As expected of Do Jin, he was topnotch in looking after his superiors. Ji Na sighed softly.

[Seo intern looked after you. He seemed quite reliable, like a close younger brother.]

At the sudden mention of Jin Woo, Ji Na momentarily stopped her fingers. As the events of last night came to mind, her face naturally heated up.

[Intern love, boss love, lunch for hangover.] She could practically hear Ji Hye’s teasing voice. Ji Na, who chuckled softly, quickly sent a reply.

[Got it. See you later.] [Yeah, take care] No sooner had she placed her mobile on the desk than she heard Do Jin’s voice.

“Assistant Manager Ji Na.”
His voice was lower than usual, sounding quite hefty. Was the reason Do Jin called her due to a report, or was he worried about whether she got home safely last night? The short walk to Do Jin felt infinitely long.

“Let’s go to the meeting room.”
Seemingly intending a long conversation, Do Jin stood up from his seat and led the way.

The door of the meeting room closed, and the view of the office was visible through the glass window with the blinds raised. Before looking at Do Jin, she noticed Seo Jin Woo’s empty window seat.

“Assistant Manager Ji, about yesterday.”
Do Jin, looking clearly tired, started talking, furrowing his brow.

“Are you in your right mind?”
His first words were disappointing. Ji Na applied pressure to her interlocked fingers.

“Drinking at the company dinner…… And what’s with spilling alcohol on the director? Do you know how embarrassed I was yesterday?”
Do Jin’s tone and actions were just those of a superior rebuking a subordinate. Neither more nor less. There was not a single sign of him worrying about her. Should she put an end to this now?

“Mr. Do Jin.”
At Ji Na’s call, Do Jin’s cold gaze turned to her. His eyes were unmistakably different from Jin Woo’s, they had become completely cold and indifferent.

“Let’s end this.”
“What……?”
Do Jin’s thin eyes widened.

“It seems like you don’t love me anymore.”
“Sigh……”

Do Jin ran his fingers through his hair and let out a deep sigh.

“Love, let’s stop with this childish love talk now that you’re twentynine.”
His face showed clear annoyance.

“You should graduate from such sentimental thoughts now. We’ve been dating for no less than five years, let’s think realistically, Ji Na. Does that have any meaning?”
Her vision clouded in disappointment. Ji Na choked back her tears and answered.

“At least it does to me.”
At Ji Na’s words, Do Jin looked at her as if surprised.

“When did you become so childish?”
His rebuking tone scratched at Ji Na’s heart till the end.

“Is it because I didn’t look after you yesterday?”
Do Jin’s attempt to understand, by asking such a question, was hopelessly naive.

“No.”
Ji Na shook her head.

“What’s the reason for you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Do Jin, with a serious face, pushed up his glasses.

“I told you. It seems like you don’t love me anymore.”
“Did you ask me? You’re supposed to ask before you say something like that.”
He wanted her to express love verbally. Ji Na was at a loss for words at Do Jin’s audacious remark. She stared blankly at Do Jin. Do Jin twisted his lips as if he had expected this. Ji Na clenched her fist and glared at Do Jin.

“Do you love me? Or rather, did you ever love me?”
She felt a lump in her throat. Her mouth felt as if it was filled with sand, dry and rough. Do Jin slightly opened his eyes as if he hadn’t expected Ji Na to ask him such a pointblank question.

“Now that I asked, answer me.”
Ji Na looked at Do Jin as if she would not back down, wanting a clear answer. Do Jin coughed awkwardly a few times, rubbing his throat.

“Sigh……”

Right after he had spoken about love and called it childish. When Do Jin couldn’t respond easily, Ji Na nodded as if she had expected this.

“I think we should break up.”
Ji Na calmly spoke of the break up. It felt as if time had momentarily stopped in the meeting room.

She felt empty, thinking that a fiveyearlong relationship was ending like this. Yet, there wasn’t any particular sadness. There was no regret either. It felt like she had come to know the state of her heart that she hadn’t been aware of.

“Let’s part on good terms here.”
There weren’t any bad memories or feelings about each other so far.

Perhaps it was the perfect time to break up.

Her connection with a man who couldn’t express love had reached its limit. Ji Na was too tired to forcibly hold on to it.

“It’s better for both you and me.”
Even though it was a secret relationship, he was a person she had to see continuously at the office. If they parted beautifully with a smile, it could be considered a rather good experience. But then…..

Do Jin’s sharp voice cut through the air.

“Is this because of marriage?”
His tone seemed to suggest, ‘should I arrange a marriage for you?’. His words set Ji Na’s emotions, which she had been suppressing, aflame.

“Excuse me?”
She must have heard wrong. Ji Na’s pupils quivered.

“I know you’re waiting for marriage. But I told you, my situation is like this right now. I’m talking about the project you’re currently in charge of.”
He was audacious enough to make her question if he had actually heard what she had just said. Do Jin continued with unabashed audacity.

“Let’s finish it well. The marriage.”
It was the worst proposal in the world. She was embarrassed that she had been dating such a man.

“For starters, that project is not mine, it’s yours, Assistant Manager Kim Do Jin.”

Ji Na’s eyes widened as she spoke.

“I won’t get married regardless of the project. I no longer wish to maintain a romantic relationship with you, Manager.”
Was our relationship even worth calling romantic? Ji Na’s inner thought soured her mouth.

“If there’s nothing more you wish to say, I will take my leave now.”
At Ji Na’s changed reaction, Do Jin seemed a bit surprised. He looked lost in deep thought for a while, but soon he had a smirk on his lips.

“Ah, is it because of the Seo intern?”
Ji Na, who had been reaching for the doorknob, froze. Do Jin asked in an icy voice.

“Did you sleep with the Seo intern?”