Chapter 4 (Part 2)

Back at the office, In-ah still couldn’t erase the image of the woman she saw at the JM store from her mind. It wasn’t a case of mistaking someone. The woman had clearly called out Jinwon’s name. So, she wondered if she could be an ex-girlfriend. Well, in the seven years In-ah hadn’t seen Jinwon, she couldn’t assume he hadn’t dated anyone. 

I must be a fool for spending those seven years alone, consumed by anger and betrayal.

“Was JM Furniture’s value for money that shocking?”

Turning her head, she saw Sang-wook smiling behind her desk. Following Sang-wook’s gaze, she saw the same word filling her monitor.

“Value for money, value for money, value for money…”

Oh no.

“You don’t look well, In-ah. Is something on your mind? Just say the word, and I’ll…”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

Hye-yoon, who had hurriedly returned to her seat from somewhere, loudly relayed to In-ah.

“Seo In-ah! Director wants to see you!”

“Me? Why?”

“How would I know? Oh, I just caught a glimpse of him going into the director’s office with an incredibly beautiful woman!”

“That can’t be right.”

At Sang-wook’s absurd response, In-ah and Hye-yoon stared at him.

“There’s a stunning beauty right here. There’s no way she went in with the Director. Haha…”

In-ah and Hye-yoon couldn’t bring themselves to laugh and swallowed a sigh. In-ah quickly changed the subject.

“Weren’t you here to say something, Sang-wook?”

“Oh! What was it? I forgot. I’ll come back when I remember.”

You can’t really blame someone so cheerful. 

In-ah bit her lip and forced a smile.

***

‘Knock, knock’

In-ah knocked and entered the director’s office. The first thing that caught her eye was Shin-hye, sitting deeply in the sofa with her long legs crossed. Just then, after another knock, Jinwon entered the office.

“Jinwon! Ah, Team Leader Lee Jinwon is here. It’s been so hard to see your face lately.”

Shin-hye greeted him warmly, almost as if her lips would touch her ears. Unlike Jinwon, who glanced at Shin-hye and then looked away, Director Lee Seong-jun maintained a business-like smile on his face.

“They’re building a new wing at Chairman Jeong’s Conners Hotel…”

Throughout Lee Seong-jun’s explanation, Shin-hye never took her eyes off Jinwon.

“…and they want to entrust the furniture for the new wing to our company. Thankfully.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful. It’s the best hotel, so the furniture should be entrusted to the best.”

Shin-hye’s intense gaze was fixed on Jinwon. In-ah pretended not to notice and looked at the floor instead. 

Better not to see.

“They specifically requested Team Leader Lee’s team, so make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“Yes, I understand. Please pass the details to the person in charge, and we’ll proceed.”

Having said that, Jinwon glanced at In-ah. In-ah wore a troubled expression, unable to utter a word. Seeing this, Jinwon spoke up immediately.

“Seo In-ah is busy with the new product launch, so she will be excluded from this project…”

“No, Seo In-ah will participate. It’s a special request from Chairman Jeong.”

In-ah and Jinwon simultaneously looked at Shin-hye. As if expecting their reaction, Shin-hye spoke with a calm expression, seemingly surprised.

“I heard Seo In-ah is a designer with several hits. I didn’t know. Jinwon, you should have given me a heads-up.”

Just as Jinwon was about to speak, unable to bear it any longer, Shin-hye stood up and approached In-ah, bending down to meet her eyes. Then she gave a relaxed smile.

“I’m looking forward to it. Please do your best, Seo In-ah.”

Seeing In-ah clench her lips instead of answering, Shin-hye’s face spread into a satisfied smile.

“Oh, by the way!”

As Shin-hye turned to leave, she suddenly spun around as if she remembered something.

“You know I majored in furniture design, right?”

“…”

“Surely, you know?”

Shin-hye looked at Jinwon as if seeking an answer. Jinwon let out a small sigh.

“Jinwon and I studied abroad together in Finland.”

When In-ah didn’t react this time either, Shin-hye continued without waiting for a response.

“Just in case you didn’t know, now you do. I have a different eye for furniture. Considering the client’s taste is the first step, you know that, right?”

Finally, In-ah looked directly at Shin-hye, with a gaze that seemed to detest her presence.

“Oops! Sorry~ Did I go overboard again, Jinwon?”

“We’ll be leaving now.”

