“Don’t feel pressured. A comfortable break could inspire more enthusiasm, right?”
Ihyeon probably didn’t realize that his words made Yerin feel even more burdened. She knew that even if she refused, Ihyeon would somehow force the vacation on her. Reluctantly, Yerin nodded.
“So, if you’re offering, is it okay to accept?”
“Yes.”
Thus, Yerin ended up shouldering an unwanted day of paid leave. Instead of feeling joyous for an extra day off, it felt like she received a heavy burden, filling her heart with heaviness and restlessness.
As Ihyeon drove slowly, he slowed down further due to a traffic signal.
“Secretary Han, is that all you have to tell me?”
Yerin was well aware of why Ihyeon was personally taking her home and spending time with her. As she fidgeted with her fingers on her lap, Ihyeon chuckled.
“Secretary Han always gets so tense around me.”
Leaning his face into his hands on the steering wheel, even his half-hidden face was astonishingly handsome.
“Just speak comfortably.”
In this utterly uncomfortable atmosphere, he asked her to speak freely.
Yerin glanced at the navigation system. There were still about five minutes left to her house. If she expressed her refusal now, she’d feel like sitting on pins and needles for the remaining time.
‘I guess I should say anything to kill time.’
She racked her brain, unable to think of an appropriate question.
“Secretary Han?”
Finally, Yerin slowly opened her mouth.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about for a long time.”
“What might that be?”
“What’s your favorite food, Director Cha?”
Hearing this, Ihyeon laughed softly.
Yerin closed her eyes tightly, embarrassed by her spontaneous question.
Seeing her astonished reaction, Ihyeon smiled broadly.
“Was that really so curious to you?”
Yerin slowly opened her eyes and spoke in a calm voice.
“Yes, since I haven’t been working under you for long.”
“That’s right.”
“If your schedule gets too busy, I might need to prepare lunchboxes…”
“I’m not picky about food.”
Ihyeon answered seriously.
“I focus more on whether a restaurant is comfortable for meetings than its taste.”
Yerin listened intently to his words.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about me?”
She could have fabricated many questions, but thankfully, Ihyeon’s car stopped in front of her house just in time.
“No, there isn’t.”
His eyebrows slightly rose at her abrupt ending.
Yerin unbuckled her seatbelt and finally uttered the words she had been postponing all day.
“I’ve seriously considered the proposal you made, Director Cha.”
Unable to meet Ihyeon’s gaze, she looked at her hands on her lap.
“I’m afraid I can’t accept it.”
Silence fell again.
When it became unbearably heavy, Ihyeon spoke softly.
“So, am I being rejected right now?”
“Excuse me?”
Yerin waved her hands frantically.
“No, strictly speaking, you never confessed to me.”
“Didn’t I?”
“When?”
“Let’s date. Isn’t that a confession?”
“That was a proposal.”
Ihyeon’s lips twitched amusingly.
His gaze landed on her elegant face.
She always looked so tense around him.
But she never just went along with whatever he wanted.
But that didn’t mean she always went along with what he wanted. In really important moments like today, she clearly conveyed her own opinions.
That made her even more unpredictable.
Ihyeon tapped the steering wheel with his index finger, saying, “So, it was a proposal, not a confession.”
“So, I haven’t rejected or dismissed you, right?” Yerin forced a crescent-like smile.
“Yeah, seems like it.”
She had expected him to tell her to get out of the car now that their conversation was over, but instead, Ihyeon unbuckled his seatbelt. Surprisingly, he got out of the car first.
The door closed with a thud, and Yerin murmured to herself, “Why? Where are you going…?”
Before she could fully express her curiosity, the passenger door swung open.
“Let’s get out, Secretary Han.”
“Yes, Director Cha.”
He was considerate enough to open the door of a secretary who had just rejected his proposal. Or was it just good business manners?
Either way, Ihyeon looked at Yerin not with a cold gaze but with a warm one.
“I’ll go in then.”
“Alright.”
As Yerin took a step, Ihyeon moved in the same direction.
“Director Cha?”
Yerin bit her lip, pondering her next words. Just as she was about to ask why he wasn’t getting back in the car, Ihyeon preempted her.
“Let’s go up.”
“You don’t mean together, do you?”
“Exactly. I’m escorting Secretary Han.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Didn’t you say the staircase was dark?”
That was the very thing she had told Ihyeon last night.
“No, I can manage on my own…”
“I’m not escorting you as a rejected boyfriend, but as a boss concerned about his secretary’s safe return.”
What’s the difference?
Before she could ponder deeply, Ihyeon had already stepped forward. Reluctantly, Yerin followed.
“Secretary Han, I thought I wouldn’t be bothered.”
“…”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever pursued a woman like this.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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