Secret Temptation A
Mei suddenly perks up as if something has just dawned on her. “Unni.”
“Yes?”
“I heard something from the president yesterday.”
Yuri’s expression hardens slightly. “What did you hear?”
“What else? It was about you, Unni.”
Yuri sets her coffee cup down and pulls her chair closer. Mei looks pleased at Yuri’s flustered reaction. “My hunch was right after all. I knew it, hehe.”
“Mei.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself.”
“The president told you? Really?”
“Yes, I coaxed it out of him without him even realizing, hehe.”
In truth, Mei hadn’t heard a single thing from the president. Yuri, unaware of that, feels her stomach twist. It’s as if she’s standing naked in front of Mei.
“Mei.”
“Yes?”
“...........”
“I told you not to worry. I’m not the type to run my mouth.”
“Thank you.”
Yuri lowers her head. Mei’s mind races. ‘What’s with this reaction? Did they sleep together? I was just guessing, but Unni’s no joke either, huh? Hehe.’
“Well, when two adults are lonely, these things happen.”
“Mei.”
“It’s fine, really. There are plenty of people who live like me, you know, hehe.”
“...........”
“I’ll definitely keep the secret.”
“Thank you, Mei.”
Yuri falls for Mei’s little scheme without the slightest suspicion. At the same time, a sense of betrayal toward President Hyun-soo wells up inside her. ‘How could he tell her so easily?’ Yuri grips her coffee cup tightly.
“Did you get home safely that day?”
“Yes. I didn’t make any mistakes, did I?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t remember much.”
“Hehe, you drank quite a bit, Yoo-mi.”
“You’re right. It had been a while for everyone.”
“Everyone had a great time that day.”
“Yes.”
“Yoo-mi.”
“Yes, Su-heon.”
“Never mind, I just wanted to say your name.”
“Oh, and Su-heon?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t skip meals, okay? Call me again.”
“I will. You too, Su-heon.”
“Then I’ll hang up.”
“Okay. Ah, Su-heon?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. Mwah mwah.”
Yoo-mi hangs up in a hurry. Su-heon chuckles at her adorable behavior. It’s something she’s never done before. He spins his chair around and gazes out the office window. Erotic images refuse to leave his mind—Dae-woo and his wife Yuri tangled in passionate caresses. Strangely, he doesn’t feel angry. Unlike the rage and excitement he felt when Jae-geun took his wife at the villa, there’s no anger now, only pure arousal.
‘Am I turning into a netorare type?’
Su-heon stands and stretches. For the past few weeks, his frequent overtime and the funeral have left Yuri uneasy about how often he and Yoo-mi talk on the phone. She can’t bring herself to ask outright. Digging up the past won’t do any good. Her suspicions about her husband and Yoo-mi keep growing. ‘Am I just being paranoid?’ Yuri shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
“Yuri, Oh Yoo-ri.”
“Yes, President.”
“Could you come to my office for a moment?”
“Yes, President.”
On the luxurious black sofa, the president and his secretary sit facing each other. President Hyun-soo clasps his hands and leans forward. “Yuri.”
“Yes, President.”
Yuri answers with her eyes lowered. “You’ve been acting strange lately, Yuri.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“...........”
“Please tell me. Why won’t you even look at me?”
Yuri slowly lifts her head. Her red lips part slightly. “I didn’t know you were that kind of person, President.”
“...........”
“I never thought you’d be so casual about something like that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard everything from Mei.”
“Mei?”
“Yes.”
Hyun-soo leans back against the sofa and runs a hand through his hair. “Yuri, I’m sorry, but could you explain it to me step by step?”
“How? How am I supposed to explain it step by step?”
Yuri’s eyes turn red, as if she’s about to cry. Hyun-soo panics and leans forward again. “Wait, hold on, Yuri. Don’t get worked up.”
“How can I not get worked up?”
“Step by step.”
Yuri wipes away a single tear that rolls down her cheek and straightens her posture. “Fine. Then I’ll tell you everything step by step.”
“...........”
“The president and I had car sex outside the city.”
“...........”
“Yes, I enjoyed it too.”
“Wait, hold on. Why are you bringing that up now?”
“You said we should keep it a secret.”
“...........”
“You told me to forget everything and come back to work.”
“...........”
“And then you went and told Mei the exact same thing.”
“Hah.”
“I’m really disappointed.”
“So, are you planning to quit again?”
“Yes, I’m thinking about it.”
Hyun-soo watches Yuri, who wears a sulky expression while repeatedly wiping her tears. Even the way she holds back her tears is pretty. He wants to rush over and kiss her right now. “Understood, Yuri.”
