Chapter 101: Seo-Jun’s Dilemma: Is She, Or Is She Not Angry With Me?
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To Seo-Jun's luck, the hunting event was truly done and over now, so he easily found Yeon-Ah.
She was standing at the edge of the forest together with Jung Seok.
Seo-Jun was too far away from them, so he couldn't hear what they were saying. However, judging by the smile on their faces it was pretty obvious that the two colleagues were having quite a good time chatting.
At some point, Yeon-Ah accidentally caught a glimpse of Seo-Jun striding towards them. Her eyes involuntarily shifted towards his face and their gazes met.
As soon as her eyes locked with Seo-Jun's, Yeon-Ah's breathing caught in her throat. Her smile faltered and, in just a split second, she looked away from him. She continued speaking to Jung Seok, who hadn't noticed anything, while pointedly avoiding looking in Seo-Jun's direction.
Seeing this, Seo-Jun once again felt conflicted. A light frown appeared on his forehead, but other than that his expression wasn't very altered from usual. He still carried an affable smile on his face.
Instead, though, he picked up the pace, reaching Yeon-Ah and Jung Seok in just a few strides.
"So, how did you two do in this event?" Seo-Jun addressed the other two in a cheerful manner, then teased them playfully. "I hope you didn't let us all down by losing spectacularly."
Jung Seok smiled awkwardly in return, then glanced at Yeon-Ah first.
The moment Seo-Jun stopped in front of them, Yeon-Ah directed her eyes to the ground. She fiddled with her fingers, completely unaware of the two men who were staring curiously at her.
Seeing Yeon-Ah unwilling to reply, Jung Seok took it upon himself to speak.
"We got seventh place."
"Only that?" Seo-Jun arched an eyebrow.
For a second he looked genuinely surprised. His eyes glanced at Yeon-Ah, who in turn did everything in her power to ignore him.
"It's all my fault really." Jung Seok said, scratching at his head in embarrassment. "My poor performance dragged Miss Lee down by a lot. I'm sure that, if she were paired with someone like you or Director Kang the result would have been better."
"Yes, well… there is nothing to be done about that. We can only make due with the lots we drew." Seo-Jun smiled, then looked again at Yeon-Ah. "Isn't that right, Miss Lee?"
Yeon-Ah's body imperceptibly flinched. She could feel him staring at her. His eyes felt like needles on her skin. His gaze prickled her, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Knowing that Seo-Jun probably won't look away unless she answers him, Yeon-Ah sucked in a breath and finally lifted her eyes.
"Mn, Deputy Director Kim is indeed right. We should be happy with our lot and make due with what we have. At least, with these results, you won't have to worry about showing your face at work on Monday."
Jung Seok may not have noticed anything wrong with her answer, but Seo-Jun was much sharper. He immediately picked up on the self-deprecating note in Yeon-Ah's voice.
At first, Seo-Jun was still a bit uncertain, so he wanted to check. He scanned her face, searching for answers there. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to catch her eyes, Yeon-Ah stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on a certain point above his left shoulder. Her smile was polite at best, but devoid of any real cheerfulness.
No matter how one looked at it, her expression right now was completely different from what she showed Jung Seok just a few moments ago.
Seeing this, Seo-Jun was once again thrown into bafflement.
'Why does her attitude resemble an arctic wind? Giving me the cold shoulder… Did I do something to piss her off? But I really can't think of anything that could warrant this behavior.'
Having such a genteel woman suddenly become icy cold was surely a serious matter. It definitely required special attention in identifying the cause.
Therefore, Seo-Jun couldn't help but replay in his head all their recent interactions, hoping to figure out what happened.
In the midst of his pondering, Seo-Jun heard Jung Seok's voice. The man was talking to him, asking him something.
"Hm? Did you say anything?" Seo-Jun asked, slowly pulling himself out of his daze.
"Ah, yes. I was asking about your result, Deputy Director Kim." Jung Seok repeated his question.
At this, Seo-Jun quickly reverted to his previous cheerful attitude.
"Needless to say that my partner and I got second place." he boasted.
"Since it's Deputy Director Kim, there's no wonder you got that result." Jung Seok nodded in understanding.
Seo-Jun expected a flash of envy to pass through their eyes, but neither Jung Seok, nor Yeon-Ah seemed impressed.
Just then, Jung Seok's phone suddenly began to ring.
Glancing at the screen, Jung Seok's expression froze. A second later, he subtly covered the screen with one hand and retreated a step.
"Uhm, excuse me. I have to take this." he said with a sheepish smile.
"Sure, go right ahead." Seo-Jun gestured with his hand.
Having received his boss's permission, Jung Seok then turned to Yeon-Ah.
