Chapter 6

The Hidden Truth

Jae-hee’s cheeks shone brightly as she smiled. At the TF team meeting that had reconvened, she had displayed a photo of Go Yumin and an article on the screen.

“Have you seen this? I think we’re really lucky!”

The headline of the article was simple and straightforward:

“Go Yumin Receives Love Call from Seon-gang. To Be Active as a Sparkling Water Queen!”

Jae-hee flipped to the next screen. A series of captured screen shots of Go Yumin’s SNS feed appeared. It was a selfie she posted along with a message saying that she had received a love call from a sparkling water company she enjoyed and would be modeling for them.

“While we were preparing for the sparkling water promotion, how could Go Yumin coincidentally be drinking sparkling water on a broadcast? Her healthy and youthful image is perfect!”

“I guess our promotion is going to be successful!”

“I guess the first setback was just bad luck.”

The sales team leader and the product planning team representative were beaming. Jae-hee was so happy she could scream. She was already happy that her plan had been selected for the project, but to have everything fall into place so perfectly, it was almost too good to be true.

Kang-joo, who had been listening, changed the mood.

“Let’s stop celebrating and start the meeting.”

“Yes! Yes!”

The lively atmosphere immediately calmed down. The sales team leader, looking around the conference table, asked,

“Where’s Team Leader Jeong?”

Kang-joo replied indifferently without even looking up.

“Team Leader Jeong said he would withdraw from the project himself.”

“Oh... is that so?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking that he must have been quite bothered by the initial setback of the project.

In fact, it was common for projects to be overturned. It wasn’t uncommon even for products to be produced and then scrapped.

However, the big problem this time was that the leader was Executive Cha Kang-joo. Who was Cha Kang-joo? He was the only son of the chairman of the Seon-gang Group. Knowing that, everyone just nodded.

“How is the factory situation?”

Kang-joo, seated, asked the product planning team representative. The representative, as if well-prepared, answered fluently.

“The Ansan factory is currently ready for shipment, and I’ve checked with Yoon, and they’ve finished producing all the headbands. We can just pack them up and ship them directly to each branch.”

“And the large figurines?”

“Ah... that will take a little more time, but we can finish it by the event day.”

“Okay, please keep checking so there are no problems.”

“Yes, Executive.”

After that, the meeting continued in a relay-like manner. Since they had to produce results in the shortest possible time, there wasn’t even time for idle chat.

Jae-hee, sitting at the very end of the horseshoe-shaped desks, gripped her pen tightly with sparkling eyes. Meeting time always made her excited.

After finishing the TF team meeting, Jae-hee immediately joined the marketing team meeting. Since Team Leader Jeong had handed over the sparkling water promotion project to the TF team, they were now under a lot of pressure.

“Since the beverage side is being handled by the executive’s team, shall we plan the liquor side?”

“How about beer, since it’s also carbonated?”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s target young female office workers. Let’s collaborate with a character brand company to create a younger image.”

“Then I’ll start looking for clients. I’ll see what’s hot these days.”

The marketing team’s work was also progressing smoothly. However, Team Leader Jeong had been absent since earlier. He was supposed to lead the marketing team now that he had dropped out of the TF team, but she wondered what was going on.

As the meeting was wrapping up, Jae-hee cautiously asked Manager Kim.

“By the way, where is Team Leader Jeong?”

Since the incident in the outdoor garden when Team Leader Jeong was caught stealing the plan, Jae-hee hadn’t seen him. He was always absent, no matter where she went. He simply wasn’t in the office.

All the marketing team members were curious about Team Leader Jeong. Everyone’s eyes turned to Manager Kim.

Manager Kim stood up with a notebook in hand.

“Team Leader Jeong has been transferred. The announcement will be made soon.”

“What? So suddenly?”

It was an incredibly sudden transfer. As Manager Kim was leaving the room, Deputy Manager Im asked,

“Did you happen to hear where he’s going?”

“...Somewhere to a coastal sales office in a provincial area.”

“What?”

Ignoring the team members’ surprise, Manager Kim left the meeting room.

