A Madman in Love

"I ate... casually."

Suin answered dryly, feigning indifference.

Though she was also hungry, admitting it would inevitably lead to Jaehee insisting they eat together.

"Why eat casually? If you're eating, eat properly."

When they reached the elevator, Jaehee stretched out his long arm and pressed the button.

With nothing left for her to do, Suin clasped her hands neatly and stood still.

"Executive Director, you should eat as well. You’re soaked in dirty water. You should clean up and change clothes first. I’ll escort you to the cafeteria."

"I’ll eat casually too."

Not even a minute after telling her to eat properly, Jaehee shook his head and looked down at her.

"What did you eat?"

"…A triangle kimbap?"

Caught off guard, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, then added an awkward explanation, feeling like her lie was too obvious.

"I really like them."

"Hm... Triangle kimbap."

Despite her flimsy excuse, Jaehee accepted it without issue. His lips moved slightly as if he were committing the unfamiliar word to memory before he pressed his red lips shut.

Ding.

The elevator arrived.

Suin stepped aside to let him enter, but he stood still, holding the button and motioning with his chin.

"Get in."

"Executive Director, I..."

"I said, get in."

Her hesitation was met with his unyielding stance, leaving her no choice. With a reluctant step forward, she entered first like a subordinate, and he followed closely behind as if escorting her.

As soon as they entered the executive office, Suin hurriedly guided him to the dressing room.

Due to the construction company's frequent on-site visits, Woo Ilhwa, the Chairwoman, had ensured that the executive suites were equipped with dressing rooms and shower booths to maintain their polished appearances.

"I’ll prepare fresh towels and a robe."

While Suin busily moved toward the storage cabinet, Jaehee began removing his wet suit jacket behind her.

"Take your time."

"There are spare clothes in the wardrobe, as I showed you this morning. Please feel free to choose one you like..."

When she turned around with the towels and robe in her arms, her gaze fell on Jaehee undoing his shirt buttons.

Startled, she exclaimed, "Wait!"

"Why?"

Jaehee paused with his hands on the third button and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I-I’ll step out... and then you can undress..."

Stammering, Suin hastily thrust the towels and robe into his arms and dashed out of the dressing room like a whirlwind.

Bang! The door closed firmly behind her.

Jaehee let out a low chuckle, finding her flustered reaction endearing.

Still smiling, he continued undressing.

The water had soaked through more thoroughly than he’d realized. Even his underwear was damp.

Once fully undressed, he stepped into the bathroom and stood under the shower.

The steady stream of water cascaded over his dirt-streaked hair and down the sculpted lines of his back muscles.

As he shampooed his hair, he closed his eyes, and Suin's face came to mind.

"I-I’ll step out... and then you can undress..."

Her cheeks had flushed as she stammered.

It was charming how she turned red over a mere glimpse of his chest through his shirt.

Her blush had been sexy.

What kind of reaction would she have if she saw him completely bare like this?

"Hm..."

Jaehee paused mid-shampoo.

He hadn’t intended to imagine it, but the thought had stirred something primal within him.

His body, brimming with natural vigor, responded instinctively.

"Ugh."

Jaehee pressed his fist against the tiled wall, tension radiating through his lower half.

The struggle began.

White suds tangled in his hair dripped down to his forehead, but he couldn’t wipe them away.

This was a torment only men could understand.

***

Jaehee endured his extended moment of restraint, immersed in what could only be described as an internal battle.

Meanwhile, Suin prepared an organizational chart for Jaehee, ensuring he could easily review it before the upcoming meeting with department heads.

She couldn’t help but feel guilty that he might skip a meal.

It’s because he got drenched because of me, she reasoned, justifying her unease as a moral obligation.

"Lee Suin."

His voice called out from inside, signaling that he was finished changing.

"Yes," she responded promptly, stepping away from her desk.

The moment she saw him, Suin froze in disbelief, blinking in a half-stunned state.

"..."

Jaehee was approaching her, his shirt unbuttoned.

Through the open white fabric, his defined chest and rippling abdominal muscles were plainly visible. Each step he took caused the taut muscles to flex and ripple, almost as if they were alive.

"Why are you dressed like... that?"

Her stunned words made Jaehee furrow his brows.

"It’s too small."

"Excuse me?"

