Chapter 100
After Jiyoo noona left, I found myself staring blankly at the monitor screen.
Yuna still hadn't assigned me any real work and I wasn't even sure if she ever planned to.
Seriously, would I just be left hanging like this until my last day here?
Sometimes I wondered if Yuna just wanted to keep me within her sight. Wouldn't it have been better if she had simply quit her job and stayed home with me instead?
...
No, no. What kind of irresponsible thought was that? It's impossible for her to do that. That's just selfish behavior.
Anyway, it's already too late now.
*Click*
Just as I was lost in thought, Yuna's door office opened.
Almost instantly, everyone on the floor looked up.
Madam Han stepped out first, followed closely by Yuna and Secretary Na.
The moment everyone saw them, we immediately stood up and bowed politely.
Madam Han simply continued walking without paying much attention to her surroundings.
Meanwhile, my eyes drifted toward Yuna.
Unfortunately—
Yuna was already looking at me. She gave me cold stare before calmly looked away.
Okay, now why is she looking at me like that? Don't tell me she was upset because I brought her mother to see her? But if I hadn't done that, then what was I supposed to do? Send her home?
Meanwhile, Madam Han noticed me and offered a gentle smile.
I immediately bowed again.
She simply nodded before continuing toward the elevator, followed by Yuna and Secretary Na.
And just like that, they were gone.
I slowly lowered myself back into my chair.
There she goes again. Leaving me hanging without a clue what I was supposed to do.
So who's going to tell me where they're going? Should I be following her? But she didn't say anything.
And Harin still hadn't returned.
I glanced at her empty office again.
Please… just let this day end already.
*
*
*12:00 PM*
Eventually, lunchtime arrived.
I was still staring at my screen when a familiar shadow appeared beside my desk.
"Haemin."
I looked up.
Daejin sunbae was standing there.
"Why do you look like a lost puppy?"
"What?"
"You've been staring at that monitor for the last few hours without moving."
I immediately looked back at the screen.
"…Was I?"
"Yes."
Daejin pointed toward the elevator with his thumb.
"Come on. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving right now. And don't you dare say no. This is our first official sunbae-hoobae lunch. I'm not accepting any excuses."
"You're being dramatic again, Sunbaenim"
Daejin burst out laughing.
"Come on, hurry up."
I couldn't help smiling slightly before standing up.
As we walked toward the elevator, Daejin casually hooked an arm around my shoulders.
"Finally! I've been trying to kidnap you for lunch ever since you started working here. Secretary Yoo really is a terrifying gatekeeper, you know that?"
I could only let out a tired chuckle.
We stepped into the elevator. The moment the doors closed, Daejin leaned against the wall and looked at me with a mischievous grin.
"So… Mr. Popular. How does it feel to be the center of Korea's hottest gossip right now?"
"Aren't you taking this too lightly, Sunbae? I thought you were going to bombard me with questions. You didn't seem very shocked when you saw me this morning either."
"Are you kidding me? You don't know how much I held back since last night! And also…"
Daejin pulled out his phone and showed the screen to me.
"Our floor group chat was absolutely losing their minds!"
I stared at the endless messages flooding the screen.
"The girls were going crazy with jealousy toward Ms. Hwang, and the guys… well, let's just say you've officially become the enemy of every man in Korea right now."
I gave an awkward laugh.
"You're overreacting, Sunbae."
"I'm not! Some of them even created a poll asking who they should hate more — you or Ms. Hwang."
"You guys are unbelievable."
"I just couldn't wait to see you this morning, but…"
His expression softened slightly.
"When I saw what kind of morning you were having with those reporters and board members, I just couldn't bring myself to make things harder for you."
I looked at him in surprise.
"You saw all that?"
"Of course I did."
I sighed deeply and leaned my head against the elevator wall.
"…Wow. Now I'm even more embarrassed."
"Nothing to worry about, Haemin. Most of us were on your side. We really didn't like how those old men treated you earlier."
I let out a quiet laugh after hearing that.
The elevator doors opened onto the executive dining floor.
This place was quiet and elegant, with private booths, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, and staff in neat uniforms attending to the tables.
Even after seeing it a few times before, I still wasn't used to how extravagant everything looked.
Daejin picked up a digital meal selector and continued talking as we walked toward the serving area.
