Chapter 4.7

“Unnie! Is it true you had coffee with a guy in the lounge?”  

“Hold on, let me put this down and go upstairs—”  

“What? Why aren’t you denying it? Is it true? Did you go on a blind date behind my back? The F&B staff said it looked like you were getting an after-date follow-up!”  

Jung Cho-ah interrogated her with the sharp gaze of someone questioning a cheating spouse.  

“That’s so unfair! How could you not tell me? You should’ve brought me along!”  

Su-eon, who had been staring at Jung Cho-ah’s puffy, swollen eyes—likely the result of a long nap—looked at her with mild annoyance. Then, feeling a pull from behind, she turned her head.  

It was Ki Seung-jo.  

“What a spoiled brat.”  

He had followed them at some point and was now standing right behind Su-eon, wrapping an arm around her waist as he sneered at Jung Cho-ah.  

“Executive Director Ki… Ki Seung-jo …?”  

Jung Cho-ah’s eyes widened so much they looked as though they might pop out of their sockets when she finally noticed him.  

“At this point, it’s not just immaturity—it’s like dealing with a child.”  

He casually brushed off Jung Cho-ah’s hand, which was gripping Su-eon’s arm, as if swatting away a speck of dust. Jung Cho-ah, left stunned, glared at Ki Seung-jo with a look of displeasure as he took Su-eon from her.  

“Outsiders shouldn’t meddle. This is a matter between sisters.”  

“Sisters? You mean a boss and her secretary.”  

Ki Seung-jo’s cold retort was delivered with a sharp smile.  

“A boss who doesn’t know how to separate work from personal life, and a secretary who’s essentially raising a child at the office.”  

“…Did you just say everything you wanted to say?”  

Ignoring the fuming Jung Cho-ah, Ki Seung-jo turned to Su-eon with a playful grin.  

“Leaving K.U. Electronics for World Hotel… Turns out you got a job as a nanny?”  

It was Jung Cho-ah who reacted to his comment.  

“Leaving K.U. Electronics? What do you mean by that?”  

“Oh. You didn’t know? Then I shouldn’t be the one telling you.”  

“What… What the heck? Is this what you’re like? So annoying… Unnie, who is this guy? Why is he here at our hotel again? Did he come to see you? I thought you completely ended things with him that day!”  

The moment Su-eon managed to avoid the childlike man, she ran into Jung Cho-ah, who acted like a bratty four-year-old. With an expression that transcended all worldly concerns, Su-eon responded calmly.  

“He said he signed up for our hotel membership.”  

“What? Why? Why?! Refund it immediately! It’s already a mess, and if Mom hears about this, she’ll set a wedding date right away! Hey, Executive Director, do you want to marry me? No, right? I find it horrifying too! So why do you keep coming to our hotel? Do you think World Hotel accepts just anyone as a member?”  

For a brief moment, Su-eon debated whether she should cover Jung Cho-ah’s mouth to stop her nonsensical ranting, but she soon gave up. After enduring a week of harassment from a strange blind-date partner, she had no desire to meddle in anyone’s marriage problems anymore. Let them handle it themselves.  

“The customer service at World Hotel is seriously lacking. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t have an owner yet.”  

Ki Seung-jo, who was staring at the hysterical Jung Cho-ah with a look of disdain, muttered coldly.  

“It seemed somewhat decent back when the former president was around.”  

“You! Did you just insult my late father and me as a set?”

“Your comprehension skills are just as poor.”  

“Secretary Ji, kick this man out immediately—”  

“The general manager told me earlier to let him know if I ever felt uncomfortable.”  

“What…!”  

“I feel a bit uncomfortable now.”  

Between Jung Cho-ah, who was grinding her teeth furiously, and Ki Seung-jo, who ignored her with a blank expression, Su-eon felt a sense of resignation. 

Let things unfold however they will. 

Deciding to just head upstairs, she glanced sideways. That was when Jung Cho-ah grabbed her arm again.  

“Executive Director Ki, you’ve chosen the wrong approach, you know? Do you want to get along with Su-eon-unnie? Then you shouldn’t be treating me like this.”  

