Chapter 112

Si-Jin had tediously repeated this action for the past ten days. No doubt that Na-Yool had seen his smile more often than the rest of his family had seen it in their entire life. However, the fact that she sometimes blushed at that smile was not much of a comfort to the frustration of degenerating into a horny bastard in a rut.

After all, Si-Jin could not just use the fact that she was partially responsible for his physical reaction to act recklessly.

“You helped me earlier.”

This eager gaze was filled with an apparent fondness, but her attitude made such a clear distinction between public and private matters. When she only saw him as a talented boss she respected, what was he doing getting all hard for?

Instead of confirming, Si-Jin opted to feign ignorance. He was not the type who could show kindness openly enough to be noticed by the other person, and it should not be. To no one.

“I noticed that you kept an eye all along on what was going on. I am not good at refusing a drink even when I want to…”

“And yet you were drinking pretty well.”

He blurted it like a joke, but did not even look into her eyes. Na-Yool smiled dimly.

“Anyway, thank you. You are more considerate than I thought.”

He either was, or not. What was that ‘than I thought’ for?! Si-Jin did not know since when had consideration been a virtue he ought to have, and was annoyed to be half-recognized as such by some self-important person.

Whatever the case, she did not seem that drunk so he decided not to pay her any more attention. And neither to care about whether her way of talking had turned softer and more relaxed than usual due to the alcohol.

“It’s nothing special. It’s late, go and be careful on your way home.”

“Yes, you too Mr. President.”

Na-Yool bowed a greeting and set off. With unsteady steps, like hitting Si-Jin in the back of the head.

“…Fuck.”

Quietly looking at the scene, Si-Jin muttered a swear and roughly rubbed his face. And as Na-Yool walked out the door, he started chasing after her.

The noisy bunch of employees were still there, some saying they would grab a taxi, others saying they were going to the subway station, or complaining that taking the train would make them puke… without anyone actually moving. Si-jin started shoving them into a taxi one after another, beginning with the person who asked Na-Yool which direction her house was.

He naturally also ignored the concern of the other female employees who asked Na-Yool if she was alright upon seeing her now crouching on the sidewalk despite being perfectly fine earlier, and got them into a taxi. After all, they did not seem to be in very good shape either. In an instant everyone was sent away in an orderly manner by Si-Jin.

Si-Jin had finished dealing with drunken people as if tidying up a messy desk, and he looked back at Na-Yool like gazing at the remaining work. She was shoving her head toward the sidewalk, her condition apparently worsening.

“Your home, where is it.”

“…What?”

When Si-Jin asked in a stern tone, Na-Yool wearily raised her head. The cold air soon reddened her face, which not even the alcohol had distorted. It was the very same face that had inexplicably made Si-Jin thirsty for ten days, but seeing her in such a poor state, his desire disappeared.

Si-Jin had never treated a drunken person as a person.

“Where do you live, Ms. Kim Na-Yool?”

“Ah, I…”

Except for the fact that she was sitting down so pitifully, her face still looked fine. That none of her drunkenness showed up indeed was a talent – an unfortunate talent. If she refused to drink with such a face, no wonder the geezers all turned a deaf ear.

“…I am really fine…” Na-Yool uttered, and her head dropped again between her knees.

“That’s not what I asked.”

Because obviously, she was not fine.

“I asked where your house is.”

“It’s just, the alcohol just suddenly kicked in… I am usually not the kind to drink more than I can handle…”

“It’s not like you drank it yourself anyway. The others gave it to you.” Even though Si-Jin only straightened out the facts, he heard Na-Yool faintly laugh, seemingly amused by his words. “Get up, I will take you home.”

“There is… no need. I will sober up soon… You can leave first…”

“You’re telling me just to go and leave behind my employee who can’t even stand up?”

“Yes…” naturally replied Na-Yool with a hoarse voice.

Si-Jin sighed and asked, “Ms. Na-Yool, can I touch your arm for a moment?”

“…Touch my what?”

“You agree, right?”

“Yes?” [T/N: “Yes?” is used in Korean to say “what?”, but I had to leave it as it is because of the next line.]

Arbitrarily taking her “yes?” as an approval, Si-Jin grabbed her by the elbow and gently pulled her up. Na-Yool stared at him with a dumb-founded look, and her brows frowned as she looked once more at her elbow then at Si-Jin’s face. Si-Jin shrugged as he explained.

“Because without consent, that’s sexual harassment.”

“…If you need to grab me then just grab, why are you asking like some pervert?”

The drunken Na-Yool, unlike her usual self, had no filter. She was bare-faced, with no polite tone, smile, or courteous speaking manners.

A pervert. She called me a pervert, but she dare say so only because she doesn’t know what a true pervert is. Si-Jin repeated himself with a calm expression, furtively tainted by the boiling feelings inside.

“I’m the boss and you are my employee; coincidentally, I am a man and you’re a woman. Any contact without consent under the premise of a hierarchical relationship is—”

“—I got up, but you are still grabbing me.”

“Can you stand still if I let go?”

“…Not really…” Na-Yool admitted honestly.

“And yet you think you can go home by yourself?”

“Taxi… I can take a taxi…”

“Then do I have to keep worrying about whether your drunk self arrived safely?”

The “do we have to argue over such an easy matter uselessly?” was not said, but his tone was enough to convey it. Na-Yool shook her head, not sure what to reply.

“No, but…”

“If a taxi passes by, you take responsibility, Ms. Na-Yool.”

“What responsibility?”

“The taxi fare.”

“That, of course—”

“For both the drive to your house, then mine.”

“…So what they say about rich people being stingy is true, uh.” Na-Yool muttered in bafflement, and eventually told him in which neighborhood her house was. Even drunk, she seemed to care about her money. Nevertheless, she gave him her address in a slur, as if reluctantly doing so. But Si-Jin successfully made the words out, and grabbed a taxi just as Na-Yool had finished speaking.

As soon as Na-Yool got into the taxi, his arm that had been supporting her coldly let go. Na-Yool sluggishly leaned against the back seat without paying it any mind. Naturally, Si-Jin also did not spare her a look and picked up his phone to check the work emails that had arrived in the meantime.

In fact, his gaze fixed on the screen was nothing more than a conscious effort to do so. He felt relieved that facing the drunken woman did not bring him any dirty thoughts in a last line of reason. But nevertheless, not knowing when he would next go crazy made him anxious. Si-Jin was not used to not being in control of himself.

The sense of shame that had accumulated so far was enough to make him die in self-loathing. If his dick was to go hard at the sight of every single woman, he might rather walk into a psychiatric hospital on his own will to get locked up. However, the trigger to his stimulation had been Kim Na-Yool only.

If so, he just needed to not look at her. Holding onto that thought, Si-Jin forcibly stared at his phone screen in a detached manner. In the seat next to him, unaware of what was going on in Si-jin’s head, Na-Yool wiggled her body, apparently feeling uncomfortable.

It was probably around five days after Na-Yool started working that the thought of making her change jobs had come to Si-Jin’s mind. Of course, that idea did not even make it to the proper planning stage, and it fell apart shortly after. Because companies that provide web designers with as good benefits as Ethical Communications does can only be found across the sea. Even if there were a few in Korea, you could hardly get in, except for designers who have studied abroad and come back with many awards written in English. It would not make sense either to recommend Na-Yool to quit and find a job in a worse company for personal reasons Si-Jin could not even speak of.

So, in the end… Si-Jin irritably put his cellphone down on his lap.

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