On the office table, there was an untouched sandwich.
It had been prepared for lunch, but even after lunchtime had long passed, the sandwich remained as it was.
Hyukju was working quickly to finish more tasks than usual for an early departure.
Despite the fatigue evident in his expression due to work, his face lit up as he looked at the documents on his desk.
In the late afternoon, he had plans to go to the hospital with Eunsoo.
How much had she grown since the last time?
His eyes, filled with anticipation, softened gently.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of the knock, Hyukju raised his head.
“Come in.”
As he spoke, Director Song opened the door and entered. Upon entering the office, he momentarily paused, seeing the sandwich left on the table.
“Haven’t you had lunch yet?”
“Just by looking at this.”
Hyukju lifted the documents he was holding.
It was a report submitted by each department for improving the competitiveness of the TR division. Alongside it was separate data sent by Chairman Moon.
As the profit structure of the duty-free business was deteriorating, everything from supply chain management to sales plans needed careful attention.
“If we wait until the regular personnel reshuffling season, we’ll be in the red again.”
“It seems necessary to consider a restructuring of personnel before that.”
“Currently, the head of the SCM team is Vice President Haje-yoon, and the head of the Operations Planning Group is Executive Director Seong Kicheol. It’s a bit strange.”
“Even when all the branch managers were replaced last year, only these two were retained.”
“It must be the influence of Mrs. Gong.”
Lowering the documents, Hyukju let out a bitter laugh.
Executive-level personnel decisions were determined by the performance of the affiliate. If the revenue in their respective business areas was low, it was customary for them to step down quietly.
For the past few years, the duty-free business had been in a serious deficit state. In such cases, a complete overhaul of the executives was expected. However, Vice President Haje-yoon and Executive Director Seong Kicheol had firmly held their positions.
Within the group, the weight of the hotel and resort business was extremely small. Therefore, Hyukju had not seriously considered such issues until now.
Only after taking charge of overseeing this business did he realize the seriousness of the situation.
The roots were rotten.
Hyukju rose from his seat and moved to another table.
Sipping on the already cold coffee, he furrowed his brow.
“I think I’m starting to understand why Father sent me into tourism development.”
As Hyukju muttered in a subdued voice, Hyunsoo smiled slightly.
“He wanted you to start from the small things.”
“From the small things?”
“Even though Father holds the position of chairman, for over twenty years, Aunt Yeongran has been firmly keeping her position as the one in power.”
Within the Myeongjin Group, Yeongran’s influence outweighed Chairman Moon’s. That was an undeniable fact.
Some observant individuals went straight to Yeongran from the beginning to discuss business-related matters. At that time, Chairman Moon even said that Director Moon Yeongran had agreed to the business.
Because of this, when Hyukju didn’t know well, he thought of his father as a scarecrow.
He considered him as someone who merely held the position and didn’t know what was happening within the group. However, his father had read all these situations.
It was not just a matter of watching; he had prepared for it in his own way.
Over a period of not 1 or 2 years but over 20 years.
Taking a sip of coffee and putting it down, Hyukju said, “Vice President Haje-yoon and Executive Director Seong Kicheol, check the property changes of the two using their family names within five years.”
“If it’s family, the scope…”
With a foreboding feeling that more work was coming, Hyunsoo’s mouth twitched downward.
“Even spouses’ siblings, and if possible, even nephews.”
“I will check even the nephews.”
Satisfied with Hyunsoo’s response, Hyukju showed a content expression.
Only then, while unwrapping the sandwich packaging, Hyukju raised his eyebrows, looking at Hyunsoo’s frozen face.
“Is that a dissatisfied face?”
“It’s not dissatisfaction, but…”
“Do you know who stopped Eunsoo’s introduction to Mr. Gosaetbyeorl?”
“…”
“Knowing and making such a face in front of me is not allowed.”
This morning, before going to work, Eunsoo grabbed Hyunsoo and asked if it made sense to say she couldn’t go on a blind date because of too much work.
As soon as he heard the word “blind date,” Hyunsoo sensed it was related to Saetbyeorl.
As expected, the guess was correct. Eunsoo didn’t say who it was, but she mentioned that a friend and a brother she knows were being introduced, but Hyukju had intervened in between.
While expressing how unaware Hyukju was, she lamented that it was heartbreaking.
Recalling the events of the morning, Hyunsoo made a coughing sound, “Hm,” and put down the takeout coffee cup he was holding in his hand.
“You might need a warm coffee.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
