After Breakup, Office Marriage

A Passionate and Steamy Kiss

Swish, swish.*

The wipers moved rhythmically, drawing lines on the windshield.

It felt like the world had come to a standstill, with only the sound of the wipers and me remaining.

And the scene outside the car window.

I pressed my body close to the window, almost forgetting that Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo was beside me.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and my eyes couldn’t blink.

Sitting in the driver’s seat was my boyfriend, Tae-hyun.

I couldn’t see his face, but I was certain of his blurry figure.

He was turned completely away from me, engrossed in something.

“Why is he doing something risky when he knows the signal could change at any moment?”

It was at that moment when I began to wonder if there was someone else beside him, talking or doing something.

Boom!*

In an instant, thunder and lightning struck. For a moment, everything was illuminated.

Sure enough, there was someone else seated in the passenger seat beside Tae-hyun.

Strangely, Tae-hyun was embracing that person.

Tae-hyun’s head moved fervently in various directions, and occasionally, I could catch glimpses of the person’s hair or their round forehead.

It couldn’t be happening, why were they doing this…?

‘Could they be kissing…?’ 

The thought involuntarily escaped my lips.

I couldn’t even breathe.

The short wait at the signal felt like an eternity.

Even the tiny fingernails that gripped my boyfriend’s back became visible.

Inside the other car, despite the sultry temperature, it felt like a feverish heat was rising.

“……”

A relationship that’s blazingly obvious to anyone.

Even during the short time, the red light was on, a kiss so crazy that I’d want to pour it out, it was that passionate.

‘What am I seeing right now…?’

My heart raced uncomfortably.

I was captivated by the shock that felt like my chest was about to explode.

I still couldn’t breathe well.

Greenlight that will hopefully get me out of this shocking situation…

*Beep.*

At that moment, the traffic light changed.

*Shhiiing.*

Among the parked cars, faster and more elegant than anyone else, Team Leader Seo Jun-ho’s car shot out.

Leaving everything behind.

* * *

My stomach churned.

As soon as I arrived at the meeting place, I felt nauseous.

My head was spinning, and it felt like my chest was tightening.

After rinsing my mouth dozens of times with cold water, I couldn’t bring myself to look in the mirror.

I didn’t want to see my current state.

I managed to pull myself together and wiped my lips with a paper napkin.

‘It was my first love.’

We met as coworkers and spent three years as friends before evolving into lovers. It had been one year since our relationship had grown into something more.

Im Tae-hyun was the most handsome and well-mannered among our coworkers, and when he confessed to me, I felt like I had become someone truly special.

Up until then, I had been a lifelong singleton, and I experienced the excitement and joy of dating for the first time.

‘But what is this?’

Of all the things I had witnessed with my own eyes since birth, this was the most revolting betrayal.

No cruel or grotesque movie could make me feel as dirty as I did now.

‘This crazy lunatic…’

But this was a workplace. Moreover, it was a business partner.

I needed to quickly regain composure and appear composed, but my hands, which had turned cold, continued to tremble delicately without stopping.

I barely made it out of the restroom.

My head was still spinning, and it felt heavy.

‘There’s still a lot of work left…’

My pounding heart showed no signs of settling down.

Could I endure the remaining working hours like this?

“…Team Leader?”

I walked into the lobby and immediately began searching for Team Leader Seo Jun-ho.

I felt like I had kept him waiting for too long.

But his presence seemed to have disappeared entirely.

Suddenly, I felt a vibration and pulled out my phone.

There was a text message from Team Leader Seo.

[I’m going into the meeting. Assistant Manager Kang, please go to a nearby café and wait. I’ll contact you when it’s over.]

“…”

Everything was in disarray.

‘I should have gone in with him…’

However, I was in no condition to attend a meeting with the business partner.

I wasn’t sure if Team Leader’s message was an act of consideration or if he was simply blocking me in advance, knowing that I wouldn’t be of any help.

I was deeply grateful.

‘Team Leader…’

Thump, thump.

Thank you for making me able to cry.

Tears fell onto the screen of my phone in the lobby of another company.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeves and, with trembling steps, made my way back to the restroom.

“Sob…”

Inside the dimly lit cubicle, I bit my lip, suppressing my sobs.

And like that, my tears didn’t stop for a long time.

* * *

“I’m truly sorry, Team Leader.”

I gathered my hands politely and spoke.

I couldn’t bring myself to meet Team Leader Seo Jun-ho’s eyes.

As an assistant manager, I had brought the team leader to an external meeting, but we hadn’t even made it into the conference room.

The self-disgust of not being able to fulfill my responsibilities was overwhelming.

I had never felt so ashamed in front of Team Leader Seo.

He had just finished the meeting and was exuding a slightly elated afterglow.

For a while, he looked at me as if he were about to say something, opening and closing his lips.

Finally, with a resigned sigh, he spoke.

“…Let’s go back now.”

“Yes.”

I replied with a forced nonchalant expression.

I had touched up my makeup, but the traces of sobbing and crying were still evident.

To be seen in such a state… It was embarrassing, but it was already inevitable.

I followed closely behind Team Leader Seo, who took the lead.

‘Team Leader, you must have noticed, right?’

I had stuck to the window as if I were someone who had seen something unpleasant, so he must have been curious as well.

He probably stole glances over my shoulder to see what I was looking at.

And when the traffic light changed, he must have hit the accelerator like a bolt of lightning.

