Chapter 33
- Unfair 2021.08.21.
“I’m… Waaaaah…”
Instead of answering, Jo Si-nae burst into tears and slumped into her chair. Jo Yuri, who didn't know what was going on, belatedly rushed over and helped Si-nae up. Eun-bi, who was standing behind Ji-heon, couldn't bring herself to approach Si-nae.
“Jo Si-nae, don't cry and tell me what's going on. Why is the computer like this?”
Ji-heon's expression hardened as he pressed her.
“Hic, hic…”
Si-nae just cried. Chae Eun-bi's complaints about how Lee Jung-o had made things difficult for her in school had made her dislike Jeong-o. It wouldn't be good to be disliked by Chae Eun-bi, Jeong Ji-heon's lover. Si-nae deliberately harassed Jeong-o in front of Eun-bi. Then, after the Tawon Liquor company dinner incident, Si-nae ended up having to report to Ji-heon every day. Ji-heon didn't hesitate to humiliate her, no matter how Jeong-o had won him over. It was something she had done to win Eun-bi's favor, but before she knew it, the hatred had become real. She hated Lee Jung-o so much and wanted to get revenge somehow. Si-nae carried around a USB that could install a virus on a device, always looking for an opportunity. The opportunity came quickly because Jeong-o had work to do. While Jeong-o was away from his desk for a moment, she spread the virus on his laptop and went to the rarely used C Printing Room to delete the data Jeong-o had uploaded to the cloud. She felt great that day. Chae Eun-bi seemed very annoyed that Ji-heon and Jeong-o were together, but Si-nae didn't care. She thought it would just pass as a minor incident, but then this happened today.
“Jo Si-nae, I don't think this is going to work. Let's talk again tomorrow. Finish your work for today and go home.”
“D-, Director, Jo Si-nae has data that needs to be sent to the advertiser by today.”
Jo Yuri said to Ji-heon.
“I want Jo Yuri to do it instead.”
“……”
“I can't entrust company work to an employee whose identity is suspicious.”
Ji-heon gave his instructions coldly. Even Yuri looked frightened.
“Jo Si-nae, I'll take this USB to investigate.”
Ji-heon took the USB that Jeong-o was holding. He hadn't even heard the whole story, but he knew exactly that Si-nae was the owner of the USB. I've been caught in these people's scheme! The fact made Si-nae burst into tears even louder. The people who had gathered left, and Chae Eun-bi walked up to her.
“Jo Si-nae, I hope you clear your name quickly if you're being framed. Tell me if there's anything I can do to help. …This is a real shame.”
“……”
“But… is it because of Jo Si-nae that my Ji-heon Oppa had to work late with Lee Jung-o?”
Si-nae felt like an arm had been torn off by Eun-bi's cold rebuke. Si-nae stared at Eun-bi with a blank expression, her mouth agape. Eun-bi said to Jo Yuri, who was standing next to Si-nae,
“Jo Yuri, we should go back to work, shouldn't we?”
“Ah, yes, yes. Manager.”
Yuri let go of Si-nae's arm and awkwardly got up to follow Eun-bi. Si-nae was left alone. She had been trying to groom Jo Si-nae like a handmaiden, but it had failed. Eun-bi gritted her teeth and swallowed her anger. Lee Jung-o again, Jeong Ji-heon again. The two of them had worked together to catch Jo Si-nae. In fact, Eun-bi knew what Jo Si-nae had done last Thursday. She had noticed because the commotion had happened after Jo Si-nae had disappeared for a while.
‘She's so obvious about how much she hates him, it's no wonder she got caught so quickly.’
Eun-bi lamented Jo Si-nae's foolishness. She hated Jeong-o even more for using various excuses to narrow the gap between her and Ji-heon.
The next day. A detailed analysis of the data on the USB that Si-nae had was carried out, and it was confirmed that it matched the virus found on Jeong-o's computer. After receiving the results, Ji-heon immediately called Si-nae to his office.
“Jo Si-nae.”
“……Yes. …Director.”
Si-nae replied in a barely audible voice.
“No matter how much Jo Si-nae denies it, the company has no choice since the results are like this.”
“……”
“We can no longer entrust you with important work because we can't rule out any possibility, whether Jo Si-nae is an industrial spy, or has a personal grudge against Lee Jung-o, or has another reason.”
