14. A Star Twinkling in the Blue Sky
Pshh- pshh-
All kinds of perfumes were spread across the desk.
Leaning back in his chair, Ihun sprayed perfume toward the ceiling.
As though trying to freshen up the surroundings that were about to become noisy.
“The matter of the broken engagement that the boss told me about has been settled for the time being.”
Dohyun finished his report with a relieved expression.
The day after Ihun dropped the news of the broken engagement on Dohyun like a bomb, rumors of the broken engagement immediately began circulating in business circles.
But both SaJa and Dongyeon easily suppressed the rumors by using reporters.
SaJa even had Chairman Rai’s direct line get involved.
They seemed to think it was merely a scheme by Bear Group, and didn’t seem to suspect at all that it was something their own son had done.
That meant Dohyun had not reported to Chairman Rai.
That this broken engagement had been Ihun’s own decision.
Pshh- pshh-
When Ihun continued spraying perfume without answering, Dohyun cautiously pinched his nose.
“Boss? But why are you spraying so much of that……. You were playing with a ball last time, and now have you become a perfumer? And the kinds of perfume, too…….”
Is it because Lee Dana said she liked my scent, so I’m trying to find an even better scent?
He put down the perfume and looked up at Dohyun askew.
“You should have reported it to the Chairman. That the rumor was true. It would have been Secretary Kang’s biggest achievement. Isn’t that what the Chairman’s side wanted as well when they took your family hostage?”
“How did you know……. So when you said last time that you had something to investigate, you were investigating my background after all.”
Dohyun had joined as a secretary when Ihun became president.
Until then, he had never done secretarial work, yet he had entered the secretarial office as its chief of staff, the highest position there.
Anyone would naturally have suspected him.
But Ihun had had no time to think about such things.
He had only been thinking about rebuilding SaJa Group.
He began seriously suspecting Dohyun when he realized that he himself was a puppet of this family.
‘And the Kang Dohyun you asked me to investigate as well really was hired by the Chairman’s side. We confirmed that Director Yoon Yeonsook’s side had paid for Kang Dohyun’s mother’s medical treatment.’
Chairman Rai had taken Dohyun, who had been working in the Strategy Office, and placed him as nothing more than a private secretary to the president.
He had made him monitor Ihun in exchange for paying for his sick mother’s treatment.
They were people who had mastered the art of trampling on other people’s lives.
There was nothing surprising about it.
It had merely become clear what kind of people they were.
Both Dohyun and I were victims.
“Nothing will change. Secretary Kang will do his job, and I’ll do mine. But.”
He put down the perfume.
“Why didn’t you report it?”
……Would I?
He had discovered that I was a spy.
But when someone actually lays everything out for you, I’m saying I can’t exactly do it.
Besides, you pretended not to know my position all this time…….
You even told me to bring you something worth reporting without saying anything else.
“Are you really going to call off the engagement?”
“Yes.”
At Ihun’s immediate answer, Dohyun furrowed his brow.
No, what are you planning to do?
Why on earth are you doing this?
Dohyun was more terrified of what would happen next than of the fact that his identity as a spy had been exposed.
At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to resign according to plan!
“Boss. May I ask why on earth you’re trying to call off the engagement?”
“No.”
“Boooss.”
Dohyun looked at him desperately.
There was something bothering him about why Ihun was acting like this.
That…… crazy confession.
Had he been moved by it?
He had definitely started acting strangely from that point onward.
But who on earth cancels a marriage worth trillions of won over a confession like that?
“Boss, please don’t do this. Couldn’t you at least let me know why you’re doing this?”
“Why? Do I have to convince Secretary Kang before I can report something?”
“No, that’s not it……. But Boss, I’m not someone who just reports every little thing without thinking…….”
“It’s five-thirty. Stop working and go home. Or go make your report.”
Ihun checked his wristwatch, stood up, and quickly put on his clothes.
“What do you mean? Are you seriously leaving work now? Why would you leave at five-thirty?”
