When I Loved You

Yiyoung’s cheeks turned scarlet in an instant. Shy and abashed, she hid her face in her hands.

“Isn’t that thoughtful of him?” said the housekeeper, “So please don’t feel bad for not helping us. We’re just doing what we have to do.”

Her heart skipped a beat, the loud sound echoing in her ear.

“What… How could he impress me like this?” she muttered to herself.

It was a huge deal for her. She couldn’t wait for him to come home; she was overcome with the sudden urge to see him, kiss him, and be wrapped in his embrace.

Yiyoung scrambled to the bedroom and threw herself on the bed. Muyeol’s scent still lingered on the blanket, and she wrapped it around her body. As she took in his scent, she screamed in excitement, and not just once but over and over again, almost like a crazy person.

‘What’s wrong with me? Am I turning crazy after getting into a relationship? Why does everything seem so wonderful? Is it okay for me to feel this way? Did I really turn into an idiot?’ thought Yiyoung.

Yiyoung closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt it was fine even if she had become an idiot. Perhaps it was okay to happily accept it like a naive child. She didn’t think she would be able to experience such a feeling again. It was her first time feeling her heart throb like this.

“Whatever!” she muttered again, “I’ll just follow my heart.”

Yiyoung couldn’t wait for him to return. She missed Cha Muyeol, and she wanted to spend more time with him.

* * *

Muyeol frowned as he drank his coffee. So as to not lose focus, he’d brewed it stronger than usual. The bitter taste scratched at his throat as the drink hit his stomach. But as long as it helped him remain focused, he didn’t mind the pain in his stomach.

Muyeol had gone to the meeting room the moment he got to work. The meeting had begun at 8 a.m. and was still going on.

He had received reports and the related documents from his employees while he was at the hospital, but hearing the reports in person was much different.

“So, you’re telling me that those two went to Istanbul?” asked Muyeol.

“Yes, director.”

Jaeho and Heesu had left for Istanbul without taking any of the main staff working on the project along with them. Once Muyeol had realized that they had gone there with the intention of taking all the credit for making the contract successful, he bristled with cold anger. However, had it been as easy to take the credit as the two probably thought, then Muyeol wouldn’t have spent so much time and effort on this project.

Muyeol waved Mr. Hong over.

“Yes?” asked Mr. Hong.

“What happened to the person following him? Is he doing his job?”

“I heard ED Cha got drunk and made a scene in the first class of the plane, but he managed to cover up the incident.”

“I see. Tell him to continue following them.”

“Yes, director.”

From what he had observed in the reports he had received from Mr. Hong, Muyeol was certain of one thing. Jaeho was good at covering up his messes, and Heesu had a network of connections. If even one of them had had the ability to run a business, then Muyeol would not have stood a chance against them.

However, Jaeho and Heesu were completely focused on getting the promotion. According to Mr. Hong, the two were treating the main staff of the project as their slaves. They never yielded to others and failed to consider their feelings. They were simply too busy snatching others’ contributions.

And now the two had gotten carried away thinking they had triumphed, without even realizing that the actual business only started once the ink of the signatures on the contract dried up.