Chapter 23: Chapter 23

“Answer me.”

Seo Jaehee stood in front, ready to pounce, while Baek Ihyeon lingered in the background, on the verge of being devoured.

‘Why me…’

Suin felt a headache coming on.

Her life had seemed to split into “before and after Seo Jaehee” ever since he first appeared in her childhood, and here she was at thirty, still stuck in the same pattern.

Life had been fine—peaceful, even—until he suddenly threw her into chaos.

“What is Baek Ihyeon to you?”

“...”

It seemed Jaehee had misunderstood, assuming that her fabricated “mystery boyfriend” was Baek Ihyeon.

Fortunately, his gaze was so fixated on her that he hadn’t noticed Ihyeon inside the café.

He probably couldn’t even imagine it.

‘I need to send him away before he figures it out.’

Even as Suin worked to prevent the situation from spiraling into full-blown war, her mind raced.

When she’d used Section Chief Somon to spread the initial rumor about her “boyfriend,” she hadn’t even considered Ihyeon as a candidate.

But now, if she used Jaehee’s misunderstanding to her advantage…

It could be the perfect resolution.

An end to all of this.

If Jaehee believed it and walked away for good.

“If you’re here because of the company rumors… fine. It’s true.”

“What’s true?”

“It’s Baek Ihyeon.”

Surely, even someone as obsessive as Seo Jaehee wouldn’t cling to a woman who wasn’t interested in him forever.

His fixation was just wounded pride over something he couldn’t have, wasn’t it?

“I’ll ask again. You’d better answer properly this time.”

He didn’t seem ready to accept her words.

As if rejecting an answer he didn’t want to hear, his growl was sharp and dangerous.

“What exactly is your relationship with Baek Ihyeon?”

His reasoning wasn’t entirely gone, but his eyes burned with a terrifying intensity.

It was like the calm before the storm—or perhaps the eye of a hurricane.

But Suin wouldn’t back down.

She’d already tipped the glass, and the water was spilled.

“I don’t owe you any explanation, nor do you have the right to interrogate me. But if you’re so desperate to know…”

Suin tilted her chin with icy disdain, locking her gaze with his.

“We’re in a mutual, romantic relationship.”

Her message was clear: Leave my life.

She didn’t want someone like him—an alien from a distant star disrupting her ordinary world.

“Say it again.”

A crimson hue spread across his storm-gray irises.

The color reminded her of the fiery streaks of a sunset, though she couldn’t tell if it was anger or pain.

“Properly.”

His tone was a warning, a threat that he wouldn’t let this go unless she corrected herself.

For a moment, Suin hesitated, sensing the danger.

It wasn’t like she had real feelings for Baek Ihyeon, so was it worth escalating things further?

And there was the risk of Jaehee targeting Ihyeon.

It wasn’t beyond him.

‘I miscalculated… I’m an idiot.’

Regret washed over her, and she opened her mouth to amend the situation.

“Well, actually—”

Her phone buzzed, cutting her off.

If it was Ihyeon calling, she was doomed. She glanced at the screen nervously.

To her relief, it was Woo Ilhwa, the chairwoman.

“Yes, Chairwoman,” Suin answered quickly before Jaehee could stop her.

[Chief Lee.]

Jaehee’s brow twitched in irritation, his hand freezing mid-motion as if he’d been about to snatch the phone.

[Is the forum preparation complete?]

“Yes, I’ve wrapped everything up without any issues.”

[Good work.]

“Not at all, Chairwoman.”

Suin felt like meat sizzling on a grill but maintained her professional tone and clear enunciation.

Whether the chairwoman realized her plight or not, she extended a lifeline.

[Do you know where Jaehee is? He promised to have dinner with his grandmother, but he hasn’t shown up or answered his phone.]

“The Executive Director is right here with me. I’ll pass the phone to him.”

Seizing the opportunity, Suin thrust the phone toward Jaehee’s ear. His glare deepened as he reluctantly took it.

[Are you still at the office, Jaehee?]

“It’s me.”

Unable to avoid the call, Jaehee kept the phone to his ear while continuing to shoot daggers at Suin.

Listening to the chairwoman’s words, he visibly struggled to keep his composure.

His broad shoulders rose and fell with deep, deliberate breaths as he turned away.

“...Yes, understood.”

One hand rested on his hip as he stared at the ground, his back radiating the effort it took to restrain himself.

It was evident that Seo Jaehee had matured into a man capable of holding back his anger—if only just.

