11. What Am I Supposed to Do with You?
‘That confession was a l-lie.’
It was a mistake. I had pushed her too hard.
‘I-I don’t l-like you, B-Boss. So you really, really don’t have to worry about what I said! I-I’m really okay!’
How flustered must the woman who even said she liked my scent have been to answer like that?
‘Ms. Lee Dana, what is it about me that you like so much?’
‘I like the boss’s scent.’
The truth was, it was incredibly refreshing.
That the reason for liking someone didn’t lie solely in their appearance.
For someone who didn’t even know what the feeling of liking someone was, it was an even more unexpected answer.
Perhaps it was because of those words.
‘Ms. Lee Dana, are you all right?’
‘What…….’
‘You like me, don’t you?’
Was that why I had hurriedly pressed her for an answer when she said she congratulated me on my marriage?
‘I-I mean. If I could, I’d confess to him, but the boss has a, a fiancée, so I’m just telling you guys, you know.’
‘I liked you for two years. Very, very much……. Even though you’re going to marry another woman, I wish you happiness, happiness, happi…….’
I still remembered the expression on her face as she gathered the courage to say that she wished me happiness.
That somewhat awkward and sorrowful expression.
Yes, she was a woman who cared about my happiness that much.
How could I possibly have expected anything else from her?
I shouldn’t have pushed her like that…….
When I remembered her barely forcing the words out without even being able to meet my eyes, my chest tightened once again.
Knock, knock-
There was a knock at the door, and Dohyun entered, but he stared out the window without moving, as though he couldn’t hear a thing.
“Chairman Kim of Unique canceled your lunch appointment because of his son’s drunk-driving issue. I’m going to make another reservation at a nearby restaurant. Is there anything in particular you would like to eat?”
“…….”
“Boss.”
When Dohyun came closer and suddenly stuck his face into his view, Ihun flinched.
“Don’t you know how to knock?”
“I did.”
“…….”
“Is there anything you would like for lunch? Just in case, I checked the cafeteria menu. You’ve had appointments continuously lately, so you haven’t been going to the cafeteria much.”
Come to think of it, is she eating properly?
She had forced herself to push me away and lied, so I was worried that she might have no appetite and wasn’t eating properly.
“Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
After leaving the office, Ihun headed straight for the cafeteria without hesitation.
“As you instructed, I’ve arranged an appointment with Ms. Baek Seorin.”
At Dohyun’s words from behind him, Ihun stopped walking.
His unfamiliar expression seemed to ask who Baek Seorin was.
Dohyun looked puzzled.
“I mean, you asked me to arrange an appointment with Dongyeon…….”
‘The benefits we will gain from this marriage amount to nearly trillions of won. If you think about it, it’ll be the biggest project among all the businesses you’re involved in.’
‘I heard the boss is getting married soon. Congratulations.’
“Ah.”
Only then did Ihun grasp his own situation.
He was in a position where he had to get married.
A marriage based solely on conditions, without emotion or affection.
She knew that, so why had I forgotten?
No, even though I already knew, why had I badgered her like that?
What was I planning to do just because I heard Lee Dana say that she liked me?
I was going to marry the daughter of the Dongyeon Group as Chairman Rai Cheolmin wanted anyway, and become the lion’s sacrificial lamb.
And the lion, having grown even stronger, would be inherited by my younger brother, Ion, while I would probably be pushed into an insignificant position.
Perhaps even that position wouldn’t exist.
Even if Ion inherited my position, it didn’t matter.
No matter what anyone said, Ion was my younger brother.
It was only the fact that it wasn’t his own choice, but something dictated by their plan, that felt so empty.
I would probably live like that for the rest of my life.
Marrying a woman who didn’t like me, let alone my scent, and becoming a puppet used to revive the company.
That was my life.
Because that was how I had been raised.
Because that was how…… I had to live…….
Therefore, I no longer had any reason to worry about whether Lee Dana was eating properly.
Ihun stopped walking and turned around.
