Chapter 180: Aftermath
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
That Monday after lunch Ji-Won was in his office. He was busy preparing the documents needed for signing the contract with the Ma couple.
He was just about to place the stack of papers into a file, when the door was suddenly pushed open.
Ji-Won glanced up and saw Seo-Jun hurrying inside. As he advanced with large strides into the office, the man was brimming with impatience and curiosity. He gave Ji-Won a onceover, then quickly inquired about the thing that he was most interested in.
"Hey, buddy, how are you feeling?"
"You already asked me that this morning... Twice." Ji-Won replied with an eyebrow twitching in vexation.
Indeed, the moment Seo-Jun had spotted him inside the lobby that morning he made sure everyone knew that Ji-Won hadn't been feeling well.
The annoying man he called friend didn't stop there, though. He also made a point of following Ji-Won around, treating him as though he was about to drop dead any second.
"Seo-Jun, would you please stop fussing about this? It was just a normal reaction for me. I'm not dying, you know?" Ji-Won pleaded wearily.
"That may be so..." Seo-Jun grudgingly agreed, then added quickly. "But it's been years since you've fainted, Ji-Won. I'm just worried your condition might get worse or that something is wrong and you just don't know about it yet. Just go to the hospital and have yourself checked. There's no harm in that, now is it?"
That was actually a fair point and Ji-Won knew it. Besides, Seo-Jun was never this adamant about something trivial like this, unless things looked really bad. So, Ji-Won concluded that he must have really been in an awful state Saturday night, if he managed to scare his usually impassive friend to this degree.
With that in mind, Ji-Won eventually sighed in defeat.
"Alright, I get it. After we finish with work today I'll drop by the hospital and talk to the doctor."
After that, the subject was closed and both Ji-Won and Seo-Jun focused on what they had to do.
At least that was the case, until Seo-Jun decided to ask a startling question.
"How were things with Miss Park?"
Ji-Won's hands instantly paused in their movements and he avoided looking Seo-Jun in the eye.
After what felt like the longest minute ever, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to reply.
"It was… alright, I guess. She stayed with me until I woke up and afterwards we just talked."
"What did you talk about?" Seo-Jun inquired, barely able to rein in his curiosity.
"Uhm…" Ji-Won fumbled with the things on his desk, hesitating to speak.
"Did you tell her about your condition?"
"Yes." Ji-Won nodded slowly.
"How much?"
"Everything you and I know."
Hearing this answer, Seo-Jun's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
'Does this block of ice actually trust Miss Park enough to share with her everything about his condition? Now this is truly an outstanding thing. I bet he is unaware of the significance of this matter, though. He probably thinks that it must have happened due to an impulse, just a spur of a moment.'
As Seo-Jun reached this point, Ji-Won's next words suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.
"About Saturday evening, when you got to the arcade… how were things there?"
"What exactly are you asking?"
"Do you know what happened during her date? How did she and... that person seem to you?"
Seo-Jun thought for a moment, then replied slowly.
"Well, as far as I could tell nothing much happened. The guy looked pretty calm and polite and Miss Park was almost unfazed. Until she saw you fainted in the car that is. That's when she almost flipped."
Seo-Jun embellished the story a little, resulting in a dramatic tale of how Su-Jin almost cried rivers while worrying about him.
Obviously Ji-Won didn't believe half of the man's words and Seo-Jun was well aware of that. Nevertheless, he thought it was all worth it, if it could help his friend in growing slightly closer to Su-Jin.
Just then, another thought suddenly popped inside his head.
"But wait a minute. Ji-Won, why are you asking me that? Could it be that, after spending so much time together in your apartment, alone, you actually didn't think of personally asking her about all this?" Seo-Jun asked in consternation.
"No! I mean yes! Ugh, what I mean to say is that we have talked about it. She already told me that everything I thought happened had actually been a misunderstanding."
"Then why ask someone else about it, if the main person involved already clarified the matter?"
Now, Seo-Jun was even more befuddled by his friend's train of thought. Then, seeing Ji-Won's hesitant expression, an idea suddenly struck him.
