ENED 04

CHAPTER 04

“Quite a lot of accidents, don’t you think?”

Sahyun hurriedly shook her head.

“I can understand why you might see it that way. If you look at everything at face value, I suppose it does seem that way…. But I really did make a mistake. My eyesight is extremely poor, and my glasses broke before the company dinner……. When I take them off, I can barely see anything at all… It really was an accident caused by the fact that I couldn’t see.”

Her voice cracked as she continued.

“How could I ever dare to harass you, Executive Director? That makes absolutely no sense…. To me, you’re such an intimidating and distant superior, Executive Director….”

Sahyun bowed her head again and bit down hard on her lower lip. Under the dim lighting, Ha-joon’s gaze remained fixed on her. Sahyun had a feeling.

This situation might not end with a simple explanation of her “mistake.”

Her thoughts became hopelessly tangled. Fear and embarrassment surged within her, along with feelings she had kept buried for so long that she could never dare put them into words.

Even now, she desperately wanted to avoid leaving the worst possible impression on the man she secretly loved.

Get a grip, Kim Sahyun. This is no time for such hopes. All you can do is pray that this situation doesn’t get any worse.

And just as tears threatened to well up in her eyes because she could no longer control her emotions—

“Do you feel wronged?”

“…It’s not really that. I-I don’t know either. Why do things like this keep happening to me…….”

“Assistant Manager Kim Sahyun.”

At his noticeably gentler voice, Sahyun raised her head.

“Let’s say it was an accident. Considering the circumstances, that isn’t exactly an unreasonable explanation.”

“Thank you for understanding, Executive Director.”

“But, Assistant Manager Kim Sahyun.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”

“An apology alone isn’t enough to make me feel better.”

If he wasn’t satisfied, that meant he was angry—and apparently wanted something more substantial than a few polite words of apology. Sahyun made her voice even more respectful.

“If you want me to write a statement explaining what happened… I will.”

“Those statements are for workplace mistakes, aren’t they?”

“Then… if working in the same place as you makes you uncomfortable…… I’ll even request a transfer to another region.”

“Will running away solve anything?”

Every time he spoke, he seemed to block another possible escape route. Sahyun’s voice grew smaller again.

“I’ll do whatever I can… to make it up to you.”

At that moment, Sahyun was suddenly pulled toward him. Ha-joon had firmly caught her by the wrist.

“You’ll do whatever it takes? Whatever it may be?”

Instead of answering, Sahyun nodded deeply. Her face went pale.

It wasn’t as though she had never harbored improper fantasies while secretly loving Yoo Ha-joon for so long. Sometimes, merely imagining what it would feel like for her lips to meet his had been enough to make her heart flutter.

But the reality of an accidental kiss was cold and terrifying.

Could he be telling me to quit?

The thought of the worst punishment he could impose made her knees go weak.

“I’ll… do anything, Executive Director. As long as I can make you feel better.”

The moment Sahyun pleaded those words, her body suddenly tilted to one side. Ha-joon had wrapped an arm around her waist and drawn her closer.

Taken aback by the sudden contact, Sahyun stared at him helplessly.

“Execut…ive Director.”

“Can you feel it?”

Before she even had time to ask what he meant, Sahyun drew in a startled breath.

She suddenly realized just how close they were.

Her breath grew unsteady, and her heart pounded wildly. Ha-joon’s voice mingled with her uneven breathing.

“It’s been quite a long time since I’ve felt like this. But Assistant Manager Kim Sahyun managed to accomplish that.”

“…….”

“Maybe it’s because no one has ever been so direct with me before. Or maybe it’s because you did it and then ran away.”

“…….”

“It was surprisingly stimulating.”

Sahyun blinked slowly. She had no idea where this conversation was going.

She had expected him to get angry, reprimand her, or even explode at her. But instead, he was saying that what had happened had left quite an impression on him. What was she supposed to make of that?

“So…”

Sahyun’s eyes wavered uncertainly. Ha-joon leaned toward her, bringing his face closer.

Heat quickly spread across Sahyun’s face, and her vision became hazy.

Then Ha-joon’s voice rang out, low and firm.

“Let’s say I make one mistake, too.”

