chapter 31

Due to Shin Tae-oh's sudden departure, se-hyeon remembered speechless. He lied to Tae-oh he had breakfast and now he was quiet in dilemma whether to refuse or accept.

"If you doesn't come, I'll go first."

My boss grabbed the elevator and waited, leaving me no time to think.

"I'm sorry."

I quickly entered the elevator, making sure not to obstruct Shin Tae-oh. I stood in a position where I could easily press the button next to me and pressed the close button. However, I felt a strange sensation and turned my head.

"Why..."

Why is he beside me?

Whenever we entered the elevator, i would stand diagonally in front of or behind Shin Tae-oh. It was to make it easier for Shin Tae-oh to enter and exit the elevator, like pressing the buttons and holding the door. But now that he was standing next to me, it felt awkward.

Curious about what he was thinking, I stared at Shin Tae-oh intently.

"It's the face you saw every day."

It wasn't that someone had changed, and it was natural to see the same person, but I couldn't help but take it seriously. However, there was a reason for it.

"The atmosphere is different."

Shin Tae-oh eyes showed no wavering. The target he wanted to see was clear, and there was no playful smile.

Why am I looking at him like this? And how do I want to react? As I pondered on how to naturally avoid the situation, the sound of a machine echoed.

"First floor."

An excuse presented itself. Se-hyeon went out first, pressing the open button while waiting.

Shin Tae-oh, in contrast, leisurely descended with his long legs as if he had all the time in the world.

"What should I do?"

I decided not to dwell on his words which kept raising questions

"Let's go for now."

As soon as Shin Tae-oh turned his back, Se-hyeon let out a long breath.

Why on earth is he acting like that?

It was strange to begin with, but now it has been upgraded to a whole new level.

Why are you being so smooth?

I feel uneasy. That's what Se-hyeon wanted to say but he shivered once again and climbed into the passenger seat. It seemed like today would be a tough day, he thought.

***

Se-hyeon sat down and started cleaning his desk. Dust had accumulated while he was away for a few days. He opened the window and took out a duster from the drawer, meticulously dusting every nook and cranny, when someone stood in front of him.

It was Lee Jin-ho, the head of the secretary's office.

"How does it feel to sit down after a long time?"

"It feels refreshing."

To anyone listening, it would sound like he hadn't sat down in months, but it had only been a mere three days. As a performing secretary, he spent more time moving around than sitting at his desk, which was why it felt that way.

"Take it easy. And this..."

Lee Jin-ho handed over an envelope. Se-hyeon reached out to take it without much thought and then looked up at Lee Jin-ho.

"What is this?"

"It's a restaurant voucher. A junior from school gave it to me, but you can use it, Se-hyeon."

"Can I accept it?"

It felt strange to hesitate after receiving it, but Se-hyeon wondered if it was okay for him to take it.

"I've already been there a few times, so go ahead and use it."

As if pretending not to hear, the other people who were listening to Lee Jin-ho's words let out a resentful murmur.

"It's for the person who has worked the hardest." With those words that hinted at who deserved it the most, the room fell silent as if a mouse had died.

Did I earn their recognition?

"Look at this. Can I take care of things like this? So go ahead and use it."

After finishing his words, Chief Lee Jin-ho turned as if he was done speaking, but then he glanced back at Se-hyeon as if he had forgotten something.

"Go with your significant other/partner ."

"What?"

"It's a nice place, and it's better to go with someone than going alone."

This time, Chief Lee Jin-ho seemed truly satisfied, as if he had said everything he wanted to say.

Se-hyeon, who had ended up receiving a gift, turned towards his desk as if there was no other choice. He placed the meal voucher on the now tidy desk and also placed the tumbler he had received that morning.

Looking at the two gifts, he hesitated for a moment and then reached for the meal voucher. Seeing the embossed name of the restaurant on the envelope, he realized it was a place where he would have to pay a considerable amount for a meal. As for the tumbler, it was a plain looking one, making it difficult to figure out who had given it as a gift.

"I'm in a dilemma."

If he hadn't been by Shin Tae-oh's side all this time, and if he hadn't witnessed how Yoo Jinha rejected the gifts sent by Shin Tae-oh, he wouldn't have hesitated. He picked up the tumbler.

"This one isn't expensive."

So there's no need to increase Shin Tae-oh's rejection count. Sipping on the tumbler, his eyes lingered on the meal voucher.

***

Shin Tae-oh stood there with his arms crossed, displaying a displeased expression.

"Why aren't he reacting at all?"

"It hasn't even been ten minutes yet."

Lee Jin-ho glanced at his wristwatch and made his remark, prompting Shin Tae-oh to take out his phone. He tapped the screen twice, putting weight into it.

"Look at this. No messages."

"It's been eleven minutes."

"Yeah, it's already been eleven minutes."

Shin Tae-oh looked at Lee Jin-ho as if asking what he should do. Unable to withstand his gaze, Lee Jin-ho stammered a response.

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you go and ask in person? Ask who he's going to the restaurant with."

