Chapter 48: Think about it carefully
Chapter 48: Think about it carefully
"Oppa's team, the department head?"
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"That woman with the short hair sitting by the window. Don't turn your head too much. You'll just stand out more."
I had to act as naturally as possible. At my words, Ha-rin kept her head still and only moved her eyes. "That person?"
"Yeah."
"She must be popular."
"Very popular among the people at the company."
"Ah, wait—so that's the one? The person who made life hard for Oppa?"
"Right."
As we ate and talked, the conversation naturally turned to work. Of course, that included stories about Kim Dayeon, who had made things difficult for me. The curiosity and warmth in Ha-rin's eyes vanished in an instant, turning icy. "Looking at her now, she doesn't seem likeable."
"You just said she must be popular."
"I changed my mind."
"Excuse me. Here's your bread before the meal."
"Thank you."
The employee placed the basket of bread and left. "They serve bread before the meal here?"
"Apparently."
"You didn't know?"
"I hadn't heard about this part. Should we try it?"
True to someone who loves bread, Ha-rin grinned brightly as she picked up a piece. We each took one and bit into it. It was decently tasty. Chewing slowly, I glanced at Kim Dayeon. 'They don't seem like lovers.'
The expressions and gestures of the client's employee seemed exaggerated, as if they were entertaining her. Since our company was the client, Kim Dayeon was in the dominant position. "The bread's good."
"Yeah, not bad."
We finished it quickly. Since it was just pre-meal bread, the portion wasn't large. A few minutes later, our ordered dishes arrived. "Looks delicious."
"Ha-rin, try it first."
"Me first?"
"Yeah. You worked hard finding this place."
"Then I won't hold back."
"How is it? Good?"
"Yeah. It's tasty."
We started eating. I kept stealing glances at Kim Dayeon. It was possible she was receiving kickbacks even while having a meal. By the time our plates of steak and pilaf were nearly empty, I carefully handed her an apology. "Sorry."
"Hmph... At least you know you should be sorry?"
"Hard not to."
Every time I glanced at Kim Dayeon, Ha-rin's eyes quietly shifted toward that table. And she was being unusually quiet. "I'll let it slide just for today. Only because you look so serious."
"Thanks."
I was genuinely grateful. It wasn't polite to be distracted when someone was right in front of me. "What are you going to do? We're almost done eating."
"Can we wait until those people get up?"
"Yeah. It seems serious."
"Then I'll go pay first and come back. My treat. As an apology."
"You don't have to."
"I'll feel better if I do. Give me the coupon."
"Here."
I quickly finished paying and returned. A quick glance told me they were almost done. "We won't have to wait much longer."
"That's a relief."
My prediction wasn't wrong. In less than five minutes, they wiped their mouths with napkins and stood up. Kim Dayeon left first, while the client's employee finished paying at the counter before leaving. It was painfully obvious who held the power here. 'I need to follow them.'
"Ha-rin, I'll go ahead. Take your time coming down."
"Huh? Okay."
Leaving Ha-rin behind, I exited the restaurant. The elevator was already descending. I took the stairs. 'They're definitely heading to the underground parking lot.'
I hurried down to the underground parking lot. As I pushed open the door and stepped inside, I saw the two walking ahead—Kim Dayeon and the client's employee. "Thank you as always, Department Head."
"Don't mention it. You were chosen because you did well."
I pulled out my phone and opened the camera app—the one that didn't make shutter sounds for discreet photos. After rummaging through her bag, she took out a white envelope.
"This is just a small token of our appreciation."
"Oh my, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble. But I can't refuse such sincerity. I'll accept it gratefully."
Kim Dayeon beamed as she took the white envelope, tucking it smoothly into her handbag as if it belonged there. "Then, please head back safely."
"You take care as well, Seong-woo."
Kim Dayeon drove off first in her car, followed shortly by the client's employee. After watching them leave, I checked the photo album. Every moment was captured—from the white envelope being pulled out of the bag, to it being handed over, to it disappearing into the handbag. 'This is a jackpot.'
A blatantly suspicious exchange, clear as day. I hadn't expected to land such a big fish. At best, I thought I'd only manage to eavesdrop on their conversation. [Ju Ha-rin]
[Finished your business?]
'Right. Ha-rin was waiting for me.'
<Yeah. I'll be right up.>
I took the stairs back to the first floor. As soon as I pushed the door open, I spotted Ha-rin standing in the corner, waiting. "Sorry. Did you wait long?"
"Hmph. You know I did."
She pouted slightly, clearly sulking. I had no excuse—I'd left her waiting without a word. "Sorry, my bad."
"If you're really sorry, make time for me next weekend."
"Next weekend? Of course. But what for?"
She leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Sunday overtime... ♡"
That husky tone could only mean one thing—the kind of sex that lasted until one of us collapsed. "Why not this weekend?"
"If I stay out again this weekend, Mom might get suspicious."
For once, she let it slide. "That's fair."
"So, did your work go well?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. The hat worked perfectly."
