Chapter 14
- Precious Nephew
2023.05.14.
Tae-joon, feeling that Mun-gyeong seemed uncomfortable with his perfunctory answer, changed the subject with a frivolous remark.
"I had a puppy that used to follow me around when I was young."
As Tae-joon brought up a story from his past, Mun-gyeong, as expected, forgot her momentary discomfort and perked up her ears.
"The little guy followed me around so much that I took care of him even though he was annoying, but one day he suddenly disappeared."
"......"
"Recently, I found out he was living in another thief's house. Even though he was treated like a worthless burden, I saw him following that thief around just like he used to follow me, and I wondered what kind of fool he was."
"Looks like the thief stole the dog?"
"I guess so."
"Then you should ask for him back. But will they give him back? If they took him when he was young."
"I still have to find what's mine."
"But you managed to recognize a puppy you lost when you were young. It must be an old dog now, not a puppy."
"He's still a puppy."
While Mun-gyeong tilted her head with a vague expression, Tae-joon got up from his seat.
"Thank you for the meal. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodbye. Good luck with your PT."
Mun-gyeong also got up and greeted him. Tae-joon nodded and left the office.
There was nothing to fear. Not after his parents passed away.
Life flowed meaninglessly, and Tae-joon was simply a person who could live faithfully in his given role and leave without regret. He was indifferent to everything and feared nothing.
Because he feared nothing, he became strong against the strong. Because he was strong against the strong, he could be generous to the weak. It was a comfortable balance for everyone that he had achieved over 20 years after his parents passed away.
As a result, most people regarded him as a polite and courteous person. He was a young man with a good reputation, even if he lacked emotional depth.
But now, Kim Tae-joon's thorough balance and hypocrisy were faltering.
He was a person who could be strong against the strong and generous to the weak, but.
Han So-eun.
He didn't want to be a generous person to that weak, feeble woman.
He hated the pretense of her acting like the most loved woman in the world, putting on a happy face.
She couldn't even go on an overseas trip during her one-month unpaid leave and instead took care of her prospective mother-in-law, yet she bragged so much about her boyfriend.
She was treated like a maid by her boyfriend's family, like a fool.
A few days ago, the secret she revealed in front of the convenience store, crying out like a baby bird that she wanted to be loved, was something like that.
Before getting into his car, Tae-joon called the counselor he had hired.
"You don't have to investigate Han So-eun's activities during her unpaid leave."
The counselor replied, "Yes, I understand." It was something he heard dozens of times a day, but since that day, that ordinary phrase felt like a needle pricking his head.
Every time he thought of Han So-eun answering "Yes, I understand" to his instructions, his brow furrowed.
He found the woman's pretense detestable. Her foolishness was contemptible. Her actions were so frustrating that he couldn't see her in a good light. He couldn't be a good person to Han So-eun.
\
6 PM.
Today, So-eun came up to the 7th floor again for meaningless overtime.
"Chief Song, hello."
"Assistant Manager Han. You're here?"
Having seen her face for a few days, Chief Song Mun-gyeong had become quite friendly.
It seemed that Director Kim Tae-joon was away again, and Chief Song Mun-gyeong was about to leave work.
"I don't think the director will be back today since he went to the group headquarters. Shouldn't you just go home?"
"......Is it really okay to do that?"
"Do it. I'll tell him tomorrow."
So-eun's feet turned half a turn. But So-eun, who had hesitated, soon turned her feet back. She didn't think she could leave work without permission. Nor was she in a position to get permission.
"No. I'll just stay."
"Really? Oh, you're so pitiful. Then what about dinner?"
"I packed something to eat today."
So-eun held up a bag full of food and stretched her lips long.
"That's a relief then. Well, have a good one."
"Yes. Goodbye."
After greeting Mun-gyeong, So-eun went into the office.
Spending two days alone in the empty office, So-eun had her own concerns. From 6 PM to 9 PM was a long time to do anything, and she couldn't just waste it waiting for the team leader who wasn't coming.
She would study English.
She would get a perfect score on the TOEIC and change jobs. She didn't know where to change jobs to, though.
So-eun took out the snacks and English workbook she had brought.
\
The PT that Tae-joon prepared was moderately successful. Many good opinions came out at the executive meeting, and among them were a few items that made Tae-joon look promising. It was a place where he made a proper first impression on everyone.
After the meeting, Tae-joon reunited with Chairman Kim Jae-pil after a long time.
"You rascal. You should hug your grandfather when you see him after so long."
When he entered the chairman's office, Jaepil greeted Tae-joon with open arms. He felt awkward, thinking that he still thought of himself as a teenage boy, but Tae-joon did as Jaepil wished.
"I'm here, Grandfather."
"Yes. You've come."
Even as the chairman's grandson, Kim Jae-pil was not someone Tae-joon could easily meet. On the day Tae-joon returned to Korea, Kim Jae-pil left on a business trip to Europe. Even after handing over most of the business to professional managers, Jaepil did his best to continue expanding the group's business. Every business trip was filled with the dignity of an elder statesman, and good news kept coming, so he couldn't rest.
"It's so hard to see my grandson's face."
"It's because you're busy, Grandfather."
