Chapter-02
Could this really be happening?
The whole world looked beautiful.
Even the nameless wildflowers blooming by the roadside,
the humid air filled with late-spring pollen,
and the streets lined with the main office buildings — all looked lovely.
“So this is the power of love.”
Having lived twenty-six years as a lifelong single, Seol-ah finally felt what it was like to have her first love seep into her heart.
With that feeling came a deep vow: she would devote herself completely to her first and last love — Team Leader Choi Tae-wook.
“Assistant Manager Yoon is much older, but the fact that Team Leader Choi became the youngest head of the Management Support Team — that’s incredible.
If only I had joined JK Corporation a little earlier and met him sooner…!”
Regret filled her heart, but still — meeting him now was better than not meeting him at all.
Seol-ah nodded to herself as she passed the lazy Saturday afternoon away.
Most office workers spend their weekends in bliss from Friday evening to Sunday night,
but Seol-ah was different.
She missed Tae-wook so much that she couldn’t wait to go back to work.
“When is Monday coming? Ugh — weekends are the worst. I can’t even see Team Leader Choi’s face.”
Ah — what was she doing, wasting time like this?
If she wanted her first relationship to succeed, she needed to buy some cute clothes to wear to the office.
Rummaging through her wardrobe, Seol-ah decided she needed a brighter, more romantic blouse and a fitted H-line skirt.
She quickly got ready to head out.
She arrived at the shopping mall alone and wandered between stores.
One blouse caught her eye, and as she held it up in front of a mirror, she fell into a pleasant dilemma.
“This color makes my face look brighter, right? The one before was kind of dull… or maybe that one was nice too? Ugh, I can’t decide. I should’ve brought a friend. I can’t buy them all…”
Blushing with the pure excitement of first love, Seol-ah fidgeted, unable to choose.
“…Ah, whatever.”
Why couldn’t she buy them all?
Sure, once her paycheck came in, her credit card bill would mercilessly snatch it away~♡
but she didn’t want to think about that now.
After buying several blouses, skirts, and a pair of comfortable black slacks,
Seol-ah stepped out of the mall, her hands full of shopping bags.
She was walking toward the subway station when she happened to glance at a hotel nearby.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the café on the first floor, she saw a familiar figure.
A man whose presence radiated such a captivating aura that people couldn’t help but look.
It was Choi Tae-wook.
He was sitting across from a beautiful woman, clearly on a blind date.
“…?”
Seol-ah blinked, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her.
But no — the side profile was unmistakable. She had seen that face every day for the past six months.
Drawn as if hypnotized, Seol-ah entered the hotel and walked toward the café.
Her simple, casual outfit and arms full of shopping bags looked pitifully plain compared to the elegant woman sitting with Tae-wook — a sophisticated, urban beauty smiling brightly.
She couldn’t see Tae-wook’s face clearly from behind, but she heard his calm, low voice now and then.
Seol-ah sat down at the table right behind them, back facing theirs, to eavesdrop.
“I’m so glad you took the time to meet today.
Your mother was thrilled to hear you’d finally agreed to a blind date.”
The sound of Tae-wook quietly sipping tea followed.
“I hope we can stay in touch after this.
Honestly, blind dates make me a little nervous too,
but maybe we can start as friends and get to know each other?
If things go well, our families could discuss marriage later.”
“Whatever’s comfortable for you, Ms. A-young,” he replied smoothly.
So — the woman came from a wealthy family.
Their parents must have arranged this meeting between “suitable” families.
Birds of a feather, indeed.
Seol-ah’s face clouded over with despair.
Someone like her — plain, ordinary — could never marry a man like him.
Then what was all that?
The kind looks, the gentle gestures, the way he treated me differently from others…?
And yesterday — we even kissed in the break room. What was that supposed to mean?
Had he just been toying with her?
Was she just an office fling while he secretly went on blind dates to find a “proper” bride?
Seol-ah bit her lower lip until it bled.
No. She couldn’t let this go.
Her heart burning, she stood up abruptly.
Squaring her shoulders, she turned and marched toward his table.
There he was — Choi Tae-wook.
Sitting casually, one leg crossed over the other, teacup in hand.
He slowly lifted his gaze toward her.
That flawless face she had stolen glances at for months.
That well-fitted suit, those long, elegant fingers that once brushed through her hair — it was undeniably him.
Only now, his expression was different — cold, detached, bored.
Her chest heaving, Seol-ah clenched a fist over her heart and said,
“Team Leader Choi! Hello!”
Her voice trembled with emotion.
But Tae-wook only looked up at her, expressionless, his fingers still lightly wrapped around the teacup.
That indifferent face — the same one he showed subordinates when he coldly criticized their reports — now turned toward her.
“You never looked at me like that before…” she said, voice breaking.
“…”
“What are you doing here? Are you on a blind date? Did I see wrong?”
He stayed silent.
Frustrated, she thumped her chest and looked between the bewildered woman and Tae-wook again.
“Say something! Are you really on a blind date right now?”
Finally, his lips parted.
“Who are you?”
Thunder exploded in Seol-ah’s head.
“Excuse me, who are you? You’re causing a scene,”
he continued — in the same deep voice she knew all too well.
Those dark eyes, that sharp nose, those lips that had whispered yesterday how sweet she tasted — all the same.
“You’re being very rude. Please mind your manners.”
There was no mistake. It was him.
“Hah… unbelievable,” she scoffed.
A hollow laugh escaped as she stared at him in disbelief.
He set his teacup down and looked up at her with unwavering calm.
That confidence, that composure — it infuriated her.
Turning sharply on her heel, Seol-ah left.
There was nothing more to say.
She had been foolish to believe him.
A man that perfect would never have taken her seriously.
What had she been thinking, dressing up, going shopping — all for him?
By the time she reached the subway, her steps felt like she was dragging chains.
“How could you pretend not to know me…? ‘Who are you?’ Really? You just didn’t want that woman to know about me, right? You chose her over me.”
All those new clothes — what for?
“He was flirting with me at work while secretly going on blind dates? Sure, he never actually said we were dating, but we had feelings for each other! Didn’t we?”
In a fit of anger, she almost threw the clothes in the trash —
but then stopped.
“…The clothes didn’t do anything wrong.”
She didn’t even know how she got through the weekend.
It felt like hell.
Even when her best friend Cha-hee called her out on Sunday, she couldn’t bring herself to go.
Trying to let go of Tae-wook felt like tearing her heart out — like a teenage girl suffering her first heartbreak.
After what felt like an eternity, Monday morning arrived — the day she had dreaded.
She dressed neatly in one of the new outfits, forcing her expression to stay calm.
She was furious and hurt, but she couldn’t show it at work.
Everyone was watching. She had to keep it together.
“Forget doomed crushes. From today on, I’m married to my job!”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the office.
“Good morning, Ms. Seol-ah!”
“Hey, Seol-ah! Morning!”
Her teammates greeted her cheerfully.
Though her morning was anything but good, she forced a polite smile and bowed.
“Good morning, everyone.”
She placed her handbag on her desk and sat down.
Just then, she saw Tae-wook coming out of the copy room, holding freshly printed meeting notes.
The moment she saw him, her chest tightened and her heart started pounding uncontrollably.
