ITBF 06

CHAPTER 06

“Don’t you have anything else to do? I’m pretty sure I gave you several tasks to handle. Ah. Do you want me to transfer you to a more brutal department?”

“No!”

“No, Director…!”

Jaehyun slowly lowered his eyelids, calming himself after being slightly startled.

Then he remembered what had happened that morning.

“Organize all the contracts I’m currently handling and all the reports that haven’t been fully processed yet, and submit them to me. Make sure there are no problems during the handover.”

No matter how much he had acted as though he planned to quit the company soon, he never expected his secretaries to actually follow him.

Just then, Secretary Kim gripped the hem of her skirt and murmured,

“We were just… worried. About whether you really… intended to quit your job, Director…”

“Nothing has been decided yet. I was thinking of taking a week to decide what I’m going to do, so why did you come all the way here to bother me?”

Manager Hyun pleaded in a somewhat louder voice.

“Director! Rumors are already spreading that the chairman’s illegitimate son is about to join the company. If you quit at the same time, how is that any different from openly declaring that you’ve been pushed out of the succession race?!”

“So what if I have?”

Despite being outdoors, a suffocating silence settled around the three of them at the chill in Jaehyun’s voice.

“I’m taking some time to think about it because of the projects I’m in charge of and the employees under me, not because I’m worried about the position of heir itself.”

And he meant it.

He simply didn’t want the employees in his secretary’s office who trusted him, or the people in Taekyung Motors’ battery division under his command, to suffer because of his family problems.

So even if he decided to quit, he intended to finish the projects he was responsible for rather than leaving immediately.

He would only attend the meetings twice a week.

“I understand what you’re worried about. But I’ll personally lead the projects I’m currently responsible for until they’re finished. If I decide to quit, I’ll make sure everyone in my secretary’s office gets transferred to better positions. I’ll take responsibility for them until the end.”

Perhaps they felt guilty for following their boss this far.

Or perhaps they had finally confirmed that he really was considering quitting.

Either way, Secretary Kim’s eyes filled with a few tears.

Manager Hyun quietly handed her a handkerchief before looking at Jaehyun again.

“…I didn’t realize you would think so carefully about our positions, Director. And it wasn’t because we felt threatened about our jobs. We were just startled because you left as though you were going to quit immediately. We’re sorry…”

The two secretaries bowed their heads simultaneously.

Looking down at the backs of their heads, Jaehyun let out a faint sigh.

“If you’re sorry, then do me one favor.”

“Anything, Director!”

“Buy a few outfits for a woman in her early twenties. Clothes for going out, loungewear, pajamas—everything. Ah. Make sure they’re in a modern style.”

Silence fell.

Then Manager Hyun tilted his head.

“…A woman in her early twenties…”

“Director… are you perhaps seeing someone…?”

Neither of them could bring themselves to finish the question.

Just as Jaehyun was about to tell them it wasn’t like that—

Creak—

The front gate of Geuk-joo’s family home opened behind him.

Both secretaries simultaneously turned their gazes sideways.

“Gasp!”

“S-Surely not…”

Their voices trembled like frightened lambs.

Following their gazes, Jaehyun turned his head and saw Hae-som standing awkwardly outside the gate.

“…Are you dating that young woman in her early twenties?”

“She looks so young… S-She isn’t a minor, is she, Director? That would seriously damage your image… No, more importantly, you’d go to prison…”

“Haa…”

Jaehyun ran a hand roughly through his hair as though he had a headache.

“It’s not like that. Don’t get any weird ideas. Just prepare what I asked for and bring it over today.”

Jaehyun gave them a sharp look and nodded toward the top of their heads.

Go. Now.

But perhaps they really believed that a man who was almost thirty was involved in some forbidden relationship.

Their faces had gone pale, and they remained frozen in place.

This is ridiculous.

What exactly have I done to make them think I live such a promiscuous life? I’ve never even been involved with a woman before.

Looking troubled, he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets.

Then—

“Hu…sband!”

