TMWCL Ch 8 part 2

She drank an iced Americano and went to work, but the dark circles under her eyes were still there.

She wore a dark suit jacket with a crisp formal dress that came down to her knees. This kind of dress showed off her body particularly well. She really felt like she’d become a member of society. What would Jeong Haegun think when he saw her like this?

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Yeoreum was basically in charge of all the grunt work, as was typical of the youngest member of the team. Whenever her supervisor told her to do something, she would move according to her orders. Even though she wasn’t paying attention to him, she could immediately tell when Jeong Haegun had arrived. The atmosphere of the ceremony changed as soon as he entered. She wanted to talk about all sorts of things when she met him, but this was not a place where she could approach him and speak to him first.

Ultimately, Yeoreum wasn’t able to even go near him by the time the event was over. She couldn’t even make eye contact with him. Did he see her? If she had known this would happen, she would have at least tried to talk to him properly when they had met in the concrete building. He must have known this would happen at the event and used it as an excuse to run away.

“Yeoreum-ssi, follow me. We’re going to greet the VIPs from Sungha Group.”

“Really? Is it okay if I go too?”

“The CEO called for you.”

She could guess why he had called for her. In this conservative industry, whenever middle-aged men discovered young, pretty women, they liked to leer at them and express their interest. Suddenly, she felt dirty. She had a feeling that her looks played a part in why she was able to join such an important project.

Still, she was glad she had the chance to meet Jeong Haegun. The CEO blatantly placed Yeoreum next to him and went around. She followed behind him and greeted the various executives. All of the looks she received were quite a sight to see.

“Your name?”

“It’s Han Yeoreum, sir.”

This ahjussi… He was planning on finding out her number to contact her, or he was going to arrange to meet her separately through her CEO. She hoped this ominous feeling wouldn’t come true, but she had never been wrong with things like this. Suddenly…

“Han Yeoreum-ssi.”

A pleasant, low-pitched voice called her name. Jeong Haegun. Yeoreum immediately lifted her head towards the voice. Haegun drew closer to them.

“Interesting seeing you here.”

“…Yes, Chairman.”

Her CEO looked back and forth between Yeoreum and Haegun with a puzzled expression.

“Haha, it looks like the chairman knows my Yeoreum-ssi.”

One of Haegun’s brows went up. It was a habit of his whenever he heard something unpleasant.

“Yes.”

“Yeoreum-ssi, you should have told me sooner. How do you two know each other?”

“…Can I tell him?”

When Yeoreum asked, Haegun answered for her.

“She’s the daughter of a subordinate I cherished.”

“Ah, I see.”

From now on, the CEO would treat Yeoreum several times better than before. Even if that ahjussi with the pot belly called for her, she would probably be able to refuse. Jeong Haegun’s one word made her life at her company a lot better. But was it all because she was the daughter of his subordinate? Really?

“But that’s not all.”

When Yeoreum opened her mouth, Haegun looked at her with curiosity.

“Then what? Is there some other kind of relationship between me and Han Yeoreum-ssi?”

“Ha.”

Yeoreum scoffed in disbelief as she glared at him.

“I had a huge one-sided love for Chairman Jeong Haegun-nim. The chairman is my first love.”

The eyes of those around them who had been vaguely eavesdropping on their conversation suddenly turned to them. Jeong Haegun’s lips curled into a smile.

“I didn’t know that.”

“How could you not know? You knew it very well.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s just say I did. It was so long ago, so I must not have remembered.”

“Now that we’re on this topic, why did you suddenly wear the tiger necktie I gifted you so long ago?”

The architecture firm CEO looked at Haegun’s tie with a puzzled expression. Today, his tie was not the tiger necktie from back then. Naturally, everyone looked at them with even more interest.

“Because I wanted to brag to your dad. Show him that I received something he didn’t.”

“Is that really all?”

“What else could there be?”

“There was something more between us.”

“Mm, I wonder how much Han Yeoreum-ssi will reveal.”

“Please let me talk to you privately. Otherwise, I’ll just let everything out right here.”

Haegun’s face was still calm. If she brought up the topic of being sex partners,Yeoreum would be the only one who would suffer a loss. Even if it were to end up being reported in the news, it would be far more detrimental to Yeoreum than to Haegun.

Her CEO’s face grew as pale as a sheet.

