Don't Bring Lunch
Kang In-hyuk finished sorting out the situation on the road and arrived at Go Mi-ah’s workshop. Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester were with him, of course.
“Why did you even go to the interview?”
He had been unable to make sense of it no matter how long he thought about it at the office, so he asked the question first.
“You told me to set up equipment in a safe place.”
“I did. But that doesn’t mean our company.”
“Where else is safer than there? And if we’re getting new security processors, the equipment will be top-notch anyway.”
Her explanation left him speechless.
“I’m not talking about the equipment. Are you seriously planning to work at the company? You’d have to come in every day.”
Go Mi-ah was a hardcore night owl. That had never changed, even in the future he remembered. That was why Kang In-hyuk had always timed his requests around her active hours.
“My health’s been terrible lately, so I figured I’d try becoming a morning person! But it’s hard to stay healthy when you’re just stuck at home. This seemed like the perfect chance, so I went for the interview.”
“…Health? Why the sudden interest in getting healthy?”
“Um… so I can spend money comfortably for a long, long time?”
For some reason, her voice trailed off like a question.
“Wouldn’t exercise be better for your health? Join a gym. Get a trainer.”
“Nah! I have to fix my lifestyle first! But why can’t I work at the company? Are you worried your wife will say something? Are we that close?”
“…”
Without realizing it, Kang In-hyuk’s fist clenched.
At that moment, Hong Yu-geon wrapped an arm around him from the side.
“Whoa, whoa, boss. Easy. She’s just a kid messing around.”
“…That makes it worse. Let go.”
The memory of riding a motorcycle with him not long ago suddenly resurfaced.
“Ah, sorry.”
Hong Yu-geon quickly backed away.
Kang In-hyuk let out a long sigh.
“So in the end, you’re planning to use Tae Shin Asset Management’s server room?”
“Yep. Honestly, if I tried to set something like that up anywhere else, it would draw attention no matter what. But if the boss covers the equipment side and I just get hired? It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“What era is that proverb from?”
It wasn’t the kind of expression you expected from someone in her early twenties.
“Ditch-digging for crayfish? Two birds with one stone, or two rabbits…”
“Forget the rabbits. The method isn’t bad, but it’s not without risk either.”
“Why not~!”
“If you work at the company, your skills are bound to show one way or another.”
“I’ll just hide them.”
“You’re not a fresh graduate. We hired you as an experienced professional based purely on ability. Not showing results at all would be a problem too.”
“I’ll just do the bare minimum. Don’t you trust my skills?”
He knew all too well how shameless and brazen she could be.
Still, he hadn’t yet identified any other dangerous individuals inside Tae Shin Asset Management besides Baek Si-hwan.
“Haa…”
“Boss! She hasn’t even passed yet, so why not just wait and see? If Mi-ah fails the final round, there’s no way for her to get in anyway. It’s not like you’re the type to parachute her in just because she stands out.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Kang In-hyuk had nothing left to say.
“Fine. And just in case, once she’s hired, figure out how you’ll operate and let me know.”
“You think I’ll pass? Honestly, I figured my chances were pretty low.”
Go Mi-ah was currently a KAIST student on leave. No matter how skilled she was, it would be difficult for a company to hire someone who lacked both social experience and a degree.
She knew the reality well enough not to get her hopes up.
But Kang In-hyuk saw it differently.
“That’s exactly why she has a high chance of getting hired.”
“…Why?”
“The overhaul of the security processors is something I planned and Tae Ju-ha got approved by headquarters. So from the perspective of people who don’t want it to succeed, what would they prefer?”
Go Mi-ah didn’t need long to think.
“They’d want something to go wrong?”
“Then what kind of person would they want us to hire this time?”
“…Someone who isn’t very skilled? Wait, are you saying they’d think that about me?”
“Even if they looked at your portfolio, they wouldn’t easily believe it was your work. Plus, you’re a student on leave with almost no social experience.”
It was the exact opposite interpretation of the concerns Go Mi-ah had voiced earlier.
She let out a sigh, though a hint of doubt crept in.
“Come on… even so, would they really be that stupid about it?”
“They don’t have many options. And… ah, I almost forgot something important.”
He had been about to continue when something else occurred to him.
“What is it?”
“Even if you do start working here, never bring lunch. That alone would make you stand out even more.”
“Why? Afraid people will flock over because it tastes so good?”
For a moment, Kang In-hyuk genuinely wondered if she had any idea what her cooking was like.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say it tasted like hell to her face.
At the same time, he could already picture the disaster if someone got curious and tried it.
“Anyway, don’t even think about bringing lunch.”
In the end, he gave the warning with heartfelt sincerity, without explaining the real reason.
─┼
The next day.
From the morning onward, Kang In-hyuk reviewed and approved the finalized Cheolsan Capital acquisition by AMK Partners, along with other investment portfolios being handled by M&A Team 1.
A few were rejected. The reasons, however, were based on his future knowledge and experience.
Since he couldn’t write the real reasons, he compared the information gathered so far with the materials the employees had researched and wrote his comments accordingly.
Just then, his eyes met Hong Yu-geon’s, who was sitting on the sofa in front of his desk.
“Why are you staring? First time seeing someone work?”
“I was just curious what kind of person our boss… I mean, Division Head really is.”
It was a similar question to last time.
“You already know. I’m the division head of this company and your employer.”
Van Hester was also sitting on the sofa, so he answered for both of them.
Hong Yu-geon shook his head in disbelief.
