chapter 20

Jin Hye-in had come with high expectations, anticipating the promise Ha Jin-seong made to introduce her to Shin Tae-oh. However, she was now in the midst of disappointment.

Having caught glimpses of Shin Tae-oh a few times before, she secretly wondered if he would recognize her. But when their eyes met, she knew he had no idea who she was.

Well, it could happen. Honestly, she had considered the possibility of not being recognized, so she could let it slide. All she had to do was let him know who she was.

But.....

Even after hearing who she was, Shin Tae-oh remained unchanged. It would have been better if he didn't know who she was at all.

Jin Hye-in thought shin Tae-oh might think it's natural not to show any interest since he doesn't know her. But knowing

and still behaving that way made her feel anything but good.

'Does he think I'm just some ordinary person?'

Jin Hye-in, feeling uncomfortable towards the arrogant Shin Tae-oh, spoke only to Ha Jinseong, who was sitting beside her, displaying her discomfort. It was as if she was signaling that she would act the same way if Shin Tae-oh ignored her. But as expected, it was a failure, Shin Tae-oh still didn't pay attention to her.

'Why is he so arrogant?'

At that moment, as her resentment began to rise, Jin Hye-in saw Shin Tae-oh getting someone a drink. She looked at the man he was interacting with, feeling like she had seen him somewhere before.

'He has a face that won't be forgotten after seeing it once.'

His appearance was neat rather than flashy. Perhaps that's why his expressionless face suited him so well, possessing a decent and appealing appearance.

While looking at Shin Tae-oh, she realized that she had seen him together with him before, observing their conversation.

'Wait, that's the guy.'

It was the person who had walked together with Shin Tae-oh at the hotel. The companion who had made her realize that Shin Tae-oh wasn't the target that day.

'Wait, was he the secretary?'

The thought that she had come to the hotel for no reason and got excited to see shin Tae-oh changed once again as she saw him personally pouring the drinks.

'Who goes to such lengths for a secretary?'

It was the opposite, especially for someone like Shin Tae-oh, known for not taking care of anyone unless they were his own people. She was contemplating whether their relationship was more than just that of a secretary at that time her phone rang.

With a smile on her face, she checked the message from her father's secretary.

"Oppa Jin-seong."

To execute a more perfect plan, she pulled Ha Jin-seong closer and whispered into his ear.

"Please call the secretary separately and ask him to leave."

Jin Hye-in wasn't particularly worried whether Ha Jin-seong would fulfill her request. Since earlier, he had been looking at the secretary with a peculiar gaze.

***

With the appearance of the towering figures at the chairman level, the atmosphere completely changed. Ha Jin-seong quieted down, as if he had stopped sulking, and Jin Hye-in seemed

pleased that someone from her side had arrived. Shin Tae-oh, on the other hand, had an uncomfortable expression.

Not a single person could speak up. It wasn't just because they were high-ranking executives, but also because they were their parents, creating a strange atmosphere.

Ha Min-hyuk stepped onto the podium and began his speech about the new product. Upon seeing this, the chairman of Jinmyung Group approached Chairman Ha Cheol-kyu and struck up a conversation.

"I heard your son caused quite a stir this time. The pre-orders were no joke, right?"

"It's not bad. It's around two million units, so we'll have to sell more in the future."

Chairman Ha Cheol-kyu acted as if it was nothing special, but there was a subtle sense of pride in his tone.

"A so-called big hit, huh?"

Especially since their company could compare sales figures by model, they could easily gauge how well Ha Min-hyuk's new product had performed.

Considering that it will be released as a series in the future, it has created significant value for the future as well.

****

'So this is what triggered Ha Jin-seong's resentment towards Ha Min-hyuk.' se-hyeon thought recalling the plot form the original novel.

In the future, Ha Min-hyuk would face even more difficulties, and Yoo Jin-ha would be influenced by being by his side.

'But after all the hardships, there will be a reward...'

The thought that Ha Min-hyuk's tribulations would bear fruit and flowers would bloom vanished from Se-hyeon's mind the moment he saw Ha Jin-seong staring at him.

'Why....why is he looking at me?'

***

Once they were able to have a free conversation, Chairman Ha's secretary pointed somewhere.

"A reception has been arranged. Let's go there."

Fortunately, there was a post-event gathering arranged after the presentation, so they could divert their attention there.

"Just a moment, let me see."

Se-hyeon sighed as he saw Ha Jin-seong, who ignored his opinion and left after saying what he wanted to say.

Involving in Ha Jin-seong would only lead to trouble for him, so it was better to stay away. Seeing Shin Tae-oh following the chairman, Se-hyeon increased his pace, intending to quickly attend to his duties and enter.

Se-hyeon was taken aback when he saw Ha Jin-seong, who had been waiting for him,

without realizing it. Ha Jin-seong leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, and even though he knew Se-hyeon was approaching, he didn't turn around. He slightly tilted his head and stared into empty space with unfocused eyes.

"How long have you been working under Shin Tae-oh?"

"Three years."

"Oh, I see. Judging by how close you are to him, you must be good at your job. Do you have any thoughts about working for me?"

After Ha Jin-seong had just seemed dismissive of himself a moment ago, now he suddenly...

'What kind of scout was he being?'

"I'm sorry."

"Why? Worried I won't take care of you? I can take care of you well. And if you want, I can even give you a kiss."