“Han Yeoreum-ssi, what are you doing in such a public place? Apologize to the chairman. Chairman-nim, I’m sorry. My Han Yeoreum-ssi is…”

“Did you say ‘my’ Han Yeoreum?”

Haeugn’s face grew stiff. The CEO thought it was because Yeoreum had spoken to Haegun in a threatening tone and continued to reprimand her.

“Yeoreum-ssi. Hurry up and apologize. As you know, Yeoreum-ssi has not been out in society for very long, and…”

“Junghan.”

“Yes, sir.”

Haegun interrupted the CEO and called out to Kim Junghan, who was standing next to him.

“Cancel all my afternoon appointments and bring this kid to the office.”

“Huh? Ah, yes, sir.”

“And CEO Cho.”

“Yes, Chairman!”

“Han Yeoreum-ssi isn’t your kid, is she? Strictly speaking, she’s closer to being my kid.”

“…Pardon?”

The CEO looked at Haegun with a bewildered expression. Haegun continued speaking in a calm voice.

“I’m asking you to take good care of my kid. While I’m at it, could you let her off work for today and let me take her home?”

“Yes, of course. See you on Monday, Yeoreum-ssi.”

The CEO did not make a mistake this time and immediately let Yeoreum go.

“Yes, sir.”

Yeoreum nodded her head and bid the CEO farewell. Then she followed Junghan to the car.

* * *

Unlike Ju Taehyuk, Kim Junghan was a man of few words. The car was quiet. Yeoreum, who was sitting awkwardly in the passenger seat, opened her mouth.

“It’s been a while.”

“It has.”

“Where’s Taehyuk-ahju… I mean, where did Secretary Taehyuk go, and why is Secretary Junghan the only one here?”

“…Just speak comfortably. It’s easier for me to hear you call me ‘ahjussi’.”

Junghan spoke as if he were unbothered. Maybe it was because she had seen too many photos from reading the various news articles, but for some reason, Taehyuk and Junghan didn’t seem like strangers to her. As if they’d last met only a few days ago.

“So where’s Taehyuk-ahjussi?”

“Taehyuk-hyung-nim was ordered to wait outside in the car because he’s too weak when it comes to you. He was probably driving around in circles.”

“I see. I usually see you with Taehyuk-ahjussi, but I was curious because I didn’t see him around.”

“I’m usually the one who drives Hyung-nim’s car. When you were working part-time at the barbecue restaurant, I was the one who would drive when the two of them drank.”

“You did?”

Jeong Haegun drove just fine on his own, didn’t he? Come to think of it, she never saw them call a taxi. So this was why.

“I’m sure you didn’t know. Whenever Hyung-nim went to see you, he would always drive himself instead of asking someone else to do it.”

Junghan, who had been speaking quietly, continued after a brief pause.

“…Did you know that he did that because he didn’t want you to be scared and intimidated from being around a group of gangsters?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Yeah. It’s time you know. Just how much Hyung-nim cared and thought of you.”

“Okay.”

Silence flowed once again. A little while later, Junghan opened his mouth.

“And I was in the building where Kiju-hyung-nim passed away a few days ago.”

“You were?”

“Like I said. I drive Hyung-nim’s car quite often.”

“You did say that. Then were you inside the car?”

“No, I was waiting on the floor above you two.”

“Then I guess you heard everything.”

“And I also heard everything you said earlier today. And while we’re on this topic, there’s something I want to say, Yeoreum.”

The traffic light turned red. Junghan gently stopped the car and looked at her.

“Don’t make Hyung-nim waver any more than he already has.”

“Why not?”

“Hyung-nim has gone to great lengths to make sure you can live a comfortable life. Just when I thought he was starting to settle down, you showed up again. Seeing him so bothered doesn’t make me feel all that good either.”

“…Ahjussi did all that?”

“That’s right. After he sent you away, Hyung-nim did a lot of things. At the time, the company was a bit chaotic, and we were all being torn apart and banged up. Hyung-nim even got shot. It’s not like that anymore, but if you start coming back to us after all the effort Hyung-nim has made to make sure you live a normal life, he won’t be at ease.”

“You said Ahjussi got shot?”

“Yeah.”

Had something like that happened at Sungha Construction? Something so serious…

“Did this happen when the former chairman of Sungha Construction collapsed?”

“…You remember that?”

