CHAPTER 8 – Back Alley (Part 2)

It was a drizzly night.

Small raindrops formed on the window. The tiny drops grew larger and larger as they soaked up the rain until they became round droplets and trickled down. Dojun looked beyond the raindrops.

A woman was walking through the flowing rain. She walked neither slowly nor quickly along the path illuminated by the headlights. She approached, tilting her head as if checking if this was the right car.

Dojun lowered the driver’s side window slightly. Through the opening, he could see the woman’s eyes. She looked unexpectedly calm and her eyes were gentle. After confirming Dojun, she lowered her head and greeted him.

“Please get in.”

Without a word, Seo-yeon turns around the car and opens the passenger door. 

She pardoned her way in with a calm voice, then bent down and slid into the passenger seat.

Dojun glanced at Seo-yeon’s profile. 

Her hair was damp with drizzle. Her eyelashes spread out like a fan. Lines falling from forehead to nose, nose to lips. Her chest rose and fell lightly with each breath. She lightly clenched her fist and placed it on her lap.

What had brought him to this place?

Seo-yeon’s face tensed slightly as Dojun’s gaze lingered. She sighed lightly. Her lips parted slightly to breathe, then closed again. There was a hint of mint and alcohol mixed in her breath.

“I’m sorry, CEO Hwang.”

Seo-yeon couldn’t stand the silence any longer and spoke up. 

“You must have been drinking.”

Dojun said. Seo-yeon’s eyes widened slightly. It wasn’t an innocent expression of ‘How did you know?’ It was a reaction to his rude tone. The look in the eyes of a woman who had been drinking was more relaxed than usual. So, she felt every shift in tone.

She went from being offended by the rudeness, to understanding, to accepting, to resigning herself to the fact that he’s just the way he is. Going through all these processes of annoyance, Seo-yeon calmly asked him.

“Yes. Are you bothered by it?”

Seo-yeon chose the word ‘bothered’. Dojun thought that word suited Yoon Seo-yeon.

Bothered by the way she carried herself. By the way her eyes were narrowed. By her indifferent gaze. By everything that came with being someone’s fiancée and the daughter of Vice President Yoon Sangcheol.                                                                  

He asked himself if all of that bothered him, and the answer was unexpected.

“It doesn’t matter.”

It doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter if she smelled of alcohol, if her eyes were indifferent, or if she had a history with Lee Sehyun, none of it was important.

It had been busy days. There were three consecutive board meetings, and on top of that, he had his own schedule as the hotel’s CEO. It was also the end-of-year season when various charity events were held every other day.

The fatigue was building up, and cumulative fatigue wore down a person’s patience, so Dojun was tired of rethinking everything that had to do with Yoon Seo-yeon.

“Let’s start with the files.”

Dojun said what she must have guessed. He’d come all the way here tonight for a reason. It was annoying to push and pull the files around as an excuse. He had enough of it.

“I’m sorry, CEO Hwang. I didn’t bring the files.”

It was an unexpected answer. Dojun burst into an incredulous laughter.

A strange redness appeared in the man’s eyes as he chuckled. It was a peculiar redness. It wasn’t the redness of blood vessels, nor the redness of the iris. It was a peculiar redness that felt like the deepest part of the pupil was burning.

Regardless of whether there was fire in the man’s eyes or not, the conversation had to continue. Seo-yeon turned slightly towards Dojun, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.

After meeting the other’s gaze without feeling too uncomfortable, she spoke politely but softly. That’s all she had to convey.

“I didn’t bring the files.”

Seo-yeon paused for a moment. Dojun’s gaze was fixed on her, but he remained silent. He must have meant for her to continue. So, Seo-yeon continued.

“I didn’t think much about it that day, because I was shocked by Sehyun’s unilateral announcement, and more importantly, because it was with my younger sister, so it was an impulsive decision that I made on a whim.”

Dojun still didn’t say anything. 

What could be more embarrassing than making a long list of excuses in front of someone you couldn’t meet eyes with? 

I hate this. I try not to make mistakes, but how did this happen? 

Seo-yeon took a deep breath and calmly continued.

“It’s a file obtained through inappropriate means. It’s about two people’s private lives, and leaking it wouldn’t be right.”

While he usually cut in between other people’s words, at times like this, silence lingered so long that it was hard to tell if he was listening or not.

As Seo-yeon calmly explained, she felt herself becoming more and more awkward. 

Why am I saying these things in front of this man? Why did I get myself into this situation by agreeing to hand over the files that day?

Despite feeling self-reproachful, she continued her story.

“I also don’t want my sister and Lee Sehyun to be in trouble. I was taken aback at first, but now I’ve sorted things out, and I don’t want to be involved with them again in any way. I plan to delete the files myself.”

Somehow, she felt like she was making her final argument. Once she finished speaking, she would have to wait nervously for his response. 

Indeed, he was naturally talented at making people feel suffocated. 

Seo-yeon thought.

“I thought about telling you over the phone, but it didn’t seem polite, so I came out here to tell you in person. I’m so sorry you came all the way out here on purpose…….”

Dojun chuckled. This forced Seo-yeon to pause and say.

“……I think.”

“Have I told you before?”

“…….”

Not knowing what he meant, Seo-yeon remained silent, looking at Dojun.

“You’re really good, Miss Yoon Seo-yeon.”

Annoyingly so.

Seo-yeon felt like she could hear Dojun’s voice in her mind.

“Yes, you have.”

Seo-yeon lowered her eyelids as if she knew nothing. Then, with a kind smile, she said,

“You said it was a compliment.”

So just stop it and leave me alone. I hope you’ll shut up with your annoying praise again. 

 As Seo-yeon was silently chewing on curses inside,

Dojun spoke again.

“How do you feel?”

Seo-yeon realized that she really hated this kind of rhetoric. Cutting in abruptly and throwing words around to strangle people’s throats.

How do I feel? What are you curious about?

“Because I feel like laughing like that.”

Dojun said, with a smirk playing on one side of his twisted mouth. Seo-yeon pondered how to react. Whether she should be honest or continue expressing her disgust.

I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sir.

I should probably make that kind of expression.

I can’t help it if you misunderstand my sincerity, but I can’t give you the files. 

That’s what I should say.

Seo-yeon looked Dojun straight in the eye as she replied.

“Not bad.”

Her tongue moved as if she were drunk on a bottle of alcohol. No, she wasn’t drunk. She just didn’t want to be submissive to that man.

He kept scratching her, and she felt like scratching him back. She couldn’t curse at the hotel CEO, but she still wanted to retaliate in some small way.

Dojun turned his whole upper body toward Seo-yeon’s direction. He leans in and wraps one arm around the back of the passenger seat headrest.

With just that gesture, Seo-yeon felt as if she were being embraced by Dojun. With him much closer now, he gazed at Seo-yeon and spoke.

“Miss Yoon Seo-yeon.”

Dojun’s eyes were red.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, shall we?”

Seo-yeon strangely felt as if the alcohol coursing through her body ignited all at once. It felt like blue and red flames danced inside her.

“What if I don’t want to?”

It was a stupid question. She realized it as soon as she said it. She said something she shouldn’t have. And there was only one answer the man would give.

“You’ve sorted things out, and you’ll do the right thing. So now…”

Dojun said, leaning in. Seo-yeon stared into the red eyes that were closing in on her.

“I guess it’s time to do something bad.”