Heartstrings in Seoul

Part 4

A wry smile played on your lips. "That 'helpful' colleague I asked to input the slides? Miraculously, she had the entire data set printed out for everyone. 'As a precaution,' she claimed, her voice dripping with faux innocence."

"She what?! What a sneaky move. Clearly intentional," H/N exclaimed incredulously.

"But hold on," he continued, a frown creasing his forehead. "Those were your printed slides. Surely your department head noticed, didn't she?"

"That's what I thought, too, until I got a closer look. She'd revised everything, subtly changed the wording, claimed the data as her own."

A mix of anger and disbelief bubbled within you. "That snake was watching me," you whispered, gripping the teacup tightly, "waiting for my reaction."

"What did you do?" H/N asked eagerly, clutching the stuffed animal tighter, almost as if he were watching an exciting scene in a drama.

You met his gaze, a cold fire burning in your eyes. "I looked at her and gave her a poisonous smile. I went through all the possible options in my head to get back at her later."

"And her response?" H/N queried, taking a sip of his tea absentmindedly.

"She returned the same venomous smile, a flip of her hair thrown in for good measure. It was a silent declaration of war."

"Ugh, what a..." H/N began, shaking his head in disdain.

"When the big meeting was finally over," you recounted, taking a shaky sip of tea, "I knew I had to confront her. Thankfully, our department head was still occupied in another meeting, so I had a moment's reprieve from her."

"She was waiting for me in our office with a few other colleagues. When I confronted her, she calmly claimed she had incorporated the slides into the presentation as I had asked. She just reorganized the data for her own understanding and then made copies in case the participants didn't understand my data presentation. How good that she had worked so proactively, the others praised her. I should be grateful to her for saving our department," you continued, tears welling up again. Gripping your cup tightly, you trembled with emotion.

"It's so unfair," you sobbed, tears streaming down your cheeks once more. H/N gently stroked your cheek, his touch a soothing balm.

"That's true, it is unfair," he murmured. "But you did nothing wrong. Except trust a colleague who should never have stabbed you in the back, especially not at such a crucial meeting," he reassured softly.

You nodded weakly, the anger starting to simmer beneath the hurt. "I just left after that. What else could I say? She knew what she had done. I could still hear her laughing at me as I walked away. But that wasn't the end."

You paused, taking a deep breath to steady yourself. He took your hand in his, his strong fingers lacing with yours in a silent promise of support. You could feel the warmth of his concern radiating from him, and the sight of his worried expression tugged at your heartstrings. He hated this sight. His heart ached to see you like this, feeling responsible for your distress after you had moved to be with him, leaving everything behind. He longed to see you happy and not so devastated.

"After the lunch break, our head of department came to see us," you continued, your voice trembling with emotion. H/N stiffened instinctively, his jaw clenching at the implication. He had encountered enough similar situations in his career to recognize the pattern.

You recounted the humiliating ordeal, her harsh words echoing in your mind. The image of your colleague basking in false praise fueled a bitter anger within you.

"She scolded me in front of the entire team. She asked me if I was actually too stupid to create and insert a few slides. She questioned my competence and told me to learn from the 'snake' who had supposedly saved us today," your voice broke, tears streaming down your face uncontrollably.

Unable to bear seeing you in such distress, H/N pulled you close, enfolding you in a tight embrace, hoping to offer some comfort amidst the pain. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured, his voice a soothing balm. "They're all just blind to how talented you are. They just don't want to admit it. That's why this 'snake' is copying you. I know how capable you are and how hard you work, Y/N," he whispered soothingly, planting a kiss on your head.

As you gradually regained your composure, a wave of shame washed over you. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like this," you mumbled, wiping away stray tears.

"Don't apologize for feeling this way. You can be yourself around me—cry, vent, be silly. Show me your honest expression, always," he reassured you, his eyes filled with unwavering support. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. A faint smile graced your lips in gratitude.

"Before I left work, she came to me again and essentially told me to find another job if I couldn't deliver impeccable work," you recounted, your voice tinged with frustration. H/N regarded you seriously, his gaze unwavering.

"I hate this," he murmured, his voice low and intense.

To be continued...

♡

Stay tuned for part 5!

Love,
YumiYue 🌙

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