Chapter 86
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Lingering Marks
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- Click-clack.
The office clock precisely read 8:30. As always, Go-eun arrived exactly thirty minutes before the start of work.
"Haa..."
The moment she sat down in the team leader's seat prepared for her at the back of the office, she let out a deep sigh.
The memories of last night were vividly etched into her body and mind. The mental shock of having her first time with a subordinate, not to mention the traces Hyunwoo had left all over her body, kept replaying in her head.
"Eut..."
She had just tried to sit up straight with her chin tucked in proper posture when the muscles in her back pulled taut, as if they'd been thoroughly abused. It was probably because she'd arched her back like a bow multiple times, unable to endure the intense pleasure as she climaxed over and over.
It wasn't just her back. When she showered and looked in the mirror, red marks caught her eye on her nape, chest, thighs—scattered all over her body.
At first, she thought it was some kind of rash, but Go-eun had never had red spots on her skin her entire life.
It was only after searching "kiss" and "French kiss" in the portal search bar for the first time in her life that she discovered "hickey" in the related searches.
"A hickey is originally a bruise caused by passionate kissing or... lo-loving caresses. It's similar to marking territory, expressing that the other person is 'mine...'"
"Can a hickey on a lover's neck become a kiss of death? Death from cerebral infarction while making a hickey on the neck?" 'I have to make sure he doesn't do this anymore... This is... insanely dangerous.'
Go-eun, who had pored over search results to learn about romance—something she'd never cared about or known anything about until now—had clearly misunderstood something. From today onward, she regarded hickeys as a deadly act of affection that invited death.
'It's dangerous, but if other people see it...'
She could cover the other spots with clothes, but the marks on her nape that Hyunwoo had left wouldn't be hidden even under a blouse. If the employees saw them, her authority as team leader might completely crumble.
Go-eun, who usually only applied the bare minimum makeup out of courtesy—sunscreen and a touch of mascara around her eyes—finally had to spread concealer she'd bought ages ago but never opened all over her neck.
It wasn't just the back pain and hickeys.
Even after such an intense first experience, Go-eun had gone to the pool for her dawn workout.
Every part of her body ached, but she'd promised herself to maintain her stamina with consistent exercise. Twenty years of swimming without fail.
Her endurance, honed by that consistency, usually let her swim laps for a full hour nonstop. But today was different.
Her thigh muscles trembled with just a light kick. She gritted her teeth and kept swimming, nearly cramping up underwater. The pool was empty at dawn, so it could've been disastrous.
'Hickeys aren't the only danger... Sex between men and women is dangerous too...'
Even walking felt unnatural. The loosening thighs and pain between them forced her to limp. Thanks to that, the male employees behind her spun up all sorts of lewd fantasies.
Just as negative impressions of sex were starting to engrave themselves in Go-eun's mind,
"Good morning, Team Leader."
"Good morning, Team Leader."
"Yes, good morning. Assistant Manager Park, Section Chief Jeong."
Two female employees from the Organizational Innovation Task Force arrived together.
"Wow~ Team Leader, did you change your skincare? Your skin is glowing like crazy."
"Right? Your complexion looks so vibrant today."
"R-really? It's the same stuff I always use."
"No way, your texture looks totally different."
"I'm jealous. Your skin is amazing, Team Leader. Hehe."
As expected from fellow women, they noticed Go-eun's changes right away.
She didn't know it, but last night's intense first experience with Hyunwoo had caused her body to explode with estrogen production, like a dam breaking after years of buildup.
Her body—breasts that seemed ready to burst, a slender waist, full hips and buttocks—had been profoundly influenced by estrogen since childhood, far beyond other women.
But the feminine hormones she'd buried deep by avoiding men her whole life had finally activated thanks to last night's sex. Her blooming, radiant skin was proof.
'Well... hmm... maybe it's not so bad...'
No matter how much she'd suppressed her body and emotions as a woman at work, compliments on her beauty and skin inevitably lifted her spirits.
"Good morning."
Then Yi Hyunwoo arrived at the office. His calm expression and demeanor suggested nothing had happened. Seeing that made Go-eun inexplicably irritated.
'Is last night bothering him?'
Hyunwoo, oblivious to Go-eun's tangled emotions, scanned her face as he clocked in. She stared blankly at her PC screen with an expressionless face. She clearly wasn't in a good mood.
'Still, Go-eun would separate work and personal life strictly. She won't show anything about yesterday.'
'Yeah, act like nothing happened, same as always.'
With the work system having amplified her [Favorability] toward him, there was no rush to push things. He'd already taken her virginity last night, so things should be smooth sailing from here.
With that complacent mindset, Hyunwoo began his morning shift. Of course, it was a huge miscalculation.
Not long after the morning shift started, Kim Hye-ri—the intern who'd been in the same department until Hyunwoo transferred to the task force—visited the team.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Hing... Didn't you miss me, Deputy Manager Yi?"
Hye-ri coquettishly smiled with her signature eye crinkle. Of course, Kim Hye-ri was secretly serving another "master" behind Hyunwoo's back, but
[Affection toward Yi Hyunwoo] - Amplification Activated
the [Affection] amplified by the work system remained intact. He'd been so focused on conquering Go-eun lately that the last time he'd seen Hye-ri was...
