Chapter 6 (Part 5)
As expected, it wasn’t difficult for In-ah to find the person who posted on the company community.
It was a young man working as a contract employee in the installation team. Even after finding out who it was, In-ah didn’t end her investigation.
She slowly gathered information from the experienced installation team members she had been friendly with during her past work life.
And In-ah identified the “culprit’s weak spot” she was aiming for. The guy’s nickname was “Mr. Bill.”
He was a habitual offender who would squander company funds for personal entertainment and then gather receipts from around him to submit for reimbursement.
He was so notorious in the installation team that he had earned the nickname from the “bill” in “billing.”
Though the installation team had turned a blