Chapter 7

The black car that had been driving up the road suddenly pulled over roughly onto the shoulder.

Taein frowned deeply, letting out a long sigh in disbelief.

Junghoon’s words from earlier echoed in his head.

‘Don’t make my employees uncomfortable.’

Anyone could be swayed if you handed them enough money. In this world, some would even hand over company secrets from the place they’d worked at for years if the price was right.

And it wasn’t as if he’d asked for anything extraordinary.

But they ran to their boss to tattle.

‘Ahem. I don’t know what the CEO thinks, but when I couldn’t do my job, President Yoon took me in and gave me work. I can’t betray him. My son will figure things out on his own. If he can’t, that’s on him.’

‘Hey, even if I’m in debt, I’m not taking that money. What kind of person do you think I am. Try asking the others. They’ll all say no. The president takes good care of us. We have nothing to complain about.’

Naturally, Yoon Jaei’s face came to mind.

‘Jaei? She takes after her dad. She’s warm-hearted, but once she says no, it’s a firm no to the end. By the way, why are you asking about her? If TS Electronics mentioned her, she’s probably getting scolded right now.’

‘If she catches wind of this, you’ll be in trouble. She nags like crazy. If she finds out we met like this, she’ll hound me asking whose side I’m on. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me chills.’

The reason for their refusals was Junghoon and Jaei.

How was that a valid reason.

No matter how he thought about it, Taein couldn’t wrap his head around it.

His hands, which had been gripping the steering wheel tightly, fell onto his lap.

“This is driving me crazy.”

He had never once entertained the possibility of failure, so he had no Plan B.

There was only Plan A, “Secure the trademark rights.” He simply had multiple tracks to achieve it.

Convinced that he was missing something, Taein stepped out of the car in frustration and stared out over the yellow-tinted fields.

Had Koreans become more sentimental during the five years he was gone.

What was so special about Yoon Jaei anyway.

Was it really believable that the great Han Taein was hesitating over something like this.

Out of habit, he pulled out a cigarette and held it in his hand without lighting it.

A faint image appeared in his mind. Her tipsy face. Her eyes curved softly as she smiled.

…Would it be easier to just bring her down.

He let out a laugh at the thought. He’d done plenty of absurd things already. Now his mind was wandering to absurd places too.

Ha. Han Taein, what a joke.

The sharp, irritated look in his eyes eased as soon as he heard a car stop behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Jaei stepped out. Her face was full of anger.

“Mr. Han Taein. You approached my dad’s people, didn’t you.”

He almost laughed out loud in disbelief.

…Mr. Han Taein? She always addressed him properly as CEO. So she was angry.

He looked down at her silently. Her expression was a mix of irritation and urgency.

“Mr. Han Taein.”

Hearing his name again, Taein gave a small, incredulous laugh.

“Then do you also know which of them took the offer, and which didn’t.”

She had been so sharp earlier, cutting through his intentions so clearly.

Her eyes widened. They trembled as if an earthquake had hit.

He studied her quietly. She was so transparent, showing every bit of her emotion.

“You’re curious.”

His gaze lingered on her bitten lip before lifting slowly to meet her eyes.

“If you’re curious, have a drink with me tonight.”

If Junghoon’s weakness was Jaei, then bringing her down might not be a bad strategy.

“Are you good at drinking.”

Claiming Moderato through any means necessary didn’t sound so bad.

As her tightly closed lips slowly parted, revealing the smooth inside of her mouth, something flickered in Taein’s eyes.

“I kind of hope you’re not.”

Catching the impure intent in his low voice, Jaei gave him a sharp, wary look and answered firmly.

“I’m not drinking with you, Mr. Han Taein.”

“It’s not that you can’t? What a shame.”

“No. There’s nothing to be ashamed about with you, Mr. Han Taein.”

“Alright.”

His half-hearted expression made it clear he wasn’t taking her words seriously.

“Excuse me, Mr. Han Taein.”

“Attorney Yoon Jaei, no. Ms. Yoon Jaei.”

Only when he addressed her like that did Jaei realize she had unconsciously changed the way she addressed him. She blinked in surprise.

“You said you drink if your client needs it.”

“You’re not my client.”

“If I were.”

He looked ready to schedule a consultation right then. She shook her head quickly.

“No. You’re the representative of the opposing party.”

“Alright.”

His answer was brief, in contrast to his persistent gaze. And then came the reason.

