Office Romance Scandal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Tae Hong’s gaze swept over each employee one by one. He was the one setting the tone in the meeting room. Everyone was busy reading the room carefully, caught off guard by the sudden meeting.
Even a scheduled meeting would’ve had them on edge, so an unexpected summons was understandably disorienting. But brushing that off as his team members’ problem, Tae Hong calmly rolled his pen.
“I’m thinking of rearranging some work assignments.”
Though he called it a work adjustment, to the Strategic Planning Team, it was practically a second round of personnel reshuffling.
Everyone in the room was visibly unsettled—except Hae Jin, who remained unperturbed. She already knew what was coming. She just hadn’t known exactly how he’d carry it out.
“I know this must come as a surprise to all of you, but it’s a decision made for the sake of work efficiency.”
Everyone held their breath, watching a real-time personnel shift unfold before their eyes.
“For now, aside from a few major tasks, hand over the rest of Manager Lee Byung Soo’s responsibilities to Manager Kim Yeon Jung.”
“What? Team Leader, that’s—”
Yeon Jung couldn’t hide her shock—her face clearly showing panic. She and Byung Soo had been the core of this brand launch.
Handing Byung Soo’s workload over to her was, in effect, an unspoken way of excluding her from the project.
Yeon Jung had held high hopes for this brand launch. She’d assumed that once she joined the hotel planning team, she’d get to spend more time with Tae Hong—far more than Hae Jin would.
That’s why she’d been eagerly awaiting this opportunity—only to watch it fly far out of reach now.
“Take it over, Manager Kim Yeon Jung.”
“Understood.”
Knowing Tae Hong never changed his mind once decided, Yeon Jung could only reluctantly accept the order.
Hae Jin pretended not to care but still glanced at Yeon Jung’s expression. While part of her found Yeon Jung’s deflated look amusing, another part felt a pang of sympathy.
Sentimental Jeong Hae Jin—you’ve already forgotten how badly he made you suffer?
“Assistant Manager Jeong Hae Jin, you’ll join Manager Lee Byung Soo on the brand launch.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hae Jin remained calm. She’d already known this and her mind was already full of thoughts about how to structure the project from the ground up. Filling her head with work had indeed chased away distracting thoughts.
Because of that, she momentarily failed to notice Yeon Jung’s face turning red and then pale with fury.
“Team Leader, I was under the impression this brand launch is the most critical project for Yeon Chang.”
Tae Hong’s icy gaze turned toward Yeon Jung. She flinched for a split second but clearly had no intention of backing down this time.
“Assistant Manager Jeong was originally assigned as your personal secretary—how can she just join the project? This isn’t some planning task anyone can handle.”
Byung Soo could only look at Yeon Jung with concern but couldn’t intervene. Other team members nodded in agreement with her opinion but stayed silent.
“Anyone?”
Tae Hong’s face twisted slightly. The word “anyone” laid bare exactly how Yeon Jung perceived Hae Jin—but Hae Jin simply maintained her composure.
“Does Assistant Manager Jeong even understand what planning is? She probably doesn’t know the first thing about branding. Putting someone with zero experience and no skills on this will only make things harder for us.”
Hae Jin’s pride stung slightly—but Yeon Jung didn’t know her, so of course she’d think that. It was just prejudice against someone labeled a “parachute hire,” nothing more.
Besides, Hae Jin was merely a personal secretary—joining the project felt like snatching their livelihood away. No wonder they were furious and flabbergasted; she understood.
“Manager Kim Yeon Jung, how long have you worked at the Strategic Planning Team?”
“For two and a half years.”
“That’s not a short time—but do you still not know me?”
Yeon Jung knew better than anyone what it meant to defy her superior’s judgment. But she’d gathered her courage precisely because this felt like going too far, even for him.
“This project is tied to my own standing. Do you really think I’d let just anyone join?”
He gave her a look urging her to answer—but no one, including Yeon Jung, dared to speak.
“I assign tasks to those who deserve them. I’ll make sure all of your livelihoods are well taken care of, so just focus on doing your assigned work diligently.”
“I assign tasks to those who deserve them”—such a simple phrase carried reassuring weight. Hae Jin knew better than anyone what it felt like to have someone believe in you and back you up.
Back at Si On, when pushing forward a proposal that everyone insisted was impossible, it was her father who’d believed in her until the end.
“Assistant Manager Jeong, this project is tied to everyone’s livelihood here. Understood?”
“Yes, I’ll do my absolute best.”
Tae Hong nodded, satisfied with her answer.
“Good. Give it a try. Since I’ll be spending a lot of time working directly with you anyway, you can report updates to me right away.”
“Yes, understood.”
With Hae Jin’s reply, no one dared raise further objections. After the morning meeting ended, one by one the team filed out, leaving only Hae Jin and Byung Soo behind in the room.
“Assistant Manager Jeong… Will you be okay?”
After finishing her last note, Hae Jin looked up at Byung Soo.
“I’ll be fine. I know exactly what you’re worried about.”
She gathered the scattered documents on the desk into a neat pile.
“If I get overwhelmed, I know you’ll help me.”
Byung Soo had been the one to create this role for her and had quietly shared important tips along the way.
Of all people, Byung Soo, who held the deepest affection for the team leader, would naturally roll up his sleeves and support her on this critical project.
