Haegin sighed deeply, summoning patience.
“Do you think a parachute that’s landed can take off again?”
She bit her lower lip, frustrated.
All I have to do is fulfill the contract with the chairman and get paid.
I never planned to rise again.
After exhaling her last breath, Haegin gulped down the water in her cup.
“Manager Kim Yeon-jung.”
She called out after downing the water and placing the cup on the table. Gumiho, arms crossed, looked at her with a mix of disdain and disregard.
“Are you jealous of me?”
“What?”
Welcoming team members to her side was a key goal for Haegin, but she wondered if she needed to win over someone who had been biased against her from the start.
“Or are you afraid of me?”
Haegin refilled her empty cup and gulped down the water again. Byungsoo and Gumiho watched her drink in stunned silence.
“I didn’t want to bring this up, but.”
You’ve pushed me, so I have no choice.
“Why are all the documents you gave me outdated?”
“What, what?”
If she let this continue, the responsibility for any work mishaps would undoubtedly fall on Haegin. She had to confront the issue.
“I, I gave you the right documents.”
As blatant as the sky is high.
“You gave me only old documents about the joint project with Daechang Construction, and completely left out the recent ones with Daeyang Construction.”
As Haegin listed her grievances, the expressions of Byungsoo, Yeonjung, and the other team members lost their composure.
“How could you possibly…”
“Just don’t assume I’m clueless, and I would appreciate proper cooperation in future tasks.”
She drew a clear line. Don’t take me lightly just because I’m a ‘parachute’. I’m not here to play around at my desk.
Even though they must think I’m incompetent, I have no intention of being irresponsible at work.
Having finally exploded, Haegin’s face regained its calm after her rapid outpour. Byungsoo, Yeonjung, and the others had expressions entirely opposite to hers.
“Team, manager?”
Why bring up that title in this situation? Puzzled, Haegin turned to see what they were focused on.
And there he was. Really, he had appeared.
“You were all here.”
“Team, manager, what brings you, here?”
Her words came out in staccato, betraying her surprise.
“Just passing by and saw familiar faces.”
“Passing by seems a stretch, considering this is the opposite direction of your appointment.”
Taehong casually took the seat next to Haegin. Byungsoo quickly set up a place for him.
“I’ll skip the drink.”
Taehong covered the cup with his palm, signaling no alcohol, prompting Byungsoo to sit back down.
“What were you all discussing that made everyone look so stunned?”
“Apparently, Deputy Jeong has been on top of her tasks.”
Byungsoo, almost proudly, explained to Taehong the tasks Haegin had been handling. Yeonjung kept her head down, and Haegin subtly shifted her chair to the side, out of sight.
“A business graduate, is she? Good at grasping the flow.”
Taehong’s murmured words were clearly heard by Haegin. He tilted his head slightly as he listened to Haegin’s praises and then fell silent.
The presence of Taehong seemed to prolong the dinner, but surprisingly, it ended quite early. Byungsoo took Yeonjung with him, as they were heading in the same direction, and the other employees dispersed well.
Left were Taehong and Haegin.
“Manager, I might not be able to take you home today.”
“I know. I came to take you home.”
Why? The words she wanted to say were suppressed again. Baffled, Haegin had no choice but to follow Taehong.
“Get in.”
The passenger door, usually occupied by him, opened. Hesitation grew as discomfort increased.
Finally, she got in, and it was awkward even when Taehong carefully closed the door for her.
“You can sleep if you’re tired.”
An unexpectedly gentle offer.
“It’s fine.”
With her brief response, heavy silence followed. She must have misunderstood earlier.
“I actually don’t have any backup data on Deputy Jeong.”
He had said that clearly. She remembered and knew it well. But he already knew everything. So, what did he know exactly, and since when?
That’s why she needed to clarify something that had been bothering her since earlier.
“Manager, how did you know I studied business?”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
