TNS 11

Chapter 11

“That useless piece of garbage. Did seeing a little bit of money completely rot his head? How dare he skip work without notice?”

Secretary Kim, who used to handle all of his trivial chores and covert cleanups, was nowhere to be found. Discovering Secretary Kim’s empty desk, Jun-hyeong huffed and puffed as he threw the office door wide open. Next to the large office desk bathed in sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows stood Ha Yoon-seo, impeccably dressed, looking as if she had been the rightful owner of the space for a long time. Upon discovering her, Cha Jun-hyeong’s facial muscles twisted hideously.

“What the… what are you?”

“Good morning, General Manager. I am Manager Ha Yoon-seo, assigned to perform special advisory duties for the General Manager’s office as of today.”

Jun-hyeong could not believe his ears. That Ha Yoon-seo would be joining as his secretary was something he had not heard from anyone. Having a capable secretary he had coveted crawl under his feet was normally something to welcome, but the current situation was entirely different. Having his hands and feet cut off without warning, only to have Cha Seon-jae’s woman plugged into that spot, made his blood boil upside down.

Intent on grabbing Ha Yoon-seo by the collar right then and there, Jun-hyeong strode aggressively into the office. However, as the executive office chair facing away from him swung around, he froze stiff on the spot like a mannequin. An even more flabbergasting face was waiting for him. A dry gasp leaked between Jun-hyeong’s teeth as his face crumpled even more savagely than when he first spotted Yoon-seo.

“You’re here? The owner is way too late. Still as lazy as ever.”

“You crazy bastard…”

Panic and fury were miserably entwined in Jun-hyeong’s voice. Cha Seon-jae was leaning deep back into the General Manager’s dedicated chair as if he were in his own living room. With relaxed movements, Seon-jae turned a page of the document resting on the desk and raised his eyes. That composed and nonchalant appearance made him look like the true master of the room.

The sight of Cha Seon-jae blatantly sitting in his chair playing the power behind the throne, with Ha Yoon-seo standing beside him as if assisting him, was more than enough to shred Jun-hyeong’s pride to pieces.

“What kind of fucking circus are you two pulling right now? Have you lost your minds?”

“The personnel transfer was conducted in accordance with legitimate procedures. If you have any doubts, it would be faster to check directly with the Vice President.”

Yoon-seo neatly laid a new work notebook and the access card key to the General Manager’s office on Cha Jun-hyeong’s desk. Her movements possessed not a single millimeter of error.

“Going forward, I will be exclusively managing all of the General Manager’s schedules and indicators related to the new drug.”

Belatedly prying his feet off the floor, Jun-hyeong stepped toward Cha Seon-jae, who showed no intention of getting up from his chair.

“Get lost, you son of a bitch! Is that your seat? Aren’t you getting up right now?”

Jun-hyeong charged up to the desk, huffing angrily, but Seon-jae didn’t even bat an eye. Instead, Ha Yoon-seo, who had been standing beside him like a statue, took a step forward and politely blocked Jun-hyeong’s line of sight.

“If you wish to attend the morning executive meeting, you need to hurry.”

“I asked what kind of disrespectful bullshit this is!”

At Jun-hyeong’s irrational pointing, Seon-jae finally closed the document and stood up. Bearing a terribly arrogant and icy gaze, Seon-jae leaned back against the desk and folded his arms across his chest.

“Bullshit? If anything, I’m the one who suddenly got turned into an empty bowl after having a capable secretary snatched away overnight. Losing my secretary before the handover was even finished—I’m the one who should be offended, isn’t that right?”

Sarcasm that could not be hidden seeped through Seon-jae’s voice. Slowly straightening up from the desk, he stepped toward Jun-hyeong pressure-first. The overwhelming presence stemming from the stark difference in their physical frames weighed heavily on Jun-hyeong.

“Since a mere manager absenting herself without her superior’s consent might spark god-knows-what kind of nasty rumors again, I came personally. Because I have business with our Secretary Ha.”

