Chapter 9: It Was Supposed to End There

By the time Jiheum snapped out of it, she was already at the hotel.

Enveloped by the sensations that had resurfaced, she couldn’t even remember how she had driven to her destination.

She thought she had sealed those memories away, but for some reason, they only grew more vivid with each passing day.

It was likely the aftereffects of her deviation—that one night with a stranger.

I need to forget. One deviation was enough.

As she was organizing her thoughts and heading toward the restaurant, the elevator doors beside her opened.

A crowd of people poured out, causing Jiheum to pause for a moment.

As the people dispersed and she began to move again, her gaze inadvertently drifted inside the elevator.

Her eyes met those of a man who was the last to step out.

Emotions slowly filled the man’s previously expressionless face.

Jiheum soon recognized him as well.

Kang Hae-jun.

The only friend who had discovered her secret.

She had expected to face him inside the restaurant suite, but encountering him so abruptly before she was mentally prepared left her flustered.

“Yoon Jiheum?”

His voice was as heavy as ever.

Jiheum gave a faint smile, finding it curious that the man of few words had called her name first.

“Kang Haejun. How have you been?”

While she occasionally participated in group messages or video calls with him and Seung-ji, it had been three years since they had met face-to-face.

Every time Haejun had returned to Korea, Jiheum had avoided him, making up one excuse or another.

“Good. And you?”

“Me too. I’ve been well.”

They exchanged only meaningless greetings.

It was awkward without Seung-ji.

The only reason the three of them had been able to become close was because of her.

“Shall we head in?”

Jiheum nodded lightly at Haejun’s escort.

Yoon Jiheum, Kwon Seung-ji, and Kang Haejun.

The three of them had been college classmates, a trio that drew attention wherever they went thanks to their striking looks.

One might expect romance to bloom when such attractive people hung out together, but their bond remained strictly platonic.

Seung-ji was always the one talking, while Jiheum and Haejun were the ones responding.

Jiheum and Haejun were always by Seungji’s side, but it was rare for the two of them to be alone.

Nevertheless, busybodies often misunderstood and assumed Jiheum and Haejun were a couple.

They claimed that while there was no romantic chemistry between Seungji and Haejun, there was an electric atmosphere between Jiheum and Haejun that seemed to pierce right through them.

Contrary to what the gossips hoped, however, the two had never been more than friends.

In fact, the awkward air currently flowing between them made her wonder if even that friendship still existed.

To be more precise, only Jiheum looked uncomfortable, fruitlessly fiddling with her fingertips.

“Should I call Seungji? See where she is?”

Normally, Jiheum would have waited in silence.

But left alone with Haejun in this sea of quiet, she couldn’t think of a single common topic to discuss.

It was natural, considering she had never met and talked with Haejun one-on-one without Seungji.

They had waited for Seungji together a few times in the past, but that was before he had discovered her flaw.

The fact that he knew a truth she hadn’t even told Seungji always weighed on her mind.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Huh?”

Jiheum’s hand paused as she was pulling out her phone.

She was flustered, feeling as though her inner thoughts had been read.

“I wondered if it was uncomfortable for you to be alone with me.”

A hint of tension was mixed into his calm tone.

Jiheum blinked, sensing emotion from Kang Hae-jun, whom she had always thought was indifferent.

It was the first proper sentence they had managed, and since she hated the thought of silence returning, she hurried to continue.

“No. It’s not like that. Seung-ji said she’d be late, so I just wondered how late she’d be.”

“That’s fine, then.”

A light smile settled on Hae-jun’s face.

It was a somewhat boyish smile.

Jiheum found herself smiling along, struck by the idle curiosity of what it felt like to maintain such boyishness at the age of twenty-nine.

“Don’t call her. I like it better now.”

The look in Hae-jun’s eyes as he watched Jiheum changed subtly.

“Pardon?”

Jiheum’s voice and pupils wavered slightly as she asked him to repeat himself.

She was flustered because his words were so easy to misinterpret.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to ask what he meant.

If she was the only one misinterpreting a meaningless comment, it would lead to an even more embarrassing situation.

“It’ll get noisy once Kwon Seungji arrives.”

Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, Haejun adopted an expression that suggested it was no big deal.

“Ah…”

“I prefer the quiet.”

“Right.”

Jiheum nodded and looked away.

She felt embarrassed for having jumped to conclusions.

“I’ll be right back; I need to make a quick call.”

