Chapter 10
Chapter 10
‘No way… it can’t be.’
I denied it, again and again.
But even if her appearance had changed,
I had watched her for seven years.
I could tell just by looking into her eyes.
That Han Se-a was actually Yang Mi-jung.
Something I had believed impossible was happening right in front of me.
‘Now doctors can perform sorcery too? Or is that Gu Yeo-si really a thousand-year-old gumiho?’
Perhaps sensing my gaze, her eyes darkened with even more allure.
Like a lioness sizing up prey, yet pretending not to care—there was no mistaking it. It was Yang Mi-jung.
She was directing toward me the lascivious gaze she had never once shown before.
Only after our divorce.
‘Ugh, this feels awful.’
From that moment, I focused all my attention on her actions.
And then I saw it.
The slight tilt of her head to the left, the chin raised arrogantly.
The subtle drag of her right leg as she walked.
Even the way her hips bounced with every step.
Her face was completely different, yet her movements were unmistakably Yang Mi-jung’s.
Seven years of observation couldn’t be fooled by a little surgery and some enhancements.
And everything she wore—the clothes, the accessories—was from Ertes’ latest collection.
Even the red Kelly bag she had coveted for so long.
All the evidence strongly pointed to her being Yang Mi-jung.
‘Hah! She even changed her face and showed up here?’
A shiver ran down my spine, like a cold winter wind.
If I hadn’t gone to the Hermès store, if I hadn’t learned about her connection to Iljin Group, I would have believed she was someone else.
‘What a ridiculous turn of events.’
The ironic thing? I recognized the gumiho despite her plastic surgery, but she didn’t recognize the slimmer me.
‘How little she cared about me…’
At that moment, my heart slowed, my mind cleared.
All the time I had worried about weakening my resolve for revenge when seeing her—it felt wasted.
Perhaps because her face had been completely remade. That wasn’t the Yang Mi-jung I had loved.
The moment I realized she had deliberately changed her face and come as my superior, I made my decision.
From now on, I would face her boldly.
Avoiding her wouldn’t be enough.
In times like this, striking at an unexpected moment is the most effective.
Right now, while she couldn’t recognize me, was the perfect opportunity.
I called out to her retreating back.
“Yang Mi-jung?”
She staggered visibly.
To help her regain balance, I pressed on her back with a series of taps.
“Ah—so it’s really you! Wow, almost didn’t recognize you. But what are you doing here?”
She spun around, exaggerating her movements, eyes flashing as she hissed:
“Yang Mi-jung? Who’s that? Are you talking to me?”
She acted as if hearing that name for the first time in her life.
“Oh, playing dumb, huh?”
I teased her, and the HR director next to her scolded me.
“Assistant Manager Kang Min-hyuk! You’ve got the wrong person. Apologize quickly. This is the newly appointed Future Strategy Team Manager Han Se-a!”
At the mention of my name, her eyes flickered.
That confirmed it even more.
Han Se-a was indeed the gumiho.
And she really hadn’t recognized me.
“Manager Han Se-a? Wow—you even changed your name? Incredible. All that practice wasn’t wasted on acting, huh? I almost got fooled. Finally, you’ve awakened to acting.”
“…!”
“Don’t worry. I recognized you. No one else would have.”
Yang Mi-jung shivered, unable to respond.
The HR director awkwardly tried to explain without upsetting her.
“Please forgive him, Manager. Our Assistant Manager Kang Min-hyuk recently went through a painful experience, so he may not be thinking clearly. We ask for your understanding…”
“A painful experience?”
The director glanced at me and whispered into her ear:
“He recently got divorced.”
Whether whispering or mocking openly, the gumiho seemed slightly appeased, a hint of a smile on her lips.
“Divorced? We didn’t even register a marriage. Right, Yang Mi-jung? Thanks to you, I’m still single. I plan to marry someone younger and prettier than you. With this body, women will like me, and you’d even drool over me.”
I straightened my back and posed like a model.
Silence filled the air.
A fierce psychological battle sparked between us, and after a moment, Yang Mi-jung decided to evade confrontation. She turned gracefully and said:
“Judging by how seriously you misjudge people, it seems you’ll need some time to recover mentally. I hope you get well soon. Director, shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Click-clack.
Her angry steps receded. I lifted one corner of my mouth.
‘How’s that punch? Too strong, hitting her unprepared, huh?’
Feeling pleased at having landed a proper jab was short-lived.
‘Seems like I can’t use the mine I planted earlier.’
She had been lying low for so long, probably recovering at the hospital. Who would have imagined she’d transform beyond recognition?
Even if I told everyone Han Se-a was Yang Mi-jung, if she denied it herself, how many would believe me?
