Chapter 10….
At that moment—
Yeonsu’s phone vibrated noisily.
“Uh, excuse me, I need to take this call.”
She checked the caller ID and asked for Jinhyeok’s understanding.
“You can just answer it here. It’s fine.”
At his words, Yeonsu hesitated and glanced back.
The restaurant was cramped, with narrow aisles so they could squeeze in as many tables as possible. And since their table was all the way inside, she would have had to squeeze past people to get out.
Grateful, Yeonsu gave a small nod and answered the call.
Still, it felt awkward making a personal call in front of Jinhyeok. She quickly turned the volume all the way down before hitting the button.
—When are you moving out of the house?
The landlord’s voice boomed through the receiver.
She must have pressed the wrong way— instead of lowering the volume, she had accidentally set it to maximum.
“I haven’t found a place yet. But I’ll move out by the contract end date.”
—I told you ages ago, and you’re only leaving right at the deadline?
“Sorry. But the lease does have a set date, so please understand.”
—I need to redo the interior before my son moves in, so hurry up and find a place. I’ll pay back the deposit as soon as you want.
The landlord hung up with that curt remark.
A faint sigh escaped Yeonsu’s lips.
Jinhyeok, who had overheard, asked,
“When’s the lease up?”
“Next month. I’ve been looking for a new place, but I can’t find anything suitable.”
She answered.
“What about a place close to the company, clean, spacious, and with good security?”
Jinhyeok said flatly, still watching her.
“Well of course, that’d be great.”
Yeonsu smiled awkwardly. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know good places existed—she simply couldn’t afford them.
“Then move into my place. I’ve got plenty of rooms.”
Her eyes widened.
The absurd suggestion left her speechless, her mouth slightly agape.
“Not for free, of course. You’d do a bit of housework and help out with family functions in return. How about that?”
He added, as if clarifying.
“Forgive me, are you saying… to move in as a housekeeper?”
“Not exactly. More like… something along those lines.”
She quickly shook her head.
“No, thank you. I’ll find a place soon.”
Living under the same roof as her boss? Impossible.
Besides, she still had the 20 million won Su-ryeon had given her. With the 10 million won deposit she already had, that made 30 million—more than enough to find a place with the same rent as now.
She didn’t know why Jinhyeok was making such an offer, but she didn’t dare ask. She had the feeling his answer would be far heavier than she could handle.
Just then—
“Oh, Ha Yeonsu?”
The neighboring table had just emptied, only for the seats to fill again almost immediately.
It was none other than Assistant Manager Kim and Kang Yeonsu.
The man who had recognized Ha Yeonsu now noticed Jinhyeok and quickly bent ninety degrees in a bow.
“Executive Director, good afternoon!”
Kang Yeonsu also widened her eyes in recognition.
“Oh my, hello, Executive Director!”
Her voice was dripping with the nasal lilt she only used with male colleagues.
Her eyes curved into bright crescents as she greeted him, but Jinhyeok only gave her the slightest nod.
“How do the two of you happen to be together?”
This time, Kang Yeonsu’s eyes flicked toward Ha Yeonsu—brimming with jealousy.
“Your foot seems to be fine now.”
Ha Yeonsu’s gaze dropped toward Kang Yeonsu’s foot as she asked.
Perfectly fine. Jinhyeok’s gaze followed too.
“Oh, my foot? Yes, it’s all better now.”
But just the other day she couldn’t even walk, had to be carried on Assistant Manager Kim’s back. No way an injury like that healed so fast. She’d probably never been hurt in the first place.
“That’s good to hear. I’m glad it wasn’t serious.”
Ha Yeonsu smiled meaningfully. She’d already seen Kang Yeonsu put weight on that foot in the warehouse.
“But how are you with the Executive Director…?”
“He happened to be visiting the warehouse and kindly helped me out.”
“I just thought it was unfair to let a new recruit struggle alone in the warehouse, so I offered to buy her lunch.”
