chapter 66

"This is the weekend allowance payment document."

Lee Jin-ho opened the file and gave a signal to hurry and sign. Shin Tae-oh smiled and picked up the fountain pen at the silent threat that he would go home right now otherwise.

While signing the document, Lee Jin-ho pointed to the fountain pen.

"It looks the same as what the secretary uses."

Shin Tae-oh glanced at his own fountain pen.

"I heard he received it as a gift. Does the boss have one too?"

Despite Lee Jin-ho's persistent question, Shin Tae-oh handed over the document without answering.

"Anything else?"

"No, that's all."

What did a fountain pen matter when they were giving out allowances? It was just as trivial as a whim. Lee Jin-ho responded faithfully, tucking the file under his arm.

"Sounds good."

Shin Tae-oh, who had finished organizing his tasks, looked at the person quietly sitting in the corner with a refreshed face.

"Shall we start now?"

In response to Shin Tae-oh's words, which were aimed at refreshing the surroundings, Moon Ha-jun, the Chauffeur Secretary sitting across from him, lowered his head.

[TL note: Chauffeur- driver for rich or important people.]

"Without any intention to deny it, please."

Evidence had emerged pointing to him as the one who anonymously posted on the bulletin board using an IP address, and CCTV footage showed him watching over Shin Tae-oh and Se-hyeon. It was now the time to hear the explanation from Moon Ha-jun's own mouth about what had happened.

That was the special reason why Shin Tae-oh had come to the office on the weekend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend for it to happen, but due to circumstances..."

Moon Ha-jun brought up the mistake as if he had been waiting. His voice was low and submissive, but it was better not to provoke Shin Tae-oh's feelings.

"Because I didn't reveal that you're the boss, so it's okay, I thought..."

“Did you think that the relationship between me and Ahn Se-hyeon was real, so you posted this with less guilt?”

Seeing that Moon Ha-jun was struggling to find his words, Shin Tae-oh took charge of the situation and summarized it for him.

"That's right, isn't it?"

Moon Ha-jun quickly nodded, emphasizing that he didn't do it with ill intentions. Lee Jin-ho, who had been observing, shook his head as he understood.

"He doesn't grasp the situation."

Lee Jin-ho's soft voice unfortunately didn't reach Moon Ha-jun.

"He simply thought it was a scandal."

Shin Tae-oh said with a smile, causing Moon Ha-jun to look crestfallen.

"It may not be exactly like that, but..."

"Then the consequences that follow will also be handled by Secretary Moon."

"What? What does that mean?"

Moon Ha-jun raised his head, unable to comprehend, but he was taken aback by Shin Taeoh's serious and unsmiling gaze. The boss who had been easygoing and smiled a lot was no longer the same.

"What Secretary Moon did is just the beginning. Do you happen to know? It might lead to something close to a crime."

"Well, I don't know about that. I just..."

"Can you be sure?"

Shin Tae-oh asked, seeing Moon Ha-jun's bewildered expression. It was a calm inquiry like usual, but with his cold gaze, Moon Ha-jun clasped his trembling hands. His heart raced with unease, feeling like it wouldn't end with a simple recommendation for resignation.

"Director H-Ha Jin-seong instructed me to do it. I..."

"I already know that."

"What?"

When Moon Ha-jun didn't immediately understand, Shin Tae-oh stood up from his seat and approached him. Moon Ha-jun shrank back under Shin Tae-oh's imposing gaze.

"If you don't want everything to be turned upside down, you should move."

"Move?"

"You followed someone else's orders, so now you should follow mine."

The previous conversation seemed almost meaningless, as if it was nothing more than empty talk. Moon Ha-jun had a strong premonition that the outcome would be determined by just one response he gave this time.

***

On the other side with Se-hyeon

"Welcome."

A gentle smile appeared on Yoo Jin-hyeon's face as he greeted Se-hyeon.

"I'm sorry for reaching out to you suddenly."

"No. Rather, I really liked Se-hyeon’s thoughtful questions.”

Yoo Jin-hyeon gritted his teeth and smiled again, thinking, “There are so many people who act as they please these days.”

"Come this way."

Yoo Jin-hyeon stood up from his seat, gesturing towards the opposite side.

"Would you like some coffee or tea? What would you prefer?"

"No, thank you. I brought it myself."

Se-hyeon took out two bottles from his bag.

"I prepared beverages instead of coffee since I heard you don't drink it much."

He placed the bottle of coffee he had bought as his share on the table. Impressed by Sehyeon's thoughtfulness, Yoo Jin-hyeon remained silent for a moment before picking up the bottle.

"Thank you."

Shin Tae-oh had taken out a fountain pen for the signature.he also had the same fountain pen, so it wasn't difficult to recognize it. It's a gift from Yoo Jin-ha.

Se-hyeon insisted that it was no big deal and opened his own coffee. After taking just one sip and setting it aside, Yoo Jin-hyeon wondered if he had actually opened the lid not for the sake

of conversation.

"What would you like to ask me?

"If it's not too intrusive, may I ask about the boss?"

"Tae-oh?"

"Yes."

Yoo Jin-hyeon mentioned Shin Tae-oh for confirmation but seemed to struggle to find an immediate response. He fell silent.

"It's not difficult to tell you, but I'm struggling with what to say."

"Anything would be fine. I would like to know about the boss when he was young."

"Well..."

Yoo Jin-hyeon hesitated for a moment, letting out a sigh. When he was young...

"Tae-oh was exceptional. He came from a good family, had good looks, and excelled

academically. On top of that, his personality was great, so he was a perfect guy."