"By the way… are you really not dating her?"
I gave him a deadpan look.
"Sunbae, I'm not!"
He laughed again and patted my shoulder.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you."
After receiving our meals, we found a table near the window and sat down.
Daejin took a bite of his food before speaking again, this time in a more serious tone.
"Also… about Jiyoo earlier. Please don't take anything she said personally, okay? She's always like that when it comes to company matters. But the truth is, she's actually worried about you, even if her way of showing it is terrifying."
I smiled weakly.
"Don't worry Sunbae, I didn't take it personally, I understand why she did that."
"Good."
Daejin leaned forward a bit.
"And besides, the higher-ups must already be putting a lot of pressure on her right now. That's why she's asking you all those questions. But she's actually trying her best to keep the others off your back. If she can avoid it, she really doesn't want to end up on the opposite side of Secretary Yoo."
I nodded quietly but Daejin suddenly looked excited.
"But Haemin, if those two actually end up going at each other, I'm telling you, it'll be legendary."
"Sunbaenim, isn't it a little cruel to be excited about that? They'd be fighting because of me, you know. That would make things really awkward for me."
Daejin immediately froze. Then realization slowly appeared on his face.
"Y—Yeah… I'm sorry… let's just hope that doesn't happen."
"Yeah…"
Daejin suddenly looked past me.
"Ah, speaking of the devil."
He nodded toward the entrance.
I turned around.
Jiyoo noona had just walked into the dining area.
Employees who happened to pass by greeted her politely.
Jiyoo acknowledged each greeting with a small nod.
"Jiyoo noona is pretty popular around here, huh?"
"Of course she is. She's one of the most respected people in this building, right after Secretary Yoo."
"I see."
Jiyoo had already finished ordering her lunch and was now looking around for a place to sit.
Then our eyes met.
A bright smile immediately appeared on her face. She raised her hand and waved at us before walking toward our table.
Beside me, Daejin immediately lowered his head.
"Shit, she's coming."
I couldn't help laughing quietly after hearing that.
A few moments later, Jiyoo arrived at our table.
"Haemin."
"Yes?"
"Why are you having lunch without waiting for me? Do you know how long I've been looking forward to having lunch with you today while Harin isn't around?"
Daejin just shook his head.
"Seriously, Jiyoo. Read the room."
"Hm?"
"How can you act so friendly when you just reprimanded him this morning? Don't you feel sorry for him at all? You hurt his feelings, you know."
I panicked instantly.
"S—Sunbae, when did I ever say that?!"
Jiyoo immediately looked at me.
"Is that true, Haemin?"
"Not at all! Daejin sunbae is completely making things up."
I shot Daejin a look.
"Sunbae, don't slander me!"
He simply laughed.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just joking. You should've seen how panicked your face looked."
Jiyoo let out a sigh before pulling a chair over and sitting down beside me.
Then she turned her attention toward me.
"But seriously, Haemin. Did I really hurt your feelings earlier?"
"No!"
Her expression softened slightly.
"I only gave you those warnings because I don't want you getting into trouble. I know you're a good person, and I know you wouldn't do something wrong."
"Noona, I'm not upset with you at all!"
Then I shot Daejin another look.
"Sunbae, look what you've done. You've made things awkward for me."
Daejin immediately looked away.
His shoulders trembled slightly as he tried to hold back his laughter.
Jiyoo simply shook her head while looking at him before turned back toward me.
"Anyway, don't think too much about it, Haemin. I may be strict when it comes to these matters, but I never act without good reason. What I do, I do fairly, and that applies to you as much as anyone else. So as long as you haven't done anything wrong, no one can do anything to you, can they? I will make sure of that."
I blinked in surprise hearing her say that. Her words warmed me somehow, but at the same time, she was also the one who would be on my case if I ever gave her a reason to. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel right now.
"Wow, Haemin…"
Daejin suddenly interrupted. He looked genuinely impressed.
"Do you know how lucky you are? I've worked with her for years and she has never been this kind to me."
Jiyoo immediately rolled her eyes.
"Never been kind, huh?"
"Yes! Never."
"Do you already forget when you accidentally sent your draft presentation to the Board of Directors before Secretary Yoo approved it?"
Daejin immediately looked away and cleared his throat.
