A Peaceful Morning
The chirping sound of a small bird echoed from outside the window, as if it were singing. The sunlight streaming in brightly tickled the eyelids, and the bedding touching the body was soft and fluffy. On top of that, there was a pleasant scent that tickled the tip of the nose.
‘Where am I…? Is this heaven?’
Jeong Dayeon, who had been slowly stretching her arms with her face still heavy with sleep, suddenly froze as if her movements had stopped.
It was strange. The place where she was lying down, which was supposed to be her own room, was far too cozy and overflowing with peace.
It felt like she had fallen into a world completely different from the daily life where she would fall asleep in fear of her father suddenly barging in.
Jeong Dayeon’s eyes, which had just woken up, caught sight of a pair of round, bead-like Christmas lights.
Low-toned furniture, gray-toned wallpaper, and the bed she was lying on were all unfamiliar things she had never seen before.
“Where am I…?”
Why does my head hurt so much?
Jeong Dayeon gripped her head as if it was about to split and rummaged through yesterday's memories.
She had gone to meet the teacher after begging him to buy her dinner, and then gone to a fancy restaurant where the night view was good. There, she had eaten delicious food and wine.
Then, what happened after that? She remembered throwing out the teacher's hand telling her not to drink and completely emptying the wine glass.
After that, it didn't come to mind clearly. The more she tried to recall, the more her head throbbed painfully. Since it was the first time she had experienced something like this, Jeong Dayeon didn't even know if it was a hangover.
Just as she was about to get up from the bed to check the situation, a knock sounded from outside the door.
“Yes, net?”
A polite voice answered in surprise.
“Miss, are you awake?”
“Ah… yes…!”
The term “miss” felt awkward, so Jeong Dayeon answered after a long moment.
“Then, shall I prepare and come out? I've prepared clothes to change into and other items in front of the door.”
She didn't know who it was, but it seemed like they didn't have any bad intentions toward her.
After letting out a long sigh, she belatedly looked at her reflection in the mirror and made a startled expression.
“What is this…?”
Her face without makeup was a mess. The eyelashes stuck to her cheeks, the mascara smeared under her eyes, and even her eyeshadow darkened like a panda.
While frowning and touching her face, she discovered that the room had a bathroom and hurriedly ran inside.
After neatly removing the makeup and taking a shower, Jeong Dayeon changed into new clothes and came out.
The gray tracksuit and white t-shirt, which seemed like new clothes, carried a good scent.
Passing through the spacious living room and going down the stairs, she saw someone standing politely at the bottom of the stairs. Sangjudaek, who worked at Cha Siheon's house, smiled at Jeong Dayeon and bowed her head.
“Have you come down, Miss?”
The fact that an older adult was speaking with respect to her made Jeong Dayeon feel embarrassed, unable to find words.
“Please speak more casually. I'm still quite young.”
“No. You are a guest of the CEO.”
Jeong Dayeon felt a little relieved by her kind expression.
“Excuse me, but where am I?”
Unfortunately, she couldn't remember the situation from yesterday well. She knew she had fallen asleep after eating with the teacher, but she couldn't recall how she got here.
Sangjudaek covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
“Yesterday, CEO Cha brought Miss here. He said you seemed drunk. Since it's the weekend, he told me not to wake you and to let you sleep well.”
“CEO Cha… is it?”
Jeong Dayeon’s face gradually distorted as she listened to Sangjudaek's words.
Only then did she realize that this was the teacher's house and that he had seen her completely drunk.
What a cute Miss.
Sangjudaek smiled silently and led her to the dining table.
“Please come this way.”
Sangjudaek lifted the domed tablecloth that had been on the dining table, revealing the carefully prepared dishes.
A soup with white broth, some neatly arranged side dishes, and galbi-jjim with glossy sauce flowing.
Jeong Dayeon’s eyes widened at the sight of the delicious food. This table was the first time she had seen it since her mother passed away.
“What is this?”
“It’s buk-eot-guk. The CEO told me to make sure you eat something for your hangover before eating. Please eat quickly before the dishes are cleared.”
Jeong Dayeon, who had covered her lips, sat in the chair at the dining table.
