Executive Director, shall I book a room ?? - Chapter 9

It had been an unusually long day. Considering everything that had happened in just half a day, it was no wonder.

But I couldn’t just abandon the remaining schedule, so I scraped together whatever mental energy I had left and pushed through the last meeting. Thankfully, there were no more emotional breakdowns, but by the time I returned to the office, it was already close to 9 PM.

“You’re still here?”

Team Leader Na, the only one left in the empty office, answered with a tired smirk.

“Yeah, well.”

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Not really in the mood.”

“You should still eat while you work.”

“Who has time for that? The world is wide, and there are too many clients… By the way, what’s that?”

Team Leader Na, who had been typing furiously, stretched and turned around, then froze. Sujin grinned and held up a cake box.

“It’s the new release from ‘Mellow.’ I was really craving something sweet today, and I thought it’d be nice to include a coupon book too, so I brought it. But I guess everyone left early today?”

“Yeah. I came back and the place was empty.”

“What should we do? I bought a big one thinking there’d be more people… Oh, Yerin, could you take some? Wait, no, it’d be weird to just give you the leftovers, right?”

“No, no, I’d be happy to take it. Yerin here is a cake monster. Wow, this looks delicious.”

“Right? Right? It was so pretty I couldn’t resist. I just had to buy it.”

“Tsk tsk. Why’d you bring something so sweet? Is it that time of the month for Manager Kim?”

An unexpected male voice cut in. Both of them turned toward the hallway. Director Shin, who happened to be passing by, smirked as he chimed in.

“No matter how much you’re craving sweets, eating only that will make you fat. Team Leader Na, you’re not at an age where you can afford that, you know? Especially Manager Kim—she should be extra careful with anything with milk in it.”

Director Shin grinned and boldly traced a “C” shape in the air near his chest.

This guy again…

Sujin’s lips twisted awkwardly.

He was the kind of guy who constantly raised everyone’s blood pressure with unfunny jokes and offhand sexual harassment. The annoying part was that he genuinely thought he was being complimentary, and the even more annoying part was that he had zero intention of changing.

Just you wait, you jerk. If I get close to Junseong again like in the old days, I’ll gather all the evidence and stab you right in the back. We even exchanged numbers today, you know?

Of course, unlike me, who grumbles internally for the sake of a peaceful work life, there are people who still say exactly what’s on their mind.

“Yeah, well. For us, cutting out stuff like this would help with weight management, but for you, Director…”

Team Leader Na smoothly fired back, giving Director Shin’s plump figure a once-over before shaking her head.

“*Sigh*, but even at your age, you’re still slightly below average, so no need to feel too bad. It’s not like you’re at an age where you need to impress anyone anymore, right?”

“Huh? Uh, hm, *ahem*.”

Director Shin, his face turning red, cleared his throat awkwardly. Sujin barely held back a laugh.

Director Shin, who flaunted his distant familial ties to the chairman’s family and threw his weight around with subordinates, was no match for Team Leader Na, who had been posting the highest performance records since the hotel’s founding.

Because of this, it wasn’t uncommon to see Director Shin desperately trying to assert dominance while Team Leader Na slipped away like an eel, flipping the script. Naturally, from a spectator’s perspective, it was quite entertaining.

“Speaking of which, Manager Kim. Perfect timing. The VP is still in his office, so why don’t you prepare some coffee and snacks for him?”

*Why is the shrapnel flying my way?!*

“Me?!”

“Now’s your chance to score some points. He’ll probably be here late, so while you’re both suffering, why not take care of him? I heard you two knew each other before? Then you must know his preferences well.”

“Wait, hold on. There’s no need for me to— Director?!”

Director Shin, having dropped his bombshell, scurried away. Sujin stood frozen, staring blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, while Team Leader Na slowly stood up and grinned.

“Wow, lucky you~!”

LUCKY?! HOW IS THIS LUCKY?!

***

A short while later, a porcelain cup (not a plastic one) filled with coffee and neatly sliced cake sat on the cleanest tray available. Though Team Leader Na’s face clearly showed she wanted to tease, Sujin remained resolute.

Even so, presenting something to the Executive Director—who might as well be the heavens above—can’t be done half-heartedly like usual.

Leaving the office, Sujin carefully began climbing the stairs right in front of her. The third floor of the nine-story office building, slightly removed from the hotel, was where she worked, and the executive offices were just one floor above. The unfamiliar path alone was nerve-wracking, but knowing Junseong was at the end of it made her spine stiffen even more.
She knocked cautiously and waited. But no matter how long she waited, there was no response. Standing in front of the completely empty office—even the secretaries had all gone home—she suddenly wondered what she was even doing there.

Did he leave already?

