Chapter 8 (Part 1)

A meeting was underway in the conference room with the design team.  

It had been over ten minutes since the meeting started, and her gaze was fixed on Jinwon, seated far away.  

It seemed like he didn’t have cancer. Should I ask directly? That didn’t seem right either. How could I find out?  

Her mind was a jumble of thoughts.  

“In-ah? In-ah!”  

“Yes?”  

She snapped back to attention at the sound of her name.  

“Do you think you can handle it? Won’t it be too much work?”  

She quickly turned her attention to the screen, which displayed a proposal for drama furniture sponsorship.  

“If it’s too much, let us know. We’ll add more staff.”  

Hye-yoon, sitting nearby, was vigorously signaling to her. It seemed like she wanted to pass the task on to her. 

Ignoring Hye-yoon’s exaggerated gestures, she accepted the project.

“Yes, I understand.”

Hye-yoon deflated like a balloon, looking disappointed.  

Finding it amusing, she chuckled. But her smile faded quickly.  

“Team Leader Lee will support you, so for now, let’s have you take charge, In-ah.”

As they left the meeting room, Hye-yoon poked her in the side.  

“Really? After all those signals, you just took it!”  

Suppressing her laughter, she replied shamelessly.  

“You gave signals? I didn’t notice. You should’ve said it clearly.”  

“How could I say it during the meeting? Ugh. Jung Yi-hyuk is going to be in that drama.”  

They entered the break room while chatting.  

Jinwon, who was taking medicine, quickly put the packet in his pocket.  

“Team Leader, are you unwell?”  

Hye-yoon immediately asked. But he didn’t give the straightforward answer she wanted.  

“No. Just having coffee?”

He smiled awkwardly and stepped aside.  

“Oh? They brought coffee back?”  

Hye-yoon’s attention shifted to the coffee displayed in the break room. She looked at In-ah teasingly.  

“What happened? Making the person who suggested it feel awkward.”  

She glanced at Jinwon and raised her voice.  

“People should prioritize their health. No need to make coffee lovers sacrifice.”  

“Wait, so did you suggest bringing it back?”  

She nodded casually and pressed the coffee machine button.  

Jinwon left the break room with his coffee. Watching him, Hye-yoon murmured,  

“What kind of medicine is he so diligent about taking?”  

“Maybe he’s at the age to think about his health.”  

“Come on~ How much older is he than us?”  

“Isn’t every year precious?”  

In-ah suddenly raised her voice, eyes wide.  

“Why are you like this~ Yes, it’s precious.”  

***  

In front of the officetel, she paced back and forth, biting her nails.  

Even after work, her mind was preoccupied with one concern: how to ask Jinwon about his cancer.  

“What are you doing here?”  

Startled by his sudden appearance, she stammered.  

“Ah, uh… I was just buying something. Why?”  

His gaze shifted to her hands. She was empty-handed.  

“What did you buy?”  

Realizing her hands were empty, she quickly made an excuse.  

“Oh, I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I’m just heading in.”  

She headed toward the officetel entrance.  

They stood side by side, waiting for the elevator. She watched the elevator’s floor numbers, occasionally sneaking glances at him, looking for an opportunity.  

“I heard about Jeong-ho’s grandmother. She has cancer.”  

“Yeah.”  

But he didn’t say much else. She was anxious.  

“Aren’t you close with Jeong-ho’s grandmother?”  

“No, we were close.”  

He looked at her, puzzled by her question.  

“It must be really hard for you. You should have taken her to the hospital.”

“I’ve been doing that.”

“Really?”  

She asked, surprised.  

“More than once, right?”  

“Yes. What are you curious about?”  

“Nothing. I’m not curious anymore.”  

He boarded the elevator that arrived on the first floor.  

Watching him enter his apartment, she sighed softly.  

If his words were true, then he had taken Jeong-ho’s grandmother to the cancer ward.  

But what about the coughing and the medicine? 

She wanted to ask but feared it would be misunderstood as interest.  

Entering her apartment, she unknowingly slumped to the floor.  

Knowing he didn’t have cancer lifted a heavy weight off her shoulders.  

She smiled broadly but didn’t realize how brightly she was smiling.  

***  

A meeting was scheduled to discuss the furniture for a drama sponsorship.  

It was the day she and Jinwon were supposed to visit the drama production company office.  

“Oh? Are you the one with a partner but no couple ring?”  

A woman, with a bright smile, approached Jinwon.  

He seemed not to recognize her, so she winked and added,  

“Aren’t you the stylish Team Leader who doesn’t need proof?”  

Only then did Jinwon realize that the woman was the model he had worked with during the new furniture photoshoot.  

“So nice to see you, really~”  

The female model grabbed his hand enthusiastically, jumping up and down with excitement.  

Startled, he quickly pulled his hand away.  

“Who are you?”  

Another man, who also looked like a model, approached them.  

“Oh, let me introduce you. This is the incredibly stylish Team Leader I worked with at the Lysian shoot.”  

“Hello, I’m actor Kim Si-woo.”  

The male actor couldn’t take his eyes off Jinwon. Next to him, In-ah felt invisible.  

“Hello, I’m Lee Jinwon.”  

He greeted back out of courtesy.  

“Stylish Team Leader, let’s meet again next time!”  

The female model waved as if they were close friends and left.  

The male actor, with his arm linked to hers, kept looking back at Jinwon.  

Then, he ran back and asked,  

“Could I have your business card? I’m planning to get new furniture.”  

Jinwon handed over his card, and the actor left with a huge smile.  

Leaving the brief encounter behind, In-ah and Jinwon searched for the meeting room.  

“This way, please.”  

Following the gesture of a staff member, they stopped at the entrance of the meeting room, noticing the sign “Drama <Catch> – Script Reading.”  

“You can come in too, Manager.”

Turning around, In-ah saw a man with a chiseled jawline looking at her intently.  

“I’m not a manager.”  

She retorted. His large eyes grew teary, and he said in a gentle voice,  

“Oh! Sorry. Are you a stylist? Or in makeup?”  

With a face that seemed almost unreal, his innocent question made it hard to be angry.  

Without hesitation, she could say he had the most handsome face she’d ever seen.  

The man, who seemed like he could be the most handsome in the world, extended a hand to Jinwon,  

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jung Yi-hyuk. What role are you playing?”  

It was ridiculous.  

Despite his handsome face, he was full of prejudice. Jinwon quickly clarified beside her, who was pouting.

“We’re from the Lysian team handling the furniture for this drama. She’s the designer.”  

He made sure to correct the misunderstanding about In-ah.  

“Oh, I made a big mistake! I’m sorry. How can I make up for this rudeness? I’m really at a loss.”  

Yi-hyuk, flustered, extended his hand to her for a handshake.  

Just as she was about to shake his hand, Jinwon stepped in between them.  

“They’re calling us inside.”  

“Oh, well… Nice to meet you.”  

Yi-hyuk said goodbye and entered the meeting room for the script reading.  

Her face was visibly flushed.  

Jinwon pretended not to notice.  

When the meeting started, the person in charge mentioned Yi-hyuk’s name.  

“In the opening part of the drama, please pay special attention to the male lead’s and female lead’s rooms.”  

In-ah asked seriously,  

“The male lead’s room…”  

“You know actor Jung Yi-hyuk, right? He’s playing the lead role, so it would be good to refer to his character.”  

Jinwon glanced at her, who was taking notes diligently. He noticed the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.  

***  

From the morning, the office was unusually lively.  

It was because of the puppy Seong-jun brought. The puppy attracted the attention of the female staff.  

As she entered the office, she immediately recognized the puppy.  

“Oh? This puppy, from before…”  

“That’s right. That puppy.”  

Overjoyed, she petted the puppy, making indistinct sounds of affection. Seong-jun watched her with a pleased smile.  

Their interaction caught the suspicious eyes of the staff.  

Aware of their stares, Seong-jun added a bit of explanation.  

“I’m temporarily caring for a stray. It’s lacking social skills, so I brought it to the office. I hope everyone understands.”  

“Of course!”  

The staff responded in unison, some female employees clasping their hands over their hearts, looking touched.  

That afternoon, Seong-jun suddenly stepped out of the director’s office, calling out while searching the office floor.  

“Where did you go? Jjong! Jjong!”  

She nearly burst out laughing. Hearing “Jjong” from the director was unexpectedly funny.  

Noticing the staff’s amused expressions, Seong-jun awkwardly searched for the puppy.  

Soon after, his voice boomed,  

“Jjong! Come here right now!”  

The employees peered over the partitions like meerkats.  

It turned out the puppy was asleep on Jinwon’s lap.  

Startled by Seong-jun’s loud voice, the puppy burrowed deeper into Jinwon’s arms. Seong-jun strode over and picked up the puppy himself.  

The staff exchanged puzzled looks. 

What was with that sensitive reaction?  

Carrying the puppy out of Jinwon’s office, Seong-jun spoke kindly to it.  

“I’ve been looking for you. Are you thirsty?”  

The puppy lapped up the water Seong-jun offered. She approached him.  

“Why not keep it instead of temporary care?”  

He turned to look at her, then back at the puppy.  

“If you can’t take responsibility until the end, you shouldn’t start.”

“Pardon?”  

He fixed his gaze on Jinwon, who appeared behind her.  

“Whether it’s a person or a dog, isn’t it the same? If you start loving, you should take responsibility until the end.”