Chapter 93
- Mutual 2022.03.19.
While everyone was frozen, Eun-ju, who was the first to come to her senses, shouted.
“Assistant Manager Lee! I've been looking for you. What are you doing here!"
Eun-ju shouted while tidying up Jeong-o's laptop PC for her.
“Okay. Let's hurry up and pack up and go. Gi-hoon, you pack up quickly too! We have a meeting!”
Jeong-o had never seen the princess, who always walked gracefully without ever running even when seeing the other party waiting in front, pack her things so nimbly. She was momentarily speechless, but Jeong-o also came to her senses at Eun-ju's quick response. She felt like she couldn't leave Gi-hoon and Ji-heon like this. She wasn't worried about Ji-heon, but she was concerned about the pure young man Gi-hoon. She thought she should separate the two of them quickly. Gi-hoon, whose brain was numb from Ji-heon's harsh words, was in a daze until he was grabbed by Eun-ju and left the conference room. Jeong-o also gave Ji-heon a sharp look and left the conference room. As she left the conference room, she checked on Gi-hoon's condition. Gi-hoon's face, ears, and neck were as red as a person made of pink clay. Judging by his reaction, he must have heard everything Ji-heon said clearly, so how should she handle this?
“Gi-hoon…”
Just as Jeong-o cautiously reached out to Gi-hoon.
“Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o!”
Another voice calling for Jeong-o was heard from across the way. The planning team's chief, who had called earlier, came running with the team leader.
“Assistant Manager Lee, we need your help! Come quickly, quickly!”
“Huh? Yes? What's going on?”
“The client has called for us, and you're the only one who can improvise with agility!”
“Oh, oh, oh! I have a meeting!”
Jeong-o shouted as she was grabbed by the planning team's AEs and dragged away in a flustered manner.
“It's okay. Go ahead, Assistant Manager.”
Eun-ju said to Jeong-o. In fact, there was no urgent meeting. It was an excuse to call Jeong-o and Gi-hoon out of the conference room. It was fortunate that the planning team took Jeong-o away at the right time. After Jeong-o was swept away like a person standing at the entrance of a crowded subway, Eun-ju quietly sighed. Gi-hoon still had a dazed expression and his mouth was tightly shut. Eun-ju became aware of Gi-hoon's mood, which she had never seen before. Gi-hoon, who was quietly trying to sit down, flinched for a moment. Director Jeong Ji-heon was seen walking leisurely down the hallway behind Eun-ju. Ji-heon was also leaving the conference room and returning to his office.
‘Gi-hoon, cheer up. Overcome it. You can do it! Okay, let's get back to work and work hard!’
Eun-ju couldn't bring herself to say it directly, so she sent a telepathic message of support from her seat. However, Gi-hoon, who had been silently sitting and clenching and unclenching his fists, eventually jumped up from his seat.
“Gi-hoon, where are you going…?”
Eun-ju called out desperately, but Gi-hoon didn't answer. Eun-ju hopelessly watched the young blood heading towards Director Jeong Ji-heon's office.
Gi-hoon knocked on Ji-heon's office door with spirit and went inside.
“Director.”
Ji-heon, who was about to sit down, turned around and leaned against the executive desk, looking at Gi-hoon. Just looking at him without saying anything made Gi-hoon feel overwhelmed by his energy. But he bravely overcame it and spoke courageously.
“Director, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”
“I thought Song Gi-hoon would be able to understand it, of course.”
As expected, Ji-heon answered clearly without being flustered or excited. When Gi-hoon hesitated and couldn't answer, he skillfully questioned him first.
“Or did I accuse the wrong person?”
“……”
“Can you guarantee that you don't have even a speck of romantic feelings for Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o? If so, I'll apologize.”
He had no intention of hiding it any longer, so he didn't beat around the bush. He asked so sharply, as if he had seen right through Gi-hoon's heart, and Gi-hoon's expression changed first. Gi-hoon suddenly realized. Director Jeong Ji-heon also likes Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o. But that can't be the reason. The person involved might, but Director Jeong Ji-heon can't give him that kind of advice.