"The shirt. It’s too small for me."

Jaehee stopped in front of her, clearly irritated, and flicked at the hem of the shirt. The movement made the unbuttoned fabric sway, further exposing the solid ridge of his chest.

As if to top it off, the central line of his chest bore a lone sunflower seed stuck to the skin.

"I see..."

Suin quickly averted her gaze.

His overwhelming masculinity seemed to mock her composure, making it impossible to look at him directly. Even her normally steady steps felt uncoordinated.

"I’ll find something more suitable," she mumbled.

"No need."

His voice was calm as he reached out and grabbed her arm just as she was turning toward the dressing room. A slight shake of his head followed.

"All the shirts in the wardrobe are too small."

Startled by the pressure of his large hand, Suin hesitantly glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"All of them?"

"Yeah. My shoulders are 58 centimeters wide, and none of them fit."

"Fifty-eight? But the prepared shirts are size 54..."

She’d known his shoulders were broad, but the actual number surprised her.

Jaehee shrugged, as if to say, isn’t it obvious?

"My mother ordered them, didn’t she? It’s been years since I bulked up... At least the pants fit, so there’s that."

Thank heavens.

If even the pants had been too small...

"There must have been a mix-up during the order. I should’ve double-checked. My mistake. I did think it was odd that the suit jackets were size 58..."

"How’s that your fault? You didn’t know my measurements."

Didn’t know yet?

"..."

Suin pressed her lips together. She was trying not to let herself get caught up in his deliberately suggestive wording, but he caught her gaze for a moment and spoke as if it were nothing.

"Just get me a different shirt. If it’s too much trouble, I’ll dry this one with a hairdryer."

"I’ll go fetch one immediately."

She slipped her arm free in what she hoped was a clear request to let her go.

But the grip on her forearm only tightened.

She tried to pull away again, her movements saying, Why won’t you just let me go?

Then suddenly—

"Wait."

Jaehee tugged her closer.

Before she could react, she stumbled, her back bumping into the edge of the desk.

She found herself trapped between the desk and his imposing frame.

"Lee Suin."

It was calculated. His arms stretched out, gripping the desk on either side of her, effectively caging her in.

Her gaze was helplessly drawn to his bare chest, exposed by the open shirt.

"Why... are you doing this?"

Suin wasn’t the type to easily lose her nerve, but at that moment, she felt small and overwhelmed.

It wasn’t a matter of confidence. It was an instinctive reaction as a woman.

She was completely captivated, even intimidated, by the sheer physicality and masculinity radiating from him.

"You," Jaehee said, his sharp gaze boring into hers.

Following his every move, Suin instinctively leaned back, turning her face away.

Above her, his voice dipped lower, carrying a dangerously playful edge.

"Why can’t you look me in the eye?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..."

"Even now," he teased, his tone unmistakably mocking.

Her brief glance at him was enough to catch the faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

That moment snapped the last thread of her composure.

"Seo Jaehee, move."

Her voice was cold and commanding, but the anger simmering beneath the surface was impossible to miss.

He didn’t budge. Instead, his smirk deepened.

"Finally, you’re looking at me."

"This isn’t the time for games. Move," she repeated, her voice sharper.

"I’m not playing."

"Then what are you doing?"@@novelbin@@

His unwavering gaze locked onto hers, sharp and unflinching.

"You keep avoiding looking at me."

And then, his signature husky voice filled the air between them.

"It’s making me feel... neglected."

Suin didn’t want to be affected. She swore she wouldn’t be.

"I—"

But her voice cracked, like a fracture spreading through her defenses. She drew a deep breath to steady herself, trying to regain control.

"I know you’re putting on an act for the Chairwoman. Acting as if you’ve changed, so she sent me to keep an eye on you."

Her voice, now tinged with rebuke, pressed on.

"And I know you’re counting on that to keep her trust. What are you trying to do?"

He remained silent, letting her words hang in the air.

"What do you want from me, exactly?"

Her frustration grew as she continued.

He, calm as a still field, stood unshaken, while she alone felt like brittle grass swaying helplessly in the wind.

"What is it you want?"

Her question finally drew a reaction. His eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment before opening again, his stormy gray irises locking onto hers with a smoldering intensity.

"You."

It was dangerous.

"Lee Suin."

He was dangerous.