The light turned green. The car started moving again.

“I heard that the chairman was fine for a while even though he was bedridden. Ahjussi took over the company in a completely normal manner. Wasn’t it resolved smoothly?”

When he heard Yeoreum’s question, Junghan’s face stiffened as he recalled the events of that time.

“There’s a story behind that. The chairman was after you, so Hyung-nim attacked first. The company was in total chaos. Even though the chairman wasn’t the same as before, there were a lot of capable people that worked for him. A lot of blood was shed, but ultimately, Hyung-nim won. At the time, that old geezer was put in the hospital bed for show, but in reality, he was closer to being in a coffin than a hospital bed. But the news articles didn’t say that. On the outside, the succession process looked like it was proceeding smoothly.”

“Are you allowed to tell me all this?”

“No. But we’ve already crossed that bridge. If Hyung-nim finds out, I’ll either be beaten until I’m barely alive or he’ll kill me altogether.”

“Then why are you telling me all this?”

“Because if we can’t get through to Hyung-nim, then I want to try to persuade you. To be honest, it’s hard to watch you living on without knowing anything while Hyung-nim deals with all of this on his own.”

“You want to persuade me?”

“It seems like you still have feelings for Hyung-nim.”

“You’re right.”

“Then, for Hyung-nim’s sake, just live a normal life. Don’t approach him anymore. Just greet him today, get things sorted out so that there is proper closure, and leave.”

“I don’t know why I have to sort things out. Isn’t he doing all this because Ahjussi still has feelings for me?”

“It’s not merely ‘feelings’. He doesn’t tell us this, but everyone knows that Hyung-nim is always thinking of you. Now that he’s done enough and his position and the company are stable, we told him to just coax you to come and live with him, but he wouldn’t listen. Then, we told him to just forget about you and meet someone else. We brought him all kinds of women, but he wouldn’t budge. Do you know why Sungha has been growing and expanding overseas?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t he just growing the company?”

“He was worried that something might happen to you, so he wasn’t satisfied with just strengthening his position in Korea. He began to reorganize the branches overseas. He said that you should be safe no matter where you go, whether it’s a trip or studying abroad. Although things are stable and he has solidified his position both internally and externally, he poured seven years of his life into this just so you could live a comfortable life.”

“……”

“But recently, the reorganization of the overseas branches was completed. So I thought he would be able to rest comfortably in Korea, but then we happened to run into you.”

“Then he can just start seeing me again. Why is he being like this?”

“That’s why we tried to persuade him to do that at first. We told him to start seeing you. But it didn’t work. This is just my guess, but maybe because your parents both died at the hands of gangsters, he’s worried that something might happen to you too. So he doesn’t want you to have anything to do with us. No matter how stable the company is, it’s still safer if you both consider each other strangers. After all, it’ll be hard to live a normal life if you’re next to Hyung-nim.”

“……”

“As we watched you grow up, we came to understand why Hyung-nim had gone through such lengths to raise you outside the organization. Just live a normal, happy life like you are right now. Don’t try to stick to Hyung-nim with ambiguous feelings. No matter how many years we spent next to him, we still can’t break his stubbornness. Even if you were to stay by his side, he will just get angry and push you away. So just leave and live a normal life. That is how you can help Hyung-nim.”

“But if I continue living unaware, it’s too pitiful for Ahjussi. Is that why you’re telling me all this?”

“That’s one reason.”

“There’s something else?”

“…By any chance, if you still really like Hyung-nim…”

Junghan closed his mouth for a moment before continuing.

“And if you’re still so inclined, I think you might be able to persuade him otherwise.”

“You just told me to leave.”

“That’s the right decision for you. There’s no guarantee that you’ll succeed in persuading him.”

“But you still think that it’s in Ahjussi’s best interest to start seeing me again, right?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I can’t stand seeing Hyung-nim living like that anymore. We just want him to enjoy life with you by his side. It’s nice to see someone who normally doesn’t have any expression on his face smile whenever he’s merely looking at you.”

The car stopped in front of the office building. Jeong Haegun was waiting for her at the top.

“I understand.”

Yeoreum got out of the car. She promptly entered the building with Junghan and got on the elevator as they headed for Haegun’s office.

* * *

It wasn’t that Yeoreum didn’t try to forget about Haegun.

