The only sounds heard in the wide space were Jun Tae drinking his tea and Tae Hong tapping his fingers on the armrest.

Unlike the subtly mixing sounds, the tense psychological battle continued. Jun Tae put down his cup after drinking the last sip.

Jun Tae tried to discern Tae Hong’s intentions by carefully examining the man sitting across from him, but he could find nothing in that ice-cold expression.

“You mean Jung’s assistant.”

“Yes. I’m talking about Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin.”

Tae Hong’s brow furrowed when Hae Jin’s name came out of Jun Tae’s mouth. His seemingly disinterested tone was subtly irritating.

“She’s in the chairman’s line, isn’t she? Let’s stop this now.”

Tae Hong firmly reminded himself of the reason he came here.

“Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin has agreed to take charge of planning this project.”

Jun Tae seemed completely unaware of this, showing signs of exploding in rage.

“What? Are you in your right mind?”

Jun Tae’s reaction was already expected. So Tae Hong continued speaking with a rather relaxed expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“Of course there’s a problem. What does Jung Hae Jin know about planning?”

Now this is like a father. He always prioritized verbal abuse over dialogue, orders over explanations. He was the type to disregard people like this and think the world was at his feet.

“Indeed. What does Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin know about planning?”

The sudden change in attitude confused Jun Tae. Tae Hong was his son, but a very difficult son.

They had never been a close father and son, and as time passed, it became harder to treat him as a son. Even as a child, scolding didn’t work, so it certainly wouldn’t work now that he was grown. Even his parents couldn’t find any weaknesses in him.

Tae Hong, who appeared after a long time, was sitting not as Jun Tae’s son but as Moon Tae Hong, the head of the strategic planning team.

“Since you’re saying Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin isn’t capable, now take her out of your line.”

Tae Hong slowly revealed his true colors. He leaned forward, moving closer.

“I’m going to put her in my line.”

From this moment on, he intended to cut her parachute strings. He planned to make certain of the finger-scissoring gesture he had made towards her.

If he cut the strings on her shoulders, would her steps become a little lighter?

“What’s Jung Hae Jin to you, that you’re doing this?”

After all, she’s a company employee, but addressing her without her title and just by name since earlier was crumpling Tae Hong’s heart. Only he should be able to call her by name alone.

“Why did the chairman attach Jung Hae Jin to my side?”

What was the reason for taking such an obviously intentional action?

“She doesn’t even report my movements to the chairman.”

Though he knew about meeting Hae Jin, he didn’t show it in front of Jun Tae. If all the blame fell on Jung Hae Jin now, he couldn’t guarantee how he himself might suddenly change.

“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. I don’t particularly want to hear it either.”

Knowing that the conversation wouldn’t progress any further, Tae Hong stood up from his seat.

“I hope there won’t be any interest from the chairman towards Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin after I leave.”

Just as he was about to take a step after standing up, Tae Hong turned back towards Jun Tae. Clenching his fist, he repeated the words he couldn’t say to Jun Tae who was sitting there.

“Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin’s project participation will continue.”

“You, you brat! Do you know how important this business is?”

“Indeed. That’s why I think Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin will do well with something so important.”

Now Jun Tae couldn’t stay still either, painfully gripping the chair arms as he stood up.

“Are you trying to ruin the company you’re supposed to inherit from Yeonchang Group?”

“I’m not ruining it, I’m giving an opportunity to an employee who I think will do better.”

“Is the company some kind of child’s play?”

One corner of Jun Tae’s mouth wrinkled as it rose crookedly.

“Indeed. Is the company some kind of game? Thoughtlessly attaching a parachute to my side.”

Jun Tae’s hand gripping the armrest trembled.

“Don’t tell me you landed her next to me without even investigating Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin?”

Jun Tae had no idea what Tae Hong was talking about.

“The chairman’s side doesn’t seem to have good intelligence.”

Along with perfect sarcasm, Tae Hong continued with what he wanted to say.

“I’ll take care of all the backup related to the project, so there won’t be any problems.”

I’ll take care of my own business.

“Chairman, you should stop now too.”

It was the moment when the invisible parachute strings on Hae Jin’s shoulders fell off.

Jung Hae Jin. Now let’s switch to my line.

A smile fleetingly crossed Tae Hong’s face, unseen, as he left the chairman’s office.

Jun Tae kept watching Tae Hong’s back as he left the chairman’s office. When Tae Hong closed the door and left, only then did he seem to lose all strength, practically collapsing onto the sofa chair.

His son looked ominous. Though he wore an expressionless face, there was something beyond that mask.

Jun Tae searched for what that something was that irritatingly grated on his nerves. And a strangely unsettling, unpleasant emotion came to mind.

Are Moon Tae Hong and Jung Hae Jin in love?

Jun Tae slammed his fist down, deep wrinkles forming on his displeased face.

Jung Hae Jin wasn’t meant for that purpose.

