Chapter 71

As the door of the Chairman’s office closed, Hyesoo got up from her seat and headed to the sofa.

“Why did it take you so long to come when I asked you to visit often?”

Hyesoo spoke as if she was disappointed, and Haji gave a small smile.

“You’re always busy.”

“Still, if you say you’re coming, I can make time.”

“I’ll come more often.”

Hyesoo smiled slightly, as if she had gotten the answer she wanted, and took the coffee Haji had brought.

“This way, I can use you as an excuse to chat a bit. Everyone thinks I’m a workaholic, but I’m not at all? It’s just that I have no one to chat with.”

“Really?”

Haji asked with a small laugh, and Hyesoo nodded with a sly raise of her eyebrows.

“Of course.”

“The employees who think you’re a workaholic will be very surprised.”

“I can’t let go of this image because they might be too surprised.”

At Hyesoo’s cheerful words, Haji let out a soft laugh. It felt both unfamiliar and close to see the chairman who achieved the number one pharmaceutical company in Korea showing such a down-to-earth side.

“How’s work these days?”

“With the weather getting hotter, it’s become busier. Even if they’re not building employees, many customers come in.”

“Right, more people would visit cafes because it’s hot.”

Since spring, it gradually became busier, and even extending the operating hours wasn’t enough to handle the busy times.

“But it’s good you’re doing well.”

“Actually, I have a lot of worries.”

“Hmm? Well, it’s natural to have concerns. Feel free to ask anything if you need advice.”

Haji hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s my first time running my own place, so I’m often uncertain. I wonder if I should hire more staff or add more drinks, but then, would the employees be able to handle it?”

The worries she had been harboring flowed out of Haji’s mouth as if they had been waiting.

Listening to those worries, a gentle smile appeared on Hyesoo’s face.

“You’re doing well. It’s good that you’re thinking and facing these challenges.”

“Is this the right way?”

“Of course, I was like that too. It’s okay.”

Seeing Hyesoo’s warm smile, the budding anxiety in her heart began to wither.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“No need to thank me. And if things get too hard, it’s okay to take a break for a while.”

Hyesoo didn’t hold back on giving advice to Haji like a life mentor. As her anxious heart settled and the conversation moved away from work, Haji’s face showed a bit of awkwardness.

“Why is Seojin so cold? Who did he inherit that from?”

“Hmm… I wonder?.”

Haji answered with an awkward laugh. In fact, Hyesoo’s question was something Haji also wondered about. Looking at both of Seojin’s parents, they weren’t cold but rather friendly or kind.

“I’m starting to worry if anyone will ever manage to live with him.”

“If someone wants to, someone will, right?”

“I can’t even imagine Seojin wanting someone.”

Hyesoo tilted her head as if she truly couldn’t imagine it, narrowing her eyes.

“But he has a decent face, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Haji answered promptly. That face wasn’t just decent.

“For women around your age, he’s okay, isn’t he?”

“Of course. He was so popular even in high school.”

“Come to think of it, he used to get so many gifts as a kid. But one day, he just started throwing them all away, so I never got to see them.”

Hyesoo’s face gradually brightened, as if she had relieved her worries about Seojin.

“He threw them all away?”

“That bad personality of his didn’t just appear out of nowhere! Seonghee told me he even threw them away right in front of people.”

Very bad indeed.

Haji’s eyes widened at Hyesoo’s words. She didn’t know it was to that extent.

Looking at how he treated her now, it was unimaginable.

“I didn’t know that…….”

“He’s grown now, so he probably doesn’t do that anymore. Surely, he must have learned something by now.”

Hyesoo’s eyes sparkled as if she was thinking of something.

“So I’m thinking of introducing him to a girl these days.”

“…… What?”

She thought she misheard.

Haji looked at Hyesoo, doubting what she had heard.

Surely not…….

“Seojin can’t stay alone like that forever. Even if I have to step in.”

She hadn’t misheard.

Hyesoo’s eyes seemed to have everything prepared.

“…… Won’t he dislike it?”

“He might dislike it at first.”

“At first?”

What does this mean?

Haji pressed her lips together, waiting for Hyesoo’s next words. Sweat trickled down her palms.

