Chapter 135
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135
“You’re ugly as hell.”
That was Eun-seol’s first line after a long absence.
Hearing her say that the moment she saw his face, Dokyun felt a sharp pang in his gut all over again.
“…You don’t have to be so blunt about it.”
“My apologies. I get thorns in my mouth if I lie.”
“Ugh…”
It stung, but he had to admit she was right.
The swelling had mostly subsided, leaving only bluish bruises, but the discolored skin around his eyes still made him look ridiculous.
Dokyun let out a deep sigh and went to the kitchen to brew some coffee.
Eun-seol watched him for a moment before speaking.
“Get ready. We’re going out today.”
“So suddenly?”
Dokyun’s gaze shifted to her. Meeting his eyes, Eun-seol let out a smirk and continued.
“We have to go to work. There’s also someone I need to introduce you to.”
Work. An introduction.
Dokyun tilted his head, confused by her words. He didn’t understand what she meant.
He knew Eun-seol ran a company. How could he not? Aside from the time she spent reading or drinking, she invested nearly every moment in reviewing documents.
How she managed to run a company in her condition remained a mystery, but Dokyun recalled simply accepting it, figuring that Eun-seol would surely handle it just fine. He asked again.
“Why the sudden introduction?”
“Go Eun-ah has come to her senses. It’s about time I start the handover for the work I do. The person I’m introducing you to today will help with that.”
“Ah.”
Dokyun’s fingertips twitched.
It was a fact he hadn’t considered. The company Eun-seol ran was a company Eun-ah would one day have to run.
It made sense. Unless they were going to just abandon the company, Eun-ah was the only one who could take over after Eun-seol disappeared. Considering that, it was right to start the handover now, just as Eun-seol said.
No matter how much their memories merged, there would still be advice that only Eun-seol, as Eun-seol, could give.
Introducing this person to him must mean she wanted him to arrange a meeting between them and Eun-ah.
His thoughts connected quickly, and he understood. And yet… the reason he felt so uneasy was that he also realized the deeper meaning behind Eun-seol’s words.
Eun-seol was preparing to disappear.
As Dokyun looked at her with a slightly clouded expression, Eun-seol met his gaze, smirked again, and spoke.
“I’m just doing this in advance because you never know what might happen. I have no intention of disappearing right away.”
“Of course not. You’ve only just started to relax. You should enjoy it for a while, don’t you think?”
Dokyun said, tearing his gaze away from her.
His throat felt strangely dry. He took a sip of coffee, and a bitter taste surged up from his stomach.
Did I brew it too strong…?
The coffee felt exceptionally bitter today.
*
The bustling downtown district they always visited whenever he went out with Eun-seol.
Dokyun stared at the massive department store that dominated the center of it and muttered blankly.
“…So you’re saying.”
“That’s mine.”
At her words, Dokyun’s gaze darted back and forth between the department store and Eun-seol.
He’d been to this department store before. It was the very same one they had come to on his first outing with Eun-seol, to buy clothes for Eun-ah.
Realizing this, Dokyun’s jaw dropped.
He had expected her business to be of a certain scale, but he had never imagined it would be an entire department store.
“…Woah.”
“Stop spacing out and follow me.”
She clicked her tongue as she spoke.
With that, Eun-seol turned and walked ahead, the click-clack of her heels echoing on the pavement.
Dokyun’s eyes blankly followed her retreating figure.
Even in stilettos, Eun-seol had always seemed small to him. But today, she looked as if she were large enough to touch the sky.
“Are you coming or not?”
“Ah, I’m coming!”
Dokyun hurried to catch up.
Soon, they entered the department store. Eun-seol strode confidently to the elevator and headed to the executive office on the top floor, pushing the door open.
“Ah, President! It’s been a while!”
“Yes.”
A voice came from inside. Dokyun, who had flinched at the sound, cautiously stepped in and saw a woman with a beaming face standing in the middle of the office.
She was, he presumed, Eun-seol’s assistant.
Her hair was tied up tightly, revealing a broad forehead. She had delicate features, a tall frame, and an impressively passionate expression.
As Dokyun observed her, he narrowed his eyes, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
He had definitely seen her somewhere before.
Where have I seen her…?
His brow furrowed as he carefully studied her features again.
Delicate features, a passionate expression, yet a face that looked vaguely airheaded.
After a long moment of thought, Dokyun finally realized who she was and let out a cry.
“Ah!”
The loud sound echoed through the office.
Eun-seol and the assistant both turned to look at him.
Meeting their gazes, Dokyun pointed his index finger at the assistant and opened his mouth.
“The store clerk!”
“Oh, you remember me?” she replied slyly.
Dokyun’s jaw dropped once more.
He had already run into this person twice.
The ditzy clerk he had seen the first time he came here with Eun-seol, and whom he had met again at the party supply store.
“Why…?”
Why was she working as Eun-seol’s assistant? The thought briefly crossed his mind before he quickly found the answer.
“This is your real job?”
“Oh, just like the President said, you’re incredibly sharp.”
She glanced at Eun-seol as she answered.
Eun-seol let out a deep sigh and briefly introduced them.
“This is Chae Dokyun. This is my direct subordinate.”
With that, Eun-seol walked over to the sofa in the middle of the office, sat down, crossed her legs, and added.
“This is the one I said I’d introduce you to. She handles the company’s affairs while I’m away, so you can learn most of the work from her.”
“President, I’m a ‘her,’ not a ‘him’…”
“Enough nonsense.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Right, I have some work to do, so you take him out for a bit.”
Eun-seol waved her hand dismissively, shooing Dokyun away.
Dokyun, who had been staring blankly until then, finally processed the situation a beat too late and looked at the assistant.