“……But I don't know why I have to hear that from you, Director.”
Gi-hoon, whose heart had been exposed, paused for a moment before replying.
“Why are you saying that, Director? That's a matter between me and Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o.”
“……”
“Just because you unilaterally like Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o doesn't mean you can control my words and actions.”
“That's not it.”
Ji-heon cut off Gi-hoon's claim. Gi-hoon flinched again at his confidence. It really felt like he was being suppressed by Ji-heon.
“If you control my words and actions, then I……”
“It's not that, I'm saying it's not unilateral.”
Ji-heon told him again accurately because he thought Gi-hoon had misunderstood. What Ji-heon pointed out was not Gi-hoon's words or actions, but the fact that he didn't unilaterally like Lee Jung-o. Gi-hoon, shocked, stared at Ji-heon with wide eyes. His handsome idol looks shone even brighter when he opened his eyes wide. Ji-heon's competitive spirit rose. He must give up, the instinct of a man sent a stinging warning to Ji-heon.
“……If it's not unilateral……”
“Mutual.”
“……”
“Does that answer your question?”
An earthquake occurred in Gi-hoon's eyes at Ji-heon's smooth answer. His heart collapsed.
“Gi-hoon, you said you're tight-lipped, right?”
“……”
“I hope you keep the secret well.”
Ji-heon left the office first, as if giving him time to collect his thoughts. He was confident and relaxed until the end. That's why he looked even more cruel and evil in Gi-hoon's eyes.
‘Why does Assistant Manager like. Why of all people. Why of all people that kind of man……’
It wasn't that he had a dark intention to date Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o no matter what. But he wanted to protect her because she was such a respected person, such a kind person, and such a pitiful person. He thought he was protecting her. But all that he had done was a hindrance. Come to think of it, the two of them had been strange all along. Director Jeong Ji-heon looked for Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o unusually often. Unlike other employees, they seemed to have spent a lot of time alone together. Director Jeong Ji-heon's decision to go on a business trip abroad was also when Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o went on an overseas shoot instead of Team Leader Seong Mi-ran. The moment the things he had wondered about fell into place. Gi-hoon wanted to find a mouse hole and go inside.
“Gi-hoon, why, what's wrong.”
Chief Park Young-gwang asked, seeing Gi-hoon return to his seat and collapse.
“Chief.”
“……”
“I want to quit the company……”
Gi-hoon replied in a voice that had completely lost its will. Gi-hoon after that couldn't come to his senses at all. It was the misfortune that Eun-ju had been worried about. The team's youngest member lost his energy, and the work was not energized at all. The results of the work done with powerless hands were all lifeless.
“Team Leader, Director Jeong Ji-heon is the biggest psycho I know. I think he came here to blow up this company.”
As soon as Eun-ju met Mi-ran in the hallway after returning from the meeting, she complained, huffing and puffing. Jeong-o, who had been dragged away by the planning team, heard the news that Gi-hoon had stopped eating and drinking only on her way back from an outside business trip late in the afternoon. Jeong-o, who was so worried, packed a bowl of porridge from the porridge shop and returned to the company. Gi-hoon was sitting alone in the break room. Mi-ran had sent him to the break room because he showed no signs of recovery.
“Song Gi-hoon……”
“Assistant Manager.”
When she approached cautiously, Gi-hoon also called Jeong-o.
“Were you dating Director Jeong Ji-heon?”
Gi-hoon asked the person involved directly. Gi-hoon, who had finally confirmed it with Jeong-o's trembling eyes, sighed bitterly.
“Who said that?”
“The director did.”
“……”
“I didn't know. I'm sorry.”
After Gi-hoon gave a listless greeting and left first, Jeong-o also muttered 'Oh my god' and left the break room. When she returned to the team, she saw Gi-hoon sitting at his seat, clicking the mouse powerlessly. Eun-ju messaged Jeong-o through the company messenger.
- Gi-hoon went to Director Jeong's office alone earlier. He's been like that ever since.
