The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 34

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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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34.
The moment the words left his mouth, Do-a stepped away from Cha-gyeong’s side. He found himself regretting the loss of that warmth.
“I’m so sorry, Executive Director, or rather… Cha-gyeong…”
Watching Do-a’s voice waver, he felt he ought to offer some word of comfort, yet found himself unable to speak.
Meanwhile, Na-hui, who had slipped outside the office and hidden near the emergency staircase, trembled with fury.
“A neighborhood dog? A dog collar? What does he take me for!”
The eyes of her colleagues had already turned cold.
Each time she heard the snickering behind her—”It’s like a dog collar, isn’t it?”—she felt an urge to cry out.
As if that weren’t enough, whispers began to circulate that Gyeong-jun hadn’t even been stolen away from Do-a by Na-hui, and her reputation plummeted to rock bottom.
Then came the sound of steady, deliberate footsteps. Looking up, she was startled to find Cha-gyeong standing there.
“Executive… Director…”
Na-hui jumped to her feet, flustered.
Cha-gyeong offered a mere nod, his face expressionless, and moved to pass. But Na-hui called out to him urgently.
“Wait, please!”
She gathered her wits quickly and spoke again.
“Last time… I was truly grateful for the brooch. Thanks to you, I managed to avoid an awkward situation.”
“I see. That’s fortunate.”
“So I wanted to treat you to a meal sometime. When would you be available?”
“There’s no need. It was merely a sample.”
As Cha-gyeong declined, Na-hui spoke with greater urgency in her voice.
“Executive Director, I really can’t… I can’t stand being indebted to someone without repaying it. Please, let me buy you a meal. It’s the only way I’ll feel at ease.”
Cha-gyeong regarded Na-hui in silence for a moment, his expression betraying something like deliberation.
“If it burdens you that much… very well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Contact me when you have the time.”
The corners of Na-hui’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Thank you, Executive Director.”
Cha-gyeong gave only a nod and walked away down the corridor.
* * *
Five hours of back-to-back relay conferences with the executives had just concluded. Returning to his office, Cha-gyeong massaged his stiff neck and set the file folder on his desk.
Though his consistent training had left him with lean, solid muscle across his entire frame, five hours of meetings had taken their toll.
“Executive Director, you have a personal engagement this evening. If you’re tired, shall I cancel it?”
Cha-gyeong shook his head.
“No, I’ll go. Where am I meeting Do-a?”
At his words, his secretary tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“Pardon? Your appointment this evening is with Na-hui.”
“I really can’t stand being indebted to someone without repaying it. Please, let me buy you a meal. It’s the only way I’ll feel at ease.”
Only then did the conversation with Na-hui come flooding back.
Of late, he’d been caught up in the whirlwind of preparations for new department store openings in Vietnam and Thailand simultaneously.
He’d remembered the evening appointment, but somehow confused the other party with Do-a.
His secretary, noting the shift in his expression, asked again.
“Shall I… cancel?”
“No. I’ll go. Have the car ready.”
Troublesome as it was, he’d already made the promise. Besides, it was part of his contract arrangement with Do-a.
Tired as he was, the place Cha-gyeong arrived at was a restaurant called Flora Peak.
Coincidentally, it was the very same restaurant where he’d once brought Do-a, along with his grandmother and mother.
As before, the interior was filled with meticulously cultivated shrubbery and flowers.
Walking through a garden adorned with hydrangeas of every hue, he suddenly heard a sharp chittering sound.
Cha-gyeong turned at the noise.
Whoooosh!
With an unpleasant blast, the sprinkler system suddenly roared to life.
In moments, a massive jet of water from the left struck him full in the face. The impact felt like being slapped across the cheek.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, sir. We were running a system check and I don’t know how—”
A pale-faced staff member rushed over with a handkerchief. Cha-gyeong swept back his wet hair and spoke to the employee in a low, cool tone.
“Impressive water pressure. The hydrangeas must be delighted.”
Ha.
‘Is it because Do-a isn’t here that such things happen in the same restaurant?’
But he quickly dismissed the absurd thought and made his way to where Na-hui was waiting.
She sat pristinely at the prepared table, and the moment Cha-gyeong appeared, her eyes widened and she rose from her seat.
“Oh my! Executive Director! Your hair is—let me wipe that for you.”
Na-hui produced her handkerchief and approached. A cloying artificial rose fragrance washed over him.
“That’s not necessary.”
His voice carried an even sharper chill than usual. Na-hui flinched, handkerchief still in hand.
‘This won’t do. How can I keep up with what Do-a wants if I act like this?’
Cha-gyeong addressed the flustered Na-hui with a slightly softened tone.
“It’s fine. I’ve already dried off. Please sit.”
“Of course.”
Na-hui tucked her long hair behind her ear and settled into her seat.
Her smooth neck and perfectly symmetrical features were undoubtedly striking in a Western sense of beauty, yet despite having seen countless beautiful women, Cha-gyeong felt no particular stirring.
“The garden out there is so lovely. The hydrangeas were blooming so fresh and bright. By the way, where did you get hit by the water?”
“By the sprinkler in the area with the hydrangeas. The water pressure is quite strong, so the flowers must thrive well.”
“Oh my! But you look surprisingly charming even when wet. Like a scene from a movie. I was quite taken with it.”
She remained unfailingly pleasant throughout.
With her high-pitched voice, she responded enthusiastically to his brief remarks, marveled at trivial things, expressed delight readily.
She even invented things that weren’t there. Like now.
“I didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful. You seem warm and kind.”
Cha-gyeong felt a flash of irritation.
He’d paid attention to her somewhat to honor his contract with Do-a, but he’d never been particularly thoughtful or unusually affectionate toward her.
Watching her disingenuous performance, a mischievous impulse suddenly surfaced.
Cha-gyeong cut his steak without expression, speaking as casually as if asking about the weather.
“By the way, when are you planning to marry Gyeong-jun?”
Na-hui’s fork halted on her plate. Shock flickered across her face, but she quickly composed herself, shaking her head with a pitiful expression.
“No, Executive Director. Gyeong-jun and I are seeing each other, but… I haven’t thought about marriage yet.”
According to Marketing Team’s Park, Gyeong-jun had been going around saying he’d hold his wedding this year, yet here she claimed to have no such intention.
A cold smile played at the corners of Cha-gyeong’s mouth.
“But my heart is heavy. The truth is, both Gyeong-jun and Do-a… still seem unable to let go of each other.”
In that instant, pressure built at the tips of Cha-gyeong’s fingers.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do-a pretends to be fine on the surface, but she still resents Gyeong-jun deeply. If there were no lingering affection, there would be no resentment, would there? And Gyeong-jun brings up Do-a whenever he drinks… I’m caught between them, and it’s so painful, Executive Director.”
Na-hui exhaled slowly, continuing her performance with a wistful expression. But that single remark scraped across Cha-gyeong’s composure like nails on glass.
Do-a still harbored that pathetic, cowardly fool in her heart? Even as she’d made a contract with him, crying out for revenge?
It made no sense, and yet somehow heat rose in him. Something hot churned from the depths of his chest.
“I see. So Do-a has lingering affection.”
Cha-gyeong set down his utensils. The sharp clang of metal rang out.
“I’ve just remembered an urgent matter. Let’s call it a night.”

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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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