Dong-hyun's True Identity
Kang Su-yeon had a thick stack of documents clutched in her hands. She slammed them down onto Dong-hyun's desk with a heavy thud.
"Assistant Manager Kang Dong-hyun? I want every last one of these documents organized and on my desk by the end of today. You can handle that much, can't you?"
She said it with a sneering little smile, clearly looking to take petty revenge for what had happened yesterday.
So this bitch already knew, didn't she?
If she had sent those thugs after him the usual way, she would have assumed Dong-hyun couldn't even show his face at the office. She wouldn't have bothered preparing work to dump on someone she expected not to be here.
"Assistant Manager Lee Su-jin? You can help me with this, right?"
Dong-hyun didn't so much as glance at Kang Su-yeon as he asked. A question mark practically lit up over Lee Su-jin's head.
"I just started yesterday. There's no way I can handle all this on my own. Help me out."
"Ah... yes..."
Lee Su-jin answered reluctantly the moment Dong-hyun spoke.
"Assistant Manager Kang Dong-hyun? Just what do you think you're doing? When did I ever assign this to Assistant Manager Lee Su-jin? I assigned it to you."
Kang Su-yeon tried to lean on her authority and press down on him, but it didn't land. Not on Dong-hyun.
"What does it matter who does it? As long as it gets done, right?"
"Wh-what??"
It was Kang Su-yeon who faltered when Dong-hyun pushed back so openly. Then someone stepped in to back her up — Manager Park Kyung-deok.
"Assistant Manager Kang Dong-hyun! Just what do you think you're doing? Is this company a joke to you? Talking back to the Team Leader like that!"
Every grievance that had been building since yesterday seemed to burst out of him at once. Even so, Dong-hyun's expression didn't so much as flicker.
"Then... would you like to do it, Manager?"
"What?!"
"If you're not going to do it yourself, stay out of it. We're having a conversation right now. Isn't that right, sis?"
Every mouth in Team 3 fell open.
"Si-sis?"
"Since it's come to this, allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Kang Dong-hyun, grandson of Chairman Kang Mu-gang of the Mugang Group. My sister and I had a little fight at home yesterday, and it looks like she's come here to pick a fight over it. Why don't you go organize these documents yourself, sis? Got it?"
Dong-hyun picked the documents up off his desk and shoved them back into Kang Su-yeon's hands. All the strength drained from Manager Park Kyung-deok's body in an instant. He had just shouted at the man who would one day be his superior — without even knowing it.
"Kang Dong-hyun! What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm not your sister — I'm your Team Leader!"
"Give it a rest. Coming in here to harass me with work over a fight we had yesterday — is that what a company is supposed to be? If you're going to throw your weight around as Team Leader, at least don't be so petty about it."
"Y-you...!!"
Kang Su-yeon was furious enough to see red. Dong-hyun hadn't yielded a single word. But most of what he said was true, and now that it was out in the open that Kang Dong-hyun wasn't just some assistant manager on Team 3 but a third-generation chaebol heir, she couldn't come at him so blatantly anymore.
"You... we'll settle this at home."
She spun on her heel and stormed out of the office.
As if I'd let her pick a fight.
Dong-hyun smirked as he watched her go. Once Su-yeon was gone, he clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, alright. Things got a little chaotic. Let's go out for lunch today. My treat."
"Sounds good!"
Lee Su-jin had already known Dong-hyun was a third-generation heir, but the others were too stunned to speak. Manager Park Kyung-deok most of all.
"Manager Park?"
"Yes? Ah... yes!"
"You'll join us for lunch, I hope?"
"Ah... yes. Of course. I'll find us a good place. Intern Shim?"
Manager Park answered with the utmost deference, as if he had suddenly become the subordinate.
"Yes?"
Intern Shim Yi-seo answered his call.
"Scout out a lunch spot with Employee Lee."
"Ah... understood."
Intern Shim Yi-seo was a young woman who had just graduated from university and entered the job market. She was twenty-four, a year younger than Dong-hyun, with a cute face — bright-eyed, sharp, and full of enthusiasm.
Employee Lee Jae-pil had also completely dropped whatever jealousy he'd been carrying since yesterday.
"Intern Shim?"
Dong-hyun called her over.
"Yes! Assistant Manager!"
Shim Yi-seo answered Dong-hyun even more deferentially than she had Manager Park.
"Find us a really nice place. Don't worry about the cost."
"Understood!"
She answered with a bright smile.
Once the commotion had settled, Dong-hyun went back to loafing at his desk. Now that his identity was out in the open, there was no real need to keep coming in as an assistant manager. There was the Son Ga-eun situation to deal with as well, and he planned to speak with his grandfather about getting a proper position. Of course, he was confident he could excel at corporate life either way. The abilities Serién had given him were practically all-purpose.
