A soundproof practice room.

Seo Yun plucked the gayageum, making ting-ting sounds, then stopped irritably.

She picked up her phone to check the screen, then let out a deep sigh.

“Why on earth isn’t there any contact?”

Thinking the signal might be weak, she stretched out her arm, but it was of no use.

When she opened her messenger app, there were only useless messages from Hee Jun.

“It doesn’t seem like my phone is broken.”

With no other choice, Seo Yun made a call somewhere.

After a few rings, a deep voice came through.

“Manager Park, are you available to talk?”

-Young lady, I can speak briefly.

“Please put my father on the line.”

-The assemblyman is currently in a meeting.

“Dad is always in meetings.”

Seo Yun pouted her lips.

-If you tell me, I’ll pass it on to him.

“Manager Park, didn’t you say before that you sent my photo to the Ji Seok Group?”

-That’s correct. Assemblyman Kwak said he would arrange a matchmaking meeting.

“There’s been no contact.”

-You mean there’s still been no contact?

“Yes. Please check on it once.”

-Understood.

Seo Yun ended the unproductive call and threw her phone down.

Although her gayageum solo concert was approaching, she had no intention of practicing.

This was because she couldn’t get the image of I Hyun and Ye Rin she had seen at the restaurant out of her head.

“Those two looked really close.”

It seemed like more than just a secretary and boss relationship, a bit stickier than that.

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, she had pressed for her own matchmaking meeting again today.

“I mean, how long has it been since Han Ye Rin broke up, and she’s already meeting a new man?”

This time, when Ye Rin found out that Hee Jun had cheated on her with Seo Yun, she didn’t even come to confront her.

Seeing her living so nonchalantly as if nothing had happened was irritating.

She had put in all that effort with Hee Jun just to see Ye Rin standing before her, flustered and at a loss.

But there was no sign of anger or hurt, so what was this?

It was like dancing alone on an empty stage with no audience.

It would be strange to contact her first though.

As she was anxiously biting her nails,

Seo Yun’s phone rang sharply.

It was her father, Assemblyman Kwak.

“Dad?”

Seo Yun answered the phone in a bright voice.

-Is it true that there’s still no contact from the Ji Seok Group about the matchmaking?

“Yes, Dad. Is it possible that Manager Park gave them the wrong phone number for me?”

-That’s not possible. I’ll contact Chairman Cha directly. Once this busy period passes, that is.

“I understand. But Dad, do you know something?”

Seo Yun held on to Assemblyman Kwak, who seemed busy and about to end the call quickly.

“Dad, you know Ye Rin, right?”

-You mean Chairman Han’s daughter?

“Yes, Han Ye Rin.”

-I know her. Why?

Seo Yun pulled up the corners of her mouth in a meaningful smile.

From before, Assemblyman Kwak had subtly compared Ye Rin and Seo Yun.

Since they attended the same high school, she received the most nagging about grades.

Unlike Seo Yun, who poured money into private education, Ye Rin studied on her own yet consistently ranked first in the school.

To Assemblyman Kwak, who always wanted his daughter to be overwhelmingly superior in every aspect, Ye Rin was a thorn in his side.

“I heard that Ye Rin is working as a secretary for Division Director Cha I Hyun at Ji Seok Electronics.”

-Is that so? Why would such a good student become a secretary…

“Her family went bankrupt, you know.”

Assemblyman Kwak seemed shocked, as if it was quite unexpected.

It would be strange to be surprised here.

Seo Yun continued with an amused expression.

“Dad, Ye Rin has always acted out without knowing her place, hasn’t she?”

-What are you trying to say?

“A few days ago, I went out to eat and saw Ye Rin alone with Division Director Cha I Hyun.”

-What’s wrong with a secretary being with the boss she serves?

“They were leaving with hands on each other’s waists.”

-…

“Oh, they could have been supporting each other. Surely they’re not in that kind of relationship?”

It seems Assemblyman Kwak, being quick-witted, immediately understood what Seo Yun was implying.

From his perspective, the Ji Seok Group was also a partner he absolutely didn’t want to lose.

That’s why he had tried to form a connection through a political marriage.

“Dad, if you’re busy, take your time…”

-I’ll contact Chairman Cha today.

Seo Yun put down her phone with a sardonic smile on her face.

“Han Ye Rin, why did you have to catch my eye?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Originally, Cha I Hyun wasn’t in my plans.”

The Ji Seok Group had two sons.

It didn’t matter which of Su Hyun or I Hyun she had a matchmaking meeting with.

Both were handsome and had similar management skills, so either would have been fine.

“But if Han Ye Rin interferes, that changes things.”

With Assemblyman Kwak stepping in, the matchmaking would proceed swiftly.

The thought of that made her feel like years of weight had been lifted.

Now she could focus a bit.

Seo Yun began practicing the gayageum with her unremarkable skills.

