Dangerous man

It wasn't the frown that had startled Su-Jin so much that she almost jumped from her seat. The true issue was the fact that Ji-Won had, at some unknown point in time, stopped being engaged in conversation. After being idle for enough time, he was ultimately able to notice the two people next to him having a private chat.

If it were any other people he wouldn't have minded it one bit. But one of those gossipers was Seo-Jun, while the other was none other than Su-Jin. They both looked so focused that they didn't seem to care about the merriment happening around them.

This sight caused Ji-Won to frown. For some reason, Seo-Jun's expression while chatting caused him to have a bad feeling. He wished to know what they were talking about, so he tried to listen to their conversation.

Unfortunately, he was a bit too far away to hear their low whisperings. On top of that, there was also too much noise coming from the other team members' chatter, making it almost impossible for him to catch anything.

However, it seemed that heaven was on his side tonight. There was a sudden pause in the tumultuous atmosphere at the table and Ji-Won could now easily hear Seo-Jun's last words.

As soon as he heard that, Ji-Won's expression darkened. When the two culprits turned their eyes towards him, they could see the menacing Director Kang staring at them with quite the murderous expression.

When he opened his mouth to speak, they could hear his drawled voice sounding cold and icy. Both Su-Jin and Seo-Jun instinctively shivered, feeling their hearts being frozen by the arctic wind.

"The true wonder is how you managed to escape all these years without a proper beating." he said.

Su-Jin and Yeon-Ah, who were sitting side by side, both looked at each other. The two women silently agreed that there was definitely something wrong with Director Kang. He wasn't quite normal.

The only person who didn't seem that surprised was still Seo-Jun. He merely stared at Ji-Won blankly. After several moments, he finally found his voice again.

"You did give me a beating, remember?" he said, arching an eyebrows.

After saying that, Seo-Jun swiftly ignored his friend's icy look and turned towards Su-Jin.

"It was our first year of high school. I found him reading a book about stars, galaxies and whatnot in the school's courtyard. I unwittingly made fun of his passion for space related knowledge without knowing who I was dealing with." he paused, then added grudgingly, raising a hand to his lower jaw. "My face still remembers that punch."

"Not well enough I recall, since you kept pushing it even after that." Ji-Won retorted coldly, and to Su-Jin's wonder, she saw the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Apparently, no matter how harsh Ji-Won spoke about his friend, he still cared about him. Su-Jin could see the traces of affection flashing in his eyes for a split second, and his grim face transformed slightly. His features became gentler, and she could see the glimpse of a different side of him.

'Oh my gosh, is that a smile I see on his face?!' Su-Jin was so astounded that she ended up gaping openly at Ji-Won for several seconds, before finally pulling her eyes away.

But before she could move her sight, Ji-Won had regained his former appearance. That miraculous moment from before passed as quickly as it came, and his cold expression reappeared on his face once again.

Seeing his smile slowly disappear gave Su-Jin a strange feeling. It was something that resembled disappointment. For a second, she wished he would smile more openly.

'I wonder how he would look, having his entire face illuminated by a bright, happy smile. With his handsome features he must look good.' Su-Jin thought to herself, gazing curiously at him.

A moment later, though, she smacked herself mentally. Her dazed self came back to her senses with a jolt.

'What the hell am I thinking about?! He is the God of Death reincarnated. He would never smile like that. His face muscles might not even know how to work properly for that to happen. Because of that, even if he does manage to smile, I bet he'd look strange.'

Through her fog-like state of mind, Su-Jin heard Yeon-Ah's soft voice, coming from her left.

"Do you like it here, Director Kang, compared to the States?" she was asking Ji-Won.

"No." Ji-Won replied simply.

"Then why did you come back?" Su-Jin blurted out before she could stop herself.

Ji-Won's expression darkened slightly, and she expected him to explode in anger at her for prying. To her astonishment, though, he simply sighed, shaking his head.

"Sometimes, I am not even sure why myself." he said in a low voice.

"Let's just say he's a man on a mission." Seo-Jun piped up, giving his friend a nervous glance.

He then changed the subject, talking about the two upcoming corporate activities. Their drinks also arrived shortly, making everyone too preoccupied to toast or chat with each to think about anything else.

During all this time, Ji-Won remained quiet. From time to time, Su-Jin stole glances at him like a thief. Despite that, she didn't feel confident enough to interrupt his silent thinking. Therefore, she decided to let him be and enjoy the night while drinking and eating. Besides, they weren't even that close, so her asking more about private matters might come across as rude.

Two hours later, and five glasses of soju and beer, Su-Jin was feeling thoroughly euphoric and happy. The alcohol had finally gotten to her head enough to make even her fear for the Director diminish considerably. On top of that, her natural klutziness also resurfaced. Thanks to the boost given by the alcohol, it even had twice the usual power.

While she was coming back from the washroom, Su-Jin tripped on a chair left in the way by one of her colleagues. Her feet wobbled, causing her to stagger forward. As she began to panic, Su-Jin held onto the first thing she could grab.

Through a haze, she realized her fingers were tightly clasping around an arm. It was a long, muscular, yet lean arm. She could feel the well-defined muscles tightening under the clothes. For a split second, the image of that arm pulling at her body crossed her mind, leaving her in such a daze, that it took Su-Jin a long while before she finally regained her wits.

Looking up slowly, she was met with a pair of pitch-black eyes. They looked like two dark tunnels, capable of causing anyone who saw them to get lost in their depths. Those pupils were staring at her so intently that she could hardly formulate a thought.

She ultimately heard herself draw in a sharp breath, feeling her heart thumping wildly. At the same time, only one thought wormed its way inside her mind.

'This man's face is truly dangerous.'