RB - 6

Chapter 6: Why Do I Feel Happy When You Get Angry?

Seoyeon kept the details of her meeting with Daniel Shin confidential from her coworkers. There was no benefit in exposing a property owner, especially one as significant as him, to external scrutiny.

He was more formidable than any creator, and she didn’t want to disturb his mood.

However, it was courteous to inform Jinhyeok, a member of the project team. Seoyeon sent him a message.

―Jinhyeok, should we meet in the conference room for a moment?

Seoyeon entered the conference room first and began spinning a pen. Jinhyeok followed shortly after, handing her a hangover remedy.

Isn’t this a green light? Yesterday, she had mentioned she was living with a man named Kim, but now she awkwardly smiled and accepted it from him. This time, her smile was not the polished one of a capitalist believer; she mixed discomfort into it, hoping Jinhyeok would notice.

“Thank you. I’ll drink it.”

“It was warm this morning, but now it’s already cold.”

“…I don’t have a hangover.”

As if he knew she was lying, Jinhyeok spoke carefully.

“…I was going to bring it to your desk, but I thought it might make you uncomfortable.”

Though it was indeed uncomfortable, how could she directly say it? Seoyeon forced a smile once again. It was a polite way of saying, “Please be more considerate.”

Jinhyeok chuckled lightly and laid out the documents he had prepared on the table. As he flipped through the A4 papers with his delicate long fingers, the sound of pages turning filled the room.

Seoyeon stared at Jinhyeok’s smooth and efficient movements. Then, she snapped back to reality. There was something she had intended to say.

“Tonight, no, late tonight, I’ll be meeting the property owner. I think it’s better not to report it to the company yet. The place is Café L’Amont.”

Jinhyeok nodded, and Seoyeon continued her explanation.

“Daniel Shin might feel uncomfortable. You know how much everyone’s interested in the property owner’s identity. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make sure to share the results with you.”

Finishing her sentence, Seoyeon picked up the documents on the table. The papers were filled with precedents and alternatives to pressure the property owner, in collaboration with local authorities. To think she was seeing such a bright, capable person.

It’s a truth that men who excel at their work are impressive, but when a good-looking guy excels at his job too—it was something Seoyeon felt genuinely grateful for.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked a question. It was a mystery why he chose to join JB Company, despite his amazing abilities.

“Jinhyeok, our company is good, but... how should I put this? What motivated you to apply here? The reports are truly impressive. Is it because of your experience as a new hire?”

Jinhyeok hesitated for a moment and then looked at Seoyeon. The smile had long disappeared from his face.

“I came here because there’s something I want.”

A smile of admiration appeared on Seoyeon’s lips. She even clapped her hands.

“Ah, the classic interview answer. ‘A person who grows with the company’s vision.’ What a great attitude. I’ll use that answer when I look for a new job later.”

Jinhyeok’s playful demeanor, teasing Seoyeon, was a familiar trait, but today it seemed the roles had reversed.

Jinhyeok swallowed dryly and spoke to Seoyeon.

“Let’s go together to meet Daniel Shin, Assistant Manager Han.”

Seoyeon’s response was a firm refusal. Her gaze was filled with determination. Jinhyeok caught the sparkle in her eyes and stared at her for a long time.

“I’ll go first and meet him. It might be uncomfortable if two of us from the company show up. We haven’t asked for prior approval.”

As Jinhyeok seemed about to argue, Seoyeon cut him off.

“Most importantly, Jinhyeok, you don’t have that, do you? It’s better that I take care of the first meeting.”

“What do you mean, what don’t I have?”

It’s something you can’t learn even with money, this rare quality, young employee. Seoyeon leaned back in her chair and spoke playfully, her tone slow and natural.

“The reason I’m in charge of this task is something you don’t have, but I do.”

Sunlight filtering through the window illuminated Seoyeon’s side profile. Jinhyeok couldn’t say anything as he watched her playful expression. He couldn’t defy her. Sweat began to bead on his palm.

Seoyeon paused for a moment, as if preparing to answer a quiz, before speaking.

“…It’s the attitude of the subordinate.”

It might seem like she was bragging, but Seoyeon had a satisfied expression, as if she had won the lottery. Her belief was that being a “seasoned subordinate” was also a skill in the workplace. After all, there were far too many superiors to contend with in the world.

Jinhyeok’s brown eyes were filled with Seoyeon. His pupils were lost, shifting restlessly. The emotions he had been suppressing surged violently, choking him.

Jinhyeok tugged at his tie, trying to relieve the suffocating feeling in his neck. However, the thirst building in his throat couldn’t be quenched.

The first meeting with Daniel Shin was an opportunity that had been hard to come by.

Seoyeon spent the entire afternoon reviewing the reports Jinhyeok had prepared. As the scheduled time approached, her thoughts became increasingly tangled.

It might have been a little more comfortable if the location weren’t “Café L’Amont.” But the world never seemed to go as planned, and Seoyeon, who had lived a life of struggle, was not unfamiliar with the cruel laws of the world.

“The time’s flying today.”