“Is there a problem?”
“You’ve never done this before. Boss? What on earth is wrong with you? Why are you trying to call off the engagement?”
No, you can’t seriously be doing this because of that confession, can you?
Please tell me it’s not because of that confession!
Bang.
The door slammed shut.
Ihun left coldly, oblivious to Dohyun’s desperate feelings.
No, how is someone who knows nothing but work planning to handle this?
She didn’t even confess directly to him.
Break off the engagement → I’ll accept your confession → But I said I liked you, I didn’t say I wanted to date you? → Crap…….
Dohyun, who had been despairing over the thought that he would no longer be able to resign, had reached the point where he was genuinely worried about Ihun.
Moreover, workaholic Rai Heon leaving work at five-thirty was truly the end of the world.
Nothing’s wrong with him, right?
Dohyun clutched his head, then suddenly his eyes lit up as he picked up the phone and called somewhere.
“Good afternoon, Executive Rai Ion. This is Kang Dohyun, President Rai Heon’s secretary.”
***
While waiting for Dana to finish work, Ihun felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
He found himself wondering when she would come out, and there was also a small pleasure in imagining how happy she would be to see him.
What should this feeling be called?
Right.
This was excitement.
A word he had only ever seen in books.
He had thought such a thing would remain meaningless letters and vowels for his entire life.
“Boss. May I ask why on earth you’re trying to call off the engagement?”
She was cute when she pouted and said she didn’t want to be the second woman.
And he felt sorry for her.
It seemed unfair that because he was marrying a woman he didn’t even like, the woman who actually liked him would lose the chance to meet him.
Rather than a woman who knew nothing about him, he thought it was only right to give the choice to Dana, who even liked his scent.
Besides, he liked Lee Dana, too.
Her amusing and adorable nature that always defied his expectations.
Even if they lived in the same house, he didn’t think he would ever be bored.
Perhaps it would be even more enjoyable than he imagined.
Every moment with her had always been like that.
“Uh, aaah, are you all right?”
Ihun raised his head.
Dana plopped an iced Americano down on the table.
Then, all of a sudden, she downed it in one shot.
She must really like iced Americano.
Mental note.
“Haah! That’s refreshing.”
After setting the glass down with a bang, she vigorously wiped her mouth.
Even when she tried to be polite, she had this strangely tough side to her.
‘Put it down, put it down. Stop the car over there and come inside. Hurry! Ah, I-I’ll ask if you can park here. Your precious car…… just park it for now!’
Remembering Dana’s tough behavior when she had practically been dragged here, Ihun gave a faint smile.
“Boss.”
“Yes, Ms. Lee Dana.”
“Um, about that. I mean, the, the, the en…….”
“The broken engagement?”
“Yes. That. Are you really going to do it?”
Is she happy?
Her face was flushed red.
To reassure her, Ihun answered with emphasis on every single word.
“I already. Did.”
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t, I’m telling you. Even today, I clicked recommend on the articles from SaJa Group and Dongyeon! I shared them everywhere! I came back after helping suppress the rumors that you were breaking off the engagement.”
“…….”
“Did you hear me? What I said?”
“Yes. I heard you. Since it was part of your work, it must have hurt a lot.”
“……What? What do you mean…….”
Thinking about what she had to endure while working on the crisis management team made him feel uneasy.
She had to read articles about the marriage and broken engagement of the man she loved, click recommend, and even leave comments.
She probably couldn’t even cry as much as she wanted because she was at work.
Perhaps grateful that he understood how she felt, Dana suddenly became more polite.
“Ah, of course. It wasn’t, g-good. Seeing someone you, you like get married isn’t exactly something enjoyable…….”
For some reason, the end of her voice seemed to tremble.
Is she crying?
Yes, she must have held it in a lot.
“Don’t worry. From now on, I won’t let Ms. Lee Dana suffer alone over me somewhere I don’t know about.”
“What?”
Tears streamed down from her eyes.
