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CH218 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-03-15 03:55:01 +0000 UTCBzzzz. Bzzzz.
The loud vibration of a pager jolted Debra awake. She stirred, then abruptly sat up, startled by the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Frantically scanning the room, she realized she wasn’t at her modest apartment—a single-bedroom unit with a small living area. Instead, she was in a lavish penthouse suite, far more spacious and extravagant.
And right beside her, lying fast asleep, was Seok-won, his well-defined, muscular torso exposed.
“!”
Debra instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.
What the hell happened last night?!
On the floor, the expensive dress and heels she had worn to the charity gala lay discarded in a haphazard mess.
“Oh my God.”
As the realization hit her, she yanked the sheets up to her chest, suddenly aware that she was completely naked.
Then, spotting her stockings draped over a chair, memories of the previous night flickered through her mind like a movie reel.
"It’d be a shame to end Christmas like this… How about one more drink?"
Debra had been the one to say it as they left the charity gala.
She remembered how, perhaps tipsy from the champagne, she had felt a strange reluctance to part ways.
"Alright."
She hadn’t expected Seok-won to actually nod in agreement. Laughing, she had taken his hand.
From there, they had ended up at a club downtown, dancing wildly amid the crowd to the pounding beats of the DJ’s music, drinking without restraint.
They had kept going until the early morning, eventually returning to the penthouse, where they lounged on the sofa, chatting idly while downing a bottle of whiskey that cost thousands of dollars—treating it like beer.
"Wow, this stuff is supposed to be that expensive? I can’t tell the difference!"
Giggling, Debra had stretched out lazily on the couch. When the slow, sultry notes of jazz drifted from the speakers Seok-won had turned on, she had suddenly sprung to her feet.
"Let’s dance!"
"Out of nowhere?"
"It’s late, we’ve been drinking… How can we not dance in a setting like this?"
Seok-won had chuckled but hadn’t refused. He had stood up, taken her hand, and pulled her close.
The soft jazz melody whispered in her ears, his firm muscles brushed lightly beneath his shirt, and the warmth of his body pressed against hers.
When his hand settled on her waist, her heartbeat quickened in an instant.
Then, as he moved effortlessly with the rhythm, Seok-won suddenly stopped.
"What’s wrong?"
The moment Debra looked up in confusion, her eyes met Seok-won’s as he gazed down at her intently.
Oh.
He’s going to kiss me.
As Seok-won cupped the back of her head and leaned in closer, Debra didn’t resist. Instead, she closed her eyes.
It didn’t take long for a soft peck to deepen into a passionate, heated kiss.
Like a spark igniting a wildfire, they were swept up in the intensity, pulling at each other’s clothes as they stumbled toward the bedroom.
And until the break of dawn…
“I must be out of my mind!”
Groaning, Debra buried her face into a pillow, ruffling her hair in frustration.
She wanted to roll around and scream in embarrassment, but with Seok-won still right beside her, she couldn’t exactly do that.
As she wrestled with her own thoughts, Seok-won stirred and slowly woke up.
"You’re awake."
His voice, still husky from sleep, sent a shiver down her spine.
"…Yeah."
Debra felt her face heat up as she quickly averted her gaze.
Even so, she couldn’t help but sneak glances at his broad, perfectly sculpted torso—completely devoid of any excess fat.
He’s not even an athlete, so why does he have a body like that? And how does he still look ridiculously handsome even after just waking up?
Even the way he lazily ran a hand through his tousled hair looked effortlessly charming.
"Debra. Your pager’s been going off for a while. Shouldn’t you check it?"
"Huh?"
Following his subtle nod, she turned her head to see her clutch buzzing persistently on the nightstand.
Hurriedly, she reached for it, keeping the sheet pulled up over her chest. When she checked the caller ID on her pager, the number displayed belonged to her news station.
"I need to make a call."
Flustered, she grabbed the phone from the nightstand.
"Go ahead."
Seok-won casually got out of bed and sauntered toward the bathroom, completely unbothered by his bare body gleaming under the sunlight.
Debra’s gaze instinctively followed the movement of his toned shoulders, back, and waist—only for her to suddenly recall everything that had happened the night before.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red.
[Hello?]
A familiar voice snapped her back to reality. While fanning herself to cool off, Debra cleared her throat and answered.
"It’s me."
[Debra! Where the hell are you?]
The sharp scolding made her wince.
"Why?"
[Aren’t you going to edit yesterday’s interview?! If we want to get it approved by the director and aired during prime time, it has to be done today!]
A sinking feeling hit her as she scrambled to check the time—past 1 PM already.
"I’m on my way now!"
[Hurry up!]
Hanging up, Debra shot out of bed and turned to the full-length mirror on the wall.
Her reflection was a disaster—smudged makeup, wild bed hair sticking out in all directions.
Just knowing that Seok-won had seen her like this made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
“Ughhh.”
Clutching her head in despair, she then snapped herself out of it—there was no time for this.
She hurriedly grabbed her underwear and put it on before reaching for the dress that lay crumpled on the floor.
And as soon as she picked it up, she let out a sigh.
"How the hell am I supposed to show up at the station wearing this?"