Ha Jin-seong smiled, his eyes narrowing.

"This...?" Se-hyeon was quite speechless.

["How long have you been dating Shin Tae-oh? Do you have any thoughts about being with me?"]

["I can take care of you well too. And if you want, I can even give you a kiss."]

Se-hyeon had seen similar lines in the original novel. In which these words used to torment people around shin tae-oh.

'Could this character, who likes to torments people, be so simplistic?'

Shin Tae-oh's character in the original work was at least refreshing...

Se-hyeon lowered his head deeply. He wondered if he could continue to reject Ha Jin-seong until he backed off. With that thought in mind, he immediately took action.

"Yes, Chairman."

He pretended to hold his phone to his ear and spoke. Since it was the chairman calling and not just the CEO, it wouldn't be easy to brush him off. Se-hyeon silently conveyed his apology and turned away. Walk towards shin tae-oh and chairman.

"It's nothing. I'll be leaving soon."

Shin tae-oh tried to figure out what was going on when se-hyeon suddenly appeared, Chairman Jin-myung, with a flushed face, spoke uncomfortably.

"So, is it that difficult to tell me who the person you're dating is?"

'What are they talking about?'

Se-hyeon took a step to the side, looking at Shin Tae-oh's profile and then at Yoo Jin-ha, who was standing far away.

'Come to think of it…'

When Shin Tae-oh came back from the headquarters after meeting with the chairman, he mentioned something about being told to start dating immediately. But

Yoo Jin-ha is with Ha Min-hyuk right now.

The reason Ha Min-hyuk, who works for another company, is forcibly bringing Yoo Jin-ha here is to introduce him to the chairman. If that's the case, Se-hyeon couldn't reveal Yoo Jinha here.

"Ahem. If I may ask, is the person you went to the hotel with the same person you're dating? I apologize if I have been impolite."

'Hotel?'

Trying to make sense of the mention of a hotel, Se-hyeon felt someone's gaze. Following that gaze, he saw Jin Hye-in. She was still looking at him with a peculiar expression, making Se-hyeon even more uncomfortable.

"I see that you know it's impolite."

Even Shin Tae-oh's mother, whom he hadn't seen in a while, seemed angry.

'Let's sort this out. He told me to start dating immediately. Now the chairman is asking if the person shin tae-oh went to the hotel with is the same person. As far as I know, Shin Tae-oh has only been to a hotel once recently. And I was with him that day. So, it means... Could it be?' se-hyeon tried to figure out the conversation. He stared at Jin Hye-in as if he were possessed.

'Did she see me going to the hotel with

Shin Tae-oh? Is that why she's acting like this? Or Ha Jin-seong saw me?'

Then what about Shin Tae-oh...

Even though shin tae-oh knew his mother was in an awkward position, he seemed completely unwilling to speak up and clear the misunderstanding of Jin Hye's father.

With things turning out this way, Se-hyeon couldn't completely ignore the situation. He could just stay quiet, but if Jin Hye-in mentions him, this silence could become more of a problem.

If Shin Tae-oh won't speak up... then it's up to him.

"Secretary Ahn, please go and take care of your business."

In the midst of the confusion, Se-hyeon raised his head and met the gaze of Shin Tae-oh, who had been watching him for who knows how long.

"You don't need to worry about what's happening here."

It seems he noticed that his concerned. Shin Tae-oh's gaze, as he said it had nothing to do with him, was oddly affectionate. 'Am I really leaving?'

"Chairman, please talk to me separately."

"I don't particularly feel like having a private conversation with the CEO alone."

"Then should we just let it go like this? You're giving me a favourable offer."

In response to Shin Tae-oh's calm voice, Chairman Jin-myung (Jin Hye's father) cleared his throat and turned his sharp gaze towards him. It was evident that they were assessing what would benefit them

at the moment.

"Although this may appear to be like stubbornness from us older folks, it's actually a means to secure the future of the business…"

Recognizing that accepting Shin Tae-oh's proposal would be beneficial, Chairman Jin-myung raised his arm to pat him on the shoulder, but he was blocked by his considerable height and had to lower his arm. Still, he kept talking endlessly to Shin Tae-oh, indicating that the matter would soon be settled.

'This isn't my business.'

Neither Shin Tae-oh nor himself had any relationship, and it wasn't possible to bring Yoo Jin-ha into the picture. Se-hyeon thought to himself. If he intervened, it would only be going off-topic. But he was bothered by Shin Tae-oh's rigid expression, but he had no other choice.

'I'm just a secretary. I'm nothing and helpless... '

"The topic has changed."

As Jin Hye-in passed by se-hyeon's side, her mocking laughter made Se-hyeon stiffen.

"Prepare your resignation letter. I don't have the intention to let a secretary accompany him to the hotel as a future wife."

Jin Hye-in had openly stated that she would cut him off.

"So, does that mean...?"

Se-hyeon couldn't calm his boiling emotions and pondered Jin Hye-in's words.

'She wants to cut me off from this golden job?'

Jin Hye-in, not Shin Tae-oh, is the one who threatens the stability of his life that he've worked so hard to build? Se-hyeon, who was filled with excitement for the first time in a while, raised his head and laughed.

"CEO Shin Tae-oh."

Shin Tae-oh halted his steps at Se-hyeon's neither loud nor soft voice. Ignoring Jin Hye-in's presence towards him, Se-hyeon looked at Shin Tae-oh.