Chapter 40: Chapter 40

The moment he covered her lips with his, his tongue invaded without the slightest hesitation, giving her no time to prepare a defense. She was caught completely off guard.

“Mm! Mm!”

Thud, thud!

Suin pounded his chest with her fists in resistance, but Jaehee only pulled her closer, nearly crushing her as his tongue hungrily explored hers.

It was absurd.

No matter how much she prided herself on seeing through Seo Jaehee’s tricks, she always ended up falling for them.

Or maybe… was she secretly enjoying it?

"..."

She had no rebuttal to the sarcastic inner voice mocking her.

Her lips and tongue had already betrayed her resistance, moving in sync with his.

Her heated body clung to him, her mouth opening wider to meet his kiss fully.

This—this was undeniable proof that she was enjoying it.

Perhaps it was the remnants of last night’s heat still lingering within her.

“Haah…”

Jaehee drank her in, intoxicated by her.

It was as though no matter how deeply he kissed her, it would never be enough. His fervor poured into every kiss, making it feel like their first all over again.

His kisses were like a bottomless pit—a trap one could never escape from.

Suin felt trapped, yet it was obvious she couldn’t escape.

Completely forgetting time and place.

Not even thirty minutes had passed since she’d mocked Yoo Ahjin with biting words, and yet…

The atmosphere in the office space had grown thick with something sultry and unspoken.

The heat radiating from their tightly pressed bodies filled the air, saturating it with an intoxicating warmth.

The classical melody from the speakers blended seamlessly with the erotic sounds of their lips and tongues, creating a sinful harmony.

Even the music seemed enchanted, pulling them deeper.

Smack.

Jaehee’s greedy lips, savoring her tongue and the taste of her saliva, slid down to her jawline.

He nibbled softly along her delicate jaw before tracing down with his tongue, gliding lower to her slender neck.

Suin shivered with each tender graze of his lips along her neck, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably as he descended.

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, he stopped.

His lips brushed against the high neckline of her blouse, his sharp nose bumping it gently. He tugged at the fabric with his teeth, clearly frustrated by the barrier.

“Why is this outfit so annoying?”

His complaint snapped Suin back to reality.

She quickly licked her damp lips and glared at him with a sharp, disapproving look.

“Stop it. It’s already past nine.”

At some point, it had gone past the workday’s start, and the classical music meant for arrival hours had ceased.

She placed both hands firmly against his chest, attempting to push him away, but he showed no intention of loosening his hold.

He furrowed his brows as if deeply disappointed.

“Just one touch.”

“What?”

“Just a little.”

With a shameless grin, his hand slipped to the hem of her blouse, lifting it slightly.

The blouse, tightly tucked into her waistband, didn’t yield easily to his efforts.

“You’re insane…!”

Her vigorous struggle didn’t help. She twisted and turned to escape, but Jaehee’s fingers brushed against a spot on her side.

In that instant—

“Ah!”

Suin shrieked, her body jolting.

The intense ticklish sensation made her burst into laughter, her body writhing uncontrollably.

Jaehee’s eyebrows twitched upward.

The mischievous glint in his eyes was unmistakable—he had found a new source of amusement.

Poke.

His finger jabbed her side again, deliberately this time.

“Stop it! That tickles!”

Suin flinched and yelled, but a prankster like Jaehee had no intention of stopping midway.

Grinning wickedly, he spread his arms wide and pulled her into a tight embrace, launching a full-scale tickle attack.

Poke, poke.

“I said stop!”

Thud!

“Ugh.”

***

Ji-ye looked at Jongin, who was sipping milk tea topped with a swirl of soft-serve ice cream, and blinked in disbelief.

It was too unbalanced.

His build screamed rugged—like someone who’d crunch through the ice in an iced Americano without a second thought.

“Do you like milk tea, Jongin?”

“Yes, senior,” he replied immediately, pulling his lips away from the straw.

The vivid red of his lips was stained with ice cream as he answered cheerfully, “I’ve liked milk since I was a kid.”

“Ah… so that’s why you’re so tall.”

“Do you not like milk, ma’am?”

“I don’t care for it. It’s too heavy.”

Jongin, oblivious to the soft ice cream smudged on his lips, didn’t notice Ji-ye’s growing discomfort. Annoyed, she grabbed a napkin and handed it to him.