“There’s always another chance.”

Straightening up, Taein turned toward his car.

“We’ll talk about the details then. Who accepted and who didn’t.”

Only then did she realize she’d forgotten to ask the important question.

But Taein was already in his car, and she decided there was no need to chase after him.

Her brief moment of unease and suspicion disappeared with him.

“Right. I can just ask them directly. What’s the big deal.”

There was no need to doubt alone. Her dad’s men weren’t the type to turn their backs on him.

Feeling calmer, she headed for her car.

* * *

The sun had set, but the center of Seoul was still bright.

“Where are you, sunbae.”

– I’m right here. You don’t see me? Across the crosswalk.

Scanning her surroundings, Jaei spotted Seonjun across the road waving his long arms.

“I see you. I’ll cross.”

As soon as the light turned green, she crossed the street, and Seonjun greeted her with a grin.

“Wow. It’s been a while, my junior. What’s it been, six months since I last saw your face.”

Seonjun was a senior lawyer from the big law firm where Jaei had started her career. His help had played a big role in her quick growth.

Naturally, the two began walking together.

“How have you been. You look even better than before.”

“Do I. You have no idea how much they made me work after you left.”

“Come on, like anyone could make you work like that.”

When she gave him a doubtful look, Seonjun sighed dramatically.

“If you don’t believe me, ask Yuna later.”

“Oh, right. Yuna. How’s Yuna.”

“She had something come up at home. So it’s just the two of us tonight.”

“Well, we don’t have a choice then.”

Following his lead, they entered a high-end Japanese restaurant.

“Sushi’s fine, right. You used to love it.”

She often skipped dinner because of work. Whenever that happened, Seonjun would bring her sushi from this very place, and she’d eat while diving back into case files.

“Of course. I didn’t know the sushi you used to bring was from such a fancy place.”

Her eyes widened as she admired the sophisticated interior, trailing behind him.

“How about some drinks.”

“Just one glass.”

Holding up one finger, she smiled. He nodded with a laugh.

“Alright, one glass it is.”

They settled into a table inside. Food and drinks arrived, and they began catching up over dinner.

Empty beer bottles started to pile up on the table. At some point, Jaei began venting about what had happened that day.

“I mean, can my dad really do that. How can he say he’s going to hire another lawyer instead of me. That’s just cruel.”

She pretended to be indifferent, but deep down, it hurt. It felt like Junghoon didn’t trust her abilities. She had several cases already, but she always made time for him.

“Don’t you think so.”

She pouted as she lifted her glass. Seonjun nodded.

“Yeah. Your father might have been a little harsh.”

As she raised her glass again, he reached out and stopped her.

“That’s enough. I think you’ve had quite a bit.”

“Me. No way. I’m fine…”

“Yeah, right.”

“I mean it, sunbae. Have you ever seen me lose my head when drinking.”

His eyes narrowed as he watched her flushed face carefully.

“Why are you looking at me like that. You don’t trust me.”

“No. That’s not it. If that’s the case, how about you stay over at my place tonight. Then you can drink without worrying. I’ll invite Yuna too.”

The corners of her lips lifted as she sipped her beer.

“You think I’d fall for that. You’d probably just give me more case files to work on.”

“Not this time.”

“You used to keep Yuna and me up late working.”

“That was then.”

“And now there’s no reason to share your workload anymore.”

She gave him a pointed look. He chuckled and nodded.

“Ah, you’re not falling for it, Yoon Jaei.”

“Of course not. Your eyes look like… a predator eyeing its prey.”

“That’s harsh.”

Talking with Seonjun after such a long time made the hours fly by. It was already late at night.

Pulling out his phone, Seonjun stood up.

“Hang on a sec, Jaei. I need to take a call.”

“Go ahead.”

She smiled faintly, glancing at the table.

She quickly counted. Five bottles.

Had she matched him drink for drink. Or had she been drinking more.

Tilting her head, she started feeling the buzz. She stepped outside to get some air.

The cool breeze brushed against her cheeks. The dark sky had no stars.

She gazed at the sky quietly. Then she felt someone’s eyes on her and turned her head.

“…Ah.”

A quiet sigh slipped out.

A flawless, expensive suit. Cufflinks glinting at his wrists. A perfectly knotted tie with no gap.

It was him again. Han Taein.

“You really are drunk.”

He let out a short laugh as he muttered.