Younger Man at Work (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10

Wiping away the tears lingering at the corners of her eyes with irritation, Ji Yeon Hwa muttered to herself.

“What the hell? Did that guy figure something out?”

The Yeonsa-dong house had been directly inherited by Seung Joo from his maternal grandmother. It was also the house where he’d lived with his biological mother right up until her disappearance.

After leaving that house—situated on expensive land—untouched all this time, he’d suddenly announced plans to demolish it, only to cancel the decision just as abruptly.

“Does he still have lingering feelings for his mother?”

Now that she thought about it, his behavior at the hospital had also been strange.

[“Why’s she my mom, you old hag!”]

Seung Joo’s eyes, glaring at her as he shouted, had been filled with pure hatred. Though he’d always outwardly treated her with respect regardless of his true feelings, it had truly been a long time since he’d so openly revealed his hostility.

Recalling the Seung Joo she’d first met in his second year of high school, Yeon Hwa felt goosebumps rise.

“This is definitely suspicious…”

Anxiously, she bit her lip.

And it wasn’t just one or two suspicious things. Why would someone who had been lying in a hospital bed suddenly vanish without warning and, out of nowhere, decide to recuperate in the countryside—without even revealing his whereabouts?

He wasn’t the type who’d be oblivious to his own father’s true intentions lying with his younger brother Seung Hyun. So why would that annoyingly diligent guy suddenly take sick leave and disappear without a trace?

If he really had figured something out—if he sensed danger and went into hiding…?

As she grew increasingly restless, a young man in his mid-thirties walked in. He was her personal secretary.

“Did you find out?”

“Yes. It seems another person was with him, and he got startled, so he eased off the accelerator just before impact.”

That explained it. She’d thought it strange that, despite seemingly aiming his car deliberately at the target, he hadn’t broken a single bone—only suffered minor bruises.

Ji Yeon Hwa was furious. She’d specifically chosen a weekend, knowing her secretary wouldn’t be around—so who the hell had interfered?

“Who exactly was he with?”

“He said it was a staff member from the planning team. They happened to bump into the CEO on the street while coming in to work over the weekend and stopped to greet him.”

Yeon Hwa became even more enraged. How dare some lowly staff member interfere with her plans?

“That stupid idiot! If he’d just closed his eyes and plowed straight through like I promised I’d handle everything afterward!”

Her secretary didn’t even flinch at the profanity spilling from her elegant lips—it was a familiar sight to him.

Anyway, there was no undoing what had already been botched. Yeon Hwa tried to calm herself.

“Anyway, find out immediately where Kwon Seung Joo is and what he’s doing right now.”

“Yes. And what about the agreed payment? Should we cut it in half?”

Truthfully, she didn’t want to give him even a single penny, let alone half. But stirring up resentment could lead to leaks. If only he’d died as planned—then she’d be an accomplice to murder herself, and he’d have less incentive to talk.

Yeon Hwa cursed her stepson inwardly once again. Why wouldn’t he just drop dead already? His life was disgustingly long!

“Pay him double. And make sure his mouth stays tightly shut.”

*

“Nuna!”

As Eun Seo was leaving home for work that morning, she heard someone call out behind her. Turning around, she saw Kwon Seung Joo following her out, hesitating before offering her an umbrella.

“The weather forecast said there’ll be a downpour this evening.”

She instinctively reached to take it, then startled and pulled her hand back.

“I’ll manage on my own.”

The man whose umbrella had been rejected looked utterly deflated. Without even saying goodbye, he turned away—but then his voice came from behind her.

“Be careful on your way, Nuna.”

As she stepped out the gate, Eun Seo sighed.

“This makes me feel like the bad guy.”

It had only been a few days since she’d started living with Kwon Seung Joo, but accepting his presence wasn’t something that happened overnight.

She told herself he was just an eighteen-year-old who’d lost his mother and needed kindness—but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded in her head. In her eyes, he was still the adult Kwon Seung Joo, and that made things endlessly uncomfortable. How could she feel at ease knowing the person she’d always avoided—whom she’d turn around and walk away from the moment she spotted in the distance—was now under the same roof?

She couldn’t possibly wear her old tracksuit in front of him, nor sprawl carelessly across the floor. She even had to time her bathroom visits carefully—what if he thought she was constipated after staying too long?

Why should she endure all this discomfort in her own home? She was angry, but the water had already been spilled.

So Eun Seo tried her best to avoid crossing paths with him and to keep conversation to a minimum. She reminded herself that all she needed to do was provide him a place to stay and meals—that she just had to endure this for three months, or at most two and a half. She even hoped his memory would return before then.

[“Nuna’s home?”]

Every time Eun Seo came back from work, he’d greet her with a cheerful face—but she always pre-emptively shut down conversation, buying kimbap or a boxed meal on her way home and tossing it to him.

[“I’m exhausted and going straight to bed. There are two portions—just eat them until morning.”]

She gave him money for lunch, telling him to buy his own meals, but had no idea whether he actually did. She didn’t know what he did during the day while she was gone—and didn’t care to find out.

After a few days passed this way, Kwon Seung Joo began picking up on her cues and gradually stopped initiating conversation. Offering the umbrella that morning must have taken real courage on his part—and she’d just brushed him off again.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Eun Seo bit her lip on the bus.

