REH 15

Chapter 15

“I’ll tell him I can’t go because Dad is worried. Yes, yes. …I understand. I’ll come home early.”

It was difficult to continue the call in front of Chief Kwon, so Jaekyung pressed the end-call button.

Chief Kwon must have heard her father’s voice.

She wanted to crawl into a mouse hole after telling a father who didn’t even know where his daughter lived that she would come home early.

Her father was always short on money, and whenever she worked two or three part-time jobs and came home after midnight, he was either asleep or not home at all.

She had grown up in an environment where there was no one to stop her if she went astray, but remembering her mother’s dying wish, Jaekyung had stubbornly grown up to be an upright person.

Jaekyung opened her tightly shut eyes and shamelessly lifted her head.

“As you heard, my family is conservative. I don’t think I’ll be able to go on the business trip.”

“I’ll give you double the business-trip allowance. How about that?”

Double the business-trip allowance…

Chief Kwon stared directly at Jaekyung as he made a tempting offer.

If she had to go on a business trip she didn’t want to take, she wanted to choose the option that would benefit her the most.

“I don’t know how much you’ll give me, but… if you give me five times the usual amount, I’ll go. And even if it’s late, please come too, Chief Kwon. I know I’m asking too much.”

There was no way they would actually give her five times the allowance.

She had simply blurted out a number because she wanted to give herself an excuse to refuse.

“Sure. The Chairman will approve it.”

“…Excuse me?”

He was agreeing that easily?

Her heart pounded at the thought that she really was starting to look like some specially hired employee who cared only about money.

“I’m only telling you this because you’re Secretary Seo, but I get paid pretty well too.”

Chief Kwon had large, gentle-looking eyes. He scrunched up his nose and made a playful expression.

“How else could I survive working for a Chairman who doesn’t sleep and works day and night if I didn’t get some financial therapy? My brother still makes sure I get a hefty bonus.”

“…Thank you.”

Money had the power to make a person forget even their dignity.

Before she knew it, Jaekyung had agreed to the business trip after securing five times the usual allowance.

Of course, as always, the money would end up being taken by her father.

The money Jaekyung worked so hard to earn always disappeared in an instant, as if there were a hole in her pocket—as though by magic.

“What are you thanking me for? It’s not even my money.”

“Are you getting the money from me and thanking Chief Kwon?”

Yugam entered the office at exactly that moment.

Jaekyung’s face reddened, wondering if he had heard everything.

She bowed her head politely to Yugam as well, then returned to her seat, which offered nowhere to hide.

Yugam was surely glaring at her.

What kind of torture was it to have her superior’s desk directly across from hers with absolutely nothing separating them?

This had to be some new form of torture.

It was nice to receive such a large business-trip allowance, but Jaekyung was anxious and uneasy at the thought of being alone with Yugam the entire time.

Worried that the trip might somehow be extended, she arrived at the airport at five in the morning and took the six o’clock flight to Jeju.

[I’m at the airport. I’ll arrive in the afternoon.]

Chief Kwon, who had said he was going to headquarters for support work, must have boarded his flight by now.

Jaekyung felt relieved when she received Chief Kwon’s text saying he was at the airport.

The morning meeting lasted longer than expected.

Are they planning to spend half the day at the first institution even though they’re supposed to visit twenty places?

“I’d also like to check the résumés of the teachers who will be conducting the programs on-site. For global awareness, they should be able to guide the students through essays and discussions after the experiential activities.”

Even the employees giving the presentations already looked exhausted, but Yugam asked his questions without leaving a single detail unchecked.

After a relentless series of meetings with no chance to rest, Jaekyung let out a drained sigh.

It was the first time she had ever seen a chairman personally oversee every detail of an overnight experiential learning program like this.

Is he doing this because he’s worried people will say he’s incompetent because he just took office?

‘He’s barely in his mid-twenties. What does he know? Do you really think he can handle it properly? He’ll last a year and then run back to headquarters.’

Even among the teachers whispering among themselves, no one had much expectation of the newly appointed chairman.

The second chairman, Director Jin, had devoted herself entirely to headquarters, leaving the chairman position vacant for some time. As a result, it had become customary for the vice principal to take charge of most school events.

By the time they finished coordinating everything from the ecological museum to the local horseback-riding program in Jeju and left the conference room, lunchtime had long since passed.

“We’ve prepared a meal for Chairman Do. Please join us.”

“I have another appointment scheduled. We’ll contact you after reviewing the horseback-riding program.”

Worried that accepting hospitality might create unnecessary rumors, Yugam declined even the private meal.

“I’ll make a reservation at a restaurant.”

Noticing Jaekyung’s pale, exhausted face, Yugam glanced at his watch.

His hair was swept naturally across his forehead by the wind.

“Just walk.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s eat somewhere nearby.”

Unlike the blazing sunlight, the wind in Jeju was strong.