Manager Kim felt just as bitter.

“I’ve been following Team Leader Jeong around and taking advantage of everything he had, so what am I going to do now that this connection is suddenly cut off? It’s annoying.”

Moreover, he felt very uneasy because he thought Team Leader Jeong’s transfer was due to the project being overturned. Even though he wasn’t the person in charge, they had been working together.

And to make matters worse, they couldn’t even file a lawsuit for unfair dismissal because they had suddenly created a new marketing team in that coastal area. They said they were setting up a branding planning headquarters there, but it was clear to everyone that it was a demotion.

It was clear that he had really upset Executive Cha Kang-joo. That was what bothered him the most.

‘Am I next? No, it can’t be. Surely the executive wouldn’t take action over such a small matter? It must just be a coincidence.’

Even as he thought that, he felt a chill down his neck. Manager Kim rubbed the back of his neck with his palm.

Honestly, Kang-joo didn’t care whether Seon-gang succeeded or failed in the beverage industry. He also didn’t care if they lost market share to Cheongrang. After all, Seon-gang’s main focus was never on beverages but on distribution, hotels, and the food service industry. And Kang-joo wasn’t interested in management itself.

A few days ago, Kang-joo met with an old friend. It was Kwon Jihyeok, the executive of OU Entertainment, Go Yumin’s agency, and her secret boyfriend.

‘It’s going to air tomorrow. You know you can’t do it overtly because it’s not a PPL, right? But Kang-joo, what’s up with you suddenly? You never cared about management.’

‘Something came up that I’m worried about.’

‘That’s serious. There’s something that concerns you. I heard you pretend to learn about succession but then just slack off... Are you hitting on my Yumin too obviously? You should take good care of her.’

Kang-joo nodded casually and flipped through the photos of Go Yumin’s house that were saved on his tablet. There were sparkling waters placed here and there.

Go Yumin, who was gaining attention for her beautiful appearance and outstanding tennis skills, was receiving exclusive love calls for variety programs during the off-season. And Kang-joo planned to use Yumin, who was appearing on that program, to somehow promote Seon-gang products.

‘Instead of blatantly exposing the product itself, we’ll just expose the sparkling water itself. Since our Yumin is an athlete and has to manage her weight, she can’t drink sugary carbonated drinks. Instead, she’ll drink sparkling water.’

Kang-joo handed his phone to Jihyeok and replied.

‘If she’s suddenly contacted as a model, they’ll suspect the entire broadcast is a viral marketing campaign. So, let’s release an article first.’

‘How? Oh, like, ‘Tennis Queen, Go Yumin, Receives Love Call from Seon-gang’? Yeah, yeah, I’ll let a journalist I know know in advance.’

They would expose the sparkling water itself on the broadcast. Seon-gang, focusing on Go Yumin’s healthy and youthful image and the keyword ‘sparkling water,’ would send a love call to Yumin as soon as the broadcast ended. And then, along with the TF team’s sparkling water promotion currently underway, ATL and BTL advertisements would be sequentially exposed.

It was something Kang-joo had planned from the beginning. He had planned it from the moment Team Leader Jeong stole Jae-hee’s plan and brought it to the TF team meeting. He had also planned to use Jae-hee’s sparkling water plan, which he had seen casually, to solve everything at once.

Since the promotion overlapped with Cheongrang’s, Jae-hee’s plan couldn’t be used by the marketing team from the beginning. But Team Leader Jeong stole Jae-hee’s plan and unexpectedly presented it at the TF team meeting.

So, he approved it first. He had given Jeong the rope by adopting the stolen plan and then intentionally made him fall into the water by overturning the boat.

What else could he do? A bug with sticky fingers should just be crushed.

Kang-joo watered a potted plant with an expressionless face. It was a bay laurel tree he had bought from a small flower shop next to the company building.

“I heard that since most plants originate from foreign countries, they need time to adapt when grown in Korea.”

“...Yes?”

“They need plenty of sunlight and wind.”

