fanmtl Chapter 105
Chapter 105
Chapter 105*Knock* *Knock*
The door slowly opened.
I stood up from my chair and smoothing the sleeve of my suit.
Mina stepped inside, followed closely by Harin.
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
“Well, well… if it isn’t Secretary Yoo. To what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden visit?”
She gave me a polite bow.
“Good morning, Ms. Hwang. I apologize for the sudden visit. I hope I haven’t interrupted your schedule.”
She then straightened up and met my eyes calmly.
“As you already know, I’m here today at Chairwoman Seo’s request to follow up on our collaboration.”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
“You came all the way here just for that? Yuna could have simply called us if she wanted an update. There was no need for you to trouble yourself by coming in person.”
Harin’s expression remained unchanged.
“That leads to another reason why I’m here. Chairwoman Seo has decided to withdraw from the collaboration. I came to inform you personally because it would be inappropriate to deliver the news over the phone.”
“What…?”
Mina unconsciously blurted out. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she turned toward Harin.
“You want to withdraw?!”
Harin didn’t answer. She just stood there calmly.
A faint laugh escaped me.
“What are you talking about, Secretary Yoo. Stop joking around. We both know that’s not what Yuna wants. Seriously… you people from Nara really do love making things dramatic, don’t you?”
Harin simply looked at me without saying a word.
I just let out a sigh at her serious expression.
“Just so you know, the draft agreement is already finished. I was simply waiting for the right moment to send it over because, well... you know how things are between Yuna and me right now.”
“Is that why you deliberately let the news between you and Mr. Kim spread?”
I was caught a little off guard by her question.
“Secretary Yoo, I suggest you mind your tone when speaking to our Vice Chairman. Please remember where you are standing right now—”
“It’s fine, Mina. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
I found it amusing rather than irritating that she had the audacity to ask me that.
So that’s what this is really about.
“Mina, bring the draft over.”
“Understood.”
I looked back at Harin.
“There are quite a lot of documents. You should’ve brought someone with you. It’ll be troublesome carrying everything by yourself.”
“Thank you for your concern. I've already arranged for the documents to be collected later. And please prepare a place for me to review them. I’d like to review everything on-site. That’ll make it easier if I need clarification on anything immediately. And since the draft is ready, Chairwoman Seo would like to meet you tomorrow to discuss it further and finalize the agreement.”
…
A faint laugh escaped my lips.
“My… she’s quite impatient, isn’t she?”
At last… the board was finally set.
I glanced toward Mina.
“Please prepare the conference room for our guest here.”
“It’ll be ready in a few minutes, Vice Chairman.”
Mina gave a quick bow before leaving the office.
Now only Harin and I remained.
She continued looking straight at me. Dissatisfied.
I folded my arms.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Harin. Mina’s already left. You can talk freely now. What exactly are you here for? I know you didn’t come just for this. So stop beating around the bush and say it."
Harin's expression hardened slightly. She remained silent for a moment, as though considering her response. Then she let out a quiet breath before finally speaking.
“Please resolve the issue regarding the news between you and Mr. Kim as soon as possible, Ms. Hwang. You've already gotten what you wanted from Chairwoman Seo. I think that's enough, don't you think? Don't you feel sorry for Mr. Kim? He's the one who has to deal with all these rumors right now.”
“If your objective was to pressure Chairwoman… then you’ve already succeeded. So please… stop dragging Mr. Kim into this any further—“
“Stop right there.”
I cut her off before she could finish. For some reason, the way she phrased it irritated me.
“I don’t like the way you’re putting it, Harin. Why are you making it sound like I was using Haemin to hurt Yuna? Yes, I let the rumors spread. I won’t deny that. But don’t insult my feelings by saying I used him. I allowed those rumors because I wanted people to know how important Haemin is to me.”
“If Yuna can’t accept it, that’s her problem. Like I give a damn about how she feels. After all, she’s the one who drove Haemin away in the first place."
Harin looked slightly disbelieving, as if she couldn’t accept what she was hearing.
“No matter how you try to justify your intentions, it doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Kim is the one bearing the burden of all this.”
“And I haven’t even mentioned how you interfered with their divorce by sending that lawyer to him.”
I was momentarily taken aback.
So, they already knew.
Impressive.
“Yes, Chairwoman already knows you were involved. She just doesn’t have concrete proof that the lawyer was working for you. And she isn’t the type to act recklessly without evidence.”
I couldn’t help smiling again.
“And what if I was the one who sent him? What is Yuna going to do about it? Is she going to come after me? I’d love to see her try.”
Harin shook her head slowly.
“Ms. Hwang… you really don’t know how far Chairwoman is willing to go just to keep Mr. Kim, do you? Is it really that difficult to wait until their cooling-off period is over? If you truly care about Mr. Kim as much as you claim… then please, stop provoking her from now on.”
The smile on my face was gone.
“What do you mean by that, Harin?”
“…”
A possibility I had dismissed earlier suddenly crept back into my mind.
“Did Yuna still hurt him?”
“…”
Harin stayed silent.
…
That silence alone was enough to make my heart sink.
“Answer me, Harin.”
I stepped closer, until only a small distance separated us.
“I’m asking you...”
My voice dropped.
“… Is she still hurting him?”
My finger curled into a fist. There was nothing I wanted more than to wipe that calm expression off her face. But I held myself back.
Harin finally met my gaze.
“…I didn’t say that. But if you truly care about Mr. Kim… then stop making his life even harder. He has already suffered enough because of the conflict between the two of you.”
