Episode 1
Liking someone…
It can be overwhelming.
And when that feeling turns real—
It hits you with a wave of emotions you can’t even begin to describe.
“Do you really like me that much?”
Jae-yi nodded from where she lay on the sofa.
How did she even end up in a situation like this with him?
Just two months ago, she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
Back then, he was someone she could only admire from afar, stealing glances when no one was looking.
But now…
She didn’t want to miss this chance.
A moment that might never come again in her life.
“Han Jae-yi. Want to cross the line with me?”
Her eyes flew wide open, her pupils trembling like an aftershock had run through her.
“I just thought… if it’s going to stay stuck in your imagination forever, maybe it’d be more fun to actually cross it.”
It was a proposal she never expected.
From none other than Cha Geonhak, the executive director she’d secretly loved for two years.
—
Two months earlier—
Even the alarm blaring at 6 a.m. couldn’t pull Jae-yi from her dream.
Someone in that dream had tried to grab her, and in an instant, her eyes snapped open and she jolted upright.
“Haa…”
Her back was drenched in sweat. The t-shirt clinging to her skin was soaked through.
She covered her face with trembling hands, still shaken by the nightmare.
“Again… that same dream.”
She always had that dream when she wasn’t feeling well.
Tears pooled around her big eyes. She rubbed them away with the back of her hand.
“It’s okay. You’re fine, Jae-yi. You’re okay.”
She calmed herself, then finally reached over and shut off the alarm.
A few steps from her bed brought her to the fridge.
She grabbed a cold bottle of water and took a long drink, soothing the dryness in her throat.
She set the half-empty bottle down on the table.
“Ugh… is something bad going to happen today?”
Her tiny, 7-pyeong officetel room.
She’d poured five years of savings and a hefty loan into this place—her hard-won sanctuary.
Ding. Her phone chimed with a notification.
She tapped the screen.
[Chamyeong Group 2-Day Company Retreat]
“My body’s a wreck… Should I skip it? No, no.”
She shook her head.
She hated big crowds, but she still decided to go.
Because he would be there.
Cha Geonhak. The executive director she’d been quietly in love with for the past two years.
—
It was a cloudless day, but the man leaning on the terrace railing looked far from cheerful.
“I’m dead tired. I came all the way down to Buyeo just to watch some company retreat, and now the irritation’s kicking in. The chairman dumped this on me and jetted off overseas like it’s nothing. Right, Secretary Kim?”
His voice was thick with annoyance, but Do-yoon responded calmly, as if used to it.
“This is the last team today.”
Geonhak let out a bored sigh.
“Pfft. Everyone gave up their weekend for this, and they still showed up. No wonder the chairman keeps pushing it.”
Unlike Geonhak’s cynicism, the employees seemed to genuinely enjoy the event.
Everyone got a participation prize, and winners of each game received generous rewards.
No wonder morale was high, even on a weekend.
But Geonhak’s mind was elsewhere.
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Do-yoon.
“So? Did you find her?”
“Not yet.”
He closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again.
“Where could Yoon Soo-ah have disappeared to? The girl who pretends she’d die just to please her parents. Is she seriously going through with the marriage this time? Or is she just testing me again?”
“One thing’s for sure—she had a huge fight with the chairman last night and stormed out.”
“Like that’s anything new.”
‘You know I’m going to marry you, Geonhak. You’re the one I love most.’
He let out a dry laugh.
She was already engaged to someone else. What part of that was supposed to be beautiful or endearing?
And yet… part of him still believed her words.
Even though he didn’t know if he should, even though he didn’t want to—
If Soo-ah came back, he’d probably still take her in.
Old feelings are terrifying like that.
To Geonhak, she was part friend, part family…
and the person who saved his life as a child.
He tilted his head back against the railing and glanced at the papers scattered across the table.
“Sigh. What a pain.”
A murmur rose from below, catching his attention.
He glanced down.
The employees had started arriving.
Even on a weekend, most of them looked happy to be here.
What was there to be so cheerful about?
His gaze eventually landed on a woman sitting alone on a bench.
Everyone else was laughing, snapping photos, and chatting in groups near the resort entrance.
But she was perfectly still.
Like she didn’t belong in this world.
No one approached her.
“She’s always catching my eye.”
She was the woman who constantly hovered near him.
Every time he looked her way, she’d freeze up, blush furiously, and duck her head.