After he had been idling for a while, Shim Yi-seo came over.
"Um... Assistant Manager? I looked into lunch spots. How about this place?"
Ordinarily she should have reported to the manager, but the hierarchy had long since been turned on its head.
"Hmm... this looks good. Nice for a casual lunch, too."
"Understood. I'll make the reservation right away."
The place Shim Yi-seo reserved was a Japanese restaurant near the office, known for its private rooms and exceptionally high quality. The only real issue was the price — and with Kang Dong-hyun footing the bill, that wasn't an issue at all.
Time ticked by, and at last it was lunch hour. Led by Kang Dong-hyun, the five members of Team 3 rode the elevator down together. The restaurant wasn't far from the office; they could have walked. Thanks to the reservation, they were shown straight to a private room.
They had booked for five, so the room held a single table that seated five — two to a side, with the remaining seat arranged as the place of honor. As they stepped inside, the other employees glanced around uncertainly. Under any other circumstances, Manager Park Kyung-deok would have taken that seat without question. After what had just happened, no one knew what to do.
"Assistant Manager Kang? Please, sit there."
The quick-witted Manager Park naturally guided Dong-hyun to the seat of honor.
"Hmm? Is it alright for me to sit here?"
"Ah... of course. Please, make yourself comfortable."
Dong-hyun smiled at the man's deference and took his seat.
"Order whatever you'd like. Lunch is on me today."
"Really?? Don't mind if I do!!"
Assistant Manager Lee Su-jin said it with a brilliant smile — and then she really did pick from the menu without the slightest hesitation. Once she took the lead, the others started choosing their dishes one by one as well.
The room had a refined atmosphere, and with good food on the way, the mood turned warm and cheerful — a world apart from the morning.
"Ah — please keep the fact that I'm the heir to the Mugang Group a secret for the time being. I came here to get used to the company, but I won't be staying in this position for long either way. Just keep it quiet until then. I don't want people treating me differently. Understood?"
"Yes! Of course! Our team knows how to keep their mouths shut. Isn't that right, Employee Lee?"
"Yes! Leave it to us!"
Lee Jae-pil answered in an overly loud voice, and everyone burst out laughing. A short while later the dishes began arriving one after another, and the atmosphere grew even merrier.
"If you have any reports that need to go to the Team Leader, or if you're running into any difficulties, just tell me. I've got Su-yeon firmly in hand."
It wasn't entirely true, but Dong-hyun declared it with complete confidence. He also genuinely believed he could handle her well enough.
"Ah... truly... that's impressive. Team Leader Kang Su-yeon isn't exactly an easy person to deal with..."
Kang Su-yeon's notorious temper was common knowledge throughout the company.
"She's still just Kang Su-yeon."
"Puhahaha!!"
Everyone burst out laughing at Dong-hyun's joke. The food was good, and the atmosphere so pleasant that the whole table seemed to enjoy the meal thoroughly.
"We should do this more often."
"Ah! Of course. We're always happy to."
Manager Park Kyung-deok's eager flattery rounded the meal out nicely.
Time passed, and when quitting time arrived, Dong-hyun left right on the dot, as usual. Unlike yesterday, though, no one said a word about it.
He drove straight home. He had unfinished business with Son Ga-eun.
He parked in the house garage and walked inside, where several maids greeted him.
"Where's Mother?"
Son Ga-eun, who was normally in the sitting room at this hour, was nowhere to be seen.
"Madam? Hmm... I'm not sure. She hasn't come downstairs all afternoon. She's probably in her room?"
One of the maids told him.
"Is that so? Alright. I have something important to discuss with Mother, so please give us some privacy."
"Pardon? Ah... yes. Understood."
They knew perfectly well what Dong-hyun and Son Ga-eun's relationship had always been like, so his words struck them as odd — but they didn't question it further.
Dong-hyun walked past the sitting room and headed straight for Son Ga-eun's bedroom. His father always came home late, so she would be alone. He opened her door without the slightest hesitation.
Son Ga-eun was lying on the bed talking on the phone. The moment he walked in, she hung up in shock.
"You... you!! What do you think you're doing? How dare you just walk into my room!!"
She looked thoroughly rattled, as if she had never imagined Dong-hyun would show up at all.
"Is there some reason a son can't come into his mother's room? Or are you just surprised because someone you never thought would come actually did?"
At Dong-hyun's words, Son Ga-eun's eyes trembled slightly. The woman who had never once lost her composure in front of him was shaken — and that was all the confirmation he needed.
"We have something to talk about, don't we?"