Chapter 10 (Part 3)
After gaining little from the factory visit, she had something to check at the office the next day.
“CCTV?”
“To tamper with furniture sizes, it can only be done through the company network.”
“So, something might have been caught on CCTV?”
Hye-yoon nodded, finding her reasoning convincing.
Assistant Manager Jeong, who had approached unnoticed, agreed.
“That’s a good idea. Why didn’t I think of that? But what if nothing was caught? If it’s someone from the company, they’d know the CCTV locations and avoid them.”
“Right! That’s true. Assistant Manager Jeong, you’re sharp.”
Hye-yoon agreed immediately, speaking proudly as if she had known all along.
“But there’s a new CCTV at the end of the office.”
“What? Where?”
A small camera light, significantly smaller than other CCTVs, was where Hye-yoon pointed.
“What? When was that installed?”
A surprised Assistant Manager Jeong asked Hye-yoon.
“About two weeks ago? Not many know about it. Maybe the person who tampered with the sizes didn’t know either.”
“That makes sense.”
In-ah looked hopeful and excited. But Assistant Manager Jeong’s expression darkened suddenly.
She raised a question.
“But can anyone just look at the CCTV footage?”
“I’m not just anyone. I’m an employee here.”
“Even as an employee, you can’t see it.”
Her expression was serious, and she spoke firmly.
“We don’t know what or who might be caught on it.”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
In-ah seemed surprised by his unexpected reaction. He lowered his voice as if suppressing rising anger.
“What do you think of your colleagues, Seo In-ah?”
Startled, she shifted her gaze to his face.
“Assistant Manager Jeong, what do you mean?”
“Are you saying colleagues’ privacy doesn’t matter? Is it okay to sacrifice privacy to prove your innocence?”
She was left speechless, unfamiliar with her sudden change.
What kind of logic was this?
All afternoon, she was too distracted to focus on work.
Was I too naive about checking the CCTV, as Assistant Manager Jeong suggested?
She was confused.
“Seo In-ah, can I see you for a moment?”
It was Jinwon calling her.
She rose and followed him. Only when they were alone in the corridor did she quietly speak.
“Why? Where are we going?”
“The security room.”
“What?”
She stopped in her tracks.
“We need to check the CCTV. The culprit might be on it. I’ve already spoken to the security office.”
He urged her on, but she felt conflicted, remembering Assistant Manager Jeong.
“But is it okay for us to just look at the CCTV? What if other employees complain about privacy invasion?”
He reassured her, lowering his voice.
“This might not be targeting you. If someone set this up, as you said…”
She listened intently.
“… it might be targeting me, not you.”
“Why you?”
Seeing her surprised eyes, he gently held her hand.
“The important thing is to uncover the truth. We can’t just stay silent and be victimized.”
In the security room, she was stunned.
Now she understood why Assistant Manager Jeong had been so defensive.
The new CCTV, which had been installed recently, captured a man and woman in a compromising position, hidden in what used to be a blind spot.
Before she could cover her gaping mouth, the faces of the couple engaged in an affair were revealed.
It was Assistant Manager Jeong. Caught in an affair with Vice Department Head Cha, both married.
Lee Seong-jun, who had come into the security office later, also checked the footage.
But she couldn’t pay attention to his reaction or Jinwon’s. She was too shocked, as if she’d been hit on the head with a marble floor.
Moreover, they found no trace of the real culprit.
For her, it was the worst-case scenario.
***
She sat in front of a convenience store near her home, looking dazed. Her expression hadn’t changed since the office.
Jinwon was inside, filling a basket with snacks.
The handsome part-timer glanced at her and asked him,
“Is something wrong with her?”
“How does she look to you?”
The part-timer looked at her again and answered,
“Her body’s here, but her mind seems elsewhere.”
“Exactly.”
Jinwon chuckled, carrying the snacks out of the store.
He piled the snacks like a mountain on the table in front of her. She watched him quietly.
Then he asked,
“Want me to open one for you?”
“How much do you know about me?”
“Let’s see. That you need snacks at times like this? That they’ll make you feel better?”
She nodded.
“If you know that much, you know me well.”
“I don’t know what’s deep in your heart. Only you do.”
“Huh?”
His philosophical words left her staring at him blankly. Finding her adorable, he pinched her cheek playfully and continued,
“If you don’t speak it, no one can bring it out. Whatever it is.”
She nodded repeatedly in agreement.
“That’s true. If even lovers are like this, there’s no way colleagues can know the truths deep in our hearts.”
“What did you just say?”
Surprised, he looked at her intently.
“What, truth?”
“No, before that.”
“Colleagues?”
“No, before that.”
She scrunched her brows, looking at him.
“What before that?”
Suddenly, he shyly smiled and asked,
“Did you say… lovers?”
She remained unfazed, eating her snack.
“You’re funny. If we’re not lovers, what are we?”
“Right. We are lovers. Yes, lovers!”
He wore a pleasant smile.
She continued to look dazed, stuffing her mouth with snacks.
The part-timer, bringing drinks, shook his head at the two of them.
***
The next day.
Called to the director’s office in the morning, In-ah instinctively knew things weren’t good.
Seong-jun’s expression was the darkest she’d ever seen.
“Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid responsibility for this incident.”
She lowered her head. Despite her efforts, the outcome hadn’t changed, leaving her disheartened.
Then someone knocked and entered the office. It was Jinwon.
“You need to check something regarding the Corners Hotel error.”
“I think we’ve checked everything. What now?”
