CHAPTER 10……………………………
Just in case he might come by my office after work, I sent him a brief text instead of calling. But unlike usual, there was no response from him for a long while.
“Did he not see it…?”
I hovered over the call button for quite some time, my finger lingering there. But soon I shook my head and put the phone down. I figured he must have seen it on his own.
Even so, despite my worry that he might show up at my office after work, Geon-u never appeared anywhere, even as time passed.
It was a relief—but at the same time, a strange bitterness settled in my chest.
Was it because I’d grown too used to it? Somehow, his absence felt oddly empty.
“Ms. Miju. Have a nice weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Yes, you too, sir! Have a great weekend!”
Perhaps because the weekend was just around the corner, Miju’s voice sounded unusually bright. Hana smiled and nodded, then headed straight for the parking lot.
Remembering Gi-hun’s warning not to be late, she quickened her pace even more.
“I’m sorry. I came as early as I could, but… traffic was bad.”
She was about three minutes late. All the seats were already filled, and Hana quickly apologized, watching Gi-hun’s reaction.
“It’s fine. Sit down.”
It was Aera—Gi-hun’s girlfriend.
Smiling as if it really didn’t matter, she gestured for Hana to come over. Hana gave a small nod and carefully took the empty seat.
“Where’s President Jung?”
It was an unexpected question. No one had told her to bring him along. Gi-hun must have assumed he would naturally come with her. Hana hesitated, nervously gauging Gi-hun’s expression before finally forcing out an answer.
“…He said he was busy with work. I’m sorry.”
“Honestly.”
Gi-hun clicked his tongue in displeasure and shook his head. His gaze toward Hana was filled with contempt. As if she’d committed some unforgivable sin, Hana lowered her head as far as it would go and pressed her lips tightly together.
“Oh right, you two should introduce yourselves!”
At Aera’s voice, Hana lifted her head—and only then noticed an unfamiliar face. A woman about her age, someone she had never seen before. Without even thinking to ask first, Hana merely glanced at the woman sitting across from her.
Before Hana could say anything, Aera clapped her hands dramatically and continued. Hana’s gaze moved back and forth between Aera and the woman.
“Hana, this is your first time meeting her, right? Say hello—this is my daughter, Chaeyeon.”
Daughter?
It was a completely unexpected reveal. Having known Aera for quite some time without ever knowing she had a child, Hana could only stare in shock, unable even to think about offering a proper greeting.
“She was studying business management and came back to Korea not long ago. She’s the same age as you, so feel free to treat her like a friend.”
Gi-hun added a word, looking directly at Hana—clearly telling her not to just sit there blankly, but to greet her.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Yoo Chaeyeon.”
Chaeyeon smiled and extended her hand first, beating Hana to it just as Hana was about to speak.
“Oh—yes. I’m Seo Hana.”
Unable to ignore the gesture, Hana awkwardly smiled back and shook her hand.
“You’re practically family now, and you’ll be working together at the company too—how can you be this awkward? Talk comfortably with each other.”
Working together at the company?
At Aera’s words, Hana looked at Gi-hun with a puzzled expression.
She knew well that Gi-hun never let people into the company lightly, so the news caught her off guard. But only for a moment. Afraid to meet his eyes, Hana quickly lowered her head.
“Right. Chaeyeon starts work next week, doesn’t she?”
As if he didn’t notice Hana at all, Gi-hun kept his attention solely on Chaeyeon as he spoke.
“Yes.”
“If there’s anything you don’t know, go to Hana and ask her. Your offices are close anyway. Hana, you take good care of Chaeyeon too.”
“…Yes.”
Chaeyeon looked at Hana and curved her lips into a smile. Despite the smile, there was something strangely cold in her eyes. Even while smiling, an inexplicable chill seemed to emanate from her.
Beep, beep, beep—beee—
Dragging her exhausted body home, Hana stepped inside. At the dinner table, she’d barely known whether the food was going down her throat or her nose. Feeling uncomfortably full, she tapped her chest a few times.
The living room lights were on brightly—Geon-u must have already been home.
“Chairman Seo contacted me. He asked why I didn’t come with you.”
Geon-u appeared from the dressing room, now changed into comfortable clothes. It seemed Gi-hun had already reached out; Geon-u walked toward Hana as he spoke.
“I didn’t hear anything about it from you.”
“It wasn’t anything important. Don’t worry about it.”
She replied indifferently and tried to walk straight past him toward the bedroom, but her wrist was caught. Their eyes met again.
“Why are you the one deciding that? Chairman Seo said there was someone important he wanted to introduce.”
Why would he want to introduce Aera’s daughter to Geon-u? It was impossible to understand.
But she had no right to harbor such doubts, so she decided not to dwell on it.
“Let’s arrange a separate dinner sometime later. It’s been a while since I ate with Chairman Seo too.”
Why Geon-u didn’t refuse such a meeting either was another mystery. His tendency to never turn down anything related to Gi-hun felt especially strange. But again, it wasn’t something she had the right to question, so she kept her thoughts to herself.
“And from now on, don’t decide things on your own and keep your mouth shut. Even if it seems trivial, tell me everything.”
“……”
“If it’s about your family, it’s my business too.”
Everything about this situation was utterly incomprehensible.
The next morning.
After finishing her preparations for work, Hana headed toward the front door. She stopped short, startled to see Geon-u leaning against the wall—she had assumed, as always, that he’d already left.
“You haven’t gone yet?”
“Let’s go. I’ll drive you.”
“What?”
Leaving work together was one thing, but they’d always commuted separately in the mornings. Without thinking, she questioned him out of pure confusion.
But Geon-u seemed completely unconcerned, grabbing his car keys and opening the door.
“You’re going straight to the office, right?”
“Ah, it’s okay. I’ll take my own car.”
Hana shook her head immediately. Since Ilju Group and Seoga Food were in completely opposite directions, there was no need for such trouble.
“I have a meeting near your office. You’re going to ride in my car on the way back anyway, so just get in. Don’t leave your car parked at the company and then take a taxi back tomorrow morning.”
Because she usually rode home in Geon-u’s car, her own car was always left in the company parking lot overnight. Yesterday, since they hadn’t come home together, her car was currently parked in the underground garage at home—but it was obvious it would soon end up stuck at the office again.
“Hurry up.”
Thinking that was inefficient too, Hana reluctantly followed him.
Even after getting into the car, neither of them spoke for a long time. An uncomfortable silence filled the space. Hana kept her gaze fixed on the window, not once looking away.
Rrrrr—
The phone ringing broke the silence. Only then did Hana turn her head and pull her phone out of her bag.
[Vice Chairman Jung Woo-il]
Seeing the name flashing on the screen, Hana quickly lowered the volume. Glancing nervously at Geon-u, she shoved the phone back into her bag.
“Who is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
Geon-u’s question came immediately, but Hana forced herself to respond calmly, pretending she wasn’t flustered.
She thought that would be the end of it.
Rrrrr—
The ringtone blared again, loud and ill-timed.
“Answer it.”
Geon-u said coldly, his voice low and commanding. Sensing what seemed like anger, Hana hastily turned off the screen.
“It’s a call I don’t need to answer.”
As she lifted the phone to switch it to silent—just in case it rang again—
…
