It’s chilling. Is this what it feels like to be a shrimp caught between two fighting whales? The quiet interior was close to darkness and silence. Rather than showing aggression first, they were careful to gauge each other’s intentions.

A time bomb-like statement swept through once.

“Jung Hae Jin will be the official person in charge of the MOU signing?”

Moon Tae Hong slightly raised the end of Park Seo Woo’s words to ask again. Does Seo Woo know what it means when he repeats a question? He must not know, to be so relaxed.

“Are you making fun of my employee?”

Tae Hong pulled his body close and leaned towards Seo Woo. It was unclear if this was the start of an exploratory battle or a declaration of the end of this meeting.

One thing was clear: how long Seo Woo could remain relaxed in the face of such an attitude was the issue.

“So are you going to do the Yeonchang project or not? Isn’t Grace too good to pass up? Don’t you think so, Deputy Jung Hae Jin?”

Seo Woo specifically mentioned Hae Jin. Although she had gained the right to speak once and expressed her opinion, she knew better than anyone that this had caused the trouble, so she kept her mouth shut.

Hae Jin imperceptibly chewed the inside of her lower lip.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin.”

Only then did she have a valid reason to look at Tae Hong instead of her notepad.

“Go get your business card.”

“Pardon?”

Despite Hae Jin’s surprised gaze, Tae Hong’s eyes remained on Seo Woo. But Hae Jin had to move according to Tae Hong’s order first.

She felt relieved that she could escape this place for a moment, following his instructions.

It was a narrow escape just before the shrimp’s back burst.

As soon as Hae Jin left, Tae Hong changed his posture as if he had been waiting. With an arrogant and haughty attitude, he indicated that his perfect target was Seo Woo.

“What are you trying to do?”

The power dynamic he had hidden in front of Hae Jin, the true colors of a predator, were revealed.

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

Seo Woo also threw off his gentlemanly mask. Honestly, he knew he couldn’t win against him in any competition.

But he kept wanting to beat him. He wanted to trample the only one he couldn’t defeat at least once in his lifetime.

Even if it meant stealing his woman.

“You’ve grown a lot, Park Seo Woo. You even know how to be cheeky.”

Hoo, he exhaled deeply towards him at once. He acted as if warning that he was an existence that could disappear like dust.

“What do you plan to do if I refuse?”

He didn’t miss seeing Seo Woo’s expression harden slightly and then relax. With Hae Jin gone, even if he refused here, that too would be Team Leader Tae Hong’s decision.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin didn’t seem like she would refuse.”

Seo Woo glanced back at the door Hae Jin had left through.

Tae Hong’s eyes twisted. He waits for Jung Hae Jin in front of me like a puppy needing to poop.

“Seo Woo, I’m Jung Hae Jin’s superior.”

What that means is. He would perfectly reveal who the winner of this game already was.

“I’m the one who approves, that’s what I’m saying.”

In other words, along with the fact that she’s not a woman for someone like you to covet.

“Don’t even think about looking at her.”

Even if you deliberately try, I absolutely won’t let you take Jung Hae Jin from me.

Despite Tae Hong’s sharp claws being revealed, Seo Woo absolutely did not yield.

“What if Jung Hae Jin really wants to do it?”

Ha, this guy still doesn’t know. Trying to carelessly enjoy my privilege.

“It’s not Jung Hae Jin, it’s Deputy Jung Hae Jin.”

Only I should be able to call Jung Hae Jin by her name. It bothered me for it to be on others’ lips without my permission.

“If Deputy Jung Hae Jin insists on doing it, I’ll have to approve it.”

At Tae Hong’s words, a faint color of joy appeared on Seo Woo’s face.

“You’ve done a lot of business, so you should know, give and take.”

Seo Woo’s face darkened rapidly. It was a face that hadn’t imagined this situation. He thought Yeonchang would eagerly bite if Tosan offered to sign. But Tae Hong was indeed not an easy opponent.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin will accompany Moon Tae Hong to all meetings related to Tosan.”

In other words, things won’t go your way.

“If you want to see Jung Hae Jin, you’ll have to see my face too.”

Tae Hong nodded at Seo Woo. It was his intention to sign if he accepted that condition. Just then, Hae Jin knocked on the door.

Tae Hong drew a line with his finger in front of his lips towards Seo Woo. Keep your mouth shut, friend.

“Come in.”

Tae Hong spoke in a gentle voice as if nothing had happened. Hae Jin, unaware of anything, opened the door and hurriedly returned to where she had been sitting earlier.

Why did you come back so quickly.

“Here’s the business card.”

The business card in Hae Jin’s hand was handed to Seo Woo. But his face was still stiff.

What happened?

Hae Jin tried to grasp the subtly changed atmosphere, but couldn’t find the cause from anyone.

“It’s quite difficult to receive a business card.”

“Shall we get up if we’re done here?”

Tae Hong disliked Hae Jin being included in Seo Woo’s gaze. Moreover, he disliked even more the sight of the two of them in the same space.

“What’s happening with the MOU signing?”

Unaware of Tae Hong’s thoughts, Hae Jin asked again to quickly wrap up the situation that Tae Hong was trying to conclude.

“We’ll discuss that amongst ourselves again.”

