Coincidentally, Kyle heard a loud noise coming from the emergency stairs on his way back after finishing his inauguration speech.

Kyle, who had approached closer due to the familiar voice, ended up hearing those words that didn’t sound like Hyo Jun shouting at Se Hee.

Love?

Ha.

What nonsense.

To whom does he dare to carelessly utter that word.

The rising anger made Kyle’s expression even more threatening.

“Assistant Manager Cha Hyo Jun.”

Kyle’s low voice directed at Hyo Jun as he entered instantly dominated the atmosphere of the CEO’s office.

It was just his name being called, but Hyo Jun felt like he had done something terribly wrong.

Just a moment ago, the feeling of soaring to the sky with wings suddenly crashed in the oppressive atmosphere created by the CEO.

Feeling something strange, Hyo Jun carefully met the CEO’s gaze while extremely tense.

At that moment, he was overwhelmed by Kyle’s piercing gaze.

“A whistleblower reported several things.”

“Wh-whistleblower? You mean internal reporting?”

Hyo Jun, severely startled by Kyle’s first words, felt a chill down his spine.

His mouth went completely dry.

A cold sneer spread across Kyle’s lips as he looked at Hyo Jun, who couldn’t hide his anxious expression.

“Not only embezzlement of business funds, but also bribery. And not a small amount.”

Though his voice was extremely calm, Kyle’s gaze toward Hyo Jun was sharp.

With just that gaze, Hyo Jun started to feel his chest tighten as if he was being strangled.

“C-CEO. Th-that part was Director Yoon…”

For a moment, Hyo Jun closed his mouth, unable to make any more excuses in the face of Kyle’s charisma.

His whole body trembled.

The CEO sitting before him looked just like a judge of hell.

“…I-I’m wronged. Everything was done as Director Yoon ordered.”

Feeling a sense of crisis that he must survive, Hyo Jun spoke pitifully, as if begging for his life.

“Shifting responsibility?”

Kyle smiled coldly.

“I-I had no choice but to do so. What power did I have? CEO.”

The money-related matters were actually done by Director Yoon, his father-in-law.

Of course, it was true that he had thrown his weight around in the company using that backing, but he couldn’t take all the blame like this.

Moreover, how much effort had he put in to stay here after breaking away from Director Yoon, who had become destitute.

Hyo Jun had already lost all his assets as hush money.

So it was natural to shift that responsibility to Director Yoon, who was no longer around, in order to survive.

Having made his decision, Hyo Jun made his final move.

With a thud, Hyo Jun knelt before Kyle.

“CEO. I’m really wronged. This burden was placed on me just because I’m Director Yoon’s son-in-law. It’s so unfair.”

Forcing out tears, Hyo Jun struggled.

And he earnestly appealed that everything had been Director Yoon’s scheme all along, that he was just a powerless foot soldier.

Hyo Jun, who had passionately pleaded in front of the CEO until his voice was hoarse, carefully raised his head while catching his breath.

“Interesting.”

However, the CEO’s gaze falling on Hyo Jun was much colder than before.

“I felt that Whalens had collected more important information than expected at the time of the sale, and there was a reason for that.”

Kyle threw two photos in front of Hyo Jun.

Hyo Jun was flustered just by the silhouette briefly visible in the falling photos.

No way.

It can’t be.

With trembling hands as if having a seizure, Hyo Jun picked up the scattered photos.

Hyo Jun’s face turned pale.

The photos clearly showed Hyo Jun exchanging documents and a USB with the head of Whalens’ secretariat.

It was clear evidence of leaking the company’s major confidential documents.

In fact, just what had been listed so far was enough to make recovery impossible.

“Anything else to say?”

Kyle’s question sounded to Hyo Jun like the final question asked to a prisoner before execution.

Everything was over.

Hyo Jun hung his head.

“The disciplinary committee will give an exact notification, so you may leave now.”

Even at the CEO’s dismissal, Hyo Jun had no strength to stand up.

He could only sit blankly as if he had lost his mind.

