TSG 35

“My secretary said it’s not possible.”

Shin Tae-oh said, placing his hand on Se-hyun’s shoulder. Even his eyebrows lowered as if he had no choice when Se-hyun said no.

Ha Min-hyuk thought that Shin Tae-oh’s reaction was somewhat contemptuous, but he took a step back when he realized that he had come here without any notice.

“I’m sorry.”

Se-hyun looked back at Ha Min-hyuk as he apologized. He had stood in front of Tae-oh earlier, hoping to catch his attention. While looking at him, he sent a signal to go ahead first, in case Ha Min-hyuk followed.

Fortunately, Tae-oh understood the meaning of his gaze and passed by without a word. After confirming that Ha Min-hyuk didn’t follow, Se-hyun sighed.

As he followed Shin Tae-oh, Se-hyun recalled what had just happened.

‘I managed to stop him for now, but the next time will be a problem.’

If Ha Min-hyuk came again, Se-hyun would block him as he did today. It wasn’t something that greatly benefited Tae-oh, so there was no concern about the situation changing. However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He had acted too carelessly before, thinking he knew everything about the original, only to be surprised.

‘I have to come to my senses and protect Taenyang-i.’

What if Shin Tae-oh participated in this consortium?

‘Ha Jin-seong will definitely go after Shin Tae-oh.’

Se-hyun was determined to handle the aftermath if it came to that.

‘I don’t want to run around until my feet are on fire.’

Se-hyun, who was riding the elevator and watching the numbers go up, heard Shin Tae-oh’s voice in his ears.

“That’s strange.”

Unable to ignore Tae-oh, who was waiting in front of the elevator, Se-hyun turned to him.

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t make sense that Ha Min-hyuk would want to do something with me.”

Shin Tae-oh looked at Se-hyun’s eyes reflected in the elevator mirror and said.

“It seems like he didn’t like me very much. So there’s no need to come to me.”

“That…”

Because all the other companies were watching and did not give a definite answer. Although Ha Jin-seong had not yet made his move, they hesitated because they knew what kind of person Ha Min-hyuk was.

That’s why he came to find Shin Tae-oh. He knew the reason but couldn’t honestly say it…

“Maybe it’s because SR Construction is solid.”

He beat around the bush, feeling Shin Tae-oh’s gaze anew.

“Why do you say that?”

“Um…”

Shin Tae-oh looked with one eye narrowed. Se-hyun looked wary at those mysterious eyes.

“SR Group is big, but not to the extent of the construction company. It’s not even a top player in the industry.”

“I mean the inner company… is stable.”

It didn’t have to be the top in the industry. As a subsidiary, it didn’t generate as much profit, but from what he saw, it was running quite well.

“Stability. Right. If you say stability, then no one can beat me.”

“Stability. Right. If you say stability, then no one can follow me.”

Shin Tae-oh quickly descended from the elevator with a pleased expression.

Without thinking about following such Shin Tae-oh, Se-hyun muttered to himself.

“It feels strangely unpleasant.”

He wasn’t exactly sure why.

⍣⍣⍣

“Min-hyuk-ssi.”

Yoo Jin-ha came out to the lobby and waved at Ha Min-hyuk. As happy as he was to see him, Ha Min-hyuk also smiled and looked at Yoo Jin-ha.

“Did you come to see me?”

In response to Yoo Jin-ha’s sparkling eyes that seemed to hope for such an answer, Ha Min-hyuk smiled and nodded.

“Really? What’s wrong with someone who won’t tell a lie even if it costs them nothing?”

When Yoo Jin-ha looked at him as if he liked it but was suspicious, Ha Min-hyuk quickly explained the real reason for his visit.

“I came to see CEO Shin Tae-oh.”

“Did you call me while you were at it?”

Upon learning the truth, Yoo Jin-ha acted momentarily disappointed but soon smiled again. It didn’t matter if he just dropped by briefly.

“But why CEO Shin Tae-oh? Oh, may I ask?”

In case it was an official meeting, it might have been impolite for him, a mere employee, to ask. Feeling like he had asked an awkward question, Yoo Jin-ha closed his mouth belatedly, but Ha Min-hyuk nodded as if it didn’t matter.

“It’s fine. Can I ask you something in return?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you choose to work here?”

“That’s a very vague question, isn’t it?”

Why did you choose to work here? Ha Min-hyuk tried to anticipate what Yoo Jin-ha’s intentions were in asking.

“Why did I choose this company?”

“Yeah.”

“Because here is the most…”

Yoo Jin-ha looked around. When he made eye contact with a passing employee, he bowed lightly in greeting. He motioned to those who could not take their eyes off him, telling them to go quickly.

“Ideal.”

Yoo Jin-ha chose the most appropriate words.

“I tried part-time jobs elsewhere for a while and also heard stories from seniors, but this place felt the best. It seems like I made a good choice. The people here are nice, and there’s no overtime.”

