Office Romance Scandal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
Guaranteed compensation. It was a word provocative enough to thoroughly shake Hae Jin’s heart.
“It’s not like you’ll be a secretary just because you’re assigned as his dedicated marker—you’ll just work together on the same team. All you need to do is keep an eye on him from the side so that reckless guy doesn’t get into trouble, you know?”
Watching him while working together—that’s what being a secretary is, Chairman.
It made Hae Jin’s head spin to hear someone who understood better than anyone else say it so calmly.
“You’ll start next Monday. Your department will be Strategic Planning. Since your previous rank was Assistant Manager, we’ll keep you at that level.”
He already knew everything—about her having worked at Zion Corporation and even her former job title.
Just how much exactly did he know?
She wasn’t exactly in a position to pick and choose between hot or cold meals, but she still needed some confirmation. Even in a hurry, you had to test the stepping stones before crossing, right?
“What exactly should I trust about you, Chairman, that makes me accept this proposal?”
Jun Tae silently scanned the room. Could there be a clearer answer than this? This was her only chance to escape this house.
Hae Jin urgently grabbed Jun Tae as he turned to leave again. Turning him back toward her was her silent agreement. Having chosen an answer with no alternatives, she now grew curious—just who exactly was this “rugby ball”?
“Could I find out who this rugby ball is?”
The reason she asked specifically was simple. Didn’t they say, “Know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll win every battle”? If she had to mark him closely, wouldn’t it be a bit easier if she knew who he was beforehand?
Ah, Jun Tae suddenly tapped his forehead with his fingers as if he’d forgotten the most important thing. Then he pulled out his phone from his jacket and tapped the screen a few times.
The face filling the screen belonged to a man she’d never seen before. Though he seemed to glare at her, her body instinctively leaned closer toward the screen. If she had to describe her first impression of him—it was handsome. Even by her own high standards, he was clearly above average.
Given that the Chairman himself had taken action to find someone, it was obvious this man was either very close to him or held significant importance.
Still unable to tear her eyes from the photo, she let her imagination run wild. One thought led to another, finally ending with Jun Tae’s introduction of himself.
“Name: Moon Tae Hong. Age: 30. Team Leader of Strategic Planning.”
She carefully packed the man’s information into her mind. But then Jun Tae suddenly stopped talking. When the silence lasted longer than expected, she finally shifted her gaze from the phone to Jun Tae.
The moment their eyes met, she realized another piece of information about him.
“Family relation: My son.”
“Good heavens.”
Her inner thought escaped involuntarily from her surprised mind. She wanted to close her mouth, but it just wouldn’t shut.
After finishing the introduction, Jun Tae calmly patted Hae Jin’s shoulder a couple of times, then shrugged his own shoulders up and down. When she looked back at the man on the screen, her spine stiffened instantly.
So, to summarize—he wanted her to take charge of Moon Tae Hong, the son of Yeon Chang Group’s Chairman. Hae Jin placed a hand on her throbbing temple.
Thinking back, it was strange from the start—it wasn’t a formal ID photo, but an ordinary snapshot, carried around despite them not being particularly close. She should’ve been suspicious, but the promise of guaranteed pay blinded her.
Maybe she shouldn’t have even pretended she’d test the stepping stones. Now she regretted her hasty words about winning every battle.
But could she really back out now? She knew all too well how difficult it would be to scramble around looking for another part-time job.
Even if by chance she found one, would it ever guarantee better pay than this proposal from the Chairman of Yeon Chang Group?
Once again, the guaranteed compensation held her back.
She had no choice but to accept reality—just as she’d felt that despair the moment she first arrived here.
“Chairman…”
Hae Jin stopped Jun Tae one last time as he truly prepared to leave. Now that she’d made up her mind, she had to do it properly. With renewed resolve, she quickly fetched her phone.
“Can I take a picture of this for myself?”
Jun Tae, after briefly pondering her request, immediately reopened the photo of his son, Moon Tae Hong, without hesitation. She swiftly focused and snapped a photo—click. Tae Hong’s image was now saved on Hae Jin’s phone.
The moment Jun Tae, having finished his task, stepped out of the house, Hae Jin involuntarily let out a sigh—“Huh.” With a loud thud as the door closed, silence filled the room. Like a stone statue awaiting her husband’s return, Hae Jin’s legs refused to move.
All this had happened within just a few dozen minutes. She might’ve claimed she was bewitched, but in the end, there really had been no other choice.
If someone asked whether she had any other options now, the answer was no.
If someone asked whether a better alternative came to mind, that answer was also no.
In other words, this was truly the best—and only—option for Hae Jin.
It was the very moment she sold her soul in exchange for an enormous sum of money.
**
Preparing for her first day wasn’t difficult. She’d sold her designer bag, but she hadn’t sold her office attire—she needed clothes to earn money, after all.
Jeong Hae Jin had once been the most outstanding among her peers—but that was when she’d been “Jeong Hae Jin of Zion Group.” Now, she was heading to Yeon Chang Group as the rugby ball’s assigned marker.
She’d tossed and turned all night—but not from the excitement of returning to work after so long. In the past, she might’ve talked about self-actualization or skill development, but now it was purely about making a living.
