Chapter 152: The Shadow in America

[Please come this way, Mr. Joo.]

[Yes.]

[…….]

Phillip Smith glanced nervously at the black-haired East Asian man quietly following him.

Joo Hyunwoo.

Heir to Munseong, one of the major conglomerates even in the United States.

After rising rapidly through the ranks at the Korean headquarters, he suddenly announced he was going to America.

Because of that, the U.S. branch of Munseong in Texas became extremely tense.

There was much speculation within the company about why the heir had abruptly flown in.

Even more alarming — Hyunwoo had come alone, without his personal secretary.

Phillip, who had been assigned to act as his secretary, was bewildered.

This had never happened before.

[Did headquarters find something out?]

[I’m not sure….]

Phillip’s direct superior, Abram Martin.

An AVP (Assistant Vice President), and one of the executive directors at Munseong’s U.S. branch.

He was greedy and ambitious.

He became President later than most executives, but his desire for further promotion burned stronger than anyone else’s.

There were even rumors he had climbed the ladder through unsavory means.

And Phillip, his subordinate, knew that corruption better than anyone.

[In any case, since someone from headquarters is here, you should behave yourself for a while.]

[And not just anyone. He’s the future chairman.]

[…….]

Abram muttered sharply, eyeing Hyunwoo with suspicion.

His expression held clear irritation.

Phillip felt the same unease — they were on the same sinking ship.

If Hyunwoo discovered any of Abram’s corruption, it would not end quietly.

[Keep a close watch on him. Make sure he doesn’t cause trouble.]

[Yes, sir.]

Of course, a part of Phillip secretly wished this scumbag would get what he deserved — but that would drag Phillip down with him.

He suppressed the thought.

He had latched onto the wrong person back when he didn’t know any better, and it had led him into countless dirty deeds.

There was no turning back now.

[You’ll be using this office for the time being.]

[Hmm….]

Hyunwoo entered the room Phillip guided him to and looked around.

A small office surrounded by glass walls, visible from the outside.

It had only a moderately sized desk, a laptop, a chair, and a single bookshelf.

Compared to the director’s office at Korean headquarters, it was painfully lacking.

But Hyunwoo made an effort not to show any dissatisfaction.

He would only be pretending to work for about a month anyway.

It was obvious they were doing this to monitor him and keep him in check.

No need to start unnecessary conflict.

[Thank you, Mr. Smith.]

[Ah… yes….]

Phillip was the one taken aback when Hyunwoo accepted everything without complaint.

He expected him to be offended.

He had even deliberately investigated Hyunwoo’s reputation among foreign employees at HQ.

They all agreed he was competent and reasonable as a boss — but spoke cautiously about his personality.

Born a chaebol heir and raised like a prince, he was rumored to be sensitive and temperamental.

But the man before him was calm, almost too calm.

Phillip felt his tension slipping, replaced by an odd feeling.

[If you need anything, please let me know anytime.]

[All right. So… Mr. Smith, you’re a manager here?]

[Yes, that’s correct.]

Manager level here was roughly equivalent to a deputy department head in Korea.

Young to already be a mid-level manager.

Hyunwoo glanced briefly at Phillip’s pale face, then nodded.

[You must be busy. Don’t worry too much about me.]

[But….]

[I came to take a short break, after all.]

[…….]

Hyunwoo’s light tone made Phillip lose his words.

Should he believe that?

Phillip almost nodded reflexively.

Then snapped back to reality.

This man’s smooth manner almost swept him away.

[Still, since you’re here, it’s only right I assist you properly.]

[Well… do as you like.]

[…….]

Hyunwoo replied casually and walked forward.

The chair was much harder than the soft ones at headquarters, but tolerable.

Phillip watched him carefully, tension creeping back in.

Even as a general alpha himself, he could sense Hyunwoo’s intimidating aura.

They said he was a regular alpha, but his presence felt almost dominant.

The absence of pheromone scent meant only one thing — extremely high pheromone control.

Phillip didn’t know Hyunwoo had an imprint bond, and so misunderstood completely.

He continued observing him with a cautious, penetrating gaze.

“Haah….”

Finally, after work hours ended, Hyunwoo was able to leave the company.

He loosened his tie, sighing, and walked quickly.

He didn’t expect everyone to behave so hostilely.

He knew it would be difficult — but not this bad.

Did they think he came as a spy from headquarters?

Since HQ rarely scrutinized foreign branches, the employees seemed even more defensive.

“I need to stay quiet for at least a month… somehow….”

His sudden move to America had stirred the media.

If anything went wrong now, the commotion would only grow worse.

He shuddered imagining Korean reporters swarming him even here.

“Let’s hope nothing happens.”

Hyunwoo muttered and got into the car waiting outside — a taxi he had called through an app.

[To the xx Hotel.]

[Yes, sir.]

He spoke briefly and looked out the window.

The darkening streets passed by.

Texas was said to be a wealthy region, and it certainly looked the part.

Even the pedestrians seemed well-off.

Munseong was the only Korean company with a branch here.

Outside of Dallas, their factories weren’t far, either.

Initially, people doubted the idea of building a U.S. branch and factory in Texas, but no one questioned it anymore.

Seunghyuk hadn’t developed the program yet, but once he announced it, Munseong would grow even larger.

The U.S. branch would expand as well.

Hyunwoo imagined Munseong’s shining future.

[We’ve arrived.]

[Thank you.]

Hyunwoo paid the driver generously, including tip.

The driver looked delighted — he had clearly enjoyed meeting a wealthy Asian customer.

[Welcome.]

[…….]

The well-dressed doorman greeted him with a smile as he entered the hotel.

Hyunwoo nodded slightly.

He hadn’t heard a single word of Korean since leaving the airport.

Everyone he encountered was foreign.

Thank goodness he had studied English hard.

Even though the real Joo Hyunwoo was a troublemaker, he had still received elite education and spoke English well.

Communication wasn’t a problem.

He’d need it — he would be living here for a few years.

Hyunwoo entered the now-familiar hotel and took the elevator to his room.

He planned to stay here for about a month, so he didn’t bother finding a separate home.

A bit expensive, sure, but ordering room service and spending freely wasn’t an issue.

That was the privilege of a chaebol.

Hyunwoo nodded to himself as he dragged his tired body along.

“Ugh… I shouldn’t be this exhausted already….”

His stomach wasn’t showing much yet, and the morning sickness wasn’t severe, but he still had to be careful.

The longer he was away from Seunghyuk, the more his body struggled.

“Seunghyuk said… he’d arrive tomorrow, right…?”

They had decided to travel separately to avoid suspicion.

Even arriving as quickly as possible, he wouldn’t reach the hotel until tomorrow.

He even had to take a connecting flight because of a class he couldn’t skip.

Why did he fight so hard in his final semester?

Hyunwoo silently cursed the professor.

This wasn’t because he missed Seunghyuk.

It was because he needed his pheromones.

Absolutely not because he longed to see him.

Hyunwoo muttered to himself as he walked.

“Hyung, you’re here?”

“Uh…?”

Someone familiar stood in front of his door.

Hyunwoo widened his eyes.

Seunghyuk rushed forward and wrapped his arms around him.

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