Don't Mention Him Anymore
"Stop talking about your team leader in front of me."
Min-ah blinked, chopsticks still in her hand.
For a moment she looked as if she hadn't quite processed what she'd heard.
"Huh?"
"You've been going on about him nonstop."
"You mean the team leader?"
She tilted her head, genuinely confused.
"I was just telling you what happened earlier, Oppa."
"So stop."
I kept flipping the samgyeopsal in silence. I couldn't bring myself to look up at her face.
"...I just wanted a little comfort from you. It was really scary."
I couldn't answer. Even to myself, it felt pathetic.
A man well over forty, and I was jealous. Of my future wife's boss, no less.
"...That's too much, Oppa."
"Sorry."
I quietly picked up the soju bottle and filled her glass, then my own.
Min-ah didn't even clink glasses with me. She simply tossed the shot back.
"Still, I'd rather you didn't bring up Choi Gyeong-rok again."
"...Why not?"
The genuine bewilderment in her voice stabbed at my heart.
"Are you sulking, Oppa?"
"I'm not sulking."
"Look at me."
Only then did I raise my head.
The rare sight of Min-ah's face completely devoid of her usual smile told me something had gone very wrong.
"...I know you were scared, Min-ah."
She said nothing, simply refilled her glass and emptied it again.
"But I'm your husband... Hearing you talk about another man all the time doesn't sit right with me. Not at home, and not here either."
"You know I have to talk about what happens at the office."
Her hand trembled as she set the soju glass down.
"So you're saying I shouldn't tell you anything that happens at work anymore?"
"That's not what I mean, but..."
Min-ah let out a heavy sigh and forced an awkward smile.
"I'm sorry, Oppa. You hated hearing me talk about another man that much?"
"No... it's not exactly..."
I was too much of a coward to answer honestly.
If I admitted I hated Choi Gyeong-rok, I'd look utterly pathetic.
A man older than me, yet handsome, with an impressive physique.
Someone whose career success made mine look laughable by comparison.
The moment I acknowledged my jealousy, I would feel like I'd already lost.
"Oppa, you barely touched your food because you were talking to me. I'll grill from now on, so eat."
"It's fine. I'll do it."
Min-ah took the tongs from my hand as if snatching them away, then smiled as she began grilling the meat.
She was smiling, but the distance between us felt wider than before. I couldn't eat properly and eventually stood up from the table.
"I'll shower first, Oppa."
"Yeah, go ahead."
The moment we stepped inside the apartment, Min-ah stripped off every piece of clothing, tossed them onto the floor, and walked straight into the bathroom.
I automatically gathered the clothes she'd left scattered and placed them in the laundry basket.
I sat on the sofa and rubbed my face.
Why had I acted like that?
It was stupid. I should have just listened quietly and responded at the right moments. Instead I'd overreacted and ruined the entire mood.
"...I must have looked pathetic."
If I had been in Min-ah's position, I wouldn't have thought much of me either.
Just then the bathroom door cracked open. A cloud of steam rolled out, carrying Min-ah's wet voice.
"Oppa, won't you come in? Let's shower together."
Her voice was shy, almost embarrassed. We'd lived together for quite a while, but the number of times we'd showered together could be counted on one hand.
That voice pulled me like a magnet. I opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. Moist heat wrapped around my entire body.
Min-ah stood directly beneath the hot spray falling from the showerhead.
The water soaked her hair, tracing glistening paths down her shoulders.
Her full breasts, weighed down by the water, hung even more seductively. When she tilted her head back they swayed heavily.
Her nipples had stiffened from the warm stimulation, flushed a soft pink. Every time a droplet clung to the tip before falling, her heavy breasts quivered faintly.
Her narrow waist flowed into hips that glistened with moisture.
The sight of water streaming down the soft valley between her thighs was more than enough to tempt me.
"You have to take your clothes off first."
"Ah... right."
I'd been staring at her body in a daze. My hands moved on their own as I undressed.
Min-ah turned to face me. With a small smile that carried an apology for our fight, she held out her hand.
I took it and stepped into the shower stall with her.
"Are you going to show me that beastly side again today?"
Her hand rested against my chest.
Her palm, slick with body wash, slid smoothly downward.