She needed to survive, to eat, to maintain a basic standard of life. To do that, she had to earn money—and work. That was why she couldn’t sleep last night. She couldn’t afford to make mistakes. She couldn’t get fired. She absolutely had to mark him properly.
On her way to work, Hae Jin steeled herself. The choice was simple, and the answer was clear.
Go to work, do the job, receive the huge salary, and escape this situation. That was all that drove Jeong Hae Jin now.
Yeon Chang’s lobby didn’t compare to Zion’s at all. The unusually high ceiling created an immediate sense of unease, causing Hae Jin’s shoulders to hunch slightly.
But then again—who was she? Proud and dignified Jeong Hae Jin, who might sell her designer bag but would never sell her pride.
She strode confidently across the lobby without faltering. Her impeccably tailored outfit drew glances from passing men—eye-catching enough to make them steal quick looks.
She confidently held the temporary visitor pass Jun Tae had given her and smoothly passed through the entrance. Several elevators caught her eye.
She ran toward one that was just about to close. Though the doors had clearly been wide open, the man inside deliberately and quickly pressed the “close” button even though he clearly saw her approaching.
“I saw you do that.”
Hae Jin swiftly pressed the “up” button. Just as the doors were about to shut, her foot shot out a split second faster, forcing them open again.
There stood a man still pressing the “close” button, and a woman extending her leg with a triumphant smile.
Their eyes met in an odd, intense lock. Their gazes interlocked so tightly that the surrounding space seemed to bend and pull inward.
And then, in a swift glance: sharp eyes that contrasted with his handsome face; a refined nose clearly visible even from the front; resolute, tightly closed lips beneath an expressionless mask. Most of all, his real face was slightly better than in the photo.
It was the exact moment Tae Hong’s openly furrowed brow came into Hae Jin’s mischievous eyes. Moon Tae Hong—the Yeon Chang Group’s star striker, the very man Hae Jin was assigned to mark—stood right before her.
During the one week given to prepare for her first day, Hae Jin focused solely on mental discipline. She might be out of money, but she still had her pride. Therefore, in any situation not involving money, she would never act humbly—she would always remain dignified.
She repeated this like a mantra, hypnotizing herself. Perhaps that’s why, from the moment she arrived at work, she had been in control of her emotions.
As a result, she ended up thrusting her foot into the closing elevator doors.
The doors reopened as they were shutting. Tae Hong, who’d been looking down at Hae Jin’s abruptly intruding foot, lifted his head.
Since Hae Jin had already stepped fully inside through the open doors, the elevator could no longer belong to Tae Hong alone.
“Is it alright if I ride?”
Tae Hong responded to Hae Jin’s smooth voice by stepping back half a pace. Hae Jin took one large, confident step inside. No other employees were seen passing by the elevator anymore.
The floor button Tae Hong had pressed was already lit. Hae Jin glanced at the lit button and then looked up toward the rising floor numbers.
“Which floor are you going to?”
Tae Hong, who’d been looking only at his phone, asked without lifting his eyes from the screen. His voice alone made the elevator feel heavy.
“The same floor as you.”
Hae Jin quickly turned her head toward Tae Hong, who stood half a step behind her, and then returned her gaze forward.
Only then did Tae Hong shift his eyes to her.
The 28th floor of Yeon Chang Group housed only the Strategic Planning team, where Tae Hong served as team leader.
“The same floor, huh.”
Tae Hong repeated Hae Jin’s last words in a low, mellow tone. Even without looking, the sound of his voice from behind sent shivers down her spine—from the back of her head all the way to her ankles.
But she couldn’t turn around.
She knew who he was, but he likely didn’t know her yet. That’s probably why he seemed to be scrutinizing this unfamiliar face heading to the same floor—caught somewhere between caution and curiosity.
“Are you visiting the Strategic Planning team?”
“Yes.”
Instead of making direct eye contact, Hae Jin simply lifted her chin nonchalantly. In the reflection on the elevator doors ahead, she met Tae Hong’s gaze.
His eyes were even sharper than in the photo, making her hesitate. Their locked eyes, unable to look away, forced them to keep facing forward as if staring into a mirror.
“Excuse me, but who are you here to see?”
His tone made it immediately clear—he likely assumed she was just another client visiting the Strategic Planning team. His curiosity outweighed his caution, though loosely so.
“I’m here to see Team Leader Moon Tae Hong.”
Before Tae Hong’s caution could fully ignite, a chime sounded—“Ding, 28th floor.” The announcement of their arrival broke the tension.
The doors opened, releasing the stuffy, crowded feeling inside the elevator as if letting her breathe again. The gazes that had been fixed on each other scattered. Neither moved first.
Just as the doors began closing again, Hae Jin exhaled deeply and was about to step out—but Tae Hong moved faster, swiftly stepping out and turning around abruptly.
He stood directly in front of Hae Jin as she was about to exit.
“Are you, by any chance, Jeong Hae Jin?”
His deep-set eyes focused on her as if drawing her in. Knowing he still towered over her, Hae Jin firmly planted her feet on the ground and lifted her chin with confidence.
“Yes. I’m Jeong Hae Jin.”
Then she quietly spoke his name.
“Are you Team Leader Moon Tae Hong?”
But his reply to her question was pure, unmistakable Tae Hong.
“Ah—so you’re that parachute hire, Jeong Hae Jin.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
I like his honesty and my god there is communication.