When they were together in America, they even had a regular Korean restaurant they frequented.
Watching Seonjae naturally order the five-layer pork steak, she briefly saw the old Seonjae overlapping with the present one. Just for a moment.
Yeonsu grabbed her water glass and gulped it down.
Seonjae, who seemed to be chatting with Sehee, turned his gaze toward her.
It was a dry gaze that could make anyone who met it parched.
Yeonsu put down her cup.
Half out of defiance, she stared back at him, and Seonjae didn’t avoid her gaze either.
Just as their gazes were becoming intensely entangled, the door opened and dishes were placed on the table.
The main dishes began to take their places on the table.
“Where should I place the steak?”
“Over there, please.”
With a start, Yeonsu’s shoulders twitched.
Seonjae’s casually extended finger was pointing toward the space in front of her.
As if it were a dish ordered specifically for her.
She looked down at the steak placed in front of her.
Perhaps the table was so full that this was the only place to put the steak.
Though her mind could fully understand the situation, as it kept happening, she wanted to misunderstand.
When Yeonsu raised her head, her eyes met Seonjae’s again.
The corner of his mouth, which had been looking at her, curled up slightly.
“Enjoy your meal, Ms. Seo Yeonsu.”
Yeonsu bit her lower lip.
If she didn’t, her lips might move toward Seonjae of their own accord.
To ask if he was doing this deliberately.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
Yeonsu’s hand, which had been cutting the steak, paused in midair.
When she looked up, her eyes met Seonjae’s.
She had wondered, and indeed, it seemed the question was directed at her.
“Yes, it’s fine. Why aren’t you eating what you ordered?”
This time Yeonsu asked.
He hadn’t touched the steak that was within his reach.
Seonjae put down the cutlery he was holding in the long silence that followed.
By now, even Sehee had stopped eating and was looking at the two of them.
“I ordered it out of curiosity, but now that I’m about to eat it, I can’t bring myself to. Maybe it’s because I’ve eaten pork to the point of being sick of it.”
He said this while stretching one corner of his mouth into a smile.
“So Team Leader Seo Yeonsu, please eat a lot.”
His gaze, fixed on Yeonsu, seemed to ask if that answered her question.
The steak felt so much like a menu item chosen with her in mind that her hand holding the knife trembled.
Hadn’t he wanted to pretend not to know her? If that was his intention, he should act consistently.
‘Why……’
Why are you so casually kind like this?
Yeonsu bit her lower lip.
“…Thank you.”
Despite her words of gratitude, Yeonsu put down her utensils.
Since meeting this man again, she felt her daily life had fallen into disarray.
With her heart jumping erratically, she couldn’t swallow any food.
Just as the awkward atmosphere continued, Sehee called out to Yeonsu.
“Oh right. Team Leader Seo, about The Closet…”
Yeonsu turned her gaze toward Sehee.
The Closet was one of the promotional video channels being prepared by the Taeseo Group.
Each affiliate had its own channel, and Trading’s channel was The Closet. It introduced and promoted products from each brand.
“Someone from DINE needs to appear as the representative designer. How about you do it, Team Leader Seo?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I think our Team Leader Seo is perfect for it.”
Perhaps Sehee wanted to change the atmosphere with talk of The Closet.
Thanks to her, the awkward current flowing between Seonjae and Yeonsu was broken.
“Whether it’s size or face, there’s no one but you who can make DINE products look elegant. Actually, Director Yoon asked me, but as a mother, she can’t even consider weekend shoots. Siwoo is coming back soon too.”
“……”
“Single Team Leader Seo, please help us out. Team 1 is busy with product evaluations, and everyone in Team 2 except you has a family. In exchange, I’ll make sure you get all your substitute holidays.”
In response to Sehee’s lengthy persuasion, Yeonsu opened her lips without hesitation.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do it. You know the reason better than anyone, Managing Director. Please ask another team member.”
The atmosphere grew heavier with Yeonsu’s firm refusal.
From the beginning, Sehee would know better why she couldn’t appear.
She never knew when her panic symptoms might appear. If she had an attack during filming, it would inconvenience everyone.
Sehee looked at Yeonsu and spoke with a troubled expression.
