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“It’s going to be difficult if you keep doing this.”
“I’m sorry.”
Eun-chae lowered her head.
It was a small company with only four employees including her, and the CEO and the other two employees had been together since the company’s inception.
It was a company that specialized in managing drivers registered with various delivery apps, quickly securing orders and relaying them to the drivers, and handling any potential accidents on their behalf.
The CEO and his partner, Manager Kim, were always out and about, leaving Eun-chae to spend almost every day alone with Chief Lee in the small office.
The problem was that Chief Lee not only looked at her unfavorably but also made sexual jokes.
“Did you go meet your boyfriend? You must miss him so much, day and night?”
“I told the CEO I was going to the post office.”
“Hmph, who knows if it was the post office or not.”
Eun-chae ignored Chief Lee and turned on the computer.
There were numerous undelivered requests that hadn’t been properly processed while she was away.
There was no point in talking to Chief Lee, as only insults would come back, so she sighed inwardly and began to handle the tasks.
The salary was only two-thirds of what she had received at Studio FIRST, but for now, she had to do this job.
The convenience store where she had interviewed for a part-time job last time had called to apologize and inform her that she hadn’t been hired, as they were hesitant to have a female part-timer at night.
Until she found a decent job, she had no choice but to stick it out here, finding solace in the fact that Chief Lee was at least well-behaved on the days the CEO or Manager Kim came in.
It was when she was packing her bag to leave work that Hyun-woo contacted her.
[Would you have time to meet for a bit?]
Eun-chae still felt sorry for her former colleagues at Studio FIRST because she had to leave so abruptly.
She had called Hyun-jung separately to apologize, but she couldn’t simply ignore Hyun-woo, who had always helped her, so she arranged to meet him near her officetel.
Hyun-woo, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, looked quite tired.
“I’m sorry, Section Chief.”
Sitting across from him at a small makeshift table outside a convenience store near her place, with a can of beer in front of each of them, Eun-chae lowered her head.
“You must have had a hard time because I quit like that, right?”
“I’m the one who’s sorry.”
Hyun-woo bowed his head to her instead.
“I knew that Eun-chae-ssi was the CEO’s ex-wife.”
“Pardon?”
“On the day the CEO took office, Eun-chae-ssi’s attitude was so strange that I had a hunch and looked through the CEO’s old articles. That’s how I found out.”
“Ah...”
Anyone could have found out about Eun-chae and Seok-kyung’s relationship if they wanted to. That was Seok-kyung’s position.
“I’m sorry for pretending not to know.”
“No. You did well. It was a long time ago.”
“But I did test Eun-chae-ssi on purpose, you know?”
Hyun-woo smiled awkwardly when she tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.
“The piano, I mean.”
She remembered what Hyun-woo had said the day they sat facing each other at the macaron cafe.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to test you like that. I had this foolish hope that Eun-chae-ssi might tell me about her past.”
Eun-chae didn’t blame Hyun-woo.
She decided to try to understand it as the desire to share the past and secrets of someone he liked.
“Just in case, are you getting back together with the CEO?”
“Pardon?”
“It just seems like there’s something different between the two of you than just being ex-wife and ex-husband...”
“No. Seok-kyung-ssi... he has a fiancée. Getting back together? That’s impossible.”
“I see. In that case, Eun-chae-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to go out with me?”
Eun-chae bit her lip.
She had already rejected Hyun-woo’s feelings several times, but his heart didn’t seem to have cooled down.
“Section Chief...”
“Please.”
“I’m sorry.”
Eun-chae hunched her shoulders and nervously spun the beer can with her fingers.
“I love Seok-kyung-ssi.”
She confessed to Hyun-woo what she couldn’t say to Seok-kyung.
It was cruel, but she had no choice but to be clear so that Hyun-woo would give up.
“It can’t happen, but I can’t bring myself to go to you with someone else in my heart.”
“I don’t care.”
“But I do.”
Eun-chae looked at Hyun-woo and smiled bitterly.
“Section Chief, you’re a good man. You should meet a much better woman than me and be happy.”
“Even if I can’t be happy if it’s not with Eun-chae-ssi?”
“Please don’t say that. You’ll be okay after some time passes. Just watch, you’ll forget someone like me and another woman will catch your eye.”
A deep smile spread across Hyun-woo’s face at her words.
“Then I’ll wait for that time.”
“Yes, think carefully...”
“No, that’s not it. I’ll wait until Eun-chae-ssi forgets CEO Baek. I’ll wait until you forget the CEO and see me.”
Eun-chae couldn’t say anything.
If she said that would never happen, it would make her words to Hyun-woo a lie, so he wouldn’t give up. But she also couldn’t tell him to wait.
