Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Do I Look Like I Have That Much Free Time?
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This novel contains fictional characters, events, and places, which may differ from reality.
Scene.32
Do I Look Like I Have That Much Free Time?
Like most major corporations in Korea, HS Group operated two types of secretarial offices.
There was the operations-focused secretarial team, which centered on company business, and the management-focused secretarial team, which served the owner's family.
While the operations team provided close support, the management team was centralized at the head office to handle its duties.
Unlike the elite operations team, whose members were chosen for their business acumen, the management team was composed of people from various backgrounds, with its structure tailored to the needs of those it supported.
Team 1 was for the Chairman. Team 2 for his wife. Team 3 and onwards supported the immediate family members. Manager Park Gyu-hyeon belonged to this very Team 3.
Three days ago, Park Gyu-hyeon had arrived in France with his team.
A report had come in that a pest had latched onto Lee Jae-eun, the youngest and only daughter of HS Group, and they were immediately assigned the mission to deal with it.
A year ago.
Lee Jae-eun, who had majored in clothing and fashion, joined 'HS Fashion' and seemed poised to build her career uneventfully like her other siblings. But, as if something wasn't to her satisfaction, she suddenly decided to study abroad in France.
Though part of the group, HS Fashion was a small company with assets of around 20 billion won, unlike the other larger affiliates. It was structured to survive on ready-to-wear clothing by riding trends rather than creating or innovating anything new.
Lee Jae-eun, who had joined with her own ambitions, was greatly disappointed by this.
She had entered with the goal of creating her own brand and transforming HS Fashion, but the internal atmosphere was completely different.
Believing the company was a far cry from what she had envisioned, Lee Jae-eun presented her opinion to her father, the group's chairman, Lee Cheol-gu.
-I will turn HS Fashion into a factory. Please let the company I create handle product development and launching.
In short, while it was officially labeled as studying abroad, it was more accurate to say she had come to conduct market research to launch her own brand.
But just as her time abroad was ending, a report came in that she had fallen head over heels for a model and was losing her mind.
Perhaps it was because she was the daughter he had late in life after having three sons in a row. The Chairman's love for his daughter was legendary within the group, and he was just as sensitive about her surroundings.
Any father with a daughter would feel the same, even if he weren't the chairman of a major corporation, but Lee Jae-eun's father was one of the top conglomerate chairmen in Korea.
He was not the type to stand by and watch such a situation unfold.
So, he had the matter handled as usual. And that's when the problem erupted.
"Manager Park."
"Yes... Young Lady."
"Are you insane?"
"..."
Not just Park Gyu-hyeon, but his team members as well, all stood with their heads bowed, unable to utter a word. They were all just breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Secretary Seong. Get me some headache medicine."
"Yes, Young Lady."
A secretary standing behind Lee Jae-eun quickly fetched medicine and water.
"Tell me. What are you going to do now?"
"I... apologize. There was a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding? Ha! A mis-taaaake?"
Unable to contain her boiling anger, Lee Jae-eun threw the water glass she was holding.
The glass flew across the room, shattering against the wall with a loud crash and sending fragments everywhere. But no one dared to move.
Park Gyu-hyeon avoided Lee Jae-eun's gaze and glared at the secretary who had brought the medicine. He, too, hung his head, knowing his fault.
'That idiot. And he calls himself a secretary!'
Park Gyu-hyeon seethed with anger at Lee Jae-eun's secretary, who had provided the false information.
"Do you know what the models are saying about me?"
"..."
"It's so absurd. A gangster?"
"I have no excuse."
Park Gyu-hyeon bowed his head again.
"I! Lee Jae-eun! For over three months! I chased them and begged them day and night until the soles of my shoes wore out!"
"..."
"But thanks to your brilliant management team, the models I worked so hard to recruit are all gone in one fell swoop! And why do I have to be called a gangster's daughter on top of it all!"
Park Gyu-hyeon squeezed his eyes shut.
'Damn it!'
Unable to control her fury, Lee Jae-eun vented for over thirty minutes before finally leaving the hotel room with an exhausted expression.
Her secretary, Seong Jae-un, tried to sneak out after her, cautiously watching her, but Kim Byeong-seok blocked his path.
Park Gyu-hyeon roughly ran a hand through his hair and let out a string of sighs.
That idiotic bastard who sent the report without even properly verifying it.
