Chapter 7
Every time Eunbin drew near, his excitement refused to subside.
The sweet scent brushing past his nose, the quivering gaze, the soft, delicate voice—everything shook Ji-hyuk’s composure.
“I guess it’s because I’m not attractive as a woman.”
“Who says something like that?”
“So… it means you’re not?”
“Is this a provocation?”
At that moment.
When those clear eyes looked up at him entirely, he could no longer restrain himself.
“Ha… Ji-hyuk oppa…”
The small, full lips parted to call his name, and a surge of heat ran down his neck, intoxicating him with desire.
As he slowly moved toward her, even the warning bells in his mind went out.
No, it was more accurate to say he had deliberately turned them off.
The moral justification of “a friend’s younger sister” or “someone I’m supposed to protect” was thrown into the blazing heat and forgotten.
He knew crossing this line was irreversible, yet he didn’t care.
All that remained was the primal thirst to make her entirely his own.
The next morning, Ji-hyuk let out a hollow sigh as he stared at the empty bed.
It had been somewhat expected.
She hadn’t been in her right mind last night, so it made sense that she would wake up, panic, and run.
Even knowing this, the bitterness couldn’t be concealed.
And at the same time, a tinge of regret made him stare at the empty sheet longer than he realized.
Thinking of her made his entire body heat up.
He didn’t know how many times he had showered again that morning.
Provoking Woo-jin, using the earrings to call Eunbin—it had all been meticulously planned.
He needed to see her again.
To bring back the runaway rabbit, he needed the surest bait.
“That… what happened that night… you shouldn’t know.”
But seeing Eunbin desperately trying to erase that night left a bitter taste in his mouth.
I risked even my loyalty to a ten-year friend to have you, and you’re treating that night like a mistake to be forgotten?
“I’m not saying it never happened.”
It wasn’t meant merely to trouble her.
Ji-hyuk slowly opened his eyes.
He looked down once more at the name on the document before him.
[Assistant Manager Ju Eunbin]
Ultimately, there was only one solution.
If he couldn’t make it seem like a coincidence, he would create an unavoidable inevitability.
If she couldn’t come into his world, he would enter hers.
Ji-hyuk took the pen and signed decisively on the document he held.
Finally, a satisfied smile curved his lips.
“So, don’t run away. Ju Eunbin.”
Warmth softened his gaze as he closed the document.
“You’ve already waited long enough.”
The next morning, at DreamFood headquarters, first-floor lobby.
It was the time when employees would begin spilling out in anticipation of lunch.
Eunbin stood in a corner of the lobby, nervously staring at her phone behind a large potted plant.
“…No contact.”
Ji-hyuk, who had left a bombshell declaration last night that he would come to the company, had sent no message even as lunchtime approached.
No text saying he had departed, no call with an estimated arrival time.
Was he really coming? Or was it just empty talk?
He was the type of man who toyed with people for amusement; perhaps his words last night were meant to tease the runaway.
“Better if he doesn’t come.”
Even if they ran into each other, her heart would race, and she’d be nervous about being caught.
Eunbin tried to reassure herself but kept glancing at the revolving doors.
Then she noticed her reflection in the elevator doors.
Normally, she would have worn comfortable slacks and a shirt, but today was different.
A flowing chiffon blouse paired with a form-fitting H-line skirt.
She tried to rationalize that she had just worn what was at hand, but she knew the truth—she had made an effort. A lot of effort.
“Does it look too done-up…?”
Eunbin tucked her hair behind her ear and pressed her lips together nervously.
She was scared yet eager, wanting to avoid him yet wanting to see him.
But by the time lunch was nearly over, her phone remained silent.
With a sigh, she turned back toward the office.
“Oh? Assistant Manager Ju! Perfect timing.”
The office atmosphere was different from usual.
The team leader, who had been talking seriously with Section Chief Kim Seong-hee, straightened as he spotted Eunbin entering.
The eyes of the surrounding team members turned toward her.
Expectant gazes. Had something happened?
