“You should still be in the hospital.”

Ga Eun couldn’t hide her emotions, and her concern for Do Jun was evident in her voice.

“Are you worried about me?”

Ji Do Jun showed a sulky expression like a child.

Ga Eun silently stared at Do Jun’s face, seemingly unable to understand his sudden strange behavior. Do Jun’s skin looked rougher than before, like someone who hadn’t slept properly.

“I was discharged this morning.”

Do Jun hadn’t slept at all after receiving Ga Eun’s text message yesterday.

Remembering Ga Eun’s words that ‘Sun’ was a nickname, Do Jun was overwhelmed by emotions he had never felt before. His body grew hot as if his blood was boiling, and anger welled up inside him.

Do Jun couldn’t even understand himself exactly at which point he felt angry.

“Did the doctor say it was okay?”

Ga Eun’s gaze shifted to Do Jun’s arm, which still looked uncomfortable.

“Something more important came up.”

Ga Eun’s eyes widened as unexpected words flowed from the lips of the man who had been most important to her in this world.

Do Jun’s persistent gaze moved to Ga Eun’s lips, as if demanding an answer.

“You didn’t reply to my text yesterday.”

Do Jun’s voice grew stronger, as if cornering Ga Eun. Ga Eun ignored his gaze and maintained her composure until the end.

“We weren’t the kind of people to exchange trivial conversations.”

Ga Eun took a step back from Do Jun, as if drawing a line. In response, Do Jun moved a step closer to her.

“Is the reason you want to divorce me because of that man named Sun?”

Do Jun grabbed Ga Eun’s wrist and asked, as if unable to bear her continued evasion of his questions. Ga Eun didn’t flinch at all at Do Jun’s rough question.

“Yes.”

At Ga Eun’s brief answer, Do Jun’s grip on her hand tightened.

“So, please divorce me quickly so I can live with the person I love.”

Ga Eun put her foot down, not wanting to be swayed by each of Do Jun’s actions anymore. Hearing Ga Eun’s words, Do Jun pulled her wrist with one hand and trapped her in his embrace.

“I have no intention of ever letting go of this hand.”

As Ga Eun tried to break free from Do Jun’s embrace, his hands holding her tightened even more.

“I’ve never had anything taken away from me.”

The moment he held her, Do Jun realized. That this emotion making his blood boil was jealousy.

Ga Eun slowly raised her head and stared at Do Jun’s face as he confessed his feelings. Her trembling lips moved towards him, suppressing her shaking heart.

“Being by your side makes me unhappy.”

At Ga Eun’s cold voice, the strength in Do Jun’s arms holding her faded.

“I don’t want to waste emotions on you. Now that you’ve become CEO, you’ll have even more work to do.”

The moment Do Jun met Ga Eun’s lifeless eyes, he realized that the words she had just uttered were the same ones that had come from his own mouth three years ago.

“You know. I don’t have the luxury to waste emotions. We’re not in that kind of childish relationship.”

That moment when the strength left Ga Eun’s hand that had bravely grabbed his arm.

The moment her eyes, which were about to overflow with emotion, lost their sparkle.

Do Jun was experiencing that situation firsthand with his own body. Ga Eun hurriedly took a step without properly meeting Do Jun’s gaze.

“I’m busy, so I’ll go ahead.”

Do Jun couldn’t grab Ga Eun’s arm again as she brushed past him. It felt as if all the blood in his body had suddenly turned cold. A sense of emptiness spread in his heart, as if he had lost something most precious.

Do Jun’s lips parted weakly as he watched Ga Eun’s retreating back, quickly moving away from him.

“Is this how you felt?”

Do Jun remained alone in the conference room for a long time, repeatedly expecting and being disappointed as he waited for the tightly closed door to open again.

***

Ga Eun, who had left the conference room, almost collapsed on the spot as her legs gave out. Moon, who spotted her from afar, ran towards her.

“Are you alright, Team Leader?”

At Moon’s sudden appearance, Ga Eun’s excuses followed.

“I think I suddenly got a cramp in my leg.”

Only after receiving Moon’s support could Ga Eun stand properly in her place.

“Congratulations, Team Leader. Oh, you’re the CEO now, aren’t you? CEO!”

As the title of CEO flowed from Moon’s lips again, Ga Eun could finally realize her situation.

It was a position she had dreamed of for so long. Whenever Yun Sook used her as a figurehead and took her designs as she pleased, Ga Eun would blame her powerless self.

Now she could proceed with what she could do within World Group without having to be wary of anyone.

