TTL 10

Chapter 10

Someone They’re About to Break Off an Engagement With

This man is saying strange things again…!

Ga-eul’s mouth went completely dry.

It was as if the pounding of her heart had spread all the way to her head, leaving her unable to think clearly.

Just then, a warm sensation spread across her back.

Hyun-seung’s hand touched her carefully. That tiny touch alone made her heart pound even harder.

“Are you all right, Chef Yeon Ga-eul?”

“……”

“You seem quite startled.”

Every time they met, he said things that could easily lead to misunderstandings. Now, even his actions seemed to carry the same meaning.

The way he looked at her, the warm and gentle pat on her back, and the subtle warmth in his voice.

Everything about him made Ga-eul feel shaken.

“Shall we go to the hospital? We can have the evidence documented while we’re there.”

“Evidence… documented?”

“Here.”

The tip of Hyun-seung’s index finger came to rest on the wound on her lips, which had not yet fully healed. Just like on the cherry blossom path, the contact came so suddenly that she had no time to react.

The wound itself did not sting, but the sharp ache in her chest returned just as it had that day.

“We can’t let a scar form on those pretty lips.”

For a moment, she even imagined the wind blowing past her.

She could almost see cherry blossom petals fluttering behind Hyun-seung as he stood with the light at his back.

“You remember what I said, don’t you? That I would do things the way you wanted, Chef Yeon Ga-eul.”

Revenge.

Hyun-seung mouthed the word without making a sound.

Reading his lips, Ga-eul realized that all of this was part of her plan to take revenge on Park Sa-ran.

She decided to accept his kindness with great pleasure.

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

The contract was sealed.

With Ga-eul’s answer, the agreement Hyun-seung had proposed was now implicitly established. Something she had agonized over until just that afternoon had finally been decided.

Yes, let’s take this man’s hand.

If a man like him could turn even such a small incident into something this big, then he would surely be able to help her with the things to come on an entirely different scale.

At the same time, Hyun-seung’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Then, shall we head straight to the hospital?”

“No. Before we go, I’d like to make sure I finish things properly.”

“Finish things?”

Ga-eul answered with an ambiguous smile. Then she stepped slightly away from him and approached Park Sa-ran.

Sa-ran seemed unable to understand what was happening. Judging by her expression, she looked much the same as Ga-eul had when she was slapped.

“Thank you, Chef Park Sa-ran.”

“……W-what for?”

A cold light spread through Ga-eul’s eyes.

“Thanks to you, it looks like I’m about to become GH Food’s signature chef. I’ll remember this kindness for the rest of my life.”

“……!”

“Would you mind moving aside? I’m going to submit my resignation to the CEO.”

As Sa-ran faltered under her forceful attitude, Ga-eul did not hesitate to brush past her, bumping her shoulder.

Sa-ran stumbled from the impact, but Hyun-seung made no move to catch her.

Without even sparing a glance at Sa-ran, who had fallen heavily to the floor, he spoke in a low voice.

“I’m not joking. Make sure you prepare yourself.”

“……Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“Prepare to pay the price for hurting someone who belongs to me.”

At Hyun-seung’s words, Sa-ran’s face turned deathly pale.

“S-someone who belongs to you? Are you saying that you and Yeon Ga-eul are… involved with each other?!”

“People really do see only what they want to see.”

Fuck. This leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.

Park Sa-ran’s shoulders flinched. He had muttered the words quietly, but it seemed she had heard him.

The idea of being involved with Yeon Ga-eul was not unpleasant to him. However, hearing such words from the mouth of a woman who was having an affair at work made him feel disgusted.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“You should apologize to Chef Yeon Ga-eul, shouldn’t you?”

“……”

“That might at least help your case.”

Hyun-seung took his phone out of his pocket and added,

“Of course, there won’t be any leniency.”

His elegant fingers glided across the screen.

File a complaint for the assault. Schedule a meeting with the legal team for tomorrow morning.

If he was going to help her get revenge, he intended to do it properly.

How about a little gift to celebrate our contract?

Using Park Sa-ran as a sacrifice to gain Ga-eul’s trust did not sound like a bad idea.

“Then, make sure you’re prepared. Do your very best.”

After sending the message to Secretary Ham, Hyun-seung walked past Sa-ran and headed inside the building.

Park Sa-ran, who had been lying on the floor, slowly got back to her feet and muttered anxiously,

“What on earth is going on…?”

No matter how hard she tried to figure it out, she could not come up with a clear answer.