"Or could it be that the two of you had other important things to do than talk? Did it involve exchanging bodily fluids?
"Don't be an idiot!" Ji-Won snapped angrily. "It's because you say things like that I… Uhm, you know what? Nevermind, just pretend I didn't say anything."
With that, Ji-Won shut his mouth tightly and refused to say another word.
But was Seo-Jun really going to let him go that easily? Of course not!
The man's expression suddenly took on a hint of satisfaction, similar to that of a wolf that had successfully cornered it's prey.
"Eh? What about it? Tell me." Seo-Jun drawled. "Could it be that you are currently having certain thoughts? Maybe it was because I kept suggesting that you might be interested in Miss Park, you have finally started to think about it seriously."
At that precise moment, the door to Ji-Won's office opened and Su-Jin appeared behind the threshold. She was holding a file, looking very focused.
Ji-Won had rarely seen her like this, so he was momentarily stunned.
At that time, Su-Jin was indeed too concentrated on what she came there to talk about, to pay any special attention to JI-Won's appearance. Thus, she didn't notice how the man's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, before finally settling on her hands.
As she began talking, Su-Jin moved past the doorway and took a few steps inside the office.
"Director Kang, there is a document that needs revising. There might have been a mistake in the estimations done by the Marketing team. Also, this statement about rural traditions and festivals is inaccurate. Based on what I know..."
Su-Jin continued to speak for a couple more minutes, before finally realizing that something was wrong. She lifted her eyes from the papers and was slightly startled to see Ji-Won staring at her with a blank look on his face. Or at least that's what it looked like to her.
Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Su-Jin gripped the file tighter and cleared her throat.
"Uhm, Director Kang, did you hear what I just said?"
"Hm?" Ji-Won hummed distractedly.
Su-Jin arched an eyebrow. She had never seen her boss so out of it before, so she couldn't help but feel slightly disconcerted.
'Is he still feeling unwell? He shouldn't, though. After all, I remember him mentioning that it wasn't anything that I should worry about, and it's already been a full day after the event.'
After thinking about all that, Su-Jin decided to try and gain her boss's attention. For that purpose, she settled on letting out a light cough.
That seemed to have woken Ji-Won up from his daze, because he immediately straightened up and his eyes regained their spark.
"Revising, yes, mhn, I can do that."
After stuttering awkwardly for half a second, Ji-Won decidedly shut his mouth. He stretched out a hand, gesturing for Su-Jin to hand him the file.
At this time, Seo-Jun was snickering quietly in a corner. He had acted like a handsome piece of furniture until then, silently observing the two unsuspecting people.
But now, seeing his best friend's dumb expression and hearing his stuttering, Seo-Jun couldn't hold back his amusement any longer. Consequently, not even a moment later, a heartfelt lighter broke out inside the office.
Due to the unexpected noise, both Ji-Won and Su-Jin flinched in shock. But the one who appeared the most surprised was Su-Jin.
Previously, when she entered the Director's office, she had been too focused on the documents she was holding, so she didn't pay too much attention to her surroundings. Hence, why she didn't see Seo-Jun sitting in a corner on the small sofa.
Right now, though, Su-Jin paused in her movements, her hand gripping the file she was still holding. She turned on the spot slowly, watching as the Deputy Director's entire body shook because of barely repressed chuckles.
"Deputy Director Kim, I... I didn't know you were here as well." Su-Jin spoke through her embarrassment.
"Clearly your mind was too preoccupied with other things." Seo-Jun grinned teasingly, glancing pointedly in Ji-Won's direction.
Su-Jin noticed the small gesture and the corners of her mouth twitched. She wanted to retort, but before she got a chance to open her mouth, Ji-Won's voice came from behind the desk. It sounded cold and demanding, like that of a true authoritative boss.
"If you have enough time to fool around, you'd better go and get ready. The meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Ma was scheduled at 3 p.m. today" Ji-Won paused, glancing at his watch. "It's already 1:30 p.m. now. If we don't want to catch the traffic, we should leave soon, so go and get your things."