"That… was one time."
"One time?"
Jiyoo let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You were hiding in the restroom for nearly an hour because Secretary Yoo was looking for you."
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Did that really happen?"
Daejin pointed at Jiyoo.
"Okay, first of all, that's not important."
"Not important? Who was the one that stayed up until midnight fixing your documentation and convincing Secretary Yoo not to make you rewrite everything from scratch?"
Daejin opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
"…You."
"Exactly."
I laughed even harder.
"Sunbae, you shouldn't forget everything Noona has done for you."
"Don't encourage her."
Jiyoo smirked slightly.
"And what about the time you accidentally booked a strategy meeting room for the wrong day and somehow created a schedule conflict involving three different departments?"
Daejin immediately covered his face.
"Why are we bringing up ancient history?"
"Ancient history?"
Jiyoo looked at me.
"He almost made two executive directors show up to an empty conference room."
"Sunbae!"
"What? It was an honest mistake!"
"And who spent half the day cleaning up that mess before it reached Secretary Yoo?"
Daejin slowly pointed at her.
"You."
"Exactly."
I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my drink. Seriously, when was the last time I laughed like this?
Daejin looked completely offended.
"Why are you taking her side, Haemin?"
"Because Noona is right."
"Traitor."
"You asked for it, Sunbae."
Jiyoo shook her head.
"Honestly, I don't know how you've survived this long."
"Talent and luck."
"Talent, my foot."
I couldn't stop smiling while watching the two of them argue.
Then, all of a sudden, Daejin seemed to remember something.
"Oh right."
He looked at Jiyoo.
"Jiyoo, I saw your cousin in the news this morning regarding that homicide case. Pretty serious case, huh, if they called him in?"
The smile on my face instantly stiffened.
Jiyoo Noona's cousin?
I tried my best to hide my shocked expression.
"Oh, you saw it?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. It's kind of serious since the victim was apparently quite influential and well-known in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities even sent representatives to coordinate with the investigation."
*Cough* *Cough*
I choked on my drink.
Both of them immediately turned toward me.
"Haemin?"
"You okay?"
"Yes!"
I quickly grabbed my drink again.
"It just went down the wrong way."
Jiyoo looked suspicious for a second before continuing.
"Anyway, according to him, the case is becoming more complicated than the public knows."
"Complicated how?"
Jiyoo lowered her voice slightly.
"The suspect they arrested keeps insisting he's the one who did it, but none of the evidence the police have actually lines up with his story. The CCTV footage from the surrounding area doesn't show him anywhere either. And the most suspicious part is that several key CCTV recordings near the crime scene were deleted shortly before the murder."
Daejin frowned.
"That's already suspicious enough."
"It gets worse."
Jiyoo folded her arms.
"The witness who claimed to have seen the incident has also disappeared. When investigators tried to locate him again, they discovered that the address, phone number, and personal details he had provided were all fake."
My grip around my drink tightened slightly.
"Don't tell anyone this, but my cousin thinks someone influential might be involved."
She glanced around briefly before continuing.
"That theory became even stronger after he mentioned that the higher-ups have already started putting pressure on them to close the case as quickly as possible. It's really suspicious."
"Damn… that's scary."
Daejin shook his head.
"Seriously, what is happening to this country?"
Then he turned toward me with a serious look.
"Haemin, you better be careful these days. There are a lot of dangerous people out there. Don't walk around alone at night, okay?"
I forced a small smile and nodded.
"Yeah… I'll be careful."
Jiyoo lightly tapped the table with her finger.
"He's right, Haemin. If there's ever a day you need to stay late at work, just tell me. I'll keep you company and drive you home. I wouldn't mind doing it every day."
"T—That's a bit—"
She winked at me.
Daejin immediately looked offended.
"Hey, hey… why have you never offered to drive me home before?"
Jiyoo shrugged.
"You have your own car, don't you? Go home by yourself."
"What kind of discrimination is this?"
"There's a difference between helping Haemin and helping you."
"That's favoritism!"
"Correct."
"Wow. You didn't even deny it."
"There's nothing to deny."
There they go again… the three of us continued like this until lunchtime ended.
Even though I laughed along with them, my mind kept drifting back to Attorney Park and the look in Sera's eyes this morning.
The weight inside my chest refused to go away.