After Breakup, Office Marriage - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 – In the Car Amidst the Rain

1. “In the Car Amidst the Rain”

That day, I was a bit tipsy, with my soul halfway out of my body, and Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo was objectively the most attractive man among the ones I knew.

Therefore, I had never even imagined him unbuttoning his shirt in front of me with an intriguing look in his eyes.

I thought it was as improbable as winning the lottery instead of money, something that would happen to some other woman, not me.

I believed it was something completely unrelated to anyone, as tiny as a speck of dust, and me.

But now, Seo Jun-hoo was approaching me, wearing only dress pants.

‘Wow.’

It was the kind of upper body you only saw in magazines or on TV.

Fair skin with a hint of masculinity, a well-built chest, and a toned waist that seemed like a dry leaf would flutter away at any moment…

“Your body is… impressive,” I blurted out without thinking.

One corner of his mouth lifted as if satisfied.

“Do you like it?”

“…”

This wasn’t a matter of liking it or not.

It was just so unreal that a man I couldn’t even dream of spending the night with was right in front of me, and I couldn’t believe it.

“Ms. Kang Da-won, I’ve reduced my workouts because I heard you don’t like overly muscular men. Is that true?”

“Um… yes?”

How did the team leader know that?

Did he hear it in the restroom incident?

But if he reduced his workouts, his body was incredibly well-defined for someone who supposedly did that.

“That was just… something I said to go along with the other employees… Well…”

Seo Jun-hoo knelt beside my legs on the bed and leaned down.

This man didn’t hesitate as he swallowed my lips.

‘Even though it’s our first time, he acts like he’s done this many times before…!’

With his confident breath, he smoothly entered my lips.

I couldn’t control myself, and his fingertips came to support me beneath my slightly open jaw.

“……!”

Before I knew it, he was sitting on my thigh, taking his place.

A body imprisoned by strong arms, skin tightly pressed with no gap.

Kisses flowing smoothly without a moment to breathe.

As I was gradually pushed backward, I clenched my trembling hands firmly.

‘This kiss is so different, isn’t it?’

I was so surprised that my heart raced, and my breath caught in my throat.

It was as if he was mocking and trampling over every kiss I had shared with a man until now.

Team leader Seo Jun-hoo swept away my mind, soul, and body all at once with a skill I had never experienced before.

Just a week ago, it was something I couldn’t even imagine.

* * *

“Deputy Kang, let’s go.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

On a sunny afternoon.

I replied with a polite and businesslike tone.

Team leader Seo Jun-hoo was already walking through the office with a wide stride, briefcase in hand.

I had only given one response, but I quickly grabbed my bag and hurried to catch up. 

Had it been an hour or two since lunch?

Suddenly, a refreshing breeze blew into the office, as if to counter the heavy drowsiness that was about to set in.

“Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo is passing through the office.”

The female employees perked up; their eyelids no longer heavy with impending sleep. They shook their heads to clear their minds.

He had the kind of refreshing aftertaste in women’s hearts, akin to a minty freshness like xylitol.

In the dull and stifling office, he was the only source of refreshment.

A purifier of the air rivaling a Sansevieria or an Areca palm.

To the female employees in the company, Seo Jun-hoo was precisely that kind of presence.

Feeling the changed air around me as if I had just drunk carbonated cold water, I quickly followed him.

However, to me, he was not a source of refreshment but a difficult boss to deal with.

Despite working closely with the team leader almost every day as a deputy, I couldn’t get used to it.

“What if I suggest going to a meeting alone with Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo? You could even have some personal conversations, right?”

“I’m so envious that you get to ride in Team Leader Seo’s car and sit in the passenger seat.”

“If it were me, I’d want to ride in Team Leader Seo’s car, even if it meant sitting in the trunk.”

“……”

My colleagues from other teams were incredibly envious of me just for seeing his face and appearance.

I wonder how much more envious they would be if they knew we were going to meet our business partners alone right now.

He was a man who possessed the perfect qualities to capture women’s hearts.

A pristine suit without a single wrinkle, a casually tousled yet neat hairstyle, a half-revealed but smooth forehead…

His looks were as handsome as an actor, and his tall figure was as refined as a model’s…

But until now, I had felt no attraction as a woman, not even a spark of interest, in his appearance.

‘How dedicated Team Leader Seo is when it comes to work…’

Ding*

Suddenly, the elevator door opened.

There was no one else inside.

From the 17th floor to the basement, floor 3.

The modern elevator, boasting a much faster speed than others, always seemed to turn into a rollercoaster ride when I rode it with him.

I blankly stared at the decreasing numbers, hoping we would reach the parking lot soon.

No matter how good-looking your boss was, what did it matter if he didn’t pay any special attention to you?

Even though we spent a lot of time in the same space and worked together, our relationship was just that of coworkers, and there was nothing enviable about it.

I had nothing much to say when my colleagues admired his looks and background in conversation.

It didn’t matter whether he was outstanding or not; he had no connection to me.

He wasn’t someone I had to concern myself with, even if I wanted to.

He was just a boss at work who I wanted recognition from, that’s all.

“…Aren’t you getting off?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes!”

I suddenly snapped out of my daze in the elevator, not even realizing I had been daydreaming.

And as always, I followed behind Team Leader Seo.

“I wish my son could be as handsome and refined as him.”

