As soon as the door opened, a shadow was cast by the large man standing in front. Hae Jin, who had been looking down at the floor somewhere, lifted her head. And her eyes met his standing in front of her.

“Team Leader?”

His gaze focused between his furrowed brows. Reflexively, Hae Jin also furrowed her brow. But it had a different meaning. For Hae Jin, it was a defensive expression to hide the fact that she had just been crying.

“Do you need something?”

She tried her best to pretend nothing was wrong, but her voice, soaked with emotion, couldn’t be hidden.

But Tae Hong didn’t answer her question. His gaze, which had been looking down, quickly scanned Hae Jin’s face.

Her pale white face was enough of a canvas to reveal her true state. Along with her reddened cheeks, Tae Hong felt like his eyes were constantly searching for something.

Standing in front of him, she could never hide anything. And in the end, he always found the reason. Even now, was he trying to figure out the reason?

His thick finger touched the tip of Hae Jin’s nose. Surprised by Tae Hong’s reaction, Hae Jin’s lips parted slightly. Her breath, heightened by tears, was hot.

“Were you crying?”

“No.”

The sensation at the tip of her nose where he had touched lingered.

“Don’t cry.”

The unexpected gentleness made her emotions even more turbulent. Though she wanted to calmly avoid the situation, there was nowhere for Hae Jin to escape.

Even Tae Hong’s large wall-like body blocking the entrance was one of those things.

In response to her awkward answer, Tae Hong’s gaze pierced through her even more. But unlike his eyes, his head was just tilted.

“If you don’t need anything, why are you here?”

Tae Hong’s upper body leaned towards Hae Jin. She just gripped the doorknob she was still holding even tighter.

“I seemed to have stopped it, so why are you crying?”

She needed to leave, but couldn’t.

“Was it not enough?”

Finally, her shoulders slumped at his words.

**

Tae Hong, who had returned to his room, was standing next to his desk, tapping his fingers.

Not long after the meeting ended and he left the conference room, he saw Yeon Jung stomping into the pantry.

Her pride must have been hurt.

Yeon Jung was a capable employee. But from when did her interest in personal gain become greater than her work? He knew who that personal gain was without having to say it.

It was me.

He hadn’t paid attention, but ever since Hae Jin came in, her behavior that crossed the line had been bothering him. From the moment he realized Hae Jin was a useful card, Tae Hong had no reason to hesitate.

Work adjustment was a natural process, and there was no need to keep Yeon Jung, who was disgruntled, in mind.

Just as he was about to enter his office, he saw Byung Soo and Hae Jin coming out of the conference room. He noticed Byung Soo patting Hae Jin’s shoulder in encouragement.

There’s no need to go that far.

Byung Soo’s hand patting Hae Jin’s shoulder oddly bothered him. And the moment he saw Hae Jin entering the pantry, Tae Hong unconsciously checked Yeon Jung’s seat.

Yeon Jung, who hadn’t returned to her seat yet, and Hae Jin entering the pantry. His body was towards the door, but his head was towards the pantry. Tae Hong moved following his head. Just feeling like he should.

Unable to enter, he approached nearby. And through the door, he could hear the two people’s conversation, barely audible.

I’m curious, should I just go in?

But he chose to wait. Not long after, the sound of the door clicking was heard. Tae Hong moved, pretending to be passing by, against his own will.

What are you doing, Moon Tae Hong?

Sneering at himself, Tae Hong looked back as he passed by, and sure enough, Yeon Jung had returned to her seat with even more stomping sounds than before.

Did Jung Hae Jin win?

It was ridiculous to be judging who won and lost in this situation, but why did he hope that Jung Hae Jin had won?

It was the moment he was about to go back in, but Hae Jin’s actions inside were faster. The moment Tae Hong confirmed the face of the woman he had hoped would win, his thought process stopped.

The traces of tears on parts of her face that was pale without a hint of blood color.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Hae Jin’s rambling appearance. Although Tae Hong usually detested crying women, why did Hae Jin’s crying face keep catching his eye?

And she asked him.

Why are you here?

Yeah. Jung Hae Jin.

Why was I here?

With you crying in front of me, seeing you with your shoulders slumped in bewilderment, my outstretched hand couldn’t grasp anything. My fingers that had scattered in the air grasped regret.

Tae Hong’s fingers, still standing next to the desk, moved in rhythm.

What’s so special about a crying face? Why does your white face mixed with your reddened nose tip keep coming to mind?

It was truly a laughable moment.

Tae Hong, sitting at his desk looking at documents, tilted his head back. The letters on the documents weren’t properly registering in his eyes.

Especially when he saw the parts circled in red, Hae Jin’s red and round eyes came to mind.

Finally, Tae Hong boldly put down the documents in his hand. And he picked up his jacket. As he opened the door of the team leader’s office and went out, he could see the top of Hae Jin’s head. Would her face still be red?

When his curiosity about her unseen face didn’t subside, Hae Jin lifted her head.

“Team Leader, where are you going?”