"Do you mind if I go on first?"
Yeon-Ah shook her head, letting Jung Seok know that she didn't mind.
"Thank you. See you back at the hotel."
Jung Seok tilted his head, shooting grateful looks at the both of them. After that, he scurried away in the direction of the hotel.
"Hmmm." Seo-Jun hummed pensively. "Who could that person be? Making Jung Seok look so anxious to take their call, they must be very important to him. A girlfriend perhaps?"
"I don't think that's the case." Yeon-Ah said evenly.
Seo-Jun let out an affected gasp, covering his mouth with both hands. Then, he drew closer towards Yeon-Ah, bending his body so he could whisper in her ear.
"Then, do you think maybe it's a boyfriend?"
Without even looking at him, Yeon-Ah shook her head slowly.
"That's not it." She said softly. "I think it might be his mother. Today she went to the hospital for a checkup. He couldn't go with her, so he's been worrying about it the entire day."
Seo-Jun quickly straightened himself up and glanced at her strangely.
"How do you know all this?"
"How do I know?" Yeon-Ah repeated in confusion. "Because he told me, of course. I talked to Jung Seok during the event and he told me about it. How else would I know?"
Yeon-Ah was now openly staring at Seo-Jun as though he was an idiot. Perhaps that wasn't really her intention, but her expression couldn't mask the way she really felt about his question.
Coming from her, that look of puzzlement appeared unfortunately similar to disdain. Or at least that's how it felt to Seo-Jun.
Feeling strangely displeased, Seo-Jun decided to cut the chit-chat short and get straight to business. Without wasting any more time, he cleared his throat, then said what he came there to say.
"Miss Lee, something happened to Miss Park, so I need you to come with me."
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To Seo-Jun's luck, the hunting event was truly done and over now, so he easily found Yeon-Ah.
She was standing at the edge of the forest together with Jung Seok.
Seo-Jun was too far away from them, so he couldn't hear what they were saying. However, judging by the smile on their faces it was pretty obvious that the two colleagues were having quite a good time chatting.
At some point, Yeon-Ah accidentally caught a glimpse of Seo-Jun striding towards them. Her eyes involuntarily shifted towards his face and their gazes met.
As soon as her eyes locked with Seo-Jun's, Yeon-Ah's breathing caught in her throat. Her smile faltered and, in just a split second, she looked away from him. She continued speaking to Jung Seok, who hadn't noticed anything, while pointedly avoiding looking in Seo-Jun's direction.
Seeing this, Seo-Jun once again felt conflicted. A light frown appeared on his forehead, but other than that his expression wasn't very altered from usual. He still carried an affable smile on his face.
Instead, though, he picked up the pace, reaching Yeon-Ah and Jung Seok in just a few strides.
"So, how did you two do in this event?" Seo-Jun addressed the other two in a cheerful manner, then teased them playfully. "I hope you didn't let us all down by losing spectacularly."
Jung Seok smiled awkwardly in return, then glanced at Yeon-Ah first.
The moment Seo-Jun stopped in front of them, Yeon-Ah directed her eyes to the ground. She fiddled with her fingers, completely unaware of the two men who were staring curiously at her.
Seeing Yeon-Ah unwilling to reply, Jung Seok took it upon himself to speak.
"We got seventh place."
"Only that?" Seo-Jun arched an eyebrow.
For a second he looked genuinely surprised. His eyes glanced at Yeon-Ah, who in turn did everything in her power to ignore him.
"It's all my fault really." Jung Seok said, scratching at his head in embarrassment. "My poor performance dragged Miss Lee down by a lot. I'm sure that, if she were paired with someone like you or Director Kang the result would have been better."
"Yes, well… there is nothing to be done about that. We can only make due with the lots we drew." Seo-Jun smiled, then looked again at Yeon-Ah. "Isn't that right, Miss Lee?"
Yeon-Ah's body imperceptibly flinched. She could feel him staring at her. His eyes felt like needles on her skin. His gaze prickled her, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Knowing that Seo-Jun probably won't look away unless she answers him, Yeon-Ah sucked in a breath and finally lifted her eyes.
"Mn, Deputy Director Kim is indeed right. We should be happy with our lot and make due with what we have. At least, with these results, you won't have to worry about showing your face at work on Monday."
Jung Seok may not have noticed anything wrong with her answer, but Seo-Jun was much sharper. He immediately picked up on the self-deprecating note in Yeon-Ah's voice.
At first, Seo-Jun was still a bit uncertain, so he wanted to check. He scanned her face, searching for answers there. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to catch her eyes, Yeon-Ah stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on a certain point above his left shoulder. Her smile was polite at best, but devoid of any real cheerfulness.
