Chapter 4

“How did you...?”

She hurriedly covered her mouth when the words slipped out before she could even stop herself.

She hadn't intended to admit even that much. How on earth had he figured it out?

Even as she quickly pressed her lips shut, Junghyuk was already looking at her as though he could see right through her.

“Your bedroom manners are truly terrible, Ms. Yeon Dana.”

His voice turned even colder as he continued.

“How could I possibly not know when you spent the entire time calling another man's name so desperately in bed?”

“I... did?”

Dana hurriedly raked through her memories of that night. Come to think of it, she might have done exactly that. Just before she lost consciousness, she confessed her feelings while calling out Jihoon's name.

‘That's because I was absolutely convinced he was Senior Jihoon. I just got swept up in the moment without realizing it…’

Still, there was no way Junghyuk could have been happy to hear another man's name during such a moment. Dana briefly considered apologizing after putting herself in his shoes, but ultimately kept her mouth shut.

She felt guilty, but at the same time, a lingering frustration remained.

The two of them looked so identical, so what exactly was she supposed to do?

More importantly, there was something else she found even more unfair.

‘It was my first time!’

Unlike him, who had seemed skilled and effortless at everything, Dana had never even kissed anyone before. The fact that her first experience had been with a man she'd just met filled her with humiliation and misery. Clenching both hands tightly, she slowly parted her trembling lips.

“...I truly am sorry about that. But it was an accident.”

“An accident?”

“Yes! An accident.”

Junghyuk stared at her as if inviting her to continue while crossing his arms thoughtfully. Dana poured out what she had endured as if she should say everything she had said since this happened.

“I never intended for it to turn into a deep kiss, okay? I was only going to kiss your lips for a second, but Director, you were the one who... who snuck your tongue into my mouth!”!"

She swore she had never planned to go any further. All she'd wanted was a brief kiss she could remember for the rest of her life when reminiscing on her long unrequited love.

“I'm... I'm not that kind of person, okay? I don't just kiss and sleep with someone I've only just met... If only you hadn't looked so much like Senior Jihoon—no, Team Leader Ryu—that day...”

The more she spoke, the more emotional she became. Sensing her tears were threatening to spill, she blinked rapidly at the ceiling before rushing to finish.

“Anyway, I was more shocked than you were. I'm sure you've had plenty of experiences like this before, but for me, it was my first—”

“It was my first.”

Junghyeok cut her off sharply. Dana nodded automatically in agreement.

“Right. That's what I'm saying—it was my first time.”

“No.”

Junghyuk shook his head with a deep frown on his face.

“I said it was my first time too.”

“...Pardon?”

What did I just hear?

Junghyuk carefully explained and emphasized every syllable while staring at Dana’s completely baffled expression.

“You were my first s*x partner as well, Ms. Yeon Dana.”

Dana's eyes shook violently before twisting into an expression of utter disbelief.

“T-That's impossible. You were way too experienced for it to be your first time!”

“I'm exceptionally capable in most areas, so it’s more difficult to find something I'm not good at.”

Seeing Dana's jaw drop open, Junghyeok replied with a perfect poker face.

“Do you understand now? What happened between us is not something that can simply be put behind.”

Listening to him speak each word as though grinding it between his teeth, Dana realized things had gone terribly, irreversibly wrong.

Junghyuk got up from his seat and slowly walked up to her. Despite seeing him come closer, Dana couldn't move, as though her feet had been glued to the floor.

“In my first experience,”

Stopping directly in front of her, he bent slightly to meet her eye level and lifted his brows in a ferocious stare.

“How am I supposed to forget the woman who called another man's name?”

Dana stared at him, unable to say anything in return. It felt as though a hot breath had lodged itself in her throat.

“...Which is why I intend to give you an unforgettable experience as well, Ms. Yeon Dana.”

“...”

“Do you understand what I mean, Ms. Yeon Dana?”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. While looking at that gorgeous yet merciless smile, Dana had a hunch that the rest of her life at the company was not going to be smooth.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

After escaping Junghyuk’s office as though fleeing for her life, Dana wandered down the hallway in a daze.

"I intend to give you an unforgettable experience as well, Ms. Yeon Dana."

His words replayed endlessly in her mind, leaving her barely aware of where she was walking.

An unforgettable experience? What exactly was he planning?

She was already having an unforgettable experience. How much worse could it possibly get?

The memory of his fierce eyes as he warned her to prepare herself sent a chill racing down her spine.

What should I do? Should I run away to a regional branch?

Regional offices were always short-staffed because they received far less attention than headquarters. If it meant avoiding Ryu Junghyuk, even a post everyone else avoided sounded appealing.

Right. I'll stay there for a few years. By then, Director Ryu Junghyuk must have forgotten someone like me and moved on with his life. He's not going to chase me all the way there, is he?

Or maybe not? Is a first time really that easy to forget? In that case... should I just quit?

As Dana agonized between requesting a transfer to the regional branch and resigning altogether, in which she ended up practically tearing her hair out in frustration, Assistant Manager Ha spotted her and came running over.

“Assistant Manager Yeon! What happened?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

The moment she saw Assistant Manager Ha's expression, a sense of dread crept up Dana's spine.

“The personnel transfer notice just went up! Your name's on it too.”

“M-My name is already on it?”

She had only just thought about applying for a regional transfer. How could her name already be on a personnel notice?

As Dana stared in shock, Assistant Manager Ha dragged her over to a computer monitor.