Jinhyeok cut into their exchange.
“Does the marketing team not have any men?”
He said it casually, but Assistant Manager Kim’s face flushed red.
“Why should work be divided between men and women in the company? I was perfectly capable of handling it myself.”
Ha Yeonsu replied with a bright smile.
“I like that mindset.”
Jinhyeok looked pleased, while Kang Yeonsu’s face contorted.
That was the exact line she herself had once said to Assistant Manager Kim.
“So, how exactly did you hurt your foot, Ms. Kang?”
“I was helping out in the warehouse too. Climbed a ladder, slipped, and couldn’t finish the job. Assistant Manager Kim took me to the infirmary.”
She rattled off the story with rapid blinks.
Jinhyeok chuckled dryly.
So she had even gone to the infirmary—yet her foot bore no bandage, no splint.
Above her high heels, there wasn’t even a trace of swelling.
“If you can already wear heels comfortably after so little time, maybe you weren’t injured at all?”
“No, that’s not it, I…”
Kang Yeonsu trailed off, unable to find a defense.
“Ms. Kang. This isn’t school or your home. If you want to last until the end of your contract, do your job properly.”
His voice was icy. Then he turned away, as if she wasn’t worth another word.
Kang Yeonsu’s eyes trembled, on the verge of tears.
After lunch, Jinhyeok returned to his office.
Chief Jeon was pacing nervously, waiting.
“What is it?”
Jinhyeok asked dryly.
“The Chairman is here. He’s been waiting.”
Trouble. Leaving his phone behind, heading to the warehouse, then to lunch with Yeonsu—it had all delayed him.
When he entered, Do Joo-myung was sitting on the sofa. Judging by the empty teacup before him, he had been waiting quite some time.
“What kept you? Chief Jeon said you went down to the warehouse.”
His tone carried irritation.
Jinhyeok stayed silent, simply taking a seat opposite him.
Instead of pressing for an answer, Do Joo-myung tossed a file across the table.
“What’s this?”
“Cut the chatter. Pick one.”
Jinhyeok picked it up.
A list of potential marriage candidates.
He skimmed through it with a faint scoff.
“Wasn’t this woman’s name Esther?”
The youngest daughter of Daeyang Trading, whom he had recently rejected, was now listed as “Jeong Hana.”
“Esther’s just her baptismal name. Her real name’s Jeong Hana. Strong water energy—perfect for you.”
Jinhyeok’s brow twitched in distaste.
“But her birthday doesn’t match.”
“They said her birth registration was delayed. Officially February, but in truth, she was born January 31st. So that makes her a lunar December birth.”
Ha. Jinhyeok let out a disbelieving laugh.
Now they were even changing names and birthdays.
“This one here—eldest daughter of Geumhyeong Holdings. Born in December. Han Sebin. She says she’ll even change her name if marriage is decided. And here—Han Se-news’ second daughter, Lee Subin…”
Do Joo-myung pointed down the list, naming each candidate.
Despite the absurd criteria, he had pulled together quite a number of women.
None of them truly fit.
Do Joo-myung had once been sharper than anyone, solving looming issues in a single stroke, investing boldly in the future.
But after surviving a grave illness, he had become increasingly reliant on Master Myeongun, the fortune-teller.
Jinhyeok had excused it as a natural clinging to life. Who wanted to die? The older you got, the more desperately you held on.
He didn’t resent that. But being pushed into a marriage by fortune-telling? That was unacceptable.
“That’s enough.”
“What? You insolent brat!”
Do Joo-myung’s face flushed with anger.
“I’ll find a December-born woman with strong water energy myself and bring her before Grandfather. So don’t worry.”
“You’d better bring her by next month. If not, don’t think you’ll keep that Executive Director seat!”
The old man lost his composure, shouting. But Jinhyeok remained calm.
“I have an external meeting soon.”
With that, he stood.
“Take care on your way out.”
He left the office first, with Chief Jeon hurrying after him.
