Chapter 75. To Me, A Woman Means…

But why had she lived as though she were being chased by loan sharks?

Cha Haeyoung—just how big was the secret you never told me? How much did you hide before disappearing from my life?

The fragments of truth he’d uncovered wouldn’t connect into a whole. Like an unfinished puzzle, they only painted a scattered picture.

As Taeseong sat in thought, Secretary Park’s careful voice reached his ears.

“Perhaps… you should ask her directly—”

“No.”

Taeseong cut him off before he could finish.

“What if she runs again because I pry too much? I only just found her.”

“…Ah.”

“I’ll handle it quietly. Whatever the problem is, I’ll fix it without her knowing.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Dig deeper into Haeyoung’s background. If it really was illegal debt collection, it’s more likely her relatives or family were involved. Trace their accounts too.”

“Yes, I’ll look into it.”

Park nodded.

It had been a week since Haeyoung started living in Taeseong’s house.

He still wanted to show up at her café every morning, but when Haeyoung realized his work was being neglected because of it, she threatened him not to.

Thankfully, he listened. If she hadn’t moved into his place, it might have been another story.

Taeseong, who used to put work before everything, now revolved his days around Haeyoung.

Not that he wasn’t busy.

Since moving from Cha Hyun Bio to the head office’s Strategic Planning Division, he had been pushing forward with a new venture.

Recently, he’d acquired a struggling company’s OTT subsidiary.

When the news broke, most people were surprised. Many expected Taeseong, who had successfully revived Cha Hyun Bio, to focus on the department store business.

But unlike public opinion, this new project was something he had been preparing meticulously for a long time.

Partly, it was his lingering regret over a dream left unfulfilled. The rest was a calculated move, based on careful foresight.

Most domestic OTT companies had hit their limits and faced crises. Taking that into account, he immediately began preparing expansion into Taiwan and Japan upon acquisition.

At the same time, he aggressively pursued mergers and acquisitions with both major and smaller production companies. Having a strong in-house production capability was essential.

Ironically, the Chairman Joo who had vehemently opposed his dream of becoming a film director ten years ago was now his strongest supporter.

Even though both his Bio work and OTT business were still in hectic transition, ever since reuniting with Haeyoung, she was all he thought about.

To spend even a little more time with her, Taeseong had begun running his schedule with ruthless efficiency.

As a result, Secretary Park, who had to manage his schedule down to the minute, was run ragged.

That morning, as Taeseong reviewed documents in his office, a knock sounded.

“Come in.”

Arriving precisely on time, Park stepped in to deliver the day’s report.

“At nine, you have a staff meeting, followed by a lunch appointment with CEO Choi of Bio. For the afternoon, I pushed back any major schedules because of the Broadcasting Commission conference. Also, Yeon Hwayoung said today’s her only available day. I asked if she could come to headquarters, and she said yes. If you’re fine with it, I’ll confirm for around eleven-thirty.”

“Confirm it. I can spare some time before lunch.”

Yeon Hwayoung was currently the hottest actress in the industry—the one Taeseong had chosen as the main model for the soon-to-launch OTT platform.

When Park hesitated after finishing, Taeseong gave him a puzzled look.

“What?”

“Well… honestly, I think Ms. Yeon might be trying to flirt with you.”

“…Flirt?”

“Yes. Flirting.”

“You think I don’t know the word? I’m just too baffled to respond.”

“Ahem. Anyway, I think the whole ‘exclusive meeting’ for a model contract is just a pretext. She seems interested in you.”

“So what.”

“…Excuse me?”

“So what if she is? What’s that got to do with me.”

“I just thought… since you finally reunited with Ms. Cha Haeyoung, maybe you’d want to avoid misunderstandings.”

“I don’t do anything that could cause misunderstandings. In this world, the only woman for me is Cha Haeyoung. So if Yeon Hwayoung tries to flirt, to me, it’s no different than a rock trying to flirt. That’s how irrelevant she is.”

“…Ah, yes, sir.”

“What’s with that face?”

“No, it’s just…”

“Say it. Don’t hold it in and give yourself indigestion like last time.”

Taeseong’s pointed remark made Park adjust his glasses awkwardly before replying.

“Honestly… speaking as someone with more dating experience than you, sir—avoiding giving any opportunity in the first place is the most important thing.”

It was advice born from his own painful lesson last year, when a woman he met through work flirted with him and his girlfriend broke up with him over it.

But Taeseong brushed it off.

“Our Haeyoung isn’t the type to get weirdly suspicious about stuff like that.”

His voice was full of doting pride, and Park’s face crumpled like dried fish.

“…Right. Of course, sir.”

Suppressing the urge to say more, Park bowed and left the office.

“You’re going to regret being so smug…”

And that afternoon, Park’s worry became reality.

After serving the last morning customers, Haeyoung opened the staff fridge at the back of the café.

Normally, she’d pull out her laptop to write, but today she was clearly preparing something else.

Do-hyun peeked his head in curiously.

“What are you making?”

“A sandwich.”

“But we’re having tteokbokki for lunch.”

“Oh, this isn’t for me. It’s… for someone.”

“…Hyung Taeseong?”

“Can you drop the ‘hyung’ part?”

Haeyoung gave him a look as she pulled out fresh ingredients she’d had delivered early that morning.

“Lucky guy. If there’s one thing you’re unbeatable at, it’s sandwiches.”

“You’ll get some too once I’m done.”

“Nice!”

He pulled back his head with a cheer. Haeyoung smiled faintly and stepped outside.

If she hurried, she could deliver the sandwiches to Taeseong’s office in time for lunch.

She’d been staying at his place for a week but hadn’t really expressed her gratitude. This seemed like a good chance.

Carrying the sandwiches, Haeyoung excused herself from Do-hyun and headed for Cha Hyun Group’s headquarters.

Wearing a mask, she entered the lobby cautiously.

“If you ever want to see me, just go to the information desk and give them your name. They’ll bring you straight to my office. You’ve got a free pass.”

“Why would I ever go to your office?”

“You might suddenly want to see me. You never know.”

Thanks to Taeseong’s endless pulling, Haeyoung was quickly escorted upstairs.

“This is the elevator that goes straight to the Executive Director’s office. Once you get off, just cross the hall.”

Following the mechanical directions, Haeyoung stepped inside.

His office was on the 17th floor.

She gripped the sandwich bag tighter as the numbers ticked upward.

“…He’ll like it, right?”

Nervous for no clear reason, she exhaled softly to calm herself.

But before she could fully steady her nerves, the elevator doors opened.

She stepped out, her throat dry.

The hallway wasn’t long, and the view was stunning.

One side was floor-to-ceiling windows, showing off the sleek buildings of Yeoksam-dong, the busy roads, and the clear blue sky.

The open view eased her tension slightly.

With her face a little more relaxed, she stopped in front of his office door, about to knock.

That was when she froze.

Through the slightly ajar door, she heard Taeseong’s voice—alongside a woman’s.

Her heart plummeted to her feet.

She wanted to turn back, retracing her steps.

But her feet wouldn’t move, as if glued to the floor.

He said he loved me. That he’d waited ten years. So why… why is he alone with another woman?