Chapter 81

Quickly getting tired after receiving Si-Jin’s messages, Na-Yool finished her meal, gulped down a cup of coffee with Seung-Jae after, and left the place as soon as she was done. It was not that her body got tired, but rather that it needed more energy to stay longer there. Unbelievably, just because of a few messages from Si-Jin.

Even if her mind was locked on him, this was overdoing it! She was about to feel sorry for herself. Seung-Jae, who was not aware of her inner situation, pushed Na-Yool in a taxi and took it upon himself to accompany her to the front of her apartment complex.

Not only was he feeling bad about not taking her all the way home yesterday, but he also convinced her by mentioning her safety in anticipation of any “next unpredictable move the stalking ex-boyfriend would take”. Na-Yool had, therefore, no reason to refuse.

“It bothers me, so how can I just go, Ms. Na-Yool?”

Thanks to this, Na-Yool, who unintentionally stood up Si-Jin for two days in a row, parted with Seung-Jae only in front of her house, full of apprehension. Seung-Jae briefly got off the taxi with her to give a short greeting, then quickly got back in and left.

Just like his sole purpose was to drop her off, without any other meaning. As expected. Na-Yool turned back, feeling once again somehow relieved by his indifferent attitude.

But still…

It would not be suitable to keep receiving that kind of stress. Even if he meant nothing else, and no matter how important it was to hide her relationship with Si-Jin…

…Maybe I should tell them I’ll be living at a friend’s house from tomorrow on…

She could not figure at all the reason why men were suddenly freaking out over taking her home. Even her ex-boyfriends had diligently never shown up before. Although things had turned this way because of one problematic one of them…

Is it thanks to Lee Sang-Hoon?

Wait, no. ‘Thanks to’ was not a word to use in moments like this. Na-Yool glanced at her cellphone with an apprehensive look as she climbed the stairs to the apartment. Sang-Hoon had been silent since that day. To the extent that Si-Jin’s extreme and hostile concerns paled in comparison. Hence Seung-Jae’s worries also sounded excessive.

Yet somehow…

Na-Yool pressed the dial key and stared anxiously at the invisible blind spot beyond the stair landing. She kept getting an uneasy and creepy feeling.

If this was the intended result of Si-Jin’s brainwashing, then he had programmed a very successful one. She clenched her teeth and closed the door. Na-Yool, who had stood in the hallway and looked at her cell phone ominously for a while, finally opened the chat window and stared at the interrupted conversation.

[Finished eating and am currently drinking coffee. Seung-Jae said he would take me home] 8:42 PM

[So today I think there is no need to bother yourself, Mr. President] 8:42 PM

The message was sent 40 minutes ago. There was no reply from Si-Jin, who was in all likelihood still in the meeting. The funny thing was that just reading their brief exchange of messages had given her a pretty deep sense of relief.

In addition to the door’s automatic closing, Na-Yool secured the latch and futilely turned the doorknob to check that the door was locked correctly. While considering once again if she had to go to a friend’s house on the weekend…

As soon as she trudged in and dropped on the small two-seater sofa to lean back, sudden fatigue she had not been aware of until now overcame her. You just have to endure tomorrow. Holding that thought, she closed her eyes when Si-Jin’s smiling face from this afternoon flashed in, followed by the darkness above the stair landing that she could see right away if she got out. Her head was in chaos. Good things were coming to mind, soon followed by bad ones…

…’Good’, uh?

So that is how she felt about a faint smile from Si-Jin…

Now she honestly thought of it as ‘good,’ was that it? As she turned her head and leaned back on the sofa, her somewhat pitiful face was reflected in the mirror on the wall. She sighed heavily in pity for her own self and stood up. She pulled out a cleansing tissue and nervously wiped off her makeup when her cellphone rang a beat later. [T/N: Obviously, she is feeling conflicted by the fact that she is falling deeper for Si-Jin.]

Na-Yool glanced down at the hand holding the tissue, then resigned herself to go to the bathroom where she was already heading.

That was clearly what she meant to do. Yet.

“Hello?” Na-Yool hurriedly pulled out a tissue and wiped her hands, and picked up Si-Jin’s call just before it might stop ringing.

‒You really don’t listen.

“…Didn’t you say the problem was that Seung-Jae did not properly take me home after work? So today I came home safely. Thanks to Seung-Jae.”

‒Do you really think that’s the only problem?

“It’s okay, I guess. You are busy anyway.”

She tilted her head, lodged her phone between her shoulder and her ear, and pulled out another tissue. She sat down on the sofa, as if subconsciously expecting the call to be a long one. As she meticulously removed her makeup while checking herself in the distant mirror, Si-Jin let out an annoyed sigh into her ear.

‒I wish you could not talk.

“Shouldn’t it be my line?”

“I don’t know what this is about, but if you are having it tough, Mr. President, I will do my utmost to make it even harder on you.” [T/N: She’s basically saying that she will not shut up xD]

‒You smart mouth. Not backing down even one step, I see.

While Si-Jin spoke, Na-Yool could hear the swift ruffling of papers being flipped through in the background. He seemed to be in the middle of working. The sight of him sitting at his deck popped into her mind: that office, that desk… Na-Yool hurriedly erased the picture in her head before her face blushed hard.

‒So, you’re home?

“Yes, which is why I picked up your call this time.”

‒You make it sound like you’re having an affair with me.

“There is nothing good about being caught anyway. I am just being careful.”

Her words had a distinct “hence you should praise me” undertone. However, the answer Si-Jin threw back was totally out of expectation.

‒Why, are you ashamed of me?

…So cheesy! As Na-Yool thought that it did not suit him, she realized the matter was that, in fact, it did too well. She sighed.

“You know you are being ridiculous, right? You should also know who would be in more trouble if people find out.”

‒You can’t mean me, is it?

“Obviously, it is you, Mr. President.”

In fact, Na-Yool had always thought that only women would be on the losing end facing such a situation… but, since life had blessed him with many things, was Si-Jin not someone who had much to lose with a single mishap?

As long as the man involved was Si-Jin, both sides would suffer damage.

‒I don’t think it would put me in a tight spot, though.

“You must be kidding.”

‒Really.

“What a great bluff! Then what will you do if I go around spilling the beans about it?”

‒I should be the one asking. It seems like you already forgot, but I first threatened you with the same warning.

A playfulness permeated Si-Jin’s tone. Acting proper yet openly threatening her… that wannabe hoodlum! The shadow of his strait-laced face suddenly turning into his characteristic smug floated in front of Na-Yool’s eyes.

How she wished her conscience was sane enough to feel disgusted every time this illusion manifested itself! Instead of feeling an irrepressible sinful itch inside and out!