Chapter 153
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153
The incident was resolved without any major consequences, but Dokyun still had unfinished business to attend to.
“Um, Eun-ah?”
“Y-Yes…?”
Seeing Eun-ah, who had been scribbling in her notebook until just a moment ago, look up to meet his eyes, Dokyun swallowed dryly before speaking.
“You know that work I’m doing.”
“Ah, yes…”
“I… have to meet with her a couple more times.”
He meant he had to see Ji-woo again, but saying her name felt incredibly awkward.
It was something Dokyun couldn’t avoid. That’s how contracts worked. No matter how good the terms were, it was a matter that required mutual agreement, not something that ended with a single exchange of documents.
Therefore, he had to meet her a few more times to completely wrap things up. Dokyun had decided that hiding this from Eun-ah would be a bad idea for both of them, which was why he was bringing it up now.
Eun-ah tilted her head, as if trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. Then, her body jolted.
Her expression hardened. The pen she had been holding clattered onto the table.
It was a reaction that screamed displeasure.
As Dokyun’s head bowed even lower in response…
“O-Okay…”
Permission came from Eun-ah.
Dokyun raised his head to study her expression. It was a look of clear dissatisfaction, her lips pressed into a tight line as if she were desperately trying to suppress what she was feeling inside.
For some reason, the sight made Dokyun’s chest feel tight. He reached out and took her hand.
He had to thank her. He knew all too well. Rational understanding and emotional acceptance were two completely different things.
He could guess, at least vaguely, what was going through her mind as she nodded.
“…Thank you. You don’t have to worry. Nothing like that will happen. Because I have you, Eun-ah.”
“O-Okay…”
Their clasped hands intertwined tightly. Dokyun gave a small nod and pulled Eun-ah into an embrace as she leaned into him, gently stroking her back.
*
Two days later.
Eun-ah sat in her office, flipping through documents and letting out a deep sigh.
Today was the day. Right at this moment, while she was stuck here, her Honeybee was meeting his ex-girlfriend.
The thought alone made her feel like she was suffocating.
Her Honeybee, talking to another woman in a place she didn’t know.
The scene kept replaying in her mind, and a murky, dark emotion began to well up inside her.
She wanted to accept it, to tell herself it couldn’t be helped, but it wasn’t easy. Regardless of the truth, the cruel images her imagination was conjuring were becoming more and more specific.
She hated the thought of her Honeybee smiling at another woman. Hated him being close to her. Hated him even talking to her. She was the only one he needed to know. She was the only one who should exist in his world.
Her thoughts spiraled without end. The darkest parts of herself, which she had only just managed to hide, were threatening to resurface.
Eun-ah bit down on her lip, trying to suppress the rising emotions.
Her hands clenched unconsciously, crumpling the document she was holding.
Ah, I can’t take this…
Her head was throbbing. If she sat here any longer, she felt like she would die from frustration.
Eun-ah took a notebook out of her bag.
‘Their’ secret notebook.
Just as Eun-seol had done a while back, Eun-ah had concluded that what she needed in a frustrating situation with no clear answer was collective intelligence.
With a hardened expression, Eun-ah picked up a pen, opened the notebook, and began to write.
-I have a problem.
*
=
-I have a problem. Honeybee went to meet her for work, but my thoughts keep turning to the worst-case scenario… What should I do?
└ Calm down. You know he’s not that kind of guy. <-Witch
└ LMAO the ex-gf is back on the scene? Let’s go watch the drama unfold~
└ Ugh, when will this retard ever grow up?
└ You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t go watch this, boss-bro. You never know, right? Even if Honeybee-bro has no interest, what if she gets all hot and bothered and starts wagging her tail at him?
└ …That won’t happen. <-Witch.
└ If that bastard wasn’t in the same body as us, I’d beat the shit out of him all day.
└ Spoken by the one who caused the problem. lololol~
└ Fuck offㅗㅗ
└ That won’t happen. <-Witch.
└ Breaking News: Armband-bro is in denial.
└ Ah, just stop it. Eun-ah, don’t pay any attention to what Eun-sam is saying. If anything like that happens, I’ll help you. Okay?
└ Thank you….
└ Alright~ Let’s go destroy the ex-gf~
└ (A drawing of three fish swimming)
└ Huh? What’s this supposed to mean? Is this hinting at a ‘love triangle’?
└ Goddammit, you idiot.
=
Eun-ah’s pupils trembled violently as she read through the notebook.
She knew Eun-sam was just joking, but still!
Eun-ah shot up from her seat and called for Harim, who was attending to other matters in the corner.
“H-Harim…!”
