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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: I Like Yeongin A Lot
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Baek Huiran immediately got straight to the point as soon as she sat on the sofa in the CEO’s office.
“Mr. CEO, I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
Seonghyeok found Huiran annoying, as she constantly visited his office without any particular reason.
Sometimes she’d come to ask him to go down to the conference room together, other times claiming it would be impolite to leave the company without greeting him, or saying she wanted his opinion on which of the several roles she was considering would be best.
He was already tired, anticipating what kind of pointless talk she would bring up today.
“If you had to choose between Baek Huiran and Chae Yeongin, who would you choose?”
“……”
His prediction was off. It wasn't pointless; it was absurd.
“I’ll rephrase the question. What would you do if I asked you to remove Team Leader Chae Yeongin from the company?”
Seonghyeok’s face was unreadable as he opened his mouth.
“I’ll ask for your reason.”
The answer to the first question was, of course, ‘Chae Yeongin’, and the answer to the second question was, naturally, ‘refusal’.
The reason he didn’t immediately give an answer that required no thought was because he wanted to know what was going on between Baek Huiran and Chae Yeongin. There was clearly something, and since Yeongin wouldn't say anything, he had no choice but to hear it from Baek Huiran.
Unfortunately, Huiran didn’t grant his wish.
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
Seonghyeok silently watched Huiran get up from her seat and leave the office.
What on earth was that about?
He didn’t realize that Huiran was seething with resentment, disappointed by his lack of unconditional trust.
***
Two days later, Jisang visited the CEO’s office.
“I looked into it a bit, and there’s definitely something going on between them.”
He reported the results of his mission to Seonghyeok.
“Baek Huiran stole an event that was decided for Yeongin’s assigned actor, then she lured an actor who was coming to SL Entertainment away from Yeongin, making the deal fall through right before signing. And Team 2, under Baek Huiran’s orders, has been monitoring Team 5 even more intensely than before. It’s a complete mess.”
“Why is Baek Huiran doing that to Yeongin?”
“I don’t know that much.”
Whether he was an informant, a stooge, or a minion, Jisang prided himself on having faithfully performed the role Seonghyeok expected of him. However, that was just his own thought, and it didn’t satisfy Seonghyeok.
“You should have found that out, you useless bum.”
“Why don’t you just ask Yeongin yourself why Baek Huiran is doing this?”
Jisang grumbled, pouting his lips, despite having done his best, only to be cursed at.
“Do you think I haven’t asked?”
“She didn’t say?”
“No, she’s not the type to easily open up and talk about what’s on her mind.”
“Are you sure it’s not because she doesn’t trust you?”
“You can go now.”
“I’ll leave even if you tell me not to.”
Jisang left the office, clearly showing his displeasure.
After some deliberation, Seonghyeok decided to use his last resort. He would call in the person closest to Yeongin in the company.
A moment later, that person entered the office.
“You called for me, Mr. CEO?”
The person Seonghyeok called was Haeyun.
“Have a seat.”
Haeyun approached the sofa with a nervous expression and sat down.
She was intimidated by the grand scale of the office and overwhelmed by the aura of the man sitting in the main seat.
Facing Cha Seonghyeok one-on-one in an unfamiliar space was a nerve-wracking experience not just for Haeyun but for most people. He was the type to make others shrink, just like his father, even when he just sat still.
“I called you because there’s something I want to ask.”
“What is it you wish to ask me…?”
“Do you know what’s going on between actress Baek Huiran and Team Leader Chae Yeongin?”
Haeyun hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a resolute expression.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
On the day they met at the lounge bar, Seonghyeok had noticed that Haeyun liked Yeongin a lot. Afterward, observing them come and go, he could feel that Yeongin also cared for Haeyun.
That’s why he called Haeyun, thinking she would know the full story. He knew Yeongin would surely say something if she found out later, but there was no other way for now.
“Did you ask Team Leader Chae what happened?”
“I did.”
“But you called me, so I suppose the Team Leader didn’t say anything.”
“No.”
“Then I can’t tell you either.”
Amidst his frustration and irritation at his dashed hopes of learning the truth, Seonghyeok felt the same way he had that day. Just as he had been pleased that Haeyun hadn’t simply handed Yeongin over to him but had been wary, he felt the same today.
Regardless, he had no intention of giving up just like that.
“Ms. Ahn Haeyun, how long have you worked with Yeongin?”
“A little over two years.”
“Then you must know Yeongin’s personality, right? That she tries to handle everything by herself and rarely shows when she’s struggling, even when things are tough.”
“……”
Haeyun’s eyes wavered. Her resolve not to be swayed by any persuasion wavered with them.
