Chapter – 16
Boo-hyun was already frustrated with her younger son causing her worry, and seeing the brothers on such bad terms made her constantly anxious, fearing they might start fighting the moment she looked away.
“Those boys…!”
She quickly went upstairs and separated the two brothers.
With her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her eyes glaring, Boo-hyun in moments like these wasn’t the dignified and elegant wife of JK Group’s chairman, but unmistakably the mother of two sons.
Ever since they were young, the brothers had fought and clashed like this, and even as adults, they were like oil and water, constantly bickering, which was a constant source of worry for Boo-hyun.
“Tae-wook, you go home right now! Jeong-wook, you go to your room!”
After practically pushing Tae-wook away to send him off, Boo-hyun went to her younger son’s room and spent a long while holding onto Jeong-wook, scolding him, coaxing him, and even pleading with him.
She begged him to get along with his older brother, saying that his father giving him a job was like giving him a chance, so he should go work under his brother, keep his head down, and learn the ropes.
When Jeong-wook complained that his brother, just because he was born three minutes earlier, acted all high and mighty and was annoying, she hit his back, telling him not to say such things.
Her easygoing second son just smirked and rattled off, ‘Mommy, don’t worry. It’s okay. Love you, mom.’
Boo-hyun came out with a sigh, her face filled with the toll of 30 years of raising her two sons.
“Raising children never goes the way you want,” Boo-hyun muttered to herself.
* * *
Seol-ah’s steps were light as she walked to work in her flat shoes.
Because when she got to the office, the team manager who made her heart flutter—in a way that was bad for her heart—would be there!
What kind of wonderful smile and what color shirt and tie would he show her today?
Walking through the subway station, lost in pleasant thoughts.
*Bzzzt— Bzzzt— Bzzzt—*
Her phone rang. Looking at it, she saw it was her younger sister. Seol-ah tapped the screen and put the phone to her ear.
“Seol-min, what’s up?”
– Unnie! By any chance, did you use my lipstick when you went to work?
“No?”
– Then why does it feel a bit shorter? Did Mom use it?
“Did you call just to ask that?”
– Yeah. It’s the first luxury lipstick I bought with my first part-time job paycheck, so I was really careful. My hands were shaking when I paid for it. I’m really treasuring it, you know.
Seol-ah just laughed, finding it cute that her 22-year-old college student sister called for such a reason.
– You really didn’t use it, right?
“I said no. Why would I use your stuff?”
– Okay, then. Oh, right, Unnie. There’s a really pretty ribbon blouse hanging in your room… Can I wear it today? I have a liberal arts class today with a guy I’m interested in.
“Ribbon blouse? The light pink one? Yeah, you can wear it. But you have to keep it clean.”
– Of course! Yay! Thanks, Unnie!
Seol-ah could clearly picture her still-childish-voiced sister jumping up and down with joy.
“By the way, aren’t your midterms coming up soon? You seem to be studying all night; is your preparation going well?”
– Ahh, I don’t know. I’m worried because that liberal arts professor is famous for being stingy with grades. I really need to get over a 4.0 this semester.
“You can do it, my sister. You’ve always done well. Oh, the subway’s here. If you do well on your exams, I’ll treat you to a meal. Let’s have a date; it’s been a while.”
– Yay, I’ll make sure you buy me something delicious! Well, have a good day at work, bye!
*Click.* After the cheerful, bouncy, cute call from her younger sister ended, Seol-ah smiled softly.
Having been close and gotten along well since they were young, the sisters frequently borrowed and returned each other’s makeup and clothes, always keeping them clean.
Being someone who had such a warm relationship with her own sister, Seol-ah found it a little… hard to understand when Tae-wook said he didn’t get along with his twin brother at all.
But every sibling relationship is different. She decided to leave it at that.
* * *
Seol-ah got on the elevator mixed in with employees from various departments.
It was so crowded it was almost like being squeezed in, and she was holding her breath, enduring the tight press of people when *ding*, the sound came at the 7th floor.
As the doors opened, Seol-ah was swept along in the rush of employees getting off.
She was walking down the hallway towards the Business Support Team office when a strange conversation suddenly reached her ears.
It was the sound of employees from other departments whispering.