Eun-ju snitched with curses, hoping that Jeong Ji-heon would be coolly dumped by Jeong-o. Eun-ju's curse was half effective. Jeong-o clenched her fist and strode towards Ji-heon's office. A few hours earlier, Ji-heon, who was passing by the hallway, confirmed that Gi-hoon was sitting blankly in his seat with a hopeless expression. Ji-heon didn't feel any guilt. He was the leader of the headquarters, but he couldn't be a good person to all the members. Lee Jung-o was always the first to him, who had lived without being obsessed with work and living as he pleased. More important than work was the relationship between Lee Jung-o and himself. Jeong-o, who was a little different from his position, came to see him late in the afternoon. Huffing and puffing.
“Did you tell Song Gi-hoon everything?”
Pfft. Ji-heon couldn't help but laugh at her cute and funny tone. But Jeong-o was serious.
“This is not a laughing matter!”
Jeong-o gritted her teeth and questioned Ji-heon.
“He would have found out someday, but Oppa shouldn't have said it that way. I should have said it. Very carefully!”
“When carefully.”
He couldn't help it when she was so serious. It was an issue that had to be addressed once, so Ji-heon also carefully questioned her.
“You should have said something sooner.”
“When would I have had the chance? Think about how busy we were.”
“When Yena was hospitalized, I called you. You should have said something then.”
Ji-heon had his own grievances. He didn't like how kind she was to Gi-hoon when she was so cold and defensive towards him. He didn't want to seem petty by bringing it up, but he had definitely told her once before. That he didn't like that Song Gi-hun knew more about her than he did. He made it obvious, but she didn't seem to understand his feelings at all. Jeong-o sighed in frustration and retorted.
“Then? You wanted me to talk about that while riding in the car with Song Gi-hun?”
“Yes.”
“You wanted me to pour my heart out? Then?”
“Of course. It was a good opportunity.”
“Opportunity? Yena had collapsed. You wanted me to tell Song Gi-hun all about our relationship when I was seeing stars?”
Ji-heon frowned at Jeong-o's rebuttal. He understood her situation, her circumstances, but he didn't want to admit it easily. He felt like he had won Yena's heart, but not Lee Jeong-o's. He was frustrated with himself for still being in an emotionally inferior position. How should they move forward? Just then, his phone vibrated. Ji-heon blankly turned his head towards the phone. The phone screen lit up. In that moment, the name 'Yena Princess' caught his eye.
- I wish Dad would pick me up from the academy.
A text message containing the child's wish to be picked up from the academy. The short sentence smoothed out the wrinkles on Ji-heon's forehead like an iron. Ji-heon immediately picked up his phone. It was the first text message the child had ever sent him. Ji-heon stared at the sixteen letters the child had sent, as if engraving each one in his heart. He was overwhelmed with emotion for each letter. Look at her using correct spelling at seven years old. Just like the daughter of a copywriter. How long did it take her to send this? Imagining her fiddling with the phone screen with her tiny hands to send the text message brought a thrill even in the midst of a serious situation. It felt like the child was fiddling with his heart.
“What is it? Are you avoiding my question? What's so funny?”
The woman, still unaware of the situation, glared at him and demanded. Nevertheless, a proud smile escaped Ji-heon's lips.
“Sorry.”
“Is 'sorry' going to cut it? What are you going to do now?”
With Jeong-o fuming in front of him, Ji-heon nonchalantly put on his suit jacket.
“Let's talk later. I have to go out for a bit.”
“No. No way. Finish this conversation before you go.”
Jeong-o stood in front of Ji-heon, looking fierce.
“I have to go.”
In the end, Ji-heon had no choice but to show her the phone screen. He might have wanted to show off a little. Jeong-o's expression changed in various ways as she checked the text message on the phone screen. She frowned fiercely, then raised her eyebrows as she read the message, and then looked at Ji-heon with a sulky, somewhat dissatisfied expression.
“What? She called you Oppa?”
Not me, but she called you Oppa?