"Assistant Manager Seong Jae-un."
"..."
Because of the report that Lee Jae-eun was infatuated with a model, Park Gyu-hyeon and his team were urgently dispatched to France, and they handled the matter swiftly, cleanly, and effectively, as they always did.
But that "handling" had now put the project Lee Jae-eun had been preparing for on the brink of collapse.
Contrary to the report, Lee Jae-eun wasn't 'romantically' infatuated with the model. As she had furiously explained, her movements were for professional purposes—meeting with 'models' to launch her brand.
How could such a mistake have been made?
How in the world!
"Hey! Seong Jae-un!"
"Yes... Manager."
*Slap! Slap! Slap!*
Park Gyu-hyeon's enraged hand struck Seong Jae-un's face repeatedly.
"Ugh..."
"You bastard. Pack your things and go back to Korea right now. Go wait quietly with your neck on the line."
"I'm... I'm sorr..."
"Shut up and get out quietly. If I followed my temper, I'd beat you half to death. I'm barely holding myself back."
Seong Jae-un walked out of the room without another word.
"Hah, this is driving me crazy."
Park Gyu-hyeon loosened his tie and slumped onto the sofa.
"Byeong-seok."
"Yes, Manager."
"Report to the management team. And... damn it."
If one were to assign blame, it was Seong Jae-un's fault for the initial erroneous report. But looking at the result, it seemed Park Gyu-hyeon himself would have to take responsibility.
The Chairman was already overly doting on his daughter; if this news got out, even he would be on thin ice.
Just then, Kim Byeong-seok, who had stepped out for a moment to make a report, returned and handed him a tablet.
"What now?"
"It's about President Lee Jae-yoon."
"Energy?"
"Yes."
"Give it here."
Park Gyu-hyeon checked the email from the management team.
"Han Mi-ra? She's truly relentless. They were still managing this?"
At Park Gyu-hyeon's words, Kim Byeong-seok showed curiosity.
"You wouldn't know, Byeong-seok."
It was an incident from over seventeen years ago, and Kim Byeong-seok had only been with the company for three years. Besides, it wasn't a familiar name to someone of his generation.
"I don't know how long they'll keep managing it, but you should know about it. Sit here."
"Yes, Manager."
Park Gyu-hyeon briefly recounted the past entanglement between President Lee Jae-yoon of Energy and Han Mi-ra.
"So, you're saying Han Mi-ra rejected the President's proposal."
"I don't know how it is these days, but back then, the sentiment was, 'A mere entertainer. How dare she?'"
"But why, after seventeen years..."
Kim Byeong-seok looked at Park Gyu-hyeon as if to ask why they were still dealing with something from so long ago.
"Byeong-seok."
"Yes, Manager."
"Do you know what the scariest crime is in this line of work?"
Kim Byeong-seok offered a few guesses, but Park Gyu-hyeon shook his head at all of them.
After a few more wrong answers, Kim Byeong-seok looked at Park Gyu-hyeon, completely stumped.
"Then what is it?"
"The crime of insolence."
"What?"
"The crime of insolence."
Kim Byeong-seok looked baffled for a moment, but then he nodded in understanding.
"I guess that could be it. So, Han Mi-ra?"
"Han Mi-ra had incredible pride too. I still can't forget what she said back then."
"What did she say that was so..."
"It was fine up until she came to the dinner President Lee Jae-yoon arranged. The problem was what came after."
"...?"
"She said, 'If you have built a family, I hope you will be faithful to it.'"
Kim Byeong-seok tilted his head. He didn't think that was a particularly unforgettable line.
"The words that followed were the killer."
"What did she say?"
"Susinjaegachigukpyeongcheonha! She drew a clear line and even explained its meaning."
"She even explained it?"
"'After one's body is cultivated, the family is put in order. After that, the state is governed, and then the world becomes peaceful. As the heir to HS Group, President Lee Jae-yoon, isn't this something you should take to heart more than anyone?' She said it so boldly. Wow, I was half in love with her myself. You should have seen President Lee Jae-yoon's face then."
"Oh."
Kim Byeong-seok let out a short sound of admiration.
"What? You think it's cool too?"
"Ahem. It's just, well."
Kim Byeong-seok looked away awkwardly. Given his position, it wasn't wise to comment on whether Han Mi-ra was cool or not.