In the end, Hyo Jun was dragged out of the CEO’s office by the security team.

Hyo Jun, who was thrown out of the CEO’s office, barely managed to move his body toward the emergency stairs.

And he collapsed onto the stairs.

With each word the CEO uttered, Hyo Jun’s self-esteem hit rock bottom.

Hyo Jun felt as if he had been stripped naked in the CEO’s office.

Yet the CEO didn’t stop there.

He tore Hyo Jun apart as if ripping off all the flesh barely clinging to his bones, already in tatters.

The bottom of the abyss he was falling into seemed to never be visible.

To think he had become such a worthless person.

Hyo Jun shuddered again at the overwhelming aura he felt from the CEO as he looked at him begging for his life.

He was fundamentally different from the people Hyo Jun had met until now.

Hyo Jun realized he could no longer hold on here.

Knowing that made it even more miserable.

His situation was ridiculous.

Hyo Jun saw the outcome of his wrong choices.

Disciplinary committee.

Hyo Jun thought his life had been ruined all because of Yoon Ye Ri and her father, Director Yoon.

If only he hadn’t gotten involved with that father and daughter, he wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation.

Damn it.

Hyo Jun cursed under his breath.

“Oppa?”

Ye Ri, who had heard that Hyo Jun was dragged out of the CEO’s office by security, came running with a worried expression.

“Don’t touch me!”

Hyo Jun swatted away Ye Ri’s hand that was trying to grab him as if it were a bug.

“…”

“This is all because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

Yoon Ye Ri stepped back in bewilderment.

“It’s all because of you. My life is ruined all because of you and your precious father, Director Yoon.”

Hyo Jun roared at Ye Ri, his voice echoing through the emergency exit.

* * *

Kyle, who had cleanly removed the obstacle, leisurely adjusted his clothes.

He recalled the words Hyo Jun and Se Hee had exchanged in the emergency exit.

The two were already a finished relationship.

Se Hee’s attitude toward Hyo Jun was clear.

In fact, Kyle had noticed the relationship between the two.

It was Kyle who brought up the story about Cha Hyo Jun at the port of Venice.

But at his words, Se Hee said the nonsensical thing about going back to Hyo Jun.

Of course, he didn’t fully believe Se Hee’s words.

But he couldn’t completely erase his uneasiness either.

The contents he happened to hear in the emergency exit properly blew away Kyle’s anxiety.

Although he was annoyed by that word that grated on his ears, which Hyo Jun dared to utter toward Se Hee, it was rather fortunate for Kyle that he was able to hear the conversation between the two.

As soon as he came to Korea, he had planned to get rid of Cha Hyo Jun, who was a thorn in his side first, but there were unexpectedly many gains while working on the acquisition of SY Hotel.

Especially regarding the investigation of Cha Hyo Jun, it was overflowing to the point where he didn’t need to do it separately.

Kyle just had to pick up the criticisms pouring down on Hyo Jun, who wasn’t uninvolved in anything Director Yoon had done.

The two who had been running wild trusting Whalens met with tragedy when Evans acquired it.

As if they had been waiting, employee complaints were filed.

Thanks to that, the handling of Hyo Jun could proceed smoothly.

In fact, Kyle didn’t need to intervene in the middle, and could have just passed on the received contents to the disciplinary committee to proceed.

However, because he wanted to resolve it directly, Kyle had deliberately called Hyo Jun to the CEO’s office.

With an arrogant smile on his lips, Kyle stepped out of the CEO’s office with a light step.

Now it’s time to reclaim my little bird that flew away.

* * *

“Is it okay to talk about a company dinner on the first day?”

As noon approached, Sun Ah, who was thinking about lunch menus, cautiously brought it up.

“I don’t know. Didn’t you see the CEO’s vibe? I definitely can’t bring it up first.”

Manager Hong, whose impression of the CEO had been solidified while watching the inauguration speech as well as during the interview, firmly stated as if to say don’t even think about such private gatherings.