“But it seems the team leader really likes you, Assistant Manager Jeong.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re now on the team leader’s direct reporting line. If the results are good, it’s a guaranteed fast-track promotion.”
Hae Jin, who already knew this, simply nodded.
“Manager Kim was so proud, clinging to that single opportunity.”
A bad feeling crept in.
“She must be really disappointed now.”
Was this the opening scene of workplace tribulations?
“Haha, I feel kind of guilty for no good reason.”
It was a lie—she didn’t feel guilty at all.
“I’ll talk to her properly, so don’t worry too much.”
How could she not worry?
“Understood. I’ll trust only you, Manager Lee.”
Hae Jin bowed deeply, her face filled with both apology and gratitude. Byung Soo patted her shoulder encouragingly a few times before returning to his seat.
Now that she knew the full story, a parched thirst rose in her throat as if her mouth had gone dry. On her way back to her desk, she decided to stop by the break room for a drink.
But as the saying goes, you meet your enemy on a narrow bridge. Unlike her, Yeon Jung apparently had a different reason for her thirst.
She stood beside Yeon Jung, who was gulping down water, and used the water dispenser. Hae Jin intended not to drink there but to take the cup and leave quickly—but things didn’t go as planned.
The moment she touched the break room door handle, she felt a sharp sting on the back of her head.
“Assistant Manager Jeong Hae Jin.”
Sure enough, she hadn’t even managed to open the door before turning around.
“You called me, Manager?”
“Must’ve bad-mouthed me a lot to the team leader, seeing how you’re always glued to him?”
Huh? Where was this coming from?
“Was I really such a frightening figure to you, Assistant Manager Jeong?”
Hae Jin’s brow furrowed, her face contorting slightly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t hide her social smile or mask anymore. Did Yeon Jung really not understand what “frightening” even meant? She just wanted to pass by quietly—but even that was proving difficult.
“So you went and tattled everything to the team leader?”
Even if Hae Jin cranked her imagination to full capacity, she couldn’t fathom how Yeon Jung had reached such a conclusion. She was starting to feel utterly dumbfounded.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
She carefully placed the water cup she’d been holding onto the table. Yeon Jung took a step closer toward her.
“Pretending you don’t understand won’t make this go away.”
Without even grasping the context, what exactly did Yeon Jung want to say?
“Now that the team leader’s giving you a little extra attention, do you think you’ve changed?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your rank, for one.”
Wow. Even that tiny flicker of sympathy she’d felt earlier had vanished completely.
“Manager Kim Yeon Jung, when you bring up ‘rank,’ it slightly offends me.”
“Good. That’s exactly why I said it.”
Hae Jin clenched her molars tightly, swallowing her frustration again and again. After all, it was true she’d taken Yeon Jung’s share of work.
“Could you possibly feel worse than I do? I feel downright dirty. I don’t know where you rolled in from as some parachute hire, but you should know your place.”
Yeon Jung spat the words out without restraint—so bluntly Hae Jin wondered if her brain had even processed them.
“Manager Kim Yeon Jung?”
Hae Jin enunciated every syllable with deliberate force, using every ounce of her strength.
“If my taking your work has left you feeling ‘dirty,’ then I have nothing to say.”
Yeon Jung clenched her fists, visibly trembling.
“I didn’t beg the team leader to include me, nor have I ever spoken ill of you to him.”
Yeon Jung’s face slowly twisted in anger.
“It was you who stabbed me in the back first, Manager Kim Yeon Jung.”
She continued calmly, her voice steady and clear.
“And it was you who undermined your own credibility by failing to demonstrate your true capabilities to the team leader all this time.”
This time, Hae Jin took a step closer to Yeon Jung.
“And Manager Kim Yeon Jung—I think you’re mistaken about something. If I’d truly wanted to tattle to the team leader, do you honestly believe things would’ve stopped at this?”
Hae Jin looked down quietly at Yeon Jung, who stood trembling before her. She felt no pity, nor much remorse. She simply felt the need to calm someone throwing a tantrum.
“Stop throwing a fit and go protect whatever work you still have left.”
It was a clear dismissal: Get lost. Yeon Jung trembled so hard her cheeks quivered—then shoved past Hae Jin’s shoulder and stormed out of the break room.
The door slammed shut. Hae Jin picked up the cup of water she’d set on the table. Steam seemed to rise from her head—it was time to cool off.
Back when her father had been at his peak, she’d attended a few so-called “friendship gatherings”—really just social events where family revenue determined a child’s status. What did that stupid “status” even mean? That’s when she’d realized it.
No matter how much Si On’s sales figures rose, she was always low-status at those gatherings. Among kids who only cared about their own success, Hae Jin had learned survival instincts.
She’d learned that if you didn’t bark back just enough when attacked, people would keep looking down on you. And if someone stabbed you in the back, you had to bark even louder.
Hearing the word “low-status” brought back all those memories, and the corners of her eyes grew moist. She’d resolved to handle things confidently—but she still couldn’t fully control those sudden surges of emotion that threatened to spill over.
Thinking of her parents only amplified the tears. Feeling heat burn around her eyes, Hae Jin quickly fanned her face. By now, the moisture gathering in her eyes should’ve dried.
She puffed air into her cheeks, then exhaled sharply as she walked toward the break room door. Taking one more deep breath to compose herself, she opened it.
“Team Leader?”
Hae Jin’s face was shadowed and dim.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
I like his honesty and my god there is communication.