chapter 18

They had ended up in a different place than their original seat. Se-hyeon sent a message to the Chief Secretary, but there was no response.

"Is this right?"

Se-hyeon, who took a seat at his designated spot behind Shin Tae-oh, glanced around the table, observing the individuals gathered around the round table one by one.

'Ha Jin-seong, Ha Jin-woong' . It was unexpected to see the antagonist and the protagonist of the original work sitting

together at the same table. Moreover, Se-hyeon overheard the bodyguards of the Ha brothers mentioning that one of the vacant seats was for Ha Min-hyuk.

That was already confusing enough...

"Do you happen to know who that person is? Our father called and said he was coming... It's Jin Hye-in from Jinmyeong Group."

A woman who didn't appear in the original work kept talking to Shin Tae-oh. It seemed to be a personal matter, so Se-hyeon didn't intervene.

"I don't know."

With Shin Tae-oh's concise response, the woman named Jin Hye-in arrogantly turned her gaze towards Ha Jin-seong, who was sitting next to her. Unconsciously, their familiar interaction and exchanged glances were clearly visible. Ha Jin-seong seemed to understand the current situation very well, so Se-hyeon didn't take their eyes off the two.

"This wasn't in my expectations."

Ha Jin-seong disliked Ha Min-hyuk. It was understandable to resent his younger brother who seemed to be targeting their company.

While conversing ,Jin Hye-in kept glancing at Shin Tae-oh.

"It would be troublesome if Ha Jin-seong gets involved."

Ha Jin-seong was an extremely diligent and tenacious individual who never let go of an opportunity. If it was directed only towards Ha Min-hyuk, it wouldn't matter...

"You're getting married."

When Ha Jin-seong blurted out those words, Se-hyeon's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't because of the low and pleasant tone of his voice. Although Ha Jin-seong addressed Jin Hyein, his gaze was clearly directed towards Shin Tae-oh

Why is Ha Jin-seong starting an argument with Shin Tae-oh?

"Brother, seriously, what if you say something like that here? It's embarrassing."

While Jin Hye-in scolded Ha Jin-seong, waving her hand, her words didn't deny the content.

"Congratulations."

Upon Ha Jin-seong's congratulatory message, Se-hyeon looked at Shin Tae-oh. He wanted to know what was happening. Although it was a personal matter and he should pretend not to know, but...

Jin Hye-in and Shin Tae-oh getting married?

Se-hyeon had thought that he needed to protect Shin Tae-oh, but an unexpected topic emerged, leaving Se-hyeon as a mere spectator.

Shin Tae-oh looked at Ha Jin-seong, clearly showing his annoyance at the gaze.

"Did I say I'm getting married?"

Shin Tae-oh casually brushed off Ha Jin-seong's words, which had a hint of forcefulness.

At that moment, Se-hyeon unconsciously clenched his fist. It was the moment he realized that Ha Jin-seong was confronting not Ha Min-hyuk, but Shin Tae-oh.

Since childhood, Ha Min-hyuk had always been cautious and reserved due to being an orphan. In the early stages of the novel, especially when standing in front of Ha Jin-seong, he couldn't help but feel intimidated. Although it was said that he would overcome everything later on, compared to not being able to stand up to Ha Jin-seong immediately, but Shin Tae-oh

was different.

Shin Tae-oh had no reason to feel intimidated by Ha Jin-seong, and he wasn't the type to hold back or tiptoe around his words. Furthermore, Se-hyeon knew that Shin Tae-oh wouldn't marry Jin Hye-in either.

"I was wondering why my seat suddenly changed. So, it was you, Ha Jin-seong."

"I thought it would be nice to get to know each other before getting married, so it was my consideration."

Ha Jin-seong pointed at Jin Hye-in with his eyes, expressing his displeasure, but Shin Tae-oh showed no signs of being affected.

"You still have that audacity, you pathetic brat."

"You... Call me by my name properly."

"Well, I just called you familiarly as much as you thought of me. But it seems like you think the world revolves around you."

Shin Tae-oh's words, accompanied by a mischievous smile, evoked a look that seemed to ask what Ha Jin-seong was going to blurt out.

"It was because of you that I came up with the word 'pathetic'."

[TL note: "Ha Jin-seong" and the word "하진성" (hajinseong), where "하" (ha) can be

interpreted as the Korean word for "down" or "pathetic," and "진성" (jinseong) sounds

similar to "진성" (jinsaeng), which means "pathetic" or "miserable" in Korean. So apparently Ha jin-seong's means pathetic]

In that instant, Se-hyeon narrowly avoided bursting into laughter while turning his head. It wasn't anything special to give Ha Jin-seong the nickname "Pathetic" based on his name, Jinseong, but the sense of launching a second indirect attack was quite enjoyable.

"Then, does that mean the nickname 'pervert' came about because of you, LF?"

[TL note: "LF" is an abbreviation in gaming contexts, to refer to the term "Loser's Bracket Final." Ha Jin-seong called Shin Tae-oh a loser.]

Ha Jin-seong laughed as if it was nothing, but there was a subtle expression on Shin Tae-oh's face, secretly hoping he felt uncomfortable.