Ignoring Shin-hye’s words, Jinwon turned to lead In-ah out of the director’s office.

“Wait, Team Leader Lee.”

At Seong-jun’s words, Jinwon turned back.

“You know what the priority is, right? The new product launch and Chairman Jeong’s contract.”

Shin-hye shrugged confidently.

“It’s not because Chairman Jeong is involved, but prioritize the Corners Hotel project.”

“……”

“Answer!”

Startled by Seong-jun’s statement, In-ah and Shin-hye looked at him with wide eyes. Noticing their gaze, Seong-jun quickly softened his expression.

“It would be nice to get an immediate response. Chairman Jeong often faces such situations, right? When working with subordinates. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah…”

Shin-hye shifted her eyes as if thinking for a moment, then immediately responded.

“Our Jinwon can be like that sometimes. But since the director is so magnanimous…”

“Um…”

In-ah, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

“May I leave now if it’s okay?”

“Sure.”

As Seong-jun nodded, In-ah bowed and turned to leave. 

“Oh, by the way!”

In-ah suddenly turned around like Shin-hye earlier, as if she remembered something. Then she looked directly at Shin-hye and spoke.

“I didn’t know you majored in furniture design. I only remember what I’m interested in. And you say you have a different eye for furniture?”

With a relaxed smile, In-ah continued.

“Everyone sees furniture with different eyes. People have different tastes. Client’s taste? Of course, we consider them.”

Shin-hye couldn’t close her mouth, left open in disbelief. Unfazed, In-ah added another word.

“Researching the client’s needs is fundamental for a furniture designer. Oh, I thought I didn’t answer you earlier.”

After bowing her head, In-ah left the director’s office. 

Shin-hye, unable to retort and having been countered, let out a hollow laugh at the air.

Outside the director’s office, Jinwon spoke to In-ah.

“Can you handle both at the same time? If it’s too hard, I can…”

“I’ll try.”

Leaving only a brief response, In-ah walked away, her stiff demeanor leaving Jinwon speechless.

***

That night, In-ah, who had been busy preparing for the new product launch, finally fell into a deep sleep.

But she suddenly woke up due to a loud noise. It was well past midnight. The noise was the sound of a siren signaling a fire.

Startled, In-ah rubbed her eyes and managed to get up. Realizing it was a siren, she, still half-asleep, headed straight for the front door.

When she flung open the door, she was so surprised she almost fell backward. 

Standing right in front of her door was Jinwon. 

Dressed in pajamas, Jinwon had a bird’s nest on his head and was panting heavily, as if he had just run over.

Momentarily surprised, In-ah urgently asked Jinwon standing before her.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, either.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because the siren went off.”

In-ah, feeling frustrated, quickened her words.

“No, I mean… Never mind, just come out.”

Pushing Jinwon aside, who was standing in front of the door, In-ah ran toward the hallway.

Looking around, it seemed other neighbors were also unsure of the situation. 

Many were peeking out of their doors, trying to assess the situation. Some only had their heads sticking out.

Seeing this, In-ah headed straight for the elevator. She reached out to press the button.

But she was stopped by Jinwon’s intervention.

“Let’s take the stairs. Just in case.”

Jinwon’s expression was quite serious. This brought a sense of urgency to In-ah as well.

In-ah immediately turned and headed for the stairs. Jinwon quickly followed.

When they reached the security office on the first floor, it was empty. 

Only a few people like In-ah and Jinwon, who seemed startled, were lingering in front of it.

“Stay outside for now. I’ll check the situation and contact you.”

“My phone…”

In-ah was empty-handed. She had rushed out in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought anything.

“Then stay at the convenience store in front. I’ll…”

Jinwon, speaking urgently to In-ah with a confused face, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

It was because In-ah had grabbed Jinwon’s arm.

“Let’s go together. Don’t do this, let’s go together.”

Seeing In-ah’s desperate expression, Jinwon held back the urge to embrace her. 

If this siren was indeed due to a fire, he needed to get In-ah out as quickly as possible.

As the two exchanged earnest looks, an announcement echoed through the air.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the siren malfunction. Let me repeat, the siren that just sounded was due to a malfunction in the fire equipment…”

In-ah and Jinwon let out a sigh of relief. 

Embarrassed, In-ah quietly released Jinwon’s arm, which she had been holding onto tightly.