MWFL 6

6. Words That Sting Deep Inside

Hearing another incomprehensible remark, Dong-goo stared at the man in the rearview mirror. Shin-woo was glaring out the window with a look that clearly said he was unhappy about something.

“Should I pull over and tell Director Ju to get in?”

Noticing that Shin-woo’s eyes were locked on Ha-rin, Dong-goo asked.

“No! Why? For what? She said she doesn’t want to!”

Firng back rebelliously, Shin-woo whipped his head in the opposite direction.

This guy is thoroughly pouting. Absolutely pouting.

“Then why did you tell me to slow down?”

Dong-goo asked, holding back a scoff that threatened to burst out.

“It definitely wasn’t to pick up Ju Ha-rin, so mind your own business.”

“Right, will do.”

Deciding that talking to him any further would only ruin his own mood, Dong-goo kept his mouth shut.

. . .

Opening the office door, Ha-rin’s eyes widened slightly. Most of the staff were away from their desks.

“Ah. Lunchtime.”

Realizing the reason a moment too late, she headed straight for her desk. The second she sank into her chair, a long sigh escaped her lips naturally.

It wasn’t like she had been running around handling urgent tasks, yet she felt entirely drained of all energy.

And it wasn’t just her body. Her mind felt completely worn out too.

Exhaling another heavy sigh, she slipped off her ankle boots. After swapping into a pair of comfortable shoes she kept under her desk, she slowly massaged below her right calf with her hand.

“Ugh…”

A soft groan leaked out as she firmly pressed the deep indentation between her ankle bone and heel.

“Oh, Director Ju. You’re back.”

At that moment, the team leader’s voice came from behind her. Pulling her hands away from her ankle, she straightened her posture.

“Did it go okay?”

Lee Ki-soo, the team leader, quickly approached and carefully scanned her expression as he asked.

“The interview wrapped up without a hitch.”

There was no need to mention that she and Cha Shin-woo had been growling at each other like they were ready to tear each other apart.

“Really? Did he just go along with everything without complaining?”

“It’s not like he had zero complaints, but it was fine.”

“I knew it. I knew our Director Ju could pull it off.”

Ki-soo let out a relieved smile and gave her a big thumb’s up.

“Team Leader. Don’t smile.”

Speaking in a dissatisfied tone, Ha-rin quietly scanned the office.

“You knew that the contract Cha Shin-woo signed wasn’t something he actually wanted, right?”

She pressed him with a small but crystal-clear voice.

“I didn’t know either! I only heard about it from the CEO yesterday.”

“Player Cha went along with what we wanted today, but to be honest, I don’t know if he’ll keep the contract.”

“Seriously? He can’t do that! The CEO will have my head!”

“Then tell the CEO to go negotiate with Player Cha directly instead of dragging an innocent person into this mess.”

Adding an annoyed sigh to the end of her sentence, Ha-rin continued.

“Besides, I’m an Operations Director. Why are you suddenly assigning me to manager duties?”

Ha-rin’s official title was Operations Director. It was a role completely distinct from managers or agents who accompanied players on their individual schedules.

She had built her career in the field for years, and when she transitioned into a director role two years ago, she had stepped away from manager and agent duties altogether.

Yet, out of nowhere, the company had thrown her into serving as Cha Shin-woo’s manager and agent.

“It’s Cha Shin-woo, not just any other player. Who else could we send except the person with the best experience and track record among our staff?”

“You could do it yourself, Team Leader.”

“Things get complicated if I leave my desk.”

The CEO already handed down the directive to me.

“I’ll do the job I was given for now, but if Player Cha decides to cancel the contract, don’t pin the blame on me.”

Grilling her team leader wasn’t going to change the situation anyway.

“And if any legal issues pop up, make sure I don’t take any damage.”

Even if she couldn’t avoid the storm that had already hit, she unleashed a barrage of demands to ensure she could dodge the lingering aftershocks.

“Also, even if the contract stays intact, please swap out the person in charge after a certain period. You know better than anyone how many players I’m managing right now.”

“Right. I promise you that much. For now, just focus on Player Cha. The higher-ups are going crazy.”

Faced with his earnest plea, Ha-rin had no choice but to nod.

“By any chance, did you tell Su-min that Player Cha signed with us?”

Ki-soo was Ha-rin’s boss, but he was also her friend Su-min’s older brother.

“No. I don’t know where she heard it, but Su-min actually asked me about it first.”

Cha Shin-woo was such a hot topic in the industry right now that a lot of eyes were on him. It wasn’t surprising that word was spreading through the grapevine.

Plus, with his official TV interview wrapped up today, articles regarding his contract with Daol were bound to break soon.

Ha-rin hoped Cha Shin-woo would cancel his contract with the company before things got any bigger.

However, encouraging a cancellation with her own mouth went against her duty as an employee, so she simply moved according to company orders.

