chapter 35

"Looks like I can't have my secretary do it," Shin Tae-oh said, placing his hand on Se-hyeon's shoulder. He furrowed his eyebrows, as if implying that if Se-hyeon won't agree, he also would not.

Ha Min-hyuk felt a sense of animosity from Shin Tae-oh's reaction, but knowing that he had come without any prior notice, Ha Min-hyuk took a step back.

"I apologize," Ha Min-hyuk said.

Se-hyeon glanced back at Ha Min-hyuk when he apologized. He had stood in front of Shin Tae-oh, interrupting their conversation. Wondering if Shin Tae-oh would follow, Se-hyeon sent a signal for him to go ahead and go up first.

Fortunately, Shin Tae-oh, understanding the meaning of his gaze, passed by without saying a word. Once he confirmed that Ha Min-hyuk didn't follow, Shin Tae-oh continued walking ahead.

As Shin Tae-oh walked, se-hyeon reflected on what had just happened. he managed to stop Ha Min-hyuk for now, but the next time will be a problem.

If Ha Min-hyuk comes again, he can handle it like he did today. It wasn't something that would greatly benefit Shin Tae-oh, so he didn't have any concerns about disrupting this flow.

However, he couldn't let his guard down completely. He had experienced moments of confusion before, thinking he knew everything about the original work and then being caught off guard.

I need to stay focused and protect Taenyang. What if Shin Tae-oh participates in this consortium? Ha Jin-seong will surely meddle with Shin Tae-oh. I will completely overturn the aftermath. I don't want to run around like my feet are on fire.

As Se-hyeon stared at the numbers going up while riding the elevator, he heard Shin Tae-oh's voice in his ear.

"This is strange."

He couldn't ignore Shin Tae-oh, standing in front of the elevator, waiting for him to go up first.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't make sense for Ha Min-hyuk to come out and propose something to me."

Shin Tae-oh looked at Se-hyeon's eyes reflected in the elevator mirror and spoke.

"It seems like he doesn't like me very much. There's no need for him to come to me."

"Well..."

Se-hyeon hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

Other companies haven't given a definitive answer while being cautious. It's still before Ha Jin-seong makes a move, but Se-hyeon hesitates because he knows who Ha Min-hyuk is.

That's why he came to work by the Shin Tae-oh side. He knows the reason, but he can't honestly say it...

"Could it be because SR Construction is solid?" Se-hyeon was beating around the bush, but he suddenly felt Shin Tae-oh's gaze.

"Why do you say that?"

"Um..."

Shin Tae-oh looked at him with one eye narrowed. Se-hyeon looked back at him with a sense of wariness in his ambiguous gaze.

"SR Group is big, but theirs is not at the level of a construction company and not even at the top in the industry. I meant... that their foundation is not solid."

It doesn't have to be the industry's top-ranked company. Even as a subsidiary, it may not generate as much profit, but from what Se-hyeon has seen, it's a fairly well-operated business.

"A solid foundation. Yes, that's right. If we talk about a solid foundation, they won't be able to keep up with me."

Shin Tae-oh got off the elevator with a happy expression on his face. Without considering following Shin Tae-oh, Se-hyeon murmured.

"It feels strangely unpleasant."

I'm not exactly sure why, though.

***

"Mr. Min-hyuk."

Yoo Jin-ha came out to the lobby and waved his hand towards Ha Min-hyuk. As much as he was delighted to see him, Ha Min-hyuk smiled and looked at Yoo Jin-ha.

"Did you come to meet me?"

In response to Yoo Jin-ha's sparkling eyes, as if he hoped he would answer that way, Ha Minhyuk nodded with a smile.

"Really? What's wrong with someone who never tells lies?"

As Yoo Jin-ha looked at him with a mix of fondness and suspicion, Ha Min-hyuk quickly explained the real reason for his visit.

"I came to meet CEO Shin Tae-oh."

"Did you call me while you were at it?"

Upon learning the truth, Yoo Jin-ha initially seemed a bit disappointed but soon smiled. In fact, even if he had just dropped by briefly, it wouldn't have mattered.

"But why CEO Shin Tae-oh? Oh, can I ask?"

If it was a formal meeting, it might have been impolite for him, a mere employee, to ask.

Feeling like he had asked an unnecessary and awkward question, Yoo Jin-ha belatedly closed his mouth, but Ha Min-hyuk nodded as if it didn't matter.

"It's okay. Can I ask you something in return?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you join this company?"

"That's a very vague question, isn't it?"

Why did yoo jin-ha join this company? While saying that, Ha Min-hyuk tried to anticipate the intention behind his question.

"Why did you choose this company?"

"Yeah? Because this place is the most..."

Yoo Jin-ha looked around. When his eyes met those of passing employees, he lightly nodded and greeted them. Then, he gestured for them to move along, unable to take his eyes off them.

"It's ideal."

Yoo Jin-ha chose the most appropriate words.

"I tried working part-time at other places for a while, and when I heard stories from seniors, this place seemed the best. I think I made a good choice. The people in the company are nice, and there's no overtime."

