Chapter – 14
I haven’t made him my man yet, but it won’t be long now.
If I show a little more competence and linger around in front of him, I will get promoted to deputy team leader.
Then, the Team Manager will praise and congratulate me again.
I was only waiting for the day to receive praise and recognition from the Team Manager, but then, this irritating girl, Kim Seol-ah, had to show up and bother me.
‘That fox… How dare she act all sweet in front of our Team Manager? The person I’ve had a crush on and devoted myself to for two years?’
Ruby disliked Seol-ah more and more.
She hated the situation where Seol-ah was close to the Team Manager, so lately, she had been obsessively watching Seol-ah’s every move.
***
In the garden of the imposing mansion, chirping birds landed for a moment before flying away.
The fragrant flowers of late spring and the well-maintained lawn of the garden shone beautifully under the warm sunlight.
JK Group’s Chairman, Hoe-chan, and his wife, Bu-hyeon, were having a tea time, chatting about this and that, enjoying a leisurely and relaxed weekend.
The one who disrupted that peaceful time was their second son, Jeong-wook.
Jeong-wook came down from his room on the second floor to the living room where Hoe-chan and Bu-hyeon were.
Hoe-chan, who was savoring his tea, saw Jeong-wook approaching and sitting on the sofa like someone who had something to say, and asked.
“You look like you have something to say.”
Jeong-wook finally brought up what he had been contemplating for days.
“Father.”
“Yes.”
“I, I’ll try working at the company. Your company.”
Hoe-chan looked startled.
“What brings this on? Ever since you graduated from university, I kept telling you day and night to come in and learn the business, but you wouldn’t even listen. Have you come to your senses?”
Hoe-chan had instructed both his twin sons to join the company after graduation to receive management training for the succession of management rights.
Thus, the eldest son, Tae-uk, had joined immediately after graduation and was steadily gaining practical experience.
As the team leader of the Management Support Team, he was showing meaningful results and was soon to be promoted to Department Head of the Management Planning Department.
In this situation, the second son, who had always lived freely like a loafer, suddenly announced he wanted to join the company.
Bu-hyeon, who was listening, smiled brightly and clasped her hands together.
“Jeong-wook, you’ve thought well. Your father and your brother have been so worried about you. How fortunate that you’ve come to your senses and decided to join the company now. Honey, Jeong-wook says he’ll work hard now.”
Bu-hyeon had always felt sorry for Jeong-wook, who had grown up like an outcast in the family, not receiving recognition from Hoe-chan and Tae-uk.
She wished that Jeong-wook, the problem child, would do well splendidly like his brother, but he had caused her worry by wandering off, traveling abroad, or saying he was learning art.
There was a time when he was into car tuning, taking cars apart and reassembling them as he pleased, and when he got into a car accident and the police called, she couldn’t help but sigh.
But now, it seemed he was finally ending that chaotic period where he couldn’t find his footing and was planning to do something to win his father’s favor.
“Honey, you’ll let Jeong-wook gain a better understanding of practical affairs like Tae-uk did, and then give him a director position, right?”
At that, Hoe-chan’s face scrunched up and he spoke to Bu-hyeon as if scolding her.
“What kind of director position for a problem child like him? Even if he shows achievements and trustworthiness on par with Tae-uk, it would still be a matter to consider. I still don’t trust that kid.”
At those words, Jeong-wook’s expression stiffened for a moment before relaxing.
It was familiar. A life of being criticized and reproached, compared to his brother.
By now, it didn’t even leave a small scratch on his heart.
“Choi Jeong-wook, can you handle the work properly if I give it to you? Do you have the confidence to learn the work from the bottom up, you who’ve been playing around like a loafer? If your resolve is half-hearted, it’s better not to even start.”
“I’ll do it, I said I’ll do it. I’m saying I’ll join the company to try hard now. Someone inspired me, too.”
Jeong-wook’s lips twitched as he recalled the sharp exchange he had with Tae-uk at the main house.
“Fine. Then I’ll put you in as an intern, so experience and learn the work firsthand. Your brother has shown what he’s capable of, so he became a team leader right away. He’s about to be promoted to department head soon, and he’s simultaneously preparing for the succession, so he must be extremely busy. Don’t think I’m discriminating against you in that regard. It’s because you came to your senses late.”
