Chapter 9
“Fuck… has the old man finally lost his mind?”
After confirming the call had ended, Junhyuk spat out a curse under his breath.
Bang—!
He slammed his fist down on the desk with all his strength, then let out a breath filled with fury.
“Ha… nothing ever goes right. This is such bullshit.”
Muttering vulgarities one after another, Junhyuk pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it. In an instant, thick smoke filled the room.
Cha Dogyeong. Cha Dogyeong.
Just hearing that name alone was enough to make Junhyuk grind his teeth and lose sleep.
It had always been that way since they were young. With that ever-composed face, Cha Dogyeong always managed to screw him over in the end.
Just like now.
Before Junhyuk left for his business trip to the United States, Chairman Cha had promised that if he wrapped things up successfully, he would grant him a large piece of land near Gangwon Province.
It was a property Junhyuk had coveted for years. A promise he had only secured after countless long attempts at persuasion.
Junhyuk had planned to build a massive casino there—one that could freely skirt the boundaries of the law.
For that, he forced himself to go on a trip he didn’t even want, pandering to a bunch of old men to keep them pleased before returning.
And now what?
[Ah, about that. There happens to be a regular meeting tomorrow, isn’t there? I’ll listen to the performance reports first before making a decision.]
That senile old man.
Saying he’d decide after hearing the reports was just another way of saying he’d hand it over to Cha Dogyeong.
The talent foundation run by Cha Dogyeong had been greatly improving the company’s public image, and recently, he had even succeeded in securing a supply contract with a U.S. semiconductor company that Chairman Cha had struggled with.
Meanwhile, the Yeongjae Gallery operated by Junhyuk had been teetering on instability, and since last year, it had entered a full decline.
After Cha Yuun’s exhibition, it had been posting poor results quarter after quarter.
Which meant—
Junhyuk needed Cha Yuun.
‘If the slump continues for too long… then please just let me go and work with someone else…’
Let her go? What a joke.
Junhyuk couldn’t let Cha Yuun go. She was the first—and the last—person who had earned him recognition from Chairman Cha for his discernment.
His obsession had only grown worse with time. It was no longer just about her artwork—he now wanted to possess Cha Yuun herself.
Before leaving for his trip, Junhyuk had even secretly installed a tracking app on her phone. He had sensed something suspicious lately.
Sure enough, on the very day he departed, Cha Yuun had sent a message to someone.
Junhyuk’s anger had surged to the top of his head. He had wanted nothing more than to return to Korea immediately and break her legs if he had to.
But he endured it all for the sake of his dream casino—
And now it was all for nothing.
“Fuck… seriously.”
His rising anger showed no sign of subsiding. He gnawed irritably on his cigarette filter for a while—
Then suddenly, a good idea struck him.
He quickly picked up his phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, Mom. I have a favor to ask…”
After a chaotic weekend passed, just yesterday, Yeoeun received word that Yuun had been safely transferred to another hospital.
With Cha Junhyuk now back, Yeoeun couldn’t recklessly go to see her.
Fortunately, even after thorough examinations using state-of-the-art medical equipment, no major issues were found with Yuun. The key now was whether she would regain consciousness.
Entering the tea room, Yeoeun checked the condition of the coffee beans, adjusted the grinder settings, and confirmed that there were no issues with the test extraction.
Then, she picked up Dogyeong’s cup.
The series of actions had started to feel familiar. Just as she set the cup aside and began extracting the espresso—
“Ms. Cha Yuun.”
Jiyeon entered the tea room.
“…Yes?”
“That cup is cracked. Please use this one.”
Jiyeon handed her a demitasse cup of the same brand.
“…It’s cracked? Oh—you’re right.”
A fine crack, one she hadn’t noticed before, ran along the cup she had been using.
“Yes. I’ll take that.”
“Ah, yes. Thank—”
“Alright, then.”
Jiyeon left briskly before Yeoeun could even finish her thanks.
…Still as chic as ever.
Without thinking much of it, Yeoeun began preparing the espresso.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning.”
Dogyeong, who had been reading documents, looked up to greet her. Yeoeun placed the coffee and a file neatly on the desk.
“These are the materials organized for today’s regular meeting.”
Now bearing the title of “Secretary Cha,” Yeoeun needed to perform accordingly.
