BR - 41

“I’ve got something I organized for you. I’ll send it right over.”

“Huh? You had something like that?”

“Last time, I saw how hard you worked, so I made a chart and saved it. Since it’s the final version, I’ll send it to you via email right away.”

“Eun-chae is truly one of a kind. Thank you.”

Eun-chae quickly found the file she had saved separately and shared it with the entire department via email.

“Hmph!”

From behind the partition came the sound of Deputy Yang’s snort.

Judging from the malicious question he threw at me earlier, Deputy Yang definitely suspected me.

Eun-chae felt wronged but didn’t want to argue over it. Now wasn’t the time to fight, and time was precious.

The planning department pulled an all-nighter and finally managed to recreate the lost report exactly as it was.

________________________________________

“The people we’re up against are tough. We can beat any other company, but they’re the strongest. It’s Project A.”

Deputy Yang pointed towards the people leaving the conference room and whispered.

“Project A? Never heard of them.”

“They’re a relatively new company, but apparently they’ve been poaching talent from various firms. If they secure this government project, they’ll really make a name for themselves. Just wait and see.”

“How does Deputy Yang know all this stuff so well?”

“It’s basic information you’d know if you kept up with industry trends. It’s just that Team Leader Kang doesn’t know much about it.”

At Team Leader Kang’s question, Deputy Yang jumped in surprise and responded defensively.

“Studio FIRST, please come in.”

As the designated public official called out Studio FIRST after the Project A team left, Team Leader Kang, Team Leader Park, and Deputy Yang stood up and entered the meeting room.

Twenty teams that had passed the first round of written evaluations for the government project were now moving on to the second round: a presentation evaluation.

Each team was given twenty minutes to convince the judges.

“I’m Team Leader Kang Hyun-woo from the planning department of Studio FIRST. Please take care of us.”

Team Leader Kang stood in front of the podium in the conference room, displaying his prepared materials on the large screen and greeted the judges.

“You have twenty minutes. Begin.”

Following the guidance of the public official leading the session, Team Leader Kang began his presentation.

But something felt off about the atmosphere in the judging room. Not long after the presentation started, the judges huddled together and began discussing something seriously.

“Excuse me.”

Eventually, one judge raised their hand to stop Team Leader Kang’s presentation.

Seated nearby, Team Leader Park and Deputy Yang watched the judges with tense expressions.

“Is this material prepared by Studio FIRST?”

“What?”

“We’re asking because it’s identical to what Project A presented earlier.”

“Identical…? What do you mean, identical?”

Team Leader Kang asked in confusion.

There was no way the materials could be the same—it would mean they were planning the exact same business.

“While U Studio in the U.S. was replaced with another studio in their case, there’s not a single difference in the rest of the content.”

“That’s impossible! This is material we spent weeks preparing overnight!”

Team Leader Park shot up from his seat in protest.

“In that case, there’s nothing we can do. Both Studio FIRST and Project A are disqualified.”

“What? How can this happen? This is our material! It’s unfair!”

Deputy Yang shouted, visibly angry.

“The other side has grievances too. There’s nothing we can do. One of the two teams must have plagiarized someone else’s work, whether they’re the thief or the victim, we cannot allocate government funds to either.”

“Let’s wrap this up. Wasn’t this the last team?”

The judges rose from their seats and started to leave the conference room. Team Leader Park and Deputy Yang blocked their way.

“It’s unfair!”

“Please give us another chance!”

But the judges shook their heads, clicked their tongues in disapproval, and walked out.

As the three followed them outside, they saw the designated official explaining what had just happened to the Project A team.

For some reason, they seemed to accept the result without resistance, staring at us blankly before gathering their belongings and leaving the judging area.

“What’s going on? Did they expect this outcome?”

“It seems like there might be a spy in our company.”

“A spy?”

“I’m talking about when the files were deleted. It doesn’t seem like it was an accident. Whoever it was probably thought deleting the files would make us give up.”

At Hyun-woo’s words, Team Leader Park nodded gravely.

“That’s right. Whoever this rat is, they’ve got serious guts. They don’t even realize what happens if they’re caught as an industrial spy.”

“Let’s report this to upper management. This incident will damage our corporate image, so it’s a big deal.”

“The CEO won’t stay quiet about this. Just when we thought we were gaining some ground, look what’s happened.”

The three shook their heads and dragged their defeated bodies back to the office.

