Chapter – 11
“Hel—hello, Team Manager.”
Then, Taewook walked clomp, clomp towards the manager’s office, tossing a neat and tidy greeting to everyone.
“Yes, nice to see you all.”
It was his usual self.
He came to work looking perfectly composed, without even a hint of a change in expression, let alone a hair out of place. Only Seol-a acted unnaturally.
‘I really can’t lie. That’s why I’m acting awkward around the Team Manager, even though no one knows.’
No one knew he had given her a ride, but Seol-a felt inexplicably guilty all by herself.
* * *
Taewook processed the approvals for the submitted reports and carefully read and reviewed the materials Manager Oh had submitted.
Sitting at the wide executive desk, with a fountain pen in hand and staring at the monitor, he was a picture-perfect figure worthy of praise.
While deeply engrossed in his work, a memory suddenly flashed through Taewook’s mind, making one of his eyebrows twitch.
“Especially a beauty like this. Ah, now that I think about it, when I was giving you a piggyback ride, your scent was particularly nice.”
Those were the words Jeongwook had casually thrown at her at the main house.
It had irritated him the moment he heard it.
Ten years had passed, he had forgotten the past and was living well, but that one remark from Jeongwook evoked an unpleasant feeling, as if the old past was about to repeat itself.
As an uncomfortable feeling began to creep up, Taewook grabbed the tie constricting his neck and shook it slightly from side to side. He tilted his head to the side, loosened the tie a bit, and then the monitor no longer registered in his vision. He felt his temper was about to worsen. He needed to see Kim Seol-a right away.
Pushing his chair back, he looked towards the wall beyond and picked up the phone. Taewook dialed the internal line to Seol-a’s desk and instructed in a calm tone.
“Can you please check the file for the first-half business profit report? Bring it to my office.”
* * *
Seol-a found the file the manager had requested and held it in her arms. She changed from the comfortable slippers she was wearing into the black flats placed beside her and, for some reason, checked her face in the small mirror leaning against her monitor.
‘I’m going to see the Team Manager, so I want to look pretty.’
Seol-a neatly tucked her hair behind her ears while looking in the mirror and stealthily got up from her seat.
The gaze of Ruby, who was sitting diagonally across from Seol-a, naturally turned towards her. Watching Seol-a’s retreating back as she entered the manager’s office, Ruby’s expression hardened.
‘What kind of seductive act is she up to now, going to the Team Manager?!’
Unaware that Ruby was scrutinizing her from head to toe, Seol-a knocked on the manager’s office door.
Knock, knock.
“Team Manager, it’s Kim Seol-a.”
“Come in.”
Hearing the deep, low voice from inside, Seol-a took a deep breath and entered. She closed the door, briefly bowed her head to Taewook, and approached him.
“Here is the file you requested, Manager.”
Taewook glanced to make sure the office door was securely closed, then sprang up from his chair. He took the file from Seol-a’s hand, placed it down, and in one swift motion, wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Te—Team Manager…!”
“Shh.”
When Seol-a looked up, startled, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s, Taewook subtly gestured with his eyes towards the team members beyond the wall.
“…Yes.”
Seol-a, calming down and lowering her voice again, trembled faintly. Taewook’s thick, firm forearm was wrapped around her waist like a snake, and her upper body was pressed against his solid, rock-like chest. This posture was really…
Leaning against him in a stable position, Seol-a placed her hands on Taewook’s chest and looked up at him with wavering eyes. Taewook met her gaze intently, then placed his index finger under her chin and lifted it. Her face was fixed directly towards him. From that position, Taewook tilted his head to the side and slowly descended.
*Smack*
His soft, plump lips captured and released hers.
Her heart swaying, Seol-a tightly gripped his shirt.
“Team Manager…?”
Called by her trembling voice, Taewook looked down at her with a steady gaze.
“What. You said you were drunk and tried to muster the courage to kiss me first on the street.”
“……”
“Do it now. That kiss.”
Seol-a’s pupils trembled faintly.
He was using her own words as a pretext for kissing during work hours.
“B—but we can’t do this openly at work…”
Taewook grabbed the delicate hand clutching his shirt and let out a voice with a pleasant resonance.
“If I want to do what I want with my team member, in my office.”
He approached again, *smack* kissed her lips, and continued.
“Who’s going to say anything. Focus on me.”
Her heart felt like it would burst, pounding so fiercely she could hear it in her ears.
“B—but still…”
Anxious that someone might knock and come in from outside, she trailed off.
“But still, what?”
Taewook tightened the arm around her waist, pulling her snugly against him. *Gasp!* Startled by the motion, Seol-a tightly closed her eyes.
“You caused an absurd accident because you couldn’t distinguish between me and Jeongwook. But still, what.”
His thumb slowly swept over her lower lip. The thumb pushed inside her lower lip, firmly pressing against the inner membrane. After pulling out the now damp thumb, he stared intently at her.
“Don’t confuse my brother and me. Choi Taewook is right here, just me, one person.”
Then, with a large hand, he gripped her chin, holding it in place, and uttered.
“Remember it well. My face.”
*Crush.* His lips that came crashing down were hot. Their overlapping lips meshed together seamlessly.
Startled, Seol-a trembled and tightly clutched his shirt.
‘A k—kiss…!’
It was her first kiss.
Taewook captured Seol-a’s lips, then pulled away, came close again to take a big bite, then pulled away, repeating the process.
If what happened last time was just a peck, this time it was a real kiss.
He opened his mouth wide, sucking on Seol-a’s lips, and the sensation of his tongue softly pressing against her lower lip was thrilling.
The sticky sound of him biting and releasing her upper and lower lip alternately echoed in the office.
Then, Taewook tilted his head a bit more and pushed his hot, wet tongue deep into her mouth.
“Eek!”
His thick tongue slid smoothly into her mouth, easily finding her tongue and tangling with it.
Startled by the strange sensation, Seol-a, who had her eyes closed, opened them and pulled her face back.
Her body trembled. Because she was excited, because it felt strange, and because the sensation she was feeling for the first time was unfamiliar.
Seeing her tremble, Taewook looked down at her with dark eyes.
“It’s… my first time kissing.”
“I know. It’s too obvious.”
“I’m embarrassed I’m not good at it.”
“Not at all. On the contrary, that’s even more exciting.”
Unable to hold back, Taewook tilted his head again and approached without hesitation.
As their lips met, this time he moved softly and tenderly, as if caressing her.
He stroked her lower lip with his tongue, nibbled and teased her lips.
As if trying to be considerate of her, trembling with fear during her first kiss, he didn’t put his tongue in any further and just continued with deep kisses.
‘As expected… has the Team Manager done a lot of kissing?’
Watching him easily control the intensity, Seol-a couldn’t control her pounding heart.
All the nerves in her body concentrated solely on her lips, and she became so absorbed in the kiss with Taewook that she couldn’t tell if this was the office or a hotel.
A strange swirl seemed to be churning deep inside her lower belly.
Moving his lips densely, sucking, exchanging hot breaths, feeling their saliva-slicked, glistening lips—she couldn’t break away from the kiss.
Occasionally, unable to resist his thirst, Taewook would try to push his tongue in, but then, worried she might get scared again, he’d regain his senses and pull it back out, repeating the process.
Each time, Seol-a would lose strength in her body and stagger, and Taewook would pull her closer, attaching her more firmly to him.
When she could no longer endure this storm-like kiss, Seol-a detached her lips and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
“Haa… Haa…”
As she panted heavily, Taewook spoke in a subdued voice, as if rising from the depths.
