NSTAR - 65

‘Why is the president here?’

Joo-Eun sat down at a corner table, her expression puzzled.

It wasn’t near the company, and while the interior was impressive, it didn’t seem like the kind of place he’d visit intentionally.

What worried her more was his staggering figure as he left—it didn’t look good at all.

His secretary was nowhere to be seen either. What could have happened…?

Recently, the company had weathered a major storm, but she thought it had been resolved positively.

Seeing the president so drunk made her wonder if there were still unresolved issues, weighing heavily on her heart.

If the company was struggling, that meant Director Min-Hyuk was struggling too.

‘Is that why he suddenly had a meeting tonight…?’

Thinking of him, Joo-Eun wiped her phone screen once and sighed softly.

She couldn’t just call someone in the middle of a meeting out of curiosity.

“Well… I can call again later tonight. Or ask him tomorrow when we commute together.”

Just the thought of seeing him lifted her sinking mood slightly.

At that moment, an employee approached with a menu, and Joo-Eun nodded in greeting as she accepted it.

The unfamiliar drinks and snacks came with one extra ‘0’ attached to their prices.

Curiosity might bring you once, but not twice—these were prices that screamed exclusivity.

“Seo-Young, I don’t think this bar overlaps with our chicken shop customers…”

Murmuring quietly, she called over an employee and ordered the cheapest snack and a beer.

Suddenly, CEO Hong’s voice boomed loudly, causing Joo-Eun to stiffen.

“I’ll bring it. I’ll bring it! Then what will you give me, Chairman Lee?”

What kind of conversation was this?

A foreboding feeling crept over her, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

The two men glared at each other, their invisible tension sharp enough to cut through the air.

It felt like a physical altercation could break out any second.

Instinctively, Joo-Eun pressed the video recording button on her phone.

If a fight broke out, she thought she might be able to help the president by capturing evidence.

“Well, I’m just a man with money. Isn’t giving you money the right move?”

But the exchange between them grew increasingly suspicious.

What was he bringing? Why was money involved?

Her heart pounded like a drum.

The realization that she might be witnessing an illicit deal tightened her grip on her phone, teeth clenched.

Unable to look directly at them, she stared at the screen, lowering her gaze. That’s when she noticed the man standing beside CEO Hong looked familiar.

Where had she seen that face before? Who was he…?

Her mouth dropped open as the memory hit her.

‘Chairman Lee Chang-Hoon of GB Group?’

She had seen that face in an article while researching Chaerin’s powerful family background.

Unconsciously, she gasped, “Huh!”

From afar, a man in a black suit who had been watching the two turned his gaze toward her.

‘Pr-President’s secretary!’

She recognized him from passing encounters in the company hallways.

Awkwardly fidgeting, Joo-Eun quickly shoved her phone into her pocket.

It felt like she had made a grave mistake. Her heart was about to explode.

‘Did he notice?’

No, the president’s secretary wouldn’t know the face of a marketing team leader.

For now, she decided to leave.

Slowly edging up, she approached the counter and handed over her card.

As soon as the receipt printed, she snatched her card and bolted.

The man in the black suit, who had seemed slow-moving before, immediately chased after her at full speed.

Joo-Eun leaped down two steps at a time, pretending to enter the shop on the lower floor but slipping outside the building instead.

She had to protect her phone, knowing they would confiscate it if caught.

The pursuers shouted upon seeing the door to the first floor swing.

“She went in here! Make sure to take her phone!”

“Yes!”

A chill ran down her spine.

With a sense of duty to protect the phone, Joo-Eun began running faster.

Glancing behind her, she saw two men step out of a black sedan parked by the curb.

“That’s her. Catch her.”

Oh no, they were coming from this side too.

On the verge of tears, she summoned every ounce of strength to run in the opposite direction.

In the middle of the city, a woman being chased by two men in black suits—no one stepped forward to help.

She was terrified. Her eyes welled up with involuntary tears.

She had never imagined herself in such a situation, nor had she learned any manual for dealing with it. Fear was only natural.

“Aah!”

Seeing another man in a black suit approaching from the front, Joo-Eun screamed.

