chapter 344
344 – Scene 344# First Kiss
*
Sehee Park was confident that she was living a successful life.
After graduating from college, she was accepted into the first large company she submitted her resume to, and from then on, she was on her way to success.
All of her projects were completed successfully, and her team also continued its upward trend without any mistakes. Thanks to her efforts to reorganize the company, her salary always went up, even if it wasn’t unprecedented.
If this continues, it won’t be strange if he takes the position of manager next year, following his position as assistant manager.
The criteria for success are different for each person.
By Park Se-hee’s standards, she thought that her life was well within the boundaries of success as she was recognized by the company and earned a salary that would allow her to live in an officetel in the center of Seoul.
Until she realized there was just one thing missing.
-So Sehee. When are you going to bring your groom?
-Mom! It’s been a while since I last saw you. Is it that sound again?
-Hey, you b*tch! Now you have to find your partner quickly! Don’t you think your mother should see her grandchildren before she dies of old age? Don’t just work all the time, meet a guy too! Does it make sense to not have a boyfriend at that age?
-I am…
-Say you got married to someone.
-… I know it well.
-Ugh. I can’t live… I’ll be lucky if I don’t die of old age first.
-Oh, mom! If I really want to, I can become a man… !
I was about to say that I could make anything like that if I put my mind to it, but I stopped.
‘There was a man I was close with… ‘ ‘Go?’
I know a lot of men.
However, he was more like a co-worker than a boyfriend. Even then, most of them are older people in their 40s or older.
Looking back, even throughout my 30-year life, which included attending girls’ middle school, girls’ high school, and girls’ college, I had absolutely no connection with being a man.
Love?
I have received quite a few introductions from people around me.
Sehee Park didn’t think she was that bad about her looks and she actually got her number a few times.
Nevertheless, she said that the reason why Park Se-hee could not date her was… To put it in a good way, it was because she was a workaholic, and in a bad way, because she was a terrible workaholic.
Her scope of activity was limited to work and home. Stella, a foreign company, was notorious for exploiting its people, but the job itself was hectic.
Thanks to this, she went back and forth between work and home all weekdays, but on the weekends, she just slept like she was completely discharged.
In this way, it could be said that love is not even meant to be.
Of course, I could reduce the work if I wanted to.
However, Park Se-hee was the type of person who only felt alive when she was working. She was a special type of person who felt joy every time she was under pressure.
Thanks to this, men who were deceived by her attractive appearance soon realized her true nature and stopped approaching her.
She’s been living like that for several years now… She now has a nickname for her company called ‘Crazy Dog’.
‘I haven’t met a man in this life.’
When she was rationalizing to herself that it wasn’t that bad, Park Se-hee met Jeong Ji-hwan.
She was initially parachuted into her representative network.
Jeong Ji-hwan, who was brought in by Stella’s CEO Park Joon-hyuk, took on the important role of game tester without any experience. Just looking at that, he couldn’t help but think so.
Park Se-hee’s first impression of him was that of a gloomy man.
He was quiet and extremely reticent. His eyes were also unusual. He was obese, but if he lost weight, he wouldn’t look so bad.
However, according to a human resources employee who knew him well, he was a vicious ex-convict who even committed murder.
I didn’t know if that was true or not, but it was true that the atmosphere it gave off was difficult to approach.
‘Well, it doesn’t really matter as long as you do a good job.’
Her top priority her her her in life her her was work, and she did not care whether she was a criminal or an ordinary person. She worked with him regardless of what others thought.
Then, Park Se-hee naturally realized.
That the man named Jeong Ji-hwan is much more toxic than her.
It was Park Se-hee’s routine to show up to her company early and she was the last to come in.
However, Jeong Ji-hwan practically lived at the company. No, he just lived.
-No, Ji-hwan! How many days have you not been home?
-Uh… Do I have to go home?
-Do that now… No, wait. Are you sure Ji-hwan doesn’t have a home yet?
-Yes? What are you saying? I’m not some kind of homeless person.
-Then go in! Squeak!
Jeong Ji-hwan worked not only on weekdays but also on weekends, almost living in the company’s sleeping room. Legally, he was already over his working hours, so of course he was unpaid.
Is work really that good? To say that, Jeong Ji-hwan’s face didn’t look that bright.
What on earth made him like this? Are we making him obsessed with work like this?
Park Se-hee was purely curious.
-Mr. Jihwan. Take this.
-Is this…?
-Is this your first time seeing iced Americano?
-No. I know that…
-No, I do not want? Coffee.
-Uh… That can’t be right. Good. Good or bad.
– Right? Jihwan, ah, you’re a ghost.
-But why are you giving it to me?
-I was trying to order something warm, but I ordered it wrong. So Ji-hwan drinks that.
-Ah… Thank you I’ll drink it well.
-What. Thank you for drinking it.
-However… Assistant manager, what about coffee? Didn’t you order?
-… I forgot.
-Yes? What is that…
-Or you can just say I picked it up on the way. Then let’s work.