The guy she met on a blind date got hit by a car. Another guy suddenly decided to study abroad. There was a guy who had disappeared after he had confessed to her. A series of coincidences occurred over and over again. Whenever she decided to start dating a guy who seemed decent, he would suddenly apologize and run away as if he were terrified. She tried to date someone at work, but he suddenly quit his job and stopped contacting her. She was also introduced to a flashy lawyer, but he disappeared during their date. She took Soojin’s advice and started trying to date guys regardless of whether she had feelings for them or not, but they all ended in failure. As for Lee Seungwoo… She was sorry to say this, but whenever she saw him, she was reminded of that summer. Jeong Haegun. That’s why she didn’t want to see him anymore. She kept avoiding him until they naturally drifted apart.

Jeong Haegun had the largest office at the end of the top floor all to himself. Junghan waited outside while Yeoreum went inside alone.

His office was so spacious that it looked like it could have occupied the entire floor of an average company building. On one side was a long, luxurious sofa. Behind the large desk, there was a wall made up entirely of large windows. Haegun got up from his seat and walked towards Yeoreum. Perhaps because they were at the office, he was wearing a vest with buttons fastened all the way up to his neck and a tie that was placed just right. He stood in front of her.

“What is it that Han Yeoreum-ssi had to say to me for her to request a private meeting?”

”It was all you, right? The person who ruined my dating life.”

”Dating life?”

”You’re so successful with your own business, so why are you getting into other people’s business and ruining their personal life? If you don’t give me a proper answer, I’m going to grab any guy I see and have sex with him today. I came here with a plan today.”

“What kind of plan?”

”I’m wearing a thong.”

”……”

”And my bra has a front clasp. If you’re curious about the color, would you like to check and see?”

Haegun frowned and pressed his temple with his thumb and middle finger as if he had a headache.

”How diligent of you.”

”Thank you for the compliment.”

He brought his hand down and chuckled. Yeoreum waited for his answer with hopeful eyes. She wondered what would come out of his mouth. Jeong Haegun still loved her. Now that she knew this, she had nothing to fear anymore.

”That sunbae who was two years above you who liked you. That guy who was a returning student. He was obsessed with clubbing and had an STI. The hoobae who was one year below you. How dare he approach you when he hadn’t even enlisted for his military leave yet? And the kid from the school next to yours who got your number. Did you know that he was a male prostitute who didn’t even attend a university?”

”What about the kindergarten teacher that Soojin introduced me to?”

“He ran away just because we threatened to grind his dick off and bury him alive. If he can’t even handle that, he doesn’t deserve to be with you.”

”And the person who worked at my company?”

”The man’s parents had a serious gambling addiction. I knew that if you got married to him, it would be a difficult life for you, so it was better not to start it in the first place.”

”The lawyer too? He was a really nice guy.”

”That bastard was married. But if you’re disappointed, just tell me. I heard he got divorced and is currently in the slammer. I’m sure that bastard’s ass is in tatters right about now.”

“Hu, what? Did you really order someone to do that to him?”

“The last time you saw him, he suddenly disappeared from the lounge bar, right?”

”…Yes.”

”That fucking bastard had a habit of slipping roofies into women’s drinks and raping them, Yeoreum. Considering all this, I went easy on him.”

”Thank you. I didn’t know.”

“Did you come all the way here to ask me about all this?”

”No. Actually, the first thing I wanted to do was thank you.”

”For what?”

”For when I was twenty years old. You treated me very well.”

”I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did something like that happen?”

He spoke in a calm voice. But Yeoreum knew. Jeong Haegun was a man whose body was more honest than his mouth.

“Yes, it did. I remember it all.”

Yeoreum’s lips stretched into a smile.

”Ahjussi.”

”What.”

”As you may already know from surveilling me, I have never slept with another man besides you. Not only that, but I’ve never put anything inside me other than my fingers. Not even a dildo. I’ve only masturbated, just like you taught me.”

“……”

A shadow was cast over his black eyes. Yeoreum’s gaze turned downward. She could clearly see the silhouette of his penis on his thigh.

”You’re still the same.”

”It stands up whenever I see a woman.”

“And sex is something you do whenever your dick stands up?”

”That’s right.”

”I see. Then you must have done it a lot while we were apart. It doesn’t feel fair.”

“……”

”Since it’s up, would you like to have sex?”