Impossible Romance - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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29.

“Since he’s my superior, I should take good care of him. It’s not that we’re particularly close.”
Jun-hee answered honestly, wanting to avoid any misunderstanding.
“I thought you wanted to be close to him. You were sitting right next to each other, pouring drinks for one another…”
“No! When I arrived, the only seats left were next to the Executive Director and that one spot.”
Though his words seemed to drift casually, something about them caught in Jun-hee’s ears, and she found herself offering what sounded like an excuse.
“I see. Remember this—no office romances for a while. I absolutely hate rumors spreading like that.”
“It’s not like that. But you said office romances weren’t forbidden.”
Jun-hee spoke with a hint of grievance, her eyes fixed on him.
“So you’re saying you will?”
Kwon Seok-ha kept his eyes on the road, concentrating solely on driving.
“No. An office romance? What are you talking about?”
Jun-hee muttered under her breath, whether he heard her or not.
“Good. You’re mine until you pay off your debt.”
“Pardon?”
Jun-hee’s eyes widened. Wondering if she’d misheard, she lifted her head to look at him again.
“Until you’ve repaid everything you owe me. If you go around dating or whatever before that, it’ll be a nuisance.”
Again, Kwon Seok-ha spoke without sparing her a glance.
“Ah… yes. You’re right. Don’t worry.”
After responding, Jun-hee turned her head away and gazed out the window.
The air inside the car stiffened instantly, and silence settled between them.

***

The entrance door opened, and Jun-hee stepped into the living room alongside Kwon Seok-ha. Having spent the entire day with the same man and even commuting home together, something felt oddly different about today.
“Make yourself comfortable at home. No matter what you say, don’t call me Executive Director even here.”
Kwon Seok-ha said this thoughtfully as he slipped on his slippers.
“But I like calling you Executive Director. It’s just a matter of how to address you. Surely you don’t want to hear me call you ‘older brother’?”
Jun-hee followed behind him, speaking as she walked.
“If I wanted to hear it? Would you say it?”
The tall Kwon Seok-ha stepped closer, positioning himself right beside Jun-hee.
“No! I mean, freedom of thought and all, but you’re really pushing it.”
Jun-hee swept past him with a whoosh and stopped in front of the bathroom door.
“You know our thirty-minute rule, right? Don’t come out for thirty minutes.”
“What kind of rule is that? Just because you say it, it becomes a rule?”
This time, Kwon Seok-ha stood with his arms crossed, challenging her.
“I don’t know. If you break the thirty-minute rule, I’m just going to think you’re a pervert.”
Perhaps it was the lingering effects of alcohol. The longer Jun-hee spent time with Kwon Seok-ha, the more she felt like that defiant girl from her childhood, always talking back to him.
“Pervert? Hey, the pervert is the one who washed her underwear together with my shirt!”
“What did you just say?”
Jun-hee glared at Kwon Seok-ha before disappearing into the bathroom.
Watching her rush inside, Kwon Seok-ha burst into laughter. Her bag and phone, which she’d hastily left by the bathroom door, were still there. He picked them up and placed them on the dining table.
Just then, a notification chimed. The name “Shim Hyun-sung” appeared on the screen.

[Shim Hyun-sung: Hit me up when you have time.]

“This bastard still hasn’t given up?”
He wanted nothing more than to call him immediately and tell him to back off, but he knew Jun-hee would throw a fit if he did, so he barely managed to restrain himself.
Now that he thought about it, did he have about twenty-five minutes left?
Kwon Seok-ha checked the time and headed to the bathroom in his room. He had far too much to do starting now.

