A Madman in Love

Chapter 43

Suin calmly closed the company magazine and set it aside.

"Now that we've finished this game of hide-and-seek, please continue your meal, Director."

"Alright," Jaehee replied obediently.

As he reached for the magazine, Suin held onto it, resisting his attempt to take it. Jaehee, however, pulled back firmly as if it rightfully belonged to him.

His dark pupils flashed with an intense, possessive glint—an obsession flaring up once more.

“....”

Suin relented and released her grip.

Jaehee grinned triumphantly and placed the magazine under his arm, as if to ensure it wouldn’t be taken away again, before finally starting his meal.

"Director, how were you able to spot Chief Lee so quickly?"

"I don't know. She just stood out," Jaehee replied, clearly uninterested in making a big deal of it.

Although Suin was equally uninterested in the topic, Jongin's innocent curiosity pressed on.

"Director, it seems like you could find Chief Lee no matter where she is."

"Of course. I could recognize her at a glance," Jaehee replied without hesitation.

"What about others, though? Like the woman earlier? It seems like you've met her a few times, but you couldn’t recognize her."

"Other women’s faces all look similar—eyes, nose, mouth—they’re indistinct," Jaehee said nonchalantly.

"Indistinct? But Chief Lee looks different to you?"

"Yes. She’s very clear to me."

While Suin maintained her silence and appeared to focus on eating, her lips involuntarily twitched at the exchange.

"Wow, that’s fascinating. I’d like to test it out!"

"There’s no need for an experiment," Suin shot Jongin a sharp look, embarrassed by his playful chatter.

Jongin, realizing he might’ve crossed a line, quickly excused himself to get more side dishes, leaving Suin and Jaehee alone.

Jaehee, who had been eating awkwardly under Suin’s watchful gaze, accidentally dropped a side dish from his chopsticks onto his tray.

Without a word, Suin picked it up with her chopsticks and placed it neatly atop his rice.

“....”

Jaehee blinked in surprise, his expression briefly softening.

Then his lips curled into a sly smile, and he picked up the side dish she had placed on his rice with his spoon. His gaze, suddenly glowing with mischievous intensity, locked onto her.

"Thank you. I’ll enjoy it."

Caught off guard by his tone, Suin instinctively glanced at the food in his spoon.

Why, of all things, had she picked the eel?

***

“Don’t run away from me tomorrow,” Jaehee had said.

Yet Suin, despite his request, had done just that.

The way he had interpreted her gesture with the eel as something suggestive had triggered her instincts to evade him.

She had deliberately rearranged the intern training schedule, skipping her usual external duties to ensure a safe commute home.

"Chief Lee, will you be picking up the Chairwoman when she returns from her trip?"

After the training session ended, Hyun Jiye asked while waiting for Suin to wrap up the presentation.

"Yes, I’ll be going to meet her," Suin replied, gathering her materials.

"You must’ve missed her. It’s not like you to skip accompanying her on a business trip."

"I did miss her. I guess I’ve just grown used to it," Suin admitted, chuckling softly.

"No, it’s not habit—it’s attachment," Jiye teased.

"Attachment?"

Jiye’s playful remark made Suin laugh quietly, and Jiye scrunched her nose in a show of mock affection.

"You two are special. Sometimes, the way you and the Chairwoman are together, you seem like mother and daughter. You even look alike."

***

[The person you are calling is unavailable...]

Suin entered the hotel lobby, phone pressed to her ear, but Jaehee wasn’t answering.

As she lowered the phone, Professor Seo Sungyeok, walking beside her, asked, “Still no answer? Which room did you say?”

“Room 2304.”

She guided him into the elevator, noting the worry etched around his eyes as he glanced at the floor indicator.

“Perhaps the Director went to bed early or left his phone behind while stepping out,” Suin offered to ease his concern.

“Maybe,” he replied with a nod, though his tone suggested he wasn’t convinced.

“I understand why you’re worried. Sending him alone to the U.S. for so long must’ve been difficult. Hearing that he’s injured would naturally shake you.”

“It did. My heart dropped as soon as I heard.”

“That’s perfectly normal.”

“I can’t believe even his friends knew about this before I did,” he muttered, his voice tinged with regret.

“Once you see his injury, you’ll realize it’s nothing serious. Please don’t worry,” Suin reassured him gently.

“Thanks, Suin. Your words are comforting,” the professor said, offering her a look of gratitude.

“Have I ever told you this?”

“Told me what?”

“I feel reassured knowing you’re by Jaehee’s side. I’m sure his mother feels the same.”

“...Thank you.”

“You’ll continue to look after him, won’t you?”

Look after.

The word echoed in Suin’s mind. It was, of course, a reference to her professional role as Chief Secretary to Director Seo Jaehee.

Still, the unexpected sharpness of the phrase pricked her heart.

“Of course,” Suin replied with composure.

“Thank you.”

The professor smiled warmly and patted her shoulder in a gesture of appreciation.

Suin responded with a polite nod as they exited the elevator on the 23rd floor. She tried calling Jaehee again, and this time, he finally picked up.

[You’ve got some nerve calling me.]

His voice carried a hint of teasing lethargy.

“Director, where are you?”

[I’m at the hotel, of course. Waiting for you, Suin.]

As the professor, tall and long-legged like his son, strode quickly down the hallway, they soon reached Room 2304.

[Are you coming up?]

“Director, I’m here with the professor—”

Ding-dong.

[You’re here?]

Jaehee’s tone brightened at the sound of the doorbell overlapping Suin’s words.

“I’m with the professor. Hello? Director?”

“....”

“Hello? Are you there?”

Before she could finish, the line disconnected abruptly. Impatient as ever, Jaehee had likely tossed his phone aside.

Moments later, the door swung open, and Seo Jaehee appeared.

“Suin.”

His damp hair clung to his forehead, and his eyes crinkled into a radiant smile as he stood there, completely at ease.