________________________________________

As Seok-kyung tapped her fingers on the conference table, the expressions of the planning department members grew increasingly darker.

Her cold gaze sent chills down their spines.

“So you were disqualified during the presentation?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Someone likely believed the files were completely deleted, allowing Project A to finish their presentation while we scrambled to recreate the report, resulting in both sides being disqualified—but they don’t protest…”

Seok-kyung muttered to herself, organizing her thoughts.

“Thanks to this, we’ve taken a hit to our corporate image, while they’ve earned the title of toppling Studio FIRST under Baekdo Group?”

“But we’re still the victims here…”

“Tell that to the outside world. Who’s going to believe us?”

“Besides, there’s no evidence proving we’re the perpetrators either.”

“Exactly. When it’s unclear who the victim is, both sides become the offenders.”

Seok-kyung cut off Team Leader Park’s protests with a cold tone.

“I’ll handle this fallout from the failed government project myself. Secretary Won.”

“Yes, CEO.”

“Find out who the judges were and schedule a meeting with them as soon as possible. Coordinate with Baekdo Group’s PR department to ensure this doesn’t leak to the media.”

Secretary Won jotted down Seok-kyung’s instructions on her tablet and nodded.

“Now it’s time to catch the rat, huh?”

Seok-kyung scanned the department members once again.

When Eun-chae met her gaze, she swallowed nervously. His emotionless eyes passed over her like she was just another person.

It was the first time their eyes met since that night two days ago, yet it felt as though her wish had somehow come true—he treated her like a stranger.

“The auditing department will conduct individual interviews with all of you.”

“Are we being audited?”

“Should I just call the police instead?”

Seok-kyung shot back at Hyun-woo as if his suggestion was absurd.

“Do you think anyone would immediately raise their hand and confess, ‘I did it,’ if I said, ‘Speak now and this never happened’?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Everyone, go back to work. You’ll receive separate notifications soon.”

Seok-kyung waved her hand dismissively, and the department members sighed heavily as they left the room.

“What kind of mess is this, all because of one crazy person?”

“You’re telling me. There’s no way someone like that exists among us.”

“Why not? Clearly, someone took money from that company. I have my suspicions about someone.”

Hearing Deputy Yang’s voice behind her, Eun-chae gritted her teeth. She knew those words were directed at her.

“Just wait. The auditing department will definitely catch them. They need to be publicly executed to prevent such incidents in the future.”

Deputy Yang stormed past, roughly bumping Eun-chae’s shoulder.

“Ugh, really. Why is she so obsessed with taking me down?”

Hyunjeong clicked her tongue as she steadied the swaying Eun-chae.

________________________________________

Seok-kyung attended the interviews the auditing department conducted with the planning department.

Technically, she only needed to hear the final report after the interviews, but something—or rather, someone—was weighing on her mind.

That someone was Eun-chae.

Recently, Eun-chae had drawn attention for her dramatic change in appearance.

Though she had only used the least conspicuous items from the clothes, accessories, and bags he provided in the apartment, her transformation was noticeable because of how poorly she dressed before.

Naturally, even if she weren’t guilty, people would talk, and someone might accuse her of being the culprit.

And the biggest issue? Eun-chae had no defense.

Her only defense lay with Seok-kyung himself, but he couldn’t reveal that. As a result, she would remain silent without any explanation.

He couldn’t just sit back and watch that happen.

Even though she had rejected him, claiming she loved another man, he still didn’t want her to suffer because of him.

“One last question. Deputy Yang, who do you think committed this act?”

At the auditor’s question, Deputy Yang hesitated, her gaze wavering. But soon, she lifted her head and spoke cautiously.

“It’s hard to believe anyone in our team would do this, but since finding out will help the company, I’ll say this…”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“It’s Eun-chae Lee.”

“Eun-chae Lee? The employee who recently became a full-time staff member?”

“Yes.”

“Why Eun-chae Lee?”

Deputy Yang glanced subtly at Seok-kyung.

Unfazed, Seok-kyung avoided looking at her and instead examined his fingernails.

Let’s hear what she has to say.

“She’s been indulging in luxury lately.”

“Luxury… has increased?”

“Yes. She always wore cheap, neutral-colored clothes before, and everyone knew she was poor. She even brought packed lunches every day.”

“And now?”

“But lately, the clothes and bags she wears are all luxury brands. Even if bought at a discount, they’re items only available at department stores.”

“Hmm,” the auditor murmured, jotting something down in their notebook.