No matter how one looked at it, her expression right now was completely different from what she showed Jung Seok just a few moments ago.
Seeing this, Seo-Jun was once again thrown into bafflement.
'Why does her attitude resemble an arctic wind? Giving me the cold shoulder… Did I do something to piss her off? But I really can't think of anything that could warrant this behavior.'
Having such a genteel woman suddenly become icy cold was surely a serious matter. It definitely required special attention in identifying the cause.
Therefore, Seo-Jun couldn't help but replay in his head all their recent interactions, hoping to figure out what happened.
In the midst of his pondering, Seo-Jun heard Jung Seok's voice. The man was talking to him, asking him something.
"Hm? Did you say anything?" Seo-Jun asked, slowly pulling himself out of his daze.
"Ah, yes. I was asking about your result, Deputy Director Kim." Jung Seok repeated his question.
At this, Seo-Jun quickly reverted to his previous cheerful attitude.
"Needless to say that my partner and I got second place." he boasted.
"Since it's Deputy Director Kim, there's no wonder you got that result." Jung Seok nodded in understanding.
Seo-Jun expected a flash of envy to pass through their eyes, but neither Jung Seok, nor Yeon-Ah seemed impressed.
Just then, Jung Seok's phone suddenly began to ring.
Glancing at the screen, Jung Seok's expression froze. A second later, he subtly covered the screen with one hand and retreated a step.
"Uhm, excuse me. I have to take this." he said with a sheepish smile.
"Sure, go right ahead." Seo-Jun gestured with his hand.
Having received his boss's permission, Jung Seok then turned to Yeon-Ah.
"Do you mind if I go on first?"
Yeon-Ah shook her head, letting Jung Seok know that she didn't mind.
"Thank you. See you back at the hotel."
Jung Seok tilted his head, shooting grateful looks at the both of them. After that, he scurried away in the direction of the hotel.
"Hmmm." Seo-Jun hummed pensively. "Who could that person be? Making Jung Seok look so anxious to take their call, they must be very important to him. A girlfriend perhaps?"
"I don't think that's the case." Yeon-Ah said evenly.
Seo-Jun let out an affected gasp, covering his mouth with both hands. Then, he drew closer towards Yeon-Ah, bending his body so he could whisper in her ear.
"Then, do you think maybe it's a boyfriend?"
Without even looking at him, Yeon-Ah shook her head slowly.
"That's not it." She said softly. "I think it might be his mother. Today she went to the hospital for a checkup. He couldn't go with her, so he's been worrying about it the entire day."
Seo-Jun quickly straightened himself up and glanced at her strangely.
"How do you know all this?"
"How do I know?" Yeon-Ah repeated in confusion. "Because he told me, of course. I talked to Jung Seok during the event and he told me about it. How else would I know?"
Yeon-Ah was now openly staring at Seo-Jun as though he was an idiot. Perhaps that wasn't really her intention, but her expression couldn't mask the way she really felt about his question.
Coming from her, that look of puzzlement appeared unfortunately similar to disdain. Or at least that's how it felt to Seo-Jun.
Feeling strangely displeased, Seo-Jun decided to cut the chit-chat short and get straight to business. Without wasting any more time, he cleared his throat, then said what he came there to say.
"Miss Lee, something happened to Miss Park, so I need you to come with me."
To Seo-Jun's luck, the hunting event was truly done and over now, so he easily found Yeon-Ah.She was standing at the edge of the forest together with Jung Seok. Seo-Jun was too far away from them, so he couldn't hear what they were saying. However, judging by the smile on their faces it was pretty obvious that the two colleagues were having quite a good time chatting. At some point, Yeon-Ah accidentally caught a glimpse of Seo-Jun striding towards them. Her eyes involuntarily shifted towards his face and their gazes met. As soon as her eyes locked with Seo-Jun's, Yeon-Ah's breathing caught in her throat. Her smile faltered and, in just a split second, she looked away from him. She continued speaking to Jung Seok, who hadn't noticed anything, while pointedly avoiding looking in Seo-Jun's direction.Seeing this, Seo-Jun once again felt conflicted. A light frown appeared on his forehead, but other than that his expression wasn't very altered from usual. He still carried an affable smile on his face. Instead, though, he picked up the pace, reaching Yeon-Ah and Jung Seok in just a few strides."So, how did you two do in this event?" Seo-Jun addressed the other two in a cheerful manner, then teased them playfully. "I hope you didn't let us all down by losing spectacularly." Jung Seok smiled awkwardly in return, then glanced at Yeon-Ah first. The moment Seo-Jun stopped in front of them, Yeon-Ah directed her eyes to the ground. She fiddled with her fingers, completely unaware of the two men who were staring curiously at her. Seeing Yeon-Ah unwilling to reply, Jung Seok took it upon himself to speak."We got