Love Under Pretenses | Winrina

8.

I've been exhausted for hours, and my body feels like it's ready to collapse from everything I've been doing, all thanks to this damn CEO.

It's like I'm always being punished ever since I started here.

I yawned and glanced at my watch.

It’s already 9 PM, and it’s dark outside. I should’ve been home by 7 PM, but guess what? I’m still here.

I looked over at Jimin, who was getting ready to leave, already holding her bag.

“Don’t even think about leaving until you're done. Got it? I’m heading out, but don’t worry, the other employees and security guard are still around to keep you company,” she said before walking out the door.

I sighed deeply, knowing I still had a few more hours to finish what she asked me to do.

At least I'm halfway done. Just a little more patience, and I’ll be finished.

Maybe I should grab a coffee outside first, or else my eyes might give in to the temptation of closing from all this sleepiness.

--------------------------------

I managed to get to my office on time today, mostly because I left the bar early after what went down last night.

There was this guy I was flirting with, and we were both pretty tipsy, but I was still aware of what was going on.

Out of nowhere, he just kissed me on the lips.

Naturally, I slapped him. I mean, seriously? No warning, no lead-up? No consent ? Just straight to it?

Ryujin ended up kicking the guy out of her bar the moment she found out what happened, so I decided to just head home, completely losing any mood to stay out.

When I got to my office, I was surprised to see Minjeong still at her desk, fast asleep with her head resting on her arms.

So, she really didn’t go home? She stayed up all night finishing what I asked her to do?

I glanced at the stack of papers next to her and picked them up.

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that everything was finished.

While she was sleeping, I finally got the chance to really take a good look at her face.

They weren’t kidding—Minjeong really does give off puppy vibes.

A grumpy puppy, that is.

I chuckled to myself at the thought, just as she stirred and stretched.

I quickly straightened my face and cleared my throat.

“M-Miss Yu?” she mumbled in that husky, just-woke-up voice.

I hate to admit it, but it sounded way too hot.

“Looks like you actually listened to me, huh? You're not just a moody puppy—you actually an obedient puppy, too,” I teased, and she just shot me a glare.

It was so obvious from her face how tired and sleep-deprived she was, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

I really just lost my temper yesterday. It's so hard to control sometimes.

Of all the things I could’ve inherited from my dad, it just had to be his anger issues and bossy attitude.

“You can go home now. There’s not much left for you to do anyway. You look pitiful,” I said, sitting down and grabbing my laptop.

“Oh wow, so you do have a little compassion left, huh,” she shot back, already packing up her things.

“Did you say something?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She just rolled her eyes at me. “Nothing, I’m leaving!” she snapped before storming out of the office.

WINTER POV

When I got home from work, I collapsed onto my bed without even bothering to change clothes or take off my makeup. I ended up sleeping the entire day, only waking up when it was already dark outside.

But man, the headache and body ache I had when I woke up? It felt like I was burning up. I figured I’d just sleep it off again and hope to feel better by morning.

THE NEXT DAY

Minjeong is already an hour late. What could she be doing that she still hasn’t shown up?

“Hey Jimin! I brought you some coffee! Want some?” Giselle walked into my office with a smile since we both had free time.

“No tea?” I raised an eyebrow. I’m not really a fan of coffee.

It’s not that I hate coffee, I just prefer tea when I’m at work.

“Nope! Thought you could use something different for a change,” she laughed, plopping down in the chair across from me.

I glanced at my phone again—still no message from Minjeong. I tried calling her too, but she wasn’t answering.

I decided to ask Giselle since she’s friends with Minjeong.

"Do you happen to know where Minjeong is? She’s an hour late," I asked.

"Oh! Ningning told me last night that Minjeong had a fever since yesterday" she said, taking a sip of her tea.

“Ningning?”

"Yeah, Minjeong’s friend. I mentioned her to you before—she’s my friend too," she explained.

"Minjeong didn't tell you that she would be absent today?" Giselle asked, and I shook my head.

“Maybe she’s too sick to even use her phone. Just let her rest for now,” she suggested.

Suddenly, I started feeling really guilty.

It’s probably my fault she got sick, with all the work I made her do.

WINTER POV

"Minjeong, wake up for a bit, honey. You need to eat something so you can take your meds."

I woke up slightly as my mom gently roused me, but the pounding headache was still there. I felt nauseous.

I quickly rushed to the bathroom to throw up, I really wasn’t feeling well at all. It’s probably from the exhaustion I’ve been dealing with these past few days.

My body had reached its limit, and now it’s punishing me for overworking.

"Are you okay, sweetie? You might be pushing yourself too hard. You need to rest sometimes," my mom said while rubbing my back

"By the way, your boss came by earlier. She said her name’s Yu Jimin. She brought food and medicine for you. I was going to ask her to stay for a bit, but she declined," Mom added, and I raised my eyebrow in surprise.

"Really?" I asked, and she nodded.

"The food and medicine are on your bed. After you eat, you can go back to sleep and rest," she said, giving me a kiss on the forehead before leaving my room.

I immediately checked the food and medicine Jimin had sent over.

"Dakjuk and medicine pills?" I mumbled to myself, then heard my phone buzz. I grabbed it to check the texts.

Grumpy CEO 😾
–Hey, cheap puppy! You’re five minutes late, where are you?

Grumpy CEO 😾
–Didn’t we have a rule that you should arrive earlier than me? I'm already here at the office.

Grumpy CEO 😾
–One hour late, what’s going on?

Grumpy CEO 😾
–I heard from Giselle that you’re sick, so that’s why you didn’t show up.

I couldn’t help but smile a little as I read Jimin’s spam texts. Then I got to her most recent message.

Grumpy CEO 😾
–I heard Dakjuk is good for people who are sick. I’m not sure though. If you don’t like it, just throw it away.🙄

She really went out of her way to bring me food.

That’s... a lot of effort for someone as grumpy as her.