Chapter 9
“The marketing team brochures we ordered have arrived. They’re in the warehouse now, so let’s go pick them up.”
Assistant Manager Kim turned to Yeon-su and Kang Yeon-su.
Today, with so many people out on external assignments, only the three of them were left in the office.
“Yes, sir!”
Ha Yeon-su answered brightly, springing to her feet, while Kang Yeon-su got up reluctantly.
She hated menial work like this, but the thought of letting Kim and Ha Yeon-su go together annoyed her even more.
“Dragging the ladies along for this, I almost feel bad.”
Kim chuckled awkwardly.
“Lunch is on me today, then.”
“Oh my, Assistant Manager, what are you saying? Of course we should go. Work is work, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman.”
Kang Yeon-su laughed, tapping Kim lightly on the arm.
He didn’t seem to mind her friendly manner, smiling back.
Watching the pink current flowing between the two, Ha Yeon-su bit her lip inward. She felt embarrassed just standing there.
‘I am never, ever going to date anyone at work.’
The warehouse was in the basement.
An endless expanse stretched before them, stacked neatly with building materials and boxes.
The marketing brochures sat near the entrance.
“I’ll go grab a cart. You two check the boxes and make sure the contents are right.”
Kim disappeared deeper inside, leaving the two women alone.
“Ha Yeon-su, you check.”
Kang Yeon-su muttered while looking around with disinterest.
“There are two kinds of brochures. I’ll check this pile, so why don’t you look through those boxes over there?”
Ha Yeon-su started with the nearest box.
Inside were the standard corporate brochures, yearly reports on HaeNam Construction’s history, achievements, and future goals.
She picked one up and checked the print quality.
Then, a loud thud echoed, followed by a pained cry.
“My foot!”
Kang Yeon-su was on the ground, clutching her foot.
Startled, Yeon-su rushed over, just as Kim returned with the cart.
“What happened?”
A ladder lay tipped on its side next to her.
Groaning, Kang Yeon-su spoke through clenched teeth.
“Ha Yeon-su told me to check the boxes up top, so I climbed up, but the ladder slipped.”
Kim’s eyes darted to Ha Yeon-su.
The box she had just opened was clearly from the bottom stack.
Even without words, she could feel the accusation in his stare.
She hadn’t told her to climb up. But there was no point arguing right now. First she had to check if Kang was hurt.
“Are you okay? Let me see where it hurts.”
Yeon-su bent down to look at her foot.
“It hurts too much. I can’t move.”
Kang pulled her foot back out of sight, eyes filling with tears.
“Get on. I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
Unable to watch any longer, Kim crouched and offered his back.
The sight of his broad back made a smile twitch at Kang’s lips, though she forced herself to hide it.
“Ha Yeon-su, tidy up here.”
Once Kang was on his back, Kim hurried off with her.
“Unbelievable.”
Yeon-su muttered under her breath, sighing.
She had just seen Kang put weight on that supposedly injured foot.
Shaking her head, she rolled up her sleeves.
Thanks to her old warehouse part-time job, this was nothing.
The brochures weren’t heavy, just stacked high.
One by one, she loaded them onto the cart with ease.
She was nearly finished when voices carried from outside.
“These are the new exterior material samples for the high-end brand launch.”
“These days, the line between interior and exterior materials is fading. Let’s look at them all together.”
The low baritone sent a jolt through her.
Turning, she saw Jin-hyuk enter with his team.
“Ha Yeon-su?”
He spotted her immediately, his brows rising.
“Good afternoon, Executive Director.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just picking up the marketing team brochures.”
“Alone?”
His skeptical look made Yeon-su laugh awkwardly.
Without further comment, Jin-hyuk gave a curt nod and walked inside.
She found herself watching his back. His hair neatly slicked, his broad shoulders filling out a navy suit, his tall frame commanding.
“Yeon-su, this is destiny. That man is your fate.”
Su-ryeon’s words rang in her ears.
Ridiculous. Even if Su-ryeon was gifted, this was absurd.
Her and Jin-hyuk, tied by fate?
Yet now that she’d thought it once, the thought clung to her stubbornly.
Even after he disappeared from sight, his image lingered as if he were still right there beside her.
Yeon-su swallowed hard without realizing.
“Pull yourself together, Ha Yeon-su.”
She whispered to herself, pushing the cart.
There were twenty boxes total, stacked neatly, and though small, together they weighed plenty.
It was easier to push than to drag, so she braced herself and began to shove.
To keep her spirits up, she hummed under her breath.
“Pull yourself together, in this harsh world… pull yourself…”
“What are you trying to pull yourself together for?”
A languid voice came from right behind her.
Startled, she spun around.
Jin-hyuk was there, a faint smirk on his lips.
“Is this your idea of an answer?”
He tapped the stack of brochures she had loaded.
“It’s fine. It’s not much.”
She forced a smile, but Jin-hyuk turned to one of his staff.
“When you move the material samples, take that cart up to the marketing team too.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary!”
Yeon-su flapped her hands in protest, but Jin-hyuk ignored her.
“Let’s get lunch.”
“…Pardon?”
She blinked, not quite following.
“It’s lunchtime. Let’s eat.”
He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Before she could make sense of it, he added,
“Come on.”
And strode off.
‘Why me?!’
Yeon-su hurried after him, flustered.
The uneasy feeling returned, prickling down her spine.
He led her into a ramen shop near the company.
Inside, it was bustling with people.
Employees who recognized him nodded awkwardly in greeting, though Jin-hyuk remained calm and unfazed.
The tables were small, the space cramped.
As they sat across from each other, their knees brushed lightly under the table.
No matter how she tried to pull back, his long legs left no room.
“What do you like to eat?”
Jin-hyuk asked while flipping through the menu.
“I’m not picky. I eat anything.”
“Then let’s go with tonkotsu ramen. The flavor here’s close to the original in Fukuoka.”
He ordered smoothly, clearly familiar with the place.
For someone who was an executive director in his thirties, he seemed unexpectedly down-to-earth.
“You come to places like this often?”
“Places like this?”
He looked amused.
“I mean, well… ordinary restaurants.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
The sound made Yeon-su’s heart melt in an instant.
And strangely, her chest fluttered too.
To be continued
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Maize
Editor: Maize
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