If things progressed to a deeper relationship with I Hyun, she’d have to invite him to her solo concert.

While making all sorts of future plans in her head, Seo Yun immersed herself in practice.

In the Division Director’s office of Ji Seok Electronics, only I Hyun and Ye Rin remained after work hours.

Around the time the clock hands pointed to 7 PM.

I Hyun turned off the lights in his office and came out.

“Are you leaving?”

“I was about to. Let’s go, Secretary Han.”

Ye Rin also turned off her computer and stood up.

I Hyun seemed lost in thought, looking at his tablet PC as if work wasn’t quite finished.

“Director, I can wait longer if you need to finish your work.”

“No. The work is done.”

Then what was he pondering so intently?

Ye Rin stood with her back straight, waiting for I Hyun’s instructions.

I Hyun, who seemed slightly frustrated as if things weren’t going well, held out the tablet PC to Ye Rin.

“Which one do you think is better, Secretary Han?”

It seemed he wanted to ask which of the proposals submitted by the planning team was better.

Ye Rin quickly took the tablet PC.

What was on the tablet PC was somewhat different from what Ye Rin had expected, a bit out of the blue.

I Hyun came closer to her side and began to explain kindly.

“Now, the charm of this restaurant is its antique atmosphere.”

The tablet PC displayed photos of restaurants.

I Hyun explained as he swiped through the photos one by one, as if giving Ye Rin a briefing.

“This place sells Italian food and is famous for its steak.”

She couldn’t understand why he was showing this to her.

Ordinarily, everything has a purpose.

Ye Rin opened her mouth to give her opinion in line with that purpose.

“Director, if you tell me who you’re dining with, I might be able to give you a more helpful opinion.”

At Ye Rin’s words, I Hyun looked even more bewildered.

“I’m choosing a place to have dinner with you, Secretary Han.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, did you not like any of the places I showed you?”

“No! That’s not it…”

Ye Rin was very flustered.

They could just go into any restaurant and talk, why was he so intently collecting photos and choosing like this?

Wasn’t the meal just bait, and the real purpose to finish the conversation they couldn’t complete in the morning?

“If there’s a place you like, let me know.”

“Ah, yes.”

Thinking they should decide on a place first, Ye Rin fixed her gaze on the tablet PC again.

“Director, did Secretary Choi compile this list of restaurants?”

Since she hadn’t done it, she naturally thought Secretary Choi must have.

“No.”

“Then who…”

“I searched for them myself.”

“…”

Ye Rin’s lips parted slightly again.

She had intended to choose a dining place casually, but for some reason, it felt like she shouldn’t.

Still, since I Hyun had invested time and prepared so diligently, it seemed courteous for her to also do her best to evaluate and make a decision.

“I guess the restaurants I found myself weren’t very good after all.”

“No! I was just surprised.”

“About what?”

“Director, please instruct me to do things like this in the future.”

“Why?”

Why, he asks?

What was a busy person doing this for?

“Isn’t this the kind of miscellaneous task you hired me for?”

“It’s not miscellaneous.”

“…”

Ye Rin was at a loss for words.

“Secretary Han, is there a problem with a man choosing the date location?”

Ye Rin’s pupils trembled.

Man, and date.

Two words that couldn’t be more surprising.

This isn’t a date, and first of all, you’re not a man but my boss.

She wanted to correct him like that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“I guess I was quite clumsy since this is my first time planning such a date.”

“No, all the restaurants look good…”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Did he truly not see the problem?

Everything was a problem.

It wasn’t a date but an extension of work to finish the conversation they couldn’t complete.

And it was truly baffling why I Hyun, who was always overworked due to his heavy workload, was personally searching for things like this.

“So which one suits Secretary Han’s taste?”

Since he asked, she had to find an answer again.

Ye Rin had no choice but to carefully flip through the restaurant photos that I Hyun had personally selected again.

Looking properly, they all appealed to her, making it difficult to choose.

“Ah, I like them all…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But if I had to choose just one…”

“Why just one?”

Huh?

Then how many should she choose?

Ye Rin looked up at I Hyun with her eyes wide open.

“We can go to all the places you want to go.”

“All in one day?”

There should be a set amount. That didn’t seem right.

I Hyun shook his head.

“Why do we have to go to all of them in one day?”

“Then?”

“We can go tomorrow, the day after tomorrow…”

“…”

“And if the restaurant list gets updated in between…”

“You’re not planning to go to all of them with me, are you?”

“That’s right.”

I Hyun looked rather dumbfounded.

“Who else would I go with besides Secretary Han? To places like these.”

Hearing it put that way, it made sense.

It’s not like he could glumly go to such places alone with Secretary Choi either.

“So, what’s Secretary Han’s choice?”

With no other option, Ye Rin chose one restaurant.

Like a rabbit hopping into a fence I Hyun had set up, without even realizing it.