“Get up.”

A cold chill permeated Sung Hyuk’s gaze as he looked down at Beom Jun. However, Beom Jun, being more drunk than 20 minutes ago, failed to read the atmosphere at all.

“Oh? It’s Sung Hyuk!”

Even as he grinned, his eyes were glazed over with intoxication.

“Man, I didn’t want to drink alone anyway. Sit down.”

“Sit where? Didn’t you hear me say get up?”

“Didn’t you come to drink with me?”

“I came to pick up the bastard who can’t go home alone, so stop making me repeat myself and get up.”

“Don’t tell me… you came instead of Young In…?”

“That’s right.”

After the strategy meeting ended, a team leader meeting was held regarding the downsizing of the management business discussed in the meeting. Sung Hyuk also attended to alleviate the anxiety of the management team leaders.

The meeting, which started at 5 o’clock, went on longer than expected, so they had a simple dinner with boxed meals and continued the meeting. It was a realization of Sung Hyuk’s proposal to have dinner together with Young In today. Although it wasn’t just the two of them.

And during a short break. Sung Hyuk quickly left the conference room with his mobile phone, following Young In who was heading to the emergency exit, and as soon as he heard she couldn’t come to pick him up, he knew it was Beom Jun’s call.

He had snatched Young In’s phone and answered it after hearing the shout that seemed to pierce through the mobile phone.

“I’ll go.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m letting you know that from now on, I’ll go if he calls you.”

That was the reason he was here now.

“Why you…?”

A look of confusion spread across Beom Jun’s face.

“I was in a meeting. The meeting’s not over yet.”

“Ah…”

“Young In, she’s in charge of a very important project. It’s a project that SL Enter’s survival depends on.”

“I didn’t know Young In was in charge of such an important project…”

Beom Jun mumbled, avoiding the piercing gaze.

“Come out.”

Beom Jun got up, swaying like a buoy, and staggered after Sung Hyuk, who turned around and left the room. The atmosphere was so intense that he couldn’t even suggest going slowly.

When he finally made it outside the building, Sung Hyuk’s car was parked in front of the entrance.

As he opened the passenger door, receiving greetings from the guards, a cold voice flew from the driver’s seat.

“Get in the back.”

“…The back?”

“I came to pick you up, so I should make you comfortable.”

“No, I’ll just…”

“Why do you keep making me repeat myself? I said get in the back.”

Beom Jun hesitated, then quietly lowered his raised foot and obediently got into the back seat.

Far from comfortable, it was like sitting on pins and needles. How could one be comfortable using Cha Sung Hyuk as a driver?

“Seatbelt.”

Beom Jun quickly pulled and fastened his seatbelt. He was staying sharp, thinking that if he asked one more time, a stream of curses might fly at him.

After the car started and they had been silent for a while, Beom Jun cautiously moved his lips.

“But you… with Chang Geun’s incident last time and all… why are you taking care of Young In like this…?”

“Because you don’t.”

“…”

“Because you treat her worse than a stranger, I want to take care of her myself.”

“Why don’t you take care of Ah Rim…”

“If you knew how angry I am, you wouldn’t say that.”

“Ah Rim is still immature. You should try to understand her.”

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Beom Jun realize they had arrived in front of his house.

“From now on, if you need someone to take you home, call me. Don’t call busy people.”

“Alright…”

“I said get out.”

“…”

Beom Jun got out of the car with slumped shoulders and stood there, blankly watching Sung Hyuk’s car zoom away as if he couldn’t bear to stay a second longer.

While contemplating whether he should start treating Young In better from now on.

It was a vain thought, a wild guess stemming from the firm belief that Sung Hyuk couldn’t possibly like someone like Chae Young In.

The next morning, Young In parked in the company parking lot and headed for the elevator. However, there was a van parked near the elevator corridor.

Thinking someone must be waiting, she was walking when someone got out of the driver’s seat. It was Hee Ran’s on-site manager.

He bowed politely and got to the point.

“Team Leader, Hee Ran noona says she has something to talk to you about and wants you to get in for a moment.”

Realizing that she was the ‘someone’ being waited for, Young In obediently got into the van. There was a chilly air surrounding Hee Ran’s face.

“I heard you have something to say.”

She was inwardly curious about what could be so important that she would stop someone on their way to work.

“I heard a really incredible story from Oh Chang Geun yesterday.”

“Oh Chang Geun?”

“Don’t you know Oh Chang Geun?”

“I do.”

Hee Ran relayed exactly what she had heard from Chang Geun yesterday.

“Are you saying that’s because of me now?”

“Chang Geun oppa says it’s because of you.”

“…”

Young In was so dumbfounded she lost her words. This was the first time in her life she’d been blamed for something like this. But she was about to hear something even more absurd.

“Go and apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“I don’t know what you did to piss off Chang Geun oppa, but go and apologize sincerely. And come back with a firm answer about my contract renewal.”