Starting with Park Se-hee approaching Jeong Ji-hwan first, the relationship between the two progressed little by little.
We ate together and talked about various things while working overtime.
In the meantime, Park Se-hee found out what kind of person Jeong Ji-hwan was. He heard everything about his unfortunate family situation, his sudden misfortune, and even the circumstances in which he joined this company for his younger sister.
In the end, the reason Jeong Ji-hwan had no choice but to focus on work so much was because of his younger sister.
Because she was worried about her sister, she did not want to leave the company even for a moment.
When I found out, I was so sad that I went to the bathroom and cried.
Time passed.
Before we knew it, the two people had become the closest people in the company.
Park Se-hee recognized Jeong Ji-hwan, and people around him, little by little, began to acknowledge him for working harder than anyone else.
And around that time, Jeong Ji-hwan disappeared.
All Park Se-hee heard was that he wrote a letter of resignation and disappearance. He disappeared without any contact.
As far as she knew, he wasn’t that kind of person. He was not the type of person who would just write a letter of resignation and disappear overnight. He was not the kind of person who would abandon his sister, his only blood relative, and run away.
Park Se-hee set out to find Jeong Ji-hwan in person.
He had no family other than her sister, so she had to report her missing.
She contacted the police station every day to check if there was any information about Jeong Ji-hwan.
That wasn’t enough, so they ended up going to the house where Jeong Ji-hwan lived.
At that point, Park Se-hee didn’t know why she was doing this.
What on earth made her look for him, who was just her co-worker?
Why is she so obsessed with him?
I was embarrassed because although I had been hung up on work before, I had never been so hung up on someone in my 30 years of life.
‘What. Why am I like this…’
It took several months for Park Se-hee to realize that it was love.
On the one hand, it felt like her heart was going to break. Because the person she was in love with she could not know not only her whereabouts her her her, but even her her life her or death her her her.
‘Even if something happened to him and he died…’
She wanted to at least find his body.
It felt like she had to make a tomb for him.
I felt like that would make me feel relieved.
It seemed that only then could her heart come to an end.
“What are you thinking?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t believe I’m with Ji-hwan like this. “Now, don’t stay like this and drink.”
Park Se-hee, coming out of her thoughts, raised her wine glass towards Jeong Ji-hwan.
Without saying a word, he lifted his glass and clinked it with hers. Then the glass rang and made a beautiful sound.
Park Se-hee took a drink in her mouth and looked at Jeong Ji-hwan.
Even the way she drank wine was classy and elegant. Since she has been living as Tristan for a while, she has become accustomed to his mannerisms.
Nevertheless, Park Se-hee was not unfamiliar. She was a character that Tristan modeled after Jeong Ji-hwan, so there was that, but the vibe she gave off was the same.
An unspoken pressure as if not to approach carelessly. And a warm inner self hidden behind the cynical attitude he sometimes shows.
Even though he lost weight and his speaking style changed, his essence did not go anywhere.
“Service opening soon.”
“That’s right. “Not long left.”
“What about the company?”
“Still busy and the same. Representative Park has not been seen these days. And since Ji-hwan disappeared, I moved to another department, so I am not involved in game testing. So I don’t know how specifically things progressed within the game.”
“I see.”
“However, while Ji-hwan was in the game, he did not make any special touches and did not hire a new game tester. In fact, it is being neglected, but CEO Park, I don’t know what this person is thinking.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, don’t worry. That company has a wide reach, so if you do some research, you can at least find out what CEO Park is doing.”
“You’ve had a lot of trouble.”
“This isn’t even a hardship. “Compared to all the times I’ve been looking for Ji-hwan.”
“… “I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, please hang out with me today.” That’s it, right?”
“Is it just something like this?”
“It’s not just that. How long have I waited for this…”
Park Se-hee, who felt embarrassed while saying that, cleared her throat.
“Hmm. Are you good at drinking?”
“… “I don’t have very good memories of alcohol.”
“Hmm. Looks like I can’t do it. Then drink in moderation. “It’s not like you can’t even have a drink, right?”
“Okay.”
Park Se-hee tipped her drink with a smile.
Alcohol is a truly mysterious drink.
As I drank, I became more and more emotional and often ended up saying things I shouldn’t have said.
That’s why Park Se-hee wanted to check Jeong Ji-hwan’s feelings at this time.
“Now, drink it.”
*
I remembered the time I had a drink with Helga the other day.
When I opened my eyes and woke up, Helga was in bed.
I realized once again how scary it is to have the film cut off.
From then on, I became absolutely wary of alcohol.
Part of me wanted to refuse alcohol, but it was difficult. How could I refuse when my benefactor, who worked so hard to find me, wants to have a drink with me?
So, I sipped the alcohol in my mouth at a moderate pace.
I tried to stay sane by drinking a lot of water in between.
‘Patience’ and all that, there really is no answer when you’re drunk.
Of course, there was no way to know how long this method would last.
Because it was my first time drinking with Sehee, I had no idea how much alcohol she had.
