Riser
patreon
29-51
🕑 Added 2025-07-05 21:50:07 +0000 UTCEpisode 51: Team Dinner
A full week had passed since witnessing that shocking scene in the office. Time moved on indifferently, but for Jooyoung, it felt as if her own time had stopped on that night.
“......”
“......”
An awkward air lingered over the dining table where Jooyoung and Mincheol sat facing each other. After their big fight a few days earlier, Mincheol sensed his wife avoiding him and was too self-conscious to even eat.
“Honey.”
Finally, as if making up his mind, Mincheol broke the silence. But Jooyoung, lost in the memories replaying in her mind since last week, didn’t hear his voice.
Mina’s moans.
Hyunseong’s rough breathing.
The wet sounds of flesh colliding.
And the humiliating stains spreading across the floor.
Even as disgust and revulsion surged within her, every night in bed the memories would return, making her toss and turn. Sometimes, she would even find herself comforting herself with forbidden imaginings.
“Honey?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
Only after Mincheol called her again did Jooyoung snap out of it and turn to him. The faint energy in his voice caught her attention.
“I’ve been awful to you, not just last week, but for a while. I’m really sorry.”
Jooyoung was momentarily speechless at Mincheol’s unexpected apology. What had gotten into him?
“After what happened, I did a lot of thinking. You’re the one who’s had it hardest, but I took out my stress on you with harsh words.”
Jooyoung couldn’t hide her confusion at the guilt in his voice.
“No, I should have been more considerate of your feelings...”
An awkward atmosphere hung over the table. In truth, they’d ended cold wars like this before. If it had ended with just another apology, it would have been nothing new.
“...Actually, remember that company I sent my resume to? They contacted me for an interview. Next week.”
Jooyoung’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected news.
“Really? That IT company?”
“Yeah. They’re hiring for a team leader position. I guess I got lucky and passed the screening.”
There was a clear confidence and excitement on Mincheol’s face-something Jooyoung hadn’t seen in a long time. She felt a lump in her throat.
“That’s great, really.”
Her voice trembled slightly without her realizing it. Maybe, just maybe, they could finally break free from this miserable cycle and go back to how things used to be. She felt a small spark of hope deep within her.
Noticing the change in his wife’s expression, Mincheol spoke with heartfelt resolve.
“We’ll see how the interview goes, but I’m going to give it my all. I’ll never disappoint you again, I promise.”
“Yes. I’m sure it’ll go well.”
Jooyoung smiled back at his sincerity, cheering him on. Yes, let’s have hope. Finally, brighter days might be coming for them.
But at that moment, an image flashed through her mind against her will.
‘Hngh...’
Hyunseong, stripping off his clothes and roughly ravishing Mina last Friday night. His sweat-slicked, muscular body, the veins standing out on his forearms, and the overwhelming presence he exuded.
‘Why am I thinking about this now...?’
Startled, Jooyoung shook her head. At a moment when she should be supporting her husband’s comeback, she was thinking of another man-her subordinate, no less. Her mind felt scrambled.
‘Get it together, Kang Jooyoung. Don’t forget what’s important.’
After finishing breakfast with a rare sense of relief, Mincheol came to see her off as she left for work.
“You said you have a team dinner tonight?”
“Yes. But I won’t stay late.”
Jooyoung was never one to drink much or socialize deeply with her colleagues. As always, she planned to just make an appearance and leave early, which would probably suit everyone else as well.
“Um, hey.”
Just before she left, Mincheol hesitated, then spoke.
“Should we have a drink together this weekend? To celebrate a new start.”
Jooyoung hesitated for a moment at her husband’s slightly worried suggestion, but nodded.
“Sure.”
It was a good chance to close the distance that had grown between them. There was no reason to refuse. Seeing her agree, Mincheol finally looked relieved.
“See you later.”
Perhaps because of this hopeful conversation with her husband, Jooyoung felt lighter on her way to work-unaware of the shadow looming over her.
Inside the noisy restaurant, filled with the sound of sizzling meat, the Travel Wiz MD team’s dinner was lively as they celebrated the successful buyer meeting.
Naturally, praise and drinks kept coming Hyunseong’s way as the hero of the project’s success. Meanwhile, Deputy Son Junhyuk sat apart from the excitement, drinking alone with a stiff expression, and no one approached him.
“Hey, Deputy Lee! You really saved us this time!”
“Yeah, yeah! I was freaking out, but you turned it around like a movie!”
