Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The President's Handshake
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A single card called ‘Jin Soo-young’ wouldn’t be enough to properly screw over Lee Dae-hwan.
However, it would be a hand strong enough to shake him up at a crucial moment.
The big game to seize Daehan Group was about to begin soon.
Anyone who couldn’t maintain their composure was bound to lose.
‘And no matter what, Lee Dae-hwan will make a move.’
Just as he had sent thugs after me, if he judged Jin Soo-young to be a hindrance, he’d try something dirty.
‘That’s when I’ll catch him.’
In a way, Jin Soo-young was bait.
Lee Dae-hyuk planned to protect that bait carefully and use it at the perfect moment.
Instead.
‘I have to ensure her safety.’
He didn’t want Jin Soo-young getting hurt because of his revenge.
Once the commercial shoot happened, Lee Dae-hwan would find out that he and Jin Soo-young had met.
From that point on, Jin Soo-young would be in danger too.
‘I need to stick Kim Min-gyu by her side.’
As promised, Lee Dae-hyuk intended to protect Jin Soo-young.
However, while Jin Soo-young was important, dealing with the matter at hand came first.
‘By now, they should have a rough outline, right?’
Following his orders, Kim Min-gyu and his men were tailing Daehan Construction executives suspected of being spies.
‘I can’t shake hands with everyone one by one to use psychometry, so investigating the prime suspects thoroughly should do it.’
If they still couldn’t find the spy that way…
‘Should I shake hands with every employee?’
Even if it took time, he was confident they’d catch the spy somehow.
As Lee Dae-hyuk drove and reviewed his future plans,
Joo Hyo-min in the passenger seat puffed out her cheeks.
She felt a twinge of jealousy.
‘What the hell is with this guy?’
She envied Lee Dae-hyuk’s abilities.
The skill to even win over someone like Jin Soo-young, who was all looks and no manners(?).
It seemed he had an innate sense and charm that an orphan like her could never possess.
That unique ‘something’ in chaebols that drew people in.
She could never learn that sense.
Lee Dae-hyuk, who possessed it, would live a completely different life from hers going forward.
Still, she didn’t envy or resent him for it.
She just wanted to have proper company life with him a bit longer.
‘Work is getting more fun.’
The job that had lost its motivation, where she’d just kill time for a paycheck, was starting to become enjoyable.
All because of one person: ‘Lee Dae-hyuk’.
***
Three days later.
Daehan Construction’s lunchtime.
Lee Dae-hyuk was eating lunch in the cafeteria with Joo Hyo-min and Assistant Manager Im Soon-cheol.
It was a simple meal: budae jjigae, sweet and sour pork, and three side dishes.
Lee Dae-hyuk, who wasn’t picky about food, was just devouring it heartily.
As they ate, Assistant Manager Im Soon-cheol kept praising Joo Hyo-min.
“Assistant Manager Joo, you pulled off a big one. How’d you bring in Jin Soo-young under the same conditions?”
“Everyone in the industry knows she’s picky. Famous for smiling sweetly then stabbing you in the back if she doesn’t like it.”
A nearby employee chimed in, backing up Im Soon-cheol.
“Yeah. We finally landed a solid hit on Seojin Construction. Feels good.”
Daehan Construction employees had a complex about Seojin Construction.
All the prime construction projects had been snatched by Seojin.
Even the actors for the commercials were being poached by them.
With defeats piling up like that, it was natural their pride was hurt.
But now, Joo Hyo-min and Lee Dae-hyuk had notched a small victory.
“Jin Soo-young isn’t as weird as people think. Once we clearly explained our plan, she understood.”
As Joo Hyo-min answered, the corners of her eyes twitched slightly.
Truth be told, such blatant lying wasn’t her style.
But she had no choice.
Right before entering the company, Lee Dae-hyuk had asked her a favor.
[Please report that you convinced Jin Soo-young, Assistant Manager.]
[Are you telling me to steal your credit, Mr. Lee Dae-hyuk? No. Way.]
[It’s not stealing credit; I’m asking for your help. I still want to be an ordinary newbie for now.]
Not wanting to stand out? He already stood out and wasn’t ordinary at all?
Joo Hyo-min had tilted her head at first upon hearing Lee Dae-hyuk’s explanation.
But from Lee Dae-hyuk’s perspective, he had no choice but to ask her that way.
There were surely eyes of Lee Dae-hwan’s inside the company, known or unknown.
Just learning he’d met Jin Soo-young would put Lee Dae-hwan on guard.
He couldn’t afford to arouse Lee Dae-hwan’s suspicions yet.
[I don’t know who you don’t want to catch the eye of… but I’ll pay back the debt.]
Joo Hyo-min didn’t press Lee Dae-hyuk further.
He was yielding the credit for convincing and contracting Jin Soo-young to her—how could she refuse such a favor?
.
.
.
Thanks to that, Joo Hyo-min was being treated like a hero by the other employees.
However, not everyone was thrilled.
Chomp chomp-!
Park Min-chan was scowling as he focused on his meal.
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at Park Min-chan’s sullen face, sneering inwardly.
‘What a mess at expression management for a company man.’
Not just in companies, but in any field, success started with controlling your expressions.
Who could succeed in an organization showing their mood plainly on their face?