“Of course we should have a company dinner on the first day. We should convey our intention to warmly welcome the CEO.”

But Manager Byeon Woo Seok, sitting across from Manager Hong, said in a boastful tone.

“Alright. Then I’ll take the lead, so provide covering fire. If I happen to die gloriously, bury me in a sunny spot.”

Sun Ah seemed to gain strength from those words and steeled her resolve.

“Manager Kim. Don’t do it. Don’t.”

But Manager Hong actively dissuaded her.

“If anyone tries to skip out on tonight’s company dinner, I won’t let them off easy.”

Manager Byeon showed his firm will to have the dinner and spoke threateningly toward the team members.

Se Hee flinched at those words.

A company dinner.

Following Kyle, now Hyo Jun too, her mental state was 0.1 seconds away from collapsing.

An evening company dinner was really too much of a schedule.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I have an unavoidable…”

Se Hee raised her hand while looking around cautiously.

“Hey. Lee Se Hee. This bastard. Where are you trying to skip out? Don’t my words as your senior sound like words to you?”

Manager Byeon glared at her for a moment.

“Manager Byeon, I’m really sorry, but I already have a prior engagement today…”

Se Hee made an excuse of a prior engagement and carefully spoke with a troubled expression.

“Cancel the prior engagement. It’s the first company dinner with the CEO today. If the CEO says it’s not possible, there’s nothing we can do, but if a company dinner is set, you must attend no matter what, understand? Where are you acting individually now at a team dinner? How impudent.”

Manager Byeon yelled angrily.

“Hey. Take it easy. This isn’t the military or something.”

Manager Hong, who didn’t like hearing rude words directed at Se Hee, stepped in to subdue him.

“It’s not just the military. Hierarchy should be maintained in companies too. Just stop talking nonsense. You, Lee Se Hee, take responsibility and prepare the dinner venue too. Got it?”

Ignoring Manager Hong’s words, Manager Byeon ordered Se Hee as if commanding her.

“Manager Byeon Woo Seok.”

As if she couldn’t bear it anymore, Se Hee stood up from her seat.

“What? Why? You! I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re talking like Cedarc. That’s not how you do business in society, okay? You have no sense of hierarchy because you haven’t learned anything, right?”

Manager Byeon snapped back as if displeased.

“Ah, I really can’t stand to hear this. Your words are going too far. Can’t you apologize right now? Is this bastard all talk?”

Manager Hong also jumped up from his seat.

“What? Are the ones exiled to Yangyang sticking together? You should do better yourself. Hong Jin Guk. Have you forgotten why you were exiled? Ah, I’m going crazy trying to work with people who aren’t on my level.”

Manager Byeon irritably slammed the desk.

“Ah, why are you all like this? You’re peers. Manager Byeon. Let’s stop this. I’m sorry for bringing up the company dinner. It’s all my fault. Please stop, okay?”

Thinking this wouldn’t do, Sun Ah quickly intervened.

“Kim Sun Ah, I’m letting you off because of Manager Park. Don’t get influenced. Don’t hang out with them.”

But Manager Byeon spoke rudely to Sun Ah as well without fail.

And Manager Byeon’s expression, which had been frowning to say something to Se Hee again, suddenly changed 180 degrees.

“Oh my, CEO. You’ve worked hard. I’m Manager Byeon Woo Seok.”

Manager Byeon jumped up from his seat and ran in front of Kyle, who was entering the team area.

He bowed excessively while greeting, trying to emphasize his presence once again.

“I know.”

But the CEO’s response was cold.

Perhaps because of the commotion just before, Sun Ah did not mention the word ‘company dinner’ to Kyle.

The moment Kyle entered, Se Hee quickly averted her gaze and sat down, lowering her head.

Thump thump, as Kyle’s footsteps drew closer, Se Hee’s heart also beat faster and faster.

Please, go into the CEO’s office quickly.

Se Hee held her breath and tensed up.

But Kyle’s steps stopped right behind Se Hee.

He turned around, changing direction.

“How about a company dinner today?”