ITLW 07

Chapter 7

I Think I Touched the CEO’s Nerve

Dohyun hurried after Leeheon.

“Why are you suddenly conducting department inspections out of nowhere? Surely the other executives are more than capable of doing that. Haven’t they always handled them until now?”

Was he really that oblivious, or was he deliberately acting this way?

Leeheon stopped walking and stared at Dohyun.

“Surely this sudden inspection doesn’t have anything to do with Ms. Lee Dan-ah, does it?”

He really couldn’t imagine it.

Well, Leeheon understood.

To be honest, he hadn’t intended to take things this far either.

At first, he had only wanted to see what kind of woman could possibly like him that much.

Where did such intense feelings of affection even come from?

When she had seen him in the company cafeteria, her face had turned so red that he had worried everyone in the world would notice.

He had even wondered if she might be unable to eat because of him.

But there had been a twist.

Even though she kept stealing shy glances around and checking his reaction, she had eaten extremely well.

With her red lips, she had neatly stripped every bit of meat from the braised ribs.

There had been something appealing about it.

She seemed incredibly healthy and full of vitality.

There was even something spirited about the way she tore into the ribs.

Perhaps that was why.

He had wanted to talk to her at least once.

And so he had met her again in the break room.

Was this what everyone became like when they were around someone they liked?

Not only had she been unable to let go of his hand after taking it—

She had even carefully wiped the opening of his can with her own clothes.

But there had been another twist.

Despite her flushed face and the way she acted awkwardly and unnaturally, as though something inside her were malfunctioning,

she still said everything she wanted to say.

She’s an interesting woman.

He was beginning to feel grateful that she liked him.

A smile escaped him before he knew it.

If that had been all, perhaps he would have ended his curiosity there.

But then—

“I’ll buy it. You’re working hard for the company, after all.”

You’re working hard for the company…………….

He had taken that for granted his entire life.

He had never once wanted to hear someone say such a thing to him.

And yet, her words had struck his heart in a strangely powerful way.

On top of that, there was her pretty face, her spirited way of speaking, her impeccable manners and friendliness, and the shy way she behaved around the person she liked.

He had only wanted to exchange a few words with her.

But before he knew it, his curiosity had spread like a wildfire.

From the simple question of what it meant to like someone,

to the question of what kind of woman this Lee Dan-ah—the woman who claimed to like him—actually was.

“CEO, if you conduct a surprise inspection this suddenly, the employees will be caught off guard.”

“This isn’t an inspection. It’s encouragement.”

“Who would think of it that way? The CEO suddenly barging into the office while everyone is working—…………… Ugh!”

Dohyun quickly shut his mouth when an object nearly went straight into it.

“What is this?”

“What do you think? A card. Place an order so you can treat the employees to coffee.”

“You’re buying them coffee, too?”

“Would I go there to encourage them empty-handed?”

“Ah. Yes. That’s true.”

But whether it was an inspection or encouragement, why exactly was the CEO going to the employees’ office in the first place?

Surely he wasn’t going to visit an entire department and buy everyone coffee just because he’d received one confession.

“Ah, Secretary Kang.”

“Yes, CEO.”

“One of them should be a white chocolate mocha. Extra hot milk, lots of whipped cream, an extra shot. Take out one pump of syrup. No, don’t take out the syrup. Make it sweet.”

“Do you usually drink it that sweet, CEO?”

“I won’t be drinking it.”

“Then who………………”

‘Something sweet. I need something sweet. Sweet, sweet, sweet.’

Leeheon remembered Dan-ah chanting those words in front of the vending machine.

“There was someone there singing about something sweet.”

“Who could that be……………… Surely………………”

“Aren’t you coming?”

“I’m coming!”

Ms. Lee Dan-ah was there, after all.

Still, surely not because of that confession?

He couldn’t possibly be doing something this crazy—visiting her department and buying everyone coffee—just because he wanted to see the woman who had told him she liked him.

And yet, as he specifically ordered extra whipped cream, he had the strange feeling that perhaps it really wasn’t unrelated after all.

“The CEO is coming, but just act normally. Hoo, hoo. Okay? Just like usual. Hooo, hoo. Naturally, okay? Just keep working the way you always—haa, haa—do. The way you always do.”