And yet, she’d keep sneaking glances.
Just then, she lifted her head, maybe reacting to the noise around her.
Her long neck caught his eye.
Slender limbs.
Hair tied haphazardly with an elastic band.
That ever-messy fringe always hiding her eyes—he couldn’t even remember what they looked like.
Did she have a scar or something?
Fwoosh—
A gust of wind swept past her, sending her bangs fluttering.
It looked like a scene from a movie in slow motion.
Her hair lifted, revealing neat brows and a smooth, rounded forehead.
A pale face with distinct features.
“Not bad.”
Jae-yi slowly opened her eyes to brush her bangs aside.
And in that moment—
Her gaze collided with Cha Geonhak’s from above.
Her eyes widened.
She jumped up from the bench with surprising speed, head bowed low.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was pounding out of control.
What do I do…
He looked at me. Cha Geonhak saw me!
After a while, she slowly looked back up.
…Huh?
She turned her head this way and that.
She was sure their eyes had met—
But he was gone.
—
― “All Chamyeong Group employees, please gather in the seminar hall. The sports retreat is about to begin. This is your final reminder.”
The announcement echoed through the resort.
Jae-yi changed into something more comfortable and headed out.
Unlike others who shared rooms in pairs or groups of four, she had a room to herself.
But she didn’t feel lonely.
She was used to it.
Since her school days, Jae-yi had never been good at blending in.
People always kept their distance, saying her face looked gloomy no matter how much she tried to smile.
It wasn’t always like that.
She’d been cheerful at least until elementary school.
Everything changed after her mother remarried in middle school.
The memory crept up on her, and she shook her head to drive it away.
Just as she was about to enter the seminar hall, Manager Im Jin-seop blocked her path.
“Han Jae-yi.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Sorry about this…”
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“We’re gonna have to move you out of your room.”
Out? Why?
“You didn’t hear?”
She gave him a confused look.
“Some of the other subsidiaries are joining us now, and we’re out of rooms.
Since you had a room to yourself, we’ll need to pair you with Assistant Manager Park Min-joo.”
Park Min-joo… the same Park Min-joo who clearly didn’t like her.
Jae-yi’s face darkened.
“Alright. That’s fine.”
He gave her a grateful smile and headed inside.
It would’ve been better if it were literally any other room…
She entered the seminar hall.
It was already packed.
Everyone was excited and chatty—but not her.
She just wanted the day to be over.
—
As time went on, the energy in the room kept rising.
People were laughing, having fun.
But Jae-yi felt more and more out of place.
“Okay! Pair up in teams of two!”
Ah…
Of course.
The dreaded partner dodgeball game.
She saw people immediately turning to pair up.
No one even looked in her direction, as if she were invisible.
This is why I didn’t want to come. I’m alone again.
She glanced around.
Everyone was already laughing with their chosen partners.
Alright. I’ll sneak out during this game.
No one will notice.
She kept her head low and quietly stepped away—
Only to have her path blocked by a pair of black loafers.
Her head lifted slowly.
Wh…what?
The chatter around her faded to nothing.
Time seemed to stop.
Standing right in front of her… was Cha Geonhak.
“Han Jae-yi.”
Was she hearing things?
Did she like him so much that she was hallucinating now?
“If you don’t mind… will you be my partner?”
His voice sounded too surreal.
Not only had he said her name—he was standing right there.
“Han Jae-yi?”
I didn’t mishear that.
Her lips parted, and before she knew it—
“Hh-hyah…”
He gave her a soft, gentle smile.
“Let’s do it together.”
Her heart felt like it was about to explode.
The murmurs around them grew louder.
Her earlobes burned, and her fingertips turned icy.
“If you don’t want to, you can say no. Do you?”
“N-no! I mean… I’d love to!”
Like a dream come true.
“Then great. Let’s do it.”
A faint smile lingered on his lips.
Even as he smiled, Geonhak was asking himself why he’d stepped forward.
Do-yoon, standing nearby, looked just as confused.
Yeah, of course this is weird. Even I don’t get it.
He looked at Han Jae-yi.
She was blushing furiously and glancing around in panic.
For some reason, he couldn’t ignore her.
The way she always looked at him.
The way she tried to slip out quietly, alone.
It got to him.
Maybe that’s all it was.
Just… that.
to be continued
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