“Check it. Hurry.”

Sensing the eyes of her coworkers on her, Dana returned to her desk with a puzzled expression. When she moved the cursor to open the company intranet, she found the personnel transfer notice pinned at the top of the announcements, just as Assistant Manager Ha said.

When she clicked it and read the contents, her eyes froze.

“Assistant Manager Yeon Dana, Business Development Team, reassigned to the Future Strategy Division...?”

The Future Strategy Division was Junghyuk’s department.

While staring at the transfer notice, the color slowly drained from Dana's face.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

As expected, the only answer is resignation.

How ridiculous, Yeon Dana. You actually thought you could solve this by requesting a transfer after getting involved with a director.

The foolishness of her earlier plan almost made her laugh.

The moment she learned she had been transferred to the Future Strategy Division, Dana printed out a resignation letter and tucked it into her bag. She planned to hand it to her department head first thing the next morning.

It had been difficult enough to get into this company, but whenever she remembered the Siberian-tundra-like gaze Director Ryu Junghyuk had fixed on her, she couldn't imagine continuing to work there. Finding another job would mean going through resumes, aptitude tests, interviews, and countless other hurdles all over again. Nonetheless, it had to be better than suffering under that man.

Dana, who had made up her mind while showering, opened the door to her room. Her mother, Hyesuk, was already there. Minji, who was standing beside her, quietly stepped back and avoided Dana’s gaze.

“Mom? Why are you and Minji in my room...?”

As Dana entered with a puzzled expression, she noticed the document in her mother's hand. It was the resignation letter she had printed.

“Why do you have that...? Give it back.”

Dana, who panicked, tried to reach for it, but Hyesuk casually moved her wrist aside.

“Are you planning to quit your job?”

“Well, Mom...”

“If you quit, what happens to our household expenses?”

Cutting Dana off before she could explain, Hyesook immediately brought up money.

“Household expenses...?”

“Yes. Do you realize your salary is paying for your brother's tuition right now?”

Dana said nothing and merely bit her lip.

Even after finding her daughter carrying a resignation letter home, her mother was only concerned about her son's tuition.

‘Of course. It's not like Mom would ever think about me first.’

It was always the same. Money, money, money. Her mother only wanted money from Dana, as if nothing else mattered.

Letting out a sigh, Dana explained her plan.

“Just bear with me for a little while. If you give me a few months, I'll find another job.”

“Oh, listen to her. A few months? Then is Hwikyung supposed to sit in America while twiddling his thumbs the whole time?”

“...”

The words Why can't my brother get a job in America? rose to her throat, but she forcefully shoved them back down. It was pointless. To her mother, her brother was the family’s hope and an untouchable idol.

“Stop talking nonsense and keep working. Do you know how hard it is to find another company that pays as much as LK Construction?”

Mom, what about me? What about my life? Why do you never care about the things I want?

The bitterness that surged up inside her finally boiled over, and for the first time in her life, Dana raised her voice at her mother.

“No. I'm not doing that.”

“What?”

Dana had always been obedient. The daughter who always answered yes, Mom had never once rebelled. Hyesuk’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“It's my money. I earned it. Why do you get to tell me what to do with it?”

“You little—”

“You never paid a single cent of my tuition during my entire four years in college. Then why do I have to pay for my brother's tuition with my salary?”

Her brother, who was living in America, was twenty-nine years old and still relying on the family not only for tuition but for living expenses as well.

“I won't do it anymore. Let him take care of his own problems from now on.”

Hyesook stared blankly at Dana as though she had been struck speechless. Then her face twisted in anger.

“What kind of attitude is that? What do you mean, let your brother figure it out himself?”

She suddenly raised her hand with a fearsome expression and smacked Dana hard across the back.

Smack!

“Ah! That hurts, Mom!”

Dana, who was surprised, stumbled backward as though trying to flee, but Hyesuk followed after her and hit her several more times. Each blow landed against her thin frame with a dull thud, but her mother’s hand never showed any mercy.

After berating and hitting Dana for quite some time, Hyesuk finally halted, breathing heavily as she pushed back the hair that had fallen across her face. Then she glared at her daughter and spoke in a tone that sounded more like a threat than a warning.

“If you're going to keep disobeying your mother, then you can deal with your own debt too.”

“Debt? What are you talking about?”

Her college tuition, which she had paid entirely through student loans without receiving a single cent of help, had only been completely repaid a few months ago.

She hated debt so much that she didn't even own a credit card. The sudden mention of debt made no sense. Seeing the confusion on Dana's face, Hyesuk cleared her throat awkwardly several times.

“Actually, I took out a personal loan under your name.”

“A... personal loan...?”

Dana's eyes widened in shock.

“What do you mean? What loan?”

When Hyesuk saw Dana’s stunned expression while asking her, she looked away with an embarrassed expression.

“I borrowed your laptop the other day. Your digital certificate was on there. The password was still the same as before.”

Even while admitting that she had taken out a loan using her daughter's identity without permission, Hyesuk remained shameless.

“How can you possibly think that's okay?”

“Why wouldn't it be? A mother just borrowed her daughter's name for a little while.”

It felt as though Dana's heart sank. She immediately grabbed her phone and opened her banking app.

She tapped on the loan section, which she had never checked after paying off her student debt. A loan she had never known existed appeared on the screen.

[OO Capital Personal Loan – Outstanding Balance: ₩38,720,630.]