IDMPYU 38

38. What’s Pride Worth Anyway
“You’ve already paid.”

Jihyun looked at the staff, still clutching her wallet tightly. She didn’t need to ask who paid—she already knew.

“What are you doing? Come on out already…”

Seungho, who had walked out first and was now watching her with an amused smirk, still had that mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

Should I be happy about this, or annoyed?

She was relieved she didn’t have to spend a fortune, but the feeling of owing Seungho left a bad taste in her mouth. With tangled emotions crossing through her mind, she approached him. Under the cloudless blue sky, Seungho looked dazzling. Jihyun hesitated before awkwardly mumbling.

“When did you pay?”

“Is that really important?”

Typical of Shin Seungho—always calm and composed. Jihyun bit her lip.

“I’ll pay you back.”

The smile on Seungho’s lips faded. The playful gleam in his eyes quickly disappeared.

“Alright. If it really bothers you that much, I won’t stop you.”

“But with coffee.”

“…What?”

Before he could even respond, Jihyun dashed to a nearby café and returned with two Americanos in hand. Seungho watched as she carefully tiptoed over, trying not to spill them, the corners of his lips twitching into a crooked smile.

“Here. It’s hot, so be careful…”

“You’re seriously trying to pay off that meal with a cup of coffee? Choi Jihyun, you’ve gotten shameless.”

His teasing gaze made her cheeks burn, but she pretended not to notice and sipped her Americano.

Sure, trying to repay a five-zero meal with a coffee was a bit cheeky—but coughing up the full price or being completely indebted to him felt worse.

What’s pride worth, anyway…

Pride wasn’t something Jihyun had ever really had—not since she walked into that mansion at eighteen, following Hyunsook.

As she quietly sipped her drink, a low voice rumbled above her.

“Tastes awful.”

The cup she handed him dangled precariously between his fingers, as if he was about to toss it.

“I can’t tell if this is coffee or water soaked in charcoal.”

Seeing Seungho grumble and wrinkle his nose, Jihyun scowled.

“Don’t throw it out. I made an effort, you know.”

Normally, she’d hesitate countless times before buying even one cup due to her tight budget. But of course, Seungho didn’t know that, and he scoffed.

“Effort? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Coffee should be at least a double shot. Do you think this cheap single-shot Americano compares to the sushi you ate?”

Oof. Guilty.

Jihyun’s conscience, which she could no longer ignore, began to prick her.

“I’ll buy you a double shot next time.”

Whenever that may be… she trailed off. Seungho, staring at her, nodded with a smug look.

“Next time, huh… I’ll look forward to it.”

He sipped the coffee near her on purpose, as if to make sure she didn’t forget.

*
“Ugh, this never ends.”

Seungho wasn’t joking about having to work late.

Back at his apartment, Jihyun spent hours digging up materials he’d requested.

First was a logic model for the social marketing project they’d signed with Baekjangmi’s CEO.

She had already gathered and analyzed most of the relevant materials once, but this time she had to find out how much the operational changes he proposed would impact the company.

In addition, she was tasked with gathering data on the types of drugs that U.S. and European biotech companies were focusing on, and any related content published in international medical journals.

As an employer and boss, Shin Seungho was meticulous, demanding, and a perfectionist. Naturally, Jihyun’s workload ballooned.

He had warned her from the start: “Don’t you dare just copy and paste things off the internet.” Instead, she had to manually comb through foreign academic journals and edit the findings.

When he asked her for data on the immune compound PK-3no, she suddenly recalled that most of the people he sponsored were researchers from biotech firms.

What’s the link between acquiring a small marketing company and this immune substance? More importantly, why is he choosing such a difficult, convoluted path when he could easily walk the comfortable road of being a company owner? Is this just another one of his eccentric hobbies?

The tiny spark of curiosity kept snowballing until it circled back to Seungho.

“Hey, I have a question…”

“Go ahead.”

Seungho didn’t even glance up from the mountain of papers.

“I get the scholarship foundation, but why did you buy a marketing company?”