Team Leader Jeong, who had been called by Kang-joo, didn’t know what to say as he watched him water the plant. He had thought Kang-joo had called him to talk about his transfer. He thought Kang-joo would say something like, ‘I didn’t like your behavior. Evil deeds must be punished.’

Kang-joo put the empty cup on the windowsill. Next to the cup was a blue-patterned pot. No one would know that the pot, in which he had planted a 120,000 won bay laurel tree, was actually a 50 million won piece of art. It was a gift from Kang-joo’s mother when he joined the company.

Kang-joo leaned against the window. Light poured in from behind him.

“The flower shop told me that if it doesn’t adapt properly, the leaves will discolor.”

“Oh... yes...”

Kang-joo’s words were still vague, so Team Leader Jeong simply trailed off.

Kang-joo casually plucked a leaf.

“If it rots, just cut it off. New leaves will grow anyway.”

Flap, flap. The leaf that Kang-joo had casually flicked away flew through the air. Team Leader Jeong’s anxious gaze followed it.

Kang-joo shook his hands and stood up.

“I’m looking forward to seeing your performance at your new posting. I’ll be watching.”

“...Yes, thank you.”

Team Leader Jeong looked down at the leaf that had fallen to the ground.

Now he understood why Chairman Cha had called him to say this. The leaf on the ground was himself. A leaf that would rot without adapting to its new environment. A leaf that would be mercilessly cut off.

He could consider his career at Seon-gang to be over.

It was truly the end.

Overtime was officially discouraged within the company. Due to labor law regulations, especially in large corporations, employees had to submit a PC overtime usage request form and provide a detailed explanation for the reason.

Jae-hee, who was always delighted with the early off policy, occasionally found herself in a predicament, like today.

The TF team had rented a study room next to the building. Since they were pressed for time, they had gathered after work as they couldn’t hold a meeting within the company.

Jae-hee participated in the meeting, earnestly speaking with a soft voice.

“…So, for the Han River event spot, we can consider this area in Jamsil…”

“…Then, if we give out gifts to those who post hashtags at that location…”

The meeting continued against a backdrop of endless snacks, from coffee and cake to waffle pies. After refueling on sugar, the meeting finally ended past 9 pm.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Oh, you must be tired. Everyone, please be careful on your way home!”

They exchanged bows and words of encouragement. Although the meeting had taken longer than expected due to many things to discuss, they felt relieved as they had a rough outline.

“Please be careful going home!”

Jae-hee, the youngest member of the team, called out brightly. She began to tidy up the cups and plates, humming a tune. Kang-joo approached casually and offered to help. His hands moved deftly as he helped Jae-hee gather the forks.

“Oh, Executive...”

The sales team leader, who was carrying a laptop bag, hurriedly began to clean up the cups. There was no way he could leave the room while the executive was cleaning up the cups.

Thanks to him, the messy table was cleaned up in an instant. Kang-joo wiped his hands with a handkerchief and looked up as if he had remembered something. In front of him stood the team members who hadn’t left the study room.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work today.”

Kang-joo handed out something one by one. Everyone spread their hands and awkwardly stood there, receiving small envelopes.

What is this? As they stared at the envelope, Kang-joo took another envelope from the inner pocket of his coat that was hanging on the chair and handed it out. This one was larger.

“This is for your taxi fare.”

The sales team leader, who had been rolling his eyes, was the first to open the envelope. Then, he widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Oh!”

“This is too much for a taxi fare, Executive! Thank you very much!”

Inside the envelope were four crisp 50,000 won bills. The team leader, who had made a joke, quickly put the money in his pocket and then opened the small envelope. He looked down to check the amount on the gift card.

800,000 won. Combined with the taxi fare, it was exactly 1 million won.

“Wow...”

At that amount, he couldn’t even make a lighthearted remark.

Kang-joo, putting on his coat, casually opened his mouth.

“As you know, it’s difficult for the company to give out overtime pay separately. Think of this as a personal bonus from me.”

The sales team leader scratched the back of his neck. Although he quickly put the gift card in his pocket, it was a bit excessive for a few hours of work.

“Since you’re giving it, I’ll take it... goodness...”