Showing up to work in this outfit was practically an announcement to the entire office that she had spent the night elsewhere.
And how was she supposed to walk into the station dressed in such an extravagant gown?
Just then, the bathroom door swung open, and Seok-won stepped out, rubbing his damp hair with a towel.
"You heading out?"
"Ah… Yeah. I have to get to work urgently."
Debra replied awkwardly, acutely aware of the fact that they were both still half-dressed. The lingering embarrassment hit her all over again.
"Your clothes are over there."
Seok-won gestured toward a table by the window.
Startled, Debra turned to look—her neatly cleaned and pressed clothes were folded with care, placed alongside her shoulder bag.
Her face lit up with relief. Without hesitation, she rushed over, quickly changing into them before dashing into the bathroom. There, she hastily dampened her hair, ran a comb through it, and touched up her makeup as best she could.
When she stepped out again, Seok-won had also finished dressing.
"Sorry, but I have to head out first."
"Go ahead."
Debra slung the bag over her shoulder and took a step toward the door—only to pause.
"Um… About last night."
Turning back, she met Seok-won’s gaze, which was steady and unreadable.
Lifting her chin slightly, she deliberately adopted a formal tone.
"I think… we just got caught up in the moment and made a mistake. So let’s not dwell on it—let’s just forget it ever happened."
For a moment, Seok-won studied her in silence before nodding slowly.
"If that’s what you want, then sure."
"…Right. Then, I’ll get going."
With that, Debra turned on her heel, opened the door, and stepped out of the bedroom.
Inside the elevator, on her way down from the penthouse, she stared at her reflection in the mirrored walls and let out a deep sigh.
"Haah…."
She had been the one to suggest pretending it never happened. But for some reason, an unexpected pang of disappointment gnawed at her.
What was this feeling?
"Forget it. It was just one night. I have work to do—work!"
Shaking off her tangled emotions, Debra forced herself to push all thoughts of last night out of her mind.
* * *
Earlier that morning.
Although Christmas break was over, Rodney had taken leave until the end of the year. Dressed comfortably in slacks, a button-up, and a knit vest, he stepped into the living room.
His plan was to relax for the morning, then in the afternoon, take his chartered business jet to the Bahamas, where he and his family would spend the rest of the holiday season at one of the Caribbean’s finest resorts.
"Good morning, sir."
A young Latina housekeeper in a maid’s uniform greeted him politely.
"Morning. Could you make me a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, sir."
Rodney walked over to the sunlit living room, where the warm morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He settled onto the plush sofa and instinctively reached for the Wall Street Journal on the table.
Unsurprisingly, the front page was dominated by the ongoing federal government shutdown, the biggest issue in the country at the moment.
[Day 11 of the Federal Government Shutdown!]
As of today, the federal government has been partially shut down for 11 days, beginning on the 15th. Nearly 800,000 federal employees remain furloughed, forced to stay home without pay, while citizens across the country continue to suffer from disrupted services. Yet, Washington remains deadlocked, with no resolution in sight.
House Speaker Eric Savitz of the Republican Party has refused to cooperate on the budget unless the White House agrees to spending cuts and tax reductions. Meanwhile, President Davidson has insisted that cutting social welfare programs would only bring more hardship to the people. He has demanded that Congress immediately pass a revised budget and approve an increase in the national debt ceiling.
With the year coming to a close, hopes for a swift resolution are dwindling...
Rodney clicked his tongue as he read.
"Tsk. They should know when to back down. Both sides are dragging this fight out for too long."
There were still a few days left in the year, but unless a dramatic compromise was reached within the next day or two, passing the budget before the year’s end would be impossible.
However, given the current political climate, neither the White House nor the Republican Party showed any signs of relenting.
"Maybe Mr. Park was right. This shutdown might last longer than expected."
Leaning back against the sofa, Rodney folded his arms, his expression filled with concern.
A moment later, the housekeeper returned, setting down a steaming cup of coffee on the table before quietly leaving. But Rodney remained lost in thought, not even touching the cup as he contemplated the stock market’s next moves.
Then, as if reaching a decision, he turned, picked up the telephone on the side table, and dialed a number.
[Hello?]
Ian, the Chief Manager of Quantum Fund, answered the call.
"It’s me."
[Sir? I thought you were on vacation. What’s the matter?]
"I needed to get in touch with you about something urgent."
[What is it?]
Rodney adjusted his grip on the receiver, his expression firm.
"Remember when I told you to close out our short positions on the S&P 500 futures?"
[Yes.]
"Put that on hold for now."
There was a brief pause before Ian responded, his tone puzzled.
[Sir, may I ask why?]
Rodney recalled Seok-won’s unwavering confidence at the charity gala last night—the way he had insisted the market was going to crash.
"Something doesn’t sit right with me."
[What exactly is bothering you?]
"I’ll explain later. Just hold off on the liquidation for now."
[Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.]
"Good. The market opens soon, so I’ll let you go."
Rodney hung up, his expression unreadable.
Rodney finally picked up his cup and took a sip of the now lukewarm coffee, murmuring to himself.
"The chances are slim, but if he’s that confident… there must be something I’m not seeing."
His sharp instincts nagged at him, warning that if he liquidated his position now, he might end up regretting it.
