Chapter 4
The two of them entered the restaurant.
Since it was dinner time, live music was being played. The soft sound of a piano filled the space.
Seung-woo, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, was handsome enough to make one’s heart race—if Yoon-seo hadn’t known him.
Yoon-seo recalled the first time she had seen him. Even among many people, he had stood out unmistakably.
Her father’s ever-growing debt. A mother who did nothing but cry every day. A younger sibling who had been accepted to college but might have to give it up because there was no tuition money.
With graduation approaching, Yoon-seo had no choice but to be desperate. At the interview she had barely managed to reach, the youngest person there—and the one sitting in the highest position—was him. She had to impress him, even if it meant crawling like a dog.
“What do you think your strength is?”
As an interviewer, he had asked calmly, looking at her.
She had learned everything—knowledge of hotel management, basic secretarial duties—but she had never thought about herself. Forgetting the most basic question, Yoon-seo unconsciously bit her lip.
“Biting your lip can’t be your strength.”
His eyes had glinted strangely.
It felt humiliating, like being splashed with cold water. After taking a deep breath, words she hadn’t expected came out of her mouth.
“I don’t have any strengths.”
The other applicants looked at her. There was relief in their eyes—at least one person would rank below them.
His lips parted. A sigh, mixed with something like regret, escaped. Yoon-seo straightened her back even more. She had no intention of backing down.
“But because I don’t have a strength, I can adapt to anything. Because I’m not clearly defined, I can become anyone. I believe that is the basic attitude of a secretary.”
At the same time the other applicants’ eyes grew sharp, the interviewers’ expressions softened. However, Seung-woo continued to look at Yoon-seo with eyes that revealed nothing.
“The basic attitude of a secretary.”
After clicking his pen once, he asked again,
“Erasing your own color doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll serve your superior well. I prefer my subordinates to have clear strengths. That way, I know what to assign them.”
Another reversal.
She swallowed hard.
This was no longer just a battle of knowledge. Seung-woo was placing her firmly on a testing ground.
“I will make sure you never need to think that way.”
Yoon-seo answered in a calm, composed voice.
“I will give you enough trust that you won’t need to 고민 about what to assign—so that no matter what you ask, I can handle it.”
“Based on what?”
Seung-woo’s lips curved upward slightly. As if revealing emotions he had hidden, his eyes flashed sharply.
“I have debt.”
Yoon-seo blinked her wide eyes and continued.
“It won’t be easy to repay. My younger sibling may not even be able to attend college. And there’s no one more trustworthy than someone bound by money.”
Seung-woo’s lips opened. A short laugh escaped—an emotion he couldn’t fully suppress.
“So you do have a strength.”
He put down his pen.
“A strength that makes people curious. The interview ends here.”
That day, she received the acceptance call immediately. She was twenty-four years old—six years ago from now.
At twenty-nine, he had become the president of a hotel that wasn’t even ranked domestically. Now, at thirty-five, he had turned that small hotel into one that truly represented the nation.
And she had run alongside him just as hard. For five years after joining, she barely slept, giving her all for him.
He knew how to manage subordinates efficiently and work productively. Under a capable superior, she learned and grew a great deal.
While working with Seung-woo, she quietly nurtured her feelings, but because she believed they would never be fulfilled, it was oddly comfortable. She had planned to fold those feelings away on her own.
However, a year ago, their relationship changed in a direction Yoon-seo had never imagined.
“Do you remember?”
Seung-woo said lazily, looking over Yoon-seo.
“This place—you suggested it.”
The restaurant they were in now. Originally, there had been a café here. Yoon-seo had suggested that a high-end restaurant in an easily accessible location would be good. Everyone opposed it, but Seung-woo accepted her opinion, and this restaurant was created.
“After the restaurant opened, hotel sales increased by ten percent. Package customers increased too.”
It was the first compliment to come from a mouth that usually spoke only harsh words. Yoon-seo quickly lowered her eyes and replied.
“It’s thanks to you, sir.”
“How long are you going to keep using that title…”
Before Seung-woo could finish his complaint, a server came to take their order.
Yoon-seo looked at Seung-woo with a pounding heart. She wanted to know his true thoughts—but at the same time, she didn’t.
If she heard his inner voice criticizing her… if she heard something like that paired with his current expression…
‘What is she wearing? I told her clearly—doesn’t she know how to dress appropriately?’
‘How long do I have to drag out this kind of marriage? If it weren’t for my mother, I wouldn’t have even considered marriage.’
‘I should say I have a business trip this weekend and check on Miseon.’
She might even learn that he was having an affair.
Knowing everything she wished she didn’t know about him—
That would be a shock on a completely different level than knowing Driver Oh’s secret.