It was an unrealistic fantasy, but still, my boyfriend, Deputy Lim Tae-hyun, was second to none.

‘By the way, I haven’t heard from Tae-hyun yesterday or today.’

Suddenly, I thought of my boyfriend who worked on another team on the same floor.

I hadn’t contacted him in the past few days, and it seemed Tae-hyun hadn’t either.

When we had too much work, we tended to act like strangers to each other.

During those times, usually, the one who got a breather first would initiate contact.

‘He must be busy. I should get in touch tonight.’

I shrugged casually and stopped walking.

Unbeknownst to me, we had arrived near Team Leader Seo’s car.

But strangely…

“Get in.”

“…?”

“Deputy Kang.”

“…?”

Oddly enough, Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo was personally holding the passenger door open, facing me with a straight posture and a firm gaze.

I blinked my eyes twice in a feeling of awkwardness and gratitude. 

Perhaps today, there were no other cars parked near the team leader’s car, which is why he offered such an extravagant act of kindness.

“….Thank you.”

“…….”

I sat in the passenger seat, bowing my head slightly.

Eventually, with a thud, the door closed.

I couldn’t tell if Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo’s gaze remained on me until he turned around.

* * *

“…Oh? It looks like there might be a sudden shower.”

It happened just as Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo’s black sedan had reached the ground level.

Until I left the office, the sky had been clear, but suddenly, dark clouds had gathered.

Even though it was only two-thirty in the afternoon, the surroundings seemed unusually dark, as if it were already past six.

He briefly looked up at the sky in response to my comment.

“….Yeah, it seems that way.”

“…….”

“…….”

Silence followed our brief weather conversation.

When would we naturally feel comfortable in this silence?

Probably never, right?

I felt like I should say something, anything, to break the silence, but I wasn’t one to engage in pointless conversation, just like Team Leader Seo.

Thud, thud.*

Instead, the sound of rain filled the quiet car interior.

And the chilling cold.

When I flinched slightly, Team Leader Seo reached out and pressed a button.

The sound of the heater starting to work could be heard.

“Oh, I’m fine, Team Leader.”

“Just for ventilation. It’s humid.”

“…Okay.”

Who would turn on the heater in the middle of summer?

But as his words ended, the exterior of the car became slightly damp.

Raindrops were pouring fiercely from the ceiling.

Beyond the slow-moving wipers, the traffic light of the main road was visible.

And the radio music playing softly.

‘…I really feel like I just want to go home.’

With the darkening weather and the rain, I just wanted to go home and lie down.

However, even though it wasn’t yet three o’clock, the time felt long and gloomy today. I focused on the radio and absentmindedly looked out the car window.

Team Leader Seo’s gentle touch on the steering wheel caught my peripheral vision.

His fingers were slim and long, and even the veins on the back of his hand were visible.

It wasn’t particularly surprising for someone as flawless as him, but he was exceptionally skilled at driving.

I had ridden in a car of the same make driven by someone else for work, and it was then that I first realized how skilled he was at driving.

The car’s steady body, the wheels rolling smoothly as if gliding on clouds, taking curves without tilting…

I had taken many taxis because I didn’t have a driver’s license, but I had never come across someone as skilled at driving as Team Leader Seo Jun-hoo.

After becoming aware of his driving skills, I couldn’t help but compare them to others whenever I rode in different cars.

Sitting next to Tae-hyun, I even found myself longing for Team Leader Seo’s driving.

Every time I rode in his car like this, I couldn’t help but admire his skills.

As I sat comfortably, something suddenly caught my eye beyond the car window.

‘Hmm?’

It was a familiar license plate and car model.

‘Isn’t that Tae-hyun’s car?’

A car in the adjacent lane, a little ahead of us, felt incredibly familiar.

Despite squinting through the rain, I managed to see the license plate, confirming that it was indeed Tae-hyun’s car.

“Huh?”

My voice slipped out without thinking, and Team Leader Seo’s gaze shifted to where I was looking.

“….Do you know them?”

“Uh… no.”

I didn’t want to talk about being an office couple with my immediate supervisor in front of me.

However, Team Leader Seo kept his gaze on Tae-hyun’s car and me, alternating his attention between the two.

His gaze eventually shifted forward.

He knew anyway that I was involved in an office romance.

Perhaps it was because of the chill in the air, but I inexplicably felt a bit uneasy.

“Where are you going at this time?”

I wondered if Tae-hyun was going on a business trip.

It had been a few days since we last contacted each other, even though we were lovers.

Had we become too neglectful of each other despite being in a relationship?

Even though we had only been dating for about a year, Tae-hyun and I knew each other so well and were so comfortable together, as if we had been together for ten or more years. 

Our parents also naturally assumed we would get married.

It seemed like I hadn’t been paying enough attention to my boyfriend, making the excuse that I was too busy.

‘I should definitely contact him as soon as I get off work.’

I resolved to do so, and just then, a red traffic light appeared.

Coincidentally, Tae-hyun’s car stopped right next to Team Leader Seo’s car.

The distance was so close that if I reached out, I could almost touch the window.

I moved only my pupils to sneak a glance in that direction.

‘Well, it’s probably not very visible because of the rain…’

I just wanted to catch a glimpse of my boyfriend’s face.

“……!”

But what I unexpectedly saw in the car across from us left me in shock.