Deputy Manager Woo, who said “love your colleague, love your country,” would certainly call me crazy.
I needed a new strategy.
Arriving at her office, Yang Mi-jung screamed in frustration:
“Argh! How hard I worked to become Han Se-a!”
For the past month, she had endured excruciating pain to perfectly transform into Han Se-a.
She ignored doctors’ advice to avoid strenuous exercise and sculpted her body to perfection.
Every tone of voice, every gesture, every action—corrected more carefully than during her acting days—she had become the Han Se-a she imagined.
Her first test subject? Kang Min-hyuk.
If he didn’t recognize her, the mission would be a success.
Despite being rude, she approached the chairman to request assignment to the Future Strategy Team’s New Business Development department where he worked.
The chairman, impressed by her initiative, approved without hesitation.
This morning, she had anticipated seeing Kang Min-hyuk falter before her.
Comparing his pitiful past life to her heavenly present, she had intended to ridicule his miserable existence.
“Completely ruined!”
He had recognized her immediately. How startled he was when he called out her old name!
Even more irritating—he hadn’t recognized her.
“That fatty turned so handsome—who would’ve guessed!”
The sharp suit, the sleek hair styled like a Gangnam salon, the confident tone—enough to make her previously interested in him feel the same.
“But even so!”
Yang Mi-jung, now fully transformed into Han Se-a, grinned wickedly.
“You’re doomed. You’ll be fired soon.”
For ignoring her messages, for attempting to escape the trap she had set, the only choice left for him would be despair—her second mission’s goal.
She couldn’t bear to see him happy without her, even though she had abandoned him first.
“Try struggling with all your might.”
Han Se-a summoned her secretary.
“What time is the meeting?”
“9 a.m.”
“Push it to 1 p.m.”
“Excuse me? Why suddenly…”
“What, can’t I change a meeting to suit me?”
The secretary sweated nervously.
“Of course, I’ll change it.”
“You’ve already received the reports, right?”
“Yes.”
“Bring only New Business Development Team 1’s reports.”
“Yes, understood.”
From now on, she would use any method to crush Team 1, where Kang Min-hyuk worked.
The meeting time changed from morning to afternoon.
This gave me the chance to anticipate what would happen and strategize.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll remain at this company.
But while here, I’ll make sure Han Se-a realizes I’m no longer an easy target.
If I don’t assert myself early, she’ll continue to try and manipulate me.
A mere warning won’t suffice.
Gumiho intelligence is limited; sometimes they can’t distinguish reality from imagination.
I needed to instill the awareness that she mustn’t mess with me.
As always, I didn’t want to waste my life on revenge.
To do that, I had to investigate the relationship between the owner and Han Se-a more closely.
If Chairman Han Chung-won was her father, Yang Seo-hee, her mother, couldn’t have been unaware.
Seo-hee, full of pretense, must have used any means to get into the owner’s family.
Yet she failed for nearly 30 years due to lack of information about Yang Mi-jung’s biological father.
Why was it so difficult to find information on men over 60 from wealthy families?
Chairman Han Chung-won was known for having unlucky children.
The eldest son committed suicide, the second daughter and her husband died in a car accident on their wedding day, and the youngest granddaughter had an incurable disease.
The father she discovered was likely the deceased eldest son.
Perhaps it had been a one-night affair abroad with the famous actress Yang Seo-hee.
If the eldest son, Han Seung-jo, didn’t reveal his identity, she wouldn’t have known.
Being the illegitimate child of a previously deleted heir…
Other chaebols might have quietly handed her a small company. But the chairman placed even the eldest granddaughter in a core position, showing his desire for his bloodline.
If she really was the deceased son’s daughter, her position wouldn’t be strong.
Hence the card limit of only 100 million.
A month ago, they had barely discovered she was an Iljin Group granddaughter.
Perhaps the chairman’s appointment was a way to let her find her own place.
‘Then now might be the perfect opportunity.’
The only support I could trust was Chairman Han.
Even so, with him testing her, Han Se-a would be most vulnerable now.
‘Even if vulnerable, she’s not someone to underestimate.’
Iljin Group ranks 10th in Korea. Careless moves could backfire.
‘Then a covert strike is in order.’
I need to isolate Han Se-a quietly, without alerting her.
New Business Development Team 1.
Employees bustled to review the reports one last time before reporting to the new manager.
“Chief Jin, the printouts?”
“Prepared 15 copies, team leader.”
“Good. Section Chief Seo?”
“USBs ready.”
“Okay, Assistant Manager Kang?!”
Kim, the team leader, gave a meaningful smile and nodded. I was ready to face Han Se-a.
“Let’s go.”