Tae Hong stood up first. He emphasized the word ‘we’ subtly.

“We’ll contact you when it’s decided.”

Seo Woo obediently stood up. Tae Hong stretched his hand towards the exit. This was as far as the send-off would go.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin. You know opportunities like this are rare, right? The Yeonchang Group’s project this time has to be a big hit.”

Seo Woo acted affectionately towards Hae Jin like a snake’s tongue. Just as Seo Woo was about to turn his body towards the exit Tae Hong was pointing to, he called out to Hae Jin.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin.”

The more familiarly Seo Woo called Hae Jin, the more Tae Hong didn’t hide his displeased face.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Seo Woo glanced at Tae Hong once. Tae Hong’s fiercely distorted gaze was quite a sight to see.

“Looks like we’ll be seeing each other often.”

Despite warning like that, Seo Woo scratched at Tae Hong again in front of Hae Jin.

Huff, Seo Woo threw an oil bomb and obediently left the office. Nothing remained in the place Seo Woo had left.

“Deputy Jung Hae Jin.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“You’re dying to do this, aren’t you?”

As if looking right through her, Hae Jin felt caught.

“Honestly, I want to do it.”

Having been caught anyway, Hae Jin didn’t hide it and confessed. Apart from the two of them having an uncomfortable relationship, objectively speaking, it was a signing worth considering.

“Of course it’s attractive when a hotel you’ve been eyeing comes directly with such a proposal.”

The head listening to her words nodded slowly. It was uncertain whether it was agreement or telling her to continue.

“I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. But I still want to do it.”

“You want to do it.”

“We’ll launch a brand even more amazing than Grace Hotel. When that day comes, Executive Director Park Seo Woo will regret it too.”

She tried to speak more coherently than ever while nervous. So she didn’t see the momentary smile that flashed across Tae Hong’s face.

I don’t know what Seo Woo was thinking when he came to Yeonchang, but anyway, Tosan reached out first. So Yeonchang intended to properly take advantage of that.

The conditions would have to be adjusted later, but at the next meeting, all they had to do was prepare in a direction that would be most beneficial to Yeonchang.

Even if it was a clause disadvantageous to Tosan, Hae Jin had no intention of removing it.

If they thought it was unfair, they could just not do it. It was just a matter of overcoming a few obstacles.

In the end, Yeonchang had nothing to lose.

“Apart from everything else, I think that alone is reason enough to do this deal.”

Now the dice had been cast. The result had become his responsibility.

Tae Hong brushed back his forehead without a single hair out of place. He even roughly loosened the tie that was tightly choking his neck.

The longer Tae Hong’s contemplation time grew, the more parched Hae Jin’s mouth became.

“Alright. Let’s proceed with signing the MOU with Tosan.”

“Really?”

Hae Jin’s voice went up an octave. She fidgeted in her seat, so pleased.

“Team Leader. The condition that Executive Director Park set.”

After permission was granted, she belatedly remembered the condition Seo Woo had put forward. Tae Hong unbuttoned one button of his shirt hidden by the loosened tie.

“We have no choice.”

Hae Jin found the condition Seo Woo had put forward burdensome. The business card he had taken was also a hint that contact with Seo Woo would be quite frequent in the future.

“Don’t worry. Deputy Jung Hae Jin can’t do it alone anyway.”

“That’s true, but.”

“You’ll be accompanying me.”

Hae Jin tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what he meant.

“I’m saying you won’t have to deal with Park Seo Woo alone.”

If asked what this emotion was, it was relief. There was excitement mixed in at the thought of not having to meet Seo Woo alone. She also felt a sense of security at his words not to worry.

In the end, it was fortunate. Even the ache in her wrist that had been grabbed by Seo Woo faded with the emotion Tae Hong gave her.

Just as she was wondering what to prepare for the next step, Tae Hong asked as he returned to his seat.

“Have you thought about the desk position?”

She had forgotten about it momentarily due to Seo Woo’s appearance. There was a need to put out the most urgent fire first. Where would be good?

A 3D floor plan was drawn in Hae Jin’s mind. First, next to Yeon Jung was a pass, Byung Soo would be good to be next to since their work often overlapped, and she became lost in thought while substituting the positions of other team members.

“Is that going to take a long time?”

Just as Hae Jin was about to find the desired position, she stopped thinking. And turning towards Tae Hong, she unfolded the conceptual diagram in her mind.

“After all, we need to check the flow line for easy work coordination between team members.”

“We exchange files via messenger, so pass.”

Hae Jin quickly pursed her lips. It wasn’t a good start. One had already been passed.

“If we consider the visual reflection and position of sunlight, to confirm the optimal place for monitors.”

“How much slacking off are you trying to do, pass.”

The second was also a pass. She was even curious why he had told her to decide if this was going to happen.

Hae Jin kept her mouth tightly shut, unable to refute anymore. Tae Hong seemed to have finished looking at the documents as he closed the file. The problem was that all of his pass conditions matched, though unintentional.

“Jung Hae Jin.”

Deep and profound eyes with a spoonful of mischief added followed Hae Jin.

“Sit where I can see you well.”

3D floor plan or whatever, Hae Jin’s mind was filled only with his gaze.