As Dogyeong read through the documents she prepared, the corners of his lips softened. He seemed quite satisfied.
“Have you considered becoming my secretary permanently?”
“I already am your secretary.”
“You are—for now. But going forward as well… by the way, can you drive?”
“Yes. Thank you for the offer.”
At her flat response, Dogyeong raised an eyebrow. Yeoeun, unfazed, maintained a professional smile. She was beginning to understand how not to get swept up when talking to him.
“You’ve almost healed.”
Dogyeong remarked, looking at her hand.
The burn on the back of her hand had healed, and the bruises on her wrist had faded—thanks to the ointment he had given her.
“It’s thanks to you. I appreciate this as well.”
At her polite gratitude, Dogyeong smiled faintly.
As he packed the documents into his briefcase, Yeoeun stared at him as if she had something to say.
“Is there something you want to say?”
At his question, she hesitated—uncharacteristically. The unfamiliar sight piqued Dogyeong’s curiosity.
“…Well, um… it’s not anything important. But is there a gym nearby?”
“…A gym?”
It was an unexpected question.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Yeoeun fidgeted with her hands as she continued.
“I mean… I know it’s not really a time to be leisurely exercising, but my body feels so stiff.”
Recently, Yeoeun had been feeling restless. Even after quitting as an athlete, she had exercised every day. After constantly training at the dojo, being cooped up in the annex was bound to have this effect.
Bodyweight exercises could only do so much. Every muscle in her body was begging to move.
“It doesn’t have to be a gym, necessarily. Just somewhere I can work out—”
At the sudden sound of a suppressed laugh, Yeoeun stopped speaking and whipped her head toward Dogyeong.
For some reason, he had started laughing outright.
Then, seeing her expression stiffen in real time, he quickly reined it in.
“…Ahem. There is a gym. But the one I go to is far, and the nearby one is frequented by Cha Junhyuk.”
“…Ah.”
The anticipation on her face instantly turned into disappointment.
Watching her rapidly changing expression, Dogyeong nearly laughed again but managed to hold it back.
“Instead, I know a similar place. It’s not fully completed yet, but it’ll probably be even better.”
“…A similar place?”
“Yes. You can look forward to it.”
Though Yeoeun clearly wanted more details, Dogyeong simply shrugged, choosing not to elaborate.
“…We can present it in that direction and conclude.”
Just before the regular meeting, Secretary Park, who had been giving a briefing, suddenly looked concerned.
“…Are you really alright?”
Dogyeong didn’t look well.
His complexion, already pale for a man, seemed even more so today. The color had drained slightly from his usually red lips.
It was a subtle difference, but to Secretary Park—who saw him up close every day—it was unmistakable.
“Yes. Even if I’m not, I am.”
Dogyeong answered briefly and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
At the top floor of the Yeongjae Group headquarters was a grand, spacious boardroom.
The scheduled meeting was to review the first half’s performance and discuss future direction.
It was an important meeting attended by Chairman Cha and all major executives.
Including Dogyeong, all the executives sat in proper posture, and with Chairman Cha’s entrance, the meeting began.
Reports were presented in order, and Chairman Cha listened silently without much reaction.
“Next, we have Executive Director Cha Dogyeong’s report.”
As Dogyeong stepped onto the podium, Chairman Cha’s expression softened. As the report continued, his eyes lit up.
“…That concludes my report.”
A clean finish.
Now Chairman Cha openly wore a pleased expression.
After finishing, Dogyeong stepped down from the podium.
At that moment, his vision spun.
Perhaps his condition really was that bad—his ears rang sharply.
Barely making it back to his seat, Dogyeong pressed his throbbing temple while maintaining a poker face.
The meeting continued.
As it went on, Chairman Cha’s expression hardened again, as if he had never smiled. When listening to Junhyuk’s report, he even shook his head.
After two hours, the meeting came to an end.
“Executive Director Cha Dogyeong, stay behind for a moment.”
The executives filed out of the boardroom one by one, leaving only Dogyeong and Chairman Cha.
Just as Chairman Cha was about to speak—
“Uh…! Dogyeong! Dogyeong!”
It happened in an instant.
Dogyeong, who had been standing firmly, suddenly lost his balance—
And collapsed.
