Release Miss Kang..." Mr. Park said as he slowly approached.
"Who are you to meddle in things that don't concern you?"
"And who are you to treat a woman like this? As far as I know... You and Miss Kang are no longer in a relationship, so you have no right to treat her like your property."
"How is Mr. Park here? Did he follow me? Or is it just a coincidence that he found us here?" The atmosphere grew tense with the presence of Eun-ho and Mr. Park. Would they fight? Should I separate them?
"Mr. Park... you'd better go back to the company... Let me handle this myself, okay?" I said, tugging at his sleeve.
"Miss Kang... I can't leave you alone, especially with an idiot with you."
"Say that again, you son of a bitch!" Eun-ho grabbed Mr. Park by the collar, punching him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "Mr. Park!" I yelled as Mr. Park, still in pain, returned the blow to Eun-ho. I didn't know what to do or how to separate them. "Stop it now!"
"You'll pay for this..." Mr. Park grabbed Eun-ho by the shirt and slammed him to the floor.
"Don't you ever hit me again, you bastard... And if I see you anywhere near Miss Kang... I'll kill you with my bare hands..." Mr. Park said, pressing his hand into the wound on Eun-ho's abdomen. "Miss... K-Kang... take me to my office, please..." Mr. Park said, wincing in pain.
"Y-yes, of course..." I pulled Mr. Park against me, carrying him through the back door of the building so no one would see him in this state. Fortunately, no one was there when we arrived at the office. I sat Mr. Park down at his desk as he endured the pain from the blows.
"Wait here, I'll get something to treat it," I said, heading off to find a first-aid kit. While I was looking for it, Mr. Park unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the bruise on his abdomen. When I returned, I saw my boss with his shirt unbuttoned.
"W-what are you doing, Mr. Park?" I asked, nervous about the situation. "Don't get the wrong idea... Miss Kang, I have a bruise on my abdomen..." I saw the bruise on his lower abdomen, grabbed an ice pack, and gave it to Mr. Park to put on.
"Here... The ice will help reduce the swelling and make the bruise disappear."
"Thank you very much, Miss Kang," Mr. Park said, maintaining eye contact with me. I noticed his swollen lip with a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. "It's bleeding... Let me treat it." I opened the first-aid kit and took out some bandages and disinfectant. "Get ready... it's going to sting a little."
"Don't worry... I'll bear it."
"Are you sure?... You won't cry?" I chuckled discreetly, teasing him.
"If I cry... You'll have to hug me to comfort me, don't you think?" Mr. Park said with a mischievous look.
"W-what?" I blushed at Mr. Park's response and gaze. "Don't say things like that. Now let me treat it." I started cleaning and disinfecting the wound before putting a bandage on it.
"Thank you... Miss Kang."
"I-it's nothing... It's the least I could do after... you defended me..." I replied nervously, even though what Mr. Park did was foolish... He managed to stop Eun-ho from hurting me. Thank you so much.
"You're welcome, Miss Kang."
After treating him, I put the things away in the first-aid kit. "Well... My lunch break is over, so I'll be back to work. Excuse me," I said, bowing slightly.
"Go eat, Miss Kang..."
"Excuse me?" I asked, confused, looking directly at him.
"Go eat first, then you can return to work... And take your time, don't rush your meal, okay?"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Park," I said gratefully, bowing again.
I left the office and headed for the elevator.
"Why is he being so generous with me? That's unusual for him," I said, leaning against the elevator, waiting to get to the cafeteria. After eating, I sat down at my desk to continue my work.
"Hye-jin, where were you?" "Soo-kyung asked, "I was waiting for you so we could eat together."
"I'm so sorry, Soo-kyung. I had a little problem at lunchtime," I replied, trying to think of an excuse. I couldn't tell her I ran into Eun-ho outside the company, much less that I'd been with the boss the whole time, and especially that I saw him shirtless. God, what are you thinking, Kang Hye-jin? You can't say or even think about that."
"Well, you see... I ran into Eun-"
"I called her Miss Shin. I was helping Miss Kang with a problem."
"Yes! That's right, Mr. Park was helping me with a small problem and I didn't make it in time for lunch."
"Are you sure, Hye-jin?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I'm sure. Why would I lie to you?"
"Well, I'll take your word for it. How about we go to a bar after work?"
"I don't see why not. Would Mr. Park join us?"
"I can't, I have some things to take care of... if you'll excuse me." She gave a small bow and walked towards her office.
"Why did you invite him, Hye-jin? You've never invited him out before. You're acting strange today."
"I don't know, I just wanted to invite him, but as you can see, he doesn't have time, so it's just you and me, like always."
A while later, it was time to leave. I put my things in my bag and turned off my computer. Soo-kyung was waiting for me at the elevators so we could go to the bar. Luckily, we didn't have to work the next day. "Now let's go, Hye-jin," Soo-kyung exclaimed. We left the company arm in arm. It was cold that night, and I was even considering whether it was a good idea to drink in this weather.
"Hey, Soo-kyung, don't you think it would be better to get something warm? My treat."
"Yeah... I think it's better than drinking. Let's go to a coffee shop." We headed to a coffee shop, still arm in arm, trying to warm up. We went inside, took off our coats, and sat down at a table.
"This place is nice, isn't it, Hye-jin?"
"Yes, it's very nice, especially in this weather." After ordering coffee, Soo-kyung told me everything that had happened at lunchtime. While I listened to the conversation, our coffee arrived. Even though some time had passed since it happened, one question kept nagging at me: "Why did Mr. Park defend me?"