“Did you hear the rumor? Business Support Team Manager Choi Tae-wook… they say he’s being promoted to head of the Business Management Department.”
“Oh my, really? That team manager is not only handsome but also highly capable, so it seems he’s getting a super-fast promotion. Well, I did hear rumors that the executives think highly of him because the team’s performance improved noticeably after he joined Business Support. I guess it’s true.”
“Then will a new team manager come to the Business Support Team? I wonder who it will be? Whoever it is, it’ll be hard for anyone to be as impressive as Team Manager Choi Tae-wook, right?”
“Right. Hohoho.”
Seol-ah, who had been eavesdropping with wide-open ears, felt her pupils shake suddenly.
The team manager might get promoted to department head and leave our team? No way.
The fun of seeing the team manager was what made coming to work enjoyable; the thought that it might become hard to even see his face…
‘Then what happens to our… situationship?’
Of course, even if he became a department head, an office romance could technically continue, but ‘out of sight, out of mind’… who knows what could happen.
‘We’re not officially dating yet; we’re just building up feelings for each other in this situationship…’
That’s why these days, fully savoring this first love, were so thrilling and happy.
“……”
What was going to happen from now on?
Arriving at the office, Seol-ah exchanged bright morning greetings with her colleagues.
But the atmosphere seemed off; her teammates were whispering among themselves.
Thinking they might have also heard the rumor about the team manager’s possible promotion, she leaned slightly towards the male employee sitting next to her and asked.
“Hey, Team Leader. It seems a bit noisy this morning, doesn’t it?”
“Ms. Seol-ah, you haven’t heard the news?”
“Ah… the rumor about Team Manager’s promotion?”
“No, that’s not confirmed, it’s just a rumor. I mean the news that a new employee is joining our team today.”
“Today? A new employee is coming?”
“Yes, looks like you didn’t hear. The employee coming today is, apparently, a ‘parachute’.”
“Gasp. A parachute… You mean they weren’t hired through the formal recruitment process but were selected through internal connections?”
“Shh, your voice is too loud.”
Seeing the employee put his index finger to his lips, Seol-ah quickly lowered her voice.
‘So that’s why the team members were whispering since morning. I wonder who the parachute joining our team is?’
Thinking to herself, Seol-ah got up from her seat to go to the restroom.
Leaving the office and turning the corner in the hallway led to the restroom.
After finishing up inside, Seol-ah came out, washed her hands, and straightened her clothes.
And just as she was about to walk back down the hallway after leaving the restroom.
She faintly saw someone leaning against the wall at the corner of the hallway.
“Hey, puppy.”
At that moment, a man with his hands shoved in his pockets spoke softly.
“……?”
Seol-ah turned around, wondering if someone had brought a dog to the office.
But surprisingly, it was Tae-wook standing there.
Tae-wook greeted her in a somewhat uncharacteristically light and playful voice.
“Hello.”
“…Team Manager?”
“Ah— there you go with ‘Team Manager’ again.”
He pushed off the wall and walked step by step right up to her, stopping face-to-face.
“I’m not your team manager.”
With his smooth, glowing skin and stylishly parted bangs, he looked down at her intently with his 188cm height, dressed in a black suit.
“I have a perfectly good name, Choi Jeong-wook.”
“…You’re Jeong-wook?”
Seol-ah was utterly shocked. This was the team manager’s twin brother.
The very person she had mistaken for Tae-wook at the blind date and caused a huge scene with!
“I’m the one who carried you on my back to the main house, you know. I thought I was going to die from the weight. My back still aches from that.”
At Jeong-wook’s joking words, Seol-ah was at a loss for what to do.
“I-I’m so sorry for suddenly trying to kiss you on the street that night! It was a real mistake! I misunderstood you for the Team Manager. I’m really sorry!”
Seol-ah finally met Jeong-wook and bowed deeply to him, apologizing over and over.
She had confidently vowed to Tae-wook that she would be able to tell him and Jeong-wook apart if they met again.
Oh my god, he looks exactly like the Team Manager… I didn’t recognize him just now either. Ugh.
‘Who on earth could possibly tell these identical faces apart? So this isn’t really my fault. Please tell me it’s nooot-.’
Seol-ah’s inner cry of injustice echoed, seeming to spread far and wide.
