Chapter 26

When lunchtime arrived, the café in the office building’s lobby was packed with people lined up in droves.

After finishing her meal, Woojung found a suitable seat. Assistant Manager Yang from the General Affairs Team sat across from her and set down his drink. Just as she’d expected, eyes filled with curiosity and judgment gathered around them.

“Assistant Manager Yang, you’re a brave man. Asking for a one-on-one meeting with the infamous Miss A!”

Holding her plastic cup in both hands, Woojung let out an awkward laugh.

Assistant Manager Yang had insisted on buying her the coffee he’d promised her earlier, specifically today. He’d refused when she’d suggested they put it off until another time, telling her she didn’t need to worry about that reason she probably had in mind.

“When else am I going to get this much attention? I feel like I’ve become a celebrity by association. It’s not so bad.”

He shrugged and crossed his legs with a flourish, imitating a superstar’s arrogance. Still, the way he clicked his tongue and called the whole thing exasperating made it clear that all the attention was getting to him.

“I don’t understand why people take petty gossip so seriously.”

“Maybe I should just seduce them all while I’m at it.”

Assistant Manager Yang’s lips twitched at her playful complaint.

“Pfft… Oh, goodness. Sorry.”

Woojung asked what was so funny and gave him a mildly reproachful look that wasn’t quite a glare. Then she drummed all ten fingers against the table as though she were playing a piano.

And then, suddenly—

“What if it isn’t gossip?”

She was curious.

“What if I’m actually a shady person?”

What lay at the heart of his unwavering conviction that she was innocent, that he could dismiss the accusations as nothing more than gossip without a moment’s hesitation?

Assistant Manager Yang sucked so hard on his straw that his cheeks caved in, then popped an ice cube into his mouth. His words came out muffled as he chewed.

“I’ve known you since you were an intern, Assistant Manager Jung.”

He added nothing else. That was all he said, as though there were no need to elaborate.

And somehow, that made his words hit even harder. It was the precious trust behind them: The Jung Woojung I’ve known wouldn’t do something like that.

That was probably why he’d insisted on returning the coffee she’d treated him to as a mere courtesy, and why he’d chosen to do it now. He wanted to tell her not to shrink back, to hold her head high. Some people were like those spreading the rumors, but there were others like him, too.

Jung Woojung, you little rascal. It seemed she’d done pretty well for herself when it came to getting along with people at work.

Proud of herself, Woojung brushed the tingling tip of her nose and chuckled, telling him that he was surprisingly good at comforting people.

Calling it an opportunity might have been stretching it, but this whole incident had reminded her how precious the people around her were. So perhaps it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

She had no idea who hated her or why, but wasn’t hating someone one of the most exhausting things a person could do? She might as well consider the culprit to be punishing themselves already. Looked at that way, she didn’t feel quite so wronged.

The break passed in no time.

After promising to buy him coffee next time, Woojung saw Assistant Manager Yang off first, then joined the queue to order coffee for the rest of her team.

They decided to stick with Americano for everyone. As she counted the people in the office on her fingers, however, her counting slowed when she passed her middle finger. It was because she thought of the intern when she reached her ring finger.

She’d heard from the team leader that Kim Ju-shin had taken the morning off. Was he sick? She hoped he’d simply overslept instead.

Even so, her lips poked out in a pout. She was his senior, after all, and he hadn’t even sent her a message. Yesterday, he’d failed to reply even after telling her he’d arrived home.

“Hmph.”

Just then, a shadow stretched over her head.

“You shouldn’t blow your nose here.”

At the unexpected voice, Woojung’s head shot up.

“Oh!”

“Oh.”

Kim Ju-shin stood at an angle, leaning one hand against the counter. He raised his eyebrows and echoed her exclamation. For some reason, that tiny gesture was so funny that Woojung’s peach-colored cheeks puffed up into a smile.

He stared at the woman smiling as innocently as a child, then found himself smiling along without resistance. He’d expected her to be floundering around, acting as though the world had collapsed because of the rumors. Was she genuinely cheerful, or was there just something missing upstairs?

His appearance had thrown the whole area into a commotion. Woojung could feel the rude stares flying at them from every direction. She was just about to bring up the incident when a brown napkin stamped with the café’s logo suddenly appeared in front of her.

“I’m a fan.”

“…?”

“Could I get your autograph?”

“…”

A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of his raised lips. He was teasing his senior, who’d become a celebrity overnight. Strangely enough, though, she felt relieved. She understood by now that this was just his way of comforting her.

Woojung gazed up at his handsome face for a moment before coolly declaring, “I’m a little busy right now.”