Kang-joo, who was patting his coat, looked up.

“Is it too little?”

He suddenly pulled out his wallet.

“I’m not good at this kind of thing. I’m sorry.”

Jae-hee, standing next to Kang-joo, was startled and grabbed his wrist.

“No, Executive! It’s enough! It’s more than enough!”

Every time like this, Jae-hee felt it. He was a person from a completely different world.

“Executive, you don’t have to give me any more. Really!”

Jae-hee was strongly refusing, shaking her head vigorously. Kang-joo slowly lowered his head. He looked at her hand holding his wrist.

As Kang-joo looked down, Jae-hee, who had bowed her head following him, was startled and let go of his hand. What a rude thing to do.

Funnily enough, it was the first time she had held his hand. Although it was just her grasping his wrist.

“I’m sorry!”

Jae-hee bowed deeply.

Instead of answering, Kang-joo gently touched his wrist.

After the meeting, Jae-hee hummed a tune as she walked towards the subway station. She had the bonus Kang-joo gave her in her pocket. She should save the 200,000 won he gave her for the taxi fare.

She was even happier because it was unexpected money. She had wanted to buy various things for Hyo-jeong when she entered college.

Then, Kang-joo suddenly came to mind. She realized anew that he was a different kind of person.

Hadn’t she been surprised when he said the price for side dishes was unreasonable? Who in the world would pay four million won a month for side dishes? She remembered his genuinely puzzled expression when she asked for just one million won. Did he think that amount was enough for pocket money?

‘It’s so strange.’

How strange it was to keep encountering such a person. Even though she felt a distance in her heart, she felt like wanting to get closer to him when she was with him. She blushed at the thought and walked quickly, covering her cheeks with her palms.

Something held her back.

“Jae-hee.”

It was Kang-joo’s voice.

Startled, she turned around. She saw his sharp face approaching her. In the winter air, his calm, hardened face was as smooth as a white marble sculpture.

“Executive, what are you doing here? What about your car?”

Kang-joo glanced at his wristwatch and nodded towards the large building behind him. It was the Seongang Group building.

“The car is in the underground parking lot. Let’s go together. I’ll give you a ride.”

“It’s okay, I can go alone since you’re busy.”

“I don’t want to ask twice. Although, I hate hearing the word ‘no’ even more.”

One corner of his lips rose slightly. His expression was indifferent, and his tone was calm. But Jae-hee felt pressured and unconsciously muttered an affirmative answer.

“Ah, then... Thank you.”

Jae-hee wondered about herself. Why did she always want to nod when she was in front of him? Why did she want to open her heart and body to him?

Around that time, she decided to just admit it. She was instinctively drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

‘Ah, this is awkward.’

Jae-hee fidgeted with her fingers and glanced sideways at Kang-joo. Ten minutes had passed since they had driven in silence. Who said silence was golden? There was no silence as awkward as this in the world.

As she glanced around, she noticed something small near the cup holder. Rustle. When she picked it up, she saw a candy wrapped in white plastic.

“Do you still eat these?”

Jae-hee asked, rustling the wrapper. Kang-joo’s hand, which was holding the steering wheel, seemed to tighten slightly.

“Yes.”

“Can I have one?”

“...Yes.”

Kang-joo nodded with a hardened expression, staring straight ahead. Jahee, peeling a candy wrapper with a crinkling sound, popped a pinkish candy into her mouth. As she rolled it on her tongue, the taste of cherry spread inside her mouth—a flavor so nostalgic it made her chest ache.  

This was something Kang-joo had often eaten since he was young.  

“Oppa, open your mouth.”  

When Kang-joo was just a boy, in a dark, shadowy storage room, Jahee would hold out a peeled candy. Kang-joo would quietly accept it, like an obedient baby bird.  

“You ate something you didn’t want to again, didn’t you? Here, eat this and wash it all away.”  

“…Yeah.”  

“Chairman Cha is just too much. Forcing you to eat things you hate. Can’t he take a hint when someone doesn’t like something?”  

