Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Team Dinner
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Exactly one week had passed since she had witnessed that shocking scene in the office.
Time flowed on indifferently, but Joo-young's time seemed forever frozen on that night.
"…."
"…."
The table where Joo-young and Min-cheol sat facing each other was filled with the usual awkward silence.
Min-cheol had sensed his wife clearly avoiding him since their big fight a few days ago. He was too busy gauging her mood to even eat.
"Honey."
Finally, as if he'd made up his mind about something, Min-cheol broke the silence.
But Joo-young's mind was replaying the scene that had haunted her since last week, so she didn't even hear his voice.
Mi-na's moans.
Hyun-seong's rough breathing.
The wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh.
And the humiliating traces spreading like stains across the floor.
Even as disgust and revulsion welled up inside her…
Every night when she lay down to sleep, the afterimages from that day would resurface, making her toss and turn unconsciously.
Sometimes, she found herself caught in thoughts she shouldn't have, comforting herself on the bed.
"Honey?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment."
Only after Min-cheol called her name again did Joo-young snap back to reality and turn her gaze to him.
The odd energy in his voice caught her attention.
"I've been acting like a jerk to you since last week—no, even before that. I'm really sorry."
Joo-young was momentarily speechless at Min-cheol's sudden apology.
What wind had blown this way?
"After that incident last time, I've been thinking a lot on my own. You must have been the one suffering the most. And here I was, taking out my stress on you with harsh words."
Joo-young couldn't hide her bewilderment at the thick self-reproach in Min-cheol's voice.
"N-no, it's fine. If anything, I was the one who wasn't thinking enough. I should have been more considerate of your feelings…."
An awkward atmosphere settled over the table.
Truth be told, their cold wars had ended like this a few times before.
If it had ended with just a simple apology this time too, it would have been business as usual.
"…Actually, you remember that company I sent my resume to before? They called me for an interview. Next week."
Joo-young's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected follow-up news.
"Really? That IT company?"
"Yeah. I applied for a team leader position with my experience, and it looks like my resume got through by some luck."
Clear confidence and excitement flickered across Min-cheol's face.
How long had it been since she'd seen that expression on her husband?
Joo-young felt a lump form in her chest.
"That's great. Really great."
Her voice trembled slightly without her realizing it.
Maybe, just maybe, they could escape this suffocating rut and return to how things used to be.
She felt a small spark of hope ignite from the depths of her sunken heart.
Min-cheol didn't miss the change in his wife's expression and spoke with sincere resolve.
"I won't know until the interview, but I'll give it my all anyway. I won't disappoint you again. I promise."
"Yes. You'll do great."
Responding to her husband's genuine voice, Joo-young smiled back and cheered him on.
Yes. Let's hold onto hope.
Sunny days are finally coming for us too.
But at that very moment, an image flashed through her mind, unbidden by her will.
'Hng….'
Hyun-seong roughly ravishing Mi-na, stripped bare, on that Friday night.
His firm muscles glistening with sweat, veins bulging on his thick forearms.
And the overwhelming presence of his massive manhood.
'What am I thinking right now….'
Joo-young startled herself and lowered her head.
At a time when she should be supporting her husband's comeback, thinking of another man.
Her subordinate's body, no less.
Her mind was such a mess it felt broken.
'Get it together, Kang Joo-young. Don't forget what's important.'
She finished her meal with a clear mind for the first time in a while and was heading to work when Min-cheol came out to see her off.
"Team dinner tonight, right?"
"Yes. But I won't stay long."
Joo-young wasn't one to enjoy drinking much, nor did she mingle deeply with her colleagues.
She planned to match the mood just enough and slip away, as always.
It would be more comfortable for the other team members that way too.
"Hey, um."
Just before stepping out the door, Min-cheol hesitated, his lips twitching.
"How about we have a drink this weekend? To celebrate a fresh start."
At her husband's suggestion, tinged with worry, Joo-young pondered briefly and nodded.
"Sure."
It was a good chance to bridge the distance that had grown between them.
There was no reason to refuse.
Only then did Min-cheol show a sign of relief at her acceptance.
"Alright, then. I'm off."
Thanks to the hopeful conversation with her husband that morning, her steps to work felt a bit lighter than usual.
Unaware of the dark shadow looming over her, Joo-young set off for the office.
The restaurant was filled with lively chatter and the smell of grilling meat.
The Travel Wiz MD Team's dinner was buzzing with excitement, celebrating the successful buyer meeting.
Praise and drinks naturally flowed nonstop toward the key player, Assistant Manager Lee Hyun-seong, who had turned the project around.
In contrast, only Assistant Manager Son Jun-hyeok was detached from the festive mood.
No one approached him as he sat stiff-faced, nursing his drink alone.
"Hey, Lee! We really survived thanks to you this time!"
"Yeah, yeah! I was scared shitless back then, but you flipped it like that? Thought I was watching a movie."