Ji-heon said sternly. He seemed like a person without blood or tears. Si-nae was filled with resentment, but she couldn't argue. Si-nae was immediately excluded from all her assigned duties and was kicked out of the Planning and Production 1 Division to go to the Management Division. Now she would be guarding the library. A design major guarding the library. It was the biggest humiliation she had faced since starting her career. But she hadn't prepared to change jobs, so she had no choice but to follow the instructions. Now she would quietly prepare to change jobs. Si-nae's situation was resolved satisfactorily, but Jeong-o was left with a lingering feeling.
‘If it were me, I would have just told her not to do it again.’
The treatment was more cruel than she had expected. Ji-heon's decision was terrifying. Well, it was an unavoidable decision since there was no way to confirm what kind of suspicious person Si-nae was.
“Gi-hoon, thank you so much for your help with this.”
In the hallway leading to the conference room, Jeong-o thanked Gi-hoon. Si-nae had been caught in the play they had put on yesterday. The fingerprint-scanning mouse was something he had quickly bought that day, and the company didn't have a system to store fingerprint information in the first place. It was all thanks to Jeong-o's wit and Gi-hoon's natural acting. If Gi-hoon hadn't cooperated with Jeong-o's plan, they wouldn't have caught the culprit. Gi-hoon replied nonchalantly.
“If you're grateful, Manager, I have a wish too.”
“Yeah. Tell me. What is it?”
“Can I call you Nuna*?”
“Pfft.”
“I guess I can't drop the honorifics either, right?”
This guy is flirting. Jeong-o nudged Gi-hoon's shoulder. Gi-hoon, who was pushed aside, came back with a grin.
“Yeah. Drop the honorifics and swear at me too.”
“Hey, why would I swear? At you, Manager. I was just saying. I'll always treat you with respect and serve you.”
He's just messing around. They were so engrossed in their own world that they didn't realize Ji-heon was still walking in the same direction behind them. They also didn't realize that Ji-heon was staring at them with laser eyes. Ji-heon felt resentful. He thought this was too much. Lee Jung-o. I was the one who helped you completely, so why are you only thanking Song Gi-hoon? I apologized when you asked me to apologize, I found the culprit when you asked me to find the culprit, I let you handle it when you asked me to handle it, and I even took care of Jo Si-nae's disciplinary action as the final step. I did everything you asked me to do, so why is the credit going to that guy? He couldn't help but feel unfair. Ji-heon was in a complicated mood throughout the meeting. Jeong-o and Gi-hoon seemed to have become even closer. He was also disappointed in Jeong-o. No, you took the apology as if you were picking up something you had left behind, but you didn't say thank you? Aren't you grateful to me? Ji-heon, who had been watching the production meeting with a sulky expression, sat there without saying a word and then left. He met Seung-gyu in the hallway leading to his office.
“Why the long face?”
“Why would I be?”
“You look a little more sour than usual?”
Ji-heon couldn't say anything when Seung-gyu pointed out his expression. Ji-heon entered his office and plopped down on the sofa as if he were about to collapse.
“I heard you sent Jo Si-nae to the Management Division.”
“Yeah.”
Seung-gyu changed the subject right away because Ji-heon didn't seem to be in the mood to talk about work. In fact, he had come to see Ji-heon to ask him for that favor.
“You know about next Monday, right? You've cleared your schedule, right?”
“What? What schedule?”
“Hey, how can you forget that? You promised Do-bin in front of her that you'd come to our house again. Don't you remember?”
Ah, that… Only then did Ji-heon remember. A girl with clear eyes and a fair face. That child who was as pretty as a doll. He had rashly made a promise with that child. To meet again on some Monday. It was a very vague promise, but he didn't expect Seung-gyu to bring it up again.
“Do the kids even remember?”
“Of course! Of course!”
“……”
“You have to keep promises you make with kids. Kids live for the fun of waiting for those promises. You'll know how I feel when you become a dad, but you don't seem to be getting married anytime soon… You don't have any plans that day, do you?”
He didn't have any plans. He was planning to be at the company because he didn't have any other schedule, but he was embarrassed because Seung-gyu was urging him. He didn't know how to play with kids. He didn't know how to treat them either.
“I'm not confident.”
“Please come!”
Seung-gyu raised his voice when Ji-heon showed a weak side.
“Please save my face as a dad! Our Do-bin wants to see you.”
“It's not Do-bin, it's Do-bin's girlfriend.”
“Okay! Anyway! Please save our Do-bin's face!”
Seung-gyu exaggerated his disappointed feelings.