‘Oh, suddenly feeling so embarrassed.’

Getting caught witnessing your boyfriend kissing another girl was embarrassing enough.

I felt ashamed.

Wouldn’t it have been better to be caught stumbling while walking normally? Could I have sunk any lower than this?

But on the other hand, I was somewhat grateful.

‘He didn’t even ask what happened.’

Even on the way to the business partner, I was on the verge of tears.

I was trembling so much that it felt like I was about to faint.

However, Team Leader Seo Jun-ho remained silently by my side.

‘Are you okay, Assistant Kang?’

He asked with an expression that I couldn’t decipher, whether it was concern or anger. He only asked that one question.

The fact that he didn’t inquire further made me even more grateful.

‘Ha, it’s really the worst.’

I should just quietly ride back to the company in Team Leader’s car.

‘I just need to hold myself together.’

But why did I feel like a child abandoned by their parents, with nowhere to go?

Nothing seemed to make sense or feel attainable.

Crying had relieved me somewhat, but there was still a heavy burden in my chest.

As my hand held tightly, suddenly the team leader’s voice was heard from beside them.

“You can take a leave.”

“…”

“If it’s tough.”

“…”

Team Leader Seo’s voice was monotone.

Even though he was driving and not sparing me a single glance, why did these emotionless words sound so warm?

Seo Jun-ho, the team leader, was undoubtedly a person who seemed very difficult to approach, and he was businesslike with the employees as well.

He had no interest in matters outside of work and rarely engaged in personal conversations with the employees.

Even for someone like me, who clearly separated work from personal life, he had a clear boundary between the company and personal life.

Perhaps that’s why he never gave unreasonable or unjust orders to his subordinates, unlike some other superiors.

Even when team members suddenly took leave, he never seemed to take notice.

Naturally, he would suggest taking leave rather than scolding an unwell employee.

It must be a very natural suggestion for him, just a casual remark. Why is it touching my tear ducts like this?

“I’m okay, Team Leader. There’s no need for me to leave early.”

I clenched my eyes tightly.

We hadn’t even had the meeting yet, and I didn’t want to disrupt our work over such a small matter.

And most importantly…

‘I don’t want to appear weak to Team Leader Seo.’

Most of the female employees at K&C, one of the top conglomerates in South Korea, admired Seo Jun-ho as a man. 

He was now a young team leader at the age of thirty-two, and discussions about what type of woman he liked and whether he had a girlfriend were a daily topic of conversation.

But I couldn’t participate in such conversations.

Part of it was because he was my direct superior, but more importantly, I wanted to earn recognition through my abilities, just like Team Leader Seo.

I worked hard to be a flawless subordinate in front of him, unlike other women who seemed to become flustered around him.

I respected him a great deal and learned a lot from him professionally. 

Unlike other female colleagues who harbored personal feelings for him, I couldn’t casually discuss him.

It had been about two years since he was scouted as the team leader for our company, and during that time, I felt like I had quietly gained his recognition in my own way.

He hadn’t directly praised me or anything, but I could sense it.

‘Team Leader trusts me.’

But now, for such a reason, he was suggesting taking leave early.

Even for someone like me who regularly used up my annual leave and vacation days, this wasn’t acceptable.

“…”

Suddenly, my vision blurred.

Something slowly came into view below my sight.

‘…A handkerchief?’

It was a navy-blue handkerchief with a simple design.

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse such a gesture from Team Leader, so I replied with a choked-up voice,

“Thank you,” as I accepted the handkerchief.

Team Leader’s slender fingers withdrew.

From his handkerchief that brushed against my nose, a faint scent of a soothing fabric softener wafted gently.

“…”

* * *

As soon as I returned to the office, I began summarizing today’s meeting content.

I worked faster than usual.

Fortunately, Team Leader Seo’s summary was concise and well-organized, making it easy for me to condense the information.

If it weren’t for him being my direct superior, I wouldn’t have been able to see such a neatly organized meeting record, reflecting the importance of the content.

‘It was originally my responsibility.’

Even during my chaotic thoughts, I secretly admired how Team Leader Seo’s well-organized summary allowed me to finish my work right on time at the end of the day.

But before leaving, I couldn’t help but go to the restroom and take out my phone.

My finger trembled as I pressed the keypad.

[Who is that girl?]

I bit my lip and glared at the screen.

I could finally contact that guy, whom I didn’t even want to call my boyfriend.

Im Tae-hyun checked my message much earlier than I expected.

[Who?]

Who?

I wasn’t sure if he was pretending not to know or if he genuinely didn’t know, but I texted again with trembling hands.

[The girl you hugged and kissed in the car today.]

“…”

My heart was trembling so much that it felt like all the blood had drained from my body, and it was beating wildly.

I didn’t remember being this nervous even on the day I checked the results of my job application.

How would Im Tae-hyun react?

We believed there were no secrets between us, but I couldn’t predict what was going through his mind right now.

Should I deny it? Tell him that it was a misunderstanding on Dae-won’s part?

Finally, I received a reply from him.

But there was only one letter in his response.

[Ah.]

“Ah…?”

I was left dumbfounded to the point where I stopped moving.

What kind of reaction was this?

Was it the response of a guy who got caught cheating but shamelessly laid down on his belly?

I hurriedly tapped on the keypad.

[Let’s meet right now and talk. Come up to the rooftop.]