Love is Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

President Seongwon’s office.

Director Hwang, who had maintained constant tension due to the imminent extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, finally wore a broad smile for the first time in a while.

“Look here, President. Didn’t I tell you? I told you The MG would be on our side! Ahahaha!”

Upon hearing that The MG had proposed a meeting, Director Hwang became as excited as a child. Of course, President Baek didn’t show it outwardly, but deep inside, his heart raced wildly with surging excitement.

It was a staggering 8% of shares.

Excluding the Baek family, not even a single board member held that much stock. Thus, whoever secured The MG’s support first would decisively shift the balance of the upcoming extraordinary shareholders’ meeting.

Moreover, The MG’s proposal to meet was almost unprecedented.

As Director Hwang said, they had always stuck to their strategy as an independent investment firm—no advance meetings. They relied solely on flawless data analysis, factoring in even external environmental variables, to execute bold and aggressive investments.

For The MG to break from their long-held approach and respond to President Baek’s overture might well mean they’d already made up their minds.

All President Baek needed to do now was drive that conviction home.

“But we have absolutely no prior information about the proxy representing The MG. I’m not sure how we should host them….”

Director Hwang spoke with a troubled expression—he’d never dealt with an investment firm like this before.

Yet President Baek regarded him with utter disdain, as if he were truly pitiful.

“How foolish. These are people who’ve always judged based solely on data, without face-to-face meetings. Do you really think hospitality would work on them?”

“Then….”

“We go by the book. Business to business.”

“…”

“So prepare your materials thoroughly. They probably already have all our historical data—focus on future-oriented proposals.”

Indeed, his experience was formidable. Quick-witted, he instantly grasped The MG’s mindset and planned to win them over by presenting a compelling vision for the future.

Because of this, directors and teams loyal to President Baek would spend the entire day frantically organizing massive volumes of documents and translating them into English—but the payoff would undoubtedly be worth it.

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Ha! Then everything will be settled tomorrow at last.”

Yes, tomorrow.

Just as Director Hwang said, tomorrow would decide the winner of this game—and barring any unforeseen twist, the victor would obviously be himself.

And the 48th-floor chairman’s office, left empty and desolate ever since Chairman Baek’s passing, would soon welcome its new master.

The chairman’s office—the one with the best view in the entire Seongwon Building.

The day he’d finally step into that coveted space was now just around the corner.

“Congratulations, Chair. Man.!”

“Hmph. It’s not settled yet. Keep your words to yourself until you’ve actually grasped that trophy—someone might overhear.”

Though he said this, President Baek’s greedy eyes, fixed out the window, were already intoxicated with premature victory.

***

After a grueling day at work, on her way home from the office,

Seo Rin closed her eyes, letting her muscles—tense all day from heightened alertness—finally relax. But that brief moment of calm lasted only a moment before her phone vibrated inside her handbag.

It was Tae Joon.

Right—she’d found it odd he hadn’t called all day, and now he reached out just as she was heading home.

He truly had impeccable timing.

“Yeah.”

[Heading home?]

“How’d you know? I’m on my way.”

[Good. Then show me your face.]

“Right now? Isn’t it too late?”

[It’s only 8 p.m. I won’t take much of your time.]

His quiet, low voice slipped pleasantly into her ears, and Seo Rin couldn’t suppress a soft chuckle.

Truthfully, even if Tae Joon hadn’t insisted, she had no intention of refusing him.

After all, just two days ago, he’d agreed to all her demands—from marriage itself to the timing of their legal registration.

It couldn’t have been an easy decision. Yet, whether in the past or present, Tae Joon had always shown her unwavering trust.

Now, it was her turn to show sincerity.

“Alright. Let’s meet. A cup of coffee should be fine.”

[Good. How long until you get home?]

“My place? Don’t tell me… you’re already outside my apartment? How?”

She asked in genuine surprise—she’d never once given him her address. But then another helpless laugh escaped her.

Kang Tae Joon.

With this man, who now felt as immovable as a mountain, what in this world could he possibly not accomplish?

Of course he could find her address just by breathing.

“Never mind. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

[I’ll wait.]

With that, the call ended—but she couldn’t stop the smile still tugging at her lips.

She didn’t quite understand why.

But something about him, strangely familiar yet new, made her heart flutter in the oddest way. Her tense muscles, knotted all day, finally began to loosen. A drowsy warmth spread through her.

Half-lidded, she let her gaze drift across passing neon signs—when suddenly Director Park glanced at her through the rearview mirror and asked out of the blue,

“A friend… you’re meeting someone?”

Seo Rin was someone who lived with meticulous planning. Thus, unplanned encounters weren’t really her style.

She didn’t meet friends often—and even then, never with such sudden, impromptu arrangements.

Her unusual behavior planted countless question marks in Director Park’s mind, impossible to ignore.

“No. Not a friend.”

Not a friend? Then who?

His curiosity deepened.

