“It seems so, Chairman.”

This driver responded in the most businesslike voice possible, making it difficult to discern the chairman’s emotions. He had lived adjusting even his tone of voice according to his employer’s mood, and now was the time to answer most carefully.

It was about the son the chairman cherished and loved the most.

“Hmm.”

The wrinkles beside Chairman Kwon’s lips deepened.

“So there was a woman. That’s why.”

That’s why he didn’t accept Ha Eun.

“Heh, well.”

Chairman Kwon let out a deep sigh and raised the window again. Then he lowered it once more.

Who could it be? The young lady who made his son express such affection on the street late at night.

He couldn’t help but lean his head out the car window.

It was surprising.

His son never had women. He seemed to think of them as creatures outside his realm of interest. The chairman was also aware of the rumors about his son and Woo Young. He even thought it was for the best.

Because he thought Tae Ha would accept Ha Eun without any issues.

At most, his son might refuse, saying why Ha Eun who wasn’t even helpful to the company, but he wasn’t the type to openly defy if Chairman Kwon earnestly requested.

“Could she be from a notable family?”

If his son were to date, it seemed natural it would be someone of that caliber. His son had lived without knowing frivolous behavior. With his exceptional intelligence, there were times when the chairman wondered if he was too calculating.

But that son.

Since Tae Ha always prioritized the company, he thought he might date a young lady who would benefit the company.

For now, the urgent matter was to find out the woman’s identity. If she was the daughter of a powerful family, he would have to be even more cautious about breaking them up.

“Driver, haven’t you heard any rumors from the people at the residence?”

“As you know, the people there should keep their mouths shut. The only things I could hear from there are like ‘We had grilled mackerel for breakfast’ or ‘We picked some mugwort growing in the garden and made mugwort soup.'”

The driver answered, clicking his tongue.

“That’s right. Tae Ha manages people very well.”

“Should I try to find out something anyway?”

“Yes. I don’t think we’ll get much, but bring me whatever you can.”

Staying out overnight wasn’t even an issue. It wasn’t unusual for Tae Ha to stay out for business trips.

“But we can’t just pass by him, and we can’t back up either.”

As Chairman Kwon was pondering, he saw Tae Ha opening and closing the passenger door for the woman.

“She doesn’t seem to be from this neighborhood.”

She was definitely not just a one-night stand.

In this neighborhood where everyone knows who lives next door despite the high walls, for him to embrace a woman on the street like that, it must be real.

If he made a hasty move, it would only provoke his son’s defiance.

“Move when Tae Ha leaves.”

Chairman Kwon stayed in place until Tae Ha’s car went down the road.

* * *

Rrrr Rrrr.

The phone lit up and vibrated. Jung Woo, drinking beer on the terrace, glanced at the phone placed on the table.

Seeing it was an unsaved number, Jung Woo lazily pressed reject and picked up the can again.

The wind blowing through the trees was quite cool. Just as he was feeling the taste of beer going down his throat was excellent.

Rrrr Rrrr.

It was the same number as before. Wondering if something might have happened to his mother, Jung Woo pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

− Is this Yoon Jung Woo?

“Who is this?”

− It’s Yoo Ha Eun.

Only then did Jung Woo remember giving Ha Eun his number.

“What’s the matter?”

If someone he wasn’t close with called at night, surely something urgent must have happened.

− Please help me. I’ll compensate you sufficiently.

A low curse escaped his lips.

Whether in terms of economic power or family background, Ha Eun was not in a position to entice him with talk of ‘compensation’.

How lightly must she think of him. This must be the conclusion drawn from comparing him to Tae Ha.

Jung Woo firmly wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder and opened another can of beer. Still curious, he asked.

“What is it?”

− I need you to delete the CCTV footage from the GK Hotel building.

Ha Eun’s voice trembled unstably.

“CCTV?”

− Yes.

He hadn’t misheard. What on earth did she do to call at this hour, asking to erase video footage?

“Do you think that’s possible?”

− Please help me, I beg you. Earlier, I did something rash in a moment of urgency.

“Look elsewhere. I’m hanging up.”

− Hey, Yoon Jung Woo! You told me before not to mess with good people. Was that because you like Eun Seo?

At those words, Jung Woo put the phone back to his ear.

“Is this related to Song Eun Seo?”

− I think Eun Seo might have feelings for Tae Ha. So I unconsciously… They’re going to see a musical together. Tae Ha is a man too. Even if it’s not his type, who knows what could happen if Eun Seo makes a move.

“Tae Ha often goes out with his secretaries. Haven’t you seen him with Team Leader Choi?”

− It’s not like that. My intuition is accurate.

* * *

The corridor of the GK Hotel building was no different at night.

It was the corridor he always saw when working overtime. However, Jung Woo’s steps walking down the corridor were tinged with impatience unlike before.

Yoo Ha Eun must have rocks instead of brains in her head.

How could she make such a stupid mistake.

CCTV cameras are everywhere in the company. Corridors, elevators, parking lots, you name it.

If Tae Ha wanted to see, hundreds of videos would line up in formation before him.

How foolish.

He stopped in front of the security room.

He had walked down the corridor and reached the security room, but. Of course there would be security staff inside when he opened the door.

Ha. He couldn’t figure out what to do.

He could use his position to delete the footage from the 18th floor, executive parking lot, and elevator after distracting the staff.

What should he do?

Should he sound the emergency alarm? Then the security team would rush out to find the cause, and he could delete the footage in the meantime.

Or should he pretend to be attacked by an intruder and threaten the security room staff for not doing their job properly? Then delete the footage while pretending to let it slide?

