A Madman in Love-Chapter 55
Suin hit the brakes as she approached the tall, solid gates of the Hyesung Estate.
Screeeech—
The tires skidded slightly against the concrete, and the jolt made her body lean forward slightly. Her hips, glued to the seat, followed suit.
“Ugh.”
A faint crease formed on Suin's forehead as she felt a small, uncomfortable friction beneath her skirt.
Noticing her discomfort, Jaehee glanced at her sideways, his voice teasingly nonchalant.
“Not wearing panties?”
She shot him a glare.
As if it wasn’t because of him!
“This is why I told you we should’ve bought a house today.”
“And you think this is the right time to say that?”
Suin scolded him sharply and stretched her hand toward him. With a quick press, she unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Get out.”
Jaehee shrugged leisurely at her command and got out of the car on the passenger side. He opened the trunk, pulled out the suitcases, and walked over to the driver’s side window, where Suin sat unmoving.
“You’re not getting out?”
“I can’t go out like this.”
Suin shook her head vehemently.
Her blouse and panties had been thoroughly ruined earlier, leaving her no choice but to wear Jaehee’s oversized T-shirt and her skirt without any underwear. She had driven all the way from the hotel to the Hyesung Estate like that, feeling an acute sense of unease the entire time.
“It’s pitch black. No one’s going to see.”
“Really? The elders are probably waiting for us.”
“Hm...”
Jaehee glanced at the estate’s gates, considering her point. Then he circled back to Suin’s side of the car, leaning down to look at her.
“I told you I’d drive you home.”
“And haul the luggage, too? Late at night?”
His concern for her driving back to Lime Café from the estate this late was evident.
Suin gripped the steering wheel and tilted her head to look up at him.
“Who’s the cruel boss that told the professor Lee Suin would personally deliver him?”
“I didn’t say ‘personally.’”
“Same thing.”
“You’ve been through so much because of me, Lee Suin.”
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Jaehee gently brushed the crown of her head with his hand, smirking at her twisted lips.
“Just figuring that out now?”
“Yeah.”
Jaehee answered readily, his eyes and lips curving attractively.
The moment Suin thought his gaze carried a subtle seduction, his lips descended toward hers.
“Where do you think you’re—!”
Startled, Suin jerked her head back, shouting abruptly. Jaehee frowned at her sudden outburst.
“What?”
“Please, for once, remember where we are.”
Grinding her teeth, Suin gestured with her chin toward the CCTV mounted at the gate.
Jaehee glanced at the camera with a dissatisfied side-eye before finally taking a step back.
“This is why I keep saying we need our own place.”
Here we go again with the house talk.
Once he fixated on something, he wouldn’t stop until it was resolved. Suin knew this persistence all too well—it was how she had eventually surrendered to him in the first place.
She shot him a glare that was half annoyed, half amused.
“No more house talk.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jaehee nodded like a rebellious teenager pretending to obey, his expression reeking of mischief.
As if words would matter—he’d just ignore them anyway.
“Seo Jaehee.”
Suin called out to him through the car window, her gaze narrowing.
“You go on about conscience, but don’t you think it’s hypocritical when you don’t have any?”
“Me? How so?”
“How do you skip the dating phase and jump straight to living together?”
“Dating?”
Jaehee raised an eyebrow, tilting his head as if he couldn’t comprehend the accusation. Then he asked her with an air of innocence.
“Aren’t we already dating?”
“When did we start?”
Suin was caught off guard.
For a moment, she doubted herself. Had he actually asked her out at some point? Did he say it during sex, and she missed it because things were too intense?
“Isn’t what we’re doing now considered dating?”
Oh.
So she hadn’t misheard—he really hadn’t asked.
His unapologetically straightforward response left Suin bewildered.
Jaehee leaned against the car window, gripping its edge with one hand as he bent down to look at her. His gaze softened, growing deeper.
“To me, every moment with Lee Suin is dating.”
“...”
“Isn’t it?”
“...It is.”
In the face of his intensity, she couldn’t deny it.
No woman in the universe could resist those eyes.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he leaned in and brushed them softly against hers.
A gentle kiss.
Suin didn’t resist the sweet touch. The angle seemed to shield them from the CCTV anyway.
Extending her arm, she wrapped it around his neck, pulling him closer.
Her tongue slid into his slightly parted mouth, deepening the kiss. It was sweet and intimate.
Goodnight.
***
“What are you up to, Jongin? Busy?”
