Kang Shinjae couldn’t take his eyes off Taeseo, who resembled the younger me. The tea in the teacup placed between the two in the silence had long since gone cold.
Even though the official announcement was scheduled for tomorrow, he knew that the information would somehow reach the parties involved, as he had instructed the PR team to make the announcement. So, he left work a little earlier than usual, eagerly anticipating the angry and interrogating boss who would come to find her.
However, the boss who appeared was relatively calm. It was extremely annoying how he met her gaze with an expressionless face, hiding his true feelings.
“You seem tired. What brings you here?”
“I heard that I am getting married in May.”
“Hmm. May is an excellent month to start a family.”
Shinjae, speaking as if it were obvious, was anticipating. In her eyes, there was a hint of mockery, trying to gauge how the boss would react to her provocations and how long he could endure.
“Marriage is a personal matter for me. I don’t think it needs to be officially announced at the company level.”
He expected the boss to first react with opposition to Shinjae unilaterally proceeding with the marriage, or perhaps to express dissatisfaction with Joo Yuri, the chosen partner.
However, Kang Taeseo only had an issue with officially announcing the marriage at the company level. His gaze, as if demanding compliance regardless of who the partner was, made Shinjae’s head tilt slightly.
To fathom his thoughts, Kang Shinjae, who had been staring at Taeseo for a while with narrowed eyes, lightly pushed the cold teacup. The tea water in the cup rippled, emitting a subtle brandy scent.
“No.”
“…….?”
“The marriage between the CEO and Miss Joo Yuri is indeed appropriate for an official announcement by the company. The Chairman intervened in the downfall of the Hyeonyang Construction family on a personal level, and people think Kang Sun was involved. What do you think about this?”
“It was Chairman who told me to somehow secure the redevelopment project for the Hwami Apartments and the entire Gangnam area.”
“What people know and what they don’t know. That’s the difference in abilities. Besides, wasn’t it to win the construction project that Chairman pushed Joo Dae-hoon to such an extreme? Shinjae knew that Kang Taeseo knew that she had moved for her woman. Information was also power. Kang Shinjae, who had more power than Taeseo, could not not know what Taeseo knew.
“It seems people are saying that you waited and watched with the marriage as bait, and when it became necessary, you caught and devoured her. Even though the Chairman secured the job, Kang Sun’s image has worsened. So.”
“…….?”
“The boss has to fix it. Even in the current situation of Hyeonyang Construction, if you marry Joo Yuri, people will talk about it among themselves, and if that happens, your son-in-law will inherit the father-in-law’s company affairs. So, it’s not strange at all.”
“…….?”
“I think I rushed into marriage to torment the CEO? No. I only think about the company as the head of Kangsun Group. If the CEO is a responsible person, he won’t refuse this marriage.”
With a smirk, Kang Shinjae grabbed Taeseo’s trembling hand. He wanted to peek into the inner turmoil of Kang Taeseo, which must be boiling by now.
“And… Considering it’s the marriage of the so-called Kangsun Group Crown Prince, it should be officially announced at the company level.”
Suppressing the laughter that was about to burst out, Kang Shinjae rose, reaching for one of the liquor bottles lined up on the table in the study. Holding a glass, he turned to Taeseo.
“Anyway, since it’s a congratulatory occasion, we should raise a toast, shouldn’t we?”
He approached Taeseo with two large glasses filled to the brim with strong whiskey, one placed on the table, and the other remaining in his hand.
“Come to think of it, it’s the first time. I never thought there would be a day when I drink with the CEO.”
After a few sips, he sat back down and leisurely looked down at Taeseo. As expected, as the alcohol went in, the trembling gradually subsided. Feeling more at ease, Kang Shinjae buried himself deep in the sofa.
There was no intention of hiding the reliance on alcohol. Hiding and concealing were actions of the weak. He, who had taken control of Kangsun Group, was strong. There was no one daring enough to attack the global leader standing tall in the world.
However, that didn’t mean there was nothing to fear with wealth and power in hand. Having something precious to protect meant having weaknesses. What he valued the most, that very thing, was a vulnerability to his enemies. In that sense, Kang Shinjae was free.
Because he had nothing precious to protect.
So, Kang Shinjae turned his gaze to Kang Taeseo, who had been silent until now. The CEO who revealed the existence he wanted to protect was weak. The CEO, who would end up crumbling desperately in order to not give up his precious possession, would eventually fall apart.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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