“Since Seojin has a decent face and job, there are many women who want to be introduced to him. He was even in the news recently, wasn’t he?”

Hyesoo’s detailed plan to introduce women to Seojin buzzed in her ears.

***

Ding, as the elevator door opened on the first floor, Haji stepped out with a dazed expression.

It was a stark contrast to when she had gone up smiling with coffee.

Walking absentmindedly towards the café, someone blocked her path. Realizing a shadow had fallen over her, Haji slowly lifted her head.

“Oppa?”

“What are you thinking?”

At Seojin’s sudden appearance, Haji recalled what Hyesoo had said a moment ago. About introducing women to Seojin.

“…….”

“Haji?”

“Huh? How did you get here?”

Haji quickly changed the subject.

Seojin, who had contacted her before she went to see Hyesoo, had said he was on an outside business trip in the outskirts of Seoul.

“The work finished early.”

“I see. You’re going to have coffee before you go, right?”

“Hold on.”

Seojin stopped Haji, who was about to head towards the café.

“Hmm?”

Seojin looked over Haji’s face and held her hands. Feeling the sensation creeping between her fingers, Haji flinched.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Something to tell?”

Haji’s pupils shook. Because of the impending introductions that would come to her lover.

Not just once, but continuously, until Seojin met a woman he liked, as Hyesoo’s firm voice echoed in her ears.

How should I say this?

At that moment, Seojin’s lips curled up. The serious look in his eyes softened, and his expression relaxed.

“If not, that’s fine.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s no need to create something that doesn’t exist.”

It’s not that it doesn’t exist.

It was a difficult conversation topic to bring up. She hadn’t even sorted it out herself yet.

Haji nodded slightly. For a moment, Seojin’s lips lifted on one side and then returned to place.

“Lend me a bit of your time.”

“Time? What time?”

“Just a moment.”

Why was he suddenly asking for time?

Haji, whose hand was held by Seojin, followed him as he led her.

“Where are we going……?”

Thud, the heavy door opened and closed again in a brief moment.

“Where are we going?”

Haji’s voice echoed in the emergency stairwell. Her shoulders shrank as her voice echoed louder than she expected.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

Seojin’s quiet voice whispered against her forehead.

When did we get so close?

“Not going anywhere…? Then what?”

“Not going anywhere, we’ll do it here.”

Do what……?

Before she could finish thinking, before she could ask, their lips met.

“Mmph!”

His lips suddenly captured hers, tugging and pulling at her lower lip. Caught off guard, Haji stumbled back until her back hit the wall.

Meanwhile, Seojin’s hand had already supported the back of her head, preventing it from hitting the wall.

As his tongue licked around her lips, Haji exhaled a shaky breath, and a mass slipped through.

The red mass, which had been sweeping between her teeth and slowly scraping the shallow inside, gradually sharpened and aimed for the peak. Knowing his intent, Haji’s body tensed up.

She was familiar with the sensation, knowing it would soon take over her body. Holding onto his shirt, Haji slowly lifted her hands and wrapped them around his neck.

“Mmmh.”

As their tongues touched, a tingling sensation spread from her toes up her legs. She tightened her grip around his neck, trying to keep herself from falling.

Even in this tense moment, Seojin’s kiss didn’t stop. His tongue, which had been sweeping across the inside of her mouth, now probed deeper.

It felt like her legs might give out any second. She strained her neck, trying to suppress the sound escaping her lips, which only made it worse.

His tongue spread saliva throughout her mouth, coating every surface. The friction between their tongues created a sticky sound that filled the space.

The more intimate the atmosphere grew, the more Haji’s eyelids trembled. A tickling sensation spread through her lower abdomen, making it hard to stay standing.

“Ah.”

Sensing this, Seojin wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. Leaning into him gave her some relief.

But she quickly became aware of the hardness pressing against her.

When Haji grabbed his shoulder, his tongue slowly withdrew. Her mouth, which had been filled with heat, now felt exposed to the cool air, leaving a tingling aftertaste.

“Shall we continue?”

His husky voice tempted her, knowing she wanted more.

She noticed the shine of saliva around his lips. It was incredibly suggestive, almost unbearably so.

“Yes. Keep going.”

The moment the words left her mouth, their lips met again.