"Back then, Han Mi-ra was a total rising star. She even had the nickname 'the nation's girlfriend.' At first, President Lee Jae-yoon was just curious, something like that. But then he got hit with that bombshell out of nowhere."
"Was she really that popular? Then why don't I remember her well?"
"You're asking because you don't know? Of course it's because the management team crushed her."
"..."
"To President Lee Jae-yoon, Han Mi-ra is..."
"Yes."
"To put it crudely, his pride was scratched, but it was one of those 'you're the first woman to ever treat me like this' moments. He was hooked."
"Haha. It's not a drama."
When Kim Byeong-seok laughed, Park Gyu-hyeon's expression turned serious.
"If you want to last long in this business, remember this. Reality is more screwed up than any drama."
"...Yes, Manager."
"Anyway, that's how it started. Somehow it turned into something like an obsession, and that's why it's still dragging on without an end."
"Han Mi-ra is tough too. It seems like it would've been easier to just back down appropriately."
"That's why the beginning is so important. When you start off on the wrong foot, things stay tangled until the very end. The President tries to bring her to her knees no matter what, and the more he does, the more she's like a bouncing rubber ball, you could say."
"President Lee Jae-yoon... does he still like Han Mi-ra?"
"I don't know that. And I don't want to know. Our job is simple. To apply 'moderate' pressure so that Han Mi-ra can't engage in proper social activities."
Kim Byeong-seok's expression suggested he thought this was going too far. It felt wrong to toy with a person's life like this, as if they were sociopaths.
"Byeong-seok. Don't make that kind of face so carelessly."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"Well, no need for apologies between us. If you want to work in the management team, empty your mind. It's easier on you and the way to last longer."
"Yes, I understand."
"Whatever the outcome, our work here is finished. Let's get going. Malta is close by. We can handle it right away and return to Korea."
"Yes, Manager. I'll get ready immediately."
*
"What?"
Park Gyu-hyeon looked flustered at Lee Jae-eun's words.
"I heard you're going to Malta."
"Yes. I have an urgent matter to attend to."
At his words, Lee Jae-eun nodded as if it were perfect timing.
"I had some business in Malta anyway, so this works out well. I'll go with you."
Lee Jae-eun's declaration made Park Gyu-hyeon's head spin. He was already walking on eggshells because of what he'd done in France, and now she wanted to accompany him?
"Young Lady, I'm on official business..."
"You sent my secretary back to Korea."
"Yes. A problem with his work performance was confirmed..."
"Isn't the management team also part of the secretarial office?"
"That is true, but."
"Then focus on your secretarial duties."
"..."
Traveling with her was uncomfortable enough, but now she wanted him to act as her secretary too?
"Young Lady..."
"I made myself clear. I have business in Malta. Since you dismissed my secretary, you should take responsibility for it."
"The other staff members..."
"Thanks to someone, I don't know who, they're all running around like crazy."
"..."
'This is insane. No matter how I look at it, this feels like she's just being spiteful.'
Her sudden business in Malta, her telling him to act as her personal assistant—it all seemed that way.
But with her putting it like this, he couldn't just vehemently refuse.
"Understood. Let's go together."
*
Upon arriving in Malta, Lee Jae-eun asked Park Gyu-hyeon to find a farm for her.
"It's a vineyard that also runs a pension. The name is Camu."
When the name Camu left Lee Jae-eun's lips, Park Gyu-hyeon flinched. He had business at that very same place.
"What business do you have there..."
"You're asking because you don't know? You scared off all the models I recruited. My staff is running around, but I have no idea how far this can be contained, now that rumors are spreading that I'm a gangster's daughter."
"I am deeply sorry."
Whenever the topic of the models came up, Manager Park became endlessly small.
"The thirsty man digs the well. As it happens, an actor I've had my eye on is here for a drama shoot. I might as well try to salvage what I can."
"Ah..."
Seeing Park Gyu-hyeon's expression, Lee Jae-eun narrowed her eyes.
"Manager Park."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Did I look like someone who would waste time just to be petty?"
"Not at all!"
Park Gyu-hyeon quickly schooled his features and shook his head.
"I'll have a car prepared immediately. Assistant Manager Kim!"
As if on cue, Kim Byeong-seok, who had just finished a call, nodded at Park Gyu-hyeon's shout.
"I've confirmed the vehicle's location. We can proceed to the airport parking lot."