Her shoulders slumped as if all the air had been let out of her. Yeah, no wonder I felt oddly excited.

Just as she was about to turn back, she noticed light seeping through the door crack. On a whim, she knocked again and quietly pushed the door open. Inside the brightly lit office, someone was sitting at the large desk right in front of her.

“Gah! S-Sorry! There was no answer, so I just—!”

I came in anyway.

She swallowed the rest of her words as she stared at the man in front of her. More accurately, at Junseong, who was leaning back in his chair, fast asleep.

“……”

Slowly stepping forward, Sujin set the tray down on one side of the desk.

Was the issue earlier really because of this?

“I could’ve just left on my own…”

The recent internal company affairs she’d learned about weren’t exactly rosy. Years of stagnant sales performance, the duty-free store corruption scandal, the increasingly visible factionalism—things like that.

She’d heard Junseong had returned to clean up those messes. What was just distant news to her was a real, pressing task for him. Just looking at the chaotic pile of documents scattered across his desk painted a vivid picture of his grueling day.

How exhausted must he be to have dozed off like this?

Seeing him dead asleep, completely drained, made her chest ache for no reason. And yet, he was the one who left the room instead of sending her away. He must’ve thought it was better to endure his own fatigue than to let a woman in that state be seen outside.

“Maybe you haven’t changed at all.”

Sujin murmured softly, gazing at the sleeping man’s face.

A man who had everything no one else could possess, who enjoyed privileges beyond compare.

But what had imprinted itself in her eyes and heart first wasn’t any of that—it was this side of him.

The consideration and composure that flowed out of him as naturally as breathing, no matter the situation. Even if it could be dismissed as the ease of privilege, she loved that he never bothered to hide or embellish it. She loved that he always carried himself with unapologetic authenticity. She had been proud to call him a friend.

Now, sadly, she couldn’t even hold onto that title anymore.

Which was exactly why she couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

“Sorry, Executive Director.”

Pulling out her phone, Sujin whispered softly as she tiptoed closer to him.

Ohhh, those long eyelashes.

Ohhh, that sharp nose bridge and sexy lips.

After thoroughly scanning his face as if licking it with her eyes, she carefully adjusted her phone’s angle.

Click.

The sound was unexpectedly loud—she thought her heart might drop—but thankfully, he didn’t open his eyes.

Nice shot!

How does he still look like a model even in a random photo like this?!

Even asleep, his face was art. Checking the beautifully saved photo, Sujin clamped a hand over her mouth. The excitement wouldn’t fade. She was on the verge of breaking into a shoulder dance. Swearing to cherish this thrilling harvest forever, she was just about to stuff her phone back into her pocket when—

Snap.

A strong grip seized her wrist.

“Eeek!”

Whipping her head around, she found the man now wide awake, staring straight at her.

“…What are you doing, Kim Sujin?”

He had called her by her full name.

She wasn’t sure if her dazed state was due to that gorgeous voice or the surreal sensation of his fingers around her wrist.

His eyes were unnervingly calm. The sharp contours of his gaze and the pitch-black pupils fixed on her showed no trace of the haziness of someone who had just been asleep.

…Don’t tell me he saw everything?

“I asked what you were doing, Manager Kim Sujin.”

His slower, drawn-out voice scraped against her heart. Sujin, growing fuzzier by the second, scrambled to gather her remaining composure and answered calmly.

“Y-You were asleep, weren’t you?”

“Do I have an obligation to answer that? You’re the one who trespassed into my space.”

“…Right.”

“Let me ask again. Why did you come in, Ms. Kim Sujin?”

“Uh, w-well, I thought you might be tired, so I brought coffee…”

“And while you were at it, you took a photo?”

“…Yes.”

“You were staring at my face for quite a while before taking that picture. Do you have some strange fetish, or… are you stalking me?”

Ah, so he did see everything. Since when were you awake?!

Startled, she looked up—and met his eyes, leisurely smiling.

The faintly upturned corners of his lips. The long, curved shape of his eyes.

His expression clearly said, “You’ve been caught.” Sujin’s eyes widened comically.

“N-No! It’s nothing like that! I just needed it for… something!”

“……”

“It’s for—for the PR team! The PR department wanted to feature Executive Director Song Junseong in the company newsletter!”

“And that required a photo of me sleeping?”

“W-Well, I thought you’d refuse if I asked…”
“……”

“…I’m sorry.”

The more I talk, the more I feel like I’m just digging myself deeper!

Under his increasingly frosty gaze, she instinctively straightened up like a soldier at attention. He was already in a bad mood because of her earlier incident, and now she’d gone and poured oil on the fire. Snatching her wrist back, Sujin hastily raised her phone.