Chapter 03
Delusional Cove
At six in the evening, the time when any ordinary Korean office worker would have already been preparing to leave for the day, the cafeteria on the fifteenth floor of H Tower was still packed.
“What should I have for dinner?”
The cafeteria was shared by Hyun-gang Group headquarters and Hyun-gang Aeros, and the line was almost as long as it was during lunchtime.
“I’ll enjoy the meal.”
After ordering dinner at the kiosk, Ji-an carried her tray, piled with side dishes and seaweed soup, toward an empty table.
“Ah!”
Her foot caught on something, making her stumble forward.
Thanks to her quick reflexes, she barely managed to regain her balance, but the seaweed soup sloshed forward, spilling over the edge of the bowl and across the tray.
“Ah………….”
Before she could even figure out what had happened, a low laugh came from beside her.
“Oh my, you should be more careful. Senior Researcher Ji-an. Or should I call you Secretary Han now?”
It was Park Eun-sang, a senior research fellow from the Future Strategy Research Institute, her previous department.
When Ji-an stared at him silently, Park deliberately stretched his foot out beyond the edge of the table and grinned.
“What?”
Still so childish.
Ji-an decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed and walk past him, but a mocking voice followed from across the table.
“You don’t even say hello anymore. Ever since you transferred to the executive secretary’s office, you’ve become a completely different person.”
It was Senior Researcher Jo Min-ah.
“To her, we’re probably just ordinary researchers whose performance bonuses disappeared because of her. Maybe she can’t even see us anymore because she’s so busy being a secretary.”
“What could a secretary possibly be so busy with? Oh, right. Making coffee?”
Their snickering laughter made Ji-an bite her lip tightly.
Don’t engage with them.
It wasn’t that she was avoiding them because she was afraid. She simply didn’t want to dirty herself by getting involved.
But when Ji-an refused to respond, the mockery became even more blatant.
“Whose fault was it that the entire team got disciplined? And yet she slipped right out into the executive secretary’s office by herself. As always, she’s the only one who’s smart and capable, huh?”
“Exactly. Just thinking about her spending all day working beside the Executive Director, going ‘Executive Director this, Executive Director that’ is ridiculous.”
“Does tattling to the Ethics Management Office get you recruited straight into the executive secretary’s office? Maybe we should give it a try too.”
They snickered among themselves, laughing at something that wasn’t even funny as they openly sneered at Ji-an.
“So all you have to do is dig up an old case, pretend you’re fighting for justice, and act like you’ve been caught up in some huge conspiracy?”
“Exactly. What is this, some kind of drama? And then she still acts all high and mighty to the very end. She hasn’t even apologized once.”
“Honestly, I feel sorry for the person who died, but what crime did the rest of us commit? The case was concluded as suicide, wasn’t it? So what’s there to be so suspicious about?”
Ji-an’s grip tightened around the tray.
She could tolerate them badmouthing her.
But bringing up the dead was something she could not let slide.
How long am I supposed to keep putting up with this?
It wasn’t as though she had to see their faces every day anymore.
“Researcher Park. Senior Researcher Jo.”
Ji-an turned around and looked directly at them.
“If you don’t understand the conclusion of an investigation, requesting another investigation is a legitimate right.”
She had endured countless insults and accusations from them without saying a single word until now.
“I raised legitimate questions about my brother-in-law’s death.”
Her voice remained calm.
Eun-sang and Min-ah exchanged surprised glances before raising their voices in disbelief.
“What? Are you saying what you did was right? The entire team had to suffer because of you!”
“Was that my fault?”
Ji-an’s gaze sharpened.
“Wasn’t it the responsibility of the people above us who issued retaliatory disciplinary measures?”
As the exchange began to sound increasingly like an argument, Ji-an could feel the surrounding employees sneaking glances in their direction.
“What? Ha, this is ridiculous, seriously…”
Perhaps they had noticed the attention of the other employees as well.
They stopped arguing and simply exhaled in disbelief.
So they could back down this easily.
And yet, they had spent all that time openly ignoring, ostracizing, and trampling over her.
“Since I make excellent coffee, feel free to come by and have some.”
Ji-an smiled sweetly.
“But you’ll have to make a reservation first. The Executive Director’s schedule is extremely busy.”
With that, Ji-an turned away and sat down in the corner of an empty table.
She could feel the gazes from every direction digging into her back, but she deliberately kept her posture straight.
The seaweed soup on her tray was still rippling back and forth.
Just like her unsettled heart.
In truth, despite everything she had just said, a heavy sense of guilt still remained somewhere inside her.
If I had known the entire team would suffer because of it, would I have ignored my doubts back then?
No answer came easily.
Bzzzt.
While she was lost in thought, her phone, which she had placed on the table, vibrated.
Chief Secretary Choi Kang-hoon
Executive Director’s external schedule is complete. There are no remaining matters to handle today. He plans to go home without returning to the office, so for efficient use of your time, Secretary Han, I recommend that you head home as well.
