– Mr. Cha…?

“I’m listening.”

– Ahem, yes. I… I’m sorry.

“…”

– From now on, I’ll be very careful not to commit such disrespectful words or actions towards the lady Mr. Cha is seeing.

In his heart, he wanted to tell him to write a handwritten apology letter and send it.

Or even to go directly to Jin So Yi, kneel before her and beg for forgiveness.

He sincerely wanted to make him apologize for momentarily insulting Jin So Yi with those filthy words, but he couldn’t let Jin So Yi know about it in the first place.

Inevitably, Si Heon forgave Director Choi’s sin with a deep sigh.

“Please be sure to be careful not to let this happen again in the future.”

After hanging up the phone, Si Heon leaned back in his chair and let out a relieved sigh.

The fact that he dared to say such things about my girlfriend being a woman good for enjoying still infuriates me, but hearing the apology made me feel a little better.

However, that feeling didn’t last long.

I clearly removed something that was bothering me, but something still feels off.

What could it be?

This feeling that there’s still an unsolved problem remaining.

It feels like something is stuck in a corner of my mind, but no matter how hard I try to remove it, it won’t come off.

As he furrowed his brow slightly, So Yi’s bright smile flashed through his mind again.

The image of her smiling brightly while covering her mouth with the printout. That beaming smile seemed quite pretty.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Good work everyone!”

Team Leader Kwak’s crisp voice rang out in the office.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Yeah, I thought he was going to make us work overtime again before leaving.”

For some reason, Team Leader Kwak was in a good mood today. Thanks to that, So Yi was able to leave work on time. Fearing that Team Leader Kwak might change his mind, she hurriedly left the office.

“Mr. CEO, I’m leaving work now.”

– Come to the back entrance. I’ll be waiting.

Si Heon had asked to have dinner together today. For some reason, Si Heon’s voice also seemed to be in quite a good mood today.

I wonder if it was good that I said that last Friday.

‘Or are you trying to distance yourself in advance in case I fall for you and cling to you, Mr. CEO?’

‘If that’s the case, you definitely don’t need to worry. As I’ve told you before, my ideal type is someone like actor Choi Ji Wook.’

Is that why he’s at ease now?

It was somewhat bitter, but on the other hand, her mind felt more at ease.

Now I really must not fall any deeper. So Yi made a firm resolution in her heart.

[This is the timeline separator]

Soft classical music filled the room sweetly. Perhaps due to the low lighting, Si Heon’s eyes across from her looked even deeper.

“There’s a family gathering this Saturday.”

As she listened to Si Heon’s words, So Yi cut a piece of the well-grilled flounder and put it in her mouth. The chewy texture full of savory flavor spread throughout her mouth.

“It’s my uncle’s birthday, so there are some things you need to know in advance.”

“Your uncle?”

If it’s Mr. CEO’s uncle…

So Yi racked her brain trying to recall the family tree of the HS Group.

“The chairman of HS Capital.”

“Ah… But is it okay for me to go there?”

“I told you before. This situation is very necessary for me right now.”

“The situation of appearing to be dating me?”

Si Heon nodded briefly.

“Um… There won’t be any incidents like receiving money envelopes from the directors or getting slapped, right?”

A slap? There’s no way Madam Kang, who maintains an elegant and refined image, would do such a vulgar thing.

“That won’t happen. I’ll give you a file later with basic information about me, so study it during this week.”

“Yes, I understand.”

So Yi smiled brightly as she cut another piece of flounder and put it in her mouth. His gaze fell on her small lips as she chewed. Just looking at her made him feel flushed instantly.

This is driving me crazy.

Si Heon forcibly tore his gaze away and took a sip of water. The cool ice water slid down his throat, but somewhere still felt hot and wouldn’t cool down.

“Why aren’t you drinking the wine?”

The white wine paired with the grilled flounder was quite clean. So Yi asked curiously as she watched Si Heon only drinking water.

“I have my reasons.”

Though she didn’t know what those reasons were, So Yi simply nodded.

Not knowing at all that the reason was that he felt he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he drank alcohol now, she continued with her meal.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Are you just going to leave it like this?”

Yu Kyung’s voice echoed lowly in the cool study. Word had reached Yu Kyung that Si Heon had brought Jin So Yi to a gathering with his peers.

Hyun Seob, who was reviewing materials for tomorrow’s meeting, slowly raised his head.

“What can we do? If he’s happy with it.”

Of course, Hyun Seob was also quite surprised at first. To think that the guy who had been averse to even the mention of marriage for years, let alone Yeon Ri Na, was now talking about marriage.

But seeing his father, Chairman Cha, so delighted made his heart waver. When he had someone look into it, the reports were that she had a good reputation. Not angular, polite, and generally kind-hearted.