The team leader clutched his chest, looking extremely nervous.

“You there, Assistant Manager Kim! Your desk is a mess! Where did Assistant Manager Shin go? He’s not at his desk? Call him right now! Hoooo. The CEO is coming, but don’t pay attention to him, okay? Just work like you normally do. Like usual. Okay?”

The team leader somehow managed to shout all of that in a voice that sounded as though he were about to lose his breath.

“Isn’t the team leader going to die at this rate?”

Someone cracked a joke, and suppressed laughter immediately broke out around the office.

A surprise visit from the CEO.

Everyone else was trying to work as normally as possible, but the team leader was the only one making a huge fuss about it.

Of course, strictly speaking, he wasn’t the only one.

Dan-ah was nervous, too.

Why was the CEO conducting a department inspection?

And why so suddenly?

She had thought she wouldn’t have to see him directly anymore.

So why was she meeting him again so soon?

It had only been a single day.

Ugh, whatever.

I’ll just work.

As long as she blended in among everyone else in the office, he probably wouldn’t even notice her.

She was just about to drink the coffee the secretary’s office had handed out when someone suddenly took hold of it.

Dan-ah raised her head.

Leeheon was already standing there, looking down at her.

Gasp!

“Hello, CEO!”

She shot to her feet and bowed.

He leaned slightly closer, his eyes carrying a friendly warmth.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Lee Dan-ah. Is there anything difficult about working here?”

“No! Other than every day being difficult, there’s nothing!”

Crazy.

Am I an idiot?

What am I even saying?

His gaze seemed to change strangely.

“Haha……………… I mean, I work so hard that……………….”

“You don’t have to work too hard. Take care of yourself and take things easy. If there’s anything difficult, tell me anytime.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

…Every day is difficult.

What was she saying?

Was she asking the CEO to reduce her workload?

Did she want to get herself fired altogether, Lee Dan-ah?

While she was mentally whipping herself for her stupidity—

Without letting anyone else notice, Leeheon exchanged the coffee in her hands with the coffee he was holding.

Then he walked past her and went around greeting the other employees.

What?

Why did he switch our coffees?

Could there be some secret message written on it saying, ‘Idiot, don’t like me. I’ll fire you’?

But that’s not fair.

I don’t even like the CEO!

She was already feeling wronged.

Dan-ah hurriedly opened the lid of the coffee she had received.

Thankfully, there was no secret message on either the front or the back of the lid.

But unlike the Americano everyone else had received, hers was piled high with whipped cream, with an elaborate drizzle pattern spread across the top like a spiderweb.

Just looking at it, she could tell it was sweet enough to turn her stomach.

Blood sugar spike → insulin explosion → hypoglycemic shock!

Is he saying, ‘You dared to like me, so eat this and die……’?

Could a secret message appear at the bottom after she finished the coffee?

Ah.

This was what it was.

“I’ll repay you for the drink soon.”

“Oh, no. You’re working hard for the company, so I’ll buy you something that small.”

Come to think of it, this had to be the drink she’d bought for him in the break room.

Ahh.

I said I’d buy it, but the CEO really is something.

He’s definitely a man who believes in give and take.

“By the way, do you like sweet things?”

She took a sip of the coffee without thinking and set it down.

Then she felt a powerful gaze.

Yoonseo was staring at her.

That familiar smile.

She knew exactly what that smile meant.

“Lucky you, Dan-ah. You get to see the face of the person you like while you’re working.”

Damn it.

That’s not it.

The person I like is………………

She stole a glance toward Jihoon, who was sitting in the neighboring department.

What?

I definitely thought I liked Han Jihoon until the day before yesterday.

So why did those feelings suddenly feel like a fossil from a distant past?

Something definitely felt wrong.

What was it?

She had no idea.

Well, whatever.

I’ll just work.

Dan-ah took another sip of her coffee.

It was so sweet that she stuck out her tongue, then quickly returned her attention to her work.

Leeheon, who had been greeting another employee, turned back toward Dan-ah.

As he watched her diligently working, the corners of his lips curved upward.