If Ha-rin hadn't lent me her hat, I might've been recognized. And if I had, I wouldn't have gotten those photos. She smirked playfully. "Glad to hear it."
"Want to grab something at a café and walk around?"
"Sure."
"What do you want?"
"I'll take a zero-calorie iced tea."
"I'll have an iced Americano."
We stepped inside the café. "This one's on me. I owe you for dinner."
"You don't have to."
"Come on, you know what they say—what goes around comes around."
"Well, that's true, but that's between coworkers."
"Let me buy you coffee. I feel bad always mooching off you."
"Wow, you're being considerate now?"
"Heh..."
I glanced at the clock on the café wall. It was past 8, nearing 9. 'I've never looked forward to going to work like this before.'
It reminded me of the night before my first day. The photos I had now were incomparably more powerful than anything I'd had back then. 'Still, how should I bring this up?'
Several methods came to mind immediately.
***
[Wednesday | 11:12 AM]
'How is it already 11? I guess the best way is to just say I have something to discuss and call her over.'
I'd agonized over it all night and at work, but this seemed the safest approach. No room for second-guessing—I had solid evidence. I opened the company intranet. The chat window popped up immediately. [Manager | Kim Dayeon]
Among them, the one-on-one chat with Kim Dayeon stood out. <Manager>
[?]
The sound of a chair scraping made me look up. Over the partition, Kim Dayeon was staring at me. [Is it something you can't say here?]
<Yes.>
'If I bring this up where others can hear, I'll be finished.'
[Let's talk in an empty meeting room. Go ahead and wait there.]
<Understood.>
I grabbed my phone—my most valuable weapon—and headed to the meeting room. About a minute later, the door creaked open, and Kim Dayeon walked in.
Smiling without knowing what the future held for her.
"What did you want to talk about that required pulling me aside?"
"It's something important."
"Important enough to draw the blinds?"
"It would be better if you did."
The corners of her lips that had been slightly raised now dropped. The corridor visible through the glass was soon obscured by the drawn blinds.
"If it's important enough to close the blinds... You're not thinking of resigning, are you?"
Seeing her lips droop like that, she seemed inwardly anxious that I might quit.
"That's not it."
"Then what is it?"
"Actually, I saw the department head yesterday."
"? You saw her at the office?"
"After work. She was with an employee from one of our business partners."
I showed her the photo I'd taken yesterday—a picture of the two of them standing face-to-face in front of a parked car. The usual composure in her eyes wavered, but only for a brief moment.
"Ah... This? Yesterday, Seong-woo said he wanted to treat me to a meal to celebrate the contract. So we ate together."
"So you had dinner together."
"Yeah, yeah. Was Dae-hoon there too? I didn't see him."
"Yes, he said the food was good. But you didn't just have dinner together, did you?"
I flipped to the next photo.
"Like this."
I showed her the sequence of photos—the business partner employee taking an envelope from their bag and handing it to Kim Da-yeon, who then received it.
"You were handed a white envelope too. I don't know what was inside, though."
She must not have expected to be caught in such a photo, as her pupils shook violently. But she quickly regained her composure.
"Just keep this between us, Dae-hoon. It was a love letter. Seong-woo apparently has feelings for me..."
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped me. I might have believed her if I hadn't heard the voice.
"You keep spouting such ridiculous lies. I distinctly heard the word 'appreciation.'"
"...It's true, though?"
"Then should I submit these photos to the audit team as they are? We'll find out whether it was really a love letter or something else inside."
"You can't... do that!"
Kim Da-yeon snatched my phone and stepped back.
'Why does she keep making such stupid choices?'
"Department Head. Surely you don't think I didn't back them up?"
"...D-don't come any closer. I'll scream if you take another step."
'This is entertaining.'
The department head, who always annoyed me, was completely powerless now.
"Go ahead and scream. Then we can both enjoy an audit together. Of course, I'd be innocent. But what about you, Department Head?"
"...If you just delete these photos, that's it."
"Do you really think I didn't back them up before showing you? The originals are at my place—can you delete those too?"
"..."
"If you delete even a single photo from my phone right now, I'm going straight to the audit team."
"You little bastard..."
"You have three seconds to hand over my phone. Unless you want your career here to crumble."
"You think I'll just give it to you?"
"One. Honestly, a new department head might not be so bad."
"What did you say?"
"You're still acting so composed. Two. Only one left now."
"Fine, take it! Just take it...!"
She hastily handed over my phone. I checked the album—all the photos were still intact.
"You really didn't delete them."
"How do I shut that mouth of yours?"
"Who knows? My mouth tends to run loose."
"...Money? Will money do it?"
If it were clean, traceable money, I would've taken it in a heartbeat. The problem was, money from Kim Da-yeon wouldn't be clean.
"Money doesn't really tempt me. One wrong move, and I might end up stripped of everything alongside you. Or worse, taking the fall alone."
"...Then what do you want...?"
"Think carefully. What could possibly tempt me?"
There was no need to rush. The powerless had become the powerful.
"Use that clever head of yours."
I flashed her a smirk before walking out of the office.