Chapter 17: An Uncomfortable Proximity

“Should I be?”

“Pardon?”

“Why? I actually like it.”

“Representative…”

Looking at the beaming Joyoon, Jiheum was rendered speechless. What on earth did this man like about it?

Suspecting he simply enjoyed putting her in a state of confusion, her gaze toward him turned irritable.

“It was a first for me, too.”

“……”

“The experience of falling for a total stranger and becoming so crazily consumed by her.”

While Jiheum stood there stunned, Joyoon pushed himself off the desk.

Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he closed the distance between them in a single stride.

“So how could I forget? I could never forget.”

Before Jiheum could even step back, Joyoon was a mere hand’s breadth away, driving his point home.

Thump. Thump.

It felt as though the sound of Jiheum’s racing heart was the only thing filling the space between them.

The look in the eyes of the man looking down at her shifted mysteriously.

Jiheum instinctively swallowed hard and slowly averted her eyes.

She could feel his gaze drifting from her forehead along her eyelashes, moving down the tip of her nose to her lips.

He was so close she could feel his breath, making her hold her own.

Everywhere his gaze touched felt flushed and ticklish.

Just as her clenched fists began to tremble slightly, a faint laugh scattered against her ear.

Jiheum exhaled her held breath and straightened her gaze to see Joyoon returning to his desk.

She had been swept into his pace once again.

Gathering her wits too late, Jiheum spoke to the back of Joyoon’s head.

“Please forget it, Representative.”

Joyoon stopped in his tracks and turned his head.

A mysterious smile spread across his sculpted face, his laughter fluttering softly.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t grant that request.”

He replied casually and pulled out his desk chair to sit down.

Looking at his nonchalant demeanor, Jiheum’s gaze sharpened.

A part of her wanted to snap back with whatever words came to mind, yet his statement about not forgetting wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

In fact, she felt a slight spark of vanity at the fact that he remembered her.

However, Jiheum was a strictly realistic person, far too grounded to chase after the fleeting heat of a phantom night.

Now that they had met as superior and subordinate, she had to face reality even more firmly.

“Representative. Why did you ask to see me?”

“When are you free, Ms. Jiheum? Make some time for me.”

Joyoon spoke with as much confidence as if he were asking for something he had already paid for.

“Time for what?”

“Your personal time, Ms. Jiheum.”

Personal time? What on earth does that mean?

While Jiheum was trying to process the situation, Joyoon continued.

“Since our Assistant Manager Yoon loves separating public and private life so much… give me some time as just Yoon Jiheum.”

“Is there a reason I should give you my personal time, sir?”

Seeing him speak as if it were only natural, beyond mere confidence, a bit of her stubbornness flared up.

Do I have to do everything just because you demand it?

She tried to put strength into her glare, but it was no threat to Joyoon at all.

“Even if you don’t have one, I certainly do.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Joyoon gave a light shrug and rested his arms on the desk.

With his fingers interlaced, he stared intently at Jiheum.

“Make the time. Then I’ll tell you.”

For some reason, she felt an irresistible force coming from him.

Still, she didn’t want to blindly agree.

“If you tell me the reason… I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough. Then.”

Joyoon leaned back in his chair and paused for a moment.

He was being careful with his words because it was a matter he himself wasn’t entirely certain of yet.

“There is something I want to propose to you, Ms. Jiheum. But it’s a bit ambiguous. That’s why I want us to meet privately.”

“…A proposal?”

“Are you curious now? Then make some time.”

Joyoon smiled brightly.

It was a smile filled with the certainty that she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Jiheum found Joyoon’s confidence infuriating.

Because of that, she didn’t want to show interest in whatever proposal he had.

“I don’t intend to make—”

Just as she was about to snap back that she had no intention of making time, a vibration sounded from one side of the desk.

Joyoon glanced at his phone and raised a hand to cut Jiheum off.

Confirming the caller was the Chairman, Joyoon’s brow furrowed.

Reaching for the phone, he spoke.

“You may go now. Don’t forget to make time.”

Jiheum reluctantly turned away, feeling as though she were an intruder being suddenly evicted.

Joyoon only pressed the call button once Jiheum had completely disappeared from his sight.

“What brings this on? You calling me personally.”

– “I called because I have business with you.”

“I assume that business is grave enough to warrant a direct call?”

Joyoon leaned heavily against his chair and let his lips stretch into a smirk.