Even among the mansion’s staff, Seungho was rumored to be the heir. The foundation made sense—it would bolster his public image—but the rest of his moves puzzled her. Apparently used to this question, he answered without lifting his head.

“Because it makes money.”

“…What?”

No further explanation. Just that single phrase, and then silence.

Meanwhile, Seungho was laser-focused, scanning through dense research papers in multiple foreign languages. Jihyun, finally getting a breather, glanced out at the Han River through the window.

It was winter, and the night fell quickly. The lights reflecting on the water painted a beautiful nightscape. Lost in the view, her gaze wandered to the wall.

Huh?

Something felt off. The high-end cream silk wallpaper was spotless and elegant, yet it felt unfamiliar to her. Too bare—like something was missing. Not a painting, but… something.

Staring at the bare wall, her thoughts deepened.

“You seem awfully relaxed, spacing out like that.”

Startled by the sharp voice, Jihyun turned her head. She didn’t know when it happened, but Seungho was now squinting at her.

Before she could ask if he needed something, he spoke first.

“I’m hungry. Go buy us a late-night snack.”

That’s when she realized—they hadn’t had dinner. The sudden hunger pang hit her hard.

“What do you feel like eating?”

Apparently annoyed that she was resting while he worked, Seungho didn’t soften his expression.

“Anything.”

Jihyun shut her eyes tightly.

Here we go again.

She practically raided the convenience store for snacks, and finally he chose stir-fried noodles and a triangle gimbap. Mission accomplished, she collapsed onto the sofa and gave him a resentful look.

But Seungho, unfazed, just typed away at his keyboard while munching on the gimbap.

If this is how it’s going to be, just tell me to go home already…

But if she said that, he might give her even more work. So Jihyun quietly nestled into the sofa, waiting for him to speak again. The long day had exhausted her, and drowsiness crept in.

Without looking, Seungho handed her a binder.

“Here. Check if there’s anything similar in Biomedical Science Journal.”

Silence.

Jihyun didn’t come to take the binder.

Frowning, Seungho finally lifted his head to look for her.

“Wow. Must be nice and peaceful, huh?”

He let out a disbelieving chuckle. Jihyun was curled up on the big recliner sofa—completely asleep. Tossing the binder onto the desk, he slowly walked over. He hadn’t expected it, but she really was asleep.

Her cheeks were flushed, maybe from warmth, and her breathing was soft and even.

“What do you think you’re doing, sleeping in a sacred workplace?”

Grumbling to himself, Seungho reached out toward her. He wanted to yank her up by the collar—but instead, his hand landed softly on her cheek.

And then—

“Mmm…”

Feeling the warmth, Jihyun stirred and instinctively nuzzled against his touch. Seungho froze. His breath caught as his chest tightened. The pain in his heart only made him more resentful of her.

“Sleeping in a man’s house, just like that?”

He muttered lowly, then gently brushed her eyelid with a fingertip. His words were sharp, but his touch was tender. Her closed lashes fluttered softly under his hand.

He stared at her for a long while, then sat down on the floor in front of the sofa and shut his eyes.

One by one, old memories resurfaced.

The white snowflakes falling on her long lashes, the warmth of her lips brushing his fingers, and those tearful, transparent eyes that once drove a young boy crazy…

In Seungho’s heart, it was still snowing.

*
In her sleep, Jihyun shifted. She felt something incredibly soft against her back, and her eyes flew open.

Instead of her usual low ceiling, a tall, unfamiliar ceiling greeted her.

Where am I?

She blinked repeatedly, trying to piece things together—then remembered dozing off on the sofa while waiting for Seungho to finish work. Which meant… she was in Shin Seungho’s house.

“Oh no!”

She bolted upright, and the thick blanket covering her slipped to the floor.

She must have fallen asleep just like that.

Where was Seungho?

Just as she stood up to find him, she heard the keypad being pressed at the entrance.

She wanted to deny what she’d just heard—but seconds later, the front door unlocked with a click.

Jihyun stiffened and turned her eyes toward the entrance, tense with anxiety.