“Team Leader. Please don’t tell Su-min that I’m managing Player Cha for the time being.”

“Since the official announcement hasn’t been made yet, I told her I didn’t know anything about the contract itself.”

“Even after it’s announced, please don’t tell her.”

“Will do. But I don’t get why she hates Cha Shin-woo so much.”

Instead of answering, Ha-rin simply hitched up the corners of her lips slightly.

“Anyway, please hang in there a little longer.”

“Okay.”

Just as Ki-soo took a few steps away from Ha-rin’s desk, her phone vibrated.

Speak of the devil.

It was a call from Su-min.

“Yeah, Su-min. I’m still working, so I can’t talk long.”

— Alright, alright! Just answer one thing. Is Cha Shin-woo signing with your company or not?!

“That seems to be the talk right now. The details are confidential, so I can’t tell you even if it’s you. Don’t bother digging, because I won’t answer.”

She firmly drew the line first. In that moment, a heavy sigh drifted through the receiver.

Ha-rin knew all too well what that reaction meant.

“Su-min. And please don’t talk to your brother about me and Cha Shin-woo. Cha Shin-woo and I are complete strangers. Got it?”

Complete strangers. The moment those words crossed her lips, a stinging pain throbbed inside her chest.

— I won’t. I haven’t said anything so far, have I? Don’t you trust me?

“I trust you. I’m just reminding you once more.”

— But are you going to be okay?

“Su-min, I really have to head out now. I’ll call you later.”

To dodge an answer, she pretended to suddenly be busy and hit the end call button right away.

Holding back another wave of sighs, a sudden crash of reality hit her hard.

“Why on earth did that jerk Cha Shin-woo show up out of nowhere anyway? Should I just go smash the back of his head and throw in the towel on everything?”

Even though she knew it was an absurd thought, her frustration boiled over to the point where she couldn’t sit still.

Phew. Phew. Practicing patience with deep breaths, she couldn’t take it anymore, pushing herself out of her seat to leave the office.

A moment later, when she returned to the office, a few employees had returned after finishing their lunch.

“Oh, Director. You’re back.”

“Yes. Did you have a good lunch?”

“Yes, it was great. Huh? What’s with the rock?”

The employee who had followed her to her desk asked while staring at the fist-sized stone clutched in her hand.

I just want to bash someone with it.

“I have a use for it. I have to head out again in two hours, so if there’s anything you need me to check, please organize it and hand it over.”

Hiding her inner thoughts, she spoke in a calm voice.

“Ah… okay.”

What on earth is she going to use that for? The employee walked back to their desk with a puzzled look.

Ha-rin pulled a permanent marker out of her desk drawer.

Cha. Shin. Woo.

She pressed down hard, writing his name letter by letter onto the stone.

She slammed the rock down in the exact center of her desk drawer, name hidden face down. Then she locked a sharp glare onto it.

Cha Shin-woo is a rock. Cha Shin-woo is a rock.

Gritting her teeth as if chanting a curse, she muttered to herself for a long while.

Wait, why do I even have to do something this pathetic?

A wave of self-loathing suddenly washed over her.

No, if I don’t have the power to quit the company, I should at least do something like this.

Since the underdog in front of authority is forever weak, she had to do something to keep her mind together.

. . .

Shin-woo arrived at the home stadium of the Seoul Griffins alongside Dong-goo.

“Why is it such a mess in here?”

Taking advantage of the off-season, internal renovations were underway, leaving materials and equipment piled up all over the hallways.

“Director Ju said she arrived—where is she? Oh, over there.”

Shin-woo’s eyes quickly tracked the tip of Dong-goo’s finger pointing into the air.

Far down the straight hallway, he saw the back of a woman walking away.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Shin-woo lowered his gaze to watch her feet as she stepped calmly across the floor.

Reaching the corner where the hallway turned to the right, Ha-rin slowly turned around.

“Ha-rin Nuna!”

At that moment, a deep male voice echoed loudly through the hallway.

What? Nuna? Frowning against his will, Shin-woo locked his eyes on the man who had suddenly popped up right in front of Ha-rin.

Park Ji-hyuk. He was currently active as the cleanup hitter for the Seoul Griffins, a guy widely dubbed the idol of the baseball world.

Ji-hyuk flashed a bright, flawless smile at Ha-rin—a smile that was no exaggeration to call the main reason he had captured so many fans.

Staring at Ji-hyuk with uninspired eyes, Shin-woo shifted his gaze back to Ha-rin. At the same time, the furrow between his brows—which had just relaxed—wrinkled right back up.

Wait, what? She can smile like that?

Wasn’t this the woman who acted all cold and aloof in front of him, like a monk who had been meditating on a mountain for decades?

Yet right now, she was wearing the softest, gentlest smile he had ever seen on her.