As compliments poured in, Hyunseong glanced sideways at Junhyuk, but kept a relaxed smile and answered modestly.
“I didn’t do much. It was all thanks to the team leader’s guidance and everyone’s help.”
His gaze naturally drifted to Jooyoung, who sat across from him. She sipped her water, avoiding his eyes, a chill running down her spine for no reason.
‘Really, I just can’t read him.’
She remembered the handbag she’d dropped in the hallway while running from the office that night, and how Hyunseong had handed it back to her on Monday morning as if nothing had happened.
He must know she’d been in the office. So how could he act so nonchalant?
Jooyoung tried to steady herself by recalling the hopeful conversation and warmth she’d shared with her husband that morning.
‘It’ll be fine. I’ll just blend in and leave early.’
As usual, she barely touched her drink and only gave minimal responses, quietly passing the time.
But as if to mock her plan, Hyunseong kept drawing her into the center of the conversation.
“Team leader, you worked really hard this time. Let me pour you a drink.”
Hyunseong came over with a bottle. Unable to refuse, Jooyoung reluctantly held out her glass. The clear soju filled it with a splash.
“You’re the one who worked hardest, Deputy Lee. I didn’t do much.”
She forced a laugh and downed the shot in one go. The bitter, strong alcohol burned down her throat.
“I still have a long way to go. Please keep guiding me, team leader.”
With a meaningful smile, Hyunseong filled his own glass and drank it down. In that moment, his gaze pierced her, and Jooyoung involuntarily caught her breath, recalling the intense look he’d given Mina in the office a week ago.
‘...It’s just my imagination, right?’
She quickly turned away and spotted Mina sitting quietly beside Hyunseong. Still isolated at work, Mina sat stiffly, responding awkwardly to Hyunseong’s words. Occasionally, Jooyoung caught glimpses of the same slave-like obedience and longing she’d seen in Mina’s eyes a week ago.
‘Those two... still...’
For the past week, Jooyoung had desperately pretended nothing was wrong at work. But the more she tried, the more blatantly the relationship between Hyunseong and Mina stood out.
A hand brushing a wrist in the break room. Meaningful looks exchanged in the hallway. Increasingly frequent one-on-one meetings in the conference room under the pretext of work discussions.
It almost felt like they were doing it on purpose for her to see.
‘I can’t get a moment’s peace because of those two.’
“Haa.”
Would drinking help her forget these dirty, unpleasant feelings, even for a little while? Jooyoung’s hand kept reaching for her glass.
“Oh? Team leader, how many have you had? You’re drinking more than usual tonight.”
“...Ah, I just feel like drinking tonight.”
When another team member noticed and asked, Jooyoung awkwardly brushed it off.
As time passed and a few more rounds went by, the mood grew even more festive. People’s voices grew louder as the alcohol took effect.
Jooyoung’s cheeks flushed red, her body swaying as she drank a few more shots.
‘I should get up soon...’
Thinking of her husband at home, Jooyoung looked toward the entrance, but couldn’t find a good moment to leave.
Just then, Hyunseong, who had gone to the restroom, returned and sat down next to her.
Even amid the restaurant’s noise, his low voice was strangely clear in her ear.
“Team leader, you don’t look well. Are you alright?”
His scent and gaze at such close range made Jooyoung’s heart drop.
“I-I’m fine. I guess I just drank too much.”
“In that case, why not get some fresh air?”
His suggestion sounded perfectly considerate and normal, but there was something else in his eyes.
“No, I’m fine. I was just about to leave.”
She stood up quickly, but staggered from the alcohol. When Hyunseong caught her arm to steady her, her heart raced.
“On a day like this, you should enjoy yourself more, team leader. It’s still early, after all.”
His gentle yet firm voice made Jooyoung nod before she realized it.
‘He’s right. It’s still early. I can stay a little longer.’
The conversation and promises with her husband that morning quickly faded from her mind. Maybe it was for the best. Now that they were this close, maybe she could finally figure out his intentions.
“Deputy Lee.”
“Yes?”
“It’s just...”
But despite her resolve, Jooyoung couldn’t bring herself to say anything. It had been like this all week. Every time she tried to ask about what happened that night, it was as if something unseen clamped her mouth shut.
Hyunseong smiled contentedly and poured her another drink.
“Here, team leader. We still have a lot to talk about.”
Jooyoung took the glass as if hypnotized. In her head she screamed, ‘No,’ but her body was already following his lead. As the alcohol and some unknown pull clouded her mind, she sensed that she wouldn’t be able to leave easily tonight.