Jaekyung followed Yugam as he walked ahead.

He was at least a head taller than her, and the hem of his suit fluttered handsomely in the wind.

He hadn’t looked this sturdy and enormous five years ago.

Even when their eyes met and she took a closer look, it was hard to believe he was the same person.

He had grown so masculine, with a mature presence that seemed to overwhelm the surrounding air, that she almost felt like relying on him.

Good grief. What on earth am I thinking? I must have lost my mind.

This was exactly why she didn’t want to be alone with Yugam somewhere unfamiliar.

Jaekyung shook her head and hurried after him.

It wasn’t easy to keep up with Yugam’s long strides.

As she hurried along, her phone rang inside her pocket.

[Kang Minho]

We’ve already broken up. What does he want?

With Yugam right in front of her, if she answered Minho’s call, there was no doubt the conversation would drag on.

She quickly pressed the power button and used her free hand—the one not carrying her briefcase—to tame her hair as the strong wind blew it around.

Yugam was already walking far ahead.

His broad back looked striking in his perfectly fitted suit.

His large shoulders, which had once wrapped tightly around her, and his long shadow stirred her heart once again.

Yugam, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around.

His dark blue eyes met hers.

Jaekyung’s cheeks flushed, as if she had been caught staring at his back.

Yugam stared intently at her, tilted his head slightly, and stopped walking.

“This looks good.”

“What?”

This place?

Ding.

Jaekyung quickly followed Yugam inside the small convenience store.

He walked toward the shelves as though he were familiar with the place and picked up two triangle kimbap and two drinks.

“This one is for you, Secretary Seo.”

He placed her favorite tuna-mayo triangle kimbap and peach iced tea in her hands.

Her fingertips tingled like static electricity where they had brushed against his.

“How did you know?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if I didn’t know when you sit right in front of me?”

She had repeatedly bought convenience-store food to eat while working late, and apparently it had bothered him whenever he saw her doing that, making him frown.

As though it were nothing special, Yugam opened the lid of his coffee and walked out of the convenience store.

‘My brother takes really good care of people. He’s originally a tsundere.’

Just as Chief Kwon said, Yugam probably had this level of consideration for everyone.

She remembered that she had bought the same things several times to eat during overtime.

For a moment, she had almost gotten unnecessarily restless, wondering if his kindness was something he showed only to her.

She felt burdened when he showed interest, yet her heart fluttered over even the smallest gestures.

Even Jaekyung couldn’t understand her own feelings anymore.

Fidgeting with the triangle kimbap and iced tea tightly clasped in her hands, Jaekyung left the store.

“I’ll enjoy these.”

Yugam stood in front of the convenience store drinking his coffee.

His Adam’s apple moved attractively as he swallowed.

He hadn’t had even a sip of water for several hours, so he must have been thirsty.

“Let’s go to the next location.”

Yugam checked the work schedule on his tablet before getting into the back seat of the rental car.

When Jaekyung sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, the phone rang.

“Yes, Director. …I’m on a business trip. Chief Kwon should have contacted you beforehand. Yes… I’ll see you in Seoul tomorrow.”

Director Jin Hee-yeon?

It felt as though Director Jin were watching her from somewhere, and Jaekyung anxiously held her breath.

If Director Jin found out she was working as Yugam’s secretary, she had no idea what kind of retaliation she might face.

A sharp tension constricted her chest.

“Secretary Seo. Secretary Seo?”

She hadn’t heard Yugam calling her several times from the back seat.

“Yes? Chairman.”

“Are you worried that Director Jin will fire you?”

Yugam looked at her through the rearview mirror as he spoke slowly.

“N-No.”

Did it show?

She couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.

“Don’t worry. Director Jin isn’t going to fire you recklessly.”

The problem wasn’t being fired.

It was the possibility of retaliation that could ruin Jaekyung’s life.

Even Yugam’s certainty couldn’t make her fear disappear.

‘On the condition that you never appear in front of my son again.’

Director Jin had made that warning clear when she paid Jaekyung the penalty fee.

“Focus. You’re the one who said we need to clearly separate work and private matters.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You know I can fire you first before Director Jin gets the chance, right? Stop worrying about unnecessary things and focus on your work.”

Right.

Perhaps it would be better to be fired by Do Yugam.

Their eyes met in the rearview mirror.

For a moment, Yugam’s face overlapped with Director Jin’s.

With his handsome features and noble air, he certainly resembled his mother quite a bit.

Especially those cold, calculating eyes.

Jaekyung avoided Yugam’s sharp gaze and looked straight ahead.

“I’ll take you to the next appointment. But where will Chief Kwon be joining us?”

“Chief Kwon isn’t coming.”

Screech.

The car, which had been slowly starting forward, came to an abrupt stop.

“What do you mean he isn’t coming? He said he was taking a flight earlier.”