Jung Woo, who had been standing with his arms crossed pondering, turned on his heel.

Even if the CCTV footage is deleted, partial recovery is possible.

[If you help me marry Kwon Tae Ha, I’ll do whatever you want. We can even write a contract. I know you like Eun Seo.]

He almost fell for it. There was no need to take unnecessary risks for such a trivial matter.

Above all, he needed to confirm what Jang the butler and Yoo Ha Eun had first.

* * *

Gulp.

As Tae Ha reached for Eun Seo’s seatbelt, Eun Seo pressed her back firmly against the seat and raised both arms in a W shape.

She was embarrassed, afraid his hand might touch her chest.

Sensing Eun Seo frozen stiff with tension, Tae Ha glanced at her and smiled.

“Playing hard to get?”

“Pardon?”

“You were all over me saying you missed me earlier, but now you’re tense over just a seatbelt.”

“I wasn’t pushing you away. I think I was pulling you closer.”

Like this.

Eun Seo made the pose of wrapping her arms around Tae Ha’s neck, with an indignant expression.

“If you really pushed, I’d be dead.”

The car started smoothly, unlike its commanding presence in the alley earlier. Though she got in the car led by Tae Ha’s hand, she didn’t know where they were going.

But Eun Seo was okay with it.

She felt she could follow him anywhere he went.

Tae Ha turned on some soft jazz before merging onto the main road.

“Why were you crying earlier?”

The words that struck directly without any euphemisms were just like Kwon Tae Ha, making Eun Seo smile inwardly.

Isn’t it usually “You don’t look well” or “Did something happen” that people start with?

“Um…”

“Don’t try to beat around the bush. It’s the publishing company, right?”

Tae Ha was confirming his certainty, not asking.

“I submitted a proposal, but they said the copyright had already been sold.”

Eun Seo gave the most comfortable answer. For some reason, she didn’t want to appear lacking in front of Kwon Tae Ha.

With nothing else to her name, she didn’t want to say that even the one good thing she had – her brain – was of no use.

“You’re really bad at lying. You wouldn’t call someone just to say that.”

“It’s true. They even comforted me. Really.”

As Tae Ha still didn’t believe her, Eun Seo turned her hips slightly and opened her eyes wide as she spoke.

“They even offered me money, but I didn’t take it. Because I hadn’t done any work.”

“Money?”

That was even stranger. If it was about copyright issues, saying they didn’t know it had already been sold would have been enough.

Offering money meant there was something unsettling about the situation.

“But did Team Leader Choi go home first?”

“Woo Young is… Oh, no.”

Only then did Tae Ha remember Woo Young. He had completely forgotten about him since meeting Eun Seo.

Tae Ha dialed Woo Young’s number without answering Eun Seo.

− Did you find Eun Seo?

Woo Young asked abruptly when Tae Ha called.

“I found Eun Seo a little while ago. You don’t need to worry anymore. Go home or watch the musical, do whatever you want.”

The call ended quickly. The strange one was Eun Seo.

“You were looking for me? Why?”

To her innocent question, Tae Ha replied in an incredulous tone.

“The musical time was approaching and you weren’t answering calls. We were worried.”

“Wasn’t the musical canceled?”

Eun Seo asked, genuinely not knowing. The note she saw was left by Tae Ha, so there was no reason to worry or contact her.

“Canceled?”

“You left a note, didn’t you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. …Didn’t you?”

Tae Ha’s face hardened. His tense lips pressed into a straight line.

There’s no way the meticulous Assistant Han would have messed up the job. What could it be?

He wanted to go to the company right away to find out what happened, but he couldn’t.

“But why weren’t you answering calls? Were you avoiding us because you were upset about the publishing company?”

Faced with his interrogating gaze, Eun Seo fumbled in her eco bag and pulled out her phone.

“My phone broke.”

First came the black screen that had gone dead, then the shape of the phone that looked almost like a relic from the Stone Age.

What on earth is this. Was she carrying around something like this?

It was time for Tae Ha to reflect. He felt it was his fault for not replacing it for her sooner.

“They say it can’t be fixed. I guess I’ll have to replace it.”

Eun Seo pressed the power button as if to prove it to him. Seeing the screen still not light up, she fumbled to put the phone back in her bag. She seemed to want to prove she wasn’t lying.

“By the way, where are we going?”

“Somewhere nice. Get some sleep.”

Thinking the car would probably drive for quite a while, Eun Seo rested her head on the headrest. Drowsiness overcame her. Soon her head turned to the side and she fell asleep using the seatbelt as a pillow.

A while later, click. Feeling the seatbelt unbuckle, Eun Seo lifted her heavy eyelids.

It was pitch dark all around. A fresh scent wafted in.

“Where are we?”

Eun Seo asked languidly with half-open eyes, still not fully awake.

“The villa.”

Villa?

Eun Seo jerked up in surprise and looked around. Looking around, she saw a river in front and forest behind. Tae Ha had already gotten out and come around to open the passenger door.

“Why did we come here?”

Looking at the star-filled sky, Eun Seo asked while hurriedly following behind Tae Ha.

“To get closer.”

“To get closer?”

Tae Ha nodded nonchalantly as he placed his finger on the door lock keypad.

“There are several ways for a man and woman to get closer. First, tempt with food, already done. Second, spend money recklessly for no reason, done that too. Now I want to try the third.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the front door opened.

“What’s the third?”

In front of Eun Seo, who was on guard like a meerkat, Tae Ha leaned against the doorframe and nodded calmly.

As if to say, ‘Come in and you’ll find out.’