Knowing Si Heon’s capabilities to lead Chahan Media better than anyone, Hyun Seob had never thought that Si Heon particularly needed to benefit from his in-laws.

“She seems quite decent too. If they both like each other, I don’t think it would be bad to let them get married.”

“Marriage?!”

Yu Kyung suddenly raised her voice.

“For this Infinity Resort, just meeting with Yeon Ri Na showed signs of immediately closing the bid. How could he marry such an insignificant girl!”

Yu Kyung put her hands on her hips as if she couldn’t comprehend it. She frowned in irritation, then quickly smoothed out her eyes, worried about fine wrinkles.

“Can’t he win bids based on his own abilities? So you should cut back on meetings with the Yeon family too. Start distancing yourself from now on.”

“Darling!”

This time Yu Kyung’s eyes inevitably crinkled up. To give up on the marriage with Yeon Ri Na. She had only been willing to accept a daughter-in-law from at least that level of family, but this was too different.

“You know how Father has been pestering to see a grandchild who looks like Si Heon as soon as possible.”

Hyun Seob’s voice was gentle as if trying to soothe Yu Kyung.

“That’s why you should push for the marriage with Yeon Ri Na somehow.”

“What can we do if he doesn’t like her?”

“I don’t know. I can’t accept this.”

Yu Kyung sat down on the sofa in front of Hyun Seob’s desk and spoke in a sulky voice.

“Even if you don’t accept it, if he says he likes her and wants to marry her. What good would that do then?”

“Then, let’s do this.”

Yu Kyung, who had been thinking about something with her arms crossed, turned to Hyun Seob.

“Let’s put Tae Hyun in the empty director position.”

“Tae Hyun?”

“It’s about time we gave Tae Hyun an executive position. He works diligently and well.”

Tae Hyun, Yu Kyung’s nephew, had been an ambitious child since he was young. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Yu Kyung used his competitive spirit to provoke Si Heon. Even for a runner in the lead, the fact that someone was chasing behind often heightened the tension.

“You were going to promote Si Heon to executive director anyway with this OTT business expansion project.”

The plan was to bring Si Heon back to Chahan Media and put him in the executive director position once a new CEO was selected for the customer center and public opinion settled down.

“But what does putting Tae Hyun in the director position have to do with Si Heon dating?”

“It has nothing to do with it. It just gives me one more card I can use to negotiate.”

“What are you trying to do now.”

Hyun Seob clicked his tongue as he watched Yu Kyung smile slyly.

“Anyway, all you need to do is show Father a son who looks like Si Heon before he passes away. So leave Si Heon’s marriage to me.”

The corners of Yu Kyung’s mouth turned up crookedly. She just smiled at Hyun Seob’s words telling her not to do anything unnecessary.

Her determination to somehow finalize the marriage with Yeon Ri Na within this year was becoming more and more firm.

[This is the timeline separator]

Early in the morning, a new approval item popped up on Si Heon’s monitor.

[Business Support Department / Compensation Support Team / Assistant Manager / Jin So Yi]

It was an approval for a small compensation to be given as a customer appeasement measure after the customer support center confirmed with the compensation support team about the possibility of compensation. A customer had complained to the telecom company that they missed an important stock trade because the internet got cut off when they entered the elevator while using a stock trading app.

So Jin So Yi was in charge of this case.

Si Heon naturally moved his mouse to click on So Yi’s profile picture.

His heart flutters again at the slight smile on her lips.

This is driving me crazy.

Just looking at her photo makes his pulse quicken. The heat rising to the nape of his neck feels unfamiliar, making him take a deep breath.

Knock knock.

Jang Woo entered with a knock.

“There’s an AI system development meeting this afternoon.”

After reporting the schedule, Jang Woo placed the scheduler on Si Heon’s desk. The way he pressed down on the scheduler with his fingertips and slowly pushed it seemed like he had something to say.

“Speak.”

“Pardon?”

“What are you trying to say while being so hesitant?”

Si Heon said with an indifferent expression as he reviewed the approval document.

“Well…”

Jang Woo bit his lip once and then let out a deep sigh. As he kept hesitating, Si Heon turned his head, finding it strange.

“They say they’re going to convene a board meeting soon regarding the appointment of a managing director for Chahan Media’s Management Strategy Division.”

“What?”

Si Heon’s forehead instantly wrinkled at Jang Woo’s unbelievable words.

It hadn’t even been a month since Si Heon stepped down from the management frontline of Chahan Media. Yet they’ve already selected an employee to be the next managing director.

I let my guard down.

Calculating that he would return, he thought they would leave the position vacant for at least three months, but they’re already convening a board meeting for the managing director appointment.

“Who is it?”

Jang Woo approached Si Heon’s desk and hesitated for a moment, checking his reaction.

Si Heon gestured with his chin as if urging him on, and Jang Woo painfully parted his lips to speak.

“It’s Tae Hyun hyung.”