Epilogue (Part 1)

On Friday evening, Chief Secretary Kang Seung-cheol glanced at his watch. 7:57. 58. 59. The meeting seemed never-ending, but as the clock’s hands moved one tick at a time, Secretary  Kang discreetly organized his papers and capped his pen.

When he placed a small notebook and the capped pen on top of the neatly arranged file, it was exactly 8:00. Dojun, who hadn’t looked at the clock once during the meeting, suddenly raised his eyes as if by instinct. Closing the file, he said,

“Let’s call it a day.”

It’s been three months since Vice President Hwang Dojun took office. There was no need to say out loud that President Lee Jang-soo was just a figurehead and the real power lay with Vice President Hwang.

Almost immediately after taking office, Dojun ruthlessly shut down the failing businesses of Executive Director Hwang Min-jun, and President Lee couldn’t say a word against it. The change of power was natural, but there was something else that people found puzzling.

Before Vice President Hwang Dojun’s appointment, there was a sudden transfer order sending Lee Sehyun to the Daegu branch. Even the executives were puzzled that it was Lee Jang-soo who ordered it, but no one knew the exact circumstances.

“Shall I call Mr. Kim?”

Moving in the opposite direction of the team leaders who were rushing out of the conference room, Secretary Kang approached Dojun and asked, knowing it was a futile question but asking for confirmation nonetheless.

“No, don’t call him today.”

Dojun replied while pressing his tired eyes with his fingertips. It had almost become a rule in Secretary Kang’s mind that Dojun never called Mr. Kim after ending the meeting promptly every Friday.

“Yes, understood. Then I’ll see you on Monday.”

Dojun, who was sending a text message on his phone, nodded lightly at his words. As Secretary Kang turned and took a few steps, Dojun suddenly called out as if he had remembered something.

“Chief Secretary .”

“Yes.”

“What was the name of that place again? The one that serves good Samgyetang?”

“Oh, ‘Hosu House’?”

“Hosu House.”

Dojun repeated the name. It meant he was engraving it in his memory. Secretary Kang felt a slight sense of pride at such moments.

“The perilla broth is the real deal. The original is Dongdaemun Hosu House, but the taste changed when the youngest son took over. The daughter runs the Yeouido Hosu House, which is the real deal.”

Secretary Kang gave more information to Dojun as he was getting up. He was about to tell him that seats were available quicker at the annex rather than the main building, but Dojun spoke first.

“Order two servings and send them to my home.”

Oh, right…It was my job to order it. 

Secretary Kang thought as he watched Dojun’s smiling face. He had momentarily forgotten. Dojun wasn’t just an ordinary person who had to go there to eat. Secretary Kang responded with a smile.

“Yes, understood.”

“Have a good weekend, and see you on Monday. I’ll be going first.”

Dojun greeted and walked away. Though he walked calmly, he seemed anxious as he waited for the elevator while running his hand through his hair. 

Right, he must be in a hurry. He must be meeting her for the first time in almost a week, being so busy this week. Ah, how wonderful it must be.

Watching Dojun with a content smile, Secretary Kang quickly gathered himself and picked up his phone. He found Yeouido Hosu House’s number and pressed the call button.

“Hello, do you deliver via quick service? Yes, I’ll transfer the payment. Hannam-dong Forest Town, yes, it’s fine if it’s cold. Please leave it at the security gate.”

How fortunate he was to be born in an era with quick service instead of the days when he had to drive around to get things himself. Secretary Kang, having completed his last task for Friday, left the conference room feeling light-hearted.

* * *

Dojun’s sedan stopped at the entrance of Hanseong Hotel. When the doorman approached to open the door, Dojun lowered the window and said it was fine, then turned on the hazard lights.

[Arrived.]

A short text message received an immediate response.

[Okay.]

Through the half-open window, he saw Seoyeon walking inside the revolving door. Dojun’s eyes fixed on her as she walked out.

Her apricot chiffon dress fluttered with her steps. He watched as her hair blew in the soft spring breeze, and as she walked toward the sedan, clutching her clutch in one hand.

If nothing else happened, spending the weekend together became a routine.  On days when Seoyeon got off work early, she would go to Dojun’s house first and wait for him, and on days when they had similar end times, like today, he would pick her up himself.

Knock, knock.

Before opening the door, Seoyeon tilted her head to see Dojun through the car window and knocked twice as if confirming. Even though it had been almost three months since they officially started dating, she still did this every time.

