Chapter 9
After hanging up the phone, Gaon sank into the chair and leaned her back against the headrest, slowly turning her body to gaze out the window.
The raindrops streaking down the glass melted almost instantly.
Gaon's eyes trembled as they followed those raindrops. pGT>She scratched her hair wildly, as if gripping her head with both hands, then spun the chair half a circle and rested her elbows on the desk. pGT>With a soft sigh, her lips still curled into that lingering smile even though she wasn't facing Yeji during their call. pGT>She shook her lips a little and, forcing herself to calm down like always, let out the breath she'd been holding and began organizing her tasks. pGT>First, she had to go to the eleventh floor before she was late. pGT>Gaon stood, gripping the desk with a groan, and ran her fingers neatly through her messy hair. pGT>She ran her fingers down the strands, then twisted the ends between them into little curls. pGT>This habit was new to her, but whenever she thought deeply something, she would twist her hair ends. pGT>Whether writing or thinking about what to say to Suho, her fingers would fidget with the ends as if the monitor was loading in circles. pGT>Since it was bound to happen anyway, she thought it was better to prepare. pGT>Gaon grabbed the door handle of the representative's office and stepped out, but unlike her expectation of seeing Suho, the fifteenth floor was empty except for the elevator. pGT>Where had he gone? pGT>Gaon glanced at the elevator for the eleventh floor, then pulled her hand out of her handbag to check her phone. pGT>Well... I'll call him later. pGT>*** pGT>It was strange that the elevator went to the eleventh floor instead of the first. pGT>Only Jeong-hye or someone heading straight to the representative's office would take it. pGT>Who had gotten on? pGT>The last person to ride it was probably still on the eleventh floor, so it would be easy to find out. pGT>There were no other departments on the eleventh floor anyway, and the secretary's room was the only one there. pGT>She was already used to swiping her employee ID and heading there. pGT>Gaon leaned against the moving elevator and watched the outside through the glass. pGT>The rain was still pouring down. pGT>11th floor. pGT>Door opening. pGT>Click. pGT>Gaon stepped out and stopped at the entrance to the secretary's room. pGT>It was early morning, so there should still be people not yet arrived, but entering felt scary. pGT>Why did it make me tremble only at this spot? pGT>It was more nerve-wracking to enter this room than the representative's office. pGT>Ding. pGT>Weee. pGT>Behind the sliding glass door that moved sideways like a roll-up shutter stood a figure she hadn't expected: Lee Suho. pGT>Why... is he here? pGT>Nuna, did it end? pGT>Yeah. pGT>But why are you here? pGT>I thought it might take a while, so I came. pGT>Anyway, I figured you'd come over here... pGT>Suho was a bit farther from the entrance. pGT>As they walked slowly inside, the secretary's room was completely silent. pGT>There was nothing in the spot where Suho usually sat, only basic office supplies. pGT>It looked like a temporary desk assigned to me. pGT>Yeji's desk was cluttered with papers she had arranged and stacked as if doing terraforming, but my desk had nothing beyond the basic supplies. pGT>Haa... pGT>Suho, let's keep having lunch with Dad this afternoon. pGT>Why, Nuna? Wouldn't it be better for you to go home and rest? pGT>If I go home to rest, that's just me slacking. pGT>Having lunch with Dad is for internal group bonding. pGT>What was strange about the secretary's room was that if the representative left, the staff could leave after only one or two stayed on standby for emergencies. pGT>As soon as the call with Yeji ended, she received an invitation to the group chat she assumed was the secretary team's. pGT>Inside it, someone was already deciding who would leave early that afternoon. pGT>But if I left my schedule empty to go home and rest, it would be pretty sad for them too. pGT>Suho wouldn't be resting just because I was. pGT>Yeji told me to have lunch with Dad. pGT>Yes. pGT>If Nuna is fine with it, I don't mind. pGT>Suho shrugged and looked back at his phone. pGT>Who was the one asking what happened with the call with Yeji? pGT>He didn't ask anything about me. pGT>Unlike yesterday, when he kept staring at me, now he just stared at his phone. pGT>As if he was being pulled toward it. pGT>Yesterday you kept staring at me, but now you're only looking at your phone because we're separating work from