IDTE 19

Chapter – 19

“Didn’t I tell you to go back?”

“Lee Hyun-ah, calm down first.”

“Yoo Min-ha.”

Do I-hyun looked down at me, his thick brows deeply furrowed. The buttons of his black shirt were undone in disarray.

It was a small detail, but so unlike him that I could tell how worked up he was.

“Mr. Do I-hyun, long time no see.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“As you can see. I met with Chairman Park and had a little chat over tea.”

“Then why are you here?!”

His voice dropped to a low growl. The veins bulging along his rolled-up sleeves stood out sharply, flaunting his anger.

“Hyun-ah, let’s just calm down—”

Bang—

It happened in an instant. Do I-hyun grabbed Kim Geon by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Kim Geon, who told you to act on your own?”

“Sorry, but can we… talk after you let go?”

“Decide whether you pity me or want to screw me over. Pick one.”

“Wait, Mr. Do, please calm down!”

There wasn’t even enough physical space to wedge myself between them.

I’d known he wouldn’t like that I went to see Chairman Park Jin-ho on my own—but I hadn’t expected him to be this furious.

“Hyun-ah, don’t get too angry, okay?”

“You crazy bastard.”

Watching Kim Geon smile even with his collar clenched in a fist, I momentarily agreed with that assessment.

Just then, a familiar man approached and pulled Do I-hyun away from Kim Geon. He was the one with the scar across his face—clearly some kind of aide.

“Director, people are watching. Please calm down.”

“Let them watch.”

When he looked down at me again, his gaze was different from usual.

There was something there—more than irritation and anger.

“Ms. Yoo Min-ha, this is your last warning. Whatever you talked about with Chairman Park today, just go back.”

“I can’t. Chairman Park approved it. I’m starting at Sungjin Capital’s Compliance Support Team soon.”

“In case you forgot, Sungjin Capital is my territory. Making sure not even a speck of dust touches you? That’s nothing.”

“Then what should I do? I’m about to be unemployed. I’ve got nothing but time to hang around.”

Saying everything I could to his face was the only thing I could do.

“I’m sorry for skipping you and going straight to Chairman Park. But you kept ignoring me. I was serious about wanting to work at Sungjin.”

“You already forgot you’re not cut out to work here? Is it that hard to be objective about yourself?”

“That’s—!”

“Wait, wait. You’re both getting too heated. How scary.”

As the tension between us peaked, Kim Geon shamelessly cut back in.

“Hyun-ah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. I’ll explain later. Let’s step outside and talk.”

“Get lost. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

After glaring at both of us in turn, Do I-hyun gestured to the man beside him.

“Looks like you two are having fun playing house.”

Then he strode toward the main entrance with savage steps.

Even after he left, the air remained icy. Goosebumps prickled across my skin.

“Ha…”

Only then did I finally exhale.

“Min-ha, are you okay?”

“No. Dealing with Mr. Do is harder than dealing with Chairman Park.”

“Hyun’s always like that when he’s angry.”

“At one point, I thought I was lucky the person I really liked wasn’t Do I-hyun. Who could possibly like someone with that kind of personality?”

“Still, Hyun’s handsome. He’s popular.”

“Who would like him after seeing that awful personality?”

“Really? That’s what you think?”

“Of course. He’s the worst. Even if I were reborn, I’d pass on that kind of character.”

When I looked up after saying that, Kim Geon was smiling—like a child who had just heard the compliment he’d been waiting for.

The situation was anything but funny. It felt unsettling.

I found myself wondering about the meaning of that smile. Unlike usual, it didn’t look practiced. It looked real.

On my last day at the law firm, they held a farewell dinner.

As expected, Senior Attorney Choi didn’t attend, using an outside engagement as an excuse.

“Yoo, did you get an offer somewhere good?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Come on~ Something good must’ve happened.”

The clinking of glasses rang out cheerfully, and the real questioning began.

“But you know, Choi’s been saying some weird stuff about you.”

My heart seemed to snag somewhere inside my chest.

“Senior? What did he say?”

“I don’t know. Something about you chasing money and sticking yourself to some shady place. We told him not to talk like that when you’re not around!”

“Why would he say that… honestly…”

I forced a smile and downed my beer. But when it touched my tongue, it tasted like bland water.

“I don’t know. Choi seemed like a decent guy, but when he said that, the vibe got… weird. If you two fought, try to work it out. You were close.”

My throat and heart both felt heavy. I kept drinking, yet my mouth stayed dry.

Finally, my first day at Sungjin Capital arrived.

As I stepped out through the front gate, Senior Choi’s accusations—traitor, hypocrite—echoed in my ears.

All I could do was hope that one day those unavoidable words of condemnation would quiet down.

Crossing the bleak garden and opening the heavy main gate, I saw no black sedan waiting for my commute—only a single guard standing watch.

“Excuse me, should I head out on my own today?”

“I’m sorry, but you cannot leave today.”

“What?”

Do I-hyun, you petty jerk.

I let out a hollow laugh at his childish but effective obstruction.

“Please step aside. Before this gets more complicated.”

“I’m sorry.”

The guard didn’t budge an inch. His massive frame looked even more immovable today.

Checking the time, I realized that even if I caught a bus or taxi now, I wouldn’t have much leeway.

“Please. If you don’t move, I’ll get fired.”

“That goes for me too. You understand the situation. I’m sorry.”

As frustration began to well up, a familiar white sedan pulled up to the front gate.

“Good morning, everyone!”

The driver’s window rolled down to reveal Kim Geon.

I had never felt so relieved to see his bright smile.

“G-Good morning, sir!”

“Working hard from early morning, I see. I’ll take Min-ha with me.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not allowed.”

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Man. Just Man.”

Kim Geon stepped out, took my bag from me, and gently placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder.

“Mr. Man, don’t worry. Just put the blame on me. Got it?”

He smiled warmly, as if asking an old friend for a favor.

“And this.”

He took off the scarf around his own neck and wrapped it around the guard’s instead.

“It’s cold, right? Wear this.”

“Ah… Thank you!”

Leaving the visibly moved guard behind, Kim Geon nodded at me.

Caught off guard by how quickly everything resolved, I hurried into his car before the situation could change.

The car pulled smoothly into the congested morning traffic.

“How did you know?”

“I was waiting for my friend, wondering when she’d come. Then I thought—forget it! I’ll just go get her.”

“…You knew Mr. Do would pull something like this, didn’t you?”

“Who knows? I just came to pick up my friend. I was so excited I couldn’t even sleep last night.”

The road was unusually congested, and the first commute felt chaotic—but thanks to Kim Geon, we had cleared a major hurdle. I was simply grateful.

“But Mr. Man… he’ll really be okay, right? He seemed worried about getting fired.”

“Who?”

“The guard you just wrapped the scarf around.”

“Oh. I don’t know. Maybe he’ll get fired.”

“…Didn’t you just say he’d be fine?”

“Did I? Then I guess he will.”

A strange, indescribable feeling blocked the space where gratitude should have been.

Lately, it felt like there wasn’t a single sane person left in my life.