At Hoe-chan’s cold, sharp words, Bu-hyeon fidgeted uneasily, worried that Jeong-wook might be hurt, but on the contrary, Jeong-wook’s expression looked light.
“Then, please send me to my brother’s team as an intern.”
“What?”
It was an unexpected statement. Both Hoe-chan and Bu-hyeon’s eyes widened.
Jeong-wook, who had also grown up being constantly compared, never liked doing things with Tae-uk either.
Hoe-chan and Bu-hyeon knew very well that the relationship between the two sons wasn’t good, so why was he suddenly asking to be assigned to his brother’s team?
“What’s the occasion? The process of working and learning under a team leader is different from treating your own brother at home. Practical experience is no joke, do you think you can handle it?”
“I’ll try. I, I can do it. So don’t look down on me so much. If I work hard learning the job and studying, who knows, I might even surpass my brother.”
“Tae-uk was always good from the start, how do you expect to surpass him? If you can even keep up with Tae-uk’s pace, then I’ll acknowledge you.”
Hoe-chan’s eyes narrowed. He was planning to test Jeong-wook.
He had zero expectations for the kid, to the point that it would be a relief if he didn’t cause any problems, so it was a low-risk bet.
When he got into the same university as Tae-uk, it was called a miracle.
He almost regretted trying to stop Bu-hyeon when she said they should also hire the famous, expensive private tutor she got for Tae-uk for Jeong-wook, saying there were no expectations for that kid anyway, so why make him study.
It was only after both got into prestigious universities that Hoe-chan even slightly considered involving his second son in management.
“So, I’m going to change now. Father, please put me in Brother’s team. I’ll learn under him and reform myself. I must. Absolutely assign me to Brother’s team. Understood?”
Jeong-wook’s eyes sparkled as he declared his resolve.
He really wanted to join his brother’s team. He had come to want it.
Ever since Kim Seol-ah came to the main house on his back and fell fast asleep.
From that time on, he thought about how it would be to work alongside his brother and Seol-ah.
He was curious about what kind of woman Kim Seol-ah was, the one his brother had opened his heart to after ten years; he wanted to smell that lily-of-the-valley scent she left on him again; and he thought that if the three of them worked in the same space, many interesting things would happen.
So he decided he definitely wanted to join his brother’s team.
Since he was little, whether he admitted it or not, everything his brother did seemed good, and every path his brother took seemed cool.
He wanted to follow that path but lacked confidence, and also felt rebellious, so he avoided taking that path.
Right in the midst of having such ambivalent feelings, a love-hate relationship towards Tae-uk, he met Kim Seol-ah.
It was only natural that he felt curiosity and interest towards the woman his brother was watching over.
His surroundings were full of people who divided classes based on falsehood, hypocrisy, money, and status, but Kim Seol-ah’s clear eyes didn’t seem to care about such things.
Since she was the woman who mistook me for my brother and confidently confronted me, asking why I was pretending not to know her, perhaps she wouldn’t be led around by me but could form a good relationship with me on equal footing?
He wondered what that Kim Seol-ah was like working and living by his brother’s side, and what attitude his brother would take towards Seol-ah. He was curious about that too.
If he worked by their side, he thought it might give him the motivation to live earnestly.
That’s why Jeong-wook firmly decided to join his brother’s team, because he wanted to be near them.
***
After work on Friday, Tae-uk headed to the main house.
As he drove towards the main house, Tae-uk’s expression was not very pleasant.
It was rare for his father to summon him to the main house, and since Jeong-wook was at the main house, the thought of seeing that kid’s face again already put him in a bad mood.
Arriving at the mansion, Tae-uk parked in the garage and headed towards the main building through the garden with its marble statues.
After ringing the doorbell once, he placed his fingerprint on the scanner and the front door opened.
As he entered the house, the maids, who had already heard of Tae-uk’s arrival, were bustling about.
“Young Master, you’re here?”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
Tae-uk, entering with a polite greeting, was still in his suit from work.
Bu-hyeon came scurrying over and greeted Tae-uk, whom she adored, excitedly.