“How am I supposed to know you’re not lying to me?”
“You’re free to believe me or not. That’s your choice.”
Her words only fueled my suspicion. But nothing that I can do now than to ask Haemin himself. That vile woman... I swear… if she really did it again…
*Knock* *Knock*
Mina stepped inside.
“Vice Chairman. The conference room is ready.”
“Alright. You may go now.”
Mina nodded and quietly closed the door.
I looked at Harin for another long moment before finally speaking.
“…You may go as well.”
Harin gave me a polite bow.
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
She turned around and began walking toward the door.
Just before her hand reached the doorknob, she suddenly stopped.
“One more thing, Ms. Hwang.”
“Regarding the death of your lawyer, I know the police said they've already arrested the suspect. But..."
She slowly turned her head just enough to look at me from the corner of her eye.
“You didn’t have anything to do with it, did you?”
My composure almost faltered at her sudden question.
Did she know something?
Or was she simply trying to read my reaction?
I kept my expression calm, careful not to give away even the slightest hint of suspicion.
“If I told you I wasn’t involved… would you believe me?”
Harin remained silent, as though she were carefully weighing my words.
In the end, she simply lowered her head slightly.
“I’ll excuse myself first.”
Without answering my question, she turned and walked out of the room.
_____
*Later that evening*
“God… this is stressing me out.”
I threw my pen onto the desk in frustration and leaned back in my chair.
“I can’t focus on a single thing!”
My thoughts had been a complete mess.
Everything that I have been doing since this morning, none of it stayed in my head for more than a few seconds before my thoughts drifted back to that stupid message.
…
I clicked my tongue in annoyance while checking my schedule.
…
Nothing seemed particularly urgent.
“Forget it. There’s no point forcing myself to work when my head isn’t even here.”
I glance at the clock.
Seems like Haemin has finished work by now.
“He should be home already, right?”
Without wasting another second, I picked up my belongings and walked out of my office.
Mina immediately looked up from her desk the moment she saw me.
“Vice Chairman?”
“Cancel anything that comes up tonight.”
She quickly checked the schedule on her tablet.
“Your schedule is clear for the rest of the evening, Vice Chairman. There aren’t any new appointments.”
“Good.”
“But… there is… one more thing.”
“Hm?”
“The Chairman has been trying to reach you for the past few days. He said he called you several times, but you never answered. He asked me to remind you that he wants to meet with you as soon as possible”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
“Tell him I’ll meet him sometime this week. I'll let him know the exact time myself later.”
“Understood.”
As I turned toward the elevator, my eyes briefly drifted toward the conference rooms down the corridor.
Through the glass wall, I could see Harin sitting inside with stacks of documents spread across the table.
“She’s still here? I thought she had left already.”
“Yes. Secretary Yoo has been reviewing the draft since earlier. She hasn’t taken a break once.”
“Talk about dedication.”
I walked straight toward the conference room.
The door was still open.
Harin was organizing the neatly stacked documents in front of her. She looked completely absorbed in her work.
I leaned lightly against the door frame.
“I can have someone bring you a pillow and a blanket if you plan on sleeping here tonight.”
She calmly finished arranging the last file before finally looking up at me.
“There’s no need. I’ve already finished reviewing everything. Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Hwang.”
I couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle.
“You really know how to make a conversation dull, don’t you?”
I walked a little closer.
“You know… someone as capable as you is honestly being wasted over there. Why don’t you come work for me instead?”
I folded my arms.
“I can offer you a better position than the one you have now. And I can pay you far more than she does.”
“Thank you for the offer, Ms. Hwang. But I’m happy where I am.”
“Really? Aren’t you being too loyal to her? You do realize she doesn’t care about you nearly as much as you care about her, don’t you?”
“Whether the Chairwoman cares about me or not... that was never the reason I stayed by her side all these years. I simply wanted to repay the late Chairman for everything he had done for me by being there for his daughter.”
“How admirable. It’s a shame your loyalty is being wasted on the wrong family.”
Just as Harin was about to respond—
*Bzzz…*
Her phone vibrated.
She glanced down at the screen.
A faint look of confusion crossed her face.
I noticed it immediately.
“Don’t mind me.”
I gestured casually.
“Go ahead.”
Harin gave me a small nod.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
She stepped a short distance away before answering the call.
“Yes?”
…
“What?!”
Her expression changed instantly.
…
“When did this happen?”
…
“And you’re only informing me now?”
…
“What were all of you doing?”
…
“Alright. I’ll be there shortly.”
The call ended. And all of a sudden, she began packing her belongings.
“Something happened?”
Harin looked at me. Her expression had already returned to its usual calmness, but I could still see the urgency hidden beneath it.
“My work here is already done. I’ll have to excuse myself. An urgent matter has come up.”
Before I could ask anything else, she gave me a polite bow, and quickly walked out of the conference room.
I quietly watched her disappearing figure.
I wonder what happened that made her rush off like that.
…
Well.
It wasn’t any of my concern anyway. I had far more important things on my mind right now.
I turned around and headed toward the elevator.
The doors had just opened when—
“Vice Chairman!”
I stopped in my tracks.
Mina was running toward me from the end of the corridor.
“Vice Chairman!”
She finally stopped in front of me, slightly out of breath.
“T-There’s something important… Our contact at the police…”
She paused, trying to catch her breath.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Our contact just informed us…”
She looked straight into my eyes.
“Mr. Kim has been taken to the police station for questioning.”
“…What?!”