She suddenly felt even more anxious.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Harim blinked, looking at Eun-ah.
What now?
Tension coiled in her stomach.
It was only natural. Just moments before, what she could only assume was a shift in personalities had been taking place.
Harim thought that if someone who didn’t know about the CEO’s condition had seen it, they would have thought they were seeing someone possessed by a ghost.
Giggling one moment, sighing the next, then clicking her tongue.
Each time, her expression and tone felt like they belonged to a completely different person.
That frantic twisting and turning had been happening right up until a moment ago.
Harim noticed that the CEO’s complexion, now that she had finally returned, was different from usual.
She looked angry, yet also anxious. But she didn’t seem completely terrified, perhaps because of the determined look overlaying her expression.
“P-Please come with me for a moment…”
Hearing her words, Harim felt that although she didn’t know what was going on, she should probably just follow. She gave a small nod.
“Th-Thank you…”
“Yes, well… Where are we going?”
At Harim’s question, Eun-ah pulled her hat down low and continued her train of thought.
Where else? It was obvious. She was going to the source of this turmoil churning inside her.
To shatter the wild fantasies running rampant in her mind, she needed to see with her own eyes that they were nothing but delusions.
Eun-ah believed. Her Honeybee would never betray her. He would be there, handling that person in the exact way she hoped he would.
As her thoughts raced, an answer finally slipped from her lips.
“A-A secret inspection…!”
*
She knew where her Honeybee was meeting that person.
There was no way she couldn’t know. He had told her himself.
He had told her everything to prevent any possible misunderstandings, to prove that she had nothing to worry about.
That kind of consideration and thoughtfulness was another one of her Honeybee’s strengths, and thanks to it, she had been able to find her way to the cafe where he was.
Eun-ah sat in the farthest corner of the cafe, watching her Honeybee and his ‘ex-girlfriend’ at the opposite end.
They were deep in conversation, with documents spread across the table between them.
At first, the thought, ‘Honeybee looks so cool even when he’s working,’ crossed her mind. But then her gaze shifted to the ‘ex-girlfriend,’ and she flinched, her eyes darting down.
Sh-She looks so scary…
Her appearance alone was enough to make Eun-ah shrink back.
First, there was her height. She was much taller than Eun-ah, even taller than Harim, who Eun-ah had thought would never lose a height contest. That was the first thing that made her cower. The second was her sharp, upturned eyes and heavy makeup.
C-Could I win?
She didn’t know why her thoughts were heading in that direction, but looking at the ex-girlfriend, Ji-woo, the first thing that came to mind was, ‘I think I’d lose in a fight.’
Eun-ah clenched her fists and continued to stare, her thoughts racing.
I-I can too…!
She might be small, but she could fight.
She herself wasn’t a fighter, but…! Eun-sam or Eun-byeol might be good at it.
Steeling her resolve once more, Eun-ah glared intensely at Ji-woo. But when Ji-woo suddenly straightened her back, Eun-ah flinched again and ducked her head down over the table.
“…Ma’am?”
“Sh-Shh…!”
“Ah, yes.”
Harim glanced back and forth between Eun-ah and the table where Dokyun sat, her eyes deadpan.
What am I even doing here?
Why was she suffering like this, caught up in someone else’s love life that she had no interest in? Was this part of her job description?
As her thoughts stretched on, Harim decided to stop thinking altogether.
Whatever happened, it was none of her business.
*
Ji-woo studied Dokyun as he reviewed the documents.
He’s changed a lot.
It was hard to believe this was the same loser from back then. Her past flame had become a different person.
As a strange, awkward feeling welled up inside her, Ji-woo’s eyes fell on Dokyun’s clothes, something she had only now properly noticed during this second meeting.
Was he always the type to care about this stuff?
Everything he was wearing was a luxury brand. That was what she couldn’t understand.
The Chae Dokyun she knew was a man of one outfit.
The owner of an empty closet with less than ten items of clothing in total.
A man so hopeless with fashion that he would just rotate through two or three outfits per season.
That was the Chae Dokyun of those days.
Of course, one could argue his tastes had simply changed over time, but…
This guy?
She later found out that the money Chae Dokyun had so frugally saved up, he had poured every last cent of it into something called web novels.
A rough calculation put the amount in the hundreds of thousands of won [several thousand dollars]. The thought that a guy who blew that much money on something like that would suddenly care about fashion now just didn’t add up.
Ji-woo’s eyes narrowed at the thought. Noticing her stare, Dokyun tilted his head, and she quickly smoothed her expression into a smile.
“What?”
“Nothing, just.”
“Your eyes getting bad already?”
