Chapter 48 …..
“He’s already working his charm this early in the morning.”
As if he had heard her inner thoughts, her eyes met Do-hyun’s. Then, as though he’d known she was looking at him, he gave a playful smile and winked.
Her heart dropped.
“Crazy.”
Flustered, Yeon-ha quickly turned her head away. The tips of her ears burned hot.
“Kim Su-ji’s persistence is something else.”
At Jin-young’s comment, Yeon-ha looked puzzled.
“Huh?”
“She’s been quiet the past few days, so I thought she’d given up. Look over there.”
Following Jin-young’s nod, Yeon-ha saw that Kim Su-ji from the marketing team was now glued to Do-hyun’s side, even though he had been alone just moments ago. Su-ji was lightly smacking his arm and laughing brightly.
When did those two get so close?
As Yeon-ha frowned slightly while watching them, Jin-young lowered her voice and whispered,
“Do-hyun doesn’t even look interested, but she’s acting like she’s having the time of her life. Don’t you think it’s funny? She’s definitely doing that on purpose so the other female employees will see.”
Jin-young clicked her tongue.
“Maybe she really is having fun.”
“That’s because you don’t know Kim Su-ji, Team Leader. She’s such a fox. She acts cold in front of us, but in front of men she likes, she turns on the eye-smile and acts all cute. It’s no joke.”
“That doesn’t mean every guy falls for it.”
“That’s the problem—they all do. I told you before, remember? She seduced Assistant Manager Park from General Affairs even though he had a girlfriend and made them break up.”
While Yeon-ha listened to Jin-young with one ear, her gaze remained fixed on Do-hyun and Su-ji. Nam Do-hyun, with his model-like long legs and warm good looks, and Kim Su-ji, slim with a lovely aura. Visually, they suited each other well.
Just then, whispers floated from behind.
“Looking at those two, it’s like a fashion pictorial.”
“It’s annoying, but they really do look good together.”
The words pierced her ears. For some reason, the fact that others saw them that way made her chest sting.
Then what about me and Do-hyun?
A few days ago, when word spread through the company that the two of them had saved Chairman Kwon Jin-man at a rest stop, rumors started that they might be involved. But the talk didn’t last long.
“There’s no way Nam Do-hyun, who lacks nothing, would date Team Leader Seo who’s four years older.”
When she first heard that, she felt relieved they hadn’t been found out—yet strangely, her pride had been hurt.
Yeon-ha believed she wasn’t lacking in her own way.
She had been promoted faster than designers her age and her skills were recognized. Her personality wasn’t flashy, but she wasn’t the type people disliked either. Most of all, even if she couldn’t compare to Do-hyun, quite a few men had shown interest in her so far.
Yet being treated like she didn’t even qualify just because she was four years older irritated her.
Seo Yeon-ha, stop thinking useless things. Nothing good comes from being swayed by what others say.
To distract her frayed nerves, Yeon-ha pulled out her phone. As she skimmed through photos from last week’s market research, the bus doors opened.
When she looked up absentmindedly, Nam Do-hyun was boarding the bus. He scanned the interior as if looking for a seat, then his eyes met hers.
Yeon-ha hurriedly looked away and pretended to focus on her phone again.
But he strode straight over and stopped in front of her seat.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Do-hyun.”
At his fresh greeting, Jin-young’s face turned red. Even though she said she’d given up, it seemed she still had lingering feelings.
“Hello, Team Leader.”
Yeon-ha pretended not to notice and flipped through her market research photos, but he deliberately greeted her from the seat beside her. When she reluctantly lifted her head, Do-hyun’s gaze caught hers as if he’d been waiting.
She had planned to confess to him after returning from her parents’ home, but his business trip to Busan had forced her to postpone.
After he returned, he had been buried in late nights—store inspections, competitor analysis, performance reviews. He pushed reorders for popular items and worked to reduce inventory by transferring slow-selling products to other stores or planning sales.
Meanwhile, she had flown to New York for Fashion Week and, the moment she returned nine days later, had been overwhelmed with trend analysis, design planning, and sample production.
Just when things finally seemed to calm down, the workshop came up. Because of that, it had been a long time since she’d seen him outside the company.
Their gazes refused to part.
At that moment, Kim Su-ji boarded the bus with her phone to her ear.
“…Yeah. Okay. I’ll call you later.”
After hurriedly ending the call, she quickly scanned the bus, soon spotting where Do-hyun was seated, and strode over.
“Can I sit next to you?”
She asked boldly, as if the seat were already hers.
“No. There’s someone sitting here.”
“Who?”
Su-ji’s pupils shook at Do-hyun’s unexpected refusal.
He calmly turned his head and waved.
“They’re coming right now. Director! Over here.”
“Huh? Oh. Right.”
Director Jung Sung-tae, who had just boarded the bus, paused in confusion when Do-hyun suddenly raised his hand, but soon walked over. Do-hyun stood and gestured toward the window seat.
“Please sit inside.”
“Thanks.”
Having lost the seat, Kim Su-ji’s face flushed red as she walked to the very back. The heavy thudding of her footsteps revealed her anger.
“But what’s gotten into you? Saving my seat and all.”
“I remembered you said you get motion sickness, sir.”
“You remembered that? As expected, you’re the only one who looks after me, Do-hyun.”
Director Jung laughed heartily, clearly pleased. Yeon-ha didn’t show it, but somehow she felt relieved that Kim Su-ji hadn’t been able to sit next to Do-hyun.
As the bus departed, people chatted noisily. Yeon-ha put down her phone and turned toward the window.
A crisp autumn breeze seeped in through the glass.
After arriving in Yangpyeong, they had lunch at the resort restaurant, and the afternoon schedule began.
Following leadership training and some recreational warm-ups came the workshop highlight—the inter-team competition.
During the speed quiz, everyone burst into laughter at the slapstick antics. The domino-stacking game had them on edge. After the relay race came the three-legged race, with teams decided by drawing lots.
She secretly hoped to be paired with Do-hyun when she drew—but unfortunately, her partner was Assistant Manager Lee Jae-seok from General Affairs.
Lee Jae-seok, the second most popular man in the company after Do-hyun, approached her with smiling eyes.
“Looks like I’m lucky today—being on the same team as you, Team Leader.”
“You’re going to regret saying that. I’m terrible at sports.”
Unlike the excited Lee Jae-seok, Yeon-ha replied awkwardly. They knew each other but weren’t close.
“Don’t worry. I was a track athlete until high school.”
He spoke confidently. That must be why he was known for being athletic at the company.
“Then I just have to rely on you.”
“Just stick close to me. Then we can get first place.”
Seeing his determined face, Yeon-ha wanted to say she didn’t mind losing—but it didn’t look like he’d listen. Competitive fire was already blazing in Lee Jae-seok’s eyes.
While he tied their ankles together with the strap, she looked around, curious about who Do-hyun’s partner was—and soon her expression hardened.
His partner was Kim Su-ji.
No… how did that happen?
She had already been bothered by what happened that morning, so seeing him paired with Su-ji again didn’t sit well with her.
Just then, he lifted his head and their eyes met.
The bright smile on his face at seeing her quickly faded when he noticed her partner.
Like I’m the one who’s happy about this.
Yeon-ha turned away from him and stared straight ahead. She could still feel his gaze on her—but she didn’t look back.
