Taesang buried his face in his large hands. Profound despair rapidly engulfed his whole body.
At that moment, the phone inside the jacket pocket rang. Thinking it might be Dajeong, his hands moved quickly.
‘Kim Secretary’
For a moment, the eyes that had regained vitality sank into darkness again. Taesang answered the phone with an impassive face. The rough voice flowed quietly.
“Yes.”
「Vice President? I couldn’t reach you all day, and I was worried. Is it okay to talk now?」
“What’s the matter?”
「Well… Something seems off with Director Yun Myeongok’s movements.」
The shoulders that were slackened suddenly tensed. In the darkness, Taesang’s eyes sharpened sharply.
“Before leaving the company, there were signs that Director Yun had tampered with some internal documents. Of course, since they were within the expected range, it shouldn’t be a significant problem….”
“But?”
“It seems there was an attempt to access Ms. Hahndajeong’s records as well. Basic personnel records and other files.”
Even after being rejected like that, there seemed to be no intention of stopping. Taesang tightened his grip on the phone and glared into the empty space.
The snake-like gaze that had scrutinized Dajeong rose again, revealing sharp teeth.
This time, it would be engraved in her bones. There are things in the world that you must not touch, must not even look at. Deep into the bones.
“What should we do?”
“Director Yun, do you know her current location?”
“At the moment, it’s a bit difficult. Both her private residence and the office are vacant, so she seems to be staying somewhere rented under someone else’s name.”
As expected, she was a quick-witted woman. It was undoubtedly arranged before the operation began.
Taesang took a deep breath, calming the tumultuous emotions. Before threatening Dajeong, I had to find her first.
“For now, deploy security personnel near Dajeong’s house.”
“If it’s Ms. Hahndajeong’s house… Are you referring to her residence in Gangseo District?”
“Yes.”
“…Understood.”
Although it was a statement clearly indicating that there was a problem between them, Secretary Kim didn’t ask anything.
“And please review and submit all the business and foundation work that Director Yun has been involved in. Including transaction records and specifics of fund flow.”
“All… everything?”
“Yes. Everything.”
The low, flowing voice sounded like a lion’s roar. As he was about to hang up after those words, Secretary Kim cautiously opened her mouth again.
“…Vice President. What about the founding anniversary event scheduled for next week?”
Taesang pressed his temples.
Hyo Sung Group was about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
It was an important occasion that attracted attention not only from employees but also from the media. In previous years, they had postponed it using business as an excuse, instead sending flower wreaths and video messages. However, it seemed impossible to pass it off that way this time.
“There’s no choice. We’ll have to make time.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Secretary Kim spoke with a refined voice.
“Will you… attend alone? In the secretary’s office, we’ve prepared press releases related to Ms. Hahndajeong and even a dress. How would you like to proceed?”
“…So you’ve done that.”
It was a thoroughly planned move by Secretary Kim.
Since he had decided to marry Hahndajeong, avoiding her media exposure was inevitable.
In other words, something that had to be done sooner or later. If so, it was better to do it in a space where they could control it as much as possible.
Elegantly and with dignity in our perfect domain.
Under normal circumstances, Taesang would have easily agreed to such a suggestion.
However.
“I’ll attend alone.”
The inside of the mouth felt gritty, as if filled with sand. The sensation of being alone felt unfamiliar and frightening.
After ending the call, an eerily quiet air surrounded Taesang. He clutched the phone tightly and leaned against the sofa.
It seemed impossible to fall asleep.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the dimming afternoon, Dajeong remained crouched on the bed in the same position as yesterday.
Her head felt fuzzy. She fell asleep from exhaustion and woke up crying. Then, she cried again when she woke up. It repeated.
Initially, she thought she was just tired, constantly feeling drowsy. But after a whole day passed, she realized.
Her head was simply turning off the body’s power. Stop hurting, don’t think about it.
Dajeong wiped her stiff eyes and struggled to sit up. For a moment, her head throbbed once. Leaning against the bed head, she winced as her neck stung with pain.
“Ha….”
Sweeping through her tangled hair messily, she heard a light knock from outside the door.
“Dajeong, what are you doing?”
“….”
She thought she made a sound, but nothing came out except for an odd metallic noise. Dajeong barely squeezed out a voice that didn’t come out.
“Uh… I just got up.”
“Can I come in for a moment?”
“Yeah.”
As the faint reply fell, the door opened cautiously. Through the slightly ajar door, a comforting scent of porridge wafted in.
“You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
In her hands, Yeongmi held a tray with a bowl. Yeongmi crossed the room slowly, placing the tray on the bedside table.
“Are you okay?”
She asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.
“…Yeah.”
Yeongmi didn’t ask anything else.
When she suddenly appeared yesterday, when she heard crying all night, and when she suggested having breakfast, there was no response.
Dajeong was grateful for Yeongmi, who patiently waited for her.
“Sorry. Did you… worry?”
“Of course.”
Yeongmi looked at Dajeong with a light squeeze in her eyes.
“Now it’s okay. I’ve cried enough.”
“Crying. To cry, you need stamina. Before you finish eating that, try shedding a tear. I won’t just stand there.”
“Okay.”
Dajeong let out a small laugh. Even in this situation, Yeongmi was the only one who could make her laugh.
Awkwardly pulling down the stiff corners of her mouth, Dajeong saw Yeongmi let out a small sigh.
“…Can you take a flight tomorrow? Isn’t it supposed to be sick leave?”
“It’s okay. It’s a short distance; I’ll get there quickly.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but if it’s too hard, just take my vacation…”
Yeongmi continued with a serious expression when a small vibration sound echoed in the living room.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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