Did I Ever Love You?

Chapter 9: The Fruits of Overtime

"Your house, General Manager?"
Thinking she must have misheard, she repeated his words like a parrot and looked at Kang Hyun with surprised eyes.
"Let's work together at my house. It's easier to go straight home when it's done. Based on the current time, we don't have much time to edit, and if we want to complete it before the morning meeting and conduct a final review, dealing with emails or calls would be too cumbersome."
"Oh... Okay."
As Kang Hyun spoke so casually, Ji Yeon somehow felt it was the right thing to do.
"Manager Eun Ji Yeon, did you bring your car today?"
"No, I walked here today."
"Then, pack your things right now and let's go in my car."
They soon arrived at his house, and they agreed to meet at Kang Hyun's house in 30 minutes, giving them time to freshen up at their respective homes.
'Going to the general manager's house this late, I wonder if it's okay. But given the current situation, this is the best way to save time. Yet, it would be funny if the general manager came to my house.'
Ji Yeon had many thoughts, but she soon shook her head and brushed them off.

Then, without delay, she quickly took a shower, changed into comfortable sweatpants, and packed her laptop.

Ding- dong-

Just as Kang Hyun was coming out of the shower to the living room, Ji Yeon arrived at his house.
"Come in."
A refreshing scent of body wash wafted from Kang Hyun, who opened the door for her.
"Have a seat. Let's work at that table there. Would decaffeinated coffee be alright?"
Kang Hyun's house was as neat as his personality and filled with modern, simple- designed furniture without any superfluity.
"Yes, General Manager. Thank you."
Without further delay, the two of them started their work.

Ji Yeon had to update even the files that Ju Yeon had been making, so she concentrated with all her might.

As it was nearing 3 a.m., finally all the files were updated and upon receiving Kang Hyun's approval, she felt like she could fly to the sky.

Now all that remained was to receive and combine the files from Manager Seol and Employee Go.

Just in case, Ji Yeon set an alarm on her phone for 30 minutes before the online meeting time with the American team.
"You've worked hard, Manager Ji Yeon."
Kang Hyun praised Ji Yeon with a bright smile.

It was the first time Ji Yeon had seen him smile.
'Wow... Why is he so handsome?'
At 3 a.m., when rational thinking was difficult due to fatigue, Ji Yeon's heart fluttered at Kang Hyun's smile.
"I have another call meeting with the European team, so I'll be back after a quick call."
"Yes, okay."
Kang Hyun's schedule seemed truly awful, like a forced march.

Every day, without pause and hardly any rest, he was on calls or meetings with overseas teams.
'There are many teams under the Strategic Planning Department, and he spends a lot of time with our team because of the project...'
About 10 minutes later, when Kang Hyun returned to his place, he saw Ji Yeon dozing off, face down on the table.

It was definitely a time when she would be tired.

He wondered for a moment whether he should wake her up and send her home, but with a little over 4 hours left until the meeting with the American team, he thought it would be better to let her sleep.

Kang Hyun carefully picked up Ji Yeon and laid her down on his bed.
[Ding dong- It's 7:30 a.m.]
Ji Yeon's eyes snapped open.

That sound was the alarm she had set for 30 minutes before the video conference with the American team.
"What? 7:30 in the morning? Has so much time passed already?"

Ji Yeon looked around the room in a daze for a moment.
"But where is this?"
After a few seconds, her eyes widened as she realized that it wasn't her room.