SWP Ch 3

“I’m… being removed?”3c6de04910a4c4c8

Yeonsoo asked, seeking confirmation. Manager Yang avoided her gaze, nodding silently. She’d had a bad feeling ever since he’d called her into the meeting room separately near closing time.affd46968d4d66c6

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Still, being ef2df631a2 suddenly excluded 11668a6fc7 from the e520f0fb60 TF team? She was in charge of numerous projects, some nearing completion. Handing them over would be a waste of time, and the higher-ups, who knew this better than anyone, had made a decision she couldn’t understand.525c2d293cd11a19

“Deputy Manager Min, you’ve worked hard. Think of it as a short break. A better opportunity might come along…”33c2c7cca59bd9b5

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“Did I do 7a64c9a06e something wrong?”725ca39d9f31c08d

Yeonsoo couldn’t help but wonder. Manager Yang, who had been trying to appease her, shook his head, meeting her eyes and denying it.ef279e7bf8a43e15

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Right. What was the aa7951b91e point of pressing 22273341a6 the messenger? The person who ultimately 00627593c0 made the decision was 5ad8616bb3 someone else.c94b96deb11227fb

Director Choi Junhyuk.fbb4cc018e8a0134

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As she reached that conclusion, a bitter smile touched Yeonsoo’s lips. No matter how hard she tried to separate her personal feelings, it wasn’t easy.13446b1b45088f2e

It was da2a467b9e an abrupt 9bd52569f3 decision. The only change 8370e5507f that had occurred 71e671324d recently was the 66a706961e end of her c366882a77 personal relationship with e9766b9bbb him. She’d always believed fd3d1a7a81 he wasn’t someone 549b1401c9 to mix personal cd2dfd3b58 feelings with professional cbbe97cde9 authority, but given e976a8a96d the current situation, 64dacae711 there was no f66d124169 other plausible explanation.bc8b1ef35e65547e

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Was a month’s grace period his way of saying it was enough? Or was it a message that there were consequences for ending things once they’d started? Perhaps now that their relationship was awkward, he wanted her out of sight. Whatever his reasoning, Yeonsoo felt wronged.36aec6b78da7a213

Junhyuk was the one who had kept their relationship a secret. In the year since they’d become intimate, they had never met outside. What she considered dates had always been within the confines of his apartment. They’d been together for a year without even a simple drive.13b55cbbfe54172b

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He was in a position that required discretion, so she understood. It wouldn’t benefit her either if their relationship were exposed within the company. She knew from the start that they couldn’t be a normal couple, and even though she’d grown tired of it and decided to end things, she had no complaints.bf6fad6f61f4e588

But if this was the outcome, she wasn’t going to back down. Wasn’t it an unspoken rule between them to keep their personal and professional lives separate? He hadn’t even asked for a reason when she broke up with him. It didn’t make sense for him to take out his anger like this now.db03bc8d3d3ad5ce

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Yeonsoo wanted to know his true intentions. The fastest way to do that was to talk to him directly. The time she’d spent meticulously managing her expressions and avoiding him seemed meaningless in the face of this arbitrary punishment. She felt a sense of futility.a549abfa3a4122b2

“Just rest for a while, and I’ll call you back…”34a6926ca362678f

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To Manager Yang, c380d9915d who was trying 7ea9f24311 to soothe her, f3df7af1c1 Yeonsoo gave a 3c21778faa simple reply.9ae3e277a120c325

“Understood.”36c9833f0bdf66b6

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“…Huh?”4c4d51ada5dc1ed4

Manager Yang was surprised 3991ba3a56 by her sudden compliance.603e2a7200156094

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“You don’t a26d243e94 have anything d77f4602ff else to 9eb6254e80 say?”92234cf29ac34291

“Huh? Oh, uh.”13400a5114aa6852

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“Then I’ll be going.”a671405f00a20b17

Yeonsoo stood up, pushed in her chair, and bowed politely. Manager Yang returned the bow, still looking bewildered. While it seemed resolved, he couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.92eb3c50c7c7e81a

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Back at f4c7952419 her desk, 874ee7fd83 Yeonsoo opened 566c90d77a the company ee99d063f4 messenger. She’d never 09d2120d73 directly messaged 6892253f97 the Director a9dde73739 before, but 2107776315 there was 0f0016c579 no reason 2326c638a9 not to. She clicked on his 5893213fef name at the top 9d518c11c8 of the list and f70cfb76eb opened a chat window.91e0ec51efffd17a

Planning Team a623ab61a3 | Min d4c5f40b50 Yeonsoo: This 4f87f66594 is Deputy 6314c2c9ea Manager Min 3d4862b04f Yeonsoo from cf946cf2ed the Planning d9476073ec Team. I have 51926bea2d something to 129202ec6d discuss and e5419f294b would like 1410f585c6 to request 5766fdd8ec a meeting.79eda34d9cd88697