Understood. Thank you for your hard work, Chief.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
She didn’t expect a reply.
But unexpectedly, her phone vibrated again.
Chief Secretary Choi Kang-hoon
Secretary Han, you worked hard preparing as well. The Executive Director also specifically mentioned that you had worked hard.
Ji-an’s fingers stopped over the screen.
The unexpected words brought a scene from the past flashing through her mind.
“I was impressed by the Middle East expansion strategy report you prepared at the Future Strategy Research Institute, Ms. Han Ji-an.”
It was the moment Sa-heon had approached her at the Future Strategy Research Institute and recruited her as his secretary.
“Was the work I assigned different from what you expected?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“If I wanted an ordinary secretary, I wouldn’t have recruited a data analyst as my secretary.”
That man who was always so confident, yet never seemed disheveled despite his relentlessly packed schedule.
“Thank you.”
Ji-an sent the brief reply and slipped her phone into her pocket.
Rain lashed violently against the large windows of the cafeteria, but she no longer had to worry about getting soaked on her way home.
Because today, she had a large umbrella.
It really was a good thing she had changed departments.
Ji-an quietly spooned up her soup.
Somehow, the salty broth sliding down her throat tasted a little less bitter than it had a moment ago.
Meanwhile, Sa-heon was driving along an outer expressway, letting out an irritated sigh.
The rain striking the windshield was so fierce that it sounded as though a raging beast were clawing at the glass.
He hated driving at night.
He hated driving in the rain even more.
And now he had both.
Maybe I should have let Chief Secretary Choi drive.
Sa-heon clicked his tongue inwardly and glanced at the analog clock positioned in the center of the dashboard.
Exactly 10:00 p.m.
The windshield wipers were already moving at their highest speed, sweeping back and forth like a broken metronome, yet his vision remained blurred.
Fortunately, the classical music playing from the radio helped drown out the sound of the rain pounding against the windshield like bullets.
Sa-heon turned up the volume slightly and pressed down on the accelerator.
—There is a sharp curve 500 meters ahead. Please watch your speed.
The navigation system’s cold voice cut through the classical melody.
Bzzzt—
His phone rang for an extended moment.
It was the lawyer he was supposed to meet at the villa.
Sa-heon pressed the answer button and switched the call to speakerphone.
“Yes, Counselor.”
—Executive Director, where are you now? I’ve already arrived.
Sa-heon’s gaze briefly flicked toward the navigation screen before returning to the road.
“I’ll be there soon. It should take about fifteen more minutes.”
—Yes. I’ve reviewed all the materials you sent me. These are very solid pieces of evidence.
“Exactly. Our Vice President certainly has some nerve.”
A satisfied smile spread across Sa-heon’s lips.
The lawyer responded in an excited voice.
—If we present this to the board, the Vice President will inevitably have to—
“Let’s think about that slowly.”
Sa-heon cut him off casually.
“All the materials need to be ready before next week’s board meeting.”
Lightning split across the sky.
For one brief moment, the entire deserted road outside the city was washed in a pale light before plunging back into darkness.
—Yes. There shouldn’t be any problems. I’ll explain everything in detail when we meet. The road is extremely slippery, so please drive carefully.
“Yes. I’ll see you shortly.”
The moment the brief call ended, his phone rang again, as though it had been waiting for the conversation to finish.
[Lee Jae-kwon]
Sa-heon glanced at the name displayed on the screen.
The corner of his mouth curved upward.
—Lee Sa-heon!!
The moment the call connected, a thunderous roar blasted through the speakerphone.
—You fucking bastard! How dare you?!
It was his eldest brother, Lee Jae-kwon—the Vice President of Hyun-gang Group.
At the booming voice, Sa-heon let out a faint laugh.
It’s late, but you certainly have plenty of energy, Vice President.
—You bastard! What the hell are you plotting right now?! And what are all these documents?!
“Ah, did you receive the gift I sent you?”
—Gift? Fuck! How dare you try to frame me with this shoddy collection of documents?!
“Five hundred billion isn’t exactly an amount worth framing someone over.”
Sa-heon leisurely turned the steering wheel.
“Ah, or is that just pocket change to our eldest brother?”
“I wonder if Father will feel the same way.”
—What? How dare you say that with that filthy mouth of yours—
The storm of rage pouring through the speaker filled Sa-heon’s face with satisfaction.
Lee Jae-kwon forced himself to suppress his anger before continuing in a voice thick with resentment.
—Fine. Sa-heon, I understand that you resent me and Jae-seong, your two older brothers. I suppose it must have been difficult for you to accept us, suddenly appearing in your life as brothers. But haven’t we been living as brothers for more than twenty years now?
Wow.
Now that hundreds of billions in embezzlement had been exposed, all he could do was appeal to their blood relation.
“If that’s all you have to say, I’m hanging up.”
Sa-heon sneered as he let his brother’s long-winded plea go in one ear and out the other.
“Wait!”
Lee Jae-kwon hurriedly continued.