“Even if I find out what’s going on, it won’t harm Yeongin. But if I don’t know, it could cause her harm. I hope you don’t end up regretting not telling me today, Ms. Ahn Haeyun.”
Under the subtle coercion, Haeyun couldn’t hold out any longer.
“May I ask you something too, Mr. CEO?”
Seonghyeok simply nodded without a word.
“There’s something more than just personal connections, like being oppa’s friend or a university senior, isn’t there?”
She had a rough idea, but she needed confirmation of a more intimate relationship to justify her actions today.
“I like Yeongin a lot.”
“You mean you’re… not dating…?”
Haeyun began to feel confused again about whether she should speak.
“Not yet.”
Seonghyeok didn’t bother to mention that they had dated in the past.
“Ah, even if you’re not dating yet, the Team Leader feels the same way about you, right?”
For Haeyun, it was important whether the feelings were one-sided or mutual.
“You can ask Yeongin directly later.”
Perhaps it was because of his confident smile.
Even though Haeyun hadn’t received a clear answer, she felt certain that it was okay to speak.
“Mr. CEO, do you know that Baek Huiran is a model for Seongmyeong Construction?”
“I do.”
Seonghyeok also knew what kind of relationship Baek Huiran and Oh Changgeun had.
After taking office as the CEO of SL Entertainment, he had mobilized all his connections to gather necessary information for risk management, and in the process, he learned about their relationship.
He couldn't help but shake his head at Oh Changgeun’s diligence, busy meeting various women while also making advances toward Yeongin.
“One of the Seongmyeong Construction Chairman’s sons, who is a director there, said he didn’t want to be involved with SL Entertainment anymore because he dislikes it. So he said they couldn’t give any more advertisements to Baek Huiran, who is affiliated with SL Entertainment…”
As soon as Seonghyeok heard Haeyun’s words, he thought Changgeun was taking petty revenge after finding out Seonghyeok had become the CEO of SL Entertainment. But as he listened, something seemed off.
“What does that have to do with Baek Huiran bothering Yeongin?”
“They said the reason they dislike SL Entertainment is because of our Team Leader. I don’t know the details, but seeing how angry that director was because of the Team Leader, it seems something happened between that director and the Team Leader.”
He immediately realized that the cowardly and petty Oh Changgeun was using Baek Huiran to take out his anger on Yeongin.
“Did you hear that from Yeongin?”
“Of course not. You yourself said our Team Leader is the type to handle everything by herself and rarely shows when she’s struggling, even when things are tough.”
“Then?”
“I have a colleague in Team 2 I became close with, and that colleague subtly told me what they overheard from Baek Huiran’s field manager. That field manager apparently secretly overheard Baek Huiran and Team Leader Jo Hyeonsim talking.”
They say love blooms even in wartime.
Amidst the cold war between Team 5 and Team 2, Haeyun was ‘seeing’ the deputy team leader of Team 2. That close colleague was the deputy team leader.
“That’s all I know.”
“That’s enough. It was a great help.”
“But, Mr. CEO…”
Haeyun carefully continued, watching Seonghyeok’s expression.
“Team Leader Chae Yeongin isn’t someone to be trifled with. I’m not sure what she’s thinking yet, but she won’t just sit back and take it.”
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t intervene?”
“I don’t think the Team Leader would want you to step in.”
She wasn’t asking him to do anything right away. She was reluctantly revealing it so that he would be aware of the situation and could step in at an opportune moment.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Seonghyeok thought the same as Haeyun. He trusted Yeongin to handle things well.
So, he decided to wait and see for now. That didn’t mean he would leave the despicable and petty Oh Changgeun alone, though.
After Haeyun left the office, he made a call somewhere.
“Secretary Nam, what is my father’s schedule today?”
***
SL Group Headquarters, Chairman’s Office.
Chairman Cha, who had been leaning back on the sofa reviewing approval documents, signed them, took off his glasses, and placed them on the table with the approval folder. Then he turned his eyes to Seonghyeok, who had arrived a little while ago and was quietly waiting for the approvals to be done.
“What brings you to the company?”
“I have a personal favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Chairman Cha’s eyes because it was the first time his son had used the word ‘favor’.
“Let’s hear it.”
As if he had been waiting, Seonghyeok got straight to the point.
“I understand that SL Construction and several other construction companies are discussing forming a consortium for the residential district development.”
“I’ve been informed that it’s in its final stages.”
“Seongmyeong Construction wants to participate in the consortium, too, don’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s exclude Seongmyeong.”
Seonghyeok’s plan was to ruin the project that Changgeun was spearheading.