“Come on, quickly, quick.”
“What is it? Is there a problem with the approval documents I submitted yesterday…?”
“Approval, huh? That can wait. Do you have time this afternoon? Get ready for a meeting. Our team might be landing a major contract.”
“…Is that for real?”
Eunbin’s eyes widened.
The company had been in a slump, and the team morale was low, but a major contract?
Though miraculous news, Eunbin tried to calmly assess the situation rather than getting carried away.
“I’ll prepare immediately. Which one is it? Is it the Busan Premier Hotel I sent a proposal to last week? I heard it’s still under review.”
“No, it’s not even comparable.”
“Not comparable?”
That location was already fairly large, and securing it could relieve the company’s immediate crisis.
But an even bigger one?
Eunbin ran through the possibilities in her head when the team leader, excited, spoke.
“It’s YN Hotel. They contacted us this morning.”
The moment Eunbin heard “YN Hotel,” her heart dropped.
“You submitted a rebranding proposal last month, right? Their new business department took interest. Since they’ll be nearby, they want to meet directly today if possible.”
Eunbin gaped.
It was indeed her proposal. But given how high the standards were, she hadn’t expected much and had just sent it on a whim.
And it got accepted? On today, of all days? The timing was too perfect to be mere coincidence.
‘Could it be….’
Ji-hyuk’s words flashed through her mind:
“I’ll come. To your company.”
She had assumed he just meant for lunch, but if not…
“Prepare. He’ll be arriving soon.”
No sooner had the team leader finished than the office entrance erupted in commotion.
A short while later, inside DreamFood’s main conference room.
A tense, ice-thin silence pressed heavily over the room.
Ji-hyuk sat at the head of the table, Eunbin at the far end.
Her cautious gaze fixed on the nameplate in front of him.
[YN Hotel, Head of New Business Department, Yeon Ji-hyuk]
Each word pounded in her chest.
YN Hotel, Head of New Business Department…
The words Woo-jin had spoken at the lounge yesterday echoed in her mind.
“Congratulations on your appointment as head.”
She had heard it, yet had dismissed it while fussing over earrings and lunch plans. That had been her mistake.
Eunbin swallowed dryly.
Was this what he meant by coming to the company?
This project was secret and had been initiated directly by YN Group, not the junior staff.
As a mere assistant manager, Eunbin had no right to know until the official agreement was complete.
Yet Ji-hyuk had been aware of all discussions yesterday. And he hadn’t given her any hint.
Of course, secrecy might have been a reason.
But somehow, she doubted it was the only reason.
From the moment they reunited, a dark premonition told her he was orchestrating everything according to his own plan.
Ji-hyuk interlaced his fingers and rested his arms on the table. It was time to begin.
“This collaboration is an important project to completely revamp the bakery line at YN Hotel.”
His low, dry voice dominated the conference room.
The dangerous, teasing man who had pushed Eunbin to her limits yesterday was nowhere to be seen.
She stared at him, feeling as if he were a completely different person, swallowing nervously.
“So we request a stationed employee on our side to coordinate the practical work.”
Ji-hyuk placed an envelope in the center of the table.
The label read: YN Hotel Bakery Rebranding Proposal – DreamFood.
It was the very proposal Eunbin had stayed up all night preparing and submitted last month.
“Many companies submitted proposals, but only this one truly understood our needs.”
He tapped the cover lightly with his finger.
“The analysis was razor-sharp. Expensive but tasteless, stuck in a decade-old mindset, unable to read trends… a stagnant pool.”
He smirked at her.
“You pinpointed exactly the weak spots in our hotel. That factual critique was ruthless.”
The executives’ faces paled.
They seemed anxious that he might be displeased and cancel the contract.
But Eunbin bit her lip and didn’t avert her gaze.
Her critique wasn’t meant to condemn; it was a carefully researched and affectionate analysis.
And if it had made him uncomfortable, he wouldn’t have come here at all.
Eunbin slowly began to speak.