“Chief Secretary Choi! Are you outside?”

Jun Tae’s irritated voice filled the chairman’s office that had been quiet until now.

**

An hour passed since Tae Hong went up to the chairman’s office, but he still hadn’t come down. Every time Hae Jin heard footsteps of someone entering the office, she craned her neck waiting for Tae Hong.

Why isn’t he coming?

She kept finding herself waiting for him. She couldn’t focus on the dense text in the documents. At even the slightest sound, all her attention turned to the entrance.

Should she be waiting like this for him returning from meeting the chairman?

Even though she tried her best not to pay attention, as time passed her gaze wouldn’t leave the entrance.

How much time had passed? By now her neck was getting stiff from automatically turning at every sound. Finally, the silhouette she had been waiting for entered Hae Jin’s view.

Hae Jin stood up without realizing it. And she kept watching Tae Hong as he slowly walked closer, waiting for him to approach. Her eyes wouldn’t leave him.

Just as Tae Hong was about to pass by Hae Jin’s desk and enter the team leader’s office, Hae Jin called out to stop him.

“Team leader.”

Was her voice too loud?

The employees who had been working raised their heads one by one. They glanced at Hae Jin, the source of the voice, and then at Tae Hong standing in front of her.

Feeling the gazes around her, she stood awkwardly in front of him. She tried to act as naturally as possible.

“Team leader. I have something to discuss about Manager Lee’s work, do you have time?”

He surely knew this wasn’t the real question. He must have known there were many watching eyes here.

“Come in.”

Tae Hong opened the door and went in, and Hae Jin naturally followed him. The team members who had been looking at the two of them returned their focus to their work.

The door closed, and they entered a space where they didn’t have to worry about others’ gazes. Hae Jin sighed, whether from relief or not.

“Team leader, what did you talk about with the chairman?”

Hae Jin was so curious, she hurried to ask without considering anything else. She felt like a thief with a guilty conscience. The chairman might have talked about other things, but why did it feel like they only talked about her?

“Did you talk about me by any chance?”

Her guilty feet lost sensation. As Tae Hong started sorting and classifying the piled up documents in response to her repeated question.

His expression unchanged, knowing questions were pouring out but just keeping her standing there, it made her think maybe the reason for meeting the chairman wasn’t about her.

Thinking she might have gotten ahead of herself, but also wanting to confirm at the same time, her feelings burst out simultaneously.

Unable to know what was in his mind, whether it was true or not, she just swallowed dryly in frustration. She just tightly gripped her innocent hands clasped politely.

Tae Hong flipped through a few pages of documents, then put them down with a thud and raised his head towards Hae Jin.

“Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin.”

“Yes?”

It was an immediate response without a second of hesitation to the sudden call. Her body tensed up with nervousness.

“We’ll need to remove the desk.”

Ah. She wasn’t unaware of what removing the desk implied. Hae Jin knew what it meant to say the position was being removed.

She could instantly tell what had been decided in the conversation with the chairman. It was the moment her first paycheck would become her last.

“Ha.”

Hae Jin let out a deep sigh without realizing it.

He had said he would cut the parachute strings, but he was the chairman’s son. Since the real power and authority were ultimately held by Jun Tae as chairman, it must not have been easy.

Thinking she had to pack her things, her head drooped naturally.

“Until when should I keep working?”

She barely managed to part her unmoving lips to ask. Tae Hong’s brown shoes came into Hae Jin’s downcast gaze.

“What do you mean, until when?”

Only then did the expression Tae Hong was wearing come into view. There was enjoyment in the expression that couldn’t be read at all.

“Who’s, who’s getting fired?”

Instead of answering, Hae Jin took a step back from Tae Hong. Tae Hong’s expression hardened again in an instant.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding, I’m keeping a distance.”

“Why?”

“Because I may no longer be an employee of Yeonchang Group now.”

The excitement of planning enthusiastically was short-lived, fading away before she even got to unfold it.

Hae Jin felt the most regret about the work. She was confident she could do really well if given the chance, and had been hopeful that trust in her might grow from this opportunity, but she didn’t even get to try.

“Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin.”

Now I won’t even get to hear that name anymore.

“What are you doing on your own?”

Tae Hong watched the face of the woman much smaller than him changing moment by moment. He watched her cute expression, barely holding back his laughter, wanting to capture it in his eyes.

“You misunderstood again on your own.”

He said it was a misunderstanding. It would be nice if it was a misunderstanding, but was it really?

“I can see you’re cute but”

It was words that didn’t fit the situation. Faced with her serious self, it was frustrating how he decisively called it a misunderstanding.

“Just decide where you want to move your desk.”

Not removing, but moving. In an instant, Hae Jin went from heaven to hell and back.

“You’re not my schedule manager, so it seems a bit funny to be right in front of the team leader’s office.”

Tae Hong firmly established Hae Jin’s position.

“Set it up again wherever Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin wants.”