Junyoung slowly sat back down. She needed to gauge whether this conversation was an interrogation or a request.
“It’s not as deep as people seem to think.”
“There’s talk that you were the one who set up the connection with Myungin Daily.”
“I did recomnd Jang Sera to Director Hong Mihyang, yes.”
Manager Im raised a thin eyebrow, adjusting his glasses.
“So, would it be fair to say you have a close relationship with Director Hong?”
Junyoung studied him before replying evenly.
“She gives orders, and I follow them. I’m not sure ‘close’ is the right word.”
“Hm.” He nodded chanically before lifting his gaze again.
“If you co across any useful information, will you share it with us?”
Junyoung’s eyes narrowed. Her voice remained neutral.
“If I deem it necessary.”
Which ant she’d handle things on her own if she saw fit. Manager Im seed to catch the implication, a small smirk playing on his lips.
“Let’s manage the situation with Team Leader Na and Myungin Daily together. We won’t just be dealing with them—we need to keep an eye on all major dia outlets. I’ll upload the contacts to the network, so review them. We have a eting at 11 a.m. tomorrow.”
In other words, read all the materials tonight.
There were two types of workaholics—those who shouldered everything alone and those who spread the burden around. Manager Im was clearly the latter.
“…Understood.”
Swallowing a sigh, Junyoung nodded. She was already exhausted, but the real highlight of the day was yet to co.
***
She had no intention of staying late at the office. If she had to read through all these docunts, she’d rather do it while wrapped up in Kwon Beomjin like a blanket. It wouldn’t be as efficient, but still—better.
With a thick folder of docunts tucked into her bag, she stepped out of the company building. Even though it was close to 10 p.m., the heat from the day still lingered in the air.
She waited by the entrance for Samdu’s car. She had ssaged him ten minutes before leaving, so he should be arriving soon.
There’s no reason to keep Samdu assigned to
now that I’m back in Seoul. He definitely had more important tasks. Besides, starting tomorrow, she’d be going straight to Beomjin’s place after work.
I’ll talk to Beomjin about it today. I feel bad making Samdu play chauffeur.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard the sharp click of heels approaching.
Junyoung looked up.
A familiar face stood before her.
“Yoon Junyoung?”
The woman had long, wavy hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She wore a sleeveless blouse with a bold print and high-heeled sandals. The only accessory she wore was a necklace, but Junyoung knew the large, dangling gemstones on it probably cost as much as her entire salary.
“There really are so many self-made workaholics in this country. It shouldn’t be normal to work this late, don’t you think?”
Another eting today that required reading between the lines. Junyoung’s tone remained neutral.
“Did you co here for ?”
“You’re not even surprised. Do you know who I am?”
“How’s the interior of your studio coming along?”
Sera’s gaze sharpened instantly. She scoffed, tilting her head.
“Let’s have a chat. I have so questions.”
“If this isn’t sothing that can be wrapped up quickly, let’s do it another ti. I have a lot to do.”
“Yoon Junyoung.”
Sera crossed her arms, her smile laced with irritation.
“If you do know who I am, why are you acting like this?”
“I thought I was being polite.”
“Ha. Do you even know what polite ans?”
“I’m not the one with the questions.”
Junyoung kept her expression unreadable.
“So, if I start walking away now, how exactly do you plan to stop ?”
Sera let out a disbelieving breath, but just as Junyoung took a step to leave, Sera grabbed her wrist.
“What the hell makes you so—”
“Noona!”
A booming voice interrupted them.
Sera’s eyes widened, and she turned to see a large man in a dark suit approaching them.
She blinked.
Then, without hesitation, she let go of Junyoung’s wrist.
Samdu, his expression hard, glanced between the two won before asking,
“Is there a problem?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Sorry, just wait a little.”
Samdu’s sense of timing deserved a dal.
Feeling instantly steadier, Junyoung gave him a small nod. Catching her signal, Samdu ran his gaze up and down Sera in a silent don’t try anything before turning away.
Sera, looking slightly tense, adjusted her posture.
Junyoung watched her with mild amusent before speaking.
“Soone important is waiting for . What is it that you’re so curious about?”
Whatever Sera had expected, it certainly wasn’t this.
With control completely slipping from her grasp, she bit her lip, eyes sharpening.
“Have you ever slept with Seungwoon?”
Junyoung barely raised an eyebrow before answering smoothly.
“No.”
“He likes you.”
Sera’s tone was light, almost casual. Junyoung knew enough about her ti in France to understand—she wasn’t soone who would normally be bothered by a trivial romance.
“There are rumors.”
