Chapter 18

Sang-Hoon’s pathetic words were already annoying as it was, but even more when read out-loud with a soulless robotic voice. Overwhelmed by an indescribable fury, she tried to switch off her phone, but a hand reached out from behind and swiftly snatched it.

“Ah-”

“… It’s always the same with you, Kim Na-Yool. Always thinking only about yourself, always… What is next?” Si-Jin brazenly asked, as he shoved the hurtful message in Na-Yool’s face to decipher it for him.

“…… ‘Always sacrificing me for your own greed’…”

Na-Yool felt her whole situation, of having to interpret statements that she did not even agree to, absolutely ridiculous. As soon as she stopped reading, Si-Jin took back the phone and continued where she left off.

“You are such an evil woman. So evil…”

“…… What a creep.”

“Just know that I’m watching you to see how more selfish you can get. Got it? ”

“……”

“He said he is watching you.”

“Yeah, I heard that.”

Ding! The elevator signaled that it arrived at her floor, much to her relief, and Na-Yool hastily got off. With large strides, she rushed away from Si-Jin as fast as she could. Only to suddenly stop, and look down at her empty hand.

“Ha…”

It’s driving me nuts. With a long face, Na-Yool reluctantly turned around and retraced her steps back to him.

“My phone, please.”

“He said you will regret it, Ms. Kim Na-Yool.”

“Stop reading already.”

“ Absolutely, and a hundred percent, he said.”

As soon as Si-Jin resumed reading Sang-Hoon’s childish messages in his robotic tone, Na-Yool felt a chill once again. She silently but resolutely reached out her hand open as if to stop him. Si-Jin stared at it with an interrogative look on his face.

“Mr. President.”

“I’m the kind that is not satisfied with a book or a movie until I have seen its end, you see.”

“…But this is neither a book, nor a movie, nor anything else!”

What was so funny about it?!? As she trembled furiously, Na-Yool tried to take the phone by force, but Si-Jin, unfazed, raised the hand that held the device so that it was out of her reach. Na-Yool jumped up and down in a pathetic attempt to catch it as she screamed her resentment.

“Don’t use this for your own entertainment! This is my personal business! This is your employee’s private life!”

“It is indeed.”

“What kind of answer is that…! Mr. President!”

“It is, but don’t we have a special relationship now? Especially in this area…”

“These messages have never concerned you in any way!”

“—So by the way, you were thinking of marrying that guy?”

The words Si-Jin casually flung at her brought an embarrassment stronger than the irritation she felt towards him. It was not as grand as a feeling of humiliation, but just plain embarrassment. Not to the point that she could not lift her head, but just enough to refuse to hear any more than that.

[How crazy (in a bad way) in love was she (who was not in the same league) to want to marry with (as he clearly seemed from his messages) such a (dumb) guy?]

Na-Yool could hear Si-Jin’s thoughts – and read between them – without him saying them out loud. But thanks to him, her irritation and embarrassment passed, which gave way to a feeling of resentment, until all was left was her last pride that told her not to go as low as make sad excuses for herself.

But above all…

Marriage was a topic that Sang-Hoon would always bring up while he slurped on kimchi soup, but to hear it from someone else’s mouth really sounded like they were ready to tie the knot. Just the thought of it made her hair stand on end.

“As if it was not enough to read someone else’s conversation, are you going to read it up now?”

“Even when I start a book or a movie from the middle, I hate going back to see what happened.”

“I don’t care, I’m telling you to stop—”

“I hate going back and forth. I did not look up.” [T/N: Read it up and look up are puns ><]

Of course, he held the phone itself physically high up in the air. As she jumped in place to try to grab his arm, Na-Yool awkwardly stopped, as she saw an employee walking by in the distance. She tried to act composed, but Si-Jin stayed with his arm up, with his head leaning back in a very strange posture.

“Then—”