Chapter 23
I sat across from him, sipping my smoothie. The sweet, tangy flavor of strawberries lifted my spirits.
“You must really like that. I always see you drinking a smoothie. I’ve never seen you drink coffee.”
“Coffee keeps me up at night.”
“Do you have plans this weekend?”
“Not yet.”
“Then would you like to go see a musical? I heard Rebecca is famous, so I got us tickets.”
“Rebecca?”
“Yes.”
It’s a musical I’ve been wanting to see. Should I go or not? It might look suspicious if I stay home all weekend without going out. And, more importantly, the thought of staying home with my mother-in-law and that jerk is unbearable.
Just moments ago, I vowed that all men are liars, but now here I was, already rationalizing my decision.
“I’ll go.”
He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It’s at five on Saturday. Let’s have dinner afterward.”
“Sure.”
Last week, it was Hwadam Forest, and this week, a musical. I couldn’t help feeling a little excited.
As we left the café and took the elevator to the 11th floor, Namgung Muyeol was there. He saw us and scowled, twisting his lips.
“Looks like you’re too busy dating to get any work done.”
Before I could say anything, President Jang spoke up first.
“And it looks like Executive Director Namgung is leaving early. Off on a date, perhaps?”
I looked at President Jang in surprise. Does he know my ex-husband has a woman on the side? Namgung’s eyes darkened with anger.
“There are limits to my patience, Jang Doha. Don’t push it.”
President Jang chuckled calmly, a smile that seemed to provoke him further.
“I didn’t know Executive Director Namgung was looking out for me. Have a nice day.”
He led me away, and I could practically feel Namgung’s glare burning into my back. As we headed toward the office, I asked, “How did you know my brother was going on a date?”
He stopped walking and asked, “Executive Director Namgung has a woman, doesn’t he?”
I was caught off guard. “You weren’t asking because you already knew?”
“I was just guessing. I could smell a strong perfume on him. Does he really have a woman? His wife died in an accident not too long ago. And he even ran into his mother-in-law, Mrs. Han Yesuk, today.”
I gave an awkward smile. This man—he’s good at guessing things. If I’m not careful, I might let something slip under his probing questions.
“I don’t know. Anyway, thanks for the smoothie.”
As I tried to say goodbye, he asked, “How about we have dinner together?”
“Sorry?”
“If you just go straight home, it might look suspicious. Coming home right after work without even going on a date.”
I gave him a sidelong glance. This man, not only is he good at asking leading questions, but he’s also sharp. Still, he wasn’t wrong.
“Alright.”
He seemed surprised by my quick response, then gave a slight smile.
“Let’s meet here after work.”
“Okay.”
When I got to the office, Assistant Manager Jang Heejin, who was making copies near the door, looked at me and asked, “Looks like something good happened, Director.”
“What?”
“It’s just, you came in smiling.”
“Oh, uh, yeah…”
I mumbled to myself as I entered the Director’s office. Me? Smiling? I tilted my head in confusion. I certainly didn’t think I was the smiling type. Maybe I had gotten used to living in Miss Yena’s body, or perhaps it was because of President Jang. This couldn’t be right.
“Ugh. Get a grip, Lee Buyeon.”
A small parcel was on my desk with the sender listed as Cha Insook. I opened the box to find a single mobile phone inside. I had asked Team Leader Cha for a phone, just for contact purposes.
Turning it on, the screen lit up, revealing several photos she had sent. I checked the pictures and immediately called Team Leader Cha.
[Yes, Director.]
“Thank you. What’s with these photos?”
[It’s Jung Jinyoung with the CEO of her agency, Ha In-woo. On the surface, they look like the typical actress and CEO, but after following them, I thought something was odd, so I sent the photos.]
I zoomed in on the photos of the two people. My eyes widened in surprise.
“The man’s gaze seems a bit off.”
[Yes. It’s not the usual way an agency CEO looks at an actress. The problem is, we couldn’t find the gynecologist that Jung Jinyoung is supposedly seeing.]
“What do you mean?”
[We couldn’t verify if it’s to avoid public scrutiny or if it’s a case of a false pregnancy.]
False pregnancy? If that’s the case, that woman’s nerve is something else.
[Or it’s possible that the child might not belong to Executive Director Namgung.]
“You mean it could be the agency CEO’s child?”
[There were no signs that they lived together, but the atmosphere between them was quite peculiar.]
Team Leader Cha’s observational skills were exceptional. If she sensed something odd, it was likely correct. My mother-in-law would have investigated Jung Jinyoung as well. But what was different was that my mother-in-law didn’t have Cha Insook on her side.
“Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”
[I also have Jung Jinyoung’s history of bullying and psychiatric records. Do you want me to send them to you?]
“They’re probably aware of that already. What’s crucial right now is figuring out whose child it is.”
Ending the call, I turned off the phone and put it in my bag, trying to clear my mind.
“Namgung Muyeol, it seems like you’ve stepped in sh!t.”
On one hand, it was satisfying, but on the other, I felt a surge of anger. He’d just called me unattractive as a woman, and now he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
What if I exposed this? Or should I just ignore it? If the pregnancy turns out to be false, this woman truly has some nerve. If it’s not true, she’s gone as far as threatening a press conference over a non-existent child. Maybe it’s best to leave it alone for now. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when the truth comes out.
I closed the email and sent a brief message to former Director Park, saying I had an evening engagement and would reach out afterward. Then, I accessed the phone’s gallery to review the photos taken from the safe.
What could this possibly be? I searched for the English text on the photos but found no results. I was getting frustrated trying to figure it out without any leads.
“Ah… I want to know…”
Since I was young, I needed to solve mysteries to eat and sleep well, and it was still the same as an adult. As I stared at the photos, I folded them up. This wasn’t something I could solve on my own.
I needed to ask someone, but who could I turn to? Someone discreet and knowledgeable about economics…
“Father!”
Of course. My father was an expert in economics and might recognize it. I picked up the phone but put it back down immediately. He was probably swamped with his own work and organizing the campaign. I’d have to visit him later when he had some free time.
With that thought, I wrapped up my remaining tasks, and before I knew it, it was time to leave. At precisely 5 PM, I tidied my desk, stood up, and left the office. As I left with my bag, everyone looked at me with surprise. For a moment, I wondered if I had done something wrong.
“You’re not leaving work?”
“You’re leaving now?”
“It’s time. If there’s no overtime, everyone should go home.”
As I left the office, I heard a small cheer behind me. It was unusual for the workaholic to stick to the clock; it was no surprise they were shocked.
I walked out into the corridor and waited for President Jang by the elevator. He emerged shortly after, and even though we had just seen each other, he greeted me with a warm smile.
“Don’t they find it surprising?”
He had already guessed their reaction.
“Very surprising.”
He gave me a playful smile.
“A workaholic leaving on time. They’ll probably think it’s because you’re in a relationship.”
I flinched at his comment. Noticing my reaction, he quickly apologized.
“Sorry, that was just a joke.”
I didn’t say anything in response. The elevator doors opened, and it was empty inside. As I stepped in, I spoke quietly.
“We’re not actually dating, you know.”
“But I am genuinely dating.”
I looked at him. President Jang’s expression was serious now, quite different from before.
“I told you, I like you, Yena. So, for me, this relationship is real. And as I said before, I won’t force you to like me. Feelings need to come naturally.”
“What if I don’t develop the same feelings?”
“I’ll wait. It’s the first time I’ve liked someone at 32, and I can’t just give up because she doesn’t feel the same way about me.”
His gaze stirred something in my chest. I wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but I knew it was something I would have found hard to understand in the past. I turned my gaze away, my face calm but my heart racing.
We arrived at the basement level three. His car was a domestic sedan. He opened the door for me. I watched him carefully as he walked around to the driver’s side. It was a car that a Miss Yena would like.
It was only the illness that made her hesitate. If I started dating him, would I be betraying that Miss Yena? I wasn’t sure. It was complicated. As the car left the underground parking lot, I asked,
“Where are we going?”
“You like Korean food, right?”
“Yes.”
“I made a reservation at a Korean restaurant. It’s in Samcheong-dong.”
“Hanga (韓家), right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Have you been there before?”
“I’ve heard of it. It’s run by Jin Myungsuk.”
“You must be really interested in Korean food.”
“I am.”
I kept my answers short. I didn’t want to risk saying something that might contradict Miss Yena’s words.
“I was surprised when I saw the PPT earlier. I didn’t expect you’d prepare so much, especially since you were hospitalized.”
“I had been preparing for it for a while.”
“With your sister-in-law?”
“Yes. There were a lot of things I wanted to do with her.”
“It’s truly unfortunate. I think we could have had a great collaboration if she were still alive.”
I turned my head toward the window, feeling a lump in my throat. No matter what was said or how things turned out, the dead cannot return. Living off someone else’s life wasn’t as comfortable as I thought it would be.