“Go to Father right now and undo this!”

Jun-hyeong yelled out at the top of his lungs, using his father’s authority as a shield. But as if taking pity on him, Seon-jae merely shrugged his shoulders and scanned him slowly from head to toe. That gaze was as indifferent and insulting as looking at dust stuck in a corner.

“The Vice President’s stance was so firm that I stepped back, but if you go back now and demand to call it off, he won’t be pleased with your attitude.”

Passing by Yoon-seo, Seon-jae squeezed her shoulder firmly before letting go. The moment his cold fingertips touched her, Yoon-seo felt a chill run down her spine and bit her lower lip tightly. After staring intently into Yoon-seo’s face, Seon-jae turned his head back toward Jun-hyeong.

“She’s a nice girl, though a bit lacking as an older brother. Take good care of him, Manager Ha.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Furious at the indirect insult, Cha Jun-hyeong flew off the handle and reached out wildly to grab him by the collar. However, Seon-jae’s movement was one step faster. Effortlessly slapping away Jun-hyeong’s hand that cut through the air, Seon-jae snatched Jun-hyeong’s tie instead. Hooking his finger into the crooked knot and yanking it sharply toward himself, Jun-hyeong lost his balance and his upper body was dragged right up to Seon-jae’s nose.

“You know my personality, right, Hyung? I can’t tolerate my things getting damaged.”

Seon-jae’s icy warning fiercely froze the heavy air inside the office. Up close enough for their breath to touch, Seon-jae’s eyes were smooth and devoid of emotion, exuding a terrifying sense of intimidation instead.

Jun-hyeong’s facial muscles quivered with humiliation. His face flushed bright red, but paralyzed by the tension coursing down the back of his neck, he couldn’t even dare to talk back and remained stiffened.

“Didn’t you learn how to tie a necktie? The knot is a mess.”

As if a guardian disciplining a young child, or a master fixing a worthless toy, Seon-jae personally untied Jun-hyeong’s necktie knot.

Fixing the knot back neatly with unhesitating hands, Seon-jae raised just the corners of his mouth to flash a gentle smile. Then, casting his eyes down, he glared intently at the puffing Cha Jun-hyeong, who was thoroughly terrified.

“We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Though I doubt you’ll like it much. Well, get back to work. Don’t slack off.”

Seon-jae lightly patted Jun-hyeong on the shoulder twice and turned around with a scoff. Cha Jun-hyeong, who remained nailed to the spot until the sound of shoe heels echoing against the marble floor faded into the distance, belatedly glared toward the door Seon-jae had exited with veins bulging on his neck. His rage, bursting at the seams with humiliation, immediately targeted Yoon-seo, who was left behind in front of him.

“What kind of scheme is this? You talked about making a deal using marriage, and now you crawl into my room today? What, did you catch some weakness on my father? Or did that bastard Cha Seon-jae order you to?”

Jun-hyeong slammed his hand on the desk and yelled at Yoon-seo. It was an agitated outburst to the point of spraying saliva, but Yoon-seo didn’t bat an eye and calmly organized the scattered papers on the desk. Her cold, businesslike demeanor provoked Jun-hyeong’s deep-rooted inferiority complex all the more blatantly. The fact that no matter what fit he threw, he couldn’t pierce through her solid wall kept grating at his nerves endlessly.

“This is the proposal draft you need to review before the meeting. You have about 10 minutes left before moving to the conference room, so you’ll need to hurry as you must complete the signature within that time.”

“What? Are you lecturing me now? You really think you’re above everyone else, don’t you? Ha Yoon-seo!”

Jun-hyeong screamed and pointed his finger wildly, but Yoon-seo merely bowed her head slightly with impeccable politeness. Amid the luxurious panorama and expensive furniture of the General Manager’s office, the sight of Cha Jun-hyeong screaming looked almost pitiful. Without a single tremble, Yoon-seo turned around and headed for the door.

“Won’t you stop right there? Do my words sound like a joke to you?”