'The last time was when I slept with Hye-ri wandering around naked at night...'
Realizing he'd neglected her more than he thought, it was understandable for Hye-ri to feel neglected by Hyunwoo. However,
- Glance.
With Go-eun in the office, acting too friendly with Hye-ri was a no-go.
"What's wrong... This is the office..."
Hyunwoo whispered softly into Hye-ri's ear.
"Hmph, I was just excited to see you after so long... But you didn't miss me, huh, Deputy Manager Yi?"
Hye-ri now puffed out her cheeks and grumbled. Her fresh looks already drew constant attention at work, so Hyunwoo judged that any more show of closeness was risky. Rumors could spread.
"Okay, okay. But why'd you come all the way here?"
Hyunwoo deflected her attention for now.
"Team Leader asked me to deliver this to Team Leader Go-eun."
The report in Kim Hye-ri's hand—it seemed like a simple errand.
"Got it. Her seat's over there. Take it to her."
"Yes, Deputy Manager~"
"Good morning, Team Leader. I'm intern Kim Hye-ri from Management Support Team. Our team leader asked me to pass this document to you."
Hye-ri handed the report to Go-eun with a bright smile.
"Ah, thank you, Hye-ri."
Go-eun took the report from her with an expressionless face. It was her usual poker face.
"Okay, I'll head out then~"
Hye-ri stayed bubbly even under Go-eun's intimidating presence. Even most section chiefs and deputy managers got tense around her, so Hyunwoo found it intriguing.
'Is it because she's young and clueless?'
"Well, Deputy Manager Yi, I'll be going. And... you owe me a nice meal soon, okay?"
"Got it. Hurry up and go."
After delivering the report, Hye-ri slipped in a date request to Hyunwoo before vanishing.
- Glance.
Worried Go-eun might pick up on his relationship with Hye-ri, Hyunwoo sneaked a peek at her seat. Fortunately, her eyes were fixed on her monitor.
"Team Leader, here's the analysis based on the compiled data so far. Please review it."
Hyunwoo stood in front of Go-eun's desk and handed over his report. Even at his call, she didn't lift her head.
"I'll check it now. Hold on."
Leaving Hyunwoo awkwardly standing there, Go-eun pored over the report.
- Flip, flip.
The pages turned roughly, almost tearing.
'Her hand movements flipping the pages feel a bit... irritable. Must be my imagination.'
"Deputy Yi. The chart here and the summary in the document are completely different. Did you check this properly?"
"Uh... The review should be correct... right?"
"No. Look. Page 2's chart and page 10's explanation. The graph shows results that shouldn't come out like this."
"..."
"If your data analysis skills are still this lacking, it's a problem. We need to compile everything from Assistant Manager Choi and Deputy Kwon by today and finish one section, but don't you feel sorry for them? You'll drag the rest of the team down."
Go-eun's scolding hit Hyunwoo like a storm. He felt like he'd been sucked into a thresher, unable to utter a word as his soul got stripped bare. Déjà vu all over again.
It was just like when he first transferred and she didn't think much of him.
'Argh... why is she like this again.'
She was right that there was a slight... very slight ambiguity in the data analysis, but was it bad enough for this thrashing? He'd checked the other team members' materials too and thought it was fine.
Hyunwoo was flustered by Go-eun's nitpicking.
He knew her personality, but deep down, after sharing their bodies last night, he'd hoped for just a tiny bit of gentleness. Instead, she was sharper.
'It's not something to get this mad about.'
Go-eun, snapping at Hyunwoo, also found her own reaction odd. Sure, he'd exaggerated the data results a bit, but the others made similar mistakes.
Was she unconsciously angry at Hyunwoo's calm act, as if last night never happened?
He knew it was her first time, yet he'd been rough, left without a word, and hadn't contacted her since. She felt slighted by his attitude.
'Having my first at 33... isn't really something to brag about...'
But thinking of her age brought shame instead.
'A woman with no experience up to now must be a burden. Especially since she's four years older.'
She didn't know much, but men felt burdened by women like her who'd passed their marriage expiration date. Even more so if she was a virgin.
'That's why he hasn't called?'
After leaving her officetel, Hyunwoo hadn't messaged her all night. Go-eun wondered if it was because she burdened him. It nagged at her.
Her mind already a mess, then Hye-ri showed up in front of Hyunwoo. She'd pretended not to look, but her nerves were all on their conversation.
The two huddled close, whispering to flaunt their closeness.
Go-eun learned she was a twenty-year-old college intern. Cute looks and charm to boot, versus her own 33-year-old self with zero cuteness.
'No contest.'
Even if Go-eun were a man, the choice was obvious.
Hyunwoo's nonchalant attitude without contact, plus the nagging Kim Hye-ri. Go-eun couldn't help but be irritated.
What good was checking female employees' [Psychological Messages] in the work system like a cheat key?
[Favorability toward team member Yi Hyunwoo] - Just this one line of explanation
He had no idea women's hearts weren't that simple. The burden of being four years older, plus Hye-ri's presence. As her [Favorability] toward Hyunwoo grew, it sparked jealousy in Go-eun for the first time.