Just in case, she is a drinker or she is a strong drinker…
I was afraid that when I woke up tomorrow, I would be lying in her bed with her.
But that was my hope.
“Honestly!”
“…”
“I knew that if I just lost weight, I would look good, right? “I knew it!”
I think I drank a glass or two of wine.
Park Se-hee was preaching to me with her flushed face.
“But I didn’t tell you that it would turn out this good!”
“… “I’m sorry.”
She didn’t know her alcohol would be this weak. I think he’s weaker than me at this level.
This made it easier to control my pace.
“Be sure!”
“… What do you mean?”
“Am I attractive? “No?”
Park Se-hee asked me in a tongue-twisted voice, perhaps because she was very drunk.
It’s pretty straightforward. No, I couldn’t tell if he was being honest or being bold.
“There is.” Does not exist. “One of the two!”
“Do I really have to answer that question?”
“I have to do it! Then don’t you?”
“Hmm.”
Actually, it was a question without any worries.
No matter how cold-blooded I pretend to be, I don’t have the confidence to say to his face that I’m not attractive.
How much more attractive is Se-hee? She was quite popular in her company as well. If she hadn’t been so obsessed with work, she would have had a boyfriend a long time ago.
“Answer me! “Unbelievable!”
“I am…”
“I’m a count…”
At that time, a sleepy voice was heard.
When she turned her head, Wendy, who she thought was asleep, was standing there, rubbing her eyes.
“Wendy?”
She naturally sat down on my lap and yawned sleepily.
“Count… I can’t sleep…”
Maybe I had trouble sleeping because it was so loud. Or maybe the dragonflies were fierce.
“You can’t let me sleep… ” ?”
When Wendy asked with her characteristic moist eyes, her body naturally responded.
“I’m sorry. Let’s put Wendy to bed and we’ll talk later.”
“It can’t be helped.” Do you have to come quickly?”
“I understand.”
As I said that and tried to take Wendy to her room, Wendy shook her head.
“… “Please hug me.”
He’s such a spoiled brat.
But what can you do? You have to listen.
In the end, I carried Wendy to her her master bedroom her bed her her her in her her her her princess her embrace her her.
I decided to lay her body down next to her and stay by her side until she fell asleep.
‘But this guy…’
Contrary to her claims that she could not sleep, Wendy’s eyes were dozing off as if she would fall asleep at any moment.
“Are you sleepy?”
“Oh, not yet… ?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I woke up completely…”
You’re lying.
As soon as I laid down on the bed, my eyes almost closed.
“The Count… Do you like Sehee? ?”
Suddenly?
I stared blankly, but Wendy didn’t look away.
“Is there any reason to dislike it?”
“Are you better than me?” ?”
“What?”
“Do you like it as much as I do…” “?” ?”
I said something…
“It’s meaningless to compare things like that. Think about the time I spent with you and me.”
“But… “I’m going to marry the Count.”
“That is in the distant future.”
Of course, there will be someone who likes me other than me before then.
“I want to get married now… ” .”
“Not me.”
“Ugh…”
“It’s no use crying.”
“Then I can turn into an adult worthy of the Count…” ” ?”
“Same. No matter how mature your body becomes, it doesn’t mean you become mature.”
“Hey…”
In the end, did you just want to be pampered?
“Stop whining and sleeping.”
“I think I’ll fall asleep right away if the Count teases me… ” .”
Will you do it?
When I pretended not to hear, Wendy muttered in her sleep even though she was sleepy.
“Chu…”
“…”
“If you will… ” .”
“…”
“No… Yo?”
“Grow up.”
She stifled a yawn and patted Wendy’s stomach. Just like you do for a newborn baby.
Then I lost consciousness for a moment.
I don’t know if it’s because of the alcohol or if it’s because of the metastasis and the fatigue in my body, but I suddenly feel like I’m going crazy.
“Count… ?”
I have to put Wendy to sleep quickly and then go back…
“Please sleep… ?”
No. I’m not sleeping yet.
I think I said that, but strangely my voice doesn’t come out.
… Oh, I’m so sleepy.
As I was dozing off, I saw Wendy’s face in the blur of vision.
As always, a shy and helpless face.
But what? Why is my face getting more and more… Are you coming towards me?
“?!”
“… “Are you awake?”
In terms of time, it would have taken less than 10 seconds.
The reason I was suddenly able to open my eyes in surprise was because of the warm feeling left on my lips.
“I… I heard it before. They say the taste of first love is bitter…”
“Wendy, you…”
“My first kiss was like that too…”
The bitter taste was definitely due to the alcohol I drank. Tasting the wine left on my lips. That means…
“No way…”
“Oh, good night… !”
Wendy hid under the blanket as if to hide her newly red face.
Thanks to you, I knew what happened to me in my sleep, even if I didn’t want to know.
‘Ah…’
I woke up already.
‘If I knew it would be like this…’
It might have been better if the film had stopped.
Because I ended up confirming not Sehee ‘s feelings her, but the feelings of a girl who was like my daughter.