TLR 25

Chapter 25 …

When Junhyuk suddenly suggested getting dinner, Jin-shin had stepped out assuming it was to thank him for pulling strings to land Han Seol the job.

‘A secretary?’

Those were the first words he heard before he could even sit down.

‘Huh? Man, I went through hell to make that spot happen. Everyone’s cutting staff these days, so how else was I supposed to plug in a full-time employee? It’s because it was me. Yeah, I pulled it off.’

‘And?’

‘And? What do you mean “and”? Well, my executive secretary of three years had been working hard, so it was about time to transfer him to a department he actually wanted. So I moved him out and slotted Han Seol in.’

At those words, Junhyuk flashed a unreadable smile and began laying out his demands.

His face and voice were completely calm, and nothing he said was particularly out of line.

‘Treat Han Seol well.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m not asking for special favors, just basic decency. She joined at an awkward time, so teach her the ropes properly so she doesn’t struggle to adapt.’

What on earth is going on here? As Jin-shin just blinked in confusion, Junhyuk spoke up again.

‘Jin-shin.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Is there a rule at HJ that female employees have to wear skirts?’

‘What?’

‘Is that actually a thing these days? Is it?’

‘I don’t think so, but I’m not entirely sure about the details.’

‘Look into it, and if there is one, get rid of it. We need to stay up with the times.’

None of what he said was wrong, per se, but Jin-shin couldn’t understand why they were having this conversation in the first place.

The fact that Junhyuk’s tone was strangely pleasant only made it creepier—especially when his eyes were burning with enough murderous intent to drive a blade into someone right then and there.

“He really is one weird bastard,” Jin-shin muttered as he lit a cigarette.

They had known each other for thirty years. In all the time he’d observed Moon Junhyuk, the guy lacked a single drop of human warmth. Forget dating women—he’d never even seen him hang out with friends.

Maybe it was a form of emotional neat-freakery. Moon Junhyuk never let anyone close, nor did he ever accept favors from others.

That was why Jin-shin had assumed Junhyuk’s request for Han Seol was just his way of setting things right. Junhyuk would hate feeling even the slightest bit indebted to HJ.

So is there something more to this?

“Was that lunch meeting related to Han Seol?” Team Leader Choi asked, waving the cigarette smoke away with her hand.

“Well, she isn’t someone who’ll stick around for long, so just view her as a high-maintenance employee and treat her well.”

“If she’s not staying long, why bother treating her well?”

“You know what her older sister pulled, Team Leader Choi. She takes after her sister, so if she snaps and comes at us, it’s going to be a massive headache, right? So just be good to her.”

“Understood,” Team Leader Choi replied in a blunt voice.

“You can head out now. Oh, and host a welcome dinner on the corporate card, and take her out for lunch once in a while. Somewhere nice.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I mean, guilt by association isn’t a thing here, right? Not in South Korea.”

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Jin-shin babbled on, echoing something he’d heard somewhere before.

“Alright, let’s wrap things up and head out,” Team Leader Choi said at 6:00 PM that same evening.

“Clear your schedules for this Friday, everyone. It’s Han Seol’s welcome dinner.”

Hearing her name, Seol looked up.

“You can head home too, Han Seol-ssi. What you’re working on isn’t urgent.”

“Yes, I’m almost done, so I’ll just finish this up before I leave.”

“Suit yourself.”

Seol turned her gaze back to the monitor. She was in the middle of proofreading documents for a meeting scheduled for two days from now.

Ever since their visit to Director Kim Jin-shin’s office, Team Leader Choi had gathered the team together.

They took turns introducing themselves, and she was assigned her tasks alongside a mentor. From that point on, people’s attitudes softened, offering at least a little warmth.

Until you greet the boss, you’re not one of us.

Was that the vibe here? HJ Corporation had started out in shipping—a male-dominated industry—so Seol was well aware of the rumors that the company culture was pretty intense.

[What time do you off work?]

A text arrived from Junhyuk. A faint smile touched the corners of Seol’s lips.

[In about 30 minutes.]

[Then I’ll be in front of your office by 6:30.]

[Okay.]

Around 6:20 PM, Seol stood up from her desk. After politely bowing to the one person still remaining, she stepped out of the office.

As she walked out of the building, someone tapped her shoulder.

“Oh? You’re here already?” Seol asked with a bright smile.

Junhyuk gave a single nod before speaking.

“How was work?”

“I didn’t do much today, but I tried my best.”

“Then that’s enough.”