A company messenger window popped up on Jongin’s monitor.
The sender’s name, Hyun Jiye, made Jongin instantly forget the morning meeting notes he’d been organizing.
―Not really. The Director has been in a meeting for four hours, and Chief Lee went to Incheon Airport, so I’m free.
―The Director’s meeting is still going?
―Yes. Are quarterly review meetings always this long?
―Usually three to four hours. Today’s probably longer because the Chairwoman’s returning from her trip, and they’re being extra thorough.
Jongin, responding diligently at first, couldn’t help but let his enthusiasm slip into the conversation.
―Senior, how about grabbing a coffee with me? My treat.
No reply.
She read it, though.
―If you’re busy, we can do it another time.
Embarrassed, Jongin hastily typed out another message and was about to press Enter when a photo suddenly appeared in the chat.
―Jongin, did you see this? What the heck?
Curious, Jongin clicked on the attached file while reading Jiye’s follow-up message.
The photo showed a man and a woman sitting on a secluded bench in a garden, partially hidden by trees and flowerbeds.
―It’s Chief Lee and Deputy Baek Ihyeon. Someone just uploaded it to the anonymous bulletin board.
Another photo followed.
―Turns out Deputy Baek really is Chief Lee’s boyfriend.
Jongin’s mouth hung open.
Though the faces weren’t perfectly clear due to the angle, it was unmistakably Lee Suin and Baek Ihyeon.
The problem was the pose.
Baek Ihyeon had one hand on Suin’s shoulder and was leaning down to gaze tenderly into her eyes. Suin, in turn, was smiling as she looked up at him.
They looked like a couple, no question about it.
“What should I do?”
Panicking, Jongin quickly accessed the company’s intranet to check the anonymous bulletin board.
―Who are they? Secret office romance exposed!
The post’s clickbait title had clearly worked, as the thread had already amassed a flood of comments from curious employees. The reactions revealed just how popular and well-regarded Lee Suin was within the company.
Whoever the poster was, they were devious—timing the post to coincide with the post-lunch slump when most employees were idling and distracted.
“If the Director sees this, it’ll be chaos...”
Muttering to himself, Jongin started searching for the intranet administrator’s extension number.
“What’ll be chaos if I see it?”
“Gah!”
Jongin jumped so violently at the sudden voice behind him that he nearly fell out of his chair.
Standing at the door to the Director’s office, Seo Jaehee’s sharp gaze zeroed in on the monitor.
He stepped forward.
Meanwhile, at Incheon Airport
As the airport’s announcement for passengers heading to Paris played in the background, Suin stood by the gateway, absently listening.
Her phone buzzed in her hand.
Just as she was about to answer, a familiar face appeared.
The sight brought a smile to her lips. She inclined her head respectfully.
“Chairwoman, welcome back.”
“Chief Lee!”
Woo Ilhwa’s face lit up with genuine delight.
“You didn’t have to come all this way. I was ready to feel a bit let down if you didn’t, though...”
“That’s exactly why I came.”
Suin smiled, her expression warm but professional. Noticing the Chairwoman was alone, she tilted her head curiously.
“Where’s Chief Oh?”
“Their luggage belt got stuck. It’ll take over an hour to sort out, so I came out first. Didn’t want you waiting too long. But it turns out I’ve found someone much better to greet me.”
“Chief Oh might be offended to hear that.”
“Let’s grab a coffee, shall we?”
“Of course.”
Woo Ilhwa naturally looped her arm through Suin’s, and the two made their way to a nearby café, Suin subtly guiding the Chairwoman to avoid any jostling from passersby.
“Chief Lee, did you take care of your skin while I was gone? You’ve gotten even prettier.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! You’re positively glowing.”
The two women chatted like a close mother and daughter as they sipped their coffee by the window, a warmth of affection filling the space between them.
About an hour later, Woo Ilhwa stood up.
“Let’s go. Chief Oh just texted—they’re out.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Suin tidied up the coffee cups at the self-service station and stepped outside with her phone in hand.
A flurry of missed calls and messages from Jongin awaited her.
“What is this?”
The most recent message caught her attention.
―Chief Lee! We have a huge problem!
As she scrolled through Jongin’s detailed explanation, her expression darkened.
Photos of her and Baek Ihyeon, uploaded to the anonymous bulletin board. Poses that looked misleadingly intimate. Employees buzzing with gossip.
And worst of all:
―The Director saw the post and got furious! He’s heading to the airport!
