Episode 10
At first, he froze. His mind went completely blank—he didn’t know what to say.
But when he looked at Ha‑yoon’s shy, lowered face, his head suddenly cleared. His pounding heart slowly calmed.
He scolded himself, promised himself this would never happen again, and forced himself to act cold.
She’s a friend’s little sister. And…
His fist clenched tight.
He didn’t want to drag Ha‑yoon into his messy world.
She was always bright and positive—he didn’t want to stain her with anything ugly.
Even with those thoughts, his eyes kept searching for her the moment he got back. But she wasn’t there. He couldn’t hear her voice anywhere. The office was quiet except for the sound of keyboards.
A strange feeling grew in his chest as he stepped into the office.
“Sir, you’re back from your meeting?”
A teammate stood up. Tae‑jun nodded casually and asked, pretending not to care:
“I asked Ha‑yoon to handle something. Do you know where she went?”
“Ah… really? She said she didn’t have anything to do…”
“I told her to check something for me and come to my office. Did she step out?”
“Ah… well… This morning, Team 2 said they were short on staff, so she went to help them.”
…What? Without telling him?
Tae‑jun’s face hardened instantly. The teammate panicked and bowed.
“Didn’t Manager Chae tell you? He said he’d tell you himself…”
“Not at all.”
“We wanted to wait for your permission, but he got angry and said we were wasting time, and… we were all so busy…”
“So you’re saying Team 2 just took her without proper approval?”
“We honestly thought he had told you… We didn’t know… I’m sorry.”
That bastard Chae… Tae‑jun’s teeth ground together so hard they made a sound.
He knew Chae didn’t like him. He’d seen Chae pick fights for no reason, try to shake him up.
Because Team 2 never got the good time slots, Chae always thought Tae‑jun was playing favorites.
But KJ Media was a jungle. Time slots and bonuses went to whoever had the best numbers.
Still, Chae always blamed Tae‑jun instead of himself.
Tae‑jun had ignored it all this time. But now? This?
He stole someone from Team 1—without asking and hadn’t sent her back, even after all this time.
Knowing Ha‑yoon’s personality, she wouldn’t speak up, even if she hated it. That made him move faster.
“She’s at a live studio?”
“Yes, sir. They’re still in the basement studio. The show ended, but there was some kind of accident… they’re still dealing with it.”
Tae‑jun’s jaw tightened. His hands clenched.
“…Got it. I’ll handle it. And listen—1 Team is my responsibility right now. From now on, no one leaves without asking me directly. Understood?”
“Yes, sir…”
Everyone’s faces were tense. Sending their youngest member over had already felt wrong, and now this…
“I’ll handle this. You all focus on the next broadcast.”
Only when Tae‑jun’s face returned to normal did they answer, “Yes, sir!” and get back to work.
He loosened his tie and headed toward the studio. He could almost feel Ha‑yoon being mistreated down there, and his steps grew faster.
He didn’t even wait for the elevator, he ran down the stairs two at a time.
“Hey, Tae‑jun! Why are you running?”
It was the head cameraman, an old friend. Tae‑jun stopped briefly.
“Where’s Team 2?”
“After that show? Probably crying somewhere. But why was one of your team members down there? That tiny girl from your team, right?”
“Where is she now?”
“Still in the studio, I think. Better go get her—they were all ganging up on her. She was only there to help! What’s wrong with them…”
“Thanks. I owe you.”
Tae‑jun’s face darkened even more.
The studio was quiet at first. But the deeper he went, the louder it got—Chae Byung‑wook’s angry shouting filled the air. Between his yells, Tae‑jun caught Ha‑yoon’s small, shaky voice trying to explain. But Chae only got louder, yelling over her.
Tae‑jun stopped dead in his tracks.
Ha‑yoon was clearly trying to defend herself, but Chae wasn’t listening—just screaming at her. Tae‑jun’s fists trembled.
That bastard really wants to die today.
If it were anyone else, he would’ve stayed calm, handled it carefully.
But because it was Ha‑yoon—that Ha‑yoon—he couldn’t hold himself back.
He stormed inside and stared Chae down like he could burn a hole through him.
Then he turned and saw Ha‑yoon, shoulders small and shaking, eyes wide with fear.
That was the exact moment Tae‑jun’s last bit of control snapped.
Later, after walking her back, Tae‑jun called Chairman Bong‑soo immediately. He didn’t explain much—he went straight to the point:
“I want to add another person to Team 1.”
Because who could guarantee this wouldn’t happen again? If it did, Ha‑yoon would be the first to volunteer. She was the youngest, the lowest rank, and too willing.
— Hasn’t your youngest been here less than two years?
“They took her without permission. Team 1 will only get busier. I need to make sure this never happens again.”
— Then wouldn’t it be better to add someone to Team 2?
“No. Team 2 already has plenty of people. Team 1 is the one that needs backup.”
There was a long pause. Then:
— So are you asking for this because Team 1 might get busier… or because you don’t want that girl sent to help Team 2 ever again?
Of course he figured it out. He knew exactly who “that girl” was.
“Whatever the reason, I want another person added. Team 1 has good numbers—you know that. We need the support.”
— Hmm…
“That’s all. Goodbye.”
Tae‑jun hung up, his face dark. He couldn’t stop seeing Ha‑yoon’s hurt expression from earlier.
He cursed under his breath, ran his hand through his hair, and walked away.
Later that day, Soo‑jung returned from a meeting, massaging her temples.
“You’re back, Soo‑jung. Good work,” Ha‑yoon said.
“Work? Please. Oh—wait till you hear what I just heard.”
“What is it?”
“You know the director, right?”
“…The director?”
Ha‑yoon’s heart sped up.
“I heard he might be getting married.”
“…What?”
Her heart, which had been pounding, suddenly felt like it dropped to the floor.
“One of our staff went to a hotel restaurant a few days ago. She said she saw someone who looked exactly like him… having dinner with some woman.”
“Are you serious?”
Seok‑hoon, writing a report, stood up in shock. Soo‑jung nodded.
“I heard it myself.”
“M‑maybe it was just a normal meal?”
“Nope. Apparently it didn’t look like that at all.”
“What do you mean…?”
Soo‑jung giggled, lowered her voice, and whispered:
“She said the woman was looking at our director like she was completely in love with him.”