“Really? No matter how I look at it, you’re perfect for this.”
Seonjae, who had been continuing his meal with no apparent interest in The Closet discussion, raised his head.
“Aren’t you being too firm in rejecting your superior’s proposal?”
Yeonsu’s face darkened as she detected the displeasure lurking in his voice.
“Is that how you earned your position, Team Leader Seo Yeonsu? By being like sisters with Managing Director Hong Sehee, using your close relationship.”
Yeonsu’s lips hardened as Seonjae continued with his words that crossed a line.
Without knowing anything.
“I heard you were capable, but perhaps that’s because you only choose to do what you want.”
‘Only choose what I want?’
Yeonsu clenched her fist tightly.
The gratitude she had felt for his consideration now surged up as indignation.
He knew nothing about why she was living this way.
The responsibility for the reckless affair they had together fell solely on Yeonsu.
“Or is it that you’re scared in advance, running away without even trying?”
Looking at him as he mocked her, her heart gradually began to boil.
“That’s not it. I think you’re misunderstanding, sir. Team Leader Seo……”
Sehee belatedly tried to clear up Seonjae’s misunderstanding.
Before she could finish her sentence—
“I consider broadcast appearances to be outside my job duties.”
Yeonsu opened her firmly closed lips.
Her gaze, which had been wavering toward him, settled into calmness.
The small lingering attachment she had felt toward him had turned to dust and disappeared.
A man who pretended not to know his former lover after five years. Even if he didn’t know about the child that had been conceived between them, he was just someone who took their relationship lightly.
If we happened to meet by chance as time passed, how should I tell Huimang about you?
Wouldn’t you be hurt like me? Wouldn’t you blame yourself?
All those years she spent worrying about such things now seemed meaningless.
To that man, she was just someone he had briefly enjoyed.
Just that level of feeling—something to be dismissed as youthful indiscretion.
For a very brief moment, she had been captivated by glimpses of his past self, but reason quickly returned.
“My job is that of a designer. If you point out any shortcomings in my work, I can certainly correct them. But video appearances are not my responsibility.”
At Yeonsu’s words, Seonjae’s eyebrows twitched. He was clearly upset by what she said.
“I have a QC1Quality Confirm, checking the quality of products before shipping this afternoon, so I need to go back first. Please finish your meal.”
Yeonsu stood up, gave a quick bow, and left.
Watching her leave, Sehee spoke in a concerned voice.
“I’m sorry. Team Leader Seo isn’t usually this emotional. She must be very busy.”
“It’s fine. My words must have made her uncomfortable. If Team Leader Seo Yeonsu doesn’t do The Closet, will you do it, Managing Director Hong?”
Sehee smiled slightly at Seonjae’s casual question.
“No, Yeonsu will end up doing it. Team Leader Seo may refuse others, but she can’t turn down my requests.”
“Is that so.”
Seonjae picked up the water glass in front of him and took a sip.
The glass slowly left his lips.
“So Team Leader Seo Yeonsu will do it after all.”
He murmured in a low voice. His gaze deepened as seen through the transparent water glass.
※※※
She really didn’t want to do it. Yeonsu sighed as she looked at the approved external work request form.
‘Reason: Appearance on The Closet.’
Yeonsu had clearly tried to avoid it with reasonable excuses. But she had to reluctantly agree.
She might be able to refuse others, but not Sehee.
As Yeonsu shifted her gaze, she saw the clock approaching lunchtime.
One by one, team members tidied up their desks and rose to go to lunch.
Yeonsu also rubbed her deeply sunken eyes and stood up from her seat.
Today was the first day of shooting for ‘The Closet.’
Yeonsu picked up a garment hanging on the rack at her desk and stood up.
〈Team Leader, are you going straight to the studio? Could I ask you to take the filming outfit? The courier service couldn’t schedule a pickup today.〉
Since she was going that way anyway, Yeonsu agreed to deliver it.
A men’s suit that looked expensive at first glance.
It was a piece of clothing they received from a premium menswear brand famous for suits that easily cost several million won.
Only after gathering the requested clothes did she head to the parking lot.
“Does a designer need to wear this kind of formal suit too.”