Judging by the smile appearing on Yoo Jin-ha's face, it didn't seem like he was just saying it.

Ha Min-hyuk couldn't take his eyes off his soft gaze, gentle smile, and how everything about him fit together. It was sometimes hard to believe that he was his partner.

"...Me too."

"Huh?"

Ha Min-hyuk covered his slightly blushing face with his hand as Yoo Jin-ha turned to look at him.

"Aa, I also chose this place."

Feeling embarrassed by his words of affection, he quickly changed the topic. Not only that, he turned his head and met the gaze of Ahn Se-hyeon, who happened to be nearby.

They were closer than he had thought. Rather than not noticing Ahn Se-hyeon's presence at such a distance, it was an expression that seemed to say, "I know everything" about his redirecting the conversation. Ha Min-hyuk thought se-hyeon was a man with very little change in facial expressions.

"I came to coordinate a meeting appointment."

It was true that se-hyeon had disturbed the meeting of Ha Min-hyuk with yoo jin-ha. If he had known, he would have come down more slowly. he hurriedly came because he thought he should catch him before Ha Min-hyuk left.

"Yes."

"I'll guide you to the conference room."

Instead of continuing the conversation in the lobby, Se-hyeon suggested moving to a more appropriate location. Ha Min-hyuk looked at Yoo Jin-ha.

"I'll be back."

Yoo Jin-ha gently nudged Ha Min-hyuk towards Ahn Se-hyeon. Then, with a waving hand, Ha Min-hyuk looked at Yoo Jin-ha, seeming apologetic at first, but then he smiled.

"I'll be back soon."

"You're still working, so you can come slowly."

Even though Yoo Jin-ha acted as if he didn't mind, Ha Min-hyuk insisted that he would come quickly.

As their farewell continued, Ahn Se-hyeon, who was standing at a certain distance, had a dark expression on his face.

"Hurry up and come."

To them, it might be a sweet farewell, but to others, it was no different from just fooling around.

I understand that they want to keep looking at each other, but we didn't come here to witness their romance, did we?

"Should we go?"

There's already so much work to do. Ahn Se-hyeon checked his phone to see if there were any messages, but only after Ha Min-hyuk arrived did he raise his head.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Honestly, se-hyeon didn't really like witnessing their affectionate exchange, but openly expressing that wouldn't be appropriate, especially as a newcomer.

"Are you not okay?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll refrain from engaging in personal conversations."

Feeling like Ha Min-hyuk would continue to initiate other conversations, Ahn Se-hyeon drew a line. Ha Min-hyuk just let out a deflated laugh and followed Se-hyeon into the elevator.

This time, they entered the elevator where Ha Min-hyuk and Shin Tae-oh had stood side by side earlier.

Ahn Se-hyeon caught a glimpse of Ha Min-hyuk's reflection in the elevator.

Shin Tae-oh is taller. Although Ha Min-hyuk's face was small, giving him good proportions, when considering the

overall balance, Shin Tae-oh was...

"What are you measuring?"

"I'm not measuring anything."

"Did you understand what I meant?"

"..."

Se-hyeon should have said that I didn't understand what he meant by measuring. Realizing his mistake, se-hyeon remained silent, and Ha Min-hyuk smiled. Due to the environment surrounding him, Ha Min-hyuk didn't smile often. The only times he would smile a little were when he was with Yoo Jin-ha. But just now, he smiled.

"CEO Shin Tae-oh is tall. Honestly, his height is a bit unfair."

Did he read my thoughts?

"This is already the second time you are looking at me like that so, I can guess this much ."

Even though se-hyeon didn't openly alternate between looking at Shin Tae-oh and Ha Min-hyuk.

I looked at them openly?

Se-hyeon stared at Ha Min-hyuk with his mouth tightly shut. Even though he didn't say anything, Ha Min-hyuk continued to react as if he heard his response.

"Please, let me out."

In the end, Se-hyeon used the descending elevator doors as an excuse to turn the conversation around. Ha Min-hyuk obediently got off, and when Se-hyeon followed him, he raised his hand and pointed ahead, causing Ha Min-hyuk to abruptly turn around and asked "Is it okay to date so openly in the company?"

"Just go straight." Se-hyeon coldly replied.

"..."

"..."

It feels like there was a similar situation before. When did we have a strangely fitting conversation while talking about different things? Anyway, se-hyeon was taken aback and remained silent, and Ha Min-hyuk, who was looking around, spoke.

"We didn't come here to date."

That was the thought I had while watching Yoo Jin-ha and Ha Min-hyuk, so why am I getting it thrown back at me?

"I don't come to the company to date. I don't even have a partner at the company."

So, I wanted to tell him not to say such unnecessary things anymore, but just then, as the conference room door opened, Shin Tae-oh appeared.

"Ha Min-hyuk has no business interfering in my secretary's love life."

Why is Shin Tae-oh, who should be in his office, here...

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Hope you all doing well ^⁠_⁠^ Sorry for the delay (⁠〒⁠﹏⁠〒⁠), I was quite busy last week but here we are, if there are any mistakes please share i will correct them