Se-hyeon nodded in agreement upon hearing that he was popular for being good-looking, having a good family background, excelling academically, and being good at jokes. Shin Taeoh was still flawless in every aspect.

"Since everyone wanted to be friends with someone like him, I approached him first."

Even now, Se-hyeon receives numerous meeting requests to meet Shin Tae-oh, with his studio acting as a middleman.

"We became close friends and had a great time. Oh, back then, I got along well with Jinseong too."

Se-hyeon concealed his reaction when Yoo Jin-hyeon mentioned Jin-seong's name. If he wanted to get to know Shin Tae-oh well, Jin-seong had told him to approach Yoo Jin-hyeon.

Even though it wasn't mentioned, the natural mention of his name caused a slight wavering in Se-hyeon.

"We had a great time together. Everything was good. Oh, right."

As Yoo Jin-hyeon continued speaking, Se-hyeon noticed a change in his voice and focused on him.

"I had a feeling that even though we had a great time, there were moments when things felt a bit off."

"Off in what way?"

Se-hyeon asked for clarification, and Yoo Jin-hyeon nodded.

"Yes. Usually, when we were having fun and made plans to meet, it seemed like something would come up or he would have some reason for not being able to meet."

Yoo Jin-hyeon spoke in a slightly complaining tone, and Se-hyeon couldn't immediately understand.

"That's why, even though I get along with Tae-oh, I never felt a strong sense of closeness. At first, I thought it was just my own perception, but Jin-seong mentioned that he wouldn't stay around Shin Tae-oh for long."

As Yoo Jin-hyeon complained, Se-hyeon recalled the conversation between Shin Tae-oh and Ha Jin-seong. They had exchanged hurtful words, implying that Se-hyeon wouldn't stay by Shin Tae-oh's side for long. Shin Tae-oh, unable to brush off Ha Jin-seong's provocation as a mere joke, shin tae-oh seemed visibly affected by those words.

That meant  Yoo Jin-hyeon's statement might not be a mere thought.

"Then are you the closest to the boss?"

"I'm just at the level of contacting and maintaining a relationship. Tae-oh hyung doesn't really create those special connections."

Yoo Jin-hyeon waved his hand as if to indicate that it wasn't him.

"I've never seen him develop a deep relationship with anyone so far. He doesn't have a steady partner he meets consistently... This might not be my place to say."

Yoo Jin-hyeon added with a somewhat awkward tone, realizing that Shin Tae-oh had always been alone because no one reciprocated his advances.

Moreover, the person he was interested in now was Ahn Se-hyeon, who had just caught Shin Tae-oh's attention.

While Yoo Jin-hyeon was being cautious, Se-hyeon began to grasp the overall picture.

Shin Tae-oh, Yoo Jin-hyeon, Ha Jin-seong... and even Ha Min-hyeok.

I thought about the Shin Tae-oh who existed in this world, not the original Shin Tae-oh that I knew. I imagined Shin Tae-oh with complex facets.

It wasn't Shin Tae-oh's purpose to be rejected by Yoo Jin-ha or to laugh and congratulate Ha Min-hyuk and Yoo Jin-ha's love. If what Ha Jin-seong said was true, then Shin Tae-oh might have lived like that since he was young, perhaps his whole life...

["Can you give yourself to me alone? Can you treat me as if I am the protagonist of this world?"]

I wondered why Shin Tae-oh acted that way when he asked me these words at that time to only look at him.

Even without trying to understand the feeling that the world doesn't revolve around me, I knew it well. Because I lived such a life.

Why didn't I realize it?

The confession he playfully presented to me. Shin Tae-oh's sincerity was clearly embedded in that confession.

Yet, I approached it lightly, contemplating how I could reject him without getting hurt. But no way could happen.

Anyone would get hurt when rejected. Let alone if it was Shin Tae-oh, I couldn't just laugh it off and move on. Especially not for Shin Tae-oh, who had never become someone particularly special to anyone.

‘I came here for no reason.’

I shouldn't have asked Yoo Jin-hyeon about Shin Tae-oh.

"Se-hyeon, are you okay? Your face looks pale."

Se-hyeon couldn't utter empty words assuring Yoo Jin-hyeon that everything was fine. He became tangled and confused inside, fully realizing the weight of Shin Tae-oh's confession.

***

Se-hyeon was sitting at his desk when he saw Shin Tae-oh approaching. He stood up, greeted him, and immediately followed him for a briefing.

"...That concludes today's briefing."

Se-hyeon took a deep breath and put down his tablet. He treated Shin Tae-oh in a professional manner, as if all the time they had spent together over the weekend was just a dream.

That was the only way he could handle Shin Tae-oh at the moment. Realizing the gravity of Shin Tae-oh's confession and the significant impact his words could have, Sehyeon couldn't reveal his personal thoughts any further.

He decided to take some time to gather his thoughts before responding.

"Is there anything else?"

"Would it be alright if I just received one pending document?"

There was a specific document that required approval. It was due to the urgent request from the planning team, emphasizing the need for quick approval.

When I mentioned it, Shin Taeoh readily nodded his head. As he examined the content of the document before signing it, I noticed something. Shin Tae-oh had taken out a fountain pen for the signature. I also had the same fountain pen, so it wasn't difficult to recognize it.

"It's a gift from Yoo Jin-ha."

Without realizing it, I ended up asking Shin Tae-oh a personal question. I immediately realized that I should never have done that, seeing the corner of his mouth twitching upward.