“That’s harsh.” Ju-shin drew out the last word with a sigh, but even his breath seemed to carry a smile.

When their drinks were ready, Kim Ju-shin naturally picked up the drink carrier and jerked his chin as if to say they should go. Woojung hurried to his side, and before she knew it, their strides had fallen into step as they crossed the lobby together.

Her hands felt light, her steps felt light. Perhaps that was why her heart seemed to float, too.

When they stopped in front of the elevators, two silhouettes appeared in the reflection of the polished bronze panel. Woojung was newly struck by the obvious difference in their heights. She was trying to estimate how many inches taller he was when—

“I heard you bewitched me with your power and influence.”

His flat voice dropped down onto the crown of her head. Woojung tilted her chin up sharply and glanced at his profile, which remained facing forward, before straightening her head again.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it? What kind of power could a lowly PR officer like me possibly have?”

“Power is ridiculous, all right.”

What was with him agreeing so readily? Woojung could only sneer inwardly. Just then, the number on the elevator display flashed to announce their arrival.

“If it were something else, maybe…”

“Hm?”

He didn’t answer her question. Had he been talking to himself? Pushed into a corner by the passengers boarding the elevator, Woojung could only peer up at him out of the corner of her eyes. From what she could glimpse, the corner of his mouth seemed to be curling into a smile.

“Let’s go home together today.”

Ding. Ninth floor.

Ju-shin stepped out into the hallway, then turned back toward Woojung, who was still inside the elevator. His long, narrow eyes met hers, which were filled with confusion, and soon curved into crescent moons.

“It’s raining hard. Consider it a little extra service.”

Watching his broad back as he walked ahead, Miss A had a thought.

Flirting, bewitching people, that eye smile… Wasn’t he the one who fit all those descriptions perfectly?

Back in the office, a little nobody of a PR officer woke her sleeping laptop and began to hum. She’d always been this way, but today, she was especially eager for the end of the workday.

The rapidly moving windshield wipers swept away the rain.

The line of cars stopped at a red light glowed red all at once. The evening commute in the rain was more congested than it was on a clear day.

Inside the car, not a single note of music played. The interior was immaculate, without a single unnecessary thing. There wasn’t even a commonplace air freshener.

Woojung sank into the wine-red leather seat, which felt soft and supple against her back. For once, she was unusually quiet. It was as though she’d forgotten the enthusiasm she’d had that morning when she’d promised to tell him all about her adventure. All she did was watch the scenery pass outside the window, occasionally sneaking a glance at the driver’s seat.

Was it because seeing the intern handle the steering wheel so skillfully felt strangely unfamiliar? They were only a year apart in age, after all. But perhaps because he was her junior, she’d unconsciously thought of him as a child.

The traffic light changed once. As they stopped at the line to wait their turn, pedestrians crossed the crosswalk in an orderly flow. The colorful umbrellas bobbed at different heights depending on their owners’ stature.

Woojung fiddled with her seat belt near her chest, glanced sideways at him, then cleared her throat.

It was time to bring up the words she’d been turning over in her mind.

“Um, this is your first time getting caught up in a rumor, right?”

Ju-shin had been resting his elbow against the window frame and looking straight ahead, but his gaze shifted to the passenger seat. Meeting his expressionless face, Woojung let out a hearty, awkward laugh.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this because of me. I’m supposed to be your mentor, yet I have absolutely no shame. Haha.”

She had to slip in an apology, at least. It probably wouldn’t change anything, but there was a big difference between saying something and leaving it unsaid.

Instead of answering, Kim Ju-shin held out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

Her phone? Woojung repeated the request in her mind, then readily placed her phone in his open palm. He took his own phone out of his jacket pocket and tapped away at something on each device in turn. When he handed hers back, the corner of his mouth lifted with satisfaction.

“Preventive measures.”

“…?”

She was about to ask what he’d done when the light changed. For some reason, though, the car didn’t move. Horns blared noisily from behind them, and only then did the wheels begin to roll slowly.

Woojung was puzzled, but since he was driving, she decided to keep quiet.

The car continued at a steady speed. Turning his head toward the driver’s-side window, Kim Ju-shin slowly ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth.

A message had appeared on his screen just as he was about to pull away. It brought a scornful smile to his face.

Haaah. What am I supposed to do with this entertaining little bastard?

The hand that had been loosely gripping the steering wheel slowly ran through his hair, brushed the back of his neck, then came to rest on the window frame.

His crookedly raised lips soon curved into a smile. His face looked almost excited, while the ash-gray eyes set in it gleamed with a sinister light.