With this, Ji-Won's words effectively changed the atmosphere inside the office, as well as the course of the entire conversation.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
That Monday after lunch Ji-Won was in his office. He was busy preparing the documents needed for signing the contract with the Ma couple.
He was just about to place the stack of papers into a file, when the door was suddenly pushed open.
Ji-Won glanced up and saw Seo-Jun hurrying inside. As he advanced with large strides into the office, the man was brimming with impatience and curiosity. He gave Ji-Won a onceover, then quickly inquired about the thing that he was most interested in.
"Hey, buddy, how are you feeling?"
"You already asked me that this morning... Twice." Ji-Won replied with an eyebrow twitching in vexation.
Indeed, the moment Seo-Jun had spotted him inside the lobby that morning he made sure everyone knew that Ji-Won hadn't been feeling well.
The annoying man he called friend didn't stop there, though. He also made a point of following Ji-Won around, treating him as though he was about to drop dead any second.
"Seo-Jun, would you please stop fussing about this? It was just a normal reaction for me. I'm not dying, you know?" Ji-Won pleaded wearily.
"That may be so..." Seo-Jun grudgingly agreed, then added quickly. "But it's been years since you've fainted, Ji-Won. I'm just worried your condition might get worse or that something is wrong and you just don't know about it yet. Just go to the hospital and have yourself checked. There's no harm in that, now is it?"
That was actually a fair point and Ji-Won knew it. Besides, Seo-Jun was never this adamant about something trivial like this, unless things looked really bad. So, Ji-Won concluded that he must have really been in an awful state Saturday night, if he managed to scare his usually impassive friend to this degree.
With that in mind, Ji-Won eventually sighed in defeat.
"Alright, I get it. After we finish with work today I'll drop by the hospital and talk to the doctor."
After that, the subject was closed and both Ji-Won and Seo-Jun focused on what they had to do.
At least that was the case, until Seo-Jun decided to ask a startling question.
"How were things with Miss Park?"
Ji-Won's hands instantly paused in their movements and he avoided looking Seo-Jun in the eye.
After what felt like the longest minute ever, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to reply.
"It was… alright, I guess. She stayed with me until I woke up and afterwards we just talked."
"What did you talk about?" Seo-Jun inquired, barely able to rein in his curiosity.
"Uhm…" Ji-Won fumbled with the things on his desk, hesitating to speak.
"Did you tell her about your condition?"
"Yes." Ji-Won nodded slowly.
"How much?"
"Everything you and I know."
Hearing this answer, Seo-Jun's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
'Does this block of ice actually trust Miss Park enough to share with her everything about his condition? Now this is truly an outstanding thing. I bet he is unaware of the significance of this matter, though. He probably thinks that it must have happened due to an impulse, just a spur of a moment.'
As Seo-Jun reached this point, Ji-Won's next words suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.
"About Saturday evening, when you got to the arcade… how were things there?"
"What exactly are you asking?"
"Do you know what happened during her date? How did she and... that person seem to you?"
Seo-Jun thought for a moment, then replied slowly.
"Well, as far as I could tell nothing much happened. The guy looked pretty calm and polite and Miss Park was almost unfazed. Until she saw you fainted in the car that is. That's when she almost flipped."
Seo-Jun embellished the story a little, resulting in a dramatic tale of how Su-Jin almost cried rivers while worrying about him.
Obviously Ji-Won didn't believe half of the man's words and Seo-Jun was well aware of that. Nevertheless, he thought it was all worth it, if it could help his friend in growing slightly closer to Su-Jin.
Just then, another thought suddenly popped inside his head.
"But wait a minute. Ji-Won, why are you asking me that? Could it be that, after spending so much time together in your apartment, alone, you actually didn't think of personally asking her about all this?" Seo-Jun asked in consternation.
"No! I mean yes! Ugh, what I mean to say is that we have talked about it. She already told me that everything I thought happened had actually been a misunderstanding."
"Then why ask someone else about it, if the main person involved already clarified the matter?"
Now, Seo-Jun was even more befuddled by his friend's train of thought. Then, seeing Ji-Won's hesitant expression, an idea suddenly struck him.
