RB - 4

Last night, even after hearing her call him a jerk, Jinhyeok did not let go of Seoyeon. Only after she successfully crossed the flowerbed fence did he release her arm. Perhaps he had rushed out without his coat in the cold weather. His white shirt was soaking through helplessly.

Damn Shin Jinhyeok. “Damn” was almost like a prefix Seoyeon always attached to his name. That damn guy spoke to her in a rather kind tone.

“Han Seoyeon, you don’t have to go around the back entrance because of me.”

It was true. She had been avoiding the back entrance because of her ex-boyfriend. Seoyeon, feeling her pride sting, snapped at him.

“Why do you think it’s because of you? Isn’t that a bit self-centered? I just happened to forget and came out the back today. This is the first time it’s happened!”

“You’ve been going around the back entrance for several days now. Why not just go through the front? The bus stop is right there.”

Jinhyeok gestured with his chin toward the bus stop in front.

There was no way he didn’t know why she was deliberately avoiding the front entrance. If he knew, he should just pretend not to. Seoyeon gritted her teeth in frustration. With a look full of contempt, she glared at Jinhyeok and said,

“10 years can change even the mountains and rivers, but you—you’re the same as before. Unchanged, arrogant as ever.”

“You’re the same too, Han Seoyeon. You’re the same as you were 10 years ago.”

Jinhyeok looked down at Seoyeon. His eyes were as deep as an abyss. The raindrops on his eyelashes looked almost like tears, giving him a tragic air.

You’re not supposed to look at me like that, are you? If you have even a little bit of conscience. Seoyeon was stunned, unable to find words.

This wasn’t the typical breakup that most people go through. It was the kind of awful breakup that left scars. That damn Shin Jinhyeok had declared a breakup that would haunt her, and since that moment, Seoyeon had never had a proper relationship. The first thing she did after making money was to go for psychiatric counseling... It spoke for itself.

Even after 10 years, he still had the ability to bring back those painful, heart-thumping memories.

Pat, pat.

The rain kept pouring heavily. Seoyeon’s coat was already drenched and heavy. Her hair clung to her face and shoulders, soaked through. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

It shouldn’t hurt anymore. Winning was the only option. Seoyeon felt a sharp mental pain that made her body shiver. The feeling of defeat overwhelmed her.

What was even more painful was the nightmare from last night that kept replaying in her mind. In truth, Seoyeon couldn’t even call that obscene dream a “nightmare.” Though she didn’t want to admit it, in the dream, she had clung to Jinhyeok, sobbing, reaching her climax.

Like an incubus, a demon who appears in a seductive form to bring pleasure, Jinhyeok. Seoyeon thought of the pleasure in the dream as a “sin” and resented him for it.

The silence was broken by Jinhyeok’s cold voice.

“You’ll catch a cold like this. Let me take you home. Let’s go in my car.”

Seoyeon felt the fragile thread of reason that had been holding her up snap. Filled with endless resentment and fragmented rage, she shouted.

“Ha! Anyone would think we’re on good terms. Yeah, I’ve been crossing the flowerbed to avoid running into you. How could I possibly ask you to take me home when I hate you this much? I’ll catch a cold, and so what?”

She turned away coldly and started walking toward the bus stop.

Jinhyeok watched Seoyeon’s figure walking in the rain for a long time. His shirt was soaked, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Instead of the many apologies he should have offered, the nightmare darker than the abyss rose to his mind. He bitterly swallowed the punishment Seoyeon had handed down.

A short while later, in the large shared auditorium of Yesung Building.

The tenant company meeting had begun.

The new building owner, Daniel Shin, had made his debut.

The Yesung Building, developed by the local government, had been relatively affordable to lease. But when the resale restrictions were lifted, a new landlord had appeared, and with the announcement of sharply increasing rents, the tenant companies were plunged into despair.

“Let’s see, everyone’s here, right? No companies missing? Let’s settle things today.”

Executives from various tenant companies had gathered, most of them middle-aged men with graying hair. Among them, only JB Company had young professionals attending. Han Seoyeon and Shin Jinhyeok.

The young, perfectly handsome, attention-grabbing appearance that drew eyes in any room—especially among middle-aged executives—was even more pronounced today. Seoyeon and Jinhyeok stood out even more as the only young professionals among them.

One executive, stepping up to the podium and grabbing the microphone, spoke in an angry voice.

“Who the hell is Daniel Shin? Is there anyone from the tenant companies who’s been contacted? Anyone? No, right?”

“Let’s just wait. He’ll show up on his own. Don’t yell, it’s deafening.”

