Returning from a long-awaited lunch with her team members, Yu Ra visited the CEO’s office at Jin Ho’s call. Yu Ra politely declined Manager Kwon’s offer of coffee and sat across from Jin Ho.

“IF Management Director Ju Hye Rim requested to come to the hotel.”

“What? Why so suddenly?”

“It seems she wants to somehow resolve this issue well.”

Yu Ra finally realized why she kept feeling uneasy about Oh Se Jin’s matter. The appearance of Ju Hye Rim, who had come to see Baek Yi Hyun, was the problem. Moreover, she could sense that there must be something behind requesting a meeting in this situation.

Yu Ra echoed the gossip-like words circulating in the media. Yi Hyun said he hadn’t leaked it so carelessly, but with Ju Hye Rim’s appearance, everything felt uncertain.

“Is she trying to cover up Oh Se Jin’s actions this time too?”

“No, it won’t be like that. It’s impossible to cover up at this point of contention. Yi Hyun knows that, so he blew it up on a large scale. Tightly, leaving no loopholes to escape.”

Yi Hyun hadn’t clumsily started this, but deliberately presented evidence meticulously. The bomb Yi Hyun dropped was woven so tightly that not even a small gap was visible.

The interview with the named victim, documents urging settlement to support it, and even tracking down witnesses to the incident – he had laid out everything.

It was all so perfect that it couldn’t be dismissed as false or slander. In this situation, one could assert that there was no way for Oh Se Jin to escape. Yet what was unsettling was the woman named Ju Hye Rim.

Yu Ra couldn’t dare predict how this person, who had covered up and instigated numerous incidents, would handle this matter.

“But we can’t ignore that woman’s abilities. That’s why I’m anxious.”

“She is quite capable.”

Jin Ho’s following words further fueled Yu Ra’s anxiety. As her chest tightened, Yu Ra took a deep breath and recalled Yoon Ga Eun’s words from the morning meeting.

When asked about Oh Se Jin’s performance, she had anticipated a negative outcome, but now the possibility of ‘what if’ kept raising its head.

Yu Ra looked at Jin Ho with eyes full of unease.

“So you’re saying there’s a possibility the performance will proceed as planned?”

“We don’t know how they’ll respond, but we can’t proceed.”

Yu Ra felt somewhat relieved at Jin Ho’s resolute voice. As she slowly nodded, Jin Ho added:

“If we force it through, I might die at Baek Yi Hyun’s hands before even facing public criticism.”

Yu Ra frowned at the sudden mention of Yi Hyun’s name.

“Your elder brother isn’t such an unreasonable person.”

“That’s only to you. You don’t know how cruel that guy is.”

“Look who’s talking.”

Yu Ra knew that Yi Hyun was a cruel person. Or rather, should we say he lacked empathy? He was a person terribly indifferent to others. He wouldn’t even bat an eye if someone died next to him, as long as it didn’t concern him.

A long time ago, someone had been in the news for sexual harassment. At the time, Yi Hyun knew the truth but remained silent.

That sight was shocking to Yu Ra. Although Yu Ra herself wasn’t one to take much interest in others’ lives, this wasn’t a matter of interest but of morality.

Fortunately, she later heard that without directly intervening, he had provided evidence that helped resolve the matter well. So she believed he was living by some basic principles. Therefore, she didn’t particularly care about others’ evaluations.

Now, wishing good luck on the conclusion of an incident clearly out of his hands, she stood up.

“Wrap it up well.”

“They want you to come along too.”

Just as she was about to turn, Jin Ho’s disgruntled voice caught her ankle.

“Why me?”

“Because you’re in charge of the performance.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? They make the contract without me and want me to terminate it?”

“How should I know?”

Yu Ra glared at Jin Ho with an expression of disbelief. Jin Ho emphasized once again that it wasn’t his idea.

“They insist on bringing you. Ju Hye Rim.”

Yu Ra stomped her foot hard on the ground, feeling a surge of annoyance.

Returning to the hotel following Min Woo, Ga Eun frowned at the traces of a woman visible here and there.

It seemed Ju Hye Rim had come to Korea due to Oh Se Jin’s issue. Otherwise, there was no reason for women’s perfume and tissues with dark lipstick marks to be in Min Woo’s room.

Although Min Woo’s taste in women was downright terrible, he wasn’t the type to look at other women while having his own. Ga Eun thought it was just like Ju Hye Rim as she nudged the particularly strong-smelling perfume bottle.

“Why does Grandfather like Ju Hye Rim?”

“Who knows.”

Min Woo’s tone of knowing nothing displeased Ga Eun.

Ga Eun was of mixed heritage, born to a Korean father and a French mother. Her father was a renowned music professor, and her mother, who ran an art gallery, was the only daughter of the global company Apogenes.

Her grandfather, Louis Ape, had conflicts with his only daughter, Christine Ape, over marriage issues. However, the atmosphere changed drastically with the birth of Ga Eun.

Doting on his only granddaughter, Louis established A&J Management separately for his granddaughter who showed talent in violin, stopping investment in IF Management.

Song Min Woo, who became the CEO of A&J Management, was the son of Louis’s old friend and the first artist he sponsored, pianist Song Jin Kyu.

Due to this connection, Ga Eun had been close to Min Woo since childhood. Perhaps it was fate that Ga Eun, who had no cousins or other siblings, came to like the kind and caring Min Woo, who had maintained a close relationship like family.

One day, Louis introduced Ju Hye Rim, whose abilities he highly regarded, to Min Woo, saying she would be helpful to A&J. That insignificant meeting began, and Min Woo became Ju Hye Rim’s man.