"Do you like imitating me that much?"

Shin Tae-oh didn't laugh at Ha Jin-seong's childish level of attack. Despite being grown adults, their conversation was quite immature. However, surprisingly, those few words tilted the balance and had an impact. Shin Tae-oh became even more relaxed, while Ha Jin-seong displayed signs of discomfort.

At some point, as everyone fell silent, including Jin Hye-in, Se-hyeon looked around, trying not to get caught up in the verbal battle unfolding in the midst of the silence. When Se-hyeon happened to glance at Shin Tae-oh, who was looking back, their eyes met.

"Aren't you thirsty?, I'll get it ready."

"It's fine."

Shin Tae-oh, who had been sitting at the adjacent table, stopped Se-hyeon from getting up and brought a drink from the centre of the table.

"I noticed you've been licking your lips. I asked if you were thirsty. Drink it."

Was it se-hyeon who needed the drink, not Shin Tae-oh?

Being constantly on edge must have made him thirsty. Just as Se-hyeon was about to extend his hands to accept the drink, realizing that it was supposed to come into his hands, he felt the coldness of the drink bottle as his fingers touched it. But there was nothing in his grasp.

Se-hyeon raised his head, realizing that Shin Tae-oh had taken back the drink bottle that was supposed to be in his hands.

'Why did he take it back when he didn't even give it to me?'

As Se-hyeon was looking at him, Shin Tae-oh raised his other hand and grabbed the cap of the drink bottle. Without hesitation, he turned it and with a popping sound, the cap spun back.

"Drink it."

"Thank you."

There was no need to go as far as opening the cap.

It's not just surprising to receive this kind of consideration from his superior, but there was something even more than that. Once se-hyeon received the drink, he lifted his head to drink it and felt several pairs of eyes on him.

Jin Hye-in, who hadn't paid se-hyeon any attention before, had an expression of surprise, as if something had crossed her mind. Ha Jin-seong and Ha Jin-woong revealed an observant gaze. And the others who knew Shin Tae-oh seemed to be looking at him as well. Se-hyeon froze,

holding the drink awkwardly.

While it was understandable that Shin Tae-oh gave him the drink,

what was so shocking about me being his secretary? Particularly, I couldn't understand Jin Hye-in's reaction. Se-hyeon thought.

"Should I get you something else?"

Unconcerned, Shin Tae-oh casually asked if Se-hyeon wanted something else. Se-hyeon replied that he didn't need anything else and lifted the drink.

In the midst of people who couldn't take their eyes off him every move, so he  forced himself to drink the beverage. Thankfully, there was nothing to chew or swallow.

'I hope there's nothing strange in this drink.'  If I just swallow it, it should naturally go down, so it should be fine.

***

As the time for the presentation drew near, two more people appeared to fill the remaining empty seats. It was Ha Min-hyuk and Yoo Jin-ha. Ha Min-hyuk seemed to have brought Yoo Jin-ha along, as he held onto the other’s wrist, while Yoo Jin-ha seemed unsure of what to do upon spotting Shin Tae-oh.

"He brought my employee."

Shin Tae-oh asked as if to inquire how he should interpret the situation. Was he asking if they had already reconciled?

"We're just changing seats, so please understand," Ha Min-hyuk said politely, bowing his head towards Shin Tae-oh, and Shin Tae-oh, already present, acquiesced, saying to go ahead.

From their conversation, one could tell that it couldn't be described as smooth, but Se-hyeon was the only one who couldn't hide the sound of his pounding heart.

The two men surrounding Yoo Jin-ha.

The silent battle between the two men who had feelings for Yoo Jin-ha was intriguing. It was more captivating than the

conversation between Ha Jin-seong and Shin Tae-oh.

'It should be interesting.'

To be able to witness the silent battle between those two men from the front-row seat.

Se-hyeon looked at them with excitement, tightly gripping the empty bottle of the drink he had finished. The fact that he can have sneak glances as Shin Tae-oh's secretary made his job satisfaction increase once again.

Thanks to Shin Tae-oh's concession, Yoo Jin-ha had no choice but to sit back down, even though he had come against his will. He couldn't hide his discomfort. Perhaps it was because of the entangled emotions each of them had, and Se-hyeon was probably the only one who knew.

That's how novels work. The characters in the story only know fragments, but the readers who read the novel know the overall flow, which makes it interesting to watch...

Ha Min-hyuk doesn't know that Shin Tae-oh likes Yoo Jin-ha, and Shin Tae-oh doesn't know what has happened between them. But Se-hyeon know everything. and it added to the thrill of anticipating what significant antagonists might be thinking.

"Secretary Ahn."

"Yes, sir."

"I understand that you're my secretary, but isn't it too awkwardly turned around?"

Upon Shin Tae-oh's words, Se-hyeon realized that he had turned away from his assigned table while sitting down. But he couldn't just turn the chair around.

"It might be uncomfortable to sit like this."

"It's alright."

He could endure a bit of discomfort.

"But I'm not okay with it."

Se-hyeon pretended not to hear Shin Tae-oh's muttered words and ignored them.