TLR 22

Chapter 22 …

11:00 PM. Junhyuk opened the café door and stepped inside.

Since he had texted earlier saying he’d be late, Seol wasn’t surprised by his visit. However, she was surprised by the bouquet of flowers in his hands.

It was extraordinarily large and exquisitely beautiful. Even a quick glance revealed well over ten different types of flowers, yet remarkably, it didn’t look gaudy at all.

Is he… really giving that to me? Seol pulled her shoulders in slightly.

Having never received flowers from a man before, and with the bouquet’s presence feeling so overwhelming, she felt a bit intimidated.

“Congratulations on landing the job.”

“Thank you.”

Seol gave a polite bow and took the bouquet with both hands.

“Ooh! Wh-What in the…?”

Surprised by how heavy it was, she gasped. Then, when Junhyuk suddenly burst into a soft laugh, she gasped again.

With a flushed face, Seol leaned in to smell the floral fragrance before carefully setting the bouquet down on the table.

“The vacuum cleaner is over there, right?”

Having done it once before, Junhyuk naturally began walking toward the supply closet.

Seol raised a hand to stop him, then lowered it right back down. She had already learned that he wasn’t a man who could be stopped once he made up his mind.

“Do you have a moment to talk?” Junhyuk asked, putting his jacket back on after finishing the sweeping.

“Yes.”

“Then the convenience store again. Or inside the car. Or driving somewhere in the car. Which do you prefer?”

“Um, the convenience store.”

“Alright.”

Junhyuk gave a short nod.

Seol gathered the bouquet and her bag, then headed for the door.

“Hahaha!”

Perhaps because it was early summer in terms of temperature even though the calendar said spring, the outdoor tables in front of the convenience store were already occupied.

Watching the people laughing loudly and clinking their beer cans together, Junhyuk turned to look at Seol.

“Inside the car. Or driving somewhere in the car. Which do you prefer this time?”

“Inside the car, then.”

Going to a 24-hour café near the station was also an option. However, Junhyuk would undoubtedly give her a ride home afterward, and she felt like that would be taking up too much of his time.

“Alright, then. Shall I carry that for you if it’s too heavy?”

“No, I’m okay.”

Holding the bouquet that was almost as big as her own torso, Seol hurried along with quick, short steps.

They sat side-by-side in the driver and passenger seats. Junhyuk turned on the interior car light and cracked all four windows slightly open, so it didn’t feel suffocating inside.

Seol hugged the bouquet close and swallowed her dry spit. Unexpectedly, sitting in the parked car created a considerable amount of tension.

Unable to bring herself to look sideways, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead when a voice broke the silence.

“Do you really like parking lots?”

“Huh?”

“Or streetlights? Which of the two do you prefer?”

He was asking why she was staring so intently out at the pitch-black, empty outdoor commercial parking lot. After a moment’s hesitation, Seol turned her head toward him.

When their eyes met, Junhyuk offered a faint smile.

“Congratulations on getting the job.”

Junhyuk offered his congratulations once more.

“Thank you.”

As she reflexively bowed her head, the flowers poked her face. Seol lifted her head back up awkwardly.

“This might sound a bit like a lecture, but since Seol-ssi is about to become a corporate employee, would it be okay if I offered some advice as your senior in society?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Please do.”

In fact, she welcomed it with open arms. There was no one around her who could offer that kind of guidance.

Seol looked up at Junhyuk with bright, sparkling eyes.

“’Han Seol-ssi, you look very pretty today.’”

“…Pardon?”

“Would that count as sexual harassment, or not?”

“…”

“You have to answer.”

“…Sexual harassment.”

“Correct.”

Junhyuk gave an expressionless nod.

“’Han Seol-ssi, are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday? Didn’t you sleep at home last night?’”

“…”

“Is that sexual harassment, or not?”

“Sexual harassment.”

“’Han Seol-ssi, why do you only wear pants? I saw you wearing a skirt last time and your legs looked really nice.’”

“Sexual harassment.”

Examples poured continuously from Junhyuk’s mouth. Hearing them made her feel nauseous to the point where her stomach churned.

“Excuse me…”

Seol raised a single hand with great effort, maneuvering around the giant bouquet.

“Go ahead.”

“I think you can stop now. I understand completely.”

“Then let’s move on to the next part. What should you do when you experience sexual harassment like that?”

“…”

“You need to answer. Don’t avert your eyes.”

“Th-There’s probably something in place. I didn’t go through new employee training, so I don’t know the specifics, but companies usually have an internal counseling office, so I’d handle it through consultations there to find a solution…”

“Consultation, my foot.”