The nameplate on her left breast read ‘Yeon Ha-rim.’
Dokyun stared at it for a moment before shifting his gaze back to her face.
“Long time no see?” he said.
His tone was blunt, tinged with a faint hostility.
It was only natural.
What had this woman done during their second encounter?
—My, my? You got a new girlfriend already?
She had said that with Eun-ah standing right next to him. If she hadn’t known, it might have been excusable, but…
…She knew everything!
If she was a direct subordinate, that changed everything.
The fact that Eun-seol had introduced him meant this woman knew all about their situation.
For her to say something like that anyway… didn’t that mean she was trying to bury him?
As that thought crossed his mind, Dokyun glared at the assistant, Ha-rim, who simply offered a good-naturedly shameless smile and extended her hand for a handshake.
“This makes it our third time, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Yeon Ha-rim.”
“Chae Dokyun.”
Dokyun took her hand and, holding her gaze, spoke.
“…About that time at the party supply store.”
“Yes?”
She tilted her head.
Dokyun’s eyes narrowed, glinting sharply as he glared at her.
“Did you have fun?”
His tone was thick with resentment.
Dokyun usually maintained his manners with people he wasn’t familiar with, but this time, he came on a little strong.
Once Dokyun held a grudge, he was the type of petty man to carry it for life.
As Dokyun continued to shoot daggers at her with his eyes, Ha-rim’s own eyes darted around in thought before she let out a small “Ah!” and a smile spread across her lips.
“The time I asked if you’d gotten a new girlfriend?”
She remembered.
At that realization, Dokyun’s eyes widened.
Ha-rim looked at his glare and then burst out laughing. “Puhaha!”
“Hey, cut me some slack. It’s annoying enough having to work on a weekend when everyone else is having fun, and then I see you two being all lovey-dovey… Of course I’d get jealous, right?”
She replied with a shameless grin.
Dokyun let out a disbelieving scoff. Ha-rim finally let go of his hand, patted his shoulder, and continued.
“Come on, let’s let bygones be bygones… Ah, by the way, do you smoke?”
She brought her index and middle fingers to her lips, wiggling them.
Dokyun looked at her antics, then shook his head slightly.
“I quit.”
“Huh? Why would you quit something this good?” she replied, blinking.
Dokyun felt a headache coming on.
She was completely in her own world.
Was this what it meant to be Eun-seol’s subordinate? Ha-rim shamelessly kept the conversation going with a smile, bridging what could have been an awkward silence.
She’s an inssa. [A social butterfly/insider]
His instincts screamed it.
An inssa. And the worst kind, at that: the “it was just a joke, you weren’t actually offended, were you?” type.
Another sigh escaped Dokyun’s lips.
Dealing with this type of person by thinking too deeply would only give him a headache. The best method was to just let things slide.
Seeing Ha-rim smacking her lips in disappointment, Dokyun spoke in a drained tone.
“…I don’t smoke, but I can keep you company. Let’s go.”
“Ooh, how sweet of you.”
Flinch.
Dokyun’s body shuddered at her words.
“…Drop the ‘sweet’.”
He almost had a PTSD flashback.
As he said that, Ha-rim giggled and led him to the rooftop smoking area.
Dokyun watched her clamp a cigarette between her lips and light it. He felt a sudden craving surge within him, but the image of Eun-ah’s face flashed in his mind, and he barely managed to suppress it.
“By the way, can I ask you something?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“The first time, Eun-seol brought me, so that makes sense. But the second time, how did you know to be there?”
It was a question that had just occurred to him.
The day they went to the party supply store, Ha-rim had already been there waiting for them.
It was possible she was coincidentally working a second job, but from the way she spoke, it didn’t seem like it.
At his question, Ha-rim let out a chuckle and answered in a cryptic tone.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this job if I couldn’t at least do that much. When she puts a location in her navigation, it gets sent to me. I have to go clean up the messes the President’s other friends make.”
“Ah.”
Dokyun’s mouth fell open at her answer.
It was certainly a convincing explanation.
Eun-ah’s personalities were quite a handful. If they were going around causing trouble, someone would be needed to clean up after them. Eun-seol, being inside her, couldn’t handle it herself, so she would need someone on the outside to do it for her.
Dokyun looked at Ha-rim with a slightly surprised expression.
“That must have been no ordinary job.”
How could he not know? When it came to cleaning up after the alters, he was second to none.
As Dokyun spoke with a note of admiration, Ha-rim shrugged and made a circle with her thumb and index finger.
“I do it for the money. Our President is pretty generous with her spending, you know?”
A small laugh escaped Dokyun’s lips at her reply.
“I can imagine.”
Her spending habits were enough to surprise even Eun-ah. Dokyun let out a breath and then voiced another question that had come to mind while listening to her story.
“So, how did you two meet?”
“Hmm… it’s a bit of a long story.”
Ha-rim took a long drag from her cigarette, then blew the smoke out in a thick cloud.
“Believe it or not, I’m a woman with some ink on her hands, so I know how to do a lot of things. A true talent among talents, who entered Korea University at the top of my class and graduated at the top, too. But I just had to major in business administration…”
She clicked her tongue.
Taking another drag, Ha-rim exhaled and continued.
“I wanted to make money, but there wasn’t much I could do with a business degree. While I was worrying about it, the President showed up and shoved a pile of money at me, asking me to work with her… Man, it was insane. If it weren’t for the money she offered, I probably would’ve decked the little kid in the school uniform, you know?”
Giggling, Ha-rim looked at Dokyun and added.
“So I did it. Signed some kind of contract! And filled up my bank account!”
Dokyun let out an “Oh,” listening intently to her story.
This was a part of Eun-seol’s past he didn’t know. Hearing it made him feel a little strange.