TSG 36

Ha Min-hyuk glanced between Shin Tae-oh and Se-hyun.

“If I knew it would be like this… ”

He didn’t know what he wanted to say, but he felt reluctant to speak. In a moment of hesitation, Ha Min-hyuk reluctantly uttered:

“I should have said I was here to meet Secretary Ahn, not CEO Shin Tae-oh.”

When he came to meet Shin Tae-oh without an appointment, he was rejected, but Shin Tae-oh appeared when Se-hyun was present.

It felt as if Ha Min-hyuk’s inner thoughts were audible, saying, “So, you’re here,” to himself.

“I didn’t come to see Ha Min-hyuk-ssi.”

Shin Tae-oh passed by Ha Min-hyuk and approached Se-hyun.

“The tablet.”

“Here it is.”

Shin Tae-oh picked up the tablet and checked the schedule on the screen.

“It’s difficult if you do this.”

Shin Tae-oh did not give Ha Min-hyuk the slightest glance and showed his displeasure towards Se-hyun.

“There’s less than thirty minutes left until the next meeting. But instead of being seated during that time, you’re wandering around like this?”

Se-hyun stared into Shin Tae-oh’s eyes.

While the boss’s schedule may move according to the time, a secretary’s role is different. They have to divide and use their time wisely. Even for a simple meeting, they need to assess the meeting room conditions and review documents so that they can answer Shin Tae-oh’s questions without hesitation.

There were many busy moments in such invisible places. Even as a personal secretary, he hardly had time to sit at his desk. Sometimes, he wondered if he had left a feather duster on one side.

“Did the chief secretary order it?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Tsk.”

Lee Jin-ho and himself just worked as usual, but Shin Tae-oh was dissatisfied.

Shin Tae-oh, do you know anything? You’re wasting my time blocking my way.

“This… ”

Shin Tae-oh picked up the coffee he had put aside and offered it to Se-hyun.

“What is this?”

“Coffee I bought for all the secretaries.”

“Oh…”

Se-hyun, who thought it was only for himself, nodded as he took the coffee.

“The chief secretary told me not to leave your coffee here. He said since you’re always on the move, we should wait until you sit down, otherwise the coffee will get cold.”

So, that’s why he brought it?

“I happened to have some free time, so I decided to bring it.”

Shin Tae-oh explained the reason for bringing the coffee as if it were a big deal. Then, as if he had finished his business, he ignored Ha Min-hyuk and tried to leave.

“I’m sorry, but could you spare a little more time?”

Ha Min-hyuk grabbed Shin Tae-oh’s ankle as he tried to leave.

“I won’t hold you for long.”

Shin Tae-oh turned his body towards Ha Min-hyuk.

“Otherwise, would it be okay for Secretary Ahn and I to have a chat alone?”

“Trying to use such shallow tricks. Who do you think will fall for it?”

Shin Tae-oh mocked Ha Min-hyuk as if there was no chance. It seemed ridiculous to think that Shin Tae-oh would care if Se-hyun and he had a conversation alone.

“Still, I’m curious because Ha Min-hyuk wants me so desperately.”

Shin Tae-oh smiled faintly and gestured for Ha Min-hyuk to go to his office. As Ha Min-hyuk entered obediently and Shin Tae-oh followed, Se-hyun was left alone in the hallway.

Shallow tricks…

Who will fall for it…

⍣⍣⍣

After hearing the reason why Ha Min-hyuk came, Shin Tae-oh gave him a serious look.

“So you want to form a consortium with me?”

“Yes. I hope we can enter into a bid together.”

The project Ha Min-hyuk was in charge of involved forming a consortium to bid for and construct a large apartment complex. And Ha Min-hyuk proposes the consortium to SR Construction. It was a flow that perfectly matched the original.

Shin Tae-oh crossed his arms for a moment and tapped his fingers.

Se-hyun stayed silent behind Shin Tae-oh. Though he heard everything, he showed no reaction.

Two or more construction companies form a consortium to build a large complex. Later, they can combine their individual brands to establish a name or introduce a new one. If done well, the complex could quickly establish itself as a landmark.

Recently, consortiums were quite active. When multiple construction companies collaborated to develop a single complex, there were numerous advantages. Firstly, the burden was reduced since each company didn’t have to handle everything. Additionally, if one party failed to proceed with construction, the others could continue. But that wasn’t all. Since they were building apartments side by side, they could openly compare and strive to build better, which was another strength.

‘It sounds great, but…’

The problem was Ha Jin-seong.

He would hinder Ha Min-hyuk, and ultimately, the burden would fall on Shin Tae-oh.

Shin Tae-oh would reject Ha Min-hyuk’s proposal anyway. Honestly, from SR Construction’s perspective, there were plenty of other options besides Ha Min-hyuk.