“I'm not asking you to promote me or get our Do-bin a job. I'm just asking you to hold my hand and come to my house once next Monday. Can't you do that one thing? As a friend?”
“Why would I hold your hand?”
“No, that's not what I meant! Why are you so prickly today?”
His friend really seemed to be in a bad mood. Seung-gyu realized that he had been talking too much about himself and reflected on it, asking him how he was doing. With the topic that seemed most interesting.
“Any progress with Lee Jung-oh, Deputy Manager?”
It was a light question, but Ji-heon's expression was quite serious. Seung-gyu sat right in front of Ji-heon, and Ji-heon confided his worries.
“She said I look like her father.”
“……Huh?”
“She said I look like her deceased father.”
“Lee Jung-oh, Deputy Manager, said that?”
“…….”
“Ha. This is awkward.”
What a tragedy. It seemed difficult to start anything with a woman who said you resembled her deceased father. He felt sorry for his friend, who seemed to have started a difficult love.
“Still, even though that feeling is overwhelming, isn't there still room for something? It's better to be cherished than disliked.”
Just then.
“What are you talking about?”
The door burst open, and Eun-bi entered. The two men's expressions soured at the uninvited guest's visit. Eun-bi was also finding it difficult to compose herself. Her face was even twitching.
“Lee Jung-oh said you look like someone, Oppa?”
Having noticed Ji-heon's uncomfortable expression in the conference room, Eun-bi cleared her schedule and immediately rushed to his office. It seemed Seung-gyu and Ji-heon were in the office. She could faintly hear their conversation. Taking advantage of the secretary's absence from the outer office, Eun-bi pressed her ear against the office door. And she heard something unbelievable. Lee Jung-oh told Jeong Ji-heon that he looked like her father?
“Ha. Lee Jung-oh said that? To Oppa?”
Eun-bi questioned Ji-heon accusingly. Ji-heon didn't answer. She was usually respectful to Ji-heon, but right now, Eun-bi didn't care about anything. Lee Jung-oh, what a sly fox! Unable to contain her anger, Eun-bi stormed out of the office.
“Whoa, Chae Eun-bi, Manager, seems angry. I'll be going now. Handle it well! Contact me immediately if you need my help!”
Seung-gyu, feeling like he didn't belong there, hurriedly left the office. Eun-bi, after clearing the conference room, called Jeong-o, who had belatedly returned to her seat.
“Lee Jung-oh, Deputy Manager, come here for a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Quickly.”
Jeong-o, who was about to sit down, went back out into the hallway.
“What's going on?”
Whack.
“We have somewhere to go. Let's go together.”
Eun-bi grabbed Jeong-o's wrist. Jeong-o staggered and was dragged along by Eun-bi's swift and forceful strength.
“Can't you let go and let me walk?”
“Just follow me.”
When Jeong-o resisted, Eun-bi shook off Jeong-o's hand and walked ahead. Already in a bad mood, Jeong-o followed Eun-bi, wanting to see what she was up to. Eun-bi took Jeong-o to Ji-heon's office. Ji-heon's eyes widened when he recognized Jeong-o entering the office.
“Lee Jung-oh, you tell me.”
Eun-bi stood Ji-heon and Jeong-o facing each other and confronted Jeong-o.
“You, you've never seen your father, have you? You don't even know who your real father is.”
Jeong-o's eyes wavered.
“That's what your mother told our teacher when you were in your first year of high school. Begging her to look after her daughter. A daughter who was born not knowing who her father was, but who has never caused her mother any trouble.”
“…….”
“You're from a single-mother family, aren't you? Am I wrong?”
“…….”
“Aren't you? If I'm wrong, I'll apologize.”
Jeong-o clenched her fists tightly at her sides. A strange emotion welled up inside her. A side of herself that she didn't want to show Jeong Ji-heon. She could have told the Jeong Ji-heon of seven years ago, and she did, but she never wanted to reveal this fact to the current Jeong Ji-heon. It was miserable. Eun-bi let out a loud, hollow laugh and continued.
“What? Ji-heon Oppa looks like your father? What kind of scam are you trying to pull?”
“Chae Eun-bi, stop it.”
Ji-heon, unable to watch any longer, told Eun-bi. But Eun-bi didn't stop.
“She's approaching Oppa with lies!”
“Chae Eun-bi.”
“It's a lie, Director.”
It was Jeong-o who interrupted Ji-heon's words.
“Actually, it wasn't my father, but my Oppa. You look like my ex-boyfriend, Director.”
She swallowed her tears and told the truth.
