EM 21

Chapter 21…..

The sunroom was filled with potted plants, their spring blossoms spreading a fragrant scent through the air.

Lying back on the soft sofa in this fragrant space, Seung-ah felt somewhat at ease.

Yujin stepped out briefly, then returned with a first-aid kit in hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“Just dry the water off your hair first.”

At his words, Seung-ah grabbed the towel draped over her shoulders. Pressing the towel firmly, she wiped the water from the ends of her hair. Meanwhile, Yujin knelt in front of her, placing her feet on a footrest and beginning to disinfect the scratches on her calves.

“You fought a battle earlier. Did you eat properly?”

“I had lunch late. I’m not hungry now.”

“I put the side dishes Grandma gave in the fridge. Eat them if you get hungry.”

“So she sent someone over during the day?”

At the party, seeing Seung-ah enjoy the shrimp dishes, Ilbong had once said, “I’ll send her home sometime.”

But Yujin shook his head, carefully disinfecting the long scratches on her legs as he spoke.

“I went to Grandma’s. She called me during the day.”

“You saw her at the party, so why again?”

“Obviously. At first, she just told me to take some side dishes, but then she immediately brought up the matchmaking talk.”

Come to think of it, there had been a mention of a matchmaking proposal. Whatever had been done so far, it seemed to have been postponed repeatedly.

Yujin’s potential match would be a woman from a family connected to the Hanul Group. Seung-ah had heard that the proposal had been set before their conversation even began.

So Ilbong would also need to mention the matchmaking situation to Yujin, separate from his expectations regarding Seung-ah.

“You always say that as soon as you see their face. It’s annoying.”

Despite the grumbling tone, Yujin gently applied ointment over the red scratches. His touch was careful, ensuring Seung-ah wouldn’t feel pain.

It was an oddly fitting sight: a large, veined hand holding a small cotton swab, treating delicate scratches.

Without realizing Seung-ah was watching his hands, Yujin continued speaking.

“I said I wouldn’t attend any matchmaking meetings, but that family is quite persistent.”

Did he not like the family? Or maybe the match itself?

He had received countless matchmaking proposals before. This one was just one among many competitors trying to win his attention.

If Seung-ah were to contract with Yujin and become his fiancée, she would essentially take her place among these rivals.

Thinking that way, Seung-ah became curious about who this potential rival might be.

“What kind of person is she?”

Yujin’s brows furrowed slightly at her question, as if he didn’t want to even think about it.

He answered vaguely.

“I just don’t like her.”

Yujin, who usually refrained from putting others down, clearly found this woman extremely unpleasant.

“Just don’t like her?”

“She’s a nuisance, and I hate nuisances.”

‘Though… isn’t she being a bit of a nuisance right now?’

At this hour, Yujin usually picked up a book from his study and read before bed. If it weren’t for Seung-ah, he would have been doing that, but instead, he was in the sunroom with a first-aid kit.

After finishing the ointment, he applied a final dressing band.

Seung-ah suddenly asked,

“Am I not a nuisance to you?”

“You’re fine, Seung-ah. You’re like an elementary school kid. Taking care of a child is an adult’s duty.”

Her lips puckered instinctively.

“What do you mean I’m like an elementary school kid?”

“You’re always fighting and roughhousing.”

Could it be that he still believed she had actually tried to kick someone? Perhaps in his mind, Seung-ah’s image was slowly turning into that of a little gangster.

“So, you just endure when you see injustice? It’s fine because you won?”

“Oh. Now that really felt elementary school-like.”

“He was the one at fault first! There were people in the house, and he didn’t even realize it and acted rudely. And he drank during the day…”

Seung-ah continued, clearly frustrated, but Yujin didn’t respond. He just stared at her tiny toes, gently lifting her foot with his hand. Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her pale instep.

Her toes curled instinctively.

Seeing her just gape, Yujin smiled teasingly, then began organizing the first-aid kit.

