Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Flex Time (2)
Late evening.
Hong Yuna, staying behind in her office to review approval documents, checked the time and called the concierge.
“Is the President Room available right now?”
“No, ma’am. It’s fully booked today.”
“I see. Then how about the Royal Suite?”
“Will you be staying at the hotel tonight?”
“Probably.”
“Then I’ll make sure to keep your usual room vacant.”
“Thank you.”
Just as she was about to hang up, Yuna realized it was Friday and smiled, asking:
“Is the President Room reserved by CEO Hong Sungmin, by any chance?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Someone named Kang Minhyuk.”
“Kang Minhyuk?”
‘The man that Jeong Ji-hyun has been interested in lately?!’
Yuna’s sharp intuition kicked in.
She pretended to be nonchalant.
“I don’t recognize the name. Seems he’s not a hotel member.”
“Yes, that’s correct. He’s a non-member.”
Booking as a non-member meant he wasn’t taking a discount for the stay. Judging by the house she looked into before, he must be from a fairly wealthy family.
‘Just having Lim & Jung as partner lawyers alone would be impossible without some real resources.’
“What time did he say he’ll check in?”
“It’s recorded that he’ll arrive just after midnight.”
Midnight?
Why such a late hour?
Saturday, midnight, at the hotel.
If a young man reserves the President Room, it’s clearly not for a casual event.
If his companion is Ji-hyun, that would be lucky. But the probability is near zero.
If Ji-hyun were accompanying him, she would have used a different hotel to avoid being spotted. Of course, even then, it would likely be discovered within a few days.
“Understood. Make sure the welcome basket is prepared as the highest grade, extra special.”
“And I’ll personally deliver the welcome basket, so bring it directly to me upon check-in,” she instructed, then ended the call.
Friday night.
A man who has a home in Seoul and still reserves a luxurious hotel room is clearly showing off. The companion is likely female—someone wealthy or of high status, probably.
If this is exactly the type of visit she suspected, Yuna intended to intervene. She didn’t want Ji-hyun to nurse feelings alone and get hurt.
Of course, tomorrow’s scheduled meeting would probably just disappear without a trace.
‘I’m a woman who holds grudges.’
Only for Ji-hyun. This was out of a desire that she not get hurt by a man, just like Yuna had.
An hour later.
After leaving work, Yuna stopped by a bar for a light drink and happened to spot a man who immediately drew her attention. She overheard his companion call him “Kang Minhyuk.”
‘Could it really be him?’
She noticed that he resembled the face she’d seen on the department store VIP lounge video.
‘As expected, his appearance is solid.’
Sharp, defined features, tall and well-built. His proportions made his clothes look even better.
‘Pretending not to notice Ji-hyun, but he’s definitely selective about appearance. Heh.’
Yuna moved her seat to the table opposite him to observe him. She wanted to see if he flirted indiscriminately with any woman, or misbehaved after drinking.
Their eyes met.
‘What? Why is he staring like that?’
Unlike with other women, his gaze lingered on her for a while before drifting away.
‘Hmph! At least he has some taste.’
It was a misunderstanding, but she didn’t realize she had been staring at him first.
I briefly held his provocative gaze in return.
Not exquisitely beautiful like an actress, but his balanced face and dignified posture had a certain appeal. He carried a presence different from women who would immediately run at someone’s call.
He had a respectable atmosphere.
But I wasn’t here to meet anyone spontaneously tonight, so I ignored him lightly.
Looking around, the women’s attire here was quite seductive.
Short skirts barely covering their hips, plunging dresses exposing cleavage, subtly revealing sensual curves. It wasn’t a casual social gathering, but more like a high-end matchmaking lounge for young, wealthy men and women seeking partners.
Some couples were there, but most were single or groups of the same gender chatting.
‘Maybe it’s because it’s Friday.’
Several eyes, not just a woman at the 11 o’clock position sending bold glances, kept watching me repeatedly.
Tall, fit from exercise, smooth skin meticulously maintained through dermatology care. I felt pleased that all my efforts hadn’t gone to waste.
But they were only interested in my attractive appearance. They noticed the designer brands I was wearing.
“Look, that woman’s passed by us three times already. She must really be interested in you? But why do you look so familiar?”
Well, she was fairly famous—actress Seo Jeong, who often hung out with Yang Mijeong.
She, like Yang Mijeong, had poor perception and didn’t recognize me—even though she had been a bridesmaid at my wedding.
‘So this was the day she dressed up to meet friends and ended up here.’
It was after the wedding, too. Huh. Now I don’t even feel anger. I know exactly how nasty Yang Mijeong is.
Why she came here was obvious—discard the old and upgrade to the flashy sports car.
If she hadn’t become wealthy, and was just looking for a suitable groom to exploit, I’d be the worst enemy in the world by now. She would have bragged about her divorce and remarriage all over town.
Phew—just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.
A while after Seo Jeong headed to the bar table, the bartender approached with a tray holding a glass filled with deep red liquid.
“Sir, the guests at that table sent this as a gift.”