As she felt this fact again, her heart lightened as if the heavy stone that had been weighing on her chest for so long had disappeared.

“All the fashion team employees are waiting for you, CEO.”

Unable to resist Moon’s urging, Ga Eun followed her into the fashion team’s office. As soon as she entered, an employee holding a cake greeted her.

“Congratulations on your promotion, CEO!”

With the successful conclusion of this World Fashion show, the employees would also receive a large performance bonus. As a result, the employees’ loyalty to Ga Eun had increased even more.

Ga Eun’s gaze turned to two assistant managers standing alone at a distance.

“Thank you.”

As soon as the celebration for her ended, Ga Eun called the two assistant managers who had been on her mind into the CEO’s office.

“Assistant Manager Gu Ji Seop, Assistant Manager Park Jung Yeon. Shall we meet briefly in the CEO’s office?”

Hearing Ga Eun’s words, the faces of the two assistant managers turned pale. The other employees looked puzzled at their reaction.

After the two followed Ga Eun into what was now the CEO’s office, Moon began to gossip.

“From what I found out, those two received money from Team Leader Ja Young and passed on our plans.”

The employees who had no idea about this fact made a loud noise in surprise, but Moon put her finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet in case Ga Eun might hear. Then her excited lips moved again.

“The lighting accident and the stolen design were possible because there was an internal enemy. I thought it was suspicious that the lighting fell exactly when the CEO came on stage. It’s only possible if you know the entire timeline of this fashion show, right?”

Hearing Moon’s words, the employees recalled the slightly strange behavior of the two assistant managers.

“Now that I think about it, it was strange. Assistant Manager Gu Ji Seop always went up to the roof to take phone calls. And Assistant Manager Park Jung Yeon would suddenly disappear during company dinners, remember?”

While the employees were whispering outside, Ga Eun sat in her seat, staring at the faces of the two people standing tensely.

“Should I announce it to all employees? Or do you want to leave on your own?”

As Ga Eun’s chilling words continued, Assistant Manager Park Jung Yeon belatedly began to plead with Ga Eun.

“I’m really sorry. The truth is, I’m pregnant. So I needed money. I’ll never do this again. Please forgive me just this once, CEO.”

Park Jung Yeon tearfully made excuses to Ga Eun, trying to elicit sympathy. Seeing Park Jung Yeon’s behavior, Gu Ji Seop also chimed in with his tale of woe.

“My wife is currently ill. I had no choice because I needed money. I will never betray you again, CEO. Please help me just this once, CEO.”

Ga Eun was not swayed at all by their pleas.

“I gave you both chances many times. Don’t you remember?”

When Ga Eun encountered Assistant Manager Gu Ji Seop on the roof, she had first reached out to him.

“If you ever need my help, please feel free to tell me anytime, Assistant Manager Gu Ji Seop. We’re on the same team, after all.”

Every time, it was Assistant Manager Gu Ji Seop who rejected her hand. It was the same with Park Jung Yeon. Ga Eun instinctively knew that Park Jung Yeon was pregnant.

That’s why she had turned a blind eye several times even though she knew Park Jung Yeon was deceiving her. Before Park Jung Yeon transmitted the design draft, Ga Eun had called her separately to the team leader’s office.

“Is something going on these days? I’d like to help if there’s anything I can do.”

But Park Jung Yeon had deceived Ga Eun by making up new lies.

Ga Eun no longer wanted to give the two any more chances.

“I’d like you both to submit your resignations by today. If you don’t submit them voluntarily, you’ll have to face legal consequences.”

At Ga Eun’s firm words, Park Jung Yeon knelt before her and began to beg.

“As a fellow woman, you can understand, can’t you? I did it for the baby.”

Ga Eun remembered all the incidents where Assistant Manager Park Jung Yeon had sided with Yun Sook and repeatedly humiliated her at design PT venues before she pretended to lose her memory.

Knowing she was pregnant, that’s why she had reached out first. But seeing her shameless behavior now, all the empathy and sympathy she had felt for her disappeared in an instant.

“Then you shouldn’t have done such things. You wouldn’t want to be a mother your child would be ashamed of.”

Realizing her plea wasn’t working, she stood up from her kneeling position and glared at Ga Eun.

“Do you think you can stay in that position forever? CEO Lee Yun Sook won’t just sit back and watch.”

As Park Jung Yeon showed her rotten true colors, a sneer appeared at the corner of Ga Eun’s lips.

“The first one to abandon you two was CEO Lee Yun Sook. That’s why I can fire you.”

“What did you say?”

Park Jung Yeon’s voice, which had been confident, began to tremble.