“The CCTV footage.”
Seong-jun and In-ah looked at him curiously.
They had already reviewed the CCTV in the security room together.
“There is a time gap between Seo In-ah’s leaving work and the time the incorrect size was sent.”
Further verification proved him right.
The CCTV at the exit showed her leaving at 9:45 PM. The incorrect size was sent at 10 PM!
And between 9:45 and 10, there was no footage of her re-entering the company.
Ultimately, it was proven that someone else was responsible.
Although they still didn’t know who the culprit was, it was clear she hadn’t sent the wrong size.
Feeling slightly relieved, she was leaving the director’s office when she stopped.
She encountered Assistant Manager Jeong on the way. She looked at her with an icy expression she’d never seen before.
“Did you prove your innocence?”
“…”
She remained silent, answering with silence. She seemed to take it as confirmation.
“That’s good. I’m glad sacrificing myself saved you, Seo In-ah. I feel fulfilled and happy.”
She was left speechless. It was absurd that she spoke as if she was the victim because of her.
Finishing her words, she walked straight into the director’s office.
She regretted not responding immediately, watching her leave.
Returning to the office, she quickly understood her sudden change.
Rumors about her affair had already spread among the staff. After all, there are no secrets in the world.
As she sat down, Hye-yoon approached as if she’d been waiting.
“I thought I knew a lot about Assistant Manager Jeong, but I didn’t.”
It was the same for In-ah. She sighed, hearing Hye-yoon’s words.
“I thought he was meticulous.”
“What?”
“Why didn’t she check the new CCTV? She avoided all the others.”
In-ah looked at Hye-yoon, puzzled. Hye-yoon, as if feeling sorry, asked her,
“Isn’t it a shame? She didn’t expect to get caught like that, did she?”
What’s with her?
In-ah couldn’t find words to respond. Ignoring her reaction, Hye-yoon leaned closer and whispered,
“Vice Department Head Cha asked not to inform his family and got transferred to the provinces. What will happen to Assistant Manager Jeong?”
In-ah couldn’t hide her troubled expression.
***
At the meeting with Corners Hotel representatives.
In-ah sat confidently, showing no signs of intimidation.
Corners Hotel staff glanced at her with surprise, whispering among themselves.
It was because Shin-hye had been staring at her silently since earlier.
In-ah, however, remained unperturbed, meeting Shin-hye’s gaze.
Shin-hye picked up the water cup in front of her and brought it to her lips. After a sip, she furrowed her brows slightly.
Then she overturned the cup on the table.
Water spilled from the cup, soaking the table and floor.
Startled staff rushed to clean it up.
Shin-hye murmured casually,
“Don’t you check the water properly? If you don’t verify the brand again, I won’t let it slide.”
“Yes, Director. We’ll correct it.”
The staff bowed their heads to her.
She slowly spoke to In-ah.
“Each brand’s water tastes different. It might seem similar, but it’s not. Then, how about furniture? People like you ruin brands. You should know that.”
“We acknowledge our company’s mistake. I understand we’ve communicated about compensation. But as a designer, I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve never done anything to deserve such criticism.”
In-ah met her gaze without flinching.
“Didn’t you convey my words to Director Lee Seong-jun?”
Shin-hye’s eyes were on her, but the question was directed at Corners staff.
The intimidated staff answered in a small voice.
“We conveyed your words, but…”
“Do they have only one designer? How can they handle things like this…!”
“I wanted to handle this myself. That’s what a responsible designer does.”
In-ah picked up the water cup and drank it coolly.
“The water tastes good.”
In-ah smiled at the Corners staff.
Watching her, Shin-hye scoffed incredulously.
“Ha! Responsible? Did you say ‘responsible’?”
Corners staff, seeing Shin-hye’s agitation, quietly left the meeting room.
Alone, Shin-hye began shouting freely.
“Why do you hold onto a man’s life you can’t even take responsibility for?”
Her eyes sharpened.
Shin-hye stood abruptly, glaring at In-ah.
“Jinwon is barely surviving even with armor. But because of you, he’s throwing away the little protection he has. Does that make sense to you?”
In-ah responded calmly,
“Can you make sense?”
Finally, Shin-hye seemed to calm down, sitting on the desk.
“I know Jinwon’s secret. It’s a huge secret. If I just open my mouth, he can’t even set foot on this land.”
“You can’t open your mouth, can you?”
“What?”
Surprised by In-ah’s unexpected response, Shin-hye looked taken aback.
“You like Jinwon oppa. But even if you know such a secret, would you reveal it? You can’t.”
“Yes, I like him. So I can.”
In-ah turned to check Shin-hye’s expression. Shin-hye’s face had turned confident.
“My love is like that. If he doesn’t come to me, he can’t go to anyone else.”
In-ah felt a chill. Shin-hye seemed amused by her reaction, curling her lips.
“The traffic accident Jinwon had seven years ago. You know about it, right?”
As far as In-ah knew, Jinwon met Shin-hye three years ago during his studies in Finland. But she claimed to know about the accident from seven years ago.
While In-ah was taken aback, Shin-hye smiled leisurely and stood up.
“Was it just an accident?”
“What do you mean?”
She asked quietly.
“Director, it’s time for your next meeting.”
Her voice was drowned out by the arrival of the Corners staff. Shin-hye left immediately.
In-ah stared at the door Shin-hye exited for a long time.
What does that woman know?
Could it really threaten Jinwon?
In-ah was confused.
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