It was excruciatingly awkward and uncomfortable—yet no matter how coldly she acted, he remained gentle and kind. But she couldn’t just pretend he was someone else when all she saw was Kwon Seung Joo’s face.

Preoccupied with these thoughts, she arrived at work—only to spot someone approaching from down the hallway, radiating a dark, ominous aura. It was none other than Seon Ah.

Seon Ah clung to Eun Seo, her face as if the world had collapsed.

“Did you see the announcement? Seung Joo took sick leave!”

Apparently, the instruction Kwon Seung Joo had given over the phone to his secretary’s office had finally been made public.

“It says he’s recovering from injuries—but where exactly is he hurt, and how badly? Was it a car accident?”

Seon Ah stomped her foot anxiously.

“He can’t stay away from his post too long! If that damn chairman finds any weakness, he’ll push his second son forward!”

By now, Kwon Seung Joo’s father had gone from “Chairman” to “that damn chairman” in her eyes.

Honestly, strictly speaking, taking leave due to injury wasn’t a huge issue. Eun Seo had considered that herself—but it was still a hundred times better than being revealed as an amnesiac stuck in an eighteen-year-old mindset. If that got out, his chances of being stripped of heir status would be a guaranteed 100%. Once that position was lost, even regaining his memory later wouldn’t help—so this was truly the best option for now.

“He worked so hard…” Seon Ah’s eyes welled up with tears, genuinely worried. “Our Seung Joo is just so pitiful!”

So struck by her unusual sincerity, Eun Seo found herself blurting out without thinking:

“But honestly, has the CEO ever actually done anything special for you, Seon Ah?”

“What?”

Seon Ah jumped, then repeated the story Eun Seo had heard at least a million times before.

Kwon Seung Joo had become CEO two years ago. At the time, Seon Ah—who hadn’t even officially joined the company yet—had attended the shareholders’ meeting proudly as a major shareholder holding three weeks’ worth of shares, and when the motion to appoint the new CEO came up, she’d boldly declared in front of all the other shareholders:

[“Without Director Kwon Seung Joo, this company has no futureeeee!”]

“They treated me like some kind of professional protestor and tried dragging me out! But Seung Joo stopped the employees pulling me away and instructed his secretary to call me a taxi.”

Seon Ah cried out passionately:

“He clearly mouthed ‘Thank you’ to me from afar!”

If that were true, it would indeed be an unforgettable, fandom-sealing moment—but no matter how many times Eun Seo heard it, she still found it hard to believe. Kwon Seung Joo simply didn’t strike her as the kind of person capable of such kindness.

Yet Seon Ah’s faith remained unshaken.

“Our Seung Joo may seem cold, but he’s truly warm-hearted inside.”

Eun Seo suddenly grew curious: If Kwon Seung Joo knew he had such a devoted fan, what would he say? She didn’t particularly want to talk to him—but she felt she had to pass along Seon Ah’s genuine support.

“If only I knew which hospital he’s in, I’d send flowers… *sniff*.”

It pained her that she couldn’t tell this devoted fan about his actual situation.

So Eun Seo apologized silently in her heart. I’m sorry, Seon Ah.

*

Sure enough, a downpour came on her way home from work. Though she’d rejected Kwon Seung Joo’s umbrella that morning, his advance warning had allowed her to grab the one at the office—saving her from looking like a drowned rat.

After getting off the bus, she bought two boxed meals for Kwon Seung Joo, carefully stepping around puddles all the way home—only to find a young man in a suit loitering near their front gate.

“Who are you?”

Instead of answering, the man asked:

“Do you live in this house?”

“What about it?”

Seeing Eun Seo’s obvious wariness, he finally introduced himself.

“I’m from the Dae Won Group head office.”

At the mention of head office, Eun Seo held her breath.

“He said he works at Dae Won Construction. Do you happen to be in contact with CEO Kwon Seung Joo?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“The CEO called to cancel the demolition order. Since he suddenly reversed his decision—and that call came from Yeonsa-dong—we thought you might know something.”

Eun Seo’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest. She’d managed a relatively composed lie at the secretary’s office a few days ago—but this was right in front of her own home, and the very person in question was inside that very gate.

She summoned every ounce of strength to play it cool.

“Could it be that the CEO has some personal connection to this house?”

She asked despite knowing the answer. Predictably, the man’s expression flickered slightly.

“Maybe he visited one last time before demolition and changed his mind—that’s why he called to cancel. Doesn’t that sound plausible?”

After offering this convincing theory, Eun Seo let out a sigh.

“The CEO’s secretary’s office asked me the same thing. But I’m just a powerless tenant—I have no choice but to go along whether they demolish or cancel. Why does everyone keep asking me?”

“…”

“They said the CEO took sick leave—does that mean you can’t reach him? What’s actually going on? Why is everyone acting like this?”

Turning the question back on him made the man flinch. Finally, he bowed his head toward Eun Seo and turned to leave.

“My apologies for the trouble.”

Eun Seo let out an exaggerated sigh as if utterly worn out, then pulled her keys from her pocket. Just as she managed to insert the trembling key into the gate lock—

A cheerful voice came from inside.

“Nuna’s home?”

The footsteps fading behind her stopped abruptly.