#40
Bang, bang, bang.
“CEO Kang, how long are you going to stay in there?”
Bang, bang, bang.
“Come out before people arrive. Let’s have a chat~!”
A chat, my foot.
“CEOoo~” The constant pounding on the locked bathroom door by reporter Yong Ho-jung made cold sweat trickle down my back.
‘Damn it.’
I had realized long ago that life wasn’t easy for someone with a known name, but the fact that the one I ran into happened to be Reporter Yong was the absolute worst.
‘What the hell is a reporter doing in the VIP lounge?’
Weren’t interviews with the press usually done in the press room?
Of course, considering the situation, it wasn’t strange that journalists swarmed the venue. Still, since there were VIPs who deliberately avoided the media, the organizers had set up a separate VIP lounge.
And yet somehow, a reporter like Yong Ho-jung managed to slip in here, a place you couldn’t enter without a VIP pass.
— The customer is not answering the phone…
Why isn’t he picking up?!
I tried calling Yoo Hyun-joon to somehow shake off this leech of a reporter who never let go once he had his prey. For some reason, he wasn’t answering.
As for Secretary Chu, who was surely still at the headquarters… calling him was out of the question.
“What’s going on? Why so noisy?”
“Something happening there?”
“Isn’t that Reporter Yong? What’s going on, is someone inside?”
With Seung-eon locking herself inside the restroom stall and Reporter Yong planted firmly outside, the standoff grew louder and began to attract attention.
I could hear the sound of other hyenas who smelled blood gathering around.
“Haha, nothing’s going on.”
“Really? Are you sure it’s nothing?”
“Why are you hanging around outside the ladies’ restroom?”
“Who’s in there?”
“I told you, nobody. It’s nothing, so move along.”
It was questionable enough why there were so many reporters in the VIP lounge, but Yong’s desperate insistence on blocking the other reporters was even more suspicious. Clearly, he wanted an exclusive scoop.
Hearing Yong’s transparent ploy through the door, Seung-eon frowned—until she was startled by his next words.
“But why are you all… oh, hey! Lady, what are you doing—urk!”
“Move. I need to clean.”
Click!
Gripping the door handle tightly, Seung-eon felt her eyes widen as the knob turned on its own, against her will.
Click!
“Oh, it’s open! Let me just—”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“…!”
“Didn’t you hear me say I need to clean?”
“Ah…”
“Step aside. Unless you plan on cleaning it yourself.”
“Ha, haha. Pushy, aren’t you? Fine, I get it. There’s someone inside, though—tell them to come out too. Got it? You heard that, CEO. I’ll be waiting outside!”
His loud voice carried through the partially opened door, echoing everywhere inside. It hit Seung-eon’s ears as well.
…Damn it.
Trying to dodge Yong, she had dashed into the nearest restroom—and that had been the fatal mistake that cornered her.
‘What do I do?’
She had to avoid the reporter, but she couldn’t stay here forever.
‘And it’s not like anyone will help me…’
In the end, it was something she would have to face.
‘…’
Yes.
‘It’s nothing.’
Just one reporter.
‘You’re Kang Seung-eon.’
Even if the relationship was strained, even if her memories weren’t whole.
Dealing with a reporter who couldn’t even write a proper economics article and only spread corporate gossip—
‘…that much I can handle.’
After thinking it over, Seung-eon finally eased her teeth off her lower lip.
Then she pushed open the stall door and stepped forward.
Swish, squelch, squelch.
‘She’s working hard.’
Just as the voices outside suggested, a janitor was vigorously rinsing a long mop.
Wearing a cap and a mask, she moved busily. Not wanting to get in her way, Seung-eon quickly turned toward the exit.
That’s when—
“Young lady.”
The janitor stopped mopping and looked right at her.
“Reporter Yong, you’re still here?”
“Who are you waiting for? Did you find some VIP or something?”
“We’re not going to steal your scoop. Just give us a hint.”
Minutes passed.
Yong Ho-jung, loitering outside the locked ladies’ restroom in the VIP lounge, smiled vaguely as other reporters coming out of the men’s room pressed him with questions.
“It’s private, don’t worry about it.”
“Who is it? Can’t you give us a clue?”
“Haha, I told you, it’s nobody—”
“It’s opening!”
Just as he was waving his hands dismissively, someone shouted, making him turn his head.
“Huh?”
A janitor came out, pushing her cleaning cart. The same one who had gone inside earlier.
“Ma’am, are you done cleaning?”
Yong walked up to her.
“There was someone inside, right? I told you to tell them to come out when you cleaned, but they just ignored you, huh.”
“…”
The janitor glanced at him briefly, then waved her hand dismissively and pushed the cart away. Yong stared at her retreating figure for a moment before banging on the restroom door again.
“Seriously, how long are you going to hold out in there~!”
What had begun as persuasion was now irritation, his voice fading in the distance.
Meanwhile, the janitor pushed her cart far down the corridor. Once she turned into a hallway leading away from the restrooms, she finally pulled off her mask.
“Haaah!”
She exhaled the breath she’d been holding, her heart pounding wildly.
‘That was close.’
Even though she had already left the restroom far behind, she could still hear the echo of the pounding in her ears. Just remembering the reporter who had deliberately cornered her sent shivers down Seung-eon’s spine.
“Miss, I’ll give you clothes. Put them on and leave through here.”
Seung-eon had only been able to escape thanks to the janitor’s unexpected words. When Seung-eon widened her eyes in shock, the janitor explained:
“Someone sent me to help you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Not sure if it’ll fit though—you’re so slender. …Well, it should be fine.”
The janitor quickly scanned her from head to toe and handed her a blue cleaning uniform.
Seung-eon was taken aback, but the truth was, this seemed like the only way out. She nodded.
“Take this cart out too. Once you’re outside, go straight to the right, turn the corner, and you’ll see a storage room. Leave it there. Got it?”
Not knowing what was going on, she simply nodded to the janitor’s hurried instructions and left the restroom.
‘Someone…?’
That word nagged at her, but with Yoo Hyun-joon not answering his phone, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would help her. The thought left her uneasy.
‘There’s the storage.’
Just as instructed, she found a small storage room that looked like it held cleaning carts. She pushed the cart inside, then turned to head back toward the VIP lounge.
Swish.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed hers.
“Huh?”
“That way’s still dangerous.”
The sudden voice was familiar—and the scent that instantly filled her nose was one she knew well. She instinctively lifted her head.
And saw—
‘Am I hallucinating?’
The voice and the scent were unmistakable, but the person in front of her, holding her hand, was someone she couldn’t believe was really here.
“Seo—”
Swish.
Before she could even finish speaking, he pulled his own cap off and set it on her head.
“Keep this on. And… change into this.”
Seo Yi-soo had appeared out of nowhere, handing her a shopping bag.
“Hurry.”
