Episode 3
For a brief moment, Zeon felt his mind go blank. Suddenly, he couldn’t think of anything, couldn’t speak, and simply blinked.
I even tried putting saliva on my dry lips, but all that came out was a hollow laugh.
her!
He couldn’t have been unaware that she was there, and he couldn’t have been unaware that she’d been waiting for a long time. To walk away like that, with someone so clearly visible, was sheer ignorance.
Whether it was 5 years ago or now, he has always been an asshole.
While Zion was trembling with intense humiliation, the secretary hurriedly chased after Seongbin.
“Hey, Chief. You’ve been waiting for a long time, Yoon Ji-on….”
At a completely unexpected moment, Seongbin suddenly popped his head out.
“Long time no see?”
Oh, long time no see?
Zion couldn’t believe his ears. We were never meant to exchange such a cool greeting.
Seongbin raised one corner of his mouth, then disappeared back into the room.
Oh, are you laughing? You make people wait like this because you’re five minutes late, and you’re laughing? Right now?
All the blood in her body rushed to her face. Zion stuck out her lower lip and exhaled air. The bangs that had been scattered across her forehead rose upward. Her anger also soared.
For no reason, the innocent Secretary Kim looked at Ji-on’s expression.
After exhaling a few times, making a “poo-poo” sound, and repeating “Inner Peace” about ten times in search of the sound of my heart, Sungbin appeared again.
“Secretary Kim, among the documents from earlier… Ah, okay. I found it.”
Long time no see? He seemed to have fulfilled his duty with just one greeting, and without even a glance towards Zeon, he disappeared into his office.
Click.
Zeon’s anger control button opened its lid.
There was no sign of life inside the office. The idea of people gathering for a meeting was a blatant lie. It was clear they were deliberately stalling, pretending to be busy, just to screw me over.
This is what it looks like.
“Well, it looks like it’ll be over soon.”
Secretary Kim stuttered, perhaps sensing the blazing heat of his anger. But Ji-on, who fixated on a single thing, saw only the tightly shut door.
The suppressed anger was easily ignited, and once the flames were lit, they burned without restraint.
She walked with brisk strides.
“Excuse me. Just go in like that….”
bang!
Zion opened the door with a heated voice.
A ray of sunlight peeking through the curtains in a dark space, a large screen split into four sections filling the front, and people occupying each screen.
And Seongbin looks at her with an expression of utter bewilderment.
He was… in a video conference.
Ice! As Zion stood there, a corner of the screen caught his eye.
Ouch. An earthquake struck her pupils.
The screen showed Seongbin looking back at himself, her standing with a blank expression, and Secretary Kim following her.
Thump thump thump. It only took two blinks for reality to sink in.
Zion quickly crouched down. For now, his only thought was to disappear from the screen.
In the awkward silence where everyone was speechless, it was Seongbin who shouted “Ddaeng”.
He spoke to Secretary Kim.
“It’s okay. Go out and try.”
Secretary Kim looked at Ji-on, who was squatting, in disbelief, then closed the door and left.
‘Hey, over there. Just leave the door open…’
Zion also wanted to get out of this situation quickly.
She walked toward the door with a waddling duck gait. She must have taken only a couple of steps.
As I was about to pass by Seongbin, he asked with his lips.
What are you doing?
Zion frowned and waved his hand, telling him to mind his own business. Seongbin chuckled.
That laugh… that laugh that always comes before doing something stupid…
The ominous thoughts were, without fail, correct.
Suddenly, Seongbin pressed down hard on Ji-on’s shoulder. Unable to overcome the force, she collapsed in her seat.
‘This, this is really…’
I glared at Seongbin, but he calmly turned his head towards the screen.
“I’m sorry. The meeting will continue.”
[Are you alright, Chief?]
The man in the first screen asked.
“Well, it seems that way for now. Manager Park, please continue with what you were saying.”
Seongbin’s hand still lingered on her shoulder.