private? pGT>Why? pGT>Suho slipped out of his seat and suddenly hugged me. pGT>Wouldn't you like me to only look at you? pGT>This is the company. pGT>What are you doing right now? pGT>What's wrong with that? pGT>Suho pushed me lightly to make me sit on the desk, then leaned in. pGT>Keeping the distance so our lips could almost touch if I moved forward or he got closer, he slowly lifted his lips as if to kiss my ear. pGT>Why did you call Yeji Nuna out of the blue? pGT>Didn't you notice? pGT>Just like how Suho had acted clueless when I noticed, now he was asking the question I expected, as if to say when was that. pGT>W-Well, anyway, it's there. pGT>You're probably guessing anyway. pGT>Hmm. pGT>If Nuna doesn't tell me, I won't know. pGT>With just the corner of his mouth lifted, Suho, unlike what I thought he'd do, sat back on his chair. pGT>Do you know Yeji's desk drawer password? pGT>What? Did you hear it from Yeji recently? pGT>No. pGT>Anyway, since there's no way Nuna would remember, she must have told me to tell Yeji to write it for Yeji. pGT>Two hands and two feet flailed. pGT>But... you know but pretended not to know? pGT>Knowing that something needed to be retrieved from Yeji's desk was basically the same as knowing everything. pGT>Still, I couldn't figure out why he was waiting for me to say it. pGT>Nuna, are you okay? pGT>No. pGT>Shaking her head, Gaon answered Suho's question. pGT>Has it come out already? pGT>I-I don't know. pGT>Why would I tell you about that? pGT>Knowing your wife's body condition is pretty important work too, right? pGT>Why would that be official work... pGT>Who is your wife anyway? pGT>I don't know. pGT>Well, it's still unknown. pGT>Suho jumped off the desk and sat in the chair prepared at my adjacent desk. pGT>Entering the password in the drawer on the left, the drawer automatically opened. pGT>I think it was inside... pGT>What do you mean, "I don't know" yet? pGT>Is there another woman besides me? pGT>Gaon rummaged through the drawer and looked at Suho. pGT>He answered with a somewhat flushed smile. pGT>No. pGT>Only Nuna. pGT>Ah. pGT>I found it. pGT>Her fingers caught a thin pad-like object wrapped in crinkling plastic. pGT>Ah. pGT>I wasn't scolding him, just meaning to tell him to leave if he had it. pGT>Wait, why won't this come out? pGT>With one hand waving, she tried to pull it out, but the drawer was too low. pGT>She tried to pull the drawer all the way out, but something seemed to be catching it. pGT>Gaon pushed the hand gripping the chair into the drawer and looked inside. pGT>Ah. pGT>It's because of that folder. pGT>Nuna. pGT>Huh? pGT>Suho had appeared beside her without her noticing. pGT>Standing beside her as if sucked into the drawer for an adventure, Suho slowly bent his knees while looking down at her. pGT>I love you. pGT>Click. pGT>Eh? pGT>She dropped the sanitary pads she was holding. pGT>Her other hand, too, couldn't grab anything and just swirled in the drawer. pGT>What... are you doing...? pGT>I'm jealous because Nuna is too cute. pGT>The secretary team was used to having work only after others arrived, so they came a bit late and left late compared to other departments. pGT>That was why 8 a.m. was still the time when people on the secretary team hadn't even started their commute. pGT>For Gaon inside the secretary's room, that was incredibly fortunate. pGT>If anyone saw this sight, they might think Suho brought her here to do something embarrassing at the company. pGT>Because of how Suho's lips had made her head spin with thoughts. pGT>Don't you keep... doing it like that? pGT>She couldn't even think of removing her hand from the drawer. pGT>Even if she forced strength into a hand that felt weaker than a baby's crawling hand, it was useless. pGT>Suho, staring at her moving lips, licked his own lips as if wiping them. pGT>As if water had been spilled. pGT>As if applying lubricant for something. pGT>And who said Nuna was jealous? pGT>Nuna, of course. pGT>She was worried about me finding another woman. pGT>If you're going to surprise me, at least tell me beforehand? pGT>Of course, she had thought about covering her mouth the moment Suho spoke. pGT>She didn't have to obey his actions so obediently. pGT>Nothing like that was written in the contract. pGT>So she didn't have to. pGT>Then Nuna won't let me do it. pGT>Surprise is supposed to make the other person's heart race more. pGT>Will you even grab my heart and make me collapse? pGT>Will you be responsible for what happens after? pGT>Haa. pGT>Her head ached from Suho always saying things beyond imagination.