If this had been in the past, Seo Jaehee would have ignored any phone call and acted recklessly, driven entirely by his emotions.

“I’ll leave immediately.”

When he ended the call and turned back to her, Jaehee’s face was startlingly calm, almost unnervingly so.

His expression, his gaze—everything was carefully concealed.

That only made him more frightening.

“Lee Suin.”

It felt like a dense, black storm cloud was rolling toward her, suffocating and impossible to see through.

“We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

And once again, he left her with those words.

Relentless. Exhaustingly persistent.

“And don’t even think about running away.”

With a final stern warning, Jaehee spun on his heel and marched toward the sedan.

His long legs carried him quickly, and the moment he climbed into the backseat, the door slammed shut with such force that the entire vehicle seemed to shudder.

In the driver’s seat, Kwon Jongin peeked nervously out the window, his head bobbing awkwardly in an attempt to apologize.

‘It’s not your fault,’ Suin thought, waving him off with a small, weary motion.

The sedan reversed out of the alley and disappeared down the street.

Watching the car vanish from view, Suin bit her lip.

“How long does he plan to keep this up?”

Seo Jaehee wouldn’t stop until he heard the answer he wanted.

His stubbornness sparked something defiant in her.

She wanted to fight him to the bitter end.

But wasn’t this like a Möbius strip? Would she ever truly escape?

“Suin.”

She jumped at the sound.

“What are you doing out here?”

As the black sedan disappeared around the corner, Baek Ihyeon stepped out of the café.

Suin exhaled, her hand over her chest, and turned to face him.

“The call took longer than I expected…”

She offered him a faint smile, though her heart ached with guilt.

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

“For what?”

Completely unaware of the context, Ihyeon looked puzzled by her sudden apology.

With his crescent-shaped smile, he teased, “Did you do something wrong to me?”

Well… not intentionally.

‘I ended up using you without meaning to,’ she thought.

“I left you alone, even though you’re a guest…”

She deflected, unwilling to admit the truth.

“This is work-related, so it doesn’t matter. Besides, thanks to you, I had a great conversation with your mother. Thank you, Suin.”

“...If anything, I’m the one who should thank you.”

“No way. I owe you much more.”

Ihyeon, kind and trusting as ever, had no suspicion whatsoever.

Looking up at his gentle smile, Suin felt a pang of remorse.

‘I can’t do this. I’ll have to tell him the truth.’

Her resolve to keep up the lie crumbled. She decided she would confess everything to Ihyeon: that he wasn’t involved, that Seo Jaehee’s misunderstanding stemmed from a baseless rumor she had spread herself.

But things rarely go as planned.

Suin had steeled herself as she headed to work the next day, but fate had other ideas.

“Executive Director, I’ll be at the forum all day…”

“I know. Good luck.”

Her entire interaction with Jaehee that morning amounted to a cold, ten-minute briefing that felt like standing in a Siberian tundra.

Jaehee left for client meetings immediately after, and Suin spent her day at the Hyesung Press Center, managing the International Business Forum.

The event began at 5 PM, welcoming executives from around the world, and concluded with a dinner at 8 PM. Thanks to the efforts of Suin, the secretarial team, and the Management Support Office, the forum was a resounding success.

“Great job, everyone.”

“Chief, you worked the hardest!”

“Go for a fancy dinner. No spending limits.”

“You’re the best, Chief!”

As Suin left the banquet hall, she handed her team a company card to cover their celebratory dinner. She smiled at their cheers before heading back to the Executive Director’s office.@@novelbin@@

“Already 10 PM…”

Switching on the lights in the darkened office, Suin gathered her belongings and turned on her computer to check emails and the company intranet, which she hadn’t had time for during the event.

Click.

The moment she clicked the intranet icon with her mouse, a low voice startled her.

“You’re late.”

“Ah!”

Her head whipped around, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

Seo Jaehee was standing by the door to her office.

“Why are you coming out from there?”

Her shock broke her usual composure, and the words slipped out in informal speech, a rare lapse even for her.

The lights were off; she hadn’t expected anyone to be there, let alone him.

“I was waiting.”

Jaehee’s tone was devoid of humor.

His tall frame, broad shoulders, and the way he filled the doorway made it hard to tell where the door ended and he began.

His piercing gaze locked onto her as he took a step forward.

“I told you yesterday.”

Another step.

“We need to talk.”

And another.

“Again.”