace.  

“I’ll get some water. Water!”  

As Jinwon dashed off towards the pantry, a loving smile spread across In-ah’s lips.  

This was enough. The fact that Jinwon, who cared for her, was by her side was all she needed.