Her breasts pressed against my forearm, soft and yielding, their warm wetness transferring directly to my skin.
Her hand moved past my lower belly, heading even lower. Then it stopped.
Even pressed this closely against her beautiful body, my cock showed no reaction whatsoever.
Min-ah's gaze dropped, then rose again.
Her lips parted once, but no words came out.
"Oppa... are you still mad?"
"Ah... no. I'm not mad anymore, Min-ah."
I ended up having to comfort her even though she was the one asking with such worry.
"...That's strange. Maybe I'm just tired from working out today?"
I smiled as if everything was fine, but nothing was fine.
This was a matter of male pride. I grabbed her shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her.
Min-ah closed her eyes for a moment and accepted my kiss.
It should have flowed naturally like it always had before, yet today everything felt slightly off-kilter.
She slowly pulled her lips away and looked up at me.
Her eyes were filled with concern.
"Oppa. You're not sick, are you?"
"Ahaha... no. I'm not sick. I think I'm just a little worn out."
I forced a laugh. Unable to meet her eyes, I turned my head away.
Min-ah stared at my face for a long time, clearly not convinced.
The only sound in the bathroom was the rush of water from the shower. I couldn't say anything else. I simply washed up and left the bathroom.
"Sales team meeting. Everyone, please gather."
"Yes, understood."
I grabbed my laptop at the meeting announcement and took my seat.
Is Oppa no longer attracted to me...?
Min-ah stared blankly at her monitor.
Last night's events weighed on her mind so heavily that she couldn't focus on work. She flipped through documents, but none of the content registered.
"Seo Min-ah."
Her heart plummeted.
When she looked up, Choi Gyeong-rok was standing at the front of the conference room, staring directly at her.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"What was I just talking about?"
The conference room fell deathly silent in an instant.
Min-ah's lips moved, but no answer came out.
She had been lost in thought, staring at her monitor, and hadn't heard a single word.
"...I'm sorry."
"You can apologize later. First, answer the question."
Gyeong-rok's voice remained low and calm.
That made it even more terrifying. The icy atmosphere made it impossible for Min-ah to lift her head.
The air in the conference room grew oppressively heavy.
"Seo Min-ah."
"Yes..."
"Are you unable to focus? Why can't you pay attention during a meeting?"
"I'm sorry."
Her shoulders shook with the surge of emotion. But she couldn't cry.
The team leader wasn't merciful enough to overlook tears, and her colleagues weren't kind enough to refrain from gossiping behind her back.
Even as she was being scolded, thoughts of Min-woo refused to leave her mind.
We're getting married soon... if he can't even get an erection anymore...
After pointing out her mistakes for some time, Gyeong-rok finally set down the documents in his hand. He let out a small sigh and spoke in a low voice.
"Seo Min-ah. Stay behind after the meeting."
"Understood. I'm sorry."
Min-ah stood and bowed deeply, apologizing to both the team leader and her colleagues.
She quickly wiped away her tears before anyone could see. A little late, she checked the important points in the materials she'd received.
"Let's continue."
Gyeong-rok resumed the meeting in a voice that still carried traces of anger.
But Min-ah couldn't hear a single word properly.
Numbers and charts scrolled across her laptop screen, yet only one sentence kept circling through her mind.
Stay behind after the meeting.
Those words scraped at her nerves like a thorn lodged in her throat.
How much time had passed?
"That concludes today's meeting."
Gyeong-rok closed his materials and stood. The heavy atmosphere in the room noticeably lightened.
Team members sighed in relief, closing their laptops. The sound of chairs being pushed back filled the room.
"Good work today."
"Good work."
While the farewells were exchanged, Min-ah remained seated.
Her heart kept racing. Everyone was leaving the conference room.
A colleague glanced at her with worried eyes but said nothing.
Now only Min-ah and Choi Gyeong-rok remained. The sound of the door closing echoed unusually loudly.
Gyeong-rok silently organized his materials for a moment. He jotted down key points, sorting what needed to be reported and what should be kept hidden.
His neat handwriting felt cold. Once he finished, he spoke without even raising his head.
"Seo Min-ah."
"...Yes."
"Come forward and sit down."
Min-ah swallowed hard, walked to the front, and sat in the chair across from him. Sweat poured from her tightly clenched fists.