Chapter 14.2
He was lost in thought, recalling a picture that filled the screen. The photo’s source was an unknown person’s personal SNS account, and the discussion began among passing employees.
“Charlie, did you hear? CEO Min Woo-jin has a girlfriend.”
“He’s known for his neatness and cleanliness, with no scandals.”
“He and his girlfriend went to the beach yesterday, and now the photos are circulating on social media.”
The employee who spoke up showed the screen of his cell phone to his colleague, but it accidentally caught “his” attention.
At first, he didn’t take it seriously because it didn’t matter if Min Woo-jin had a lover. But something in the photo caught his eye.
A blue sports car.
A blue sports car was visible in a section of the screen with Woo-jin and his girlfriend. It had to be the car he saw when he reviewed local CCTV footage to find Hae-gang.
He couldn’t recall the license plate, but there were only a few of that kind of car in Korea. And if it was blue, it was rare enough to be designated as a rare species. So the chances of it being another car were minimal.
Jae-min arrived just in time to restore faith in “his” judgment.
“The CCTV footage and the car in today’s snapshot demonstrated that it is the same vehicle,” Jae-min reported.
“The owner?” “he,” said.
“Representative Charlie Min,” Jae-min answered.
“Yes. This car is owned by Charlie’s CEO, Min Woo-jin.” His head slowly nodded. His gaze remained fixed on the image on the monitor.
After moving the mouse a few times to close the picture, he peered carefully at the woman clinging to Woo-jin’s back.
It was impossible to determine her size because her body was wrapped in men’s padding. Her face, on the other hand, was obscured, as if she didn’t want to show it.
Any reasonable person would react similarly to the woman in the picture. Everything seemed odd to “him,” who was desperate to find Hae-gang. He gave Jae-min instructions for future work by writing the letters printed on the patient’s uniform visible behind the padding on a post-it note.
“Find out who Representative Min’s acquaintances are among the hospitalized patients.”
“All right.”
Jae-min graciously accepted the post-it note, walked out, and “he” glared sternly at the woman in the image, as if clairvoyant, before closing the window.
******
“Could you please give me your name?” asked Woo-jin.
The voice that responded to his unexpected query sounded strange. He was clearly asking a question, but she didn’t appear to be interested. Hae-gang shook her head and indicated her determination not to tell him after a brief pause.
“Mr. Min Woo-jin can give me a name,” she replied.
“Is there any reason to stay hidden any longer?” Woo-jin asked.
“I don’t want to bring it up since it’s just a dead name,” Hae-gang explained.
It wasn’t a very compelling excuse. The truth is that if he learns who her ex-husband is, he will feel burdened. There was also a wish to forget the past and begin again as a new person. Let us now pose another query.
“Which one do you prefer?” Woo-jin asked.
For the most part, Woo-jin avoided answering the question. He believed that she had given up on her remaining sentiments.
Why break someone’s heart in the first place if it could be avoided? When he asked her again, she had hardly composed herself. She had no idea what to say to prevent it.
“A common name would do,” she finally said.
Woo-jin immediately paused when the phone rang. He excused himself and went outside to retrieve his phone. Hae-gang, who had been left alone, reflected on their exchange.
Was this a wise choice?
It was, without question, the correct decision. But what about Woo-jin? Who would get connected with “him”? Could she go three years without being discovered by “him”? Would Woo-jin and his company suffer as a result of their association with her?
She didn’t know the answers to those questions, but she answered the last one firmly.
“No way,” she thought to herself. He was completely clueless about it. It was practically impossible, given her insane obsession.
Hae-gang was already practicing how to apologize to Woo-jin. She didn’t want to appear foolish when the time came.
“Please accept my apologies, Min Woo-jin,” she rehearsed out loud.
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