William looked into Jaehun’s inner self once again, as if examining it.

It felt like he was saying, ‘You’re digging your own grave with your own hands.’

“It’s okay. Request it by email during the day.”

William’s tone seemed to have cooled down a bit, or was it just a misconception? Somehow, the back of Jaehun’s head felt chilly.

What was more uncomfortable was that whenever William acted this way, Yunhee’s expression subtly brightened.

“Secretary Jung.”

When their eyes met, a surprised Yunhee quickly put on a smile.

“Yes, Director.”

“Why that expression?”

“What?”

“Just now, you seemed very happy.”

“Ah, I, I felt proud for some reason, watching both of you cooperate closely. I felt proud of myself being here, and the sky seems to be ours…”

Because she couldn’t say that she felt proud of admiring the manager. She awkwardly filled in with a forced laugh.

“Our sky?”

“Watching over our team at work, I couldn’t help but smile. If it bothered you, I apologize.”

Something’s odd.

However, without finding the cause of this oddity, William never gave Jaehun a chance to think differently from that day on.

“These are dishes made with the sauce to be used for this product. I hope you enjoy tasting them.”

“Please write a review after tasting. Considering that, I plan to adjust the proportions to suit the taste of Koreans.”

“I’m planning to visit Chelsea Market today. How about going together? We can check ingredients, get inspiration, and take a walk at the same time.”

Even after the meeting dispersed to their respective accommodations, when it was the perfect time for Jaehun to contact Lajin, William, as if knowing that, would contact him like a ghost, demanding various materials.

If he kept procrastinating because of the time difference, it would eventually become an inconvenient time to contact Lajin.

On one occasion, the words from William’s mouth almost made Jaehun lose his composure.

“Wouldn’t it be more desirable to focus on the situation at the business trip location rather than the situation in Korea?”

If that’s the case, why on earth did he leave Lajin in Korea? Jaehun barely held back the urge to question him.

Originally, William was known for being extremely picky and having firm values of his own. Thanks to Lajin, he was behaving quite kindly towards Gonyeong’s people, but this side should be his true nature.

‘Thanks to Secretary Jung, the atmosphere is relatively friendly.’

…Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about Lajin, even though he found the thought of recalling her annoying.
So, it was finally the last day of the business trip, not torment from William but the torment toward William.

Having closed his laptop, Jaehun immediately called Lajin.

It was 9 PM in Korean time, which he considered a reasonably appropriate time.

When they lived together, Lajin used to go to sleep between 11 PM and 11:30 PM.

“…”

Recalling the affectionate moments, his heart tingled.

Throughout the business trip, Jaehun could only sense Lajin’s presence through the materials uploaded to the cloud.

If it were like before, she might have accompanied him on the business trip and could have been by his side by now.

After finishing a tough day, the two of them could have shared cocktails or beer, commiserating with each other, and then embraced each other, spending sweet moments together.

Lost in such thoughts…

[The number you have dialed is not in service…]

Suddenly, a woman’s voice, thinking it was Lajin, made Jaehun stop.

“What?”

He looked at the screen.

[Secretary Jung]

It must have been a call to Lajin.

Suppressing an uneasy feeling, Jaehun pressed the end button and nervously called again.

[The number you have dialed is not in service…]

Standing up abruptly, his eyes rolled back.

Jaehun returned earlier than scheduled.

It was the result of a sudden message instructing them to find the fastest ticket as he would return to Korea right away.

As soon as he arrived at Incheon Airport, he headed not to the company or his home, but directly to Lajin’s house.

His command to the driver and gripping the steering wheel himself made his knuckles turn white.

His heart was beating in an unusual rhythm. Sweat poured from his hands, and the inside of his throat felt unnaturally hot.

‘No, that can’t be.’

Lajin was not someone irresponsible. Therefore, there must be a significant reason for her to change her number without telling him.

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. If there were such circumstances, she should have let him know that her number had changed.

Because it shouldn’t affect his work. Lajin, who was sincere about her work, was like that.

Work. Apart from work, there was no other reason why we were involved with each other right now…

‘Surely not.’

At the moment he was about to attempt to call Yunhee, a call came from Chairman Seo Seongjae.

He pressed the call button with a momentary frown.

“I have an urgent matter. Please briefly explain the situation.”

[Dash] You returned earlier than planned.

“Yes. I will submit the report immediately tomorrow…”

[Dash] Is it because of the secretary?

For a moment, Jaehun pressed the brakes hard and pulled over to the side of the road.

[Dash] Jaehun! Are you okay?

“I’m fine. But how did you know it was because of the secretary?”

[Dash] …The secretary resigned.

For a moment, his vision blurred.

“The resignation approval hasn’t been processed.”

[Dash] I took care of it.

“Why did you tell me without saying a word, being my direct superior?”

Chairman Seo Seongjae sighed.

[Dash] The secretary asked me to. Help her leave.