“Boss? Where are you going? The cafeteria is this way.”
“I’ll eat later.”
“Pardon? B-Boss? Boss!”
Having lost his destination, Ihun began wandering aimlessly.
Where was I supposed to go?
The corridors inside the lion’s den stretched out like a maze.
No matter how far he walked, he couldn’t see a way out.
That was when a familiar voice reached Ihun’s ears.
“Why do I have to make an effort to forget the boss!”
What was that sound?
“If I love him, why would I need to forget him?”
The voice of the woman who even loved his scent.
The woman’s desperate words continued to reach him without pause.
“Is the boss even your first love? That Rai Heon boss?”
“Yeah! Boss Rai Heon is my first love……!”
First love? Me?
Without hesitation, he headed toward the voice.
As though he had finally arrived at the destination he had been searching for all along.
***
Is this a dream?
Yes, this is a dream.
I wish it were a dream.
Please let it be a dream.
Faced with Ihun, Dana prayed and prayed in her heart. But then.
“So I…… was your first love, Ms. Lee Dana.”
Aaaah. Please, someone wake me up!
The boss was wearing such a serious and solemn expression that it was frightening enough to imagine him appearing in her dreams.
So I…… was your first love, Ms. Lee Dana.
First love…… was I, to Ms. Lee Dana?
Was it because they were in the emergency staircase?
The sound of their voices echoed, making everything she had done come back to her ears and heart again and again.
“Th-The thing is…….”
Even if I could pass off the first time, how could I tell him that I had lied twice?
On top of that, I had spouted such nonsense as though it were a once-in-a-millennium love that would never come again.
Would he believe me if I told him it was a lie now?
What if he doesn’t believe me? Boss!
What the hell am I supposed to do if you don’t believe me!
……She couldn’t say that, either.
She began to sweat profusely.
“Boss…… I, well…….”
“Haah.”
The boss let out a long, anguished sigh and covered his face with his hand.
You really are impossible. What am I supposed to do with you?
It felt as though those words had slipped out.
“Y-You really don’t have to w-worry about it that much…….”
“How could I not worry about it?”
Because all of this is a lie, Boss!
I even lied twice!
“You said it was love.”
You said it was love.
You said it was love.
Aagh. No. No, no, no. What am I going to do?
They weren’t wrong, because I was the one who had said those words, but I couldn’t bear to hear them.
She covered her ears in her mind.
“To the point that you don’t want to forget me.”
Right, I did say that.
But why does that matter?
You’re getting married anyway, Boss.
‘……Huh? That’s true.’
Come to think of it, this man is getting married soon.
Then why am I, what! Why am I so terrified over this?
Even if I say I love him, it’s a relationship that can’t work out anyway, isn’t it?
Besides, what if I say the second one was a lie too, and the boss becomes so displeased that he fires me?
Right. Since things have come this far, I’ll go on the offensive.
Dana’s eyes turned resolute.
Like a rat backed into a corner.
“W-What does it matter to you?”
“What did you say?”
“You’re going to marry another woman anyway.”
“Ms. Lee Dana…….”
“Why would my feelings matter? Even if the boss is bothered by my confession, you already have someone you’re going to marry.”
“…….”
“I don’t want to be the second woman!”
……This is crazy!
Someone, please record what I’m saying.
No, just mute me.
“Please, Boss, just go your own way. I’ll go mine.”
Dana fled through the emergency exit at the speed of light.
What do I do? I think I might have gotten a little annoyed at him…….
And to anyone else listening, didn’t I sound like I was blaming him?
Ah, whatever. As long as I don’t get fired, it’ll be fine. What could possibly happen?
***
Rrrrrrrr.
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The phone in the Public Relations Department began ringing as though a fire had broken out at a hotteok shop. The manager shouted.
“Nobody answer the phone!”
“Why? Did something happen, Manager?”
“I don’t know. They say the boss broke off his engagement.”
What…… did you say?
Oops! It wasn’t nothing—it was a big deal!