She shook her head.
“Why?”
Seung-woo asked, noticing her sudden movement.
“N-No.”
“No?”
“No, I mean—Driver Oh.”
Since she had started speaking, Yoon-seo brought up Driver Oh.
“Yes.”
“I feel uncomfortable with a male driver. I’d like to change to a female driver.”
If she hadn’t known, it couldn’t be helped—but now that she did, she couldn’t look at Driver Oh properly anymore. She felt somewhat sorry toward him, but she made her decision.
However, even after she finished speaking, Seung-woo just looked at her without responding.
“Sir…”
“This is a first.”
Seung-woo’s lips curved slightly.
Just like during the interview, when he had listened to her words.
“A first…?”
“You asking me for something. This is the first time.”
Was it?
She had never thought she was in a position to ask him for anything. She had already received more than enough; asking for more felt shameless.
“Sure. I’ll do it.”
Seung-woo immediately took out his phone.
“Yes, Chief Han.”
Han Joo-seok, the chief secretary, was Seung-woo’s right-hand man and the head of the secretarial office. He was also Seung-woo’s high school friend and close companion. Unlike Seung-woo, he had a gentle personality and treated Yoon-seo kindly.
When Seung-woo had entered the hotel earlier, Chief Han had been with him. After hearing they would be having dinner together, he excused himself and left.
After giving instructions regarding what Yoon-seo had said, Seung-woo was about to end the call when he frowned, as if he had heard something unexpected.
“Now?”
He glanced sideways at Yoon-seo. At that moment, the appetizer was served.
“…Fine. I’ll go now.”
Yoon-seo looked up at Seung-woo in confusion as he stood.
“The chairman called. I might be late tonight, so go to sleep first.”
He was referring to his father, Chairman Jung Joong-hee of Da-in Group.
The chairman had two sons, Seung-won and Seung-woo. Seung-won was the official successor, but after being involved in an illegal gambling scandal widely reported in the media last year, he was currently staying in the U.S.
The chairman had given Seung-woo a nearly bankrupt hotel instead of the successor position, but in just five years, Seung-woo had turned it into the group’s flagship business.
Seung-woo was not the child of the chairman’s wife. His mother, In-hye, had once been one of the chairman’s caddies. Yoon-seo didn’t know that detail, but she did know that Seung-won and Seung-woo had different mothers.
And that their relationship was extremely bad.
“Then I’ll go too.”
Yoon-seo stood up, but Seung-woo gestured for her to stop.
“Sit. Chief Han is coming. Eat and go.”
After shooting her a sharp glance, Seung-woo turned and strode out of the restaurant. Because of that, Yoon-seo couldn’t follow him immediately.
Even if she left, she felt she should greet Chief Han first.
Soon, Han Joo-seok came into view.
“It’s been a while.”
When Seung-woo was present, Joo-seok only exchanged stiff greetings with Yoon-seo, but now that they were alone, his lips curved upward as if recalling old times.
“Yes, it’s been a while, Chief.”
“This is the first time we’ve met like this since you got married. Seung-woo—no, President Jung—told me to escort you properly today. Sit.”
She had planned to greet him and leave, but she thought that doing so might get both herself and Chief Han scolded. Deciding to stay briefly, Yoon-seo sat down.
The food was served one by one, but neither of them really enjoyed the meal. As the silence grew awkward, Joo-seok spoke first.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight since getting married.”
“Have I?”
“You were already thin. You should get some herbal medicine.”
Yoon-seo smiled quietly.
“I’ll go to the restroom.”
After a while, Joo-seok left his seat.
Trying to pass time, Yoon-seo took out her phone, then suddenly glanced at the glasses inside her bag.
Right. Since I’m bored… just for a moment.
She could never wear them in front of Seung-woo, but she felt she could easily wear them in front of Joo-seok. She didn’t expect to see anything special anyway.
Joo-seok returned shortly after.
“Oh? You wear glasses?”
He smiled slightly, amused, while Yoon-seo stared at him in shock.
‘That bastard Jung Seung-woo—he’s busy to death, and he makes me deal with this too?’
That was more shocking than Driver Oh’s thoughts. That Joo-seok—of all people—was thinking this about Seung-woo.
‘Anyway, I need to contact President Jung Seung-won soon. Once Seung-woo is taken care of, I need to make sure my position is secured. How long do I have to stay here?’
What did that mean? President Jung Seung-won—did he mean her brother-in-law? And why was Chief Han asking Seung-won for a position? What did he mean by “getting rid of” Seung-woo?
“It’s my first time seeing you in glasses. They suit you. But where are they from? They look old.”
Joo-seok asked casually, as if nothing were wrong.
