Dry Monsoon

“It’s not a boyfriend, it’s an acquaintance. Then, I’ll be leaving first. Let’s have a meal on the last day, alright? The day I officially leave the company.”

Director Ko sighed at what I told them. Manager Yoon was staring at Lim Soo-wan with narrowed eyes. Soo-wan, who had just left the office, quietly snuck away. As Joo Hae-in had said, the rumour had already spread, and it angered Director Ko and Manager Yoon.

I said goodbyes to Director Ko and Manager Yoon and approached Secretary Kim, who greeted me with a smile.

I got into the waiting car and headed toward the place where Kwon Lee-Hyun arranged the meeting. While on the way I exchanged a few words with Secretary Kim, I found out his name was Kim Geon-Sik and he was 37 years old, older than Lee Hyun.

Regardless of age, Kwon Lee-Hyun’s aura was always intimidating.

The car passed through Dosan University Road and exited Hannam University Bridge. The Gangbyeon Expressway was busy with traffic. After the car made it out of the congested area, it entered the KINTEX IC and slid onto a 10-lane road.

“We are almost there.”

“There’s a lot of traffic.”

“It is because of rush hour.”

I knew where I was going without having to ask. We were at the centre of the construction company’s super-luxury residential and commercial complex. I nervously swallowed when I saw SR’s apartment brand logo.

As expected, the building that won the top prize at the Red Dot appeared in front of us.

“Is Lee-Hyun here?”

“Yes, I was instructed to take you to him.”

“Where are we?”

“This is Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.”

“Ah, no. What is in here?”

“You will see the executive director.”

I smiled in vain, it was clear that he had no intention of telling me why I was here.

The streetlights lit up one by one along the dim road. The car entered a large parking lot, casting a long shadow behind it.

After exiting the car, I followed Secretary Kim inside and changed elevators twice on the way. There were security levels on each floor that must be passed through to get into the next floor as it was a high-rise building.

I was nervous about the height of the 60th floor, but Secretary Kim calmly guided me.

“It’s Room 1 on the 60th floor.”

The corridor was filled with the unique scent of a new building.

“Are you here?”

As soon as Secretary Kim opened the door of Room 1, Lee Hyun’s voice was heard. Today he had the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbow.

“Hi…”

I took off my heels and changed into slippers. I looked around the place and approached him slowly.

“Are you moving out to a different office by any chance?”

It was a space that exuded an office atmosphere, but it also felt like a home to live in. He smiled softly at the puzzled look on my face.

“From now on, this is your studio,” Lee-Hyun said.

My head snapped up to him with what I heard a second ago.

“You mean this is the studio…?”

“I was going to prepare one near my house. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea, as my people are constantly going in and out, and it raises a security issue. Is it too small?”

“Are you planning to play soccer here or something?” I asked with a baffled look at him.

Despite my blunt response, Lee-Hyun’s voice seems to be very sweet today.

‘What’s wrong with this man?’

“Can I take it as a yes, that you like this place?”

I almost got caught up in his smile. Seeing me looking around with a look of disbelief, he held out a file he had received from the secretary Kim.

“Here’s a list of employees who will be helping you. Design Team Manager Kang Joo-ha will provide support as the top priority, and five other assistants will be on standby.” He said.

I took the file he held out with a sound of pain as if I had a cramp in my head. But I didn’t dare to turn it over. I felt like a huge project was on my shoulders. To tell the truth, I was a little scared before I even started.

I looked around the space at a slow pace. Except for a bedroom-like room, it’s a two-room space. However, the problem was that the size was close to 40 pyeong. Too big and too much. Of course, the view overlooking below was beautiful, but the feeling of seeing the big sky was not very good.

“It feels like I’m wearing clothes that don’t fit me.”

“Why? Is it unfamiliar?”

“Yes. A little… Maybe it’s because it’s my first time in this room?”

I approached the window. In fact, it was so high that I was a little scared. Perhaps it was due to the excessive height. I wasn’t too impressed to see the night view stretched out in front of me like the Milky Way. It was a place where the boundaries between the downtown city and the suburban city blended. When I turned around hugging the file in my arms, Lee-Hyun untucked the hem of his shirt from his pants.

“Did you have your dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“Then, let’s go up.”

He picked up his jacket hanging from a chair. It seems that he has moved all the furniture from this room by himself so far. I could tell that from the sweat on his forehead. I felt strange.

“What’s up there?”

His mood subtly fell at my sudden question. Squinting his eyes as if to judge and rubbing his lips he asked,

“Lee Ji-Eun, do you really have no interest in me?”

“I’m sorry? Why? Did I say something wrong?”

He grabbed my handbag from the table and lightly hung it on my shoulder. Then, with a frown, he pointed up to the ceiling.

“Right upstairs is where I live. I’ve prepared a meal for you, so let’s go upstairs and have a meal and write up the contract.”