During Kang-joo’s desolate childhood, when no one cared about him, Chairman Cha would force him to eat foods he despised. Every time that happened, Jahee would give Kang-joo a candy.  

Her mother had once told her that eating sweet things could brighten your mood. And Jahee had wanted, in any way possible, to wipe away the unpleasantness left behind in Kang-joo.  

Each time, Kang-joo would silently melt the sweetness on his tongue and gaze at Jahee. At the girl’s face, pale under the moonlight. At Yoon Jahee, the only one who knew what scared him, what he hated. He would simply gaze quietly.  

The girl who once handed him candies—now grown into an adult—sat in Kang-joo’s car, rolling a candy along her left cheek.  

The faint aroma of the candy lingered at the tip of her nose, gently awakening old memories. Kang-joo, sitting alone in that storage room. The small candy she had slipped into his mouth. The fragrance that rose in that dark, musty warehouse under the dim moonlight.  

“Do you still avoid eating seaweed?”  

“I can eat it now, but I don’t go out of my way to.”  

“Ah, that makes sense. You don’t live with Chairman Cha anymore. He really liked seaweed, so your mom used to make it often as a side dish. She always felt bad about that.”  

Jahee spoke softly, as if reminiscing.  

“They say your childhood tastes stay with you for life. It’s good, right? Since you still eat it, I guess I picked a good flavor back then.”  

Jahee bit into the half-melted candy with her molars. Kang-joo didn’t respond. As she crunched the sugary core and turned her head, she saw him gazing at her steadily, his hand resting on the steering wheel.  

Through the glass, the traffic light glowed red, like a warning against her overstepping.  

“I’m sorry. I must’ve sounded presumptuous, acting like I know you.”  

Jahee lowered her gaze, forcing a smile.  

The silence had felt suffocating, so she had blurted out something—anything. She hadn’t expected his icy gaze to pierce her like that. The man sitting beside her now wasn’t the Cha Kang-joo who used to accept her cheap candies. Yet, she had let herself feel giddy, caught up in her own nostalgia.  

The sweetness lingering on her tongue pricked at her heart, turning bittersweet.  

Then Kang-joo’s subdued voice reached her from beside her profile.  

“I didn’t think you’d remember, Jahee. I thought you’d forgotten it all.” 

“…….”  

The red traffic light turned green, and Kang-joo pressed the accelerator.  

“You knew everything about what scared me, what I hated. But there was one thing you didn’t know, Jahee.”  

“Sorry, what…?”  

With her question hanging in the air, the car smoothly pulled forward. A stifling silence once again filled the car. The sweetness lingering on her tongue felt like a faint afterimage, and she forced herself to savor it.  

The alley was pitch black, a time when even the lights seemed to hold their breath. Passing by the crumbling stone walls, Jahee kept walking.  

As always, Kang-joo had offered to drive her home. He said it was dangerous since it was so late at night. But she had firmly shaken her head no. A semi-basement home with a rusted, sharp-edged metal door—she didn’t want to bring him there.  

Today especially, she had felt the stark difference between their worlds. She had sensed an insurmountable wall over something as simple as an 800,000-won gift card.  

She didn’t want to expose her broken-down home. She had already been laid bare in so many ways, but still.  

Just because. Just… like that. It was a strange emotion, hard to explain.  

“Letting you know where I live would be a bit uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”  

At her words, Kang-joo had smiled faintly. A fleeting, painful emotion had crossed his eyes, but Jahee hadn’t noticed.  

She didn’t realize just how high she had built the wall between them with her own hands.  

Jahee hurried her steps. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the desolate alley, somehow adding to the eerie atmosphere. Pulling up the collar of her coat tightly, she approached the alley near her house when a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows.  

“Hey.”  

It was Min-cheol.  

“Ah!” Jahee let out a startled scream, stumbling backward. Her heart pounded violently. When she looked up, she saw Min-cheol, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused.  

“Did you sleep with him?”  

Min-cheol slurred the short sentence with a half-twisted tongue.  

The strong smell of alcohol emanated from him. Instinctively, she felt it—danger. Jahee took a step back, and as the distance widened, Min-cheol closed it.  

