Episode 16
“Sorry, but I don’t think making Jung Ha-yoon give up will be easy.”
“What?”
Bong-soo narrowed his eyes.
“No matter what we offer her, I don’t think she’ll agree to walk away. Don’t you feel the same, sir? She’s very
determined. Even when the director said cold things to her, she never gave up.”
Bong-soo cleared his throat.
He had to admit one thing—according to all the reports he’d gotten, his grandson had never once given Ha-yoon even
a small chance. He was always cold, sometimes even cruel. But even so, Ha-yoon stayed by his side and never
stopped liking him.
‘It’s good that she’s persistent and works hard… But people have their own “levels.” No matter how nice she is, she
lives in a different world than my grandson.’
Bong-soo shook his head and frowned.
“Sigh. So, what, you want me to do nothing?”
“I’m not saying that, sir. I just mean… whatever you try, she won’t give up that easily.”
Bong-soo let out a long sigh.
She clearly didn’t care about money or fame. She probably wouldn’t even be tempted by expensive jewelry or
designer bags. The only thing she wanted was Tae-jun. That made things harder.
“Fine. Then let’s arrange a meeting.”
“Pardon?”
“A meeting with Jung Ha-yoon. Set it up so I can meet her. But don’t tell Tae-jun. That’s important.”
“…Are you sure about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“…Never mind. I’ll set up the meeting and let you know.”
After leaving the chairman’s office, Chief Choi sighed deeply.
He’d worked next to Bong-soo for a long time and had met many people. That’s why he was so sure—Jung Ha-yoon
was not someone to mess with.
“It’d be better if he just left her alone… Why does he want to meet her?”
He paused before calling her. Then, after looking at her profile again, he let out another sigh.
Ha-yoon had loved the same man for 10 years. Could even Chairman Bong-soo win against that?
“Anyway… if he tells me to do it, I have to do it.”
While typing at her desk, Ha-yoon’s eyes suddenly grew wide. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the
message on the screen didn’t change.
She glanced around nervously. Maybe she was dreaming?
She pinched her cheek hard.
“Ow.”
Nope. It was real.
Yoon-ho gave her a questioning look, wondering what she was doing. Ha-yoon just smiled awkwardly and shook her
head.
After their office dinner, things had almost gotten awkward with Yoon-ho, but he had messaged her to apologize. He
said he was sorry if he made her uncomfortable and that he hadn’t meant anything by his confession. Thanks to that,
things weren’t completely back to normal, but at least they weren’t awkward anymore.
“Haa… is this really happening?”
Ha-yoon stared blankly at the company messenger window on her screen.
Message:
Hello, Ms. Jung Ha-yoon. This is Choi Hoon, secretary to Chairman Yoon Bong-soo.
The Chairman would like to meet with you. Are you available today? If not, please let us know when you are.
Follow-up Message:
Also, please keep this a secret. Do not tell anyone—not even Director Yoon Tae-jun.
This is a direct order from the Chairman. Please, we ask for your full discretion.
Because of that last request, her heart felt heavy.
She sighed quietly. It felt like there was a weight on her shoulders.
If she could just talk to someone, maybe she’d feel better… But the message had been so strict. It felt like a warning
not to say a word.
“Still, why would he want to see me…?”
Why would Chairman Bong-soo want to meet her? She was just a low-level employee. It didn’t make sense.
Did she do something wrong that hurt the company? Or maybe…
‘No way… he’s not going to say he supports me marrying Tae-jun or something, right?’
After thinking for a while, Ha-yoon finally replied, agreeing to the meeting. The secretary then sent the location.
Her jaw dropped.
It was a fancy private restaurant she’d never been to. The prices were so high, she wouldn’t even dream of going
there on her own salary.
She accidentally drooled a little while thinking of the food she’d seen on TV from that place.
“Why do you look so happy today? Something going on?” Su-jeong asked, grinning as she nudged Ha-yoon’s arm.
Ha-yoon smiled brightly and almost said something but quickly shook her head.
Get it together, Jung Ha-yoon. Don’t let food cloud your judgment.
“Ah, my brother is taking me out for a nice meal today,” she lied.
“Your real brother? You two are really close, huh? Most siblings don’t even talk these days.”
“We live away from our parents, so he kind of feels like a parent to me. I end up telling him everything.”
“That’s nice. Enjoy the meal!”
“Thanks.”
She felt a little guilty for lying… but it couldn’t be helped.
On her way to the restroom, she bumped into Tae-jun. He looked super tired—probably back from a difficult meeting.
She remembered hearing it was going to be a tough one.
“Hello, Director. Just got back?” she greeted him.
He lifted his head. After staring at her for a moment, he finally spoke.
“You look happy today, Ms. Jung.”
Did it really show that much? Su-jeong had said the same thing earlier.
Worried she might give something away, Ha-yoon quickly cleared her throat and tried to change her expression. She
had to be extra careful—Tae-jun must not know about this meeting.
“Ah… well, I’ve got plans later today. Anyway, excuse me.”
As she walked past him with her head down, Tae-jun turned around.
She had said she was happy because she had plans… but for some reason, that really bugged him.
He thought about messaging her but changed his mind. She wasn’t a child. There was no reason to act like this.
After work, Ha-yoon rushed to the restaurant.
She didn’t want to be even one minute late for someone like Chairman Bong-soo.
She knew it was rude to keep an elder waiting—and this wasn’t just any elder, it was Tae-jun’s grandfather. First
impressions mattered.
“Haa… I hope I’m not late.”
Luckily, she checked her watch and saw she still had 10 minutes. She let out a small sigh of relief.
When she went inside, the elegant interior and soft jazz music filled the air. The restaurant only had a few private
rooms, so it was very quiet.
“Do you have a reservation?”
When she gave Bong-soo’s name, the staff nodded and led her in.
As she got closer to the room, her heart started pounding faster.
“You’ve arrived. Please enjoy your meal.”
The staff opened the door for her, and when she looked inside…
Ha-yoon was completely shocked.
