A Drinking Bet

Thinking back on Seok-hoon’s story, Jeha let out a small, wry laugh.

The more he mulled it over, the more it seemed Han Taemin had ditched Gong Juhee and married Joo Haena because of him.

It was unfortunate, but he didn’t feel even the slightest bit sorry. They had made their own choices—who were they to blame anyone else?

From Taemin’s ambitious perspective, Chairman Yang was the most powerful backer he could hope for. Unlike Jeha, who was the same age as him, Taemin had no pride to maintain in front of the elderly head of Seohwa. He must have groveled and submitted completely.

Taemin’s actions made sense. The problem was Gong Juhee. At first, Jeha had assumed she was stubbornly clinging to the secretary position because of Taemin. But someone with Juhee’s unyielding personality would never have listened to the man who had betrayed her.

So why was she so desperate to stay by his side? Enduring every petty criticism, tolerating his kisses, even curling up in his arms like a cat—what on earth was she after? Was she asking him to get revenge on Han Taemin in her stead?

Whatever the reason, he found the current situation quite satisfying. Han Taemin, who had properly thrown Juhee away, and Gong Juhee, who would never go back to him.

“First, I need to put out the most urgent fire.”

Jeha swept his long fingers through his hair and strode through the main gate.

In the reception room, he saw his mother, Juran, sitting blankly on the sofa, still wearing her outdoor clothes.

Looking at her like that made Jeha’s mood sink endlessly.

His mother, born as the cherished youngest daughter of the Seohwa Group, had been considered the top marriage prospect of her time. The rumors about her had been endless. People said she would become the president’s daughter-in-law. Others claimed a famous Hollywood actor had fallen so madly in love with her that he took to his bed.

Yet the youngest daughter of Seohwa had rejected all those dazzling suitors and chosen a man who had nothing but his face to offer. It was what people commonly called a shotgun wedding.

She had gone on hunger strikes and even threatened suicide to win her family’s approval, but the happiness didn’t last long.

In truth, even Jeha didn’t know exactly when the rift between his parents had begun. He had heard their early marriage was harmonious, but that wasn’t the version of his parents he remembered from childhood.

His father was never home, and his mother never gave him warm affection simply because he looked exactly like the man who had betrayed her. Polite interest and basic care—that was all he ever received.

To earn her attention, Jeha hadn’t hesitated to act out. But just as she had ignored his cheating father, his mother remained indifferent to him.

In the end, it was Jeha who grew tired and gave up. He had thought he no longer harbored any feelings toward her, yet seeing her so broken now made something deep in his chest ache.

How much time had passed like that?

Juran finally spoke in a calm voice.

“I’ve lived this long holding onto your father’s empty shell. And I will continue to live that way. Why would I grant him a divorce just to make someone else happy?”

Since it was the answer he had expected, Jeha replied evenly.

“What would you like me to do, Mother?”

For the first time, his mother’s eyes—which had always gazed into the distance—turned toward her son.

“So this is why people have children.”

She looked at him with an inscrutable expression before smiling weakly. It was the first time Jeha had ever seen his mother smile, and it felt strangely unfamiliar. He thought it wasn’t bad and found himself wanting to see it again.

“First, I suppose I must meet your father. After that, I’ll make up my mind.”

Taemin was visiting a drive-in theater for the first time.

He had even canceled his drinking appointment with Seok-hoon to come here, all because Haena had pestered him for a date.

But the movie didn’t hold his attention at all. The image of Gong Juhee from last night kept resurfacing, clouding his mind. She had only taken off her glasses, yet yesterday’s Juhee had been startlingly beautiful.

Even as a child, she had stood out for her looks. That was probably why he had thrown himself in front of her like a prince on a white horse, despite having nothing to his name.

But time was merciless. He had grown numb to the Juhee who always stayed by his side like a sunflower—thick horn-rimmed glasses, a face without makeup, and that plain gray uniform-like suit.

If she could dress up prettily, she should have done it long ago. What was the point of trying only after he had left?

‘Whether I do something or meet someone, Executive Director, please stop concerning yourself with it.’