Junhyuk cut her off in a icy tone, then continued.

“Since it’s an office, there will be plenty of things around you that can be used as weapons. Things like chairs or fire extinguishers that are hard enough to hurt like hell if you get hit with them.”

“…”

“Bash them over the head with it. The more times, the better.”

“…”

“Don’t worry about the aftermath at all. I know plenty of good lawyers.”

“…Yes, I’ll count on you when the time comes.”

Seol bowed her head, then snapped it right back up in surprise. Once again, her face got poked by the flowers.

Her mind was in a complete whirlwind. As she roughly brushed back her loose hair, her eyes met Junhyuk’s, who was staring intently at her.

There wasn’t a trace of amusement on his face, but strangely, it didn’t feel as cold as before.

If anything, she could feel warmth in his gaze. Though it was a little strange, she could tell that his words came from a place of genuine concern for her.

“Junhyuk-ssi, I think you’re actually very sweet and thoughtful.”

“I hear that often.”

“Yes, perhaps it’s because you have a younger sister…”

Seol trailed off. Mid-sentence, the memory of Junhyuk pouring ice water over his sleeping sister flashed through her mind.

Well, I used to act immature and pull Jiwan’s hair when we fought, too. Seol asked in a bright voice, “How is your sister doing?”

“She’s probably still breathing. I’ll get a call if she dies.”

“Ah…”

Seol cast her eyes downward.

Am I the only person who has ever called him ‘sweet and thoughtful’? Once the thought crossed her mind, it refused to leave.

“Seol-ssi.”

“Yes?”

Seol looked back up at Junhyuk.

Junhyuk closed his eyes slowly and opened them again.

His persistent gaze skipped right past the bouquet of flowers and landed on her slender neck. Then, it gradually traced its way upward.

His intense eyes brushed past her delicate jawline. They lingered a bit longer on her softly trembling lips. Finally, he looked directly into her eyes without a word.

Seol flinched involuntarily, making the plastic wrapping around the flowers rustle extraordinarily loud.

Junhyuk’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. He was clearly trying to say something, but no matter how long she waited, his lips wouldn’t part.

“I’ll take you home. Put your seatbelt on.”

After a long silence, the voice that emerged was terribly deep, so low it cracked at the end.

Swallowing her dry spit, Seol buckled her seatbelt.

It was a five-minute drive. A stretch of time only slightly longer than a regular song.

Junhyuk remained silent the entire way, and Seol stared straight ahead, wondering what words he had swallowed back down.

“We’re here.”

“Okay.”

Seol got out of the car hugging the bouquet. Come to think of it, she needed an excuse for Donghee. What was she supposed to say about this massive bouquet of flowers?

Junhyuk walked around the front of the car and approached her.

“Thank you for driving me home.”

“Get home safely the rest of the way.”

“Yes. Ah, and, um… I have something to say.”

Junhyuk, who had been brushing back his hair while looking into thin air, turned his head to look at her.

Seol took a deep breath. It was her turn to speak to the man who had done nothing but give to her up until now.

“The thing is… I know I haven’t signed the contract yet. Still, I don’t think my job offer will get canceled a second time. Ah, the reason I say ‘twice’ is because it was canceled once before by the same place. No, wait. That’s not what I was trying to say right now.”

Five minutes was far too short a time to organize her thoughts. As her words began to tangle, Seol’s face flushed hot.

Junhyuk remained silent with an expressionless face. So what about it? That was the exact look on his face.

Plucking up her courage, Seol opened her mouth again.

“I won’t know my exact salary until I go tomorrow and hear it, but still, I’ll be a full-time employee. That means I’ll have health insurance and benefits, and the company welfare will probably be good…”

Because she was talking so fast, she ran out of breath. Seol paused for a brief moment before carrying on.

“My financial situation isn’t great right now. But I think it’ll gradually get better, you know?”

She felt like Junhyuk should have understood what she was driving at by now. Seol stared up at him fixedly.

At that, Junhyuk tilted his chin up slightly. As if telling her to keep going.

Looking at the slant of the smirk playing on his lips, he had clearly understood, yet he showed no intention of speaking up.

In the end, Seol opened her mouth once more.

“You see… My circumstances aren’t great yet, but… Ugh, what do I do…?”

She had no idea confessing her feelings would be this hard. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t feel any dumber, repeating the same words over and over again.

Hanging her head, Seol carefully organized her thoughts in her head. So, the main point of what I’m trying to say right now is…

A low voice drifted down to her.

“’I like you, Junhyuk-ssi.’”

“…”

“Are those words really that difficult to say?”