Then suddenly, Park Min-chan’s face brightened.
‘Huh? Is he smiling at me?’
As Lee Dae-hyuk felt displeased seeing Park Min-chan’s smile,
A deep bass voice came from behind them.
“Is the food to your liking?”
“President!”
The owner of the voice was Daehan Construction’s president, Nam Seong-il.
In his youth, he had risen from athlete on Daehan Group’s pro basketball team ‘Daehan Sonic Boom’ to president of an affiliate—a legendary figure.
But after becoming president, he couldn’t hold on for a few years and quietly vanished with Daehan Group’s downfall.
…That was the info Lee Dae-hyuk knew.
His public image wasn’t bad, no scandals, so his reputation among employees was good.
But Lee Dae-hyuk’s gaze toward him was full of suspicion.
‘I can’t say for sure the president is the spy. But I definitely need to investigate.’
Humans turn into monsters before their own gain.
Just look at Oh Tae-gyu, who betrayed him—his lifesaver and family-like companion for half his life.
But now wasn’t the time to show emotions on his face.
Like the other employees, Lee Dae-hyuk smiled and looked at Nam Seong-il.
Nam Seong-il, standing with his aides, smiled warmly and spoke.
“The person in charge of Jin Soo-young…”
“Is Assistant Manager Joo Hyo-min here.”
Before Nam Seong-il could finish, Park Min-chan nudged Joo Hyo-min.
As the president pointed at him, Joo Hyo-min stepped forward and answered.
“Yes, she and Lee Dae-hyuk here handled the meeting with Jin Soo-young.”
A pleased smile formed on Nam Seong-il’s lips at her response.
“Oh my, now that you mention it, you look familiar. You seemed sharp from day one, so I remembered. Good work.”
“Ah, no. It wasn’t hard; just doing my job.”
“The hardest thing in the world is winning people over. So we should at least give you an incentive… I’ll talk to accounting. And this face is new… a newbie?”
As Lee Dae-hyuk opened his mouth to speak, Park Min-chan introduced him first.
“Yes. New hire Lee Dae-hyuk. Very sharp and diligent. Makes teaching rewarding. Haha.”
Not just Lee Dae-hyuk, but the other employees frowned at Park Min-chan’s flattery.
What exactly had he taught Lee Dae-hyuk?
“…….”
But before the president, the employees, including Lee Dae-hyuk, just kept quiet.
Lee Dae-hyuk broke the awkward silence.
“I’m newbie Lee Dae-hyuk. Learning hard under Assistant Manager Joo Hyo-min here.”
‘……!’
Park Min-chan’s eye twitched.
Saying he was learning from Joo Hyo-min was as good as telling him to eat shit.
‘This bastard…!’
But he couldn’t show emotion before the president, so he gritted his teeth in a forced smile.
However, Park Min-chan was invisible to Nam Seong-il.
His gaze was fixed on Lee Dae-hyuk.
Lee Myung-guk’s youngest son was smiling faintly at him.
‘He’s different from the rumors.’
The man said to be Lee Myung-guk’s sore spot was gazing steadily with spirited eyes.
He’d been skeptical at first, but at a glance, he looked reliable enough for Lee Myung-guk’s trust.
Reading Nam Seong-il’s favorable gaze?
Lee Dae-hyuk spoke again.
“I’ll work hard going forward.”
Pretending to be a pure newbie, Lee Dae-hyuk’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing his acting, Nam Seong-il said in a gentle tone.
“Company life will be tough ahead. But learn from your seniors, and you could end up like Team Leader Park Min-chan here.”
Nam Seong-il patted Park Min-chan’s back.
At that, Park Min-chan and the other employees’ eyes twitched simultaneously.
Trembles of different meanings.
Lee Dae-hyuk, knowing well what they meant, said calmly.
“I’ll learn hard from my seniors.”
“Good. High expectations.”
Nam Seong-il, who had been observing Lee Dae-hyuk quietly, extended his right hand in encouragement.
Lee Dae-hyuk shook it without hesitation.
‘Thanks for this. Alright, I’ll find out if you’re the culprit or not.’
Flash-!
Nam Seong-il was surprisingly straightforward.
Work, company, work.
Just like any ordinary family man obsessed with company affairs.
And naturally, he too was searching for the spies planted inside the company.
Without telling Lee Myung-guk.
‘Well, being on-site, he couldn’t help suspecting.’
It also made sense why he hadn’t told Lee Myung-guk about the spies.
No solid evidence—just inference—would only get him in trouble with Lee Myung-guk.
Like saying the president was needlessly suspecting employees.
Anyway, Nam Seong-il had narrowed down the suspects.
One was Executive Director Cha Woo-jin.
Unlike Nam Seong-il’s blue-collar rise from athlete to regular employee to president,
Cha Woo-jin was a golden spoon, born wealthy, walking the elite path.
And the second was.
‘Park Joo-seung?’
A figure in Lee Dae-hyuk’s memories too.
Park Joo-seung, Lee Myung-guk’s wife from his first marriage Park Ji-sook’s younger brother and a Daehan Construction director, was a ‘parasite’ leeching off his sister.
‘Yeah. Trash like that could cause trouble.’
Kim Min-gyu’s investigation had included Executive Director Cha Woo-jin and Director Park Joo-seung among the suspects.