Chapter 19

Ha-joo recalled Seung-jo’s cold voice. She hadn’t even had time to grieve their separation. She had hoped to avoid him at all costs, but now it seemed she would have to see him up close every day.

That, too, as the Seung-jo who would soon marry Kang Se-rin of the Seongjin Group…

Ha-joo’s lips trembled pitiably. She wiped the corners of her moist eyes with the back of her hand and straightened her back.

“Now that I think about it, I can’t even remember the last time I received flowers as a gift. My ex-boyfriends had no sense or thoughtfulness. I had to pester them just to get flowers on anniversaries.”

“I’ll bring a beautiful vase and some flowers when I visit your place, So-yeon.”

“W-wow! Really? I actually redecorated my room recently, and it’s been feeling a bit empty!”

“Then are you free this weekend? We were going to have dinner together, remember?”

“Totally! Absolutely, Deputy Manager! Don’t worry about the food that day — I’ve got it all covered!”

So-yeon, like a small white poodle, threw her arms around Ha-joo and jumped up and down. Ha-joo’s warm laughter was contagious, and she found herself laughing too.

Just as the two were walking back toward the headquarters of the Taehwa Group, Ha-joo’s phone buzzed briefly inside her coat.

[This is Kang Se-rin. I told the elder that I wanted to get closer to you, and she gave me your number. I was wondering if we could meet briefly this evening. Are you free?]

Se-rin stepped out of the car that her chauffeur had opened for her and walked into the café. Her haughty, upturned eyes scanned the quiet interior, crumpling in irritation.

“What? Don’t tell me I got here first.”

She raised her voice, incredulous.

“Does she really not know who should be the one waiting for whom? No basic manners.”

A gardener’s niece from what would be my future in-laws — and she dares to make me wait?

Se-rin’s eyes flashed fiercely, as if she were ready to slap Ha-joo at any moment. She barely managed to suppress her anger and clicked her heels toward the window seat.

A café staff member recognized her and hurried over to greet her. Se-rin didn’t even consider Ha-joo’s preferences and ordered coffee to her own taste.

“Two very strong iced Americanos!”

Even in the middle of winter, Se-rin insisted on drinking cold beverages. And just then, through the café window, she saw a woman arrive.

It was Ha-joo.

Se-rin examined her from head to toe. The woman sighed deeply, a cheap-looking bag slung over her shoulder.

There was nothing about her that was superior to Se-rin, yet she continued to get on her nerves.

“If you want to marry into a noble family, you need to get close even to the servants,” Se-rin’s father had said.

“You’re becoming the daughter-in-law of the Taehwa Group. Being friendly with that lowly bug might be a good tactic. So don’t overthink it, princess — use her to win over Executive Director Tae Seung-jo and the elder.”

Yes, that must be the right approach.

Se-rin recalled her father Chairman Kang’s words from breakfast and tried to calm her irritation.

Even if he and Elder Hong Na-ae had been close for decades, becoming in-laws was another matter entirely.

The two families had many calculations to consider, and every little detail had to be scrutinized.

Even though Na-ae seemed to favor the Seongjin Group and Se-rin, she always felt uneasy. She had accompanied her father to meet Na-ae often, but the elder only lived for the Taehwa Group and her grandson, Seung-jo.

So even if she had let Se-rin close now, it meant she could just as easily abandon Se-rin and Seongjin Group later if she wanted to.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Se-rin looked up at Ha-joo with eyes full of pretense. This was the woman who had been around Elder Hong for over ten years — highly unpleasant, but as her father had said, it also meant she knew the inner workings of Taehwa Group.

“People can be late, I suppose. But why were you late?”

“Oh, I missed a bus.”

“You take the bus? Isn’t that inconvenient?”

Se-rin suppressed a mocking laugh. Her relatives and friends had all grown up being chauffeured in private cars.

“I find the bus more comfortable.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just figured that after massaging the elder’s legs for over ten years, she might’ve taken care of you a bit. The elder is generous with her people.”

“Yes, she is generous.”

A server placed two cups of coffee in front of them. Ha-joo picked up her cold drink and said,

“May I ask why you wanted to meet today?”

“I thought things were a bit tense that day. Especially since Executive Director Seung-jo seemed to have misunderstood something. It’s been weighing on me.”

Se-rin crossed her arms and looked down at Ha-joo. She had purposefully brought up the bus and the leg-massaging to subtly belittle her, but Ha-joo showed no reaction, simply touching her coffee cup calmly.

Even though she seemed tense, her downcast eyes still gave off a refined and graceful aura. Annoyed, Se-rin tried to maintain her sense of superiority.

“You must see Seung-jo often at the company, right?”

“No, only for meetings or when I have something specific to report.”

“But the other day, you seemed quite close despite the formal workplace hierarchy.”

Despite herself, Se-rin couldn’t hold back her jealousy. It felt like she was losing to Ha-joo, so she quickly changed her tone to sound gracious.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t implying anything. I meant it in a good way.”

“…Sorry?”

“I just want to make a good impression on both Executive Director Tae Seung-jo and Elder Hong Na-ae. Of course, I will do that.”

Se-rin smiled seductively, her lips curving upward. She was stunning — a woman who could melt any man’s heart.

Ha-joo couldn’t help but feel a flicker of envy. Yet as soon as Seung-jo came to mind, her eyes wavered.

“I asked you to meet because I think we’ll be seeing each other more often and wanted to get closer.”

“…”

“Oh, and please continue to look after Elder Hong Na-ae for me. And Executive Director Seung-jo too.”

Se-rin crossed her legs and lifted her chin with a smug expression.

“My aunt’s gallery is hosting a big event soon, so I need to order a dress. Both Executive Director and the elder will be attending, so it’s very important.”

“Tell me what you need.”

“I want to give the designer a style that Seung-jo likes. You can help with that, right?”

“Seriously, what’s going on?”

“I’m okay, So-yeon.”

The next day, Ha-joo visited Seung-jo’s office as he had requested. When So-yeon placed a warm cup of tea on the sofa table, Ha-joo waved it off, but So-yeon encouraged her with a smile before speaking eagerly.

“The Executive Director personally told us that Deputy Manager Seon Ha-joo would be visiting often. But since no one really knows what he’s thinking, everyone’s super curious!”

“He told you himself…?”

“Yup! But he’s so scary, so people are jumping to all sorts of wild conclusions. It’s nothing bad, right?”

“It’s nothing. Thanks for your concern.”

So-yeon told Ha-joo to wait on the sofa and left the room. The moment the door shut with a click, Ha-joo braced herself, feeling as though her legs might give out.

So he wasn’t just saying it out of anger.

She agreed — Seung-jo valued time more than money. A part of her even thought that perhaps he was being generous, forgiving something she could never repay in a lifetime.

“We agreed to one more month. We’ll do it in the office. Come up.”

But his words were far too cold. Even if he claimed to feel nothing, how could he speak like that to a woman he’d spent over a year sleeping with?

He was a heartless, cruel man. And yet, Ha-joo was still in love with him.