Chapter 2
The moment his hand withdrew, Yujin instinctively straightened her neck.
He hadn’t actually touched her, yet something disturbingly similar lingered in her chest.
As though an elegant silhouette had slowly been licked across her skin.
With a languid tilt of his head, he looked back at her.
“Until next time.”
He turned and walked down the stone path, his entourage following behind him.
Jang Jaewon, with his massive build, disappeared into the tide of black suits.
There was a separate VIP parking lot, so they wouldn’t attract the attention of the public.
Gi Seunghyun…
He had stood there with his upper body completely bare, yet the ridiculous appearance hadn’t embarrassed him in the slightest.
He wasn’t an ordinary man.
Not even a trace of shame existed on his face.
Rather, he had displayed everything without reservation, overwhelming countless gazes with nothing more than his own presence.
Remembering the pistol tattoo, Yujin let out a cold, mocking smile.
Call me if you ever want to sleep together…
After seeing each other naked on the very first meeting, hadn’t they already seen everything there was to see?
She turned to her manager.
“Remove that door and commission the craftsman to make a new one.”
She paused before adding,
“Politely.”
“And renovate the interior while you’re at it. Install screens around the daecheong hall so that no one can see inside. Pay close attention to every detail.”
“Understood. As for the expenses…”
Yujin answered as though it were an absurd question.
“We’ll bear the cost ourselves.”
The manager bowed his head.
The broken door had never simply been a door.
It was a work of art.
The master craftsman had studied the surrounding scenery and atmosphere, assigning a unique theme to every room before creating each piece by hand.
It would take months before it could be restored to its original perfection.
But perfection was worth waiting for.
As Yujin made up her mind, her gaze shifted to one of the CCTV cameras mounted on a nearby streetlamp.
“Delete the footage.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I heard one of the VIP rooms was closed. Was there some kind of problem?”
Having just left the conference room at Shina Foods headquarters, Yujin looked up.
The face approaching from the opposite hallway made even the sunlight pouring through the windows seem murky.
“I also heard all the CCTV footage was erased.”
So where did the rumor leak from?
Without responding, Yujin walked past him, ignoring the foul breath drifting near her shoulder.
Behind her came the sticky echo of expensive leather shoes, clinging like tar.
A beast that had found the weakness of its prey never willingly let go.
Yujin, her long hair tied neatly into a single ponytail, calmly endured the gaze crawling down the back of her neck.
The secretary’s complexion immediately darkened upon seeing the two of them enter together.
“So even the people from Strategic Planning Team One are acting like this now.”
The man smiled.
“Your Executive Director Kang Yujin’s secretary doesn’t even greet me anymore?”
“I’m sorry, Executive Director Kang Jongwon.”
The secretary quickly stood and bowed respectfully.
Deep smile lines curled around Jongwon’s eyes.
“Go bring me some coffee.”
“Something cold.”
“Yes, sir.”
Entering Yujin’s office as though it belonged to him, Jongwon frowned as the sunlight suddenly disappeared.
Yujin lowered the blinds before picking up a remote control.
A magnificent orchestral performance filled the once-silent office.
The volume was loud enough to drown out their voices.
Apparently pleased by that, Jongwon stopped directly in front of her.
“I heard Director Jang Jaewon from Jeongsan Trading visited Risul last night.”
“Is that true?”
Yujin’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Kang Jongwon—her cousin—had been like this since childhood.
Whenever it involved Yujin, he would latch on with almost pathetic persistence.
Always searching for even the smallest weakness.
Always trying to beat her.
“I hear a few reporters have been tailing Director Jang.”
“The media’s making a huge fuss because he allegedly sexually harassed a woman.”
“You’d think he’d be lying low.”
“So why on earth did he go there?”
“…”
“He wasn’t there just to enjoy a meal, was he?”
Apparently, he still didn’t know who Jang Jaewon had met.
That meant the leak hadn’t come from anyone inside Risul.
The reporters following Jang Jaewon must have dropped hints, and Jongwon had personally gone digging afterward.
That much was well within Yujin’s expectations.
“Risul values its guests’ privacy above all else.”
“What happened there…”
“Who met whom…”
“You won’t hear a single word from me.”
“So you can stop asking.”
“Fine.”
“I don’t care who he met.”
“But why was that room destroyed?”
“The interior design was terrible.”
“…Ha.”
Jongwon burst into a shrill laugh.
“I should’ve known from the moment you insisted on entering the restaurant business under the excuse of a luxury branding strategy.”
“Our Executive Director Kang Yujin wasn’t trying to improve Shina Foods’ image.”
“You were trying to open a high-end pleasure house.”
At his deliberate choice of words, Yujin calmly folded her arms.
“Or…”
Tilting his head, Jongwon slowly traced the elegant line of her pale neck with his eyes.
“Are you secretly entertaining clients there?”
“Is that why you erased the CCTV footage?”
His vulgar insinuation gnawed at her pride.
“I heard you’re not interested in men.”
“So what?”
“Old married men like Director Jang are more your type?”
Yujin finally spoke.
“Kang Jongwon.”
“Oh?”
He grinned.
“Calling your older cousin by name now?”
“Why do you think I left my executive position at the supermarket division and transferred to Shina Foods?”
“Exactly.”
“So why crawl over here just to annoy everyone?”
She took one slow step forward.
The sharp click of her high heels narrowed the distance between them.
“Why?”
“It’s simple.”
The look in her eyes resembled a predator beginning its hunt.
For the first time, Jongwon instinctively took a step backward.
“Because among every subsidiary in the Shina Group…”
“Shina Foods has the worst performance.”
His lips twitched.
“What did you just say?”
“Numbers don’t lie.”
“So accept reality.”