Amid the flood of colleagues' praise, Hyun-seong glanced briefly at Jun-hyeok before responding humbly with his usual relaxed smile.
"What did I even do? It was all thanks to Team Leader guiding us well and the team helping out."
Hyun-seong's gaze naturally turned to Joo-young sitting across from him.
Joo-young pretended not to notice, sipping only the water in her glass.
The chill running down her spine made her uneasy for no reason.
'He's really impossible to read.'
The handbag she'd dropped in the hallway outside the office in her panicked escape that day.
-"It was in the hallway."
Hyun-seong's nonchalant face as he'd handed it back to her Monday morning flickered in her mind.
Hyun-seong undoubtedly knew she'd been in the office.
Yet how could he act so casually?
Joo-young steadied herself by recalling the hopeful conversation and warmth from her husband that morning.
'Yeah, it'll be fine. I'll mingle just enough and head home early today.'
She barely touched her alcohol as usual, giving minimal responses and quietly passing the time.
But as if mocking her plan, Hyun-seong kept drawing her into the center of the conversation.
"Team Leader worked really hard this time too. Here's a drink from me, in that spirit."
Hyun-seong approached her with a bottle of soju.
In the atmosphere where refusing was hard, Joo-young reluctantly held out her glass.
It filled with a clear clink.
"Hyun-seong did the most work. I didn't do much."
Joo-young smiled awkwardly and downed it in one go.
The bitter, harsh alcohol burned down her throat.
"I'm still far from that. Please continue guiding me, Team Leader."
With a meaningful smile, Hyun-seong filled his own glass and downed it too.
At that moment, his eyes pierced straight through her.
Recalling the intense gaze he'd had overlooking Mi-na in the office a week ago, Joo-young swallowed unconsciously.
'…Just my imagination?'
Turning her head hurriedly, she spotted Mi-na sitting demurely next to Hyun-seong.
Still isolated at the company, Mi-na responded awkwardly to Hyun-seong's words with a rigid posture.
Occasionally, the shadows of slavish submission and longing from what she'd witnessed a week ago faintly crossed Mi-na's gaze toward him.
'Those two are still….'
Over the past week, Joo-young had desperately pretended nothing was wrong while coming to work.
Yet their relationship only grew more blatant in her eyes.
Hands brushing wrists in the break room.
Meaningful glances exchanged in the hallways.
Even the sudden increase in time spent alone in meeting rooms under the pretext of work discussions.
It almost felt like they were doing it on purpose to show her.
'My head's never at peace because of those two.'
"Haa."
Could getting drunk make her forget these filthy, unpleasant feelings, even if just for a while?
Joo-young's hand kept reaching for the glass on the table.
"Whoa? Team Leader, how many is that already? You're drinking more than usual today."
"…Ah, just feeling like it today."
When another team member noticed and asked in surprise, Joo-young brushed it off awkwardly.
As time passed and more rounds of drinks circulated, the mood ripened further.
Those getting tipsy raised their voices in chatter.
Joo-young, having accepted a few more drinks in the meantime, had flushed cheeks and her body swaying side to side.
'I should head out soon….'
Thinking of her husband at home, Joo-young turned to look toward the entrance, but it was hard to find the right moment to stand.
Just then, Hyun-seong, who had gotten up saying he was going to the bathroom, returned and naturally sat in the empty seat next to her.
Even amid the restaurant's noise, his low voice rang strangely clear in Joo-young's ears.
"Team Leader, you don't look well. Are you okay?"
His scent and gaze from close range made her heart sink.
"I-I'm fine. Probably drank too much."
"Then how about stepping out for some fresh air?"
His suggestion sounded perfectly reasonable and considerate.
But his eyes conveyed something else.
"No, it's okay. I was just about to head out."
Joo-young said so and hurriedly tried to stand, but staggered from the alcohol.
When Hyun-seong grabbed her arm to steady her, her heart raced.
"On a great night like this, Team Leader should enjoy a bit more. It's still early anyway."
To his voice, soft yet firm, Joo-young nodded without thinking.
'Yeah. It's still early. Staying a little longer should be fine.'
The conversation and promise with her husband that morning quickly faded from her mind.
This might even be for the best.
With him this close now, maybe she could finally gauge his intentions.
"Hyun-seong."
"Yes?"
"That is…."
But against her resolve, Joo-young couldn't easily speak up.
It had been like this since last week.
Whenever she tried to probe about that night's truth, it felt like some invisible force sealed her lips, leaving her unable to do anything.
Hyun-seong smiled contentedly and poured her another drink.
"Come on, Team Leader. We still have lots to talk about."
Joo-young took the glass as if entranced.
Her mind screamed 'no,' but her body was already obeying him.
Feeling her senses blur from the alcohol and some inexplicable pull, she sensed she wouldn't leave this place easily tonight.