REH 09

Chapter 9

The power of words spoken by someone with authority was apparently tremendous. As soon as the phone call ended, the documents the vice principal had sent arrived at the chairman’s office in boxes—an enormous amount of them.

“There’s so much. It’s going to take quite a while to review all ten years’ worth.”

Despite Jaekyung’s astonished voice, Yugam showed little reaction. He simply went over to the desk across from hers and sat down.

“Check every number and every letter. Don’t miss a single thing. I’ll give you a generous performance bonus, since that’s what Seo Jaekyung likes.”

The fact that he was even offering her a bonus was something to be grateful for, but Jaekyung shot Yugam a slightly annoyed glare at the way he always had to phrase things so irritatingly.

However, he was already absorbed in his work and didn’t notice.

In any case, now that she had secured the documents, she needed to work even faster. Following Yugam’s instruction to make the vice principal-related matter her top priority, Jaekyung stared at the records until her eyes grew dry and sore.

It was when she was returning to the chairman’s office after meeting Teacher Kim Juyoung for lunch.

“Teacher Seo.”

The vice principal suddenly appeared and beckoned Jaekyung over with a curl of his finger.

“You’ve been pretty busy lately, haven’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s troublesome when a temporary employee gets too far ahead of herself.”

The vice principal looked at Jaekyung with an expression of displeasure.

“You’re supposed to know when to overlook things like this.”

He seemed to be unhappy about the few words the chairman had said to him over the phone that morning.

“That’s… because it’s necessary according to procedure.”

“Teacher Seo!”

His voice dropped.

“Listen. Even if you’re the chairman’s secretary, your status is still that of a temporary employee. I’ve been at this school for twenty years. And since you’re an alumna of this school, doesn’t that make you my student?”

The vice principal casually tossed a file toward Jaekyung.

“If you process this as something you did, everything will stay quiet.”

Jaekyung’s face went pale.

“Then… when you’re preparing for your next job, I’ll write you a recommendation letter or two.”

“Wouldn’t that cause a problem?”

“Heh heh. A problem? What problem could there be? You’re the one who entered it, after all.”

The vice principal glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before glaring at Jaekyung and speaking in a threatening tone.

At that moment, the chairman’s office door opened, and Yugam and Chief Kwon stepped out.

“What brings you here?”

The vice principal calmly bowed his head toward the chairman.

“Good afternoon, Chairman. I was just handing over some work.”

Yugam took the file from Jaekyung’s hands and opened it. His eyes scanned the manipulated documents the vice principal had prepared, and for the briefest moment, his gaze wavered.

“Is there any work to be handed over to the chairman’s direct secretary?”

“I heard these were documents Secretary Seo prepared. She had quite a few questions, so I came to explain them during lunch.”

He lied with a sly smile.

Yugam had to realize that these weren’t documents Jaekyung had created. Jaekyung’s mouth went completely dry.

“If there’s no evidence and the totals don’t add up, I don’t casually refer to something just because Secretary Seo made it.”

“Indeed. To make sure there’s nothing for you to worry about, Chairman, I’ll check all the data Secretary Seo entered carefully.”

Yugam stared for a moment at the vice principal’s sly, snake-like smile.

“I’ll be in a meeting for about an hour. Secretary Seo, contact me immediately if there’s a problem.”

“Yes. Have a good meeting.”

As Yugam and Chief Kwon left first, the vice principal whispered to Jaekyung.

“See? Do you really think the chairman trusts you? Do as I say, and I’ll make sure you can keep your position.”

“Excuse me, Vice Principal! I don’t need anything like that.”

Ignoring Jaekyung’s desperate call, the vice principal patted her shoulder twice and walked away with a genial smile.

Jaekyung stared awkwardly at the file in her hands.

Should I immediately report to Yugam that these are documents the vice principal prepared?

Her bad feeling about the vice principal seemed like it was going to turn out to be more than just a suspicion.

The best thing she could do right now was to check whether the documents had been falsified or anything had been omitted, and then report her findings.

[I’m going to be late because of a meeting, so go home first. Driver Yoon will take you.]

After receiving Yugam’s message, Jaekyung arrived home and opened the front door.

Even though the place was grand enough to be mistaken for a hotel, staying in someone else’s house could hardly be comfortable.

It was an empty house, yet somehow she was already conscious of herself from the spotless floor that didn’t have even a speck of dust.

Jaekyung went into the room where she was staying and turned on her laptop. The quickest way to resolve her relationship with Yugam was to finish her work as soon as possible.

When she looked up, it was already dark outside.

Hasn’t he come home yet?

Since they were staying under the same roof, she couldn’t help being conscious of his movements.

Grrrrr.

She was hungry.

I should’ve bought something at the convenience store.

Having to travel in a chauffeur-driven car had placed more restrictions on her ordinary routine than she’d expected.

She wanted to avoid the awkwardness of going out into the living room and running into Yugam for no reason, but her stomach made an even louder noise.

She didn’t know what was in the refrigerator, but it seemed better to eat something quickly.

Jaekyung quietly opened the bedroom door and stepped out.

The spacious house, illuminated only by automatic sensor lights, was so silent that it felt almost frightening.

