Chapter 3

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, and a heavy knot settled in her stomach as though she had swallowed a stone.

That guy is the one who spent the night with me?

‘No. That's impossible.’

Dana shook her head, trying to erase the thought from her mind.

No matter how drunk she had been, how could she fail to recognize someone she had a crush on from afar for years? It made no sense. However, no matter how fiercely she denied it, her thoughts kept racing toward the worst possible conclusion.

The beautifully curved corners of his lips, the sharp gaze that seemed to read her, and the lingering eye contact fixed solely on her.

If that wasn't the reason, she couldn’t find any plausible explanation for why he had stared at her that way. While Dana remained lost in confusion, Jihoon and Junghyik left the office, and chaos immediately erupted in their wake.

“Did any of you know Team Leader Ryu had a twin?”

“Of course not. How were we supposed to know?”

Everyone reacted enthusiastically after obtaining such an exciting piece of news that broke up the monotony of their office life.

The female employees rejoiced at the fact that there was now one more handsome face in the office, while the men lamented how the world could be so unfair to have produced yet another man blessed with both wealth and looks.

“He's from LK Group, for crying out loud. That's so far beyond me that I can't even be jealous.”

“True, but still... Does that mean Team Leader Ryu is a third-generation chaebol too? Then why haven't there ever been any rumors about him?”

At that question, everyone fell silent. It was strange when they really thought about it. Rumors about Director Ryu Junghyuk had been widespread even before he joined the company, so why had there never been any rumors about Team Leader Ryu Jihoon?

Tilting his head thoughtfully, Manager Park turned to Dana.

“Assistant Manager Yeon, haven't you heard anything?”

The call of her name jolted Dana out of her thoughts.

“Huh? What did you say, Manager Park?”

“I asked if you know anything. You and Team Leader Ryu both went to Hankuk University, didn't you?”

Once she came back to her senses, she realized everyone was looking at her.

“Ah... I haven't heard anything. I didn't really interact with Team Leader Ryu when we were in school...”

To be more precise, it had been almost entirely unrequited from her side. They had spoken a few times, but she had been the only one harboring feelings.

“Really? I thought you might know something.”

Manager Park clicked his tongue in disappointment.

For quite some time afterward, everyone remained preoccupied with talking about the newly arrived Director Ryu Junghyuk.

Comments flew back and forth—about his eyes, about how that gaze alone could tear someone apart, about how two twins could have such completely different vibes. The noisy chatter was abruptly shut down by a loud bang. When everyone turned around, they were Department Head Na Hyungsuk from the Development Business Team slamming a stack of files against a desk.

“How long are you all planning to keep talking? Aren't you going to work?”

At his thunderous rebuke, the gossipers quietly slunk back to their desks.

Once everyone dispersed, Dana sat back down as well. Her memo pad was packed with tasks that needed to be finished, but her hands refused to move. Junghyuk's smile lingered stubbornly in her mind.

The pleasure that had filled her the previous night no longer felt sweet.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

“Assistant Manager Yeon. Quick, look toward the entrance. Today's company welfare package is walking by.”

Assistant Manager Ha urged her to look, but Dana didn't even raise her head. Instead, she shrank into herself and deliberately avoided looking. She seemed terrified their eyes might meet.

Whether Dana listened or not, Assistant Manager Ha's heartfelt admiration continued unabated.

“D*mn, he's handsome today, too. It's like watching a magazine photoshoot. How can someone from the same country have proportions like that?”

“Haha. Yeah. I suppose... so.”

Dana, who offered an awkward agreement, finally straightened when she confirmed Director Ryu had moved farther away.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

Several days had passed since Director Ryu Junghyeok joined LK Construction.

Since he arrived, the atmosphere of the company had noticeably changed. The female employees put more effort than usual into their outfits and makeup, and whenever they encountered Junghyuk in the hallway, they squealed with excitement like teenage girls.

It was something Dana just couldn't understand.

‘He looks exactly like Senior Jihoon, so why are they only obsessed with Director Ryu Junghyuk?’

Of course, she wasn’t saying he was unattractive. He had the exact same face as Senior Jihoon. However, for some reason, the women were particularly obsessed with Junghyuk. Something about his distinctively cold expression was supposed to be appealing, or so they claimed.

Those words meant absolutely nothing to Dana, whose type was kind, considerate men like Jihoon. Moreover, the strange atmosphere Junghyuk had shown her on his first day had done nothing but make her uncomfortable. For the past few days, whenever he appeared, she had been busy avoiding him by ducking her head like a turtle retreating into its shell.