Yuna looked where he pointed, and Seo Jeong raised her hand toward her and winked. It felt awkward and exhausting.
“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t accept drinks.”
The bartender looked slightly embarrassed at her response.
“I don’t usually mix drinks, so I’ll buy it myself. Please convey my thanks to the sender.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll do that.”
Seo Jeong would surely understand that returning the drink was a polite refusal.
The bartender carried the drink to her and whispered Yuna’s message. Seo Jeong glared and stormed out of the bar.
Woo Jung-hwan, watching with amusement, scolded Yuna.
“Hey~ idiot! How could you refuse that? She got mad and left, hahaha.”
“Don’t you know who she is? That’s Seo Jeong.”
After hearing the name, Yuna clapped in realization.
“Seo Jeong? The one who was a bridesmaid at your wedding? You didn’t recognize her? Hahaha. I understand, I didn’t at first either. Hahaha.”
“…”
I’ve changed a lot, but not recognizing her outright felt a little much. I wondered how she managed acting with such poor perception.
‘Getting handsome is exhausting in many ways.’
I was unexpectedly attracting a lot of attention. On the other hand, it was useful—I could use the bar system to offer a drink to someone I liked and create an opportunity to meet them.
The bartender delivering cocktails as a message might be old-fashioned, but it was effective.
Yes. That was the reason I came here—to prepare for any unexpected variables during tomorrow’s schedule. A place to casually meet someone if the need arose.
Talking about weddings prompted Woo Jung-hwan to naturally ask about Yang Mijeong.
“How’s your ex these days? I thought she’d go straight back to dramas. Or variety shows—there’s that hot trend with divorced people finding matches, right?”
She’s active, more than ever. Having recently criticized her harshly, and she’s unaware, I had nothing more to say.
Thinking about seeing her face after the weekend made my head spin.
“Phew—don’t want to talk about that crazy woman while drinking expensive liquor.”
“Ah, sorry.”
I raised my glass, and Woo Jung-hwan clinked it, reading the mood.
“How’s the project going?”
“Good, we went with the ski suit idea you suggested. The team leader is determined it’ll pass in one go this time.”
Then he asked suddenly, as if remembering something.
“You’ve been hanging out with Team Leader Lee Joong-wan a lot recently.”
“Oh, some situations came up.”
Before the monthly report, it would be risky if outsiders knew we were working on eco-friendly plastic containers. They might reach someone at Bulyeosi.
I vaguely dodged the topic, and Woo Jung-hwan frowned.
“I’m not sure if I should tell you this…”
The serious expression didn’t bode well. When he got that serious, it was always bad news.
“Stay away from Team Leader Lee Joong-wan as much as possible.”
“Why?”
He hesitated, gulped down his drink, and began.
“You know his wife and kids are abroad, right?”
“Yeah, he’s been a ‘goose father’ for a while.”
“Right. But one of our team members lives in the same apartment as him.”
“And?”
He squinted and whispered confidentially.
“Apparently, in the mornings, he’s often seen leaving the building with some woman.”
Honestly, I was deflated. I thought it was an office affair.
Seeing my expression, he chuckled.
“I reacted the same way. But here’s the real shocker.”
“Go on.”
He said he recognized the woman’s face because it looked familiar. Then, by chance, he spotted her in a group photo from last year’s company sports event.
“Sports event group photo?”
Last year’s event…
‘Probably a couple at that time? Could she be an employee’s wife?’
Bless his luck. Not realizing his wife has been seeing a coworker for over a year…
My curiosity sparked, and he leaned in, whispering.
“Damn, isn’t he a crazy bastard?!”
Of course, he meant Team Leader Lee Joong-wan.
The news Woo Jung-hwan shared shocked me.
‘There are other targets for cheating? What? Team Leader Kim Jun-seok’s wife? Ha!’
Listening closely, it seemed their meetings had continued since the sports event last year, before Kim’s divorce.
It started after the summer family trip post-event. Perhaps Lee Joong-wan triggered the couple’s conflict.
“Why are you only telling me now?”
I glared at him. He waved his hands, saying:
“I just found out. That guy suddenly begged me to buy him drinks, got plastered, and wandered into the bamboo grove.”
Makes sense. If the team member referred to as “that guy” was a junior or regular employee, it wasn’t something an ordinary worker would gossip about. He must have spoken in drunken confidence after finding proof.
If I, a third party, felt terrible hearing this, imagine how the people involved felt.
“You didn’t tell anyone else, right?”
“Are you crazy? I’m telling you. Who else needs to know? Team Leader Kim, obviously!”
“That’s good. Make sure the team member keeps quiet too. If Kim finds out, he won’t take it lightly.”
“Of course.”
Woo Jung-hwan mimed zipping his mouth and nodded.
Revealing this to Team Leader Kim would trigger emotional reactions, ruining all plans.
‘That must never happen.’
I needed a way to take revenge on both him and Kim at once.
‘I guess I’ll need advice from an expert in this field.’
Tomorrow afternoon, a close meeting with lawyer Jeong Ji-hyun seemed necessary.