"Or could it be that the two of you had other important things to do than talk? Did it involve exchanging bodily fluids?
"Don't be an idiot!" Ji-Won snapped angrily. "It's because you say things like that I… Uhm, you know what? Nevermind, just pretend I didn't say anything."
With that, Ji-Won shut his mouth tightly and refused to say another word.
But was Seo-Jun really going to let him go that easily? Of course not!
The man's expression suddenly took on a hint of satisfaction, similar to that of a wolf that had successfully cornered it's prey.
"Eh? What about it? Tell me." Seo-Jun drawled. "Could it be that you are currently having certain thoughts? Maybe it was because I kept suggesting that you might be interested in Miss Park, you have finally started to think about it seriously."
At that precise moment, the door to Ji-Won's office opened and Su-Jin appeared behind the threshold. She was holding a file, looking very focused.
Ji-Won had rarely seen her like this, so he was momentarily stunned.
At that time, Su-Jin was indeed too concentrated on what she came there to talk about, to pay any special attention to JI-Won's appearance. Thus, she didn't notice how the man's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, before finally settling on her hands.
As she began talking, Su-Jin moved past the doorway and took a few steps inside the office.
"Director Kang, there is a document that needs revising. There might have been a mistake in the estimations done by the Marketing team. Also, this statement about rural traditions and festivals is inaccurate. Based on what I know..."
Su-Jin continued to speak for a couple more minutes, before finally realizing that something was wrong. She lifted her eyes from the papers and was slightly startled to see Ji-Won staring at her with a blank look on his face. Or at least that's what it looked like to her.
Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Su-Jin gripped the file tighter and cleared her throat.
"Uhm, Director Kang, did you hear what I just said?"
"Hm?" Ji-Won hummed distractedly.
Su-Jin arched an eyebrow. She had never seen her boss so out of it before, so she couldn't help but feel slightly disconcerted.
'Is he still feeling unwell? He shouldn't, though. After all, I remember him mentioning that it wasn't anything that I should worry about, and it's already been a full day after the event.'
After thinking about all that, Su-Jin decided to try and gain her boss's attention. For that purpose, she settled on letting out a light cough.
That seemed to have woken Ji-Won up from his daze, because he immediately straightened up and his eyes regained their spark.
"Revising, yes, mhn, I can do that."
After stuttering awkwardly for half a second, Ji-Won decidedly shut his mouth. He stretched out a hand, gesturing for Su-Jin to hand him the file.
At this time, Seo-Jun was snickering quietly in a corner. He had acted like a handsome piece of furniture until then, silently observing the two unsuspecting people.
But now, seeing his best friend's dumb expression and hearing his stuttering, Seo-Jun couldn't hold back his amusement any longer. Consequently, not even a moment later, a heartfelt lighter broke out inside the office.
Due to the unexpected noise, both Ji-Won and Su-Jin flinched in shock. But the one who appeared the most surprised was Su-Jin.
Previously, when she entered the Director's office, she had been too focused on the documents she was holding, so she didn't pay too much attention to her surroundings. Hence, why she didn't see Seo-Jun sitting in a corner on the small sofa.
Right now, though, Su-Jin paused in her movements, her hand gripping the file she was still holding. She turned on the spot slowly, watching as the Deputy Director's entire body shook because of barely repressed chuckles.
"Deputy Director Kim, I... I didn't know you were here as well." Su-Jin spoke through her embarrassment.
"Clearly your mind was too preoccupied with other things." Seo-Jun grinned teasingly, glancing pointedly in Ji-Won's direction.
Su-Jin noticed the small gesture and the corners of her mouth twitched. She wanted to retort, but before she got a chance to open her mouth, Ji-Won's voice came from behind the desk. It sounded cold and demanding, like that of a true authoritative boss.
"If you have enough time to fool around, you'd better go and get ready. The meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Ma was scheduled at 3 p.m. today" Ji-Won paused, glancing at his watch. "It's already 1:30 p.m. now. If we don't want to catch the traffic, we should leave soon, so go and get your things."
