Chapter 25. Lee Hyun’s Grand Plan  

Inside a soundproof practice room.  

Seoyoon was plucking the strings of her instrument—ting, ting—before abruptly stopping in frustration.  

She picked up her phone, checked the screen, and let out a deep sigh.  

“Why isn’t he contacting me?”  

Thinking it might be a network issue, she stretched her arm out as far as it could go, but it was no use.  

When she opened her messenger app, all she saw were unnecessary messages from Heejun.  

“It doesn’t seem like my phone is broken.”  

With no other choice, Seoyoon made a call.  

After a few rings, a deep voice answered.  

“Manager Park, are you available to talk?”  

• Young Lady, I can talk briefly. 

“Could you put my father on the phone?”  

• The Congressman is currently in a meeting.  

“All he ever does is attend meetings.”  

Seoyoon pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.  

• If you tell me, I’ll relay the message.  

“Manager Park, didn’t you say you sent my photo to Jiseok Group?”  

• That’s correct. Congressman Kwak said he would arrange a matchmaking meeting.  

“I haven’t heard anything.”  

• You’re saying there’s still no contact?  

“Yes. Please check for me.”  

• Understood. 

Ending the fruitless call, Seoyoon threw her phone aside.  

Even though her solo recitl was approaching, she had no intention of practicing.  

The image of Lee Hyun and Yerin, whom she had seen at the restaurant, wouldn’t leave her mind.  

“They looked so close.”  

It seemed like more than just a boss-secretary relationship—it felt… intimate.  

Feeling uneasy, she had been pestering her father about the matchmaking meeting again today.  

“But seriously, how long has it been since Han Yerin broke up, and she’s already seeing someone new?”  

When Seoyoon found out that Heejun had cheated on her with Yerin, she thought Yerin would come to her, angry and demanding answers.  

But instead, Yerin acted as if nothing had happened and continued living her life calmly.  

That irritated Seoyoon to no end.  

She had gone through all that effort with Heejun, just to see Yerin flustered and embarrassed in front of her.  

But Yerin didn’t show any signs of anger or hurt.  

It was like performing a dance alone on an empty stage with no audience.  

It felt too awkward to reach out to her first.  

As Seoyoon bit her nails in frustration, her phone buzzed loudly.  

It was her father, Congressman Kwak.  

“Dad?”  

Seoyoon answered in a cheerful voice.  

• Are you saying there’s still no contact from Jiseok Group about the matchmaking meeting?

“Yes, Dad. Could it be that Manager Park gave them the wrong phone number?”  

• That’s impossible. I’ll contact Chairman Cha directly. But it’ll have to wait until things calm down a bit.  

“Alright. Oh, Dad, did you know?”  

Seoyoon stopped her father, who sounded like he was about to hang up.  

“Dad, you know Yerin, right?”  

• You mean the daughter of President Han?  

“Yes, Han Yerin.”  

• Of course. Why?  

Seoyoon curled her lips into a sly smile.  

From a young age, Congressman Kwak had always compared Yerin and Seoyoon.  

Since they attended the same high school, Seoyoon often heard nagging about her grades.  

Unlike Seoyoon, who had private tutors and expensive lessons, Yerin studied alone and consistently ranked first in the entire school.  

To Congressman Kwak, who wanted his daughter to excel in every way, Yerin was a thorn in his side.  

“Yerin is working as the secretary to Director Cha Lee Hyun at Jiseok Electronics.”  

• Really? That girl who was so good at studying ended up as a secretary?  

“Well, her family went bankrupt.”  

Congressman Kwak sounded shocked, as if this was entirely unexpected.  

This was the reaction Seoyoon had been waiting for.  

She continued with a mischievous expression.  

“Dad, Yerin has always been out of her depth, hasn’t she?”  

• What are you trying to say? 

“A few days ago, I went out to eat and saw Yerin and Director Cha Lee Hyun together.”  

• What’s strange about a secretary being with her boss?  

“They walked out with his hand on her waist.”  

• …

“Oh, but maybe he was just helping her walk. There’s no way they’re in that kind of relationship, right?”  

Congressman Kwak, quick to read between the lines, seemed to immediately grasp what Seoyoon was insinuating.  

For him, Jiseok Group was a partner he couldn’t afford to lose.  

That was why he had been trying to arrange a marriage to solidify their connection.  

“If you’re busy, you can take your time…”  

• I’ll contact Chairman Cha today.  

As she put down her phone, a sly smile spread across Seoyoon’s face.  

“Han Yerin, you shouldn’t have crossed my path.”  

She couldn’t stop herself from chuckling.  

“Cha Lee Hyun wasn’t even part of my original plan.”  

Jiseok Group had two sons.  

It didn’t matter whether she ended up with Soo Hyun or Lee Hyun.  

Both were good-looking and equally competent in business, so either would have been fine.  

“But if Han Yerin gets involved, that changes everything.”  

If her father stepped in, the matchmaking meeting would progress quickly.  

That thought alone felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.  

Finally able to focus, Seoyoon began practicing her instrument, albeit with mediocre skill.  

If her relationship with Lee Hyun deepened, she would invite him to her solo recital.  