Lee Jin-ho's voice was filled with a sense of injustice. It was inevitable. He had followed his superior's instructions, but now he was being criticized for not receiving the desired response.

"No, wouldn't it have been better if the boss had given it directly from the beginning? Then we could have gotten an immediate answer. Instead of waiting for Se-hyeon to make a date request for no reason..."

"A date?"

Shin Tae-oh muttered the unsettling word.

"Does this look like a date to you?"

"Well, then what is it?"

Lee Jin-ho grumbled with frustration.

"You asked through me for a date."

Shin Tae-oh smiled subtly, as if he was relieved. The satisfaction that came with the word "date" was suddenly flipped.

Regaining his composure, Shin Tae-oh looked at Lee Jin-ho and flicked his index finger.

"Would you go and check for me?"

"I refuse."

"The Chief of the Secretary's Office can't do that."

"What are you saying?"

Shin Tae-oh clicked his tongue.

"The former secretary did it without saying a word..."

"Then ask the former secretary to do it. To go and give that meal voucher to Ahn Se-hyeon. Pretend like it was a gift. Make sure to mention going with your significant other."

Lee Jin-ho returned the exact instructions he had received from Shin Tae-oh.

"How can I ask myself to do that?"

"If that's the case, then don't say anything. Otherwise, I'll find someone else to sit in the Chief's seat."

"Such audacity."

Lee Jin-ho clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I don't know who's more audacious. Se-hyeon might not know, but the fact that you drank the powdered meal this morning is known to me."

"Are you planning to take it to the grave?"

Shin Tae-oh firmly emphasized that Se-hyeon should never find out.

"Well, of course. That's how it should be. You can't go around telling everyone that the CEO drank the powdered meal, which he refused even to taste in past, from dawn. Even if it means wasting three hours of my time for a trivial gift that se-hyeon can't reject."

Lee Jin-ho shot a teasing arrow at Shin Tae-oh with a smile. He expressed his dissatisfaction with being called out since dawn.

Shin Tae-oh turned that dissatisfaction into laughter.

"I'll take care of it properly next time"

"I'll work hard."

Lee Jin-ho immediately changed his attitude. Who would work for a company with this kind of taste?

"How much time has passed?"

Feeling like they had talked for quite a while, Shin Tae-oh urged again, and Lee Jin-ho replied generously.

"Fifteen minutes have passed."

"When on earth is he coming...?"

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock, Shin Tae-oh and Lee Jin-ho locked eyes for a moment before quickly springing into action. It was as if they had forgotten the conversation they just had.

"Boss."

Seeing that it was Se-hyeon who entered, Shin Tae-oh leaned back in his chair with a calm expression. At first glance, he seemed no different from usual, but Lee Jin-ho clearly noticed something. Shin Tae-oh's eyebrows twitched.

"What is it?"

"We received a call from the client for the meeting scheduled for this week."

The reactions of Shin Tae-oh and Lee Jin-ho differed upon hearing Se-hyeon's words.

Shin Tae-oh appeared disappointed, while Lee Jin-ho found it amusing to the point of death.

"What's the matter?"

"They're requesting to postpone the meeting."

"Well then, if they want it postponed, we'll postpone it."

With a sigh mixed into his response, Shin Tae-oh spun his chair around. As he turned to look out the window, his expression was fully revealed to Lee Jin-ho. He was probably trying to hide his expression from Se-hyeon, but only Lee Jin-ho had the pleasure of witnessing it.

Then Se-hyeon, looking puzzled, spoke.

"Should we reschedule it for the earliest possible date?"

"I can't even have a proper meal right now, and the client is..."

"What?"

Seeing Shin Tae-oh waving his hand as if it were useless, Lee Jin-ho intervened.

"Se-hyeon, you know that every construction company is vying for this project, right? Could you find out why the meeting was postponed?"

Lee Jin-ho spoke on behalf of Shin Tae-oh, feeling a sense of regret, and Se-hyeon shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear the reason."

"There's no way the secretary didn't ask, and if they didn't answer, then..."

Lee Jin-ho's words trailed off in frustration.

As Lee Jin-ho muttered to himself, Shin Tae-oh stood up from his seat.

"We can just ask directly."

"No way... Are you saying you'll go?"

Lee Jin-ho asked if Shin Tae-oh was serious about his impromptu action.

"Well, they can't keep their mouth shut even when they see my face. Where is the place located?"

As Shin Tae-oh took the lead, Se-hyeon followed behind. And as Lee Jin-ho was about to answer Shin Tae-oh's question about the location, he widened his eyes.

The restaurant was not far from where the client was. Shin Tae-oh said with a casual expression, "Since I'll eat before coming back, you don't have to worry about my meal."

After saying that, Shin Tae-oh left, followed by Se-hyeon. Lee Jin-ho was left alone in the office.

"This is absurd, really absurd."

The audacity to eat a meal using the voucher his boss has gone really crazy.

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Hi guys, from now onwards I'm planning  to upload Wednesday and Sunday two chapters per day if anyone wants to change please comment ^⁠_⁠^