With this, Ji-Won's words effectively changed the atmosphere inside the office, as well as the course of the entire conversation.
That Monday after lunch Ji-Won was in his office. He was busy preparing the documents needed for signing the contract with the Ma couple. He was just about to place the stack of papers into a file, when the door was suddenly pushed open.Ji-Won glanced up and saw Seo-Jun hurrying inside. As he advanced with large strides into the office, the man was brimming with impatience and curiosity. He gave Ji-Won a onceover, then quickly inquired about the thing that he was most interested in. "Hey, buddy, how are you feeling?""You already asked me that this morning... Twice." Ji-Won replied with an eyebrow twitching in vexation.Indeed, the moment Seo-Jun had spotted him inside the lobby that morning he made sure everyone knew that Ji-Won hadn't been feeling well. The annoying man he called friend didn't stop there, though. He also made a point of following Ji-Won around, treating him as though he was about to drop dead any second."Seo-Jun, would you please stop fussing about this? It was just a normal reaction for me. I'm not dying, you know?" Ji-Won pleaded wearily."That may be so..." Seo-Jun grudgingly agreed, then added quickly. "But it's been years since you've fainted, Ji-Won. I'm just worried your condition might get worse or that something is wrong and you just don't know about it yet. Just go to the hospital and have yourself checked. There's no harm in that, now is it?"That was actually a fair point and Ji-Won knew it. Besides, Seo-Jun was never this adamant about something trivial like this, unless things looked really bad. So, Ji-Won concluded that he must have really been in an awful state Saturday night, if he managed to scare his usually impassive friend to this degree.With that in mind, Ji-Won eventually sighed in defeat."Alright, I get it. After we finish with work today I'll drop by the hospital and talk to the doctor."After that, the subject was closed and both Ji-Won and Seo-Jun focused on what they had to do. At least that was the case, until Seo-Jun decided to ask a startling question."How were things with Miss Park?"Ji-Won's hands instantly paused in their movements and he avoided looking Seo-Jun in the eye.After what felt like the longest minute ever, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to reply."It was alright, I guess. She stayed with me until I woke up and afterwards we just talked." "What did you talk about?" Seo-Jun inquired, barely able to rein in his curiosity. "Uhm" Ji-Won fumbled with the things on his desk, hesitating to speak. "Did you tell her about your condition?" "Yes." Ji-Won nodded slowly. "How much?" "Everything you and I know."Hearing this answer, Seo-Jun's eyebrows shot up in surprise.'Does this block of ice actually trust Miss Park enough to share with her everything about his condition? Now this is truly an outstanding thing. I bet he is unaware of the significance of this matter, though. He probably thinks that it must have happened due to an impulse, just a spur of a moment.'As Seo-Jun reached this point, Ji-Won's next words suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts."About Saturday evening, when you got to the arcade how were things there?""What exactly are you asking?""Do you know what happened during her date? How did she and... that person seem to you?"Seo-Jun thought for a moment, then replied slowly. "Well, as far as I could tell nothing much happened. The guy looked pretty calm and polite and Miss Park was almost unfazed. Until she saw you fainted in the car that is. That's when she almost flipped." Seo-Jun embellished the story a little, resulting in a dramatic tale of how Su-Jin almost cried rivers while worrying about him. Obviously Ji-Won didn't believe half of the man's words and Seo-Jun was well aware of that. Nevertheless, he thought it was all worth it, if it could help his friend in growing slightly closer to Su-Jin.Just then, another thought suddenly popped inside his head."But wait a minute. Ji-Won, why are you asking me that? Could it be that, after spending so much time together in your apartment, alone, you actually didn't think of personally asking her about all this?" Seo-Jun asked in consternation. "No! I mean yes! Ugh, what I mean to say is that we have talked about it. She already told me that everything I thought happened had actually been a misunderstanding.""Then why ask someone else about it, if the main person involved already clarified the matter?"Now, Seo-Jun was even more befuddled by his friend's train of thought. Then, seeing Ji-Won's hesitant expression, an idea suddenly struck him. "Or could it be