He saw a clean face without any hint of redness.

“Let’s go out. We have to go on an external appointment this afternoon anyway.”

“There’s still time though.”

“We’ll eat, have coffee, and prepare for the meeting.”

Because Tae Hong left quickly first, Hae Jin hurriedly prepared and followed him, still feeling bewildered.

Arriving at the parking lot, when Hae Jin naturally tried to open the driver’s side door, Tae Hong standing behind grabbed the door.

“Sit on the other side.”

“I’ll drive.”

Hae Jin couldn’t finish her sentence. Tae Hong opened the door he was holding wider. And he stepped aside slightly. It meant for her to turn around and get in the passenger seat.

Hae Jin had no choice but to get in the passenger seat. Only after she closed the door did Tae Hong get in the driver’s seat.

“You look like you want to ask why I’m driving.”

Although he didn’t look at Hae Jin, she just nodded at Tae Hong’s words that hit the nail on the head.

“What if you cry again and cause an accident?”

She agreed since it wasn’t wrong. Since he knew she had cried, she didn’t correct him separately. But she felt a warmth spreading at the tip of her nose where his touch had lingered.

She needed to change the subject, if only to forget the sensation.

“Where are we going?”

She asked, throwing a glance at Tae Hong after looking out the window at the car moving without a destination.

“Grace Hotel.”

Hae Jin nodded absent-mindedly and then her eyes widened.

“Grace Hotel? Why there?”

Hae Jin’s large eyes moved back and forth.

“Don’t tell me there was property damage that time too? I’m sure the hotel side concluded it was just a simple incident.”

Hae Jin mumbled the last words as if talking to herself. When Tae Hong’s realistic laughter was heard, Hae Jin’s serious expression changed to a dumbfounded state.

“Listen carefully, Jung Hae Jin. Currently, Yeonchang has acquired the hotel.”

She calmed her surprised heart and focused on his words again.

“We’re thinking of completely changing the interior decoration and relaunching, and since Sion has done it before, there’s a hotel we need to benchmark.”

“Don’t tell me it’s Grace Hotel?”

“Bingo.”

Tae Hong explained the situation to Hae Jin. He was particularly interested in the contractor that had worked with Grace Hotel. The interior decoration and exterior that always caught Tae Hong’s eye whenever he saw them always pleased him.

The reason he usually chose Grace Hotel as a meeting place was also because of this. He could observe more closely each time.

However, that contractor was known for being picky. Of course, he didn’t tell Hae Jin. He had no intention of burdening her from the start.

It was something she would gradually come to know, and he didn’t particularly want to tell a woman who had cried to the point of her face turning red right away.

It was just consideration for an employee, nothing more.

“We’ll also have meetings with related companies. Especially keep an eye on the construction company that was in charge of this hotel, as they’ll be moving together.”

Hae Jin took notes, writing down Tae Hong’s words.

“But Team Leader. This wasn’t on the schedule.”

Standing close to Tae Hong’s side, Hae Jin asked in a quiet voice. Tae Hong’s face tilted slightly towards Hae Jin and he whispered so that she could hear.

“This is a candy I’m giving to Jung Hae Jin.”

“Candy?”

“Don’t people usually give one more candy to someone who’s crying? To tell them not to cry.”

Ah, really. Even though all the tears she had cried in the morning had already evaporated and disappeared, Tae Hong’s teasing was still ongoing.

“It’s the first project given to Jung Hae Jin after even adjusting the employees’ work, so you should do it properly.”

Tae Hong just smiled and then straightened up, walking ahead towards the business partner who was approaching.

Giving the disease and then the medicine. Yet, she didn’t dislike it. If it was candy, she would eat it sweetly. But she had no intention of doing the given work sweetly.

She wanted to do it as sharply as possible. She wanted to strip away prejudices and show that being a parachute was just an empty shell.

Fortunately, it was an opportunity to properly look around here and there thanks to the hotel’s consideration.

The constructor was explaining everything to Tae Hong in as much detail as possible. Tae Hong was taking it in with his eyes, while Hae Jin was writing it down densely in her notebook.

“We’ve properly looked at the lobby and other amenities’ interior decoration, now it seems we just need to look at the rooms.”

“I liked it originally, but seeing it while listening to the explanation, I like it even more.”

Tae Hong knew that his judgment had not been wrong.

“I’m honored that you say so. Then, we’ve already gotten permission from the hotel side regarding the rooms, so you can look around right away.”

Tae Hong and Hae Jin got on the elevator together. Even in the midst of this, the interior decoration that paid attention even to the inside of the elevator caught their eye.

“It’s like an exhibition hall.”

Hae Jin also carefully expressed her impression to Tae Hong. Tae Hong was watching Hae Jin’s appearance through the mirror as she whispered so that others couldn’t hear.

“The paintings and sculptures are perfect too. It’s not bad for a hotel to become a place of art rather than just a place of rest.”

Looking at Hae Jin’s serious eyes through the mirror as she expressed her opinion, he realized once again.

She was definitely a card he needed.