“This is something we should all be working together on, not just waiting idly like it’s someone else’s business!”

Amidst the noisy bickering, someone spoke to Seoyeon. Sending young staff to an important meeting like this? It irritated her, and she couldn’t help but sarcastically respond.

“Well, it looks like JB Company sent some young people. Are the executives all too busy?”

“Oh, stop thinking we’re here because we have nothing better to do. Do you think we came here just to watch and eat?”

Why was the fire turning toward her? The executives from other companies glared at Seoyeon and Jinhyeok with disdain.

Though she had just returned from the hospital, Seoyeon’s fever had worsened. But even though her body ached, she had to work. As she was about to stand up to make some excuse, Jinhyeok grabbed her shoulder.

He firmly stopped Seoyeon from standing and then stood up himself.

“I’m Shin Jinhyeok from JB Company. May I briefly present a PT? I’ve researched consortiums with similar cases. I’ve also added related laws and case studies in the comments. I believe it’ll be helpful.”

The auditorium fell silent, like cold water had been splashed across it. It was no surprise—none of the executives had come prepared with any materials, just their chatter.

“Thank you for the opportunity. Please feel free to ask questions.”

Jinhyeok connected his laptop to the screen. The smooth PT presentation and his experienced explanation followed, while the executives silently scratched their necks.

Seoyeon quietly muttered, revisiting a question she had been thinking about for a while.

“…I really don’t understand.”

She couldn’t figure out why he was here with those credentials. JB Company was a solid company, but there was no reason for Jinhyeok to have joined. It wasn’t even the top company in the industry.

Vibrate.

Just then, Seoyeon’s phone vibrated in her bag. She casually checked the text, but upon reading it, she jumped up from her seat in surprise.

“Oh my!”

All eyes turned to Seoyeon. Even Jinhyeok, who had been in the middle of his presentation, stopped and looked at her.

What did those old-timers say? “Stop thinking about eating cake and just watch”? Seoyeon raised her phone high and boldly declared. Her black eyes were shining brightly.

“Daniel Shin, I’ll meet with him. If he brings rice cakes, I won’t just take them. I’ll make sure to get the proper payment.”

The message she had raised her phone to show was from Daniel Shin—a delayed reply to the 17th message she had sent.

―Han Seoyeon, let’s meet and talk.

After the rough tenant meeting, Seoyeon returned to the office.

The headache that had persisted despite taking medicine eased quite a bit after receiving Daniel Shin’s message. She couldn’t help but admire herself—this was the true attitude of a “money-hungry bird,” wasn’t it?

Seoyeon looked at her phone again and smiled shyly, her pale cheeks turning pink. As she did, Manager Kim from the finance team approached her with a serious expression.

“Manager Han, who are you texting? Is it a man? Why do you look so happy? Are you making married women jealous?”

“It’s a man. Not just any man—he’s the Lord, the landlord.”

“Goodness! Is it that Daniel, the one with the last name Kang or God? Did you finally get in touch with him?”

Manager Kim raised his voice dramatically, leaning in closely beside Seoyeon. The scent of floral shampoo from his brown hair was strong.

“See, when you knock humbly, no door stays closed. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.”

Seoyeon’s red lips curled into a wide smile. Even the sound of the humidifier swirling around seemed to tickle her fluttering heart.

Meanwhile, Manager Kim spread the rare news that Seoyeon had finally gotten in touch with Daniel Shin to every corner of the company. Upon hearing this, Director Jeong from the New Business Strategy Team sent Seoyeon a message via the company messenger.

―Han Seoyeon, congratulations! You finally got in touch with Daniel Shin?

Seoyeon acknowledged Kim’s astonishing chatter as she typed her response.

―Got in touch, yes. But it’s just a barely successful contact. Now I need to get him to sit at the negotiation table. It’s still a long way to go, Director Jeong.

―There’s an impromptu dinner gathering tonight. Don’t skip it, come too.

―I have a lot of work today. You know I need to do research for the new business press release.

―I’ll give you the materials. I have the market research data included in our team’s proposal. I’ll give you everything if you come to the dinner.

―Will you really give it all to me? When will you give it to me?

―It’ll take some time to organize, but I’ll give you a hard copy at the dinner. Just come.

That snake-like Director Jeong… Seoyeon was somewhat dumbfounded, but she eagerly took the bait, promising herself to get the research materials.

Director Jeong had also tried contacting Daniel Shin several times but had failed miserably. His work had piled up and eventually been handed over to Seoyeon and Jinhyeok’s task force team.

It was clear that Director Jeong was trying to get a foothold in the situation by making a move.