that the two of you had other important things to do than talk? Did it involve exchanging bodily fluids?"Don't be an idiot!" Ji-Won snapped angrily. "It's because you say things like that I Uhm, you know what? Nevermind, just pretend I didn't say anything." With that, Ji-Won shut his mouth tightly and refused to say another word. But was Seo-Jun really going to let him go that easily? Of course not!The man's expression suddenly took on a hint of satisfaction, similar to that of a wolf that had successfully cornered it's prey."Eh? What about it? Tell me." Seo-Jun drawled. "Could it be that you are currently having certain thoughts? Maybe it was because I kept suggesting that you might be interested in Miss Park, you have finally started to think about it seriously."At that precise moment, the door to Ji-Won's office opened and Su-Jin appeared behind the threshold. She was holding a file, looking very focused. Ji-Won had rarely seen her like this, so he was momentarily stunned.At that time, Su-Jin was indeed too concentrated on what she came there to talk about, to pay any special attention to JI-Won's appearance. Thus, she didn't notice how the man's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, before finally settling on her hands.As she began talking, Su-Jin moved past the doorway and took a few steps inside the office."Director Kang, there is a document that needs revising. There might have been a mistake in the estimations done by the Marketing team. Also, this statement about rural traditions and festivals is inaccurate. Based on what I know..."Su-Jin continued to speak for a couple more minutes, before finally realizing that something was wrong. She lifted her eyes from the papers and was slightly startled to see Ji-Won staring at her with a blank look on his face. Or at least that's what it looked like to her.Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Su-Jin gripped the file tighter and cleared her throat."Uhm, Director Kang, did you hear what I just said?""Hm?" Ji-Won hummed distractedly.Su-Jin arched an eyebrow. She had never seen her boss so out of it before, so she couldn't help but feel slightly disconcerted.'Is he still feeling unwell? He shouldn't, though. After all, I remember him mentioning that it wasn't anything that I should worry about, and it's already been a full day after the event.' After thinking about all that, Su-Jin decided to try and gain her boss's attention. For that purpose, she settled on letting out a light cough. That seemed to have woken Ji-Won up from his daze, because he immediately straightened up and his eyes regained their spark."Revising, yes, mhn, I can do that."After stuttering awkwardly for half a second, Ji-Won decidedly shut his mouth. He stretched out a hand, gesturing for Su-Jin to hand him the file.At this time, Seo-Jun was snickering quietly in a corner. He had acted like a handsome piece of furniture until then, silently observing the two unsuspecting people.But now, seeing his best friend's dumb expression and hearing his stuttering, Seo-Jun couldn't hold back his amusement any longer. Consequently, not even a moment later, a heartfelt lighter broke out inside the office.Due to the unexpected noise, both Ji-Won and Su-Jin flinched in shock. But the one who appeared the most surprised was Su-Jin.Previously, when she entered the Director's office, she had been too focused on the documents she was holding, so she didn't pay too much attention to her surroundings. Hence, why she didn't see Seo-Jun sitting in a corner on the small sofa.Right now, though, Su-Jin paused in her movements, her hand gripping the file she was still holding. She turned on the spot slowly, watching as the Deputy Director's entire body shook because of barely repressed chuckles."Deputy Director Kim, I... I didn't know you were here as well." Su-Jin spoke through her embarrassment."Clearly your mind was too preoccupied with other things." Seo-Jun grinned teasingly, glancing pointedly in Ji-Won's direction.Su-Jin noticed the small gesture and the corners of her mouth twitched. She wanted to retort, but before she got a chance to open her mouth, Ji-Won's voice came from behind the desk. It sounded cold and demanding, like that of a true authoritative boss."If you have enough time to fool around, you'd better go and get ready. The meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Ma was scheduled at 3 p.m. today" Ji-Won paused, glancing at his watch. "It's already 1:30 p.m. now. If we don't want to catch the traffic, we should leave soon, so go and get your things."With this, Ji-Won's words effectively changed the atmosphere inside the office, as well as the course of the entire conversation.