The face that had snapped at him was still vivid in his mind.

Did she think that if she dressed up nicely, acted cold, and pushed him away as if she had no interest, he would come crawling back? If she was going to turn away like that, she shouldn’t have started anything in the first place. Knowing his personality so well yet still unable to let go of her lingering feelings—Juhee was both pitiful and infuriating.

Why couldn’t she accept that the day he would return to her was five years from now, no matter what she did?

Haena, noticing that Taemin wasn’t focused on the movie, asked with a pout.

“Oppa, is this movie boring?”

“I can’t concentrate because I’m hung up on work I haven’t finished. There’s a mountain of things I need to do.”

Even if he pulled several all-nighters, the workload waiting for him was impossible to clear. He hated to admit it, but if Gong Juhee were still there, he wouldn’t be in this situation.

Condensing thick reports filled with tiny text into just a few concise pages, sifting through countless documents to pick out the useful ones—those were the things Juhee did best.

She had also handled all non-critical matters on her own. The fact that he could invest more time in important tasks, make careful decisions, and come up with new proposals was all thanks to her flawless support.

Now that Juhee was gone, the workload had skyrocketed. This was no time to indulge Haena’s whims.

“You said you were meeting Jeha this week, right?”

“Ah, Jeha oppa said he’s not coming.”

“…Why?”

“Jeha oppa has always done whatever he wants.”

“He didn’t contact you at all?”

Haena’s eyes widened as if she had heard something outrageous.

“If he weren’t my oppa, why would I bother with a guy who completely ignores me? Last time when oppa was on the phone, I tried to sneak in a greeting and he just hung up. He seems even ruder than before.”

He had wanted to steal her away, yet why wasn’t he taking any action? If his interest had simply faded, that would be one thing, but he couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling.

“This movie isn’t interesting. Want to go drink instead?”

At the word “drink,” Taemin’s gaze slowly shifted toward Haena.

“I know an unnie who manages the bar at the Palace Hotel. It’s super private and luxurious. The perfect place for oppa and me to have a drink.”

“Whatever.”

The mention of a private, upscale venue sparked a faint interest. But Haena, who had been looking out the half-open window, turned back to him.

“Before that, oppa…”

Her hand slyly reached out and groped the front of Taemin’s pants.

“Want to do it once in the car before we go?”

Following her gaze, he saw the car next to them rocking. The sight made Haena’s eyes burn with heated desire.

Why was she so insatiable? It had been nice at first, but her complete disregard for time and place had started to kill his interest.

“Come over here.”

Even so, Taemin answered willingly. It was the only thing he could give her. Affection, manners, the words “I love you,” and the seat beside him for the rest of his life—all of those belonged solely to Gong Juhee.

Completely unaware of his true feelings, Haena eagerly climbed onto his thigh and straddled him. She pushed up her tight T-shirt along with her bra, and her full breasts bounced free. Taemin buried his face in the large, soft mounds as he unbuckled his belt.

“Hngh.”

Joo Haena was already so aroused that she took him in deeply without any foreplay. He liked that part too. It saved time.

Joo Haena, I’ll indulge you until I get married.

Taemin reaffirmed his resolve inwardly and gripped her slender waist tightly.

Soon, Taemin’s car began to rock just like the others around them.

The secretary’s office was empty after everyone had left for the day.

Left alone, Juhee held a warm teacup in her hands, lost in deep thought. Jeha’s words from earlier still echoed in her ears.

‘I won’t reject your proposal.’

She had held onto the thinnest thread of hope, only to be beautifully rejected. It felt like she had fanned the flames of a house already on fire with her proposal. She felt like she had made a terrible mistake, but she didn’t even know what it was, which only made her more frustrated.

Juhee smiled bitterly.

“I’m really going to get fired.”

If she had to guess the timing, it would be around next week when Secretary Yang—who had served Jeha for a long time at the overseas branch—returned to Korea.

She only had one week left. It was far too short a time to prove her worth as a secretary.

The thought made her restless. She had to hold onto her place by Yoon Jeha’s side, but was there really no other way?

