15. The Runaway Locomotive, the Emergency Brake, and the Marbled Beef
Ihun quickly handed Dana a tissue. She let out a deep sigh, “Hoo,” and wiped her tears with the tissue.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, n-no. Yes. No. I-I’m fine…… Haa. Um, but.”
She straightened her posture and scooted even closer.
“So, when I looked at the articles, they said the synergy between the two groups was worth trillions of won…….”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And you’re still not going to get married?”
“Yes.”
“Is it perhaps because of my confession…….”
“Yes, that’s right. Ms. Lee Dana’s confessi—”
“Yes! I understand perfectly! So please don’t say anything for a moment.”
Haha. Haha.
She suddenly burst into laughter.
Is she happy?
Seeing her smile made his heart feel warmly heated.
I want to make this woman smile. From now on, too.
“Boss?”
There were tears glistening once again in her smiling eyes. Like stars.
“Yes, Ms. Lee Dana.”
“This isn’t your first confession, is it, Boss? Right?”
“It is my first.”
“What?”
“It is also the first time I’ve seen someone love me so much.”
“No, I, um, liking you…… even if…… it’s not love…….”
“It’s all right. I’ve already heard your feelings clearly, Ms. Lee Dana.”
“No, you heard me wro—”
“I like you, too. Ms. Lee Dana.”
He looked at her with unwavering, steadfast eyes.
“Let’s get married.”
What did he just say…….
Marriage? He wants to get married?
Marriage? Marriiiage?
Waaahhhh.
Yeah, if you’re going to spout this much nonsense, then take responsibility for it, Lee Dana. Hahaha.
So this is how a person goes crazy.
I wondered how people could possibly go insane, but I suppose this is how.
Where should I start, and what am I supposed to say?
I can’t even handle the broken engagement, and now he’s talking about marriage?
No, even if you call someone a straightforward man, there has to be a limit.
A straightforward man this extreme doesn’t make any sense, does it?
This isn’t a straightforward man anymore. It’s a runaway locomotive.
I couldn’t see where to begin.
“Um, Boss.”
Should I just leave it to fate?
Wouldn’t things somehow work themselves out?
‘No.’
Don’t you see how, after all my doubts and worries, things have reached an actual marriage proposal?
If I don’t reveal the truth here, I’m seriously going to wake up one day as the daughter-in-law of SaJa Group!
“Um, Boss. Actually.”
Dana squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again.
“I, I-I don’t like you, Boss.”
“…….”
“Actually, I lied twice…….”
“It’s all right now, Ms. Lee Dana.”
“What? It’s all right? What……?”
“I know you’re worried that something might go wrong with the company and make things difficult for me. I understand that you’re worried about what I’ll have to go through from now on.”
That’s…… right? You are worried too, aren’t you, Boss? But right now, I’m worried…….
“I’m worried about you too, Ms. Lee Dana. Because, of all the people you could have chosen, you happened to like me, so you’re going to have a hard time from now on as well.”
No, not from now on. I’m already having a hard time.
“I’ll stay with you until the end. So that things will be as little of a burden on you as possible, Ms. Lee Dana.”
What is this? Why is the Boss so kind…….
If I actually liked the Boss, I’d be so happy that I wouldn’t go home tonight.
But I don’t like the Boss.
You really do get punished for deceiving someone like this.
“Boss, actually, I…….”
“I was raised from a young age for the sake of SaJa Group.”
Ihun lowered his gaze.
“As though I had been born solely for this purpose, I lived that way without even realizing that my life was being ground away for the company’s interests. There was never really a problem with that. Because I knew absolutely nothing about a world beyond it. I didn’t even know what it felt like to like someone.”
His expression looked terribly lonely.
“That was why I intended to marry into Dongyeon Group. Because I thought even marriage was business. In a marriage that was supposed to be one of the greatest events in a person’s life, there was no such thing as love.”
……So sad…… So heartbreaking…….
Ihun’s sorrowful expression made Dana’s heart ache.
“This may sound absurd and ridiculous, but it’s the truth. I learned it thanks to you, Ms. Lee Dana. Human emotions. That something of mine can make another person happy, and that I can feel happy because of someone else’s happiness.”
Damn it. There was no way I could ever say that confession wasn’t genuine.
