Secret gossip

The moment she heard that voice, Su-Jin's heart almost stopped. Knowing that she was alone on the rooftop, and having someone speak to her so suddenly, gave her a huge fright. It almost caused her to jump two meters into the air.

Su-Jin leaped to her feet, twirling around hastily in order to face that person.

Right behind the bench, leaning against it in a casual manner, stood a man. He had chocolate brown hair and a pair of twinkling eyes.

He was staring at her, looking just as surprised as she was by the encounter.

"You!" they both cried out at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Su-Jin asked in astonishment.

After almost having her heart jump out of her chest in fright, Su-Jin was feeling her pulse slowly going back to normal.

For a split second, she thought it was Director Kang. The sheer idea that he might have heard what she was saying about him made her sweat in terror. She might dislike the man, but ultimately, he was her boss, and badmouthing one's boss to his face wouldn't help with career climbing.

Luckily for her, though, it was not Director Kang, but the young man she had met in the elevator on her first day of work.

"I came to skip work." He replied, shooting her a grin.

As he spoke, he went round the bench and took a seat. Glancing at Su-Jin, he gestured for her to do the same.

After a short moment of hesitation, Su-Jin finally sat down as well. Then, she turned her head and looked at him carefully. She instantly felt mesmerized by the color of her eyes, and the silky texture of his hair. But what impressed her the most was the cheerful expression he had. He looked as refreshing as a young high schooler who skips lessons on a beautiful summer day.

Instead of admonishing her for staring so rudely, the man seemed rather amused by her sudden interest. His beautiful brown eyes gazed at her openly, and she soon felt herself blush.

With warm cheeks, Su-Jin turned her head swiftly, effectively breaking eye contact. Her eyes shifted in the direction of the horizon. The sun was still high in the sky, causing the atmosphere to grow warmer still.

"I told you why I am here. What about you?" the man suddenly asked, his tone sounding light like the breeze.

Hearing the man's question, Su-Jin's body flinched imperceptibly. Her heart skipped a beat, and an awkward feeling erupted in her chest. She risked a sideways glance, and saw with great surprise that the man's eyes were still glued to her face. Thus, she swiftly looked away again, keeping her eyes trained in front of her.

"Is it a secret?" the man continued to probe, sounding slightly teasing now.

"The air felt stifling in the office, so I came out for a short break." She finally replied, still refusing to look at him.

"Hmmm. Is that so?" he hummed.

The two of them remained quiet for a moment. The sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves surrounded them, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Despite sitting next to a stranger, Su-Jin was feeling surprisingly calm. Even her breathing had finally evened out. By now, she wasn't so apprehensive towards this person any more.

Before long, Su-Jin turned her head slightly, looking askance at him.

"Is it alright for you to skip work like this?" she asked.

"Aren't you doing the same?" he nonchalantly shot the question back at her, arching an eyebrow inquisitively.

"It's different. I am just taking a break." Su-Jin scrunched up her nose.

"If you say so." He shrugged.

He leaned back into the bench, casually raising his arms to cross them behind his head. A moment later, continue to speak using the same lighthearted tone as before.

"So, who's eyes do you want to make pickles out of?"

Hearing the man's question caused Su-Jin to choke on air. She immediately became flustered, and began fumbling with her fingers on her lap.

"You… you heard that?"

"I think half the rooftop heard you." he chuckled lightly.

"Oh, no." Su-Jin groaned.

She quickly bent over, covering her face with both hands. This made her next words come out rather muffled.

"I didn't really mean it like that. It's just that… I was upset, and felt like ranting. You know… letting off some steam."

"Mhm, I get that. What I am still curious to know is who you were talking about." the man pressed for an answer.

He was looking at her from the corner of his eye. His posture was very laid-back, but his eyes were brimming with amusement, just like a little kid who had found an interesting new toy.

Su-Jin lowered her hands, and her head snapped up in an instant. She regarded him for a moment, thinking whether it would be safe to tell him or not.

'What's the worst that can happen? Either he knows the Director and tells him or he doesn't even know the man. Or, there could be another scenario, in which this person actually knows Director Kang, but decides to be cool about it and hide the fact that I badmouthed the Director on the rooftop. Mn, that's about all that can happen. It's really not that bad. In the end, it's not like I care if Director Kang knows what my opinion of him is, right?' Su-Jin thought quietly, feeling her conflicted emotions finally settling down.

However, in her careful ponderings, Su-Jin seemed to have forgotten just how scared she previously was about Director Kang finding out, and how that could affect her future career. Emotions are such a fickle thing after all!

Meanwhile, the young man was waiting for her to answer. There was a slight expectant expression settling on his handsome features.

However, due to her silent rant, Su-Jin missed it. She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I was talking about Director Kang." Su-Jin finally said.

After that, she remained quiet, waiting to see his reaction.

There was nothing on the man's face, besides curiosity. She couldn't tell if the name was familiar to him or not, or what his opinion was. Thus, Su-Jin felt confident enough to continue.

"He is the Director of Team 1 from the Planning Department. That's where I work. Do you know him by any chance?" she asked cautiously.

"Not well enough." the man replied.

There was a cryptic smile pulling at his lips. But other than that, there was still no sign of anything amiss on his face.

This allowed Su-Jin to finally breathe out a sigh of relief. Not even a moment later, though, she heard him speak again.