Chapter – 60
Heat quickly flushed up Seol-ah’s face.
He kept saying “oppa” three times, as if he wanted her to call him that…
Just imagining herself calling him “oppa” after always calling him “team leader” made her feel shy and embarrassed.
“Choi Tae-uk calls me oppa by himself. Am I not allowed to?”
Tae-uk teased as he looked at Seol-ah, whose cheeks had turned red like apples.
He stopped himself from pressing further on her pale, delicate skin, worried he might leave red marks, and instead gazed at her intently with deep, smoldering eyes.
“Call me something else besides ‘team leader.’ I want to hear some other title come from your mouth.”
His breathing was becoming uneven.
Seol-ah recalled when she had visited his house and he had been struggling with desire—she remembered how his breathing had changed then, too. And she remembered the hard, thick thing pressing against her hip while she was sitting on his thigh.
“…!”
Her eyes trembled as she looked down and then back up.
“Team leader… this is—”
“Now, just being physically close with you makes my body react like this automatically.”
Her heart pounded. The office was still tense from the bullying incident, and yet here she was, in the executive office, engaged in such intimate actions with Tae-uk.
Seol-ah cupped his face in her hands and gently pressed her lips to his.
Although she had never done it first before, she summoned courage and let her tongue slip between his lips.
Her small, awkward tip met the wet warmth of his tongue, sending tingles all through her body.
After softly sucking his lower lip once and breaking the kiss, Seol-ah slowly opened her eyes.
“It’s still awkward, so I’ll call you team leader for now, but after a while, I’ll try calling you ‘oppa’—just like you want.”
“You said I wanted that?”
“No? But it seems like you want it a lot…”
He had gotten a little jealous over Choi Jung-wook calling her “oppa” and had been insistent himself.
Seol-ah couldn’t help but let out a small giggle.
Tae-uk, realizing how ridiculous his demand sounded, gave a quiet, defeated chuckle and smiled slightly.
“Alright, I do want it a lot. Happy now?”
“Then I’ll call you that whenever I feel like it.”
Seol-ah teased him with a playful expression, and Tae-uk let out another soft laugh.
For the first time in a while, she felt a sense of stability and comfort, sensing this kind of playful banter in his arms.
How long had it been since she felt this calm and happy?
Sitting on his thigh, she rested her head warmly against his shoulder.
Leaning on his broad shoulders felt reassuring. Tae-uk seemed like a steadfast, unshakable pine tree, someone who could handle anything and protect her completely.
“Just resting like this on you is enough for me. I waited so long for you to return from your business trip—”
Knock. Knock.
Suddenly, the knock on the door cut through their conversation.
Startled, Seol-ah pulled away from Tae-uk’s lap.
“Team leader, it’s Assistant Manager Yoon.”
Tae-uk, also surprised, cleared his throat and replied.
“Yes, come in.”
Seol-ah tucked her long hair behind her ear, bowed slightly, and quickly exited the office.
Even after closing the door, she couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks.
Her heart raced, and a smile threatened to spill out uncontrollably.
At JK Corporation, a disciplinary meeting was being held.
Tae-uk, head of the Management Support Team and next in line for CEO, was required to attend.
Jung-wook, the second son of the JK Corporation chairman, also entered the meeting.
Jung-wook was still under observation by Hwa-chan, but he was being allowed to join important meetings to learn from his older brother’s responsibilities.
And…
The meeting’s outcome unfolded just as Tae-uk had expected.
Returning to the office, Tae-uk called all Management Support Team employees to the team conference room.
Once Seol-ah and Ruby arrived, Tae-uk began summarizing the results of the disciplinary meeting.
“As you all know, a few days ago, an unfortunate incident occurred in our team. The event was serious enough to spread rumors within the company, tarnishing our team’s reputation.”
The team grew tense at Tae-uk’s opening statement. Ruby couldn’t even lift her head.
“Workplace harassment refers to acts in which an employer or employee uses their position to subject another employee to physical or mental suffering beyond appropriate work boundaries, thereby worsening the working environment.”
Seol-ah, too, kept her gaze fixed on the table, listening with a serious expression.
The only one who seemed relaxed, blinking and observing the room casually, was Jung-wook.
“Ms. Park Ruby and other involved employees met all three conditions to be judged as workplace harassment.”
As soon as Tae-uk finished, Jung-wook raised a hand.
“So, does this mean that the disciplinary meeting concluded their actions exceeded appropriate work boundaries?”
“Yes. They engaged in private gossip repeatedly, intentionally excluded and ignored Ms. Kim Seol-ah during work, and assigned excessive tasks that obstructed her from performing her duties effectively.”
Ruby, Ran-jung, and the other female employees sat silently, mouths tightly shut.
“Witnesses confirmed that Ms. Ruby repeatedly distributed snacks to intentionally exclude Ms. Kim Seol-ah, and Mr. Choi Jung-wook admitted to excluding her from lunch, gossiping about her, and deliberately tripping her. Other departments also testified to physical assaults, such as pouring water on her in the bathroom.”
Tae-uk furrowed his brow and raised his voice, scolding them.
“Furthermore, multiple employees reported that when Ms. Kim Seol-ah or Mr. Choi Jung-wook asked for help with work, they were ignored several times. If team members cannot perform in a supportive environment, the resulting performance suffers. In my team, this will not be tolerated!”
After explaining why the disciplinary actions were necessary, Tae-uk read the formal decision.
“According to Article 76-3 of the Labor Standards Act, regarding measures against workplace harassment, Ms. Park Ruby is hereby dismissed, effective immediately.”
Gasps and whispers filled the room.
“All other involved employees, aside from the primary instigator Ms. Ruby, will be transferred to other departments.”
Seol-ah’s eyes widened as she looked at Tae-uk.
“Dismissed…?”
She had expected only a transfer or demotion, so she was surprised by Ruby’s termination.
Though Tae-uk’s decisive action was intimidating, Seol-ah felt deeply grateful that he had worked hard to resolve the incident and bring it to a close.
Back at her desk, Ruby began crying uncontrollably, with no one to comfort her.
The female employees who had banded together for gossip and exclusion ignored Ruby, too concerned about potential consequences affecting them.
Seeing everyone turn away, Ruby’s tears came freely, overwhelmed by the sense of isolation.
Quietly, Seol-ah opened her company messenger.
She typed a long message to Tae-uk, expressing regret and apology.
[Team leader… I sincerely apologize for not informing you earlier. I thought I was helping, but it ended up causing trouble for you. I’m grateful for the personnel actions regarding Ms. Ruby, but I also worry it may have been burdensome for you. You worked late nights for several days because of this incident… I won’t let this happen again. I’m truly sorry.]
After pouring her heart into the message, Seol-ah sent it, imagining him in the executive office reading it.
Soon after, Tae-uk replied—not through the company messenger, but via his cell phone.
[You touched my woman. How dare you survive inside JK, where I run things.]