“Yoon Jahee, what did you do at the hotel that day? Huh? You kicked me out just because I met that girl, Hanna, but what did you do?”  

“…….”  

“Did you sleep with that bastard or something?”

The light from the streetlamp shimmered in his eyes. Jahee glanced around, searching for a chance to run. But fear rooted her to the spot, rendering her motionless—foolishly so.  

Min-cheol strode toward her and eventually grabbed her wrist tightly.  

“You wouldn’t even let me touch a finger, but now, damn it… A worthless bitch like you…!”  

I’m scared.  

Jahee couldn’t even feel the pain from his iron grip around her arm. Her fear-soaked body trembled uncontrollably. The suffocating darkness. The man towering over her with his larger build. His bloodshot eyes glaring at her fiercely. Shallow, fear-filled breaths escaped from between her lips.  

She forced herself to glare at Min-cheol. Then, in the brief moment when he blinked slowly, she yanked her hand free and bolted.  

A violent force overtook her from behind.  

“You said you loved me!”  

Min-cheol’s voice dripped with madness. His rough hands grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back with force.  

“Aaah!”  

Jahee stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance. She twisted her body, trying to resist his overpowering grip, but she ultimately crashed onto the cold, hard ground. The chill of the stone pavement seeped into her.  

“What makes you so damn special? Just because you’ve got a pretty face, I was nice to you, but damn it, you don’t even know your place!”  

His alcohol-soaked voice ripped through her. Jahee flailed her legs, trying to escape. Tears she didn’t even realize were there spilled down her cheeks, one by one. The pitch-black darkness, devoid of anyone who might help, felt unbearably terrifying.  

Like her handbag that now lay discarded on the ground, Jahee’s body was also flung helplessly across the pavement. Min-cheol’s firm hand reached toward her hair.  

“I treated you like a queen, catered to your every whim, and this is how you—”  

But he didn’t finish his sentence.  

Thud! A heavy, resounding impact echoed through the alley, and Min-cheol’s large body was sent sprawling onto the ground.  

“Aagh!”  

As Min-cheol let out a scream, something large swept past Jahee. Amid the chaos, she caught a faintly familiar scent in the air. A crisp, cool fragrance tinged with icy sharpness. It was Kang-joo’s cologne.  

Min-cheol, who was sprawled on the ground, had his collar roughly grabbed. The large man’s body seemed to dangle helplessly from the hands of an even larger man. A chilling sound sliced through the air.  

There wasn’t even time for him to scream. Thud! Kang-joo’s heavy punch sent Min-cheol’s head snapping to the side.  

“Ah...!”  

Jahee instinctively turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. With her eyes closed, the horrifying sounds became even more vivid. Min-cheol’s groaning pleas and the harsh impact of blows echoed through the alley.  

Trembling, Jahee shakily pushed herself off the ground and leaned against the wall for support. How long had she kept her eyes shut, trembling with chills? Eventually, the surroundings grew silent. Hesitantly, she managed to lift her eyelids.  

Thud. When Kang-joo let go, Min-cheol’s body slumped onto the ground.  

Through the mist of white breath in the cold air, Jahee saw Kang-joo standing still. She wiped away her tears and tried to steady her sobs. Her trembling cries cut through the icy silence.  

Kang-joo slowly turned around.  

A sharply carved crescent moon hung above his head. Beneath his frostbitten blue eyes, crimson blood was splattered.  

He stood motionless, staring at Jahee, who was pressed against the crumbling wall as if she might fall apart. His gaze was fixed on her tear-streaked cheeks and trembling eyes, his face devoid of expression.  

Unable to meet his cold gaze, Jahee lowered her head. That’s when she noticed his bloodied hands.  

Kang-joo followed her gaze, slowly lowering his eyes to his own hand. Then he tucked his fist behind his back and exhaled a long, measured breath.  

“Ah, you’re scared of things like this, aren’t you?”  

“…….”  

His voice was dry, as if stripped of all emotion, as he continued with a detached tone.  

“Is this why you hate me? Even now?”