“I don’t know, I think my eyes are probably healthier than yours, since you stare at your phone all day.”
“…Why bring that up again.”
Ji-woo giggled at the sight of Dokyun grimacing, then continued.
“So, are you seeing anyone?”
“Are you my mom?”
“I practically raised you like one, didn’t I?”
“What are you… Why are you still talking about ancient history?”
“I took care of you all through college, making you meals and side dishes. You’re such an ungrateful brat.”
Old memories surfaced.
The Chae Dokyun from back then overlapped with the Chae Dokyun of now.
…Should I give it another shot?
The thought came out of nowhere. She had just broken up with someone recently, so she was free, and seeing him work, it seemed like he was living quite diligently.
Lost in thought, Ji-woo stared at Dokyun for a moment before placing her hand over his on the table.
Tap.
Their hands touched. Startled, Dokyun quickly pulled his hand away.
“Wh-What was that?”
“Oops, my hand slipped?”
A smile spread across Ji-woo’s lips at his reaction.
Cute.
He was so flustered, like some delicate maiden. It was fun to tease him.
“…Whatever. I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Suddenly?”
“I have to take a shit.”
“Oh dear. Go on, then.”
“Yeah.”
Ji-woo watched Dokyun’s retreating back, then let out a small chuckle and turned her attention back to the documents.
I’ll finish this up quickly, then maybe grab a meal with him and think about it.
With that thought, she looked down at the papers, but a moment later, she sensed a presence behind her. She lifted her eyes from the documents and turned her head.
Standing behind her was…
“You’re back from your shit already…?”
It was a young woman wearing a hat pulled down low and a mask covering most of her face.
Ji-woo tilted her head as she looked at the woman, who was glaring at her with teary eyes.
“…Can I help you?”
“You…”
“Excuse me?”
“You… bi…”
Eun-ah felt her entire body freeze under the gaze of Ji-woo, who was looking up at her from her seat.
She was terrified.
She had rushed over in a blind rage after seeing her touch Honeybee’s hand, but now all that was left was regret.
Her legs were trembling, and she felt like she was about to burst into tears.
“Hello?”
A voice called out to her. Eun-ah flinched again and thought that she had to somehow awaken her frozen body.
Th-Think…!
She recalled the scene from moments ago. The image of that vixen-like woman touching her Honeybee’s hand.
Fortunately, the memory sparked a pea-sized bit of courage along with her anger. Eun-ah squeezed her eyes shut and shouted in a small voice.
“You… you… you son of a bii-iitch—!”
Oops, my voice cracked.
As a small pang of embarrassment hit her over her squeaking voice…
“Ha.”
Ji-woo let out a short, incredulous laugh.
She looked at Eun-ah, who had appeared out of nowhere and started cursing at her, and thought, What kind of crazy bitch is this? She stood up.
“Why are you cursing at me, you little bitch?”
Ji-woo looked down at Eun-ah, who barely came up to her shoulder.
Eun-ah flinched again, startled by Ji-woo’s height, which forced her to crane her neck back to look up.
“Why don’t you say something?”
The mocking words reached her ears. Eun-ah felt like her trembling legs were about to give out from under her when a memory flashed through her mind.
-Eun-ah, don’t pay any attention to what Eun-sam is saying. If anything like that happens, I’ll help you. Okay?
The words Eun-byeol had left in the notebook during their consultation.
Remembering them, Eun-ah squeezed her eyes shut and surrendered control of her body to Eun-byeol.
H-Help…!
Her thoughts sank. Her consciousness blurred.
Sway.
Her body trembled.
And a moment later.
“Hoo…”
Eun-byeol opened her eyes and looked around.
A quiet cafe with a decent atmosphere. And in front of her, a woman as tall as a beanpole.
Considering the situation when she last woke up, this must be Dokyun’s ex-girlfriend.
So she really came?
She had expected this might happen after Eun-sam’s little tirade, but now that it was a reality, a sigh escaped her.
“Hey, I said, say something.”
Eun-byeol looked at Ji-woo, who was smirking and tapping her on the shoulder.
Hmm… I don’t really want to deal with this.
It felt like she was getting dragged into a mess started by Eun-sam, and she wasn’t thrilled about it.
But I can’t just stand here and do nothing. I’d feel too bad for Eun-ah…
As her thoughts continued, Eun-byeol looked up at Ji-woo and decided she should at least put out the immediate fire before thinking further.
She took a deep breath. Her previously straight posture shifted into a defiant slant. A crooked smile played on her lips.
The atmosphere seemed tense, so for now…
“Which bitch do you think you are, touching what’s mine?”
…a fight should do the trick, right?