Chairman Ki rarely contacted him directly.

The Chairman usually conveyed his intentions through his own secretary or through Junhwan.

– “Come over tomorrow evening. Let us have a meal together.”

Ha! Joyoon bit his lip to keep a sigh from escaping.

His gaze sharpened, and his grip on the phone tightened.

Even when sending him out on blind dates, the Chairman had gone through Junhwan.

Yet he was calling directly just to have a meal? It was an incomprehensible move.

“I highly doubt you called just to share a meal.”

There was no trust in Joyoon’s voice as he replied.

– “I have invited a guest. So come, and do not be late.”

“……”

The word ‘guest’ stuck in his craw.

– “Why is there no answer? Is having a single meal with your grandfather such a difficult task?”

“Are you planning on taking a late bride? Are you bringing in a young concubine who’s younger than your own grandson?”

– “You impudent rascal! There is nothing you won’t say to your grandfather.”

Joyoon let a satisfied smile spread across his face as he listened to the Chairman’s booming voice.

“Well, it means your stamina is good. I’ll be understanding about it.”

– “Stop that nonsense. Come tomorrow!”

Chairman Ki abruptly hung up the phone, seemingly at a loss for words.

****

Throughout her walk back to her desk, Jiheum replayed Joyoon’s request for her personal time.

Why? What kind of time out of nowhere?

She should have clearly refused him.

It weighed on her mind that she hadn’t been able to give him a flat ‘no.’

Returning to her seat, she took out her phone which she had set to silent.

There was one missed call and two messages.

Checking the missed call notification, she saw the caller name ‘X.’

It was a contact she had saved after wandering in confusion, not knowing what name to use.

Her biological mother, Youngchae.

The title of ‘Mother’ was already taken by Seonju, and she was afraid that Jiyoon might see it if she saved her as ‘Mom.’

So, after much deliberation, she had chosen a heart emoji.

However, it didn’t take long for the heart emoji to change into an ‘X.’

On the day she realized that Youngchae’s purpose in finding her wasn’t a mother-daughter reunion but a need for a personal ATM, Jiheum had deleted her number.

But the number stored in her memory wouldn’t be erased.

As if knowing her too well, Youngchae contacted her whenever she was about to be forgotten.

To ask if she had any money.

Naturally, this message would be no different.

She didn’t even need to look at the text to predict its contents.

There was only ever one thing Youngchae had to say to her.

Instead of checking the text, Jiheum changed her phone from silent to vibrate and set it on the corner of her desk.

She was already stressed enough by Joyoon’s proposal; she didn’t want to add to it.

“Knock, knock. Assistant Manager.”

Eunjae called out to Jiheum, mimicking a knock with her voice.

Jiheum looked away from her monitor and turned her head as Eunjae pointed to her wristwatch.

“Let’s go eat lunch.”

“Ah, yes.”

Exhausted from the morning’s events, she hadn’t even realized it was lunchtime.

As Jiheum stood up, her phone vibrated.

[Kang Haejun]

She stared blankly at the name on the screen.

His call felt foreign, as they were in a relationship where they rarely contacted each other directly.

“Assistant Manager, aren’t you going to answer?”

“Oh, ah. I’ll take this and follow you. Would you like to go ahead?”

Unless something special happened, they usually ate at the company cafeteria.

The cafeteria was famous for being delicious, so she liked that she didn’t have to wander around looking for a restaurant.

The only problem was that it was often hard to find a seat because there were so many employees.

“Okay. I’ll save a seat for you.”

Eunjae left the office with the other team members.

Jiheum sat back down and pressed the call button.

“Yes. Hello?”

–” It’s me. Kang Haejun.”

“Oh, what’s up?”

– “You didn’t answer my text.”

Jiheum couldn’t entirely hide the nuance of ‘Why are you texting me?’ but Haejun didn’t seem to mind.

“A text? What text… ah, sorry. I didn’t know you’d sent one.”

She hadn’t checked because she assumed it was from Youngchae.

One of them must have been from Haejun.

–” Are you free tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

– “I was wondering if we could have dinner together.”

“Ah— is Seungji free?”

Jiheum asked, trying to include Seungji like a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal.

After all, the three of them always met together.

Besides, tomorrow was March 1st, a public holiday, so it would be easy for Seungji to make time.

–” Is it uncomfortable for you to eat with just me?”