Still, she had done what CEO Ham Eun-ji wanted, hadn’t she?

“Whatever. Yeon Ga-eul is quitting anyway.”

But she could not understand why she felt so uneasy.

An ominous feeling, completely out of place on a spring day, sent a shiver down Park Sa-ran’s spine.

Ga-eul went straight to the CEO’s office after entering the building.

She still had the resignation letter she had written that morning tucked inside her clothes. Before knocking, she glanced at the CCTV camera installed in the corner.

That camera had been the reason she had hesitated to come up here.

But today was different. She had business to attend to, and she was simply visiting the office of the person in charge. There was no reason for her to feel intimidated.

Ga-eul took the resignation letter out of her clothes.

“So this is how it ends.”

As she looked at the words written in bold, confident handwriting, Hyun-seung’s face came to mind.

Her mind had already been made up when she wrote the letter. She had hesitated a little because she still had not checked her father’s safe, but thanks to Hyun-seung setting things in motion, her decision had unexpectedly become firm.

I’ll investigate it and put everything behind me once and for all.

She could search for the person behind what had happened to her father together with him.

The thought of spending day and night with Ji Hyun-seung was a little overwhelming, but she had no intention of backing out now.

After taking a deep breath, Ga-eul knocked. A moment later, she heard someone tell her to come in.

She opened the door and entered.

“Oh! Ga-eul, it’s you. What brings you all the way to the CEO’s office?”

Eun-ji welcomed her with a fairly friendly expression.

And Ga-eul knew that expression was fake. Eun-ji had worn a similar smile the last time they played gonggi together.

“I’m here to hand in my resignation, Eun-ji.”

“Your resignation? We just saw each other today. Why all of a sudden?”

“I don’t think I work well with the people in this kitchen. I guess I’m not as capable as I thought.”

For an instant, Eun-ji’s lips seemed to twitch, but Ga-eul pretended not to notice.

“What are you talking about, Ga-eul? It’s not as if I haven’t seen your résumé. Where could we possibly find another chef as talented as you?”

Perhaps if the past had never happened, Ga-eul might have believed her words.

Right now, Ham Eun-ji’s face looked as though she were at a loss over her friend’s misfortune.

“Anyway, take this.”

“If your decision is really that firm…”

Pretending to be reluctant, Eun-ji accepted Ga-eul’s resignation letter.

At that moment, Ga-eul quickly surveyed the office. The interior had changed quite a bit, but the basic layout was similar enough that she could easily estimate where things had once been.

Found it.

Of course, her father’s mother-of-pearl inlaid safe was nowhere to be seen.

Another safe stood in the same location, but there was no doubt that it was not her father’s.

That was fine. What she had really wanted to see was the tiled floor beneath the safe.

The marble tiles are still the same…

There was still a chance that traces of her father remained beneath them.

Right. For now, I’ll just confirm that much and leave.

Ga-eul turned her attention away and looked at Eun-ji again, her expression blank.

Her cheeks were flushed. She seemed quite pleased.

She had worn a similar expression the last time they exchanged farewells, when she had gone on about how Ga-eul was the daughter of a murderer.

You really haven’t changed at all, Ham Eun-ji.

“Where are you planning to go now?”

“GH Food happened to offer me a position, so I’m going there.”

“……!”

“Why are you so surprised, Eun-ji?”

Ga-eul genuinely found her reaction strange, so she asked. Eun-ji stumbled over her words.

“You’re… going to GH Food? Don’t tell me it’s that project? The one where they’re looking for a signature chef…?”

Ga-eul was about to confirm it when she sensed someone at the entrance to the CEO’s office.

Click, click.

The sound of neatly polished dress shoes echoed across the marble floor as Hyun-seung entered the office.

“Are you finished?”

The first thing he did after entering was speak to Ga-eul.

“Yes, I’m all done.”

“If you’re finished, let’s go.”

Hyun-seung held out his hand to Ga-eul with a gentlemanly smile.

Seeing this, flames seemed to ignite in Ham Eun-ji’s eyes.

“Hyun-seung, are you going to pretend your fiancée isn’t even here?”

At the word fiancée, Ga-eul was startled. She had been about to take Hyun-seung’s hand, but she stopped halfway.

Hyun-seung, however, paid no attention to Eun-ji’s remark and caught Ga-eul’s hand again.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand, Ms. Yeon Ga-eul.”

Without even looking at Ham Eun-ji, he continued, merely gesturing with his chin in Eun-ji’s direction.

“We’re about to break off our engagement.”