Seeing her stiffen, Hyun-woo picked up his can and gulped down the beer.
Yes, perhaps. Perhaps the day would come when he would forget Seok-kyung. If Hyun-woo was still waiting for her then, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Even though it was a very selfish thought, Eun-chae couldn’t help but feel that way.
And she also hoped that the day she forgot Seok-kyung would come as soon as possible.
Although she doubted if she could ever truly forget him.
________________________________________
Eun-chae and Hyun-woo bowed to each other in front of the officetel. Hyun-woo waved at Eun-chae, who kept bowing her head, and walked away.
As Eun-chae slumped her shoulders and disappeared into the officetel, Seok-kyung turned his head from the car window.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, CEO. Shall I take you home?”
“No. Let’s go to the Chairman’s residence.”
“Yes.”
The driver slowly pulled away.
He had rushed here as soon as he finished work, wanting to see Eun-chae, but the scene he encountered was her chatting intimately with Hyun-woo in front of the convenience store.
Fortunately, they weren’t smiling at each other or having any physical contact that could lead to misunderstandings. It was obvious even to him that Hyun-woo was the only one suffering.
Thankfully, the existence of the other man Eun-chae claimed to love had never been substantiated.
The fear that perhaps the man she spoke of really existed completely vanished.
When they arrived at the residence of his grandfather, Chairman Baek, the head butler, who had managed the mansion for a long time, came out to greet Seok-kyung.
“Welcome, young master.”
“Has Grandfather returned from work?”
“Yes. He has had dinner and is watching the news in the living room.”
The head butler nodded slightly and walked half a step ahead of Seok-kyung, leading him to the living room of the mansion.
No matter how luxurious the mansion was, even being called the Korean Versailles, Seok-kyung knew the layout well, having visited countless times since he was young.
However, there was no reason to interfere with the head butler’s duties, so he quietly followed behind.
“It’s so well-maintained, you wouldn’t even know the Madam isn’t here anymore.”
“You flatter me. There isn’t a place that the late Madam’s touch didn’t reach. We are doing our best so that the Chairman doesn’t feel her absence.”
Even though it wasn’t an empty compliment, the head butler gave a perfectly apt reply.
Passing through the spacious hall and entering the main building towards the living room, they heard the loud sound of the news and Chairman Baek’s clicking tongue.
“Why doesn’t that fellow ever contact me beforehand when something happens?”
Chairman Baek grumbled as he watched the news about a figure who held sway over the American financial world.
Ivory marble walls, expensive antique furniture, a high ceiling with a chandelier hanging in the center, and a multi-million won sofa made of natural cowhide.
Chairman Baek was lying sprawled on that sofa.
“Chairman? Young Master Seok-kyung has arrived.”
“Hmm? Seok-kyung?”
Chairman Baek sat up with a welcoming expression, and Seok-kyung bowed his head.
“I’m here, Grandfather.”
“Ah, welcome.”
Chairman Baek smoothed back his graying hair with his hand and gestured for Seok-kyung to come closer.
Seok-kyung went and sat next to Chairman Baek. Chairman Baek’s eyes were still on the TV, but his hand reached out and took his grandson Seok-kyung’s hand, patting the back of it.
“I will bring refreshments.”
The head butler bowed and turned to leave the living room.
“The American stock market is in chaos because that fellow is playing around with cryptocurrency. Do you happen to have his contact information?”
“No. I haven’t contacted him since the K Corporation party earlier this year.”
“If he contacts you, tell him to get in touch with this old man. I’ve lost a lot of money because of that fellow.”
Seok-kyung nodded with a smile.
A moment later, the head butler brought in drinks and placed them on the table before leaving. Chairman Baek turned off the TV.
“So, have you composed yourself?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Chairman Baek’s hand, holding Seok-kyung’s, tightened slightly.
Seok-kyung couldn’t imagine which pain was greater, the heart of a child who had lost a father or the heart of a parent who had lost a child.
He only thought that perhaps the pain was somewhat offset because both of them had been prepared to lose their son and their father.
“I came to speak with you about something.”
“Go on.”
“Please give me Baedo Group.”
For a moment, Chairman Baek looked at Seok-kyung without saying anything, and Seok-kyung did not avoid his gaze.
“You rascal, are you asking this old grandfather to hand over Baedo Group when I’m still hale and hearty?”
“Even if not right now, I would like you to guarantee that you will give me Baedo Group someday.”
“That’s not like you.”
Seok-kyung nodded inwardly. This was completely out of character for him.
“Unlike your mother, you’re not a child obsessed with Baedo Group. What’s wrong?”
“I...”
Seok-kyung spoke with difficulty.
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