As she stared at the darkening sky beyond the window, the day she had witnessed Taemin and Haena’s affair came to mind. It was clearly her worst memory, yet instead of the filthy scene, Yoon Jeha’s face appeared more clearly.

‘Even if I said I wanted to lay you down on my bed?’

His blatant words, that low voice, and those burning eyes. The careful, gentle kiss. Her racing heartbeat.

At the time, she had thought he was only trying to scare her.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if Yoon Jeha felt even the slightest desire toward her? Then, perhaps there was another hope for her.

Thinking about it calmly, she realized she had been trying to solve everything too straightforwardly until now. She had been arrogant, believing that proving her value as a secretary would be enough. Or perhaps she should have offered tempting conditions. Like today, for example.

But Yoon Jeha was not a man who could be negotiated with. He already had far too much, while she had almost nothing.

Being an excellent secretary would certainly help him, but there was no absolute need to keep her by his side. It would be nice to have her, but he could manage without. She had been obsessing over a role that was ultimately replaceable, using methods that were too difficult, complicated, and painful.

Then maybe this time she should take the easy shortcut, just as Han Taemin had said. After all, her body would rot away once she died. If she could use this body to stay by Yoon Jeha’s side, she was willing to do so gladly.

Having made up her mind, Juhee hurriedly prepared to leave work.

When she opened the app, Jeha’s location appeared. The problem was figuring out exactly where in the Palace Hotel he was.

After a moment of hesitation, Juhee called Manager Kang, Chairman Yang’s secretary. She explained that she had urgent business and needed Jeha’s precise location within the Palace Hotel.

Ten minutes later, Manager Kang sent her the exact location.

Thanks to Manager Kang’s prior call, she reached the door of the room without being stopped by security. She knocked and opened the door to find Jeha sitting alone in the spacious room.

Thinking she was staff, he glanced over, then frowned deeply the moment he saw Juhee.

“How did you know I was here?”

Just as Jeha had done the day before, Juhee deliberately waved her phone at him.

Jeha shook his head slightly as if admitting defeat, then took another sip of his drink.

Even though he hadn’t invited her to sit, Juhee sat down on the sofa.

“Do you hate me that much, sunbae?”

The hand holding the bottle paused in midair. Jeha looked up with an incredulous expression.

“You completely ignored me before, and now you’re calling me sunbae?”

A long time ago, Jeha had told her that calling him “oppa” felt cringey and suggested she call him “sunbae” instead.

There was a reason she hadn’t called the Jeha she met again after so many years by that title. The Yoon Jeha from back then had been an ordinary college student, but the Yoon Jeha now was an unreachable tree.

“Then should I call you Representative again?”

When Juhee asked calmly, Jeha’s expression twisted strangely.

“I’m not in the mood for wordplay, so why don’t you just leave for today?”

His low, sharp tone was icy. It sent a chill down her spine, but Juhee had nowhere left to retreat. Just as he had said, she was that desperate and earnest.

This moment was her last chance—and it was with Yoon Jeha.

“Let’s make a bet over drinks, sunbae.”

“……”

“If you win, I’ll disappear cleanly from your sight.”

“……”

“But if I win, marry me.”

Instead of answering, Jeha stared at her piercingly.

She held his gaze without looking away. Jeha let out a small laugh and nodded toward the bottle. Half of it was already empty.

“I don’t play unfair games.”

Was drinking just half a bottle more really that unfair? In a world far more unfair than this, she had to struggle desperately, had done nothing wrong, yet still had to act this pathetic and lowly.

Juhee picked up the whiskey bottle and brought it to her lips. The liquid flowed slowly down her throat, igniting a fire inside her slender neck.

Jeha could have stopped her, but he didn’t. He simply watched her with narrowed eyes.

When she emptied the entire bottle, her eyelashes trembled and her throat and stomach burned fiercely.

But she refused to show any weakness, even if it killed her.

Juhee wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand and looked at Jeha.

Her eyes were calmer and more resolute than before.

“Now it’s fair, right?”

So let’s do it. The drinking bet.