“Did the meeting go well?”

One of the things that hasn’t changed much is the use of honorifics in her first words. Even after spending all day together on weekends and closing the distance between them, she still took a step back when they met again.

“Roughly.”

Dojun answered and pressed a button. As the window closed with a buzz, he pulled Seoyeon towards him. It was another unchanged habit to pull Seoyeon in for a kiss when they hadn’t seen each other for a while and she acted like a colleague from a partner company. Capturing Seoyeon’s lips deeply, he felt her grip his collar with a short moan.

As their tongues entwined and he savored her deeply, the hazard lights clicked on and off. Pulling away from Seoyeon’s lips, Dojun saw her flushed face and grinned as she looked at him with a shy expression. The desire within him surged.

Until last week, he would spend nights at Seoyeon’s house once or twice a week, but this week they’d only spoken on the phone as he worked on a project to redesign the department store’s website and app, which had been a pain in the as$.

Perhaps that’s why Seoyeon’s lips tasted so sweet today. He wanted to devour more, but thought better of it, knowing he might end up booking a hotel room then and there. Running his hand through his hair, Dojun grabbed the steering wheel.

“Dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you very hungry?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then let’s go straight home.”

Seoyeon’s face reddened a bit more. Dojun started the car, thinking it was a good decision to order the perilla seed Samgyetang.

* * *

Seoyeon slipped off her shoes with her toes. She couldn’t even remember how she got inside the house because Dojun had been kissing her deeply since they were in the elevator. Before her bare feet touched the foyer, her waist was pulled, lifting her toes off the ground.

Halfway across the dark living room with their lips locked, Dojun paused to look at Seoyeon’s face as if to confirm something. His large hand cupped her cheek, and, out of habit, he brushed his thumb along her eye corner and said,

“It’s been a week.”

He spoke in a low voice and pulled her in for another kiss. The lingering kiss made her body tingle. Seoyeon tilted her head to look up at him.

“Have you been very busy?”

Dojun lightly responded with a “Yes” and kissed her again. The tingling sensation spread from her lower abdomen to her toes. Seoyeon wrapped her arms around Dojun’s neck and responded to the kiss.

It had been a long time since they saw each other, a week. Even though he often said he was busy, Dojun would still show up unexpectedly during the week. He would sometimes visit just to say hi, kiss her deeply, or sometimes stay and hold her before leaving.

More and more days, he’d sleep over and go straight to work from Seoyeon’s house. Her things were everywhere in Dojun’s house, and his things were everywhere in hers.

“How’s your grandmother?”

“She’s doing well.”

Dojun asked about her grandmother. He had accompanied her a few times to Yangpyeong on the pretext of giving her a ride, but last weekend, Seoyeon went alone because Dojun was busy with work.

“Was she upset I didn’t come?”

Dojun asked from a close distance, lips almost touching. Although her grandmother didn’t remember him, she always showed affection whenever they met, largely due to the delicious snacks he brought each time.

“She doesn’t even remember.”

Seoyeon whispered with a smile, and Dojun kissed her again, this time more deeply and passionately. A soft moan resonated from her body. She walked backward, accepting Dojun’s kiss.

“Still, let her know I asked about her.”

Seoyeon nodded. Although her grandmother couldn’t remember, her parents welcomed Dojun every time they went to Yangpyeong. Her father, in particular, seemed to have conveniently forgotten about Lee Sehyun, which, although bittersweet and funny, made things easier in many ways.

They were now in the master bedroom. Seoyeon’s calves touched the bed. Dojun’s hand, which had been embracing her back, pulled down the zipper of her dress. His hot lips touched the white shoulder revealed. The dress slipped down and pooled at the foot of the bed like water.

Underwear piled on top of the dress, followed by Dojun’s shirt and pants. Dojun lowered his head to Seoyeon’s chest. A heated moan escaped Seoyeon’s lips as she was laid down on the bed.

When he climbed back on top of her, she covered her face with her hands. Wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked down at her and said, 

“Tomorrow.”

Seoyeon’s legs were lifted. She still found it amazing how he could continue talking without missing a beat during such moments.

“There’s a wedding.”

With a sigh and a moan, Seoyeon’s waist arched. The conversation paused briefly due to Dojun, who deeply connected with her.

“Come with me.”

As she opened her mouth to say no, Dojun’s tongue delved in deeply. Unable to reply, Seoyeon simply closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.