Prey - Chapter 45
“Are you back from your business trip?”
It had been over two weeks since I had last seen Do Jeonghan, and the sudden dinner meeting made it hard for me to focus on my work.
Hyunwoo spoke chattily as if he had no idea what she was thinking.
‘Don’t you know the section chief, Seol? I heard she’s more famous among women. A young Korean chef who won awards at a famous place overseas has opened a restaurant here at this hotel recently.”
“Oh, you know quite a bit.”
“I heard it from my girlfriend. It’s so expensive that a lot of people go there just to post show-off photos.”
“It’s my first time….”
“You’ve come.”
A low, heavy voice overlapped Suhyeon’s voice. When I turned around, I saw Do Jeonghan in a black suit.
“Ah, hello!”
As soon as he recognized him, Hyunwoo bowed deeply.
Suhyeon, with a slightly tense expression, made eye contact with Jeonghan.
The moment their cool eyes met, the incident from that day flashed through her mind.
Two weeks ago, what had happened at his front door.
“!”
Don’t think about it.
Struggling to resist the urge to tightly shut her eyes, Suhyeon calmly lowered her head to follow Hyunwoo.
“Hello, Director.”
“Let’s go in.”
Nodding, Jeonghan passed by Suhyeon.
At that moment, Suhyeon’s eyes widened slightly.
“…Is that the smell of alcohol?”
A faint scent of alcohol mingled with cologne wafted from Jeonghan as he brushed past.
Did he have drinks before coming here?
It wasn’t strange for a man with many important business meetings during the day.
Thinking this, Suhyeon followed Jeonghan into the room set up inside the Korean restaurant.
On the table in the room, there was one bottle of sake and three sets of cutlery prepared.
As Suhyeon sat down next to Hyunwoo, she quietly observed him across the table. She felt no trace of alcohol from Jeonghan as he took his seat.
“Was it just an illusion…?”
Suhyeon thought, secretly scrutinizing Jeonghan.
It was hard to tell since he was the kind of man who didn’t show any signs of being drunk, no matter how much he drank.
After taking his seat, Jeonghan briefly glanced at Hyunwoo and Suhyeon before speaking.
“I should have arranged this earlier, but I’m late. These are the people who will be working with me for the next few years.”
Hyunwoo quickly replied.
“No, Director. We should have arranged the seating, but Manager Joo Il-jun said it would be difficult to find time in your schedule, so we were disappointed. Thank you for taking the time to set this up personally.”
“I appreciate your understanding. Let’s have a drink.”
Jeonghan lifted the bottle of soju.
“No, let me pour it for you!”
As Hyunwoo hurried to stand up, Jeonghan poured the drink into his glass first.
“Thank you, Director!”
Hyunwoo accepted it with both hands and bowed his head.
Jeonghan shifted his gaze to Suhyeon.
“Seol Suhyeon, you should have some too.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Suhyeon received the drink while keeping her eyes focused on the glass, supporting it with both hands.
While pouring the drink, Jeonghan’s gaze lingered on her long eyelashes.
“I’ll pour you a drink.”
Hyunwoo politely filled Jeonghan’s glass.
In the meantime, beautifully colored and artistically presented Korean dishes were arranged on the table.
Suhyeon thought to herself that, just as Hyunwoo said, these dishes were perfect for taking pictures.
“Let’s make a toast.”
“Yes! It’s nice to meet you!”
After a light toast, the meal began.
Hyunwoo, perhaps feeling nervous, kept drinking and soon had a flushed face as he spoke.
“We are truly honored that you chose us as your partners. If it’s a project you’re leading, bids must be flooding in from all sides.”
“I believe Donghwa is more than qualified for that.”
As Jeonghan said this, he quietly gazed at Suhyeon.
Ah…
Suhyeon felt flustered at his blatant gaze, as if saying, ‘It’s because of that woman.’ Meanwhile, Hyunwoo, seemingly unaware due to his drunkenness, suddenly stood up with the soju bottle in hand.
“Hearing you say that makes it even more of an honor. Director! I will do my utmost to ensure this project is a success!”
“I have faith in you.”
Jeonghan smiled faintly.
He was accommodating Hyunwoo’s enthusiasm better than expected.
Suhyeon tried to match the pace of the two men as best as she could while slowly adjusting her own demeanor, stealing glances at Jeonghan.
‘So this is how he is when meeting people for work.’
It was a side of him Suhyeon hadn’t been able to recognize until now.