“Thank you.”
She bowed her head, picked up the spoon, took a sip of the soup, and then looked at Sangjudaek.
“Um… could you tell me where the teacher is? I haven't been able to see him since morning.”
She hadn't seen him even once after waking up. She wanted to see him and ask what had happened yesterday.
Sangjudaek, looking at her innocent eyes, had an awkward expression for some reason.
Cha Siheon, who had brought Jeong Dayeon yesterday, had left the house at dawn and hadn't returned since.
Sangjudaek, remembering the terrifying expression on his face when he left, found it hard to answer easily.
There must have been something that happened. Given the innocent face, it seemed like this Miss knew nothing.
Sangjudaek quickly composed her expression and answered with a knowing look.
“The CEO left early in the morning. It seems there was an urgent matter at the company.”
Jeong Dayeon nodded her head, believing Sangjudaek's lie as is.
After taking a sip of the soup and putting it in her mouth, the warm, thick broth warmed her stomach pleasantly.
But the morning without Cha Siheon was still empty, and she felt like her insides were completely hollow.
***
“Is there anything else to process?”
Cha Siheon, who had signed on the approval line, asked Director Myeong while passing the approval board.
“That’s the last one. So, you should go home now.”
Director Myeong looked utterly exhausted. It was because Cha Siheon had come to the company even on the weekend. If he had sent her home last night, she should have rested, but why come back to the company?
Because of that, his secretary Director Myeong had also been pulled into the company and hadn't been able to rest, working nonstop.
Because he had come to work last night and processed all the accumulated work without resting, there was nothing left to do.
However, Cha Siheon was searching for work as if he were crazy about work. As if even work was not enough, he would be uneasy, like he would doze off.
“Check the planning strategy team report from earlier again. There must be some parts missing.”
“You already checked it three times this morning.”
“Still, check it again.”
At Cha Siheon's sharp words, Director Myeong sighed. When he left to find the already completed report, the heavy air suffocated Cha Siheon.
Leaning back against the chair's backrest, a thick fatigue came over him. His face, which had worked through the night, was haggard, and every time he closed and opened his eyelids, he felt a heavy weight.
But when he closed his eyes, memories of last night's events kept coming back, and he couldn't sleep even for a moment.
The soft body leaning weakly from being drunk, the scent gushing out all over his body, and himself, who had forgotten his momentary restraint and shaken dangerously.
There was nothing that was not dangerous.
To erase yesterday's memories, Cha Siheon reviewed the documents again and again.
For Cha Siheon, besides focusing on work, there was no way to deal with the current situation.
If he gave himself even a short time to rest his brain, Jeong Dayeon would appear again.
Afraid of even a short gap, just as he picked up the already approved documents again, the phone on the desk vibrated.
The name ‘Jeong Dayeon’ stuck to his gaze without him noticing.
[Teacher. Are you very busy?]
It was a text message from Jeong Dayeon. The only thing he had seen was a short one-line message, but in his mind, Jeong Dayeon’s face vividly appeared.
Even the itchy breath she had exhaled with her eyes closed last night and the hazy moment like a dream.
When he recalled the red lips that had captivated his gaze and the soft touch on his hand, his lower body tightened as if a switch had been turned on.
“You’ve gone crazy. You're not in your right mind at all.”
Cha Siheon swept his despairing face with both hands.
As the same thing kept repeating, now he was at the point of feeling a bit of self-loathing.
At first, he had just thought it was a mistake. But what about the second, third time?
Stay calm. Stay calm.
Look at the situation coldly.
The other party was not a twenty-year-old girl who hadn't even taken off her school uniform until recently.
This was just a physical reaction. If he stayed away from Jeong Dayeon for a while, such dirty thoughts would disappear in no time.
Cha Siheon, who was comforting himself, eventually flipped over the phone he was holding.
He stubbornly shifted his gaze to the documents and focused again, staring at the messages rolling in front of him.
Director Myeong, who had entered the office, looked at Cha Siheon, who was stubbornly reviewing the documents, and clicked his tongue.
Even a workaholic like this workaholic doesn't exist. The small murmur passed by like the wind.