Chapter 9 ….
“Excuse me?”
A business trip? That was news to her.
Startled, Uju froze in place, cup in hand, her eyes wide.
“It seems the head of headquarters plans to go to Malaysia personally. Some matters can’t be resolved through reports alone, and they need to send a resident staff member too.”
“Why me? Isn’t there a separate resident management team?”
“Well, it’s Section Chief Yoo who recently went to Malaysia. He probably thought it’d be easier if someone familiar with the local vendors came along.”
Uju struggled to hold back a sigh.
That wasn’t why I went to Malaysia…
But duty was duty.
She couldn’t show her discomfort in front of the team.
“Still, Section Chief Yoo is the head’s classmate, so wouldn’t that be more convenient than for us? They might even have some casual time together after work, without worrying about rank.”
“Oh, that sounds interesting. Yoo speaking casually to the head? I can’t imagine it.”
“I can’t imagine the head speaking casually to anyone. He seems like the type who only knows how to show respect.”
The team’s chatter continued leisurely, enjoying a rare break. Yet, Uju’s expression darkened as she realized she would soon be traveling alone with Ji Haebum.
Alone… with Ji Haebum?
Her mind was already reeling.
“But Section Chief Yoo,”
The youngest on the team, Somi, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.
Somi was still learning the ropes after joining the company and often asked work-related questions. Uju had always secretly admired her diligence.
“Does the head have a girlfriend?”
Uju hadn’t expected the question to be about Ji Haebum. She was momentarily taken aback but forced a small smile.
“I’m not sure.”
For now, she said he didn’t have a girlfriend. And recently, he had even joked about being her boyfriend…
Shaking her head at the absurdity, she sipped her now lukewarm coffee. Somi tilted her head curiously.
“Then it would be okay if I tried approaching him, right?”
Kyungsoo, overhearing, practically jumped in shock.
“What? Somi, you’re braver than you look! Making a move on your boss!”
“It’s not like that. I just want to get closer. The head is impressive no matter who sees him.”
“Well, even other men would admit that. I support this. Let’s get a glimpse of an office romance!”
Receiving Kyungsoo’s over-the-top encouragement, Somi tucked her short hair behind her ear and smiled shyly.
Watching her, Uju felt as if grains of sand were settling heavily in her chest.
“But don’t chaebols usually get engaged early? Arranged marriages and all. Even if he isn’t engaged, I’m sure women in America wouldn’t just stand by.”
“True. He might even be hiding a diamond ring in a drawer.”
As the team chimed in, the break room door opened.
“Let’s start the meeting.”
Ji Haebum, the topic of conversation, appeared.
Cloudy Afternoon
Kiuk was waiting for Uju at a café on the first floor of KU Display’s headquarters.
“Tch, what a hassle.”
Since the alumni meeting with Uju, Kiuk hadn’t been contacted by her. Or rather, he hadn’t made the effort to respond.
Since last year, he had been juggling two women: Uju and Yena.
He met Yena while doing medical volunteer work.
Still a regional medical student, Yena had a freshness Uju didn’t.
Initially, he enjoyed the youthful energy as a casual fling, but as their relationship deepened, his thoughts shifted.
Objectively, Uju wasn’t a bad match. She had a kind heart, financial stability, and despite her father’s absence, she was humble for her position.
And since Uju was his only child, the inheritance of her home and land would naturally come into his hands in time.
Yet her age bothered him. Even if Uju was prettier, Yena was in her early twenties.
Once she became a resident doctor, even younger and more impressive women would line up, so why bother with Uju, who was over thirty?
He should have discarded what was already spent.
He praised himself for finally making a decision.
“Hoo… ha…”
Meanwhile, Uju, having run across the lobby after receiving Kiuk’s message, spotted him in the corner of the café and stopped dead in her tracks.
Seeing his shameless face, after days of ignoring her, made her blood run cold.
Was this what Kiuk intended from the beginning?
“Your father said the land is over 10,000 pyeong, right?”
Looking back, even his proposal had been more unsettling than touching.
He had come with only a bouquet, abruptly suggesting marriage, but his expression seemed more like someone inspecting land than proposing.
“I hope they redevelop it.”
The memory of him reluctantly licking his lips in front of her childhood home made her head throb.
There was no way she could forgive Kiuk just like that.
With a resolute expression, Uju stepped toward him.
“Let’s just get to the point since we need to leave soon.”
Surprisingly, it was Kiuk who spoke.
Uju set her shopping bag on the table.
From it, she took out a stack of wedding invitations and a document envelope, handing it to him.
“This is exactly half and half.”
Over the weekend, she had calculated all the costs involved in preparing the wedding and printed them. She carried copies for both home and office, unsure when she might see Kiuk again.
“Ha!”
Kiuk opened it and let out a bitter laugh.
“Exactly half? Just looking at the total, it’s not half.”
“Of course, you bear the full penalty. The invitations couldn’t be used because of you, so it’s only right that you take responsibility.”
Kiuk’s expression darkened instantly. But Uju continued calmly.
“I only divided the household goods and furniture we bought for the new home evenly. I’ll sell the items myself instead of charging for labor, but if you don’t like that, you can pay and take them.”
She had spent the night carefully selecting beautiful homeware, ordered furniture herself to match his taste…
Why had she obediently catered to him like this? She felt foolish.
Let’s just say she had desperately wanted this marriage too.
“Then what’s this?”
Kiuk, looking razor-sharp, pointed at the bottom of the list: 10 million won.
“Alimony.”
His lips twisted in a menacing scowl.
“Alimony? Are you kidding me?”
Despite his threatening glare, Uju spoke with steady composure.
“Do you think breaking off an engagement is easy? You didn’t just recklessly act without planning to compensate for the mental distress and losses my mother and I would suffer, right?”
“I never said to break it off. I said to delay it.”
“Remember what you said afterward? You said you’d be grateful if I canceled entirely. You wanted it that way, right?”
Finally, Kiuk had nothing to say, scowling in irritation.
He had only treated her well at the start of their relationship. After that, he had treated her like a servant.
Even so, Uju had endured it for her mother.
Her mother liked Kiuk. She had been proud of her daughter’s romance, sharing her joy with everyone. Uju couldn’t take back the smile her mother had worked so hard to reclaim.