I’d just have to accept whatever punishment came my way.
“It was the first time. That someone liked me that much.”
“That can’t possibly be true. Not with a face like yours.”
What she had thought would be comforting simply came spilling out of her mouth without a filter.
He must have taken that as a confession too.
Even though it was simply the truth.
Sure enough, he gave a faint smile.
“I’m going to start again. With you, Ms. Lee Dana.”
“What?”
“Marry me.”
Gasp. Beginning, middle, end…… riage…….
“Of course, this isn’t the official proposal. I’ll do it again. Properly.”
He’s going to do something like this twice?
Ah, my own situation is already a complete mess, so why am I feeling sorry for someone else?
At this rate, I’m going to come to my senses and find myself married.
“Boss, I’m sorry, but I can’t get married!”
Right. The chance to say that my confession was fake has already passed.
I’ll take a different approach.
“You don’t like me, Boss.”
And I don’t like the Boss either.
Come to think of it, what on earth are the two of us doing here?
Neither of us likes the other.
“It’s not enough for only me to like you. What’s the difference between getting married when we don’t even like each other and you marrying Dongyeon Group? If you look at it from the long term, they’re ultimately the same. If that’s the case, wouldn’t marrying Dongyeon Group be more beneficial in many ways? At least you’d be protecting the company. Of course, what I’m saying may sound cruel to someone like you who has lived only for the company, but at least you wouldn’t have to suffer any disadvantages because of me. So please forget my confession. I’m really all right.”
After speaking without giving herself a chance to breathe, she hurriedly stood up.
She hastily gathered her bag, trying to escape.
Then his voice came from behind her, low and quiet.
“Interest.”
He raised his head.
“I have it. In you, Ms. Lee Dana.”
……What?
Ihun stood up and approached her stiff figure.
“Every time I see you, I find it amusing and enjoyable, so I started looking forward to seeing you again. I wonder what you might be doing right now, and what expression you’ll make if I say something like this. I even find myself wondering if there’s anything I can do for you, Ms. Lee Dana. Isn’t that what interest is?”
“…….”
“We.”
He took another step closer.
“Can’t we start with mutual attraction?”
Thump, thump.
Her heart was pounding.
***
Thump, thump, thump.
Heart! Stop acting up and just stay still for a moment.
“Of…… course we can’t. Who gets married based on attraction?”
“Can’t we?”
He leaned his face toward her and tilted his head.
No, is it really fair for him to make those pleading eyes with such a handsome face?
“It’s not…… that we can’t…….”
The man who was interested in me was far too handsome.
I definitely knew he was handsome.
But that expression, looking at me as though he were pleading, with a gaze that somehow stirred my protective instincts.
It melted me completely.
“B-but still, marriage is a bit…….”
His eyes were filled with disappointment, making her worry that he might burst into tears at any moment.
It made her want to solve his problems for him for no reason.
It made her want to cover everything for him herself.
What kind of gaze was this that could make even non-existent maternal instincts explode?
But I can’t get married.
I absolutely can’t.
“W-would you, date me?”
I did it!
“……What?”
“No, um, since you don’t like me, Boss, getting married would be a little difficult. So, s-starting with dating……?”
What am I even saying?
I managed to stop the Boss from talking about marriage, so I’m doing well, right?
“Would you date me, Boss?”
“…….”
“Hm? Date me. Boss.”
Maybe he doesn’t like the idea.
He isn’t answering.
That’s a relief.
I didn’t plan this far, but it seems my strategy worked.
“If you don’t like it, then just…….”
“Does this mean today is Day One……?”
“What? Yes, that’s right. Today is Day One!”
He smiled shyly.
Why is your face turning red?
Now I’m blushing too.
“Then, Boss. It’s late, so shall we go ho……me?”
“Let’s eat before we go. You didn’t get to have dinner because of me.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m not hungry.”
“You must have had a hard time dealing with the articles today. How about some marbled beef?”
“I’ll eat well, Boss.”
Sizzle, sizzle.
Before it was even fully cooked, the juicy beef went straight into her mouth, piece after piece.
Right, anyway, I can’t get married…….
Dating is better.
I did the right thing, didn’t I?
I really did the right thing, right?
This counts as successfully getting out of trouble, right?
……Does it?