[Yes, looking at the percentage of repeat viewers for “Single Life,” those who have seen it twice account for the highest percentage at 57.3 percent. The gender ratio is overwhelmingly female.]
Zion struggled to escape from Seongbin’s grasp.
[In terms of content, it seems that the main audience for “Spring Scent” will also be women in their 20s and 30s.]
The fluttering Zion became quiet.
It was a story about a musical she was going to direct. Seongbin patted her shoulder as if telling her to stay still.
Zion remained crouched in that position, concentrating on the meeting. The conversation about “Spring Scent” continued.
[The greatest strength of “Spring Scent” is its reinterpretation of the classic Chunhyangjeon for today’s generation. Specifically, by presenting the unique setting, which transcends time and space, through puppetry, it offers a uniquely entertaining experience…]
Hearing others evaluate my work’s value was, as always, a source of anxiety. Would it convey my intentions? Would my chosen approach be palatable? Until I posted the work, it was all mere speculation.
In that uncertainty… . So, the audience’s needs… . So properly… .
‘But why is this kid’s hand still on my shoulder?’
Zion’s nerves twitched at the sudden sensation of something foreign. He twisted his body slightly, but Seongbin didn’t let go.
The blue veins on the back of his hand, which don’t match his slender fingers, and his arms, which are even thicker under his shirt, are visible.
Gulp.
Zion swallowed without realizing it.
My pounding heart changed to thump-thump, then thump-thump, then thump-thump-thump. A familiar feeling surged down my throat.
Ugh, let’s not do this. Please.
She squeezed her eyes shut. But-.
Hiccup.
Today, as always, the hiccups that were just as annoying as the ones I was used to seeing appeared.
Zion was more ashamed of himself for starting to hiccup at the touch of his ex-boyfriend who had kicked him than of this guy’s hiccups that he couldn’t even tell when he was trying to.
Hiccup, hiccup.
As the hiccups erupted twice in a row, Seongbin, who had been trying hard not to notice, burst into laughter. Unable to look up, Ji-on simply covered his mouth with his hand.
[Chief?]
Someone on the screen called out to Seongbin.
“Oh, sorry. That’s all for today’s meeting. We’ll continue tomorrow at this time.”
Seongbin, who had forced a smile, declared the meeting over.
As he stood up, Zion also stood up.
Seongbin went to the window and opened the curtains.
As the hidden sunlight poured out all at once, an aura seemed to appear behind Seongbin. Jion felt dizzy.
She clenched her fists to avoid being pushed around by his energy.
“Give me some water?”
The guy asked.
“it’s okay.”
Hiccup.
The timing was incredible. Seongbin’s nostrils flared.
Ha, I really don’t like it.
“Secretary Kim, please give me a glass of water and two cups of coffee. One decaf.”
He told Secretary Kim. Ji-on, who was sensitive to caffeine, always drank only decaffeinated coffee.
Her ex-boyfriend’s useless memory brought her back to her senses.
Perhaps it was because his social status had changed since his student days. He seemed like a different person. His jawline had become sharper, as if he’d lost some of his baby fat, and his gaze had become fiercer.
“You’re still as hot-tempered as ever.”
There’s only one thing that hasn’t changed.
“It’s also selfish.”
A rude tone.
“Sit down. It won’t collapse.”
Seongbin pointed to the sofa with his chin. The hiccup subsided.
Um, that’s… .
Even a shit dog eats in his own yard. He didn’t want to admit it, but Zion was losing in his battle of wits with Seongbin.
He tugged at his tie, loosening it, then unbuttoned one of the buttons around his neck. He then turned his head wearily, looking from side to side. He had the composure of a mutt who had invited an enemy into his own front yard.
“5 minutes.”
“what?”
“I can give you five minutes. As you can see, I’m busy.”
As if he had done the Ice Bucket Challenge in the middle of winter, Zion came to his senses with a start.