seventh place." "Only that?" Seo-Jun arched an eyebrow. For a second he looked genuinely surprised. His eyes glanced at Yeon-Ah, who in turn did everything in her power to ignore him."It's all my fault really." Jung Seok said, scratching at his head in embarrassment. "My poor performance dragged Miss Lee down by a lot. I'm sure that, if she were paired with someone like you or Director Kang the result would have been better.""Yes, well there is nothing to be done about that. We can only make due with the lots we drew." Seo-Jun smiled, then looked again at Yeon-Ah. "Isn't that right, Miss Lee?"Yeon-Ah's body imperceptibly flinched. She could feel him staring at her. His eyes felt like needles on her skin. His gaze prickled her, making her feel very uncomfortable. Knowing that Seo-Jun probably won't look away unless she answers him, Yeon-Ah sucked in a breath and finally lifted her eyes. "Mn, Deputy Director Kim is indeed right. We should be happy with our lot and make due with what we have. At least, with these results, you won't have to worry about showing your face at work on Monday."Jung Seok may not have noticed anything wrong with her answer, but Seo-Jun was much sharper. He immediately picked up on the self-deprecating note in Yeon-Ah's voice. At first, Seo-Jun was still a bit uncertain, so he wanted to check. He scanned her face, searching for answers there. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to catch her eyes, Yeon-Ah stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on a certain point above his left shoulder. Her smile was polite at best, but devoid of any real cheerfulness. No matter how one looked at it, her expression right now was completely different from what she showed Jung Seok just a few moments ago. Seeing this, Seo-Jun was once again thrown into bafflement. 'Why does her attitude resemble an arctic wind? Giving me the cold shoulder Did I do something to piss her off? But I really can't think of anything that could warrant this behavior.'Having such a genteel woman suddenly become icy cold was surely a serious matter. It definitely required special attention in identifying the cause. Therefore, Seo-Jun couldn't help but replay in his head all their recent interactions, hoping to figure out what happened. In the midst of his pondering, Seo-Jun heard Jung Seok's voice. The man was talking to him, asking him something. "Hm? Did you say anything?" Seo-Jun asked, slowly pulling himself out of his daze. "Ah, yes. I was asking about your result, Deputy Director Kim." Jung Seok repeated his question. At this, Seo-Jun quickly reverted to his previous cheerful attitude. "Needless to say that my partner and I got second place." he boasted."Since it's Deputy Director Kim, there's no wonder you got that result." Jung Seok nodded in understanding. Seo-Jun expected a flash of envy to pass through their eyes, but neither Jung Seok, nor Yeon-Ah seemed impressed. Just then, Jung Seok's phone suddenly began to ring. Glancing at the screen, Jung Seok's expression froze. A second later, he subtly covered the screen with one hand and retreated a step."Uhm, excuse me. I have to take this." he said with a sheepish smile."Sure, go right ahead." Seo-Jun gestured with his hand. Having received his boss's permission, Jung Seok then turned to Yeon-Ah. "Do you mind if I go on first?"Yeon-Ah shook her head, letting Jung Seok know that she didn't mind."Thank you. See you back at the hotel." Jung Seok tilted his head, shooting grateful looks at the both of them. After that, he scurried away in the direction of the hotel. "Hmmm." Seo-Jun hummed pensively. "Who could that person be? Making Jung Seok look so anxious to take their call, they must be very important to him. A girlfriend perhaps?""I don't think that's the case." Yeon-Ah said evenly. Seo-Jun let out an affected gasp, covering his mouth with both hands. Then, he drew closer towards Yeon-Ah, bending his body so he could whisper in her ear."Then, do you think maybe it's a boyfriend?" Without even looking at him, Yeon-Ah shook her head slowly. "That's not it." She said softly. "I think it might be his mother. Today she went to the hospital for a checkup. He couldn't go with her, so he's been worrying about it the entire day." Seo-Jun quickly straightened himself up and glanced at her strangely. "How do you know all this?""How do I know?" Yeon-Ah repeated in confusion. "Because he told me, of course. I talked to Jung Seok during the event and he told me about it. How else would I know?"Yeon-Ah was now openly staring at Seo-Jun as though he was an idiot. Perhaps that wasn't really her intention, but her expression couldn't mask the way she really felt about his question. Coming from her, that look of puzzlement appeared unfortunately similar to disdain. Or at least that's how it felt to Seo-Jun. Feeling strangely displeased, Seo-Jun decided to cut the chit-chat short and get straight to business. Without wasting any more time, he cleared his throat, then said what he came there to say. "Miss Lee, something happened to Miss Park, so I need you to come with me."
