Chapter 41: The Leash Around His Neck

“F*ck…….”

Ever since the night he had hungered for Kangeun, he had been in this constant state.

Standing under the downpour of water in the early dawn, Siheon’s gaze fell toward his pants tossed onto the bathroom sink.

“I’m not a child, and yet…….”

He didn’t know why he was still acting like this at his age.

Siheon tilted his head back.

It seemed as though he had gone into heat since that day.

A full week had passed without being able to exchange a proper word with Kangeun.

Taking over for the Branch Director, who had vacated his position on sick leave, Kangeun was overwhelmed with a mountain of tasks.

However, no matter how busy she was, there should have been a moment to lock eyes and talk, yet she hadn’t given him a single smile.

Go Kangeun was avoiding Cha Siheon.
To be precise, she was looking right through him.

The Tenuto Coffee Korea Branch Director was currently hospitalized, abandoning the opening of the first store, which was right around the corner.

For a leader to sit in a hospital room during such a busy period just because of a few hairline fractures—he was an utterly useless bastard.

“Pathetic jerk.”

Siheon, who was cursing Hyunwoo, wiped his face and braced himself against the wall.

He had realized that he was no different from that bastard—staying stuck in his own state while setting aside work in hopes of gaining Kangeun’s attention.

Over the past few days, there had been two meetings with Tenuto Coffee Korea.

Since these meetings were led by Kangeun and Siheon, they had to exchange work emails.

However, not once in those emails was there a greeting filled with affection.

Throughout the meetings, he had lowered his gaze while looking only at her, but she treated him like he was part of the furniture.

He barely restrained himself from going to her house and pressing the doorbell repeatedly.

He decided not to do that, fearing he would look no different from that bastard Ahn Hyunwoo who had caused such a scene.

Instead, he called her exactly twice a day and sent three messages.

There was no response.

Then, yesterday, Kangeun had sent a reply as if granting alms to his message begging her to say just one word.

‘Wait.’

He felt like a wild dog tied to a leash.
He was the beast whining because he couldn’t reach the sweet treat right in front of his nose.

Kangeun that day had been breathtakingly beautiful.

Her flushed, wet eyes, her swollen and glistening lips, and her delicate body that had embraced him warmly while exuding a sweet scent.

Even her neck, where he had left marks out of spite while she was on the phone with Hyunwoo.

It was a memory he had ruminated on dozens, hundreds of times in these past few days.

The plan to reclaim her not as a brother, but as a man, was supposed to last until the moment he actually met her.

Even he didn’t know he would lose his mind and lunge at her the moment they met.

Should he have approached slowly after all?

He was the one who had made the mistake out of impatience.

“Huu…….”

Having tasted that sweetness, his throat felt even more parched.

The thirst that could not be quenched no matter what he did—only Go Kangeun could resolve it.

The reason he could barely control his growing greed was the knowledge that she was his master.

Finally tomorrow, the first Tenuto Coffee store in Korea would open its doors in Jongno.

Though it was a soft opening rather than a formal one, the first store, created by renovating a

Hanok, was essentially a masterpiece both Hyungyeong Commerce and Tenuto Coffee Korea had put a lot of heart into.

Since limited edition merchandise was scheduled to be sold on the soft opening day, they expected massive crowds.

There were even people who had already announced their intention to join the “open run” to secure items.

Siheon was only providing support; the person spearheading everything tomorrow was Go Kangeun.

Siheon closed his eyes, imagining her tomorrow, when she would be busy without a second to lose.

He had a feeling that tomorrow, his waiting would end.

At the thought that Kangeun might contact him after she finally caught a breath, his lower body felt heavy again.

“Ha…… crazy bastard.”

Letting out a self-deprecating laugh, he turned the shower lever all the way.

Enduring as he was hit by water cold enough to make his body stiff, he was now waiting for Kangeun’s permission.

****

It was just as she had poured the coffee from the moka pot with practiced movements.

“Morning operations are concluded!”

At Jihwan’s shout as he hung the ‘Closed for Lunch’ sign, the employees sprawled out on the bar one by one like fallen soldiers.

Kangeun downed a freshly brewed strong espresso in one gulp and closed her eyes.

Her flat shoes were lying discarded on the floor nearby.

She was standing at the bar with bare feet.

Well, not exactly bare.

The sensation of her feet in black stockings touching the cold floor stones made her feel like she could live again.

She had been scurrying around all morning without a single chance to sit down, so the accumulated fatigue was immense.

“Huu…….”

On the soft opening day of the first Tenuto Coffee branch, it was not easy to satisfy the coffee lovers who had flocked from all over the country.

After all, the motto of Tenuto Coffee was to provide Italian coffee exactly as it was meant to be to everyone.