As Hae-jun stood up, a knock sounded and the door opened.

“Ta-da! I’m here!”

Seung-ji entered energetically.

“You’re here?”

A broad smile spread across Jiheum’s face.

She couldn’t remember a time when she was more relieved to see Seungji.

“You’re both here. Oh? Jiheum, why are you welcoming me so enthusiastically?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Hey, Kang Hae-jun. Did you bully Jiheum?”

Seung-ji glared at Hae-jun as she sat down, though her face was full of mischief.

“Yeah. I might have if you were just a little bit later.”

Hae-jun sat back down and stole a glance at Jiheum.

He saw her unable to take her eyes off Seungji, her joy at her arrival undisguised.

He had intended to excuse himself because Jiheum seemed uncomfortable with him, but he found himself grateful for Seungji’s savior-like appearance.

“Hmm? What does that mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. Let’s just order.”

Hae-jun brushed off Seungji’s question nonchalantly and picked up the menu.

Jiheum turned to him and asked, “Didn’t you say you had to make a call?”

“It’s fine. I can do it later.”

Hae-jun replied as if it were of no consequence.

****

Joyoon had been sitting on the sofa, flipping through the documents Junhwan had handed him for several minutes.

He didn’t say a word; the only sound was the rustling of paper.

Every time a hint of irritation showed in Joyoon’s fingertips, Junhwan’s throat tightened.

Since Joyoon was already annoyed by the blind date candidates, Junhwan began to worry if handing over these documents immediately after was the right move.

“Master. Is there anything you wish to have corrected?”

Joyoon opened and closed the personnel files repeatedly.

Junhwan wished Joyoon would just point out someone he wanted to remove or add.

“So, this is it.”

As if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Joyoon let the file drop.

With a dull thud, the file lay flat on the table.

For some reason, Junhwan felt like he was the one who should be lying flat on the floor.

“These are the Strategic Planning Team members who are supposed to support me? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And these are the talents the Chairman reviewed personally?”

“Yes.”

Junhwan’s nerves grew taut as he watched Joyoon’s eyes narrow.

“Has the team already been fully formed?”

“Yes. Except for Team Leader Kang Haejun, the other members are already working in the Strategic Planning Team.”

“Then why are you only bringing this to me now?”

Under the fierce glare directed at him, Junhwan felt a sense of injustice.

His position was to follow orders from above, yet the resentment was being poured onto him. He was at a loss for words.

“It was the Chairman’s instruction.”

“Of course it was.”

Joyoon let out a hollow laugh and interlaced his fingers.

He lightly tapped his thumbs together. The speed of his thumbs, moving rhythmically and silently, gradually increased.

Joyoon had been looking at the same page repeatedly for over five minutes.

Therefore, there was only one conclusion: Ki Joyoon did not like the team members.

“Master.”

Junhwan spoke up, gauging Joyoon’s mood.

Joyoon stopped moving and stared at him sharply.

It was a silent pressure telling him not to speak unless he had a solution.

“He said that if there is anyone you wish to add, you may recruit them using your own authority.”

“Ha! Our Chairman is getting better at the art of screwing me over.”

Joyoon leaned back into his chair and scoffed.

“I honestly don’t know how to respond to this.”

Brushing his hair back roughly, Joyoon looked at Junhwan.

“Chief.”

“Yes, Master.”

“How would you respond if you were in my shoes?”

As expected, the sparks flew toward Junhwan.

Knowing that no answer would satisfy Ki Joyoon, he remained silent.

“I can’t decide if I should thank him for his ‘consideration’ or crack a joke about how his talent for stabbing me in the back has improved.”

The problem was that no matter how much he disliked it, this wasn’t something he could easily undo. It was a decision made by Chairman Ki.

The Chairman rarely reversed a decision he had made.

If a project had been approved, he pushed it through even more aggressively. And then what? ‘CEO’s authority’? What a joke.

“He said he was giving me wings, but he’s filled the team with people who will only hold me back.”

Muttering a low curse, Joyoon stood up abruptly.

He looked like a wild horse ready to bolt at any second.

“Where is the Chairman right now?”

Junhwan glanced at his watch. It was past 8:00 PM.

“I heard he is at Seoanjae.”

Joyoon nodded and crossed the living room.

Junhwan turned and asked, “Are you going to see the Chairman?”

“I have to. I need to go and find out what the old man is really thinking.”