Glancing at the clock, Seoyeon gathered her things and left the office. Her high heels clicked sharply against the floor as she walked, and her steps seemed unusually anxious.

9:40 PM.

Seoyeon arrived at Café L’Amont earlier than the scheduled time. Before opening the door, she took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

“I’m just going to work, Han Seoyeon. Stay focused.” After gathering her thoughts, she bravely pushed open the café door.

“…Huh?”

The closing time for Café L’Amont was clearly listed as 11 PM, but the staff were already preparing to close up. There wasn’t a single customer, and the café’s music—playing Melon’s Top 100—suddenly stopped.

Seoyeon awkwardly sat by the window and looked around the café.

What now? Daniel Shin still hadn’t arrived. One by one, the staff began to leave, and soon, only Seoyeon and Jinhyeok remained in the café.

Suppressing her frustration, Seoyeon checked the time—9:58 PM.

She couldn’t ask the staff to extend the café’s closing hours. Quickly, she began typing a message to Daniel Shin.

―Daniel Shin, the café’s business hours have ended...

Seoyeon’s hand paused mid-typing. Jinhyeok had plopped down in the seat across from her.

With tired eyes, he kept pushing his bangs up, then slowly narrowed his gaze and scanned Seoyeon from top to bottom. His gaze was unmistakably blatant, and his behavior was arrogantly disrespectful.

Seoyeon’s anger flared. Who did he think he was, blocking her path when Daniel Shin might be arriving any moment? With a cold tone, she mocked him.

“You’re so natural that I almost said hello. Can you move aside?”

Jinhyeok, as if expecting her sharp reaction, spoke indifferently. It was as though her anger didn’t faze him at all.

“Han Seoyeon. What kind of manners are those, sitting there without ordering anything? That pretty face doesn’t suit being a nuisance.”

Seoyeon realized her mistake. At this hour, with the staff gone and no order placed, she was indeed acting like a nuisance.

She grabbed her bag and abruptly stood up, her black hair fluttering over her coat.

Even if she was being a nuisance, she didn’t want to apologize to that jerk of an ex. So, all that came out of her mouth was sarcasm.

“My apologies, boss. I hope you make lots of money and become rich.”

But as soon as she said it, she realized that jerk was already rich. Frustrated, Seoyeon gritted her teeth and turned to leave.

Jinhyeok, in a low voice, commanded her to stop. His tone was clearly authoritative, like an animal growling, suppressed and harsh.

“Han Seoyeon, sit.”

Seoyeon glared at him in silence. Her mind went blank with rage, and she couldn’t think of anything to say in response. Her lips trembled, and an overwhelming sense of humiliation, like sharp thorns piercing her heart, engulfed her.

Jinhyeok seemed entirely uninterested in her anger, continuing with his teasing.

“You missed me a lot, didn’t you?”

Seoyeon’s patience quickly ran out. In the end, she snapped at Jinhyeok.

“Do you feel more confident working while hearing people call you the handsome boss? But what should I do? I already know what a terrible person you are, and your tricks won’t work anymore.”

She had wanted to see him. She had wanted to see Shin Jinhyeok, the one who had brought her the most terrible shame, desperately. There had been a time when Seoyeon had hated herself for feeling that way.

“The poor girl living in an orphanage, the one who’s poor but proud. The bet that was made over Han Seoyeon.”

After causing her that excruciating humiliation, Jinhyeok went abroad, and the girl from the orphanage, Han Seoyeon, dropped out of school. He was the one who had stained her high school years with tears and anger.

Still, she had cried because she wanted to see him. But it was all in the past now. How dare he be so shameless.

Jinhyeok languidly admired the trembling of her eyelashes as he smirked. When he lifted the corner of his mouth, the wicked grin only deepened.

“Han Seoyeon, why do I feel good when you’re angry?”

Seoyeon was overcome with the impulse to jump at him and twist his neck. Her hand holding the bag trembled uncontrollably. This conversation was terribly wrong.

“Stop getting angry. If you keep this up, I’ll set the terms of the contract however I want.”

Seoyeon didn’t understand what he was saying. She didn’t even feel like asking him to clarify. She coldly muttered.

“…Get lost.”

She exhaled, then added, “No, I should be the one to leave.”

Despite her continuous harsh words, Jinhyeok remained completely composed. He casually pulled out his phone, and Seoyeon’s energy drained just seeing it.

As she turned her body towards the exit, her phone vibrated. It was Daniel Shin.

Seoyeon quickly answered the call.

“Yes, this is Han Seoyeon. Where are you?”

In that moment, the voice from the phone overlapped eerily with the voice from behind her.

“Here.”

A chilling sense of unease crawled up Seoyeon’s neck. She lost her composure as a subordinate, her body frozen in place.

It couldn’t be. No, it couldn’t be. Seoyeon couldn’t bring herself to turn around, her body stiff as stone.

From the phone, no—no, from behind her, came Jinhyeok’s voice. It was something Seoyeon absolutely did not want to hear.

“Told you, you missed me. Han Seoyeon.”

Seoyeon’s dark eyes were filled with shock. Despair relentlessly hit her chest, and it didn’t stop.