‘How long can I keep living like this?’

They worked at the same company. That’s why she couldn't keep avoiding him forever. However, she also couldn't exactly look him in the eye and ask, Were you the man I slept with?

“Haa...”

As Dana heaved out a troubled sigh, a voice called for her from beyond the partition.

“Assistant Manager Yeon. Come here for a moment.”

It was Department Head Na. Dana quickly got to her feet and approached him.

“You were looking for me?”

He held a light brown document envelope over the partition and spoke without even looking up at her.

“Take this to Director Ryu.”

“...Director Ryu?”

“Yeah. He wants to see you.”

Dana's face instantly stiffened. She had spent days hiding from him with all her might, and now she was supposed to walk straight into his office herself?

“Department Head... um... I actually have something urgent I need to take care of.”

“Something urgent? What would that be?”

“Uh... well...”

Dana frantically raked through her brain for a million and twenty-two urgent tasks she needed to do immediately, but unlike her racing thoughts, her lips refused to produce a single excuse.

“Just go. The director specifically asked for you by name. Sounds like he has something he wants to discuss.”

Then that’s why she shouldn’t go.

“Go on. Hurry up.”

Department Head Na impatiently shook the envelope in his hand.

Dana accepted the envelope with a miserable expression.

After she had taken it, there was no backing out. Dana headed toward Director Ryu Junghyuk’s office while feeling like she was swallowing bitter medicine.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

Knock, knock.

Dana, who was hesitating in front of the door for some time, finally knocked on the door of the office.

“Come in.”

A low, resonant voice answered. After taking a deep breath, Dana turned the handle and stepped inside.

The moment she entered, she found herself in a spacious office overlooking the Han River. At the desk beside a large sunlit window sat Ryu Jihoon—no, Director Ryu Junghyuk—reviewing documents. Dana carefully approached and bowed politely before speaking.

“Department Head Na sent me.”

“Wait a moment. I have a few things to finish first.”

He continued working without even looking up at her. Dana stood quietly and waited for him to finish.

In the awkward silence, there were only the sounds of turning pages and a fountain pen gliding across paper. To relieve her boredom, Dana looked around the office. Her gaze drifted past the sparkling Han River and the bookshelves packed with volumes before inevitably finding its way back to Junghyuk.

He sat with perfect posture, examining something before him. The concentration visible beyond his faintly furrowed brows was sharp enough to cut something in half.

Hair neatly slicked back with pomade. A smooth forehead. A clean, sharply defined jawline.

Flashed over that nearly impeccable face was the image of the man from that night, burning with desire.

His disheveled hair. His eyes that couldn’t hide their feelings. The warmth from his body temperature that almost entirely melt her heart…

No, it couldn't be. How could this man, who felt like a Siberian winter wind, possibly be the same person as that passionate man?

It had to be Senior Jihoon. Please, let it be him.

As Dana stared at him almost like she was praying with full of hope, he suddenly broke the silence.

“...If you keep staring at me like that, it's going to be difficult for me to finish my work.”

“E-Excuse me?”

Dana answered instinctively. His eyes slowly shifted from the documents. As he fixed her with a deep, tranquil gaze, he spoke again.

“You were watching me, weren't you? Sneaking glances like a stray cat.”

Dana, who was caught off guard, could only fumble silently with her lips.

How did he know? He hadn't even looked at me.

“I was just... wondering why you called for me, Director.”

“Are you genuinely asking because you don't know why I called you here?”

“...”

“I had thought that we had quite a lot to discuss. You've been avoiding me these past few days, haven't you, Ms. Yeon Dana?”

Under Junghyeok's gaze, which seemed to try to see right through her, Dana bit her lip tightly. She had avoided facing the issue by telling herself she wasn't sure, but now she had no escape left.

A determined expression appeared on Dana’s face. She suddenly clasped both her hands together as if she was praying.

“Could we please pretend it never happened?”

Junghyeok's eyebrows slowly arched upward at her pleading remark.

“...Pretend it never happened?”

An icy smile hung on his lips.

“There was clearly something between us. How exactly do you propose we pretend it never happened?”

“It was all a misunderstanding, Director. I-I mean...!”

“A misunderstanding?”

Having listened carefully to Dana, Junghyuk slowly curled his lips into a mocking smile.

“What is it? Are you about to tell me that you mistook me for my younger brother and slept with me?”