That’s why Tenuto Coffee Korea had excluded Americano—one of the best-selling menu items in Korean cafes—from the menu from the very beginning.

Because of that, even Kangeun, who should have been overseeing the store, had to shuffle between the bar and the register to handle customer service.

Her role was to calm the confusion among customers who visited without knowing much about

Tenuto Coffee and habitually looked for iced Americano.

“Manager, why are you standing? Should I bring you a chair?”

“If I sit down, I don’t think I’ll be able to get back up.”

“……It seems like everyone forgot how to read.”

“…….”

“We spent months promoting the concept of an espresso bar……”

“Indeed.”

“On top of that, in this winter, wanting an iced Americano. As expected, Koreans truly love their iced drinks even if they freeze to death.”

“Jihwan-ssi, is that really something to say right—no, never mind.”

Right now, Kangeun didn’t even have the strength to scold Jihwan.

Because Italian coffee names like Shakerato, Latte Macchiato Freddo, and Caffè Salentino were difficult, it took quite a while to process each order.

After all, most customers knew nothing about Italian coffee based on espresso.

Explaining each item and recommending menus was no small task.

Furthermore, besides coffee using espresso machines, there was a separate special espresso menu where skilled staff brewed coffee using moka pots, making the bar on the first day a scene of utter chaos.

“Surely it won’t be like this every day……?”

“Are you worried?”

“Of course. We have to take turns coming out to support the store for a while after the opening.”

“Hmm……”

“Still, we survived thanks to you, Manager. With the Branch Director absent, if you weren’t here either…… ugh.”

Jihwan shuddered as if the mere thought was horrifying.

Kangeun forced a slight smile and savored the lingering taste of the espresso.

One cup wasn’t enough to banish the fatigue, but for the sake of getting a good night’s sleep, no more caffeine would do.

The one relief was that today was only the soft opening.

The formal opening was in two weeks.

Kangeun intended to turn off her phone and rest starting tonight, ahead of the five-day Lunar New Year holiday.

The reason why she, who had only ever cared about work since she was hired, could make such a decision was simple. That was because……

“Still, I’m glad the store staff are doing well. It’s good we proceeded according to your instructions, Manager.”

“Huh?”

Kangeun, who hadn’t heard Jihwan properly because she was lost in thought, opened her eyes slightly to look at Jihwan standing before her.

“I’m saying I respect you. Truly.”

“Ah…… No need for all that. Thanks.”

As soon as the Korean launch of Tenuto Coffee was confirmed, the Tenuto Coffee headquarters had dispatched staff members responsible for training locals.

The person who had pushed for this, despite Hyunwoo’s opposition due to high labor costs, was Kangeun.

She judged that training staff in advance and increasing their proficiency would prevent chaos after the opening.

Beside Jihwan, who was chattering away as if he weren’t tired at all, Kangeun ruminated on the past week.

There were so many tasks to handle between the office and the field, and she felt like her body wasn’t enough. It was truly a war-like week.

In the midst of that, she found Hyunwoo, who was hospitalized claiming he was sick, to be utterly absurd.

He kept contacting her, saying the spot where he was hit was painful, asking her to come visit him at the hospital, and saying he was sorry. Finally, he sent a message that made her doubt her eyes.

‘To be honest, I was blinded by jealousy. I think I took you for granted. I didn’t know how much you meant to me. Kangeun-ah, I’m so ashamed of how I acted that day. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?’

Thinking of that last message she’d checked, she could almost hear his usual soft tone in her ears.
Rather, it gave her a deeper sense of repulsion, and Kangeun toyed with her ear for no reason.

It wasn’t like he took her for a fool.
Since she had seen his true colors, his acting so shamelessly was essentially mocking her.

Hyunwoo had a mild and easy-going personality, making friends easily with anyone.

However, he tended to be self-centered with those he grew close to, as he had never faced any real hardship.

So, at times, he acted like an immature young master, trying to gloss over crises, and it seemed he was trying to do that again.

“Hah……”

A hollow laugh escaped from between her lips.

Seeing him send messages without pause, it seemed he was perfectly fine. She couldn’t believe that the person in charge of the Korean branch was lying in a hospital bed while leaving all the work to her.

Not wanting to see him, she didn’t visit him, let alone answer his calls. Later, she didn’t even check his messages.

For the current Kangeun, busy days where she worked until she was exhausted and fell asleep without having a moment to be stressed were actually a blessing.

And even without that, Kangeun had no time to focus deeply on Hyunwoo, who had hurt her.

A morning when she steadied herself with a cup of strong espresso, and a night when she fell into bed, blinked a couple of times, and drifted to sleep.

In every one of those fleeting moments, the one who occupied Kangeun’s consciousness was Yoon Siheon—the man who had now become Cha Siheon.

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