In any case, the rejection was Shin Tae-oh’s responsibility, so Se-hyun quietly picked up the tablet. He then looked at the schedule shared with the Chief secretary to make sure there were no disruptions to the next schedule.

“Has this been discussed at the company?”

“Yes. If CEO Shin Tae-oh agrees to join us, we will proceed immediately.”

Ha Min-hyuk came out stronger than expected. It was a reaction that could not have been seen if it had not been planned from the beginning to build a large complex with SR Construction.

“Let me think about it.”

Shin Tae-oh didn’t immediately make a decision. Though he didn’t outright refuse, Se-hyun casually organized the content.

He’ll probably refuse next time. So, Se-hyun calmly looked at the empty schedule, but when he raised his head, he noticed that Ha Min-hyuk was already opening the door to the office.

Se-hyun hadn’t realized he was leaving. He was belatedly trying to follow along when he turned his head and made eye contact with Ha Min-hyuk.

He gave him a nod as if to say, “See you later.” With that, there was no reason to follow him.

“It would be nice if he just disappeared obediently…”

Shin Tae-oh’s words to Ha Min-hyuk were full of meaning. What did he mean by saying that?

“Should we catch and punish all the people who date within the company?”

Ha Min-hyuk is an outsider. So, strictly speaking, it’s not even an office relationship… No, just don’t get any weird thoughts.

“Secretary Ahn, who doesn’t even have a lover, should leave work early.”

Why bring up having a lover?

“Understood.”

Certainly, when interacting with the main character, one should not meddle with the supporting characters.

⍣⍣⍣

Se-hyun, who came to the hospital, alternately looked at his parents, who were awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

“You said it’s a stretched ligament.”

He said after looking at his father’s cast. That’s a fracture, at least.

“Just a little bump?”

He glanced at his mother.

The nurse told him earlier that it was a major surgery that took sixteen hours.

To think they would describe such a major surgery as just a bump.

“I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“I told you not to say anything at all.”

“What else could I do? We can’t let the medical bills pile up any further.”

His mother made excuses as to why she did that, and his father blamed his mother for doing that. And mother gets angry at his father for saying that she had no choice.

“Ha.”

The two people flinched at Se-hyun’s sigh.

“How many times have I told you that I feel sad when you left me out like that?”

Se-hyun approached and hugged both of them. After becoming Ahn Se-hyun, they were the first family he had ever had in his entire life. It was awkward at first, but he quickly fell into their love.

Now, he felt responsible for both of them. So, he became Shin Tae-oh’s secretary by using what he knew about the original work.

“Weren’t you scared?”

At Se-hyun’s question, his mother was the first to shed tears.

“Don’t even talk. I thought I couldn’t see this person anymore.”

“Ahem. Even though I told you not to act harshly because it was a serious illness.”

His father awkwardly turned his head again under Mother’s sharp gaze. Despite their modest circumstances, they were loving parents to each other.

“But is it okay for you to come down here like this?”

“It’s okay. I took some days off.”

Se-hyun had no idea such a major surgery would be performed, but he was told his father was in the hospital anyhow, so he came. It was originally planned as a leave day to coincide with the heat cycle, but it didn’t matter in front of his parents.

“You don’t even have time… You should have rested at home instead.”

“I know, right. I should have come down a day earlier. Then we could have rested here together.”

Se-hyun said that he was upset that he couldn’t come sooner, and his parents said they were sorry, but at the same time, they were happy to see him after a long time.

“Are you okay? When will you be discharged? Just a moment.”

Se-hyun was about to ask about his father’s health when he took out his buzzing phone from his pocket. It was a call from Shin Tae-oh.

After confirming the caller ID, Se-hyun told his parents that he would only make one call.

“Hello?”

– Where are you? I’m already in front of Secretary Ahn’s house. Can I see you for a moment? I have something to give you.

“I’m not in Seoul right now.”

He held his phone close to his mouth and covered it with his hand. He turned around to see that his parents were wondering who it was.

– Not in Seoul?

“Yes.”

Se-hyun knew that he had to work regardless of weekends. However, this weekend was meant to be free, and since he had already stated that he would be going far away, the chief secretary would not have called him, but he did not expect his boss to call him.

Even if he wanted to contact the chief secretary, he had to hang up on Shin Tae-oh. So, he was about to explain the situation, but Shin Tae-oh’s question came first.

– Where are you?

“Yes?”

For a moment, Se-hyun looked around at the hospital. People wearing patient gowns were visible everywhere.

“I’m at the hospital.”

– F*ck…

The call was disconnected.

Se-hyun put down his phone.

Was Shin Tae-oh swearing just now?