Judging from the smile on Yoo Jin-ha’s face, it didn’t seem like he was just saying this. Ha Min-hyuk couldn’t take his eyes off Yoo Jin-ha, who had soft eyes, a kind smile, and everything that fit together. It was sometimes hard to believe that such a person was his lover.

“…Me too.”

“Huh?”

Ha Min-hyuk covered his slightly flushed face with his hand as Yoo Jin-ha looked back at him.

“That’s why I chose to come here too.”

Feeling embarrassed by saying he liked it, he quickly changed the subject. As if that wasn’t enough, he turned his head and made eye contact with Ahn Se-hyun, who was nearby.

He was closer than he thought. Rather than not noticing Ahn Se-hyun’s presence at all, it was more like,

‘It’s nice.’

It was a look that seemed to understand everything about why he changed the subject. He thought Ahn Se-hyun was a man who didn’t have much facial expression.

“I came to coordinate a meeting appointment.”

It was a situation where Se-hyun met with the chief secretary and received instructions after sharing the encounter with Ha Min-hyuk. If he had known, he would have come down slowly. He hurried because he thought he had to catch Ha Min-hyuk before he left.

“Yes.”

“I will guide you to the conference room.”

Ha Min-hyuk looked at Yoo Jin-ha when Se-hyun said that they should move to a more suitable place rather than having a conversation in the lobby.

“Take care.”

Yoo Jin-ha gently pushed Ha Min-hyuk towards Ahn Se-hyun. Ha Min-hyuk looked at Yoo Jin-ha apologetically as he waved his hand and smiled.

“I’ll be right back.”

“You can take your time since I’ll be working.”

Even though Yoo Jin-ha seemed to imply that he didn’t need to worry, Ha Min-hyuk insisted that he would come quickly.

As they exchanged such greetings, Se-hyun, who was standing at a certain distance away, watched with a darkening expression.

‘Hurry up.’

They may have been exchanging affectionate greetings, but to others, it was no different from just lingering around. He understood that they wanted to continue seeing each other, but they didn’t come here to date.

‘Maybe I should just leave.’

He already had plenty to do. Se-hyun checked his phone for any messages, and only after Ha Min-hyuk arrived did he look up.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Honestly, he didn’t appreciate their flirtation, but making a big deal out of it was something you did when you were new.

“I don’t think it’s okay?”

“I’m sorry, but I will avoid private conversations.”

It felt like Ha Min-hyuk was going to keep saying something else, so Se-hyun drew the line, but Ha Min-hyuk only smiled weakly and followed Se-hyun into the elevator.

Earlier, he stood next to Shin Tae-oh in the elevator, but this time, it was Ha Min-hyuk.

He looked at Ha Min-hyuk’s reflection in the elevator. Shin Tae-oh seemed taller.

Although Ha Min-hyuk’s face was small, making his proportions good, in terms of overall balance, Shin Tae-oh was better…

“What are you measuring?”

“I didn’t measure anything.”

“Did you understand what I meant?”

“…”

Se-hyun should have said he didn’t know what he meant by “measuring.” Realizing the mistake, he stayed silent, and Ha Min-hyuk smiled at him. Ha Min-hyuk didn’t smile often due to his surroundings. The only time he smiled a little was when he was with Yoo Jin-ha, but just now, he smiled.

“CEO Shin Tae-oh is so tall. Honestly, his height is a bit of a foul.”

Have all his thoughts been revealed?

“This is already the second time. You looked at me with those eyes. So I should understand it this time.”

Even so, Se-hyun didn’t blatantly alternate between looking at Shin Tae-oh and Ha Min-hyuk.

“You blatantly looked.”

Se-hyun stared at Ha Min-hyuk with his lips tightly sealed. Even though he didn’t say anything, Ha Min-hyuk kept responding as if he heard an answer.

“Get off.”

In the end, Se-hyun used the elevator door opening as an excuse to talk. Ha Min-hyuk obediently got off, and when Se-hyun, who followed him, raised his hand and pointed forward, Ha Min-hyuk suddenly turned around.

“Is it okay to date in the company?”

“You just have to go straight.”

“…”

“…”

Se-hyun thought something like this happened at some point. It was when they had a conversation that seemed oddly fitting even though they were all talking about different things. Anyway, Se-hyun was so flustered that he kept his mouth shut, so Ha Min-hyuk looked around and said.

“You’re not here to date, right?”

That was what Se-hyun was thinking about earlier while watching Yoo Jin-ha and Ha Min-hyuk, but why was it getting it thrown back at him?

“I don’t go to work to date. It’s not like I have a lover.”

So, Se-hyun was about to tell him not to say such nonsense anymore, but the door to the conference room opened and Shin Tae-oh appeared.

“My secretary’s love life is none of Ha Min-hyuk-ssi’s business.”

Why was Shin Tae-oh, who should be in the office, here…?