Again

Chapter 18 - After all

Because of the exhaustion evident on his face that night, Se-Ri refused to let him go home. "Stay here. I don't think you're in any shape to drive."

She was right. After he took a shower and changed, he was asleep. He didn't even make it under the covers. Max was by the guest bed trying to push Jeong Hyeok's legs up.

"Go to sleep, buddy!" Se-Ri urged the puppy. "I'll take care of him." Once Max was on his bed, she turned to Jeong Hyeok and tried to move his six foot one frame under the comforter. When that was done, after much effort from her, she stared at his face.

Smoothing the frown on his face with her fingers, she kissed his nose and whispered, "I missed you."

Jeong Hyeok grunted, took her hand and kissed it. Then, whispered in his sleep, "I love you, Se-Ri-ah. Good night."

The following morning, Se-Ri woke up early to prepare them breakfast. She called Manager Hong to tell him she will be working from home for the day. "I have important personal matters to attend to but you can reach me on the phone if there's something urgent, understood?"

Jeong Hyeok strode in the dining room with messy hair, that was further standing up because he was scratching his head, one eye open and a missing shirt.

"Omo! Jeong Hyeok, I gave you a shirt last night, didn't I?" Se-Ri asked, averting her gaze before she started drooling. From the suits he wore, she could tell that his body was much more beefed up than when they were in University and when they were engaged previously. Seeing it quite literally in the flesh was something else.

"Yes. Are these my clothes?"

Se-Ri blushed. "Yes. Those you left behind from before."

"You kept them?" He asked, grinning like a child given candy.

"Not all. In a fit of rage, I made some of your shirts rags for the floor," she admitted, which made Jeong Hyeok laugh. "But I kept some. I'd have thrown everything away if I had known you no longer wear shirts at home."

Se-Ri wasn't really annoyed but she felt like she had to pretend to not like seeing him without clothes. She meant what she said that he needed to do some work to make amends and her jumping him at once would be counterproductive.

"Sorry, the shirt was a little too tight. Let me get the sweatshirt," he said, heading back to the room, giving her a wonderful view of his back.

No, don't cover it up! She thought but said nothing. Se-Ri-ah! Behave!

Getting a sweatshirt was the correct move for the moment because it allowed her to focus at the task at hand. "I was thinking," she started, while Jeong Hyeok ate his food. "Do you think you could take a few days off? I'd really like for us to talk and I worry that if we don't do so now we'd keep deferring until we forget to discuss the important things."

He agreed. "May I check my schedule?" When she nodded, he took his phone and scrolled through his calendar. "I have meetings but I can move those to video conferences. Do you have a place in mind?"

"There's one that I go to when I need some time alone but I want to check if they allow pets. We are not leaving our babies," Se-Ri declared and it thrilled Jeong Hyeok to no end. He was immensely happy that they would bring the dogs and that she keeps referring to them as "our" babies.