Hae-som called out to him.

The secretaries let out a strangled gasp and exchanged frantic glances.

“D-Director! She called you ‘husband’! What on earth is going on…?”

Jaehyun closed his eyes at the absurd situation, then slowly opened them and looked at Hae-som.

“Yeah?”

“Why aren’t you coming inside?! You said you’d make the baby some formula! The baby is crying so much!”

“……”

Jaehyun’s mouth fell open.

So did the secretaries’.

“Get out of here. Right now.”

Flustered, Jaehyun left them with those words and hurried over to Hae-som, grabbing her arm and leading her inside.

As soon as the front door closed, Jaehyun pushed Hae-som into a corner and asked,

“What did you just do?”

He was so close that he didn’t even realize how dangerously little space remained between them.

Hae-som moved her pink lips and timidly answered,

“I was trying to help you in my own way… Was I wrong?”

“What?”

He let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Why would you suddenly help me?”

“No, Oppa… You said you were just going to the car, but more than ten minutes had passed. I thought maybe someone had kidnapped you, so I went to check. And sure enough, there were suspicious people in suits holding you.”

He was speechless.

“Even though I lived trapped on an island, I know some things. I used to watch TV at the village chief’s house sometimes. You know how cult fanatics stop people on the street and try to talk to them? And they were even wearing neat suits…! Their clothes looked exactly the same!”

My secretaries are cult fanatics?

How does someone even come up with a conclusion like that?

Still, Jaehyun realized that to Hae-som—or to anyone else—it might genuinely have looked that way.

Both of them had been standing in front of him with their hands neatly clasped, practically preaching at him.

Suppressing the laugh that threatened to escape at Hae-som’s ridiculous attempt to rescue him, Jaehyun draped the jacket in his hand over her shoulders.

“Are the clothes you changed into uncomfortable? Just wear this when you go out. It’s a summer jacket, so it won’t be too hot.”

“…Thank you. But… you’re not angry, right? I did a good job, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. You did well. Thanks to you, I escaped safely from the fanatics.”

Hae-som smiled, her eyes crinkling with happiness at having been useful.

She has such a pretty smile.

He was vaguely thinking that when—

Her stomach rumbled again.

Jaehyun quietly chuckled to himself and opened the front door.

He looked around and saw that the secretaries had disappeared.

He went outside again and headed toward his car. Just as he was about to open the passenger door for Hae-som—

“Huh?!”

A woman’s voice suddenly came from behind them.

Jaehyun and Hae-som turned around simultaneously.

The woman had brightly dyed, shoulder-length hair and was wearing a cropped tank top and jeans.

She had long, snake-like eyes without double eyelids and a sharply defined nose. Her slender figure made her look like a model.

Perhaps because of that, her expression looked rather fierce.

Suddenly, she rushed toward Hae-som.

Jaehyun instinctively moved Hae-som behind his back and held out a hand toward the woman.

“What do you want?”

The woman stopped abruptly and looked up.

Her eyes, which had been fixed on Jaehyun, shook violently.

“I asked what you’re doing here.”

Only then did the woman clear her throat and glance at Hae-som behind him.

“I think she might be my friend… This is the house where my childhood friend used to live.”

Jaehyun could feel Hae-som flinch behind him.

“Is the person behind you… Yoon Hae-som?”

Jaehyun was briefly surprised, but quickly composed his expression.

“Right?! I’m Kwon Min-ah. I lived next door to her when we were kids! Hae-som and I were always together… Hae-som!”

At Min-ah’s call, Hae-som cautiously leaned out from beside Jaehyun and looked at her.

The moment Min-ah saw the adult Hae-som, her eyes grew as round as a rabbit’s.

“It is! It really is you!”

Min-ah bounced excitedly, words pouring out of her like water from a fountain.

“You still look exactly the same as you did when you were little! This is amazing!”

She clapped her hands and even bounced on her toes.

“Hey, Yoon Hae-som!”

“Uh… huh?”

“You really don’t remember me?!”

“……”