From the day Yujin had joined the company as Chairman Kang Homun’s daughter, every executive had watched her with obvious hostility.
“But wasn’t it already proven?”
“My arrival as the rescue pitcher increased sales.”
Employees whose motivation had long since been crushed after having every good idea rejected by upper management had welcomed Yujin like a breath of fresh air.
“You’ve realized just how poorly this company has been run.”
“So…”
“Do you still have something to say?”
Yujin’s management style was famous for resembling her father’s.
Aggressive.
Bold.
Decisive.
The only people who disliked her were the old executives who clung stubbornly to outdated traditions like reinforced concrete.
Shina Group’s established reputation alone kept products selling.
Those executives had no desire to invest in innovation.
To them, Yujin—who kept producing undeniable results—was nothing more than a thorn in their side.
“…Do you actually think that’ll make you someone important?”
Jongwon sneered.
“My father may have lost the battle for Shina Group’s succession…”
“But he still secured Shina Foods.”
“He may be an honorary chairman now…”
“But everyone on our side is still here.”
“No matter how hard you work…”
“No matter what results you achieve…”
“I’m already the designated next president.”
“You can struggle all you want.”
“You’ll never sit in that chair.”
“…”
“Well…”
“If you enjoy working so much…”
“Once I become president, I’ll generously give you a respectable position.”
The mere fantasy made the corners of his mouth rise.
“I’ll put you somewhere you’ll have to obey every order I give.”
“I’ll train you like a dog.”
“When I tell you to come, you’ll come.”
“When I tell you to leave, you’ll leave.”
Yujin’s voice became icy.
“Until that day comes…”
“You should worry about cleaning up your own mess.”
“Weren’t you the one boasting about changing Shina Foods’ image?”
“There’s only two years left.”
“Do you really think everything will go your way?”
“It would…”
“If you stopped sabotaging me from behind.”
She lowered her voice into a whisper.
“Does your wife know?”
“That you’re this obsessed with me?”
Jongwon’s face instantly stiffened.
“…You’re delusional.”
He forced out a rigid breath before curling his lips into a smile.
“Executive Director Kang…”
“You must’ve eaten something strange today.”
Knock. Knock.
The office door opened.
The secretary entered with a respectful bow before offering the coffee.
Jongwon looked down.
Instead of coffee served in a glass, it was in an ordinary takeout cup bearing the logo of a café.
He laughed.
“What the hell is this?”
“I asked for coffee.”
“Go buy it outside.”
Yujin stepped closer until the pointed tip of her heel nearly touched his shoe.
“My secretary isn’t here to make coffee for you.”
Jongwon glared murderously at the cup before finally turning away.
“Every single one of you is unbelievably rude.”
Clicking his tongue in disgust, he left the office.
The secretary lowered the untouched coffee.
“I’ll throw it away.”
“Go ahead.”
Yujin returned to her desk.
She sank deep into her chair, letting the swelling orchestra wash away the irritation lingering in her emotions.
After quietly closing the door, the secretary stopped before her desk.
“Are you alright, ma’am?”
Yujin opened her eyes halfway.
“Does my expression look that bad?”
“When you’re angry…”
“You always turn the music up.”
Watching the secretary lower the volume with the remote, Yujin rubbed her temple.
“Kang Jongwon…”
“He’s becoming more and more reckless.”
For twenty-five years.
Ever since Yujin’s father, Kang Homun, had defeated Jongwon’s father, Kang Myunghan, in the battle to become Shina Group’s successor…
Jongwon had spent his entire life trying to surpass Yujin.
As though avenging his father’s defeat.
The secretary smiled faintly.
“You’ve always excelled at everything since childhood, Executive Director.”
“He probably can’t stand losing to a woman.”
Every direct descendant of the Shina family learned horseback riding.
Jongwon had never won a single medal.
Yujin had become champion at only twelve years old.
Academics.
University.
Business performance.
In every measurable achievement, Yujin had always been ahead.
“Exactly.”
“So it’s only natural that having you in the same company bothers him.”
“Shina Foods is the only business Honorary Chairman Kang Myunghan still has.”
“From Executive Director Kang Jongwon’s perspective, inheriting his father’s company is only natural.”
Exhaustion washed over Yujin as she closed her eyes.
“Yujin.”
“Go to the food division and keep it alive.”
“I wanted to leave it alone for your uncle’s sake…”
“But it’s become a complete mess.”
Those had been her father’s words.
“Think of it as four years of hardship.”
“Raise sales into the upper-middle ranks.”
“Then I’ll transfer you back to the supermarket division…”
“And give you the president’s position.”
It had been a mission with a promised reward.
Since Kang Myunghan had no intention of changing the company’s name, and splitting the business wasn’t an option, her father had concluded that Shina Foods first needed a solid foundation.
Yujin had naturally been chosen for that role.
Her eldest brother already served as president of the construction company.
Her second brother, Junghun, was firmly rooted in the supermarket business.
Her younger brother, Yiheon, was only beginning preparations to inherit the hotel division.
Among all of them…
Yujin was the one most capable of reviving Shina Foods while handling its stubborn, conservative board of directors.
“Once you’re done…”
“Go back and run the supermarket business together with Junghun.”
“You two work together better than anyone else.”
That had always been the plan.
Complete the mission.
Return to her original division.
Build the supermarket business alongside her brother.
The soaring trumpet reached its climax.
Yujin slowly opened her eyes.
“Two years.”
“But that’s only Father’s estimate.”
She looked toward her secretary.
“Personally…”
“I think that’s how long it’ll take me to take over Shina Foods completely.”
The secretary answered without hesitation, as though he had expected those words.
“I believe that’s the most realistic timeline as well.”
