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Chapter 74

"You'd manage fine on your own."

· That's true, but doesn't a president's sudden business trip make you at least a little curious?

She was curious. She'd thought about him quite often while he was away. She'd tried to shake it off, but couldn't stop the thoughts from surfacing, leaving her confused—and then a woman she barely knew had appeared, said things that unsettled her, and left.

"Are you doing well?"

It was the first time she'd asked him such a question. He'd never been away on a business trip since she became his secretary, and his absence felt strange. She'd wondered how he was doing.

"Are you eating properly?"

With his finicky nature, was he eating well? Was he being difficult with anyone? Was he eating alone, isolated from others? She was curious about all of it.

· What's with this sudden tone?

"What do you mean?"

· It's a warm tone. Secretary Cha wouldn't normally answer like this.

"You were the one who asked if I was curious about the president being away."

· Is that all it is? Just curiosity because I'm away?

A brief silence followed. She couldn't answer right away. She knew what he was getting at, and what he wanted to hear—but the words wouldn't come easily.

"Well... just..."

The denial didn't come easily. Normally she'd have fired back with something like, "What else would I worry about besides the president being away?" But today, those words wouldn't come.

Hae-joon was silent on the other end, as if thinking.

· I'm eating well. I'm managing. But I'm not doing well.

His voice was low, measured, as if confessing something.

· Maybe it's because someone who used to be nearby isn't there anymore.

He seemed to feel her absence too. It was strange—even though they were far apart, they were sharing the same feeling.

· It's raining here.

Perhaps because she hadn't responded, he filled the awkward silence with talk of rain. Si-hyun turned toward the window. It hadn't been raining earlier, but as if on cue, raindrops were beginning to dot the glass. She'd heard Hong Kong was in a similar time zone. They were in different places, but sharing something in common.

"It's starting here too."

· Have you eaten dinner?

"I'll eat after work. You should eat properly too, President."

She wasn't confident she could keep this awkward call going, so she tried to wrap it up. Hae-joon must have felt it too—another silence fell.

"This is an international call. It must be expensive. I'll hang up now."

Even as she said it, she imagined him looking incredulous. As if a chaebol like him would care about the cost of an international call. That was just her concern.

· Cha Si-hyun.

She was about to take the phone from her ear and end the call when his voice, carrying a sense of urgency, cut through the air and reached her. She put the phone back to her ear.

· I called because I wanted to hear your voice.

"......"

· I miss you, Cha Si-hyun.

The words hit her clearly, and her heart raced. She swallowed dryly, her throat tight.

'He really likes you, Cha Si-hyun.'

The woman she'd met earlier came to mind. Now she could feel the sincerity behind his words. She also understood how difficult it must be for him to say such things.

For someone who was wary of people and kept them at arm's length, expressing feelings like this to another person must take enormous courage. Faced with his genuine heart, she didn't know what to do—she could only listen.

· This is going to cost a lot. I'm hanging up.

She could picture him ending the call abruptly. He still wasn't used to saying things like that. The dial tone told her the connection to him in another country had been broken.

She wished she'd said more—that she'd thought of him often, more than she'd expected, that she'd been curious about him too. She just stared at her phone, thinking of him again.

---

"Think of this as just a casual meetup. I don't want to pressure you."

Jeong-woo had suggested they meet. Si-hyun still hadn't made up her mind, so the meeting could have felt burdensome—but she might also have questions about his business, so he'd reached out.

"How's the company prep going?"

"Good. I think we can launch next month. The first few years will be tough, but there's satisfaction in growing a company, and I think this sector has high growth potential—worth a shot."

"You seem so confident and positive, Jeong-woo. Always encouraging. I think you'll do well at anything."

She admired that about him when they met. He seemed unburdened, his brightness making others smile.

"Why do I feel like you're drawing a line? Like, 'You'll do well, so I'll step aside and let you handle it'?"

"That's not it. I was just sharing my impression."

"I'm joking. Your face is turning red. You looked down, so I was just trying to make you smile."

Only then did she realize her expression had been off. Lately, she'd felt unwell, her heart heavy. Something had been stuck in her chest, leaving her restless. It had become more pronounced after that call with Hae-joon.

'I'm back Friday evening. Any chance you'll pick me up? I had an important meeting—you should know as my secretary.'

He'd sent that text yesterday. She remembered she already had plans with Jeong-woo on Friday evening and hesitated.

It wasn't work hours, and she could just say she had other plans. There was no obligation—she could easily decline. But when she tried to type that, she kept hesitating.

Should I ask Jeong-woo to reschedule? Say something came up?

'It's okay if you're busy.'

Still, it didn't make sense to cancel a prior commitment just to pick up her boss after hours. She carefully placed her fingers on the keyboard.

'I'm sorry, but I already have plans with Jeong-woo that day.'

She didn't need to hide that she was meeting Jeong-woo—hiding it would only make things stranger. So she typed and sent it. A few minutes later, his reply came.

'Got it.'

A very short, dry response. She wondered how he'd felt sending that. But those two words left too much to the imagination.

Maybe I should have said I'd pick him up. It's been a while since I saw him. If it was an important meeting, I should probably be briefed as his secretary. Maybe he genuinely wanted to share work updates.

All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind after his reply. She felt bad for Jeong-woo, but her prior commitment faded into the background, replaced by thoughts of Hae-joon.

Coming to this meeting with that on her mind, it was no wonder her expression seemed troubled to Jeong-woo.

"Do you have somewhere to be? You keep checking your watch."

"No."

"You're not just forcing yourself to meet me because you're busy, are you?"

He asked with concern, worried she might be uncomfortable because of him.

Outwardly, he'd said it was just a casual meetup, but he'd arranged it because he hadn't seen her in over a week and wanted to see her.

Her complexion had looked dark since she arrived, her face full of worry. From the moment he saw her, he had a bad feeling. That her turmoil wasn't about him. That it was about someone else. That she'd already put him outside her circle of interest.

"Is something worrying you?"

When she didn't answer, he pressed gently. She looked at him steadily, then carefully spoke.

"Have you ever had someone open their heart to you completely, while you used practical excuses to ignore it and avoid them?"

His face showed confusion. The question came out of nowhere—hard to follow. Even she thought it was a strange thing to say.

"Sometimes I think I'm a coward."

She'd tried to rationalize her distance from Hae-joon—citing the Chairman's orders, telling herself he'd just miss her for a while—but all the while, he'd been trying to break through her walls and reach her with sincerity.

The moment she realized his feelings were real, she'd also realized hers were directed toward him. That she wanted him too.

"What's going on? Can you tell me more?"

He asked, his voice full of concern. He didn't know what it was, but it clearly mattered to her. But she didn't elaborate. She invoked her right to silence, and though he felt a little impatient, he didn't press.

"I don't know exactly what it is, but if someone is sincere, and you can feel it..."

He paused, took a breath, and continued.

"I think the right thing to do is to face that sincerity honestly, and show yours too. If you feel the same way."

"I suppose so..."

She stirred the straw in her cup, lost in thought. Then she let go and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jeong-woo. I have somewhere I need to go. Right now."

"Where?"

"I think I need to show my sincerity to that person too."

"Do you have to go now?"

"Yes. I think I do."

She stood up quickly.

"I'll treat you next time. I'm really sorry about today."

She bowed her head and rushed out. Her steps seemed more urgent than ever.

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