“Elder brother, why do you like Ju Hye Rim?”

“She’s charming, isn’t she?”

Ga Eun looked at Min Woo with disbelief and snapped:

“Are your eyes on your feet? What’s charming about that woman?”

“Tsk, you’re talking like that again.”

“I’d rather believe it if you said Team Leader Jin Yu Ra was charming.”

“Why bring up Team Leader Jin here? Why do you keep trying to involve Team Leader Jin?”

Min Woo worriedly looked at Ga Eun, who had become strangely sharp since earlier. It’s true that Team Leader Jin was charming, but he wasn’t the type of person to harbor ulterior motives towards a married woman.

He had received a request from Hye Rim to slightly shake up Yu Ra, but honestly, he didn’t know how to do it and hadn’t even tried yet.

So what had Ga Eun seen to make her speak as if he had other feelings for Team Leader Jin?

Ga Eun often threw out random remarks that caught others off guard.

Each time, it was frustrating not knowing what she was thinking. After rolling her eyes here and there, lost in thought, this time she suddenly threw out a comment that went beyond common sense.

“A divorcee wouldn’t be bad either.”

“Team Leader Jin Yu Ra isn’t getting divorced.”

“You never know. With such a commotion, there’s no reason for CH Group to keep her.”

Min Woo was displeased with Ga Eun treating Jin Yu Ra’s divorce as a foregone conclusion. Ga Eun, who grew up pampered and lived only with her violin, was particularly immature and didn’t hesitate to act rudely.

But she wasn’t at the level of discussing others’ misfortunes for fun. Although it was someone else’s business, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant conversation for Min Woo to hear.

“Yoon Ga Eun, it’s not good to talk like that about someone you don’t know well.”

“I’m just talking about possibilities.”

“Whether there’s a possibility or not, that’s the business of those involved. You shouldn’t treat something that might be unfortunate for someone as mere gossip.”

That wasn’t his intention, but as he spoke, he felt quite displeased. Perhaps that’s why, feeling awkward for speaking so seriously, Min Woo ruffled Ga Eun’s hair as she stared with big eyes.

“Artists should be rich in emotion. That kind of logic seems too emotionally dry. I spoke a bit harshly because I was worried. I’m sorry.”

Ga Eun’s surprised face finally relaxed, and she puffed out her lips. Min Woo lightly tapped Ga Eun’s protruding lips, which were just cute.

“And regardless of such possibilities, Baek Yi Hyun won’t let go of Jin Yu Ra.”

“Wasn’t it a political marriage? Was it a love marriage?”

Ga Eun narrowed her eyes while rubbing her lips with the back of her hand.

Everyone leaned towards the two having a love marriage, but at least from what Ga Eun had seen, Baek Yi Hyun seemed like someone who wouldn’t even know what love was.

Ga Eun had only seen Yi Hyun twice, both times when she accompanied her grandfather to gatherings. So she didn’t know much about Baek Yi Hyun.

If she were to discuss first impressions, she only remembered his really unpleasant gaze. Baek Yi Hyun’s eyes were full of indifference and annoyance, as if looking at an object rather than a person.

There were often people who saw Ga Eun as an immature person because she was young, but how could someone look at a person as if they were a product on a display shelf? That unpleasantness made Ga Eun sensitive for a while.

Such a person falling in love and getting married? Ga Eun wanted to guarantee that such a thing would never happen even if the world split in two. But Min Woo answered leaning more towards the latter than the former.

“I don’t know either.”

Seeing Min Woo’s smiling face, Ga Eun continued the conversation as if nothing had happened, wondering when she had been upset.

Ga Eun was happy just having these trivial conversations. Despite having many dislikes and suffering from unrequited love, the meaning Song Min Woo held for her remained constant.

An eternal first love, unreachable and regretful.

Suppressing the lingering attachment that kept raising its head, Ga Eun spoke grumpily.

“Baek Yi Hyun, that person seemed too cold. He didn’t seem like someone who could love or like anyone.”

“How would you know?”

“I saw him when I went to a gathering with Grandfather.”

She deliberately didn’t mention how Baek Yi Hyun had looked at her. She kept quiet about that gaze, fearing Min Woo might say the same thing, even as a joke.

“He is cold.”

At Min Woo’s ambiguous words, Ga Eun assured herself that her judgment wasn’t wrong.

Yi Hyun, entering his office after finishing the meeting, glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Secretary An, how much of IF Management’s stock do we own?”

“About 5% in total, sir.”

“The trend?”

“It stumbled a bit due to Oh Se Jin, but it’s showing an upward trend again.”

“Again?”

Yi Hyun’s gaze turned back to Secretary An as he sat down and flipped through documents.

“It seems the CEO has made some moves.”

The CEO of IF Management was a cunning person. He was someone who very appropriately used the habit of swallowing what’s sweet and spitting out what’s bitter, so this time he would spit it out mercilessly. After all, he had already sucked all the sweetness out of Oh Se Jin.

Still, expecting the aftermath to be quite significant, Yi Hyun chuckled, wondering what method he used to already be on an upward trend.

“He must have been busy. In many ways.”

Burying himself deeply in the chair, Yi Hyun slowly closed and opened his eyes. He fixed his gaze on the ticking second hand of the wall clock, as if gauging time.

“Two hours from now, sell all the shares.”

Secretary An, who was lightly nodding, carefully inquired about his intentions.

“At this rate, it can maintain an upward trend. May I ask why you’re selling now?”

At Secretary An’s words, Yi Hyun pondered his conversation with Ju Hye Rim. Yi Hyun, who never explained things in detail, threw out an ambiguous remark as always.

“Because something interesting is about to happen soon.”