chapter 60

Ha Jin-woong's fist grazed Se-hyeon's ear as it narrowly missed, hitting the wall. The

massive physique, the threatening swing of the fist, and the dull sound reverberating from hitting the wall—all of these were means of intimidating Se-hyeon.

However, Se-hyeon stared back at Ha Jin-woong without even blinking.

"You're relying on just one diagnosis report. What do you expect if I don't care about such things?"

Ha Jin-woong's eyes revealed a hint of frustration at Se-hyeon's lack of reaction.

"Shouldn't internal matters be handled internally? Why did you reach out to the SR?"

"You're speaking as if you know everything without even blinking. It seems like you're trying to sound like you're saying it knowingly..."

Ha Min-hyuk.

Ha Jin-woong's expression remained unchanged, but his inability to respond immediately was evidence of his inner turmoil.

“I don’t particularly want to worry about other people’s affairs.”

"You… What do you know?”

“I know my scandal isn’t everything.”

Ha Jin-woong took a step back and stared at Se-hyeon. The thought of venting his anger by confronting Se-hyeon, which he had entertained just moments ago, disappeared.

Besides, isn't this the end of the scandal? This is what Ha Jin-woong has been asking Ha Jin-seong until now.

There must be something more that needs to be uncovered, but it felt strange that only one scandal had surfaced.

"Don't drag us into this. I don't want to cause any harm to the chairman."

As Se-hyeon made the demand, Ha Jin-woong's eyes lit up as if he had realized something.

"You... You're not just a secretary, are you?"

Ha Jin-woong lightly pushed Se-hyeon's chest.

"Is there really something going on between you and Shin Tae-oh?"

With a smirk that implied that such a reaction couldn't come about without that, Ha Jinwoong looked at Se-hyeon. It was as if he was examining the possibility of a relationship beyond that of a secretary and Shin Tae-oh.

Now that he looked at it this way, it seemed quite plausible.

"Well, isn't that even better? We've helped each other."

"Is that so? Then maybe I should go and tell Ha Min-hyuk what you guys are up to."

The smile that had been etched on Ha Jin-woong's face disappeared without a trace.

"I want to help you quickly settle the fight."

Se-hyeon echoed Ha Jin-woong's words verbatim. It was best not to engage in childish fights, but...

"You bastard."

There was no better way to provoke Ha Jin-woong's excitement.

"Gathering people and engaging in despicable acts, and telling me to gather evidence..."

Before Se-hyeon could finish speaking, Ha Jin-woong swung his fist again. This time, it

wasn't aimed at the wall but directly at Se-hyeon. If Se-hyeon had remained still and watched, it would have hit him.

Se-hyeon took a step back, but couldn't completely avoid it, and the fist grazed his cheek. If it had landed properly, it would have been a powerful blow.

"You bastard..."

Ha Jin-woong, already agitated, grabbed Se-hyeon by the collar. As Se-hyeon tried to raise his hand to defend himself, to prevent further attacks, Ha Jin-woong grabbed his wrist.

At this moment, the door swung open, pheromones flowed in, accompanied by Shin Tae-oh's shouting.

"Ahn Se-hyeon!"

Caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, Ha Jin-woong stood frozen, unable to react.

Shin Tae-oh approached and forcefully pulled Ha Jin-woong's hand away, shielding Se-hyeon behind him.

"Ha Jin-woong, have you lost your mind?"

Just like Ha Jin-woong had grabbed Se-hyeon by the collar, Shin Tae-oh grabbed Ha Jinwoong by the collar. Ha Jin-woong tried to twist his body to remove Shin Tae-oh's hand.

Despite their similar height, even though Ha Jin-woong had a larger build, he couldn't push Shin Tae-oh's hand away.

"You're not letting go of this!"

"Did you grab his collar with the intention of letting go?"

Shin Tae-oh clashed with Ha Jin-woong, their strength intertwining, and the nearby desks and chairs collapsed under their rough movements.

"Stop it."

Se-hyeon, who was helpless, intervened between the two. It was an attempt to create distance, but the outcome was different from what Se-hyeon had anticipated.

Ha Jin-woong swung his fist as if Se-hyeon didn't matter, while Shin Tae-oh pulled Se-hyeon close and quickly retreated backwards.

Thanks to that, Ha Jin-woong's punches were able to be avoided, but Se-hyeon, who was being pulled into Shin Tae-oh's embrace, was too flustered to react. A soft voice, filled with concern, echoed before Se-hyeon could even blink.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Shin Tae-oh's voice, filled with worry, snapped Se-hyeon out of his daze.

He tried to act as nonchalant as possible, stepping out of Shin Tae-oh's embrace and adjusting his disheveled clothes.

It was better to let them fight it out. At least Shin Tae-oh wasn't being pushed back,

so why did he need to get involved and be embraced for no reason?

"I'll leave the rest to you."

With that, Se-hyeon completely turned away from the two and decided to leave that place.

***

Se-hyeon immediately went to find Ha Jin-seong. Whether the secretary had informed Ha Jin-seong of his arrival or not, Ha Jin-seong was waiting for him.

"Nice to see you again."

"Thank you for waiting. It saved me the trouble of going around looking for you."

After confirming Shin Tae-oh's message that he would wait up front, Se-hyeon put his phone in his pocket.

"I read the post you uploaded on the anonymous bulletin board."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"While we're at it, I'll give you a warning. Stop right here."

Se-hyeon spoke with an indifferent expression, and Ha Jin-seong smiled with an inscrutable smile.

"You have no manners. Not explaining anything..."

"I was also going to reveal what I planned next."

Ha Jin-seong's brow furrowed.