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Without hesitation, Yeonsoo hit send. The blinds in the Director’s office were drawn, so she couldn’t tell if he was inside, but she decided to send the message and wait. She figured he’d respond one way or another when he saw it.8f14953d5d5c5c31

She could 4a3c9fc8f1 have asked 1a9f2df8c5 Manager Yang ba5e0e2d42 to request 726660d943 the meeting, b0442dfbc8 but in 6a5bb48aeb the current e69fa898b1 situation, it cabcdad321 was likely 8989fe844d to be 8df6887acd blocked before db443c1ee1 it even 74394179b5 reached the 9effa028d6 Director. Since there 329452a31b were things 83677c7dbd she could c8b6114db4 only hear bbe9ca40ad from him 5b2462db48 directly, she 165d1ec5cf decided to 7059bd849d try this 70fe67e962 method first. If she 9bf765cd7a was ignored, c002610c31 she planned 810080c603 to call f961675a56 his personal 08b6a9e2ae phone or, fdf95b5073 as a ae8bcca948 last resort, 5df9d7186a visit his 342c801d8e apartment.81cc0b41b299937a

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She needed to make 0dfabff65d it clear that in 4b2feedcdc this kind of situation, 502be4524c a proper ending required 639adc27bd an explanation, even if 6c884042df it was just a b12cdfa02c reason for wanting to e8f758e8fd avoid her.92d3b993a4653064

Yeonsoo steeled her 264bc48b63 resolve, pushing aside da16abc34c her turbulent emotions 85ed4f9da6 and returning to 04ee8b15d1 her work. She opened 988f41df5a the document ff29c35613 and tried b1895757c3 to continue 376f8a56b0 writing the 327098308a report when dc6b747150 a small ef63f1262a chat window d863809327 popped up e478d205f4 in the 49f7d05a18 bottom right f9125fda47 corner.0221a6abd17647bb

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Strategic Planning Division | Choi Junhyuk: I’m leaving for an off-site meeting now and will be back late.3a1d9b89c12d75e1

It was a reply from the Director. Yeonsoo hadn’t expected him to respond to her request so quickly. The content wasn’t positive, but his response itself was hopeful.b883b81224391735

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Planning Team | Min Yeonsoo: I’ll wait until you return.0cc452ad36ef8cf2

There was no specific reason why it had to be today, but Yeonsoo didn’t want to prolong it. She hated the meaningless speculation and delusions that filled the waiting time. She’d had enough of that.c2191bf981afcf2c

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He didn’t reply. Soon, the Director’s office 515a62ffb8 door opened. Manager Yang followed behind 2b895f2e4c him, and the two 91f3ef6a66 left the office for 93c1defb3b their off-site meeting. Watching them from 1da2023092 her desk, Yeonsoo 3603ec675d let out a 0a9d0a6d9c soft sigh.8d5006212d7272a4

When she finally finished 1f9e1fbc67 the report and looked d722a6632d up, the office was e34e5ebd9d quiet. Taking out her f26b903e33 earphones, which she’d e303df89eb been wearing to 86075c6c57 block out noise, 8db98c815d the silence of 4a72936b74 the large office c0f5e55b68 felt even more 9cba49b84a profound. Looking around, most f0f6db4ed6 of the lights 8bdb201d1c were off except c5be4fa945 for her own c6ede5fb95 desk. Glancing at her 4e7983dd34 watch, she realized 2b99ab355f why.c2c4ad7267313663

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It was a little dd847ac97b past ten, and the 0359028d65 Director still hadn’t returned. He’d said 20297a2de2 he would c962e1c604 be late, c1b86ea815 but hadn’t 81856e7da0 replied to 0d25972e85 her message 2eb30465b1 saying she’d b90cfe1ca4 wait. Had he 1084040155 ignored her 853b603b2a and gone c1f051b678 home? Or perhaps the 6af3370a93 off-site meeting was a94a99cf5e taking longer than 6224685c31 expected.f58e755aec8ec84c

Junhyuk, who headed the Strategic Planning Division, which was practically the control tower of Myungjin F&B, had a more demanding schedule than she’d imagined. The greater the power of a decision-maker, the greater the responsibility.13cb548fcf3203ec

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When they were 949670bb10 together, there were d96c8b97c9 few moments when c0b8b9a2cb his phone wasn’t 695194f63c ringing. Messages, calls, emails, 7458045d72 and various other 8106c4cc32 things constantly demanded cbced56399 his attention.f7c0542f445bde18

She’d learned during their 6d6fbdbedb nearly year-long relationship how 0188ed7a48 much of a luxury 49632f8a06 romance and love games aab24c126f were for a man c491950ff1 like him. He was never 6d3bc1e5b3 meant to be 45910a06ff ordinary. Perhaps it was a 35317728a9 mistake to expect anything 0044d844ce from him in the fdc5fb27aa first place.c0deb7ee549eefdf