“So… you’re not seeing anyone, and yet at this hour…?”

Who could she possibly be meeting?

He didn’t voice the last part aloud, yet it rang clearly in his head.

Sensing Director Park’s burning curiosity, Seo Rin turned her eyes toward his back as he drove.

She couldn’t hide her situation with Tae Joon forever.

Moreover, as her closest aide, Director Park had every right to know. But how could she even begin to explain this marriage—something she hadn’t fully accepted herself?

“Director Park… is your heart strong enough?”

“My heart?”

Startled by the unexpected question, Director Park’s uneasy eyes flicked to the rearview mirror.

Their gazes met silently in the glass. An inexplicable tension tightened the already cramped air inside the car.

Ignoring his nervous swallow, Seo Rin finally parted her lips slowly.

“Director Park, hold the steering wheel tight.”

“…”

“I’m not dating… but I am married.”

Screeeech!

So shocked, Director Park yanked the wheel and pulled over to the shoulder. He switched on the hazard lights and took a few steadying breaths.

Did I… hear that wrong?

“You heard right. I’m married.”

Before he could even voice the question, Seo Rin answered as if reading his mind, utterly nonchalant.

He’d always prided himself on his robust health—yet here he was, heart pounding wildly at nothing more than his boss’s marriage announcement.

“Want me to buy you some Cheongsimhwan?”

Now she was just being annoying.

“You should’ve bought it before you even asked!”

“That’s why I asked—whether your heart was strong. You didn’t answer, so I assumed you were fine.”

He knew Seo Rin was famously coolheaded—but he hadn’t expected her to be this detached, discussing her own marriage as if it were someone else’s story.

“Of course, not right away. It’s only been a short while since Father passed—holding a wedding now would be inappropriate. So we decided to register first and hold the ceremony later.”

“But… who on earth… with whom?”

The sudden news was so absurd, Director Park stammered, utterly unable to process it.

As her closest confidant, he would’ve known if she’d been dating. She hadn’t even been on a single blind date—yet now she’d leapt straight to marriage? It wasn’t just shocking; it was bewildering.

“You’ll recognize him when you see him.”

“…”

“So let’s hurry. He’s waiting.”

Though Director Park reluctantly restarted the car, his heart still fluttered uncontrollably.

At this rate, a heart attack wouldn’t be surprising—his entire body pulsed with adrenaline from the rapid heartbeat.

Who? Who could it be?

That single question consumed his thoughts. And there was only one way to get an answer:

Reach her officetel quickly and see the man’s face for himself!

Fueled by urgency, Director Park covered the 15-minute drive in just 10.

He parked hastily and scanned the area—but under the red streetlights, only silence greeted him.

“Don’t get out, Director Park. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Seo Rin said this, but he was too stunned to reply.

Eyes wide, he watched her back as she stepped out of the car. Just moments ago, she’d moved with exhaustion—but now her steps were light, heading toward someone.

Then, a tall shadow stepped down from a black SUV.

“Damn it… I can’t see. Am I already getting old?”

He strained his eyes until tiny blood vessels threatened to burst—but the man’s face, still shrouded in darkness, remained unclear, and frustration flared.

Unaware or indifferent to his struggle, Seo Rin’s footsteps toward the shadow were feather-light.

“Who on earth…”

At that moment, the shadow stepped forward from the shadows, revealing himself.

“Holy—!”

Director Park’s jaw dropped.

Kang Tae Joon! Of course—how could he forget that presence!

Even a fleeting glimpse of that man had burned into memory with shocking intensity!

As Director Park stood frozen in disbelief, eyes locked on the two figures, another pair of eyes watched them from afar.

Those eyes were busy capturing clear images of the pair through a camera lens.

About an hour later, those photos were delivered via the Chief Secretary directly to President Baek’s private email.

When President Baek saw the images, shock far greater than Director Park’s flashed across his eyes.

“What… is this?”

He’d assigned someone to monitor Seo Rin’s movements until the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting—but now that the results were in his hands, he was baffled, unsure how to interpret them.

The location was unmistakably outside Seo Rin’s officetel—and several photos even captured the two entering her building together.

But more shocking than that was the faint smile playing on her face as she looked at the man.

Nicknamed “Iron Lady,” Seo Rin’s signature trait was her cool, unreadable expression. Even her uncle couldn’t recall seeing her smile like this since childhood.

Yet here she was—smiling at a man.

“How on earth…”

How could this be happening? Baek Seo Rin, with her fate hanging in the balance at the upcoming extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, was meeting a man?

Admittedly, the man’s presence radiated so strongly it pierced even through the dim photos.

But that alone couldn’t explain it.

This was Baek Seo Rin—she wasn’t the type to waste time on romantic distractions during such a critical period. He simply couldn’t accept these photos at face value.

This suspicion drove him to pick up his phone again.

“Find out everything about this guy in the photo.”

There had to be a reason—why she’d smile at him like that.

“From head to toe—everything!”