Junyoung sighed as if exhausted by the topic.
“How does that affect your already decided future?”
“Don’t be arrogant. My future is mine to decide.”
Sera’s words were sharp, aggressive.
Junyoung quickly ran through what she knew about her.
Unpredictable personality. rcurial tastes. Like Seungwoon, she generally followed her parents’ wishes—but with one major difference.
Sera had defied her father to enter art school. She hadn’t reported it to Mihyang, but she had forced her father to allow her to study abroad by leveraging sothing.
No one knew exactly what, but if it was enough to crush Jang Uitae, the famously stubborn CEO of Myungin Daily, it was far from ordinary. It was likely sothing tied to the company itself.
The key takeaway?
If Jang Sera truly wanted sothing, not even her father could stop her.
No matter how much calculation went into this engagent, if she hadn’t wanted Seungwoon, things would never have gotten this far.
“If you’d just slept together a few tis and moved on, I wouldn’t care.”
Lost in thought, Junyoung looked up.
Sera was smiling.
“But if he’s going to keep
as a placeholder while staring at soone else? That’s a different story.”
“Is there even a man alive who could ever treat Jang Sera as a placeholder?”
Junyoung genuinely hoped Seungwoon and Sera would get married without issue. It would be… convenient for everyone.
That ant soothing Sera just enough.
Noticing the lingering doubt in her expression, Junyoung spoke again, her voice low.
“I’ve watched Team Leader Na for a long ti. He’s not like other third-generation chaebols. He doesn’t flaunt his wealth or demand authority. He studies, works, and socializes like any ordinary person. Even when he was dating the daughter of a Spanish professor he t at school.”
Sera’s large eyes flickered with interest.
Junyoung kept her tone indifferent.
“There were tis I wondered, too. Does he like ? He was always comfortable around , and despite Director Hong’s insistence, he was never keen on the idea of marriage. That’s why I was surprised when he t you and suddenly moved so quickly. That must an…”
She inhaled briefly before finishing, locking eyes with Sera.
“…It’s fate.”
Sera scoffed, but the sharp edge of her expression had softened.
Junyoung let a small smile play at her lips.
“I always assud people in your world only married for business. I hope you’ll be happy.”
Her voice was dry but perfectly polite.
Sera didn’t reply, just tilted her head with an unreadable smirk.
Junyoung glanced at her wristwatch.
“I should get going.”
“Hey, Yoon Junyoung.”
Just as she turned toward Samdu, Sera called after her.
She was smiling crookedly.
“Do you have a boyfriend? If not, I could set you up with soone.”
“I do.”
“Seungwoon knows?”
“He does.”
Sera’s gaze flickered before she gave a slow, deliberate nod.
“Alright. I hope it works out for you, then.”
Her tone was almost like permission.
Junyoung chuckled as she turned to walk away.
She was exhausted.
She needed Kwon Beomjin’s arms imdiately.
***
Junyoung slid out of her blouse with practiced ease.
But Beomjin was impatient.
Before she could even pull it off completely, he had already undone the buttons, letting the fabric slip to the floor like fallen petals.
She reached up to smooth her disheveled hair, only for Beomjin to grab her wrist.
Her half-ford protest was swallowed as he claid her lips.
The rustle of fabric.
The heat of skin against skin.
The air, thick with damp, breathless sounds.
Her gasps, his hands, the feverish press of their bodies—everything blurred into sothing molten and desperate.
Red marks blood against her pale skin, trailing down her throat, across her shoulders.
Pinned beneath him, Junyoung writhed, but it was a battle she had no intention of winning. Instead, her back arched, her body already moving in rhythm with his, welcoming, impatient.
For the first ti, there was sothing wicked in the way she smiled—sothing dark, sothing greedy.
Her mouth was hot enough to burn.
When his fingers pushed past her lips, she didn’t resist.
She welcod it.
Saliva slicked his fingertips, her eyes glassy as he drove deeper.
Just the thought of her looking up at him like that, tears brimming at the edges of her vision, sent a dizzying wave of heat crashing through him.
Seungwoon jerked upright, gasping.
“Haah… fuck…”
His entire body tensed before a wave of exhaustion hit him like a freight train.
Breathing heavily, he ran a dry tongue over his lips.
His eyes dropped to the table in front of him.
Several photographs lay scattered.
Taken in the dead of night, they showed Junyoung entering a hotel—hand in hand with Kwon Beomjin.
The next morning, in broad daylight, she was captured leaving the sa hotel, looking freshly washed, smiling easily at Beomjin.
The evidence was damning.
And it made him feel sick.
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