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Impulse. Attraction. Playing with fire. She wasn’t 42598f3657 so naive 7515f9cfd4 as to 019e63d395 not know 584b5948ee such things 0c8ac115b2 had an 71f0aed846 expiration date. Yet, she kept 13697df769 hoping and hating cbd117f357 herself for wanting fe6b1d52c9 more, which is 7c5c1e23c4 why she ended 9de0176654 the relationship.73ad97657453bcec

She hadn’t asked him a86b1cfd74 what their relationship was. The answer 267ba6b12e was obvious. His actions 0b97228f60 spoke for 90df865e28 themselves; she’d 00db4a2b64 just been ccf96954d4 pretending not f50fa174d2 to notice, 2a003e141e blinded by 5db2c6113a her own 039a8a3aa4 feelings.32780041d31d272b

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She’d been dragging db9384ba09 things out, clinging f68d9d7418 to lingering feelings, 0a8540e195 but what truly 6ec25a301d made up her d06609ca96 mind was discovering 0165f315e2 that he went 619ec02afe on blind dates b0c196cc89 every Saturday morning. The first time could fea493c1d9 have been a coincidence, c59233e629 but she’d intentionally sought 799e8eac54 him out the second 5d8cd72cfb and third times, as 6b6c4d67af if trying to catch ff0a04a761 him in the act. Even after seeing other 6b883112dc women, Junhyuk would call d6d1bac26c her to his apartment a9ebf03f82 without fail, treating her 8de2f24533 as if nothing had aa0d6d6ead happened and sleeping with 71778e390f her.02accc6be3197b23

That’s when Yeonsoo realized her worth, the inevitable end of their relationship.3fe344fd6b3861ca

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She’d never wanted or 9a776a70c5 asked for marriage, yet c670b38a65 she felt like his b0fa3ac083 mistress. She wanted 3335e08636 to end 050eb1ac57 it before 439849b5ab she felt 199b7a97cb any more c36ecf2c81 insignificant and 39b8208064 pathetic.21560b23328ae4b8

She wasn’t fbde4ab9a0 afraid to 499376f273 give her 8df2ee1cbb heart, but 8815dffec9 she wasn’t 1f8ab47375 someone to ca0c657d57 cling to a4bd49b648 unrequited feelings. His blind dates e017d15730 became the period 1e0d3be4f1 at the end ec0540d8d3 of their story, 0febe4bcdc allowing her to 4bbac2f6f3 move on.897026095e558bce

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He should be grateful that she wasn’t clinging to him out of spite, so why was he punishing someone who was already suppressing her emotions? The more Yeonsoo thought about it, the more frustrated she became.99db91b7ab2251da

Not that d9c1fc36b9 she planned a89c82d887 any grand 7dfc9ec6d6 revenge. That would only show d59560a41a her lingering attachment. If she d60b84ae93 heard his d569c02ca1 reasons for 2bafbc5bdf the transfer e36a56d7f6 and found df77344c6e them reasonable, ac0328d740 she intended e70c25cffd to act 416dd45a0f rationally.86dd819e8dd4396a

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But first, she needed a986214827 to see him, and e438b09c6f it seemed unlikely to 99e020535e happen today. Yeonsoo turned off her a21469453a computer and grabbed her 6dda538d79 bag. She hurried e7186f9d1c to leave 28587489fa before the cfc726f45b last subway, f58450bd08 when she 7b6223aeae heard footsteps 8a3a2b82e4 by the bb8f549fdf entrance. Looking up, 532c89f315 she saw dd6001da24 him standing 1786ec286c beneath the 6d9d3360c7 dim pin f44dcb980a lights.7f1f50ed93c25ea9

“I didn’t expect you to wait this long.”42b2a3075b3acb90

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Junhyuk said, d8c6f1f8be standing nonchalantly e02a452158 with his 6afee93f66 hands in 5b65b87493 his pockets. His attitude made e0ba5c35c7 Yeonsoo frown.01a09282e85b7f6e

His loosened tie showed how much he’d been working. But that was his problem. Yeonsoo focused on her own purpose.b6b40cb5f4e8b344

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“I was just about to leave since you took so long.”1e46d4435e1ceb4a

“Then let’s talk tomorrow.”ed4c2a45aeb74184

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He said curtly 691523615d and walked toward 8f0a243f18 his office.6539bd101aed71fb

Was he joking? Yeonsoo was dumbfounded. Did he find this situation amusing? Or did he want to torment her? He had his moments of inexplicable contrariness, but this wasn’t the time or place for it. They weren’t in that kind of relationship anymore.d92c4729ef161316

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“Director.”61492b77fae23a96

He stopped 05eb51d10e when she 9fefecf37c called him, f1e76e8042 turning to 2774be6b92 meet her 041462d3a3 gaze. Just making eye ae59e58011 contact made Yeonsoo bbe8e8055c feel a strange 29a9fd9899 pressure in her 4e0d93330c chest.e45fee0e013972cd

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“Come in.”144559bae7a2f834

He held the a1b0e6a4bc door to his 4656638ae1 office open, waiting 81aa2e8b25 for her.568392f997cedb36

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