"How is it? Is work manageable?"
"It hasn't been many days yet."
"You'll do well."
Heo-heo-heo. A faint sound of air leaking was mixed in with his grandfather's laughter. Tae-joon realized that his grandfather was very different from a long time ago.
Jaepil also seemed to be worried about his grandson, and a trace of worry hung in his warm eyes.
"But you have to be careful not to get caught by anyone."
"Yes. I will."
"I'm not going to call you separately for the time being. First, meet a lot of people. And work hard to scout overseas talent as you said in the PT earlier. Can you do it well?"
"Yes."
"But contact me anytime if you need anything."
With advice, encouragement, and a pat on the shoulder, Jaepil moved on to his next schedule. Tae-joon also left Jaepil's office and came down to the first floor.
"Oh, nephew."
Amidst the crowded lobby with many executives coming and going, Kim Sang-deok, Tae-joon's uncle and president of K Electronics's mobile division, greeted him first.
Tae-joon also greeted him politely.
"How have you been, President?"
"Let's just call each other comfortably."
Heo-heo-heo. President Kim Sang-deok's hearty laughter drew the attention of the people around him. But neither Sang-deok nor Tae-joon looked around and treated each other with relaxed expressions.
"You look much better. You look more and more like your brother as you grow up. Was it when your brother was forty that he passed away?"
The man who inherited his father's business as it was after his father passed away. He had no particular feelings for him, but if he said anything nonsense about his father, things would be different. Tae-joon instantly dropped his smile.
Perhaps reading this subtle change in expression, Kim Sang-deok's voice became a little more gentle.
"Now that you've come to the group, let's do well. I've told President Oh Gap-soo to take good care of you. He'll pay a lot of attention to you."
"You don't have to do that. I appreciate the thought."
"How can I not pay attention to our precious nephew?"
"......"
"Theory and practice are very different. There are many talents under me who graduated from the Ivy League, but they're not doing their part. But our nephew will do well. Make sure you earn your keep so you don't tarnish your grandfather's name. See you later."
"Goodbye."
After Sang-deok left after rattling off strange words that were hard to tell whether they were encouragement or mockery, the empty space was filled by Tae-joon's aunt, Kim Seok-hwa.
"That guy hasn't grown up even at his age."
Seok-hwa, who was standing next to Tae-joon, called her cousin, who was six or seven years older than her, without any hesitation. She seemed to have heard some of what Kim Sang-deok was saying. Well, it was natural since her voice was so loud.
Tae-joon clenched his lips tightly, amused by Seok-hwa's expression.
"You don't have to pay attention to what Kim Sang-deok says. Frankly, he was just lucky to have done so well. It was Seok-woo oppa who laid the foundation for the mobile business."
"......"
"Tell me if Kim Sang-deok crosses the line. Your aunt will take care of him."
"How will you, Aunt?"
"I'll take off his wig in public."
Poof. Only then did Seok-hwa's expression relax, relieved by her nephew's smiling face. Seok-hwa asked about her former subordinate, Secretary Song Mun-gyeong.
"Are you getting along well with Chief Song Mun-gyeong?"
"Yes."
"Okay. That's a relief."
"Thank you for your concern."
"As you know, she's a smart and efficient worker. She'll be a strong supporter for you."
"Yes."
"It's late. Do you want to have dinner together? Are you free?"
"I have an appointment. I'll visit you next time."
Tae-joon gently declined his aunt's offer with a faint smile.
*
8:50 PM.
Tae-joon walked through the somewhat dark hallway and entered the Future Service Team office.
In fact, he wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't help but think about Chief Song Mun-gyeong. Chief Song, who became his secretary at his aunt's direction, had begun to pay attention to Han So-eun. If Chief Song casually exchanged greetings with his aunt over the phone and happened to mention the name Han So-eun, his aunt might become interested. He wanted to avoid such troublesome commotion.
Even with the sound of the door opening, Han So-eun didn't move. Tae-joon was dumbfounded to see the woman sleeping on her desk with such a comfortable expression.
There are people who get special allowances like this.
Tae-joon, who was about to wake her up and tell her to go home, sat down in front of So-eun.
Is she studying English to change jobs somewhere? The TOEIC workbook under her face looked pathetic. She seemed to have fallen asleep without studying much. He rested his chin on his hand and stared at her for a long time. The smooth light of the lamp flowed down the white nape of her neck, revealed under her tied-up hair. He wanted to release the deep breath he was holding in front of her.
Long eyelashes were visible between her closed eyes. This was less annoying than Han So-eun with her eyes open and talking.
After a while, the phone next to her vibrated. So-eun didn't wake up even with the phone's vibration. The phone lit up brightly and a message popped up. Inevitably, Tae-joon's gaze turned to it.
- Are you still not going to see me?
The message was from someone saved as 'Oppa♥'. It was easy to guess who the owner of the text message was. Tae-joon took her phone.
When he held the phone up to the light, he could see the password pattern. Tae-joon drew '-' and opened the phone.
How careless.
This time, he was angry at her carelessness for not paying proper attention to security.
Tae-joon pressed the delete message button. He had no guilt whatsoever.