Lost in her imagination, planning countless future scenarios, Seoyoon threw herself into practice.  

***

In the Director’s office at Jiseok Electronics after work hours, only Lee Hyun and Yerin remained.  

As the clock approached 7 PM, Lee Hyun turned off the lights in his office and stepped outside.  

“Are you leaving work?”  

“I am. Let’s go, Secretary Han.”  

Yerin also turned off her computer and stood up.  

Lee Hyun seemed deep in thought, staring at his tablet PC as if he wasn’t quite finished with his work.  

“Director, I can wait longer, so please finish your work before we leave.”  

“No, I’m done with work.”  

Then what was he so focused on?  

Standing upright, Yerin waited for Lee Hyun’s instructions.  

Frowning slightly as if something wasn’t going well, Lee Hyun handed his tablet PC to Yerin.  

“Which one do you think is better?” 

It seemed like Lee Hyun was asking for her opinion on which proposal from the planning team was better.  

Yerin quickly took the tablet PC he handed her.  

But what appeared on the screen was something quite different and unexpected from what she had imagined.  

Lee Hyun moved closer to her and began explaining kindly.  

“Look, this restaurant has an antique atmosphere that’s very appealing.”  

The tablet PC displayed pictures of various restaurants.  

As if he were giving her a briefing, Lee Hyun flipped through the photos one by one, explaining as he went.  

“This one serves Italian food and is famous for its steak.”  

Yerin had no idea why he was showing her these.  

After all, there was always a purpose behind everything.  

To align her feedback with his intentions, Yerin decided to speak.  

“Director, if you tell me who you’ll be dining with, I can give you a more tailored opinion.”  

At her words, Lee Hyun looked at her with a face that seemed to say he was more confused than she was.  

“I’m choosing a place to have dinner with you.”  

“Pardon?”  

“Oh, so none of the places I showed you are to your liking?”  

“No! That’s not it at all…”  

Yerin was utterly flustered.  

Couldn’t we just walk into any restaurant and have a conversation? Why go through the trouble of collecting photos and deliberating over them?  

Dinner was supposed to be just bait—wasn’t the real purpose to finish the conversation they hadn’t wrapped up in the morning?  

“If there’s a place you like, let me know.”  

“Oh, alright.”  

Realizing that they had to choose a location first, Yerin refocused her attention on the tablet PC.  

“Director, by the way, did Secretary Choi prepare this list of restaurants?”  

Since she hadn’t done it, she naturally assumed Secretary Choi had.  

“No.”  

“Then, who…”  

“I found them myself.”  

“….”  

Yerin’s lips parted slightly in surprise.  

She had been planning to pick a place casually, but now, for some reason, it didn’t feel right to do so.  

After all, Lee Hyun had invested his time and effort into carefully preparing this. It seemed only polite for her to evaluate the options thoroughly and make a proper decision.  

“It seems like the restaurants I picked aren’t to your liking after all.”  

“No! I’m just surprised.”  

“Surprised about what?”  

“In the future, please assign tasks like this to me.”  

“Why?”  

Why?  

How could he, a busy man, spend time on something like this?  

“Isn’t that why you hired me—to handle these trivial tasks?”  

“They’re not trivial.”  

“….”  

Yerin was at a loss for words.  

“Is it a problem for a man to choose the location for a date?”  

Her pupils trembled slightly.  

The words “man” and “date”…  

Those two words were far too startling.  

This wasn’t a date, and besides, he wasn’t just a man—he was her boss.  

She wanted to correct him, but the words wouldn’t leave her lips.  

“This is my first time planning a date like this, so I must have been quite clumsy.”  

“No, the restaurants are all great…”  

“Then what’s the issue?”  

Did he really not understand what the problem was?  

Everything was a problem.  

This wasn’t a date—it was an extension of work to finish their unfinished conversation.  

And she couldn’t fathom why someone as overworked as Lee Hyun had taken the time to personally research restaurants.  

“So, which one suits your taste?”  

Since he asked, she had to give an answer.  

Reluctantly, Yerin went back to flipping through the photos of the restaurants Lee Hyun had picked himself.  

Now that she was paying closer attention, all the options seemed appealing, making it hard to choose.  

“Oh, I like them all…”  

“Do you?”  

“Yes. But if I had to pick just one…”  

“Why only one?”  

Huh?  

Then how many was I supposed to pick?  

Yerin looked up at Lee Hyun with wide eyes.  

“Why not go to all of them?”  

“All in one day?”  

There’s only so much one can eat in a day. That didn’t seem feasible.  

Lee Hyun shook his head.  

“Why does it have to be all in one day?”  

“Then…”  

“We’ll go tomorrow, and the day after, too.”  

“….”  

“And if the restaurant list gets updated in the meantime…”  

“Are you saying you’ll go to all of them with me?”  

“Yes.”  

Lee Hyun looked at her as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.  

“Who else would I go with to places like these, if not you?”  

Now that he mentioned it, it did make sense.  

He couldn’t very well go to such places with Secretary Choi—it would be far too dull.  

“So, what’s your choice?”  

Having no other option, Yerin finally picked one of the restaurants.  

Little did she realize that she was like a rabbit hopping willingly into the pen Lee Hyun had carefully set up for her.