“What’s wrong?”

Thankfully, it was just a passerby.

“Oh, sorry. I mistook you for someone else… Excuse me.”

Even with teary eyes, she bowed politely, but then another shout came from behind.

“There she is!”

“Oh please… Stop chasing me…”

Terrified, Joo-Eun resumed running.

“Police station. Police station… It should be around here somewhere.”

But instead of finding the police station, she realized she was heading deeper into a residential area.

This was maddening.

Her stamina was depleted, leaving her trapped in a desperate situation.

If caught, it felt like they wouldn’t stop at just deleting the video.

Overwhelmed by fear, she ducked into a random building, covering her mouth to muffle her heavy breathing.

“Haa… Haa…”

Peering out from the first floor, even the smallest sound from passersby made her heart sink.

Ears perked up, she cautiously climbed the stairs, tiptoeing to avoid making noise.

Reaching the top floor, the fifth, she collapsed against the wall, sliding down to the ground.

“Huk… What have I done…”

Tears of regret streamed down her face. Why had she recorded that, throwing herself into such a terrifying situation?

Who was she to play the hero?

She should’ve just shown them her phone.

But shaking her head fiercely, she scolded herself.

“No. I did the right thing. Something shady was definitely going on. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see it.”

Above all…

“It was something I had to do to protect Director Min-Hyuk.”

With that thought, she steeled herself again.

Vibrate—

“Mommy!”

Her resolve crumbled at the single vibration of her phone.

The tears she had barely managed to stop burst forth again when she saw his name on the screen.

She had been searching for the police station, but deep down, the only person she truly wanted to reach out to was him.

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, fresh ones spilled over from the sorrow.

“Director…”

[Why does your voice sound like that?]

Min-Hyuk instantly knew she was crying.

Gratitude for his perceptiveness mixed with the comfort his voice brought, triggering an even bigger wave of tears.

“Huk…”

[Hello? Song Joo-Eun!]

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him she was being chased by the president’s secretaries.

If she did, he’d abandon the meeting and rush to her at full speed.

And if something happened to him because of that, she wouldn’t forgive herself.

“How did your meeting go?”

Pretending to be fine, Joo-Eun wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, though her voice betrayed her recent tears.

[What’s wrong? Tell me what happened.]

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just watched a sad movie for a moment…”

[Cut the crap. Tell me where you are.]

Though tinged with anger, his urgent sincerity was unmistakable.

“Promise me you won’t break any traffic rules… Promise me you’ll drive safely.”

[Hah. I promise. Now tell me where you are.]

Finally, Joo-Eun stood up and looked around.

“I don’t know… I just ran into some random residential area.”

[Send me your location via map. Keep the call connected.]

Instead of pressing her for details, he quickly confirmed her location and set out.

She was so grateful for his calm efficiency.

“Thank you…”

[Let’s talk when I get there.]

‘I was so scared… Only now, only now can I breathe again…’

Swallowing her last words, Joo-Eun nodded vigorously.

________________________________________

“What?”

Bang. CEO Hong slammed his glass down hard enough to shatter it. His secretary bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Is that all?! Didn’t I tell you to thoroughly check for anything suspicious? Damn it!”

Already reeling from the humiliating conversation with Chairman Lee, the added stress of this situation felt like his head was about to explode.

And now there was a woman who had filmed the entire scene.

Things were falling apart, damn it all!

His face burned red, on the verge of exploding.

“Find her. If you lose her, we’re all dead—me, you, everyone! Go! Go find her now!”

The secretary bowed and hurriedly exited the bar.

“Damn it…! Who is she? Who the hell is she?!”

CEO Hong raked his sparse hair furiously, spewing curses without restraint.

“Could Choi Dae-Sik have sent someone after me? No, he’s just started working here—he wouldn’t dare.”

Then a face flashed in his mind.

“Jung Min-Hyuk… You bastard sent someone after me.”

A twisted smile crossed his face as he picked up his phone.

“Jung Min-Hyuk. Jung Min-Hyuk will come. Chase him. That woman has to be with him.”

Anger laced his commanding tone.