"I meant to end it with a simple scandal."

Se-hyeon acted as if he knew something that Ha Jin-woong didn't.

It wasn't exactly his intention to end it with a scandal. The impact of that would be

insignificant. The relationship between the CEO and the secretary was nothing more than something to gossip about for a while and then move on.

However, Ha Jin-seong was the one who used that method first, as a stepping stone to move on to the next phase.

I had planned to post the next article accusing Ahn Se-hyeon of committing illegal acts. If the scandal was like a light rumour, then the illegal acts would be detailed with specific evidence.

People would start suspecting that the CEO was involved in the wrongdoing, and it could even lead to a prosecution investigation. I wanted to make it a difficult and uncertain time until innocence was proven... But it seems like they naturally found out that I was the one

behind it, as if it was obvious.

"Yeah. I guess I underestimated you a bit."Ha jin-seong said without changing expression.

"I didn't underestimate you."

In reality, there were no signs or traces that Ha Jin-seong was involved. So, in ordinary circumstances, not knowing would be the correct assumption.

However, since Se-hyeon knew

the original plan, he wasn't confused.

"I am exceptional."

He confirmed his suspicions when he met Ha Jin-woong.

"I believe that all subsequent suspicions related to SR are linked to Director Ha Jin-seong and i think you are wise enough to know what to do next."

Se-hyeon bowed to Ha Jin-seong as a sign of respect before leaving the office.

*******

"Is everything resolved?"

When Shin Tae-oh asked the question he had been waiting to ask, Se-hyeon glanced at him without saying a word.

"Are you okay?"

Even though Se-hyeon knew there might be a collision with Ha Jin-woong, he still came out.

I was concerned that Shin Tae-oh was seriously injured, but Shin Tae-oh placed his hand on his own heart instead.

"If you look so flustered, it makes my heart race. Did you forget about our scandal?"

"This isn't the workplace. And..."

I'm not worried because I know that scandals fade away quickly.

"Anyway, it's resolved."

"That's a relief."

As Se-hyeon looked at Shin Tae-oh's relaxed smile, he became curious and asked belatedly.

"How did you find me?"

Se-hyeon check his own body.

Could this person have planted some kind of tracking device or committed a crime?

"Don't misunderstand. I just found you on my own."

Shin Tae-oh patted Se-hyeon's crumpled clothes to straighten them.

“I don’t know if Secretary Ahn knows, but he’s been bewitching someone a lot.”

At the party, Ha Jin-seong said something to Shin Tae-oh.

"People... their hearts race for those who truly see them."

Ha Jin-seong had clearly mentioned that his heart raced for someone who truly saw him.

"So let's lay it all out here and leave. So that he can't cling to us again."

As Shin Tae-oh meticulously straightened his clothes, Se-hyeon stayed still and then noticed his heavy breathing and came closer. Not satisfied with that, Se-hyeon raised his hand to Shin Tae-oh's forehead and frowned.

"Why? You feel hot."

“Ah, I thought it was hot for some reason.”

Shin Tae-oh waved his hand to try to cool his heated face.

There was no way the fever would go away, and moving only made his breathing more difficult.

Se-hyeon, who was watching the change unfold before his eyes, immediately grabbed Shin Tae-oh by the scruff of his neck and pulled Tae-oh towards him. As Tae-oh’s body bent and the nape of his neck came closer, Se-hyeon immediately tilted his head back.

"You shouldn't be so proactive like this, saying it's not the workplace. Someone might see."

"Please stay still."

With Tae-oh’s breaths so close that they touched his lips, Se-hyeon closed his eyes and focused on the feeling. The tingling breath touched his skin, and a sensation as if his body temperature was rising due to the heat emitted by Shin Tae-oh...

"I knew it would be like this."

Se-hyeon opened his eyes and let go of his hand that was firmly holding onto Shin Tae-oh's collar without any hesitation. Then, he stared at the faint pheromones that clung to his hand.

As expected, the condition wasn't good. The scent hadn't completely subsided. Perhaps, from going around here and there since this morning, it had risen to a point where it couldn't be suppressed anymore.

"We need to go to a hospital, not the company."

Screw the company, the priority was to subside Shin Tae-oh's scent right away.

***

Due to the sudden visit to the hospital, they ended up in the emergency room instead of a hospital room.

Lying on the bed, receiving treatment, Shin Tae-oh seemed to be aware of Se-hyeon's gaze, yet he couldn't wipe off his lingering smile.

"Why are you smiling?"

His laughter caught the attention of not only the doctor but also the nurses.

Is it because he's handsome?

No, it's because he keeps laughing that I'm starting to think he's crazy.

"Because I want to."

Without removing his gaze from Se-hyeon, Shin Tae-oh supported the back of his head with the arm that wasn't receiving the injection.

"Do you think it's good that you have to be hospitalized?"

Didn't you hear what the doctor said?

You went crazy from taking too many suppressants. They said you needed to be hospitalized, receive IV fluids, and do an early morningexamination. What's good about that?

Se-hyeon hesitated for a moment, considering whether to simply ignore Shin Tae-oh's chuckling, but couldn't hold back and spoke.

"I prefer moderation in everything. Even with hangover remedies, excessive consumption can cause side effects. So why did you insist on taking suppressants so excessively?"

"Because I needed to move quickly in a short period."

Se-hyeon halted as Shin Tae-oh responded, releasing a sigh he had been holding. Then, he slowly lifted his gaze and looked at Shin Tae-oh.

"Why?"

"What?"

What could be the reason for needing to move quickly in a short period?

No matter how much Se-hyeon thought about it, that seemed to be the only answer.

"Did you want to eat king crab that badly?"