Exactly thirty-two minutes had passed. Jun-hee emerged from her room, freshly showered and changed into casual clothes, poking her head out cautiously.
By all accounts, Kwon Seok-ha should have been in the shower, yet the Kitchen wafted with the savory aroma of instant ramen. A drunk appetite and a hungry appetite were two different beasts—after the company dinner, the scent of ramen was irresistible.
“What is this?”
I swallowed hard at the sight of ramen served directly in its pot on the Dining Table. Beside it sat a bottle of soju.
“Can’t you see? Sit down. Hangover ramen.”
Kwon Seok-ha was already seated.
“At this hour?”
It was just past midnight.
“If you don’t want it, forget it.”
“No, I’m actually starving. Did I sing too much at the Karaoke Room?”
Jun-hee sat across from him and ladled ramen into a bowl. The generously prepared noodles smelled and tasted wonderful.
“Don’t go singing anywhere else.”
Kwon Seok-ha spoke while slurping his ramen. The truth was, he’d been irritated when Park Hyun-sik suggested earlier that Jun-hee sing a love song.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re terrible at it.”
“Yeah, I know I’m not great. So why do you keep asking me to sing?”
Jun-hee pouted and returned the noodles to her mouth.
“Are you still in contact with Sniffles?”
Kwon Seok-ha spoke while pretending to focus intently on his ramen.
“Sniffles? Oh, you mean Shim Hyun-sung? He’s just a friend.”
Jun-hee stirred her bowl with her chopsticks.
“If he’s just a friend, would you say yes if he asked you to date?”
“I already said no. And he’s my benefactor.”
“So if your benefactor asked you to do something, you’d do anything? Anything at all?”
“No. It’s just that I have good memories of being grateful to him, so I don’t want to hurt him.”
Perhaps because the night had grown late, the sight of the ramen pot and soju—items that seemed so incongruous with Kwon Seok-ha—loosened my tongue without my realizing it.
“Benefactor, my ass. You’ve done enough for him. Giving him false hope when you don’t even like him—that’s wrong. Stop it.”
He spoke with finality.
“….”
Jun-hee gazed at Kwon Seok-ha.
“You said you’re in a relationship where you owe him a debt. Then don’t do any more.”
Kwon Seok-ha picked up the soju bottle and poured himself a glass. He drained it in one swift gulp, as if drowning the regret of what he couldn’t drink at the company dinner earlier. Water droplets still clung to his hair from his recent shower.
Jun-hee stared at him intently.
I knew it too. That this—not wanting to hurt him—was the problem.
No, before that, I already knew who truly deserved my gratitude. It was Kwon Seok-ha who had extended his hand whenever my family or I faced hardship.
“If only I could succeed.”
Jun-hee murmured, watching Kwon Seok-ha.
If I succeeded, I could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and then perhaps I could love him without reservation.
I could face Han Seon-young with confidence, give my family money, and tell them never to seek me out again.
Even just imagining it brought a bitter smile to my lips.
“What are you talking about? We were discussing Shim Hyun-sung’s success.”
“No, I’d like a drink too.”
Jun-hee shook her head and held out her glass to Kwon Seok-ha.
Kwon Seok-ha, who had been staring at her intently, poured the drink.
“Right. Tomorrow’s Saturday and I don’t have any plans for once. Let’s drink.”
The drinking session between Kwon Seok-ha and Jun-hee continued. Under the guise of a hangover cure following the company dinner, and with the thought that tomorrow was a holiday, their spirits lifted more than usual.
After draining the ramyeon broth completely and finishing the soju they’d prepared, they even brought out whiskey. Perhaps mixing drinks was the problem.
Past 2 a.m., as Jun-hee watched Kwon Seok-ha heading toward his room, she felt a pang of longing. The feelings she’d harbored for so long were on the verge of breaking free from reason’s restraint and running wild.
Did Kwon Seok-ha notice her feelings too?
He suddenly turned his head while grasping the door handle.
“Jun-hee.”
His voice, tinged with alcohol, carried a profound depth befitting the early morning. The sun was still far from rising, and the moon was hidden behind clouds—no one else would hear his voice. That’s why her heart raced and trembled all the more.
“Yes?”
Jun-hee asked, but Kwon Seok-ha remained silent for a long moment. Still holding the door, she waited motionless in that spot, burning with curiosity about what he wanted to say.
His gaze was persistent and tenacious, as if he were seeing her for the first time.
From her hair to her eyes and lips, his eyes traced down her loosely fitting t-shirt and training pants with a sense of wonder rather than mere curiosity. Like someone beholding something miraculous, his eyes couldn’t seem to look away.
“What did you want to say?”
Jun-hee’s mouth went dry at his ambiguous demeanor. Unable to bear the silence any longer, she asked again.
Even then, Kwon Seok-ha gazed at her without opening his mouth.
“Sleep well. You can sleep in tomorrow.”
At the words that escaped his lips, Jun-hee’s heart gave a painful twinge. They were far from what she had imagined. She paused, wondering what that was about.
Realizing belatedly, she stepped toward Kwon Seok-ha. Placing her hand over his large one gripping the handle, she turned it the rest of the way and looked up at him.
“I want to sleep with you tonight. Is that okay?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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