“...........”
“Then let me give you my answer.”
“...........”
“I don’t know what Mei told you or how she said it, but...”
“...........”
“I never said a word to her.”
Yuri’s face grows increasingly stiff while Hyun-soo smiles. “And I’m not that kind of guy.”
“Really?”
Yuri, who had been on the verge of tears, carefully opens her mouth. Hyun-soo suppresses the laughter bubbling up as he looks at her. “If you walk out like this now, people will misunderstand. Sit for a bit before you go.”
“...........”
Hyun-soo stands and presses the intercom. “Mei, could you bring two cups of coffee?”
“Yes, President.”
A moment later, Mei brings the coffee. As she places the cups in front of the bowed-headed Yuri, she gets a rough sense of the situation. She tries to slip away quickly. “Then I’ll—”
“Ah, Mei, sit next to Yuri.”
Mei, who had been turning away, bites her lower lip hard. ‘Oh no, what do I do, what do I do?’
The three of them sit facing one another. “Alright, Mei. Repeat exactly what you told me, right here in front of everyone.”
“Well, I...”
“Word for word. Don’t leave anything out.”
Hyun-soo leans back leisurely on the sofa, enjoying the sight of his two beautiful secretaries. Yuri keeps her head down, unable to lift it from embarrassment. Mei darts her eyes around in panic. Hyun-soo finds the whole situation incredibly amusing.
Mei, unable to say anything in the end, whispers, “I’m sorry.”
Her voice is barely audible. Yuri, still with her head lowered, turns toward her. Startled, Mei grabs the coffee in front of Hyun-soo and takes a sip.
“That’s mine, you know?”
“Oh, uh, hehe.”
Mei quickly sets the cup back down. “Alright, let’s sort this out.”
“...........”
Neither woman says a word, their heads still bowed. “Lift your heads. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who messed up.”
Yuri and Mei raise their heads slightly. “Since Mei has figured it out, I’ll ask her to keep it a secret.”
“Yes.”
Mei answers in a small voice. “And what happened between Yuri and me is entirely my fault.”
“...........”
Yuri stares quietly at Hyun-soo. He continues, smiling as he looks between the two women. “Yuri is just so beautiful that I made a mistake. Of course, Yuri was kind enough to forgive me.”
“...........”
“Mei, does that clear everything up?”
“Yes.”
“So please keep the secret.”
“Yes, President.”
“And Mei.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t pull anything like this again.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t make up stories that aren’t true.”
“Yes.”
“Normally this would call for a written apology, but since I’m also at fault, let’s leave it at that.”
“Yes, President.”
“And Yuri, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for making you feel hurt because of me.”
Yuri feels utterly confused and embarrassed. The fact remains that she, a married woman, had sex with the president. All she wants is to escape this situation as quickly as possible.
“Mei should apologize too.”
“I’m sorry, Unni. I was just joking around.”
“...........”
More than being tricked by Mei, Yuri feels ashamed that her affair with the president has been exposed in front of her. “In that case, how about the three of us grab a drink tonight? A little secretary-team get-together, haha.”
“Really?”
Mei claps her hands in delight, as if nothing had happened. “I have to go home today. I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t. This is an official company dinner. You can’t skip it.”
Hyun-soo is firm in response to Yuri’s words. “Since Mei and I are the ones who did wrong, we should treat you to dinner as an apology.”
Hyun-soo genuinely feels sorry for the still-bowed Yuri. Everything started because of him, and deep down, he hopes for something more with Yuri, who never gives him an opening. For the past few days, he’s been buried under a mountain of work he’d put off while spending passionate nights with Yoo-mi.
“I’m heading home first.”
“Alright, good work.”
Left alone in the office, Su-heon dives into his backlog of tasks. [Ring ring]
“Hello?”
“Honey, it’s me.”
“Yeah.”
“Working late again tonight?”
“Yeah, looks like I’ll have to pull another all-nighter.”
“Why do you have to work overtime every single day? That company of yours...”
“I know. Sorry. I’ll come home early tomorrow.”
“Okay, got it.”
“By the way, where are you? It’s so noisy.”
“Oh, well... there’s a company dinner tonight.”
“A dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Then there must be a lot of people. Are you going to be really late?”
“No, it’s just the secretary team. I’ll be home soon.”
“Secretary team? That’s just you, Mei, and the president, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it. Come home early and don’t drink too much.”
“Okay. I love you, honey. Mwah mwah.”
Yuri hangs up, still uneasy about Su-heon’s constant overtime.