“Wipe your mouth.”

“Thank you, senior.”

Finally realizing, Jongin scrubbed his lips vigorously with the napkin, muttering awkwardly, “I’m just so clumsy sometimes.”

“I see.”

How cute.

Her inner voice echoed in her mind.

Unconsciously, Ji-ye smoothed her hair back behind her ear and sipped her coffee, observing him over the rim of her straw.

His broad frame was rugged, but his face had the soft, innocent features of a puppy.

He’d be worth raising…

Though he was a year younger, she’d watched him during his internship and found his personality to be gentle and upright. Given that the senior director personally brought him into the executive secretary’s office, it was clear he was destined for a permanent position.

And now that she’d passed the promotion exam, wouldn’t a manager and an employee make a good pair?

“Does your girlfriend have a similar taste? Milk tea and all?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Subtly fishing for information, Ji-ye baited him, and Jongin naively took the hook.

Raising her eyebrows in satisfaction, she relaxed further into her seat.

“How’s it going in the executive office? Getting used to it?”

“Well…”

Though it was a simple question, a shadow darkened Jongin’s face, and his expression turned tense.

“You can talk to me. Even if it’s just us, sometimes you need to let things out.”

“Honestly, the work isn’t hard at all. The director is great, and the senior manager is too… but…”

Trailing off hesitantly, Jongin glanced at her, struggling with what to say. Ji-ye prompted him gently.

“But?”

“Every day feels like jumping between extremes.”

“What do you mean? Is the director’s mood really unpredictable?”

“Well, it’s not exactly his mood… but it’s similar.”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday, he was like a volcano about to erupt. Today, he’s like a calm summer stream. He’s practically glowing… like he resolved something overnight…”

“Are you a literature major, Jongin?”

“No, ma’am. I studied security and secretarial sciences…”

“Then just explain it simply. I can’t make sense of this poetic nonsense.”

“Sorry. Forget I said anything.”

“Got it.”

Jongin’s guilty expression made Ji-ye change the subject to avoid further awkwardness.

“You’ve heard the rumors about Senior Lee Suin’s boyfriend, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you don’t know about it, you’re not an employee here. It’s spread everywhere quietly.”

“Do you happen to know who the boyfriend is? You work closely with the senior. Surely, you’ve noticed someone hanging around her?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Sensing Ji-ye’s intent, Jongin straightened his posture, his face firm though his darting eyes betrayed him. His innocence was telling.

Ji-ye decided to push further.

“Is it Deputy Baek Ihyeon? From the Construction Support Division?”

“It’s not.”

Caught off guard, Jongin answered hastily, his eyes squinting like a puppy caught sneaking snacks.

Ji-ye couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction.@@novelbin@@

“Then who is it?”

“…”

When she pressed further, Jongin clamped his mouth shut like a resolute freedom fighter. His loyalty to Senior Suin was evident but only fueled her curiosity more.

Ji-ye propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands, and leaned in with bright, expectant eyes.

“We’re all friends here, aren’t we?”

“Hmm.”

Jongin tensed up immediately.

While he admired Suin like everyone else in the office, she felt too far out of reach to even consider. And in his deflection, another person had gradually caught his eye—Ji-ye herself, with her lively personality and delicate features.

Now, with her scrunching her nose in mock displeasure right in front of him, Jongin found himself caving.

He couldn’t confess outright, so he offered a cryptic hint.

“It’s right under your nose.”

“What?”

Ji-ye snorted, rolling her eyes incredulously. Then, picking up her coffee, she stood and shot him a dismissive glare.

“If you don’t want to tell me, just forget it.”

“Wait, senior!”

Startled, he looked up, only to see her gesturing broadly toward the cafeteria staff.

“This whole place is ‘under my nose,’ isn’t it?”

With that, she walked off in a huff.

Jongin stood awkwardly, glancing around the room, realizing that the definition of “under your nose” varied from person to person.

For him, it meant the executive office alone.

“Phew.”

With a sigh that spilled over his lips, he glanced up at the ceiling, as though staring through to the 39th floor. Then, he sat back down, quietly sipping his sweet milk tea.

“Maybe I’ll go up a little later.”

He took another long sip and silently hoped the rest of the day would stay peaceful.