Linking her arm with Su-eon’s, Jung Cho-ah changed her tone and sneered at Ki Seung-jo.  

“I told you before, didn’t I? We’re like, besties.”  

Jung Cho-ah pulled on Su-eon’s arm, but since Ki Seung-jo was holding the other side, and he didn’t budge an inch, Su-eon, caught in the middle, bore the full brunt of the tension.  

“You don’t seem close at all.”  

Ki Seung-jo shot back at Jung Cho-ah’s taunt.  

“Didn’t you just yell at her a moment ago?”  

“That’s because unnie went on a blind date without telling me!”  

“A blind date?”  

A brief silence followed. Su-eon could feel the heat of their gazes burning into her. The hand around her waist gave her the illusion of being completely restrained.  

“You went on a blind date?”  

Seung-jo stared directly at Su-eon’s face and asked.  

“While I wasn’t around?”  

“There’s no reason for me to answer…”  

“See? She did, she did! I was right, wasn’t I?”  

Jung Cho-ah’s eyes sparkled triumphantly.  

“Who was the matchmaker? Was it the front desk team leader or the banquet team leader? Those two go crazy trying to introduce their cousins to you whenever they see you.”  

“Quite popular, aren’t you?”  

Ki Seung-jo’s sarcastic remark was met with Jung Cho-ah’s enthusiastic reply.  

“Of course! Even the new hire in the back office is throwing himself at her, saying age doesn’t matter. And he’s four years younger!”  

Jung Cho-ah spread four fingers in front of him, and Ki Seung-jo turned to look at Su-eon’s face.  

“You like younger men?”  

“…”  

Su-eon silently looked at Ki Seung-jo once, then at Jung Cho-ah, and finally at her own reflection in the glass window. Stuck between the two of them, unable to move, she felt like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.  

“Excuse me, could you both let go of me for a moment?”  

Su-eon politely requested.  

“If she lets go first.”  

Ki Seung-jo motioned toward Jung Cho-ah with a light jerk of his chin.  

“Why should I? Executive Director, you let go first.”  

Ki Seung-jo let out a small hum as he glanced at Jung Cho-ah, then leaned toward Su-eon and whispered.  

“It must be hard to work here. Why don’t you just come to our company instead?”  

“Excuse me! I can hear you, you know? How dare you try to steal someone else’s secretary right in front of me! If I had known you were like this, I wouldn’t have sent unnie to meet you that day.”  

Biting her lip in frustration, Jung Cho-ah looked regretful, but Ki Seung-jo only chuckled.  

“It wouldn’t have made a difference. I only deal with adults, after all.”  

“How old do you think I am for you to keep saying that…!”  

“Mentally speaking…”  

“Oh, sure, you must feel great being so old. But what a shame—our unnie is totally into younger men.”  

The two locked eyes over Su-eon’s head, their gazes blazing with hostility. At that moment, Su-eon’s already simmering patience finally snapped.  

She pried both Ki Seung-jo and Jung Cho-ah’s hands off her simultaneously.  

“I really can’t listen to this anymore.”  

With cold, icy eyes, Su-eon looked at both of them.  

“You two are a perfect match. A destined pair.”  

“…Are you being serious right now?”  

Jung Cho-ah asked hesitantly, her expression sour. Su-eon smiled.  

“Of course. I’m always serious. Even when I went on that blind date in place of my boss.”  

Jung Cho-ah flinched.  

“Even when I played along with a man who pretended not to know but knew everything. It was all sincere.”  

Ki Seung-jo, with his usual composed expression, received Su-eon’s meaningful smile. He was truly a man who provoked people to the very end.  

“So go ahead, you two. Whether you get married or argue about refunds, have a productive conversation. Oh, by the way, news of your engagement has already spread throughout the hotel. Congratulations.”  

With a sweet smile, Su-eon gave a polite nod before turning away, her face immediately returning to a blank, emotionless expression.  

Neither of them dared to stop her as she stormed off with an intimidating aura.