“Ugh, who doesn’t know that? Ah, did you talk to the lady of the house yesterday after you got back?”
“Talk? About what?”
“After everything that happened yesterday, you didn’t say a word? Are you two even married?”
This time, Kang In-hyuk let out a laugh.
“You know we’re only married on paper, yet you still ask that. Are you just trying to tease me?”
“No, but you’re still a couple! Something like that could change things, right? Yesterday you even told the driver to make a U-turn from the opposite lane. ‘Hey, turn the car around!’ You said it like that.”
He mimicked Kang In-hyuk’s words from the previous day. Even Van Hester seemed to find the sight amusing, his shoulders shaking slightly as he lowered his head.
“That was just an emergency.”
“Sure, sure. But are you really going to leave that guy alone like that? Not going to do anything about him?”
Hong Yu-geon gestured with his chin toward the other side of the frosted glass. Baek Si-hwan was sitting there, working in the office all day as usual.
Since they already knew how ruthless he could be from the destruction of the detective agency, they were worried another incident might occur.
“He doesn’t know what we’re planning either. If we make a move first, we might end up exposing ourselves.”
“True… that makes sense too.”
While they were exchanging idle conversation, the internal line rang.
Trrring— Trrring—
The caller ID showed the representative director’s secretarial office, not Baek Si-hwan.
“Yes, this is Kang In-hyuk.”
[Good morning, Division Head. The representative director is looking for you. If you’re not busy, could you come now?]
He couldn’t think of any reason she would call for him so suddenly.
“Understood. I’ll be right there.”
Kang In-hyuk hung up the phone with a puzzled look and stood up.
“Is the lady of the house calling you over?”
Hong Yu-geon asked.
“Seems that way. I’ll be back soon, so get ready for the field assignment.”
“Okay.”
Kang In-hyuk put on his jacket and arrived at the representative director’s office shortly after.
Tae Ju-ha rose from her desk and came over to sit across from him.
“Sorry you had to see that yesterday. And… thank you.”
She brought up something he hadn’t expected.
“I only stepped in because it looked like you were in an uncomfortable situation while I was passing by.”
“If you hadn’t shown up then, it would’ve been difficult to get out of it gracefully. By the way, where were you yesterday? I heard you came home after midnight.”
“I had a meeting with a client for work. That was the only time they were available.”
In truth, he had stopped by Go Mi-ah’s workshop before coming home, but since he couldn’t say that, he gave a vague excuse.
Yet Tae Ju-ha’s expression grew even more doubtful as she listened.
“That late? Was it a drinking meeting for business?”
She seemed to have the wrong idea.
“It wasn’t that kind of gathering.”
“What kind of gathering was it, then?”
“…”
Faced with her persistent questions, Kang In-hyuk found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Watching his reaction, Tae Ju-ha let out a small laugh.
“Sorry. It’s rare to see Kang In-hyuk flustered, so I couldn’t help myself.”
“I didn’t know you enjoyed that sort of thing.”
“I don’t particularly.”
After her biological mother passed away when she was young, Tae Ju-ha had entered the Tae Shin Group family and had been walking on thin ice ever since.
While she had become wealthier than anyone else materially, living with the stigma of being an illegitimate child among people who still didn’t welcome her had been hell.
Thanks to her grandfather, Tae Geon-seung, recognizing her talent and helping her little by little, she had finally been able to breathe easier.
But to protect everything she had fought so hard to obtain, she had never had the luxury of smiling at strangers.
“…I see. So, did you call me here because of yesterday?”
“Ah, no. You saw her at the interview yesterday, right? The applicant, Go Mi-ah.”
As she spoke, she placed Go Mi-ah’s résumé, which she had been holding from the start, on the table.
“If you’re asking whether I knew about her job application… I didn’t. I was surprised when I saw her at the interview.”
“You mentioned she was your source for stock investment information. But she seems quite skilled in IT as well. Are you not working with her anymore?”
Kang In-hyuk had no idea what Tae Ju-ha was trying to get at.
“I only used her briefly as a part-time gig back then.”
“I see.”
“Are you curious about Go Mi-ah?”
“She seems capable, so as long as there are no issues, I thought it might be fine.”
Her expression showed she had already made up her mind to some extent.
“Even so, she’s still a student who hasn’t graduated yet. No matter how good she is at her job right now, if any issues arise, the higher-ups could use it against us.”
“Kang In-hyuk… are you against Go Mi-ah joining the company?”
“I can’t say I’m in favor.”
Tae Ju-ha let out a quiet sigh.
“Now that you mention it, you were quite strict with her score in the second interview. Was it because of your past working relationship?”
“Whether you believe it or not, it has nothing to do with that. I’m simply being cautious because we’re overhauling the company’s security processors.”
“I’ll take that into consideration. Ah, is there anything unusual on the MP Division side?”
Most matters were proceeding based on Kang In-hyuk’s decisions. Although Tae Ju-ha received reports as the representative director, there were still many ongoing issues she wasn’t fully aware of.
“Nothing in particular. Ah, I’m planning to go on an overseas business trip in two weeks.”
“A business trip?”
“I need to conduct due diligence on an investment target for the fund. It should take about four days, though it could be longer depending on the situation. I’ll submit the paperwork for the confirmed details within the week.”
“Ah… all right.”
“I have another external appointment this afternoon. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Kang In-hyuk stood up calmly, bowed to her, and left the office.
Left alone, Tae Ju-ha pursed her lips, feeling as though something had been left unsaid, and mulled over the strange mood that had settled over her.