“The wounds are big, so disinfect them daily to prevent infection. Change the dressing band. You know where to keep the first-aid kit, right?”

“Do you really think I’m a child?”

“Go to bed early. You’ll grow taller that way.”

With that playful remark, Yujin left the sunroom.

Seung-ah stood and slowly returned to her bedroom. Though reluctant to admit it, walking was noticeably easier than before.

It was the day of a breakfast meeting with the chairman and executives.

Yujin left home early, attended the breakfast briefing, then returned to his office.

As usual, he reviewed approval documents and checked the files for the general affairs department.

Lifting the receiver to make a call, Seung-ah’s image from last night flashed in his mind.

He wondered if she had disinfected her wounds before coming to work. She was meticulous in her work and self-management, yet somehow it worried him.

A short dial tone played, and a man answered.

“This is Ryu Han-gyeol from General Affairs Team 1.”

Yujin glanced at the phone’s LCD display. He had called Seung-ah’s number, yet a man answered.

“Yes, Mr. Ryu. Is Assistant Manager Choi Seung-ah available?”

“She’s on a half-day leave today.”

“Half-day leave?”

“Yes. If it’s urgent, I can come to your office and relay the message.”

“It’s not urgent. Thank you.”

Yujin set down the receiver, tapping his fingers on the desk twice.

Yesterday, she took a full day off; today, a half-day. Yesterday, she came back with scratches on her calves—what was she up to today?

Yujin hadn’t heard what Seung-ah had done yesterday.

‘I have personal matters.’

He clearly remembered the sharp, professional look in her eyes as she said that when taking leave. Her demeanor built a wall between employee and superior.

She didn’t want to explain the reason, and Yujin didn’t intend to push. Asking about her leave was just a formality.

Still, taking consecutive leave days naturally raised questions.

Had she gone to the hospital because her wounds worsened overnight?

Even if he wondered, it wouldn’t change anything. He could see her after work at home, and she would say the same thing:

‘I had personal matters.’

Thinking this, he felt a subtle irritation.

Knock, knock. After a couple of knocks, Secretary Yeom entered.

“Sir, a buyer has arrived at the first-floor showroom.”

“Understood.”

Yujin stood, walking across the office as Secretary Yeom’s sharp gaze followed him.

He paid it no mind; people always scrutinized him from head to toe wherever he went.

As he opened the door to leave, a familiar voice called out.

“Oh, Seung-ah. What’s going on? Why a half-day leave again?”

Against the corridor wall, Deputy Park Mi-yeon was on the phone. Yujin knew Mi-yeon was Seung-ah’s closest coworker.

She was speaking to Seung-ah, seemingly unaware of Yujin.

“What? A scam?”

Mi-yeon raised her voice. The word “scam” made Yujin pause mid-step.

“So, it happened? Did you catch the guy who ran off with your uncle’s money?”

Apparently, Seung-ah’s uncle had been scammed.

Mi-yeon continued talking, unaware that Yujin was listening.

“Yeah. Even after selling the restaurant building, he couldn’t pay off the debt? Really… how are you going to cover that money?”

Ah, it was about money.

From what he heard, the reason Seung-ah took leave yesterday was likely to visit her family.

And last night, she had said in passing:

‘There were people in the house, and he didn’t even realize it and acted rudely. And he drank during the day…’

“House” probably referred to her family’s home. Already sensitive due to her family’s situation, she must have gotten into a fight with a drunken man.

Today, she likely took a half-day leave to find a solution to the money issue.

However, according to Mi-yeon, the amount wasn’t something Seung-ah could easily manage.

‘Where did she go, taking a half-day leave?’

Standing quietly by the door, Yujin sensed Secretary Yeom’s sharp gaze on him.

He muttered absently, “Hmm… the door might be a little off, or maybe not.”

Without looking back, he stepped outside.

Walking down the corridor, he heard Secretary Yeom muttering behind him:

“Hmm… it sounds like it’s creaking. Or maybe not.”

She was repeatedly opening and closing a perfectly fine door.