Before Sahyun could answer, he kissed her.

The sudden kiss left her completely stunned. Ha-joon held her close, and Sahyun could hardly process what was happening.

Ah…

It happened in an instant.

“Mm.”

The kiss continued, leaving Sahyun dizzy from the unfamiliar sensation.

Her body trembled despite her intentions.

Everything was a first for her. Her first kiss, her first embrace….

Ha-joon was unexpectedly good at kissing. She knew that even though this was her first time, because she could feel herself becoming completely overwhelmed by the moment.

And that wasn’t all.

It felt as though a bell were ringing inside her head, leaving her dazed. When she became too overwhelmed to respond, Ha-joon slowed enough for her to catch her breath.

Her entire body felt unbearably warm. Without realizing it, Sahyun found herself leaning closer to him.

Just a little longer… just a little longer.

So this was what kissing felt like.

The longer it lasted, the more she wanted to simply surrender herself to the moment.

“Haah….”

Ha-joon muttered something under his breath, then held Sahyun close as his attention shifted briefly toward her cheek and neck.

The intensity of the moment deepened.

A shiver ran down Sahyun’s spine, making her feel almost weightless.

“Ah, Executive Director…….”

Unable to pull herself away from the overwhelming emotions, Sahyun instinctively held onto him.

The next morning.

Aunt Mijeong, sitting across from Sahyun at the dining table, looked her over disapprovingly before reaching for her bowl of soup.

“The bean sprout soup is a little bland.”

“…It’s fine for me, Auntie.”

Just as Sahyun gave Mijeong an awkward smile while she frowned, her aunt asked,

“I fell asleep while waiting for you yesterday. What time did you come home?”

“Around eleven.”

“Did you drink a lot? You look exhausted.”

“I didn’t drink that much. I think I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Why didn’t you sleep well?”

“Assistant Manager Kim Sahyun.”

“Executive Director……”

Something immediately came to mind, but Sahyun quickly pushed the memory away. It would be troublesome if her face turned red.

Besides, she couldn’t possibly tell her aunt that it was because of what had happened with Ha-joon. Sahyun gave a vague excuse and carefully watched Mijeong’s reaction.

“My stomach felt a little upset.”

“Oh, dear. Tsk, tsk.”

“…….”

“I suppose you couldn’t exactly refuse when they were offering you drinks. But whenever I hear that you’ve been drinking, my heart sinks.”

Mijeong clicked her tongue and stirred the bean sprout soup with her spoon as though the whole thing were a bad omen.

“I couldn’t avoid it yesterday, Auntie.”

“I know. I heard some important person was treating your team to drinks because you’d all done a good job.”

“Yes.”

“Well, you’re not a little child anymore. I’m sure you can take care of yourself.”

“…….”

Even so, Mijeong still looked displeased, and Sahyun continued eating while keeping an eye on her.

The rice in her mouth felt dry, almost like she was chewing sand.

She already knew exactly what her aunt was going to say in a situation like this.

“Your mother ended up that way because of that damned alcohol, too. Alcohol always causes trouble. Whenever your mother got drunk, she always ended up having problems with men.”

Mijeong’s casually spoken words struck Sahyun right in the heart.

She had heard the story dozens of times already, but anything concerning her mother, Sujeong, always made her uncomfortable.

“If she was going to behave like that, she should at least have found herself a decent man. She couldn’t even do that. Tsk, tsk.”

Sahyun’s mother, Kim Sujeong, had raised her as a single mother. As for Sahyun’s father, all she had ever been told was that he was probably one of the many men her mother had dated.

Even while raising Sahyun, her mother had never been able to give up alcohol or men. The year Sahyun entered elementary school, Sujeong left home.

She had even stolen all the money Mijeong had painstakingly saved.

The shock caused Mijeong to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving her with a slight disability that made her limp on her right leg.

“Your mother went too far. How could she betray her own family and run away after abandoning her child? Even an animal wouldn’t do something like that.”

Whenever Mijeong thought about Sujeong, she sometimes let her bitterness show openly. Whenever that happened, Sahyun chose to remain silent, as though agreeing with her.

After all, Mijeong was her only guardian.

Sahyun had no choice but to depend on her and live under her protection.