The reason Hee Ran couldn’t give up on the Sung Myung Construction advertisement wasn’t because of money. It was a matter of pride.

As it was, people who were jealous of her success after 5 years since debut were waiting to see how long her popularity would last. If the model changed after just 6 months, she couldn’t even imagine how much they would laugh.

Moreover, the fact that the reason for the model change was not because of her but because of someone else was even more unbearable.

On top of that, the fact that this other person was Chae Young In was also irritating. It was like the person she disliked was doing everything to annoy her.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with Oh Chang Geun, but you two should resolve it.”

She only said that, but she could roughly guess what kind of relationship they had.

“Look, I’m telling you it’s not something for me to resolve? It’s because of you, so how can we resolve it between us?”

“Please show some manners. I’m not speaking informally to you because I can’t, you know.”

“I thought we were the same age?”

“Does Baek Hee Ran speak informally to all people of the same age without asking for permission?”

“…”

“I’ll be going now.”

Young In left the van, leaving behind Hee Ran who was momentarily speechless. She had taken about two steps when a sharp cry hit the back of her head.

“I’m not done talking!”

Young In’s legs hesitated for a moment.

You really can’t control your temper, can you?

Either she was so excited that she didn’t think anyone might hear, or she didn’t care if anyone heard, but either way, it was equally rash.

Just as she was about to take another step, Sung Hyuk’s face came into view. Young In turned to look at him as he passed by her and went to Hee Ran.

Stopping in front of Hee Ran, Sung Hyuk asked in a dry tone.

“What’s going on?”

“I was talking with Team Leader Chae Young In?”

“I heard a loud voice.”

“I have good vocal projection.”

“Ah, is that so.”

“I have a shoot to get to, so I’ll be going now.”

As Hee Ran nonchalantly made an excuse and disappeared in the van, Sung Hyuk turned his steps towards Young In. And he asked the same question he had asked Hee Ran.

“What’s going on?”

“I was just having a quick talk before going up.”

“The loud voice I heard?”

He cut in before Young In could answer.

“If you’re going to say Baek Hee Ran has good vocal projection, don’t say anything.”

“…”

Young In, following his words, said nothing and just bowed slightly before leaving.

Sung Hyuk, forgetting even that he had come to retrieve his mobile phone he had left in the car, fell into deep thought.

What on earth could have happened between the two of them?

Of course, no matter how much he pondered, there was no way he would find an answer.

The weekend passed and Monday came.

From the busy Monday morning, someone came to visit Management Team 5.

“Knock knock.”

Everyone simultaneously turned their heads towards the direction of the coquettish voice.

Hee Ran, with a fresh smile on her lips, was standing at the doorway. Her red pencil skirt and red high heels caught everyone’s attention.

“Chae Young In.”

The expressions of everyone in Team 5, except for Young In, momentarily hardened. They felt that she deliberately didn’t use the title ‘Team Leader’.

It was natural for them to feel uncomfortable, as looking down on the team leader was no different from looking down on the entire Team 5.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Young In, with a calm face, stood up and followed Hee Ran who turned and walked away.

Entering an empty conference room, Hee Ran perched slightly on the desk and smiled brightly.

“You probably haven’t received the call yet.”

“What call?”

“The memorial poem recitation for the Memorial Day commemoration event next week, I heard Min Sa Hee was supposed to do it.”

“Yes.”

“She’s your managed actor, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to do that.”

“What?”

As surprise and shock crossed her usually expressionless face, a satisfied smile spread across Hee Ran’s lips.

“I came to tell you personally.”

“…”

“They seemed really happy when I said I’d do it first, even though they couldn’t even dream of it before.”

Min Sa Hee, who had been decided to recite the memorial poem, was an actress who occasionally appeared in movies or dramas as the main character’s friend. Personally, she was also a descendant of a national merit.

Young In clenched her fists tightly, remembering the face of her actor who had been happy to be able to participate in such a meaningful event.

“Do you really have to go this far?”

“Yes, I have to go this far.”

Hee Ran smiled prettily, narrowing her eyes.

“If you want to vent your anger, do it to me. Don’t harm my innocent actor.”

“I want to do that too, but no matter how much I think about it, the only way to vent my anger on you, Chae Young In, is to cut you off. But that alone doesn’t seem enough to satisfy my anger.”

“And you can cut me off?”

As Young In let out a scornful laugh, Hee Ran’s expression hardened.

“Why? You don’t think I can?”

“No, I don’t think you can.”

“…”

“Think carefully about what meaning there is in venting your anger while ruining your own image.”

Young In left the conference room, leaving behind those indifferent words.

After chewing on her lips for a while, Hee Ran also left the conference room. And she got into the elevator.

Hee Ran’s destination was the 8th floor, the CEO’s office.