“I don’t know if it’s enough, but I’m going to work really, really hard. I’m just glad everyone is so nice.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

Seol replied softly and started walking.

She wanted to chat a bit more about things like the cafeteria menu, but Junhyuk didn’t look like he was in a particularly good mood.

Since it was peak evening commute time, traffic was stop-and-go. The inside of the car remained mostly silent.

As they crossed the Han River bridge, Seol tried to break the ice using the scenery outside. “Back in eighth grade, I went riding bicycles along the Han River with my friends. It was so hot that day…”

Every now and then, she brought up little stories tied to the views outside, but Junhyuk’s only response was a simple, “I see.”

“Oh? That’s the hospital I was admitted to when I was little.”

“Admitted?”

Junhyuk’s voice pitched slightly higher.

Seeing a shift from his usual quiet responses brought a smile back to Seol’s face.

“I came down with pneumonia and asthma at the same time. I was four back then, so I don’t even remember it.”

“Has it relapsed since then? Are you doing alright now?”

“Yes, if there’s one thing I can brag about, it’s that I have a sturdy body.”

Junhyuk pulled into the same parking lot where they had met that morning.

When he stepped out of the car without a word, Seol quickly opened her door and got out as well.

“I wanted to buy you a nice dinner, but I have to head back to the office.”

“Pardon?”

Taken aback by his unexpected words, Seol looked at Junhyuk with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry. On your very first day of work, no less.”

“Then why did you even drive all the way here?”

“Look at you glaring at me just because I’m not buying you dinner.”

“You know that’s not what I mean! If that was the case, I could have just taken the subway home!”

“I didn’t want you taking the subway.”

“Why didn’t you want me to?”

“If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Why does there need to be a reason?”

His tone was light. Naturally, she should have banter back just as lightly, but surprisingly, Seol found herself at a loss for words.

The atmosphere quietly warned her not to push it any further. Even though she didn’t think for a second that Junhyuk would get angry or yell if she argued back, the feeling lingered all the same.

During the few seconds their eyes locked, Junhyuk ran his left hand through his immaculate hair.

It was a simple, mundane gesture, yet it felt as if it were happening in slow motion. For a fleeting second, just like when she first met him, her sense of reality slipped away.

It wasn’t just because of his striking good looks. The man standing before her possessed a quiet power that naturally overwhelmed those around him.

Even without looking closely, every single action of his exuded an effortless grace and authority. His eyes, wrapped in a mix of composure and cynicism, were something you rarely saw in anyone else.

‘They’re just built different. Even if people like that were begging under an overpass, they’d still look classy.’

The memory of something Iju had once said suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Whenever Iju used to share stories about the corporate owner family she worked for, both Donghee and Shincheol loved listening to her as if they were hearing top-secret, high-society gossip.

Seol’s expression hardened without her realizing it. Every single person filling her mind made her uncomfortable, and a few of them even repulsed her.

“Let’s have dinner together tomorrow instead.”

Before she could react to his abrupt words, Junhyuk walked around to the back of the car.

“Here, take this. It’s a gift for landing the job.”

Before she even had time to process the sound of the trunk opening and shutting, Junhyuk was standing right in front of her.

Seol shifted her gaze down to the shopping bag he was holding out.

It was a large, luxurious shopping bag stamped with the logo of a famous high-end designer brand.

“It’s a suit. The exchange receipt is inside, so if you don’t like it or the size isn’t right, feel free to swap it.”

“Huh? Ah…”

Staring at the bag, Seol couldn’t bring herself to reach for it, knowing how astronomically expensive it had to be. Seeing her hesitate, Junhyuk took her hand and firmly placed the handles right into her grip.

Then he let go.

The sheer weight resting in her single hand felt surprisingly heavy. Seol spoke up in a hurry.

“You really don’t need to give me gifts. Ah, no—please just return this and get something smaller instead. I mean, something much smaller…”

Her face flushed bright red as her voice trailed off.

She changed her words mid-sentence because refusing it outright felt rude, but as she spoke, it ended up sounding like an awkward compromise.

“It’s no big deal, so just take it.”

“This is way too much. Please return it, or give it to your younger sister.”

Seol carefully voiced her refusal once more.

A heavy silence stretched between them. Through it all, Junhyuk stared at her with a completely unreadable, stoic face.

Watching the woman before him flushed red to the tips of her ears and squirming in place, a surge of negative emotions—frustration, regret, anger—swirled wildly inside him.