Hong Hae-in's office, a sanctuary of glass and steel, felt claustrophobic. The air, usually crisp with her authority, was thick with her unbridled frustration. She sat behind her large, polished desk, her hands gripping the cool surface. Her heart was a furious drum against her ribs. The image of Baek Hyun-woo—his confident smile, his relaxed posture—was burned into her mind's eye. And those comments… his wife is so lucky. Is she even nice to him? The audacity.
"Secretary Na," Hae-in said, her voice a low growl. "Did you make the call?"
"Yes, Director Hong. He should be on his way up," Secretary Na replied, a hint of caution in her tone. She had known Hae-in for years and could sense the volatile cocktail of emotions brewing beneath the surface. This wasn't just about a work disruption; it was deeply personal.
Hae-in's inner thoughts were a chaotic storm. Who does he think he is? Making a scene, disrupting the entire company with his… his newfound charm! It's all a game to him, isn't it? Trying to get a rise out of me. Trying to prove a point. Fine. I'll give him a point to prove: that he needs to stay in his lane. The possessive thought, "he's mine," flashed through her mind again, hot and undeniable. She had bullied him, yes, but he was her property. Her husband. And no one else was allowed to look at him that way.
The sound of the office door opening made her straighten her posture. Her gaze was as sharp and cold as a shard of ice. But the moment she saw him, her carefully constructed composure wavered. He wasn't the meek man she expected. He walked in with an easy, confident stride, a calm smile on his lips that held no trace of fear or apology. His eyes, once so full of a tired longing, now held a glint of genuine mischief. It was like looking at a stranger wearing her husband's face.
"You called, Hae-in?" Hyun-woo asked, his voice calm and even. He stood before her desk, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, an action that radiated an unnerving sense of control.
Hae-in took a breath, steeling herself. "Baek Hyun-woo," she began, her tone formal and cutting. "I trust you're aware of the commotion you've caused in the office today."
"Commotion?" he asked, his smile widening slightly. "I've just been doing my job."
"A little too well, it seems," she snapped. "Your… antics have been disruptive. The rumors are affecting the workflow. You've become the subject of office gossip, which is unprofessional." She air-quoted the next part, her voice dripping with disdain. "I'm hearing comments like, 'He's so charming,' and 'I wonder if he's single.'"
Hyun-woo's smile didn't falter. In fact, it grew wider, a subtle shift that made him look even more devastatingly charming. He took a slow step closer to her desk, leaning forward slightly. His eyes, however, were not on her face but on the furious flare of her nostrils, the slight tremor in her hands. He saw the possessiveness, the anger, and the undeniable jealousy. He saw the fire that she was trying so hard to hide.
"Oh, those comments," he said, his voice dropping to a teasing murmur. "I'm just a handsome man doing handsome things, I suppose. And it's not just the comments. I've even gotten a few coffee offers. I was thinking I should take them up on that. You know, to be polite."
Hae-in's jaw tightened. Her inner thoughts screamed. Coffee offers? With whom? No! Don't you dare! Her carefully maintained composure snapped. "Who?" The single word came out with a force that surprised even herself. Both she and Secretary Na froze for a second. The question was a raw admission, a crack in her carefully built wall of indifference.
Hyun-woo's eyes danced with victory. He leaned back, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "Oh, would you look at that," he said, his voice laced with pure, unadulterated amusement. "Even the infallible CEO Hong Hae-in can be jealous and worry about her husband being stolen."
The directness of his words, the truth of them, hit her like a physical blow. A fierce blush crept up her neck and stained her cheeks a furious red. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and completely mortified. Secretary Na stood silently, trying her best to appear invisible.
Hyun-woo, seeing her reaction, felt a wave of genuine tenderness wash over him. His teasing softened, replaced by a sincere admiration. He stepped around her desk, his gaze fixed on her face. "You know," he murmured, his voice now soft, almost a whisper, "you are incredibly cute when you blush."
He leaned in a little closer. "I should really take a picture of you like this. So I can remember how adorable you look when you get flustered."
Hae-in's blush deepened, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm. She couldn't handle this. The air in the room was thick with tension, with his new confidence and her own raw, exposed emotions. She desperately wanted to regain control, to order him out of her office, but the words wouldn't form.
Just as the silence stretched to a breaking point, Hyun-woo straightened. He turned to Secretary Na, his gaze holding the same calm confidence. "Secretary Na," he said, "could you please get Director Hong a glass of water? I think she might need one."
He then turned back to Hae-in, his smile a slow, deliberate curve. He gave her a long, appraising look, ending with a slow, deliberate wink and a final, mischievous grin. He then turned on his heel and walked out of the office, leaving a bewildered, flustered Hae-in staring after him, her mind completely and utterly blank.