She quickly entered the kitchen and carefully opened the refrigerator.

It was packed with individually portioned salads, poke bowls, and all kinds of boxed meals.

“This is basically a luxury convenience store. Is it okay if I eat this?”

Calling him to ask felt ridiculous, so Jaekyung picked something at random and left the kitchen.

“Having dinner?”

“Ah… yes.”

Yugam was standing there in his suit.

She had no idea when he had arrived.

His gaze moved back and forth between the boxed meal in Jaekyung’s hands and her face.

“Let’s eat together.”

“What? I was just going to eat in my room.”

“Meals are eaten at the dining table. That’s a rule.”

“……”

“Looks like you didn’t read Article 10 of the cohabitation rules. Come.”

There are ten articles to the cohabitation rules?

She had only checked the first page, and the several sheets of contract lying on the desk suddenly came to mind.

Sitting at the dining table with her boxed meal, Jaekyung completely lost her appetite at the thought of the contract.

“There’s soup here, too. Try some.”

Yugam opened the refrigerator and stood there looking as handsome as a model before glancing at her.

“No. No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“Give me the boxed meal. I’ll heat it up.”

Before she could refuse, the cold boxed meal disappeared from in front of Jaekyung.

Soon, a warm meal, soup, and even a fresh salad with fruit were arranged on the table.

Jaekyung felt awkward even picking up the neatly prepared utensils Yugam had set out for her. Meanwhile, he sat down at the table and began eating as though nothing were unusual.

“Meals are delivered from the hotel every day, so pick whatever you like. You know how to prepare a meal for yourself, right?”

“What? Of course.”

Jaekyung had been taking care of her father’s meals since she was young. She had even worked part-time washing dishes at side-dish shops and restaurants.

Yet Yugam looked at her as though she were a frustrating woman who couldn’t even manage to feed herself.

“Are you a picky eater?”

“No. I eat pretty much everything.”

Yugam frowned as if something still wasn’t to his liking.

“Make sure you eat properly. You need to put on some weight.”

Just like Chief Kwon had said about the chairman being a tsundere, Yugam’s outward appearance was cold, but his actions were surprisingly quick and considerate, as though taking care of other people was second nature to him.

The house was so quiet that she could hear the refrigerator humming, so Jaekyung carefully moved her chopsticks, trying not to make a sound.

Perhaps her discomfort bothered Yugam, because he turned on the speaker in the kitchen.

Music that sounded like it belonged in a café began to play.

Feeling a little more at ease, Jaekyung was finally able to swallow the food in her mouth.

When she finished eating, Jaekyung picked up her dishes and headed for the sink.

Yugam followed her and stood beside her, turning on the water.

“I’ll clean up. Take some dessert out of the refrigerator.”

There’s dessert?

She opened the refrigerator again and found fruit, yogurt, pudding, and other desserts filling the lower compartment.

“What would you like?”

“Tangerines are good. For pudding, dark chocolate. Seo Jaekyung, take whatever you like.”

“I’m fine.”

Jaekyung took out some tangerines and dark chocolate pudding and placed them on the table.

Yugam, having finished cleaning up, strode over.

“The dark chocolate is barely sweet. You don’t like chocolate?”

“I’m just full. I ate plenty.”

“If you don’t like chocolate, how about something nutty?”

A snow-white pudding, resembling a small mound of snow, was placed on the table, and Yugam poured sauce over it with a practiced motion.

“It’s peanut pudding. Just try one bite. You’re not allergic, are you?”

“No.”

Annoyed by his unwavering stare, Jaekyung scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

The pudding had a chewy texture somewhere between jelly and soft tofu. Its chilled, nutty flavor was surprisingly pleasant.

After confirming that Jaekyung was eating it, Yugam offered her a spoonful of the chocolate flavor.

“It was made by a famous pastry chef. Try it. It might put you in a better mood.”

Jaekyung hesitated before putting the spoon he held out toward her lips into her mouth.

The rich flavor, with a high percentage of dark chocolate, wasn’t bad.

Before she knew it, a small cup of espresso had been placed on the table, and the balance between the pudding and coffee went remarkably well together.

“This tangerine was sent from a farm in Jeju. What do you think?”

The sweet-and-sour juice filled her mouth, and the texture was so soft it was almost like eating canned fruit.

“It tastes good.”

“We’ll probably have to go to the Jeju farm together sometime.”

Why would I be going to Jeju with the chairman?

Even if there were a reason, she would obviously refuse.

“Hmm… I guess you’re a gourmet.”

Even though her mouth felt a little dry, everything on the table had been appetizing. Even the boxed meal had been exceptionally high quality.

Well, that was only natural if it had been delivered from a hotel.

“They say food is the best medicine. Since I spent so many years studying abroad, I made sure to eat properly instead of relying on medicine. While thinking about my runaway wife.”

The words runaway wife irritated Jaekyung, but she still found it impressive that he had even cooked for himself while studying abroad.

“You must be good at cooking.”

“I’m not bad. If you live with me, I’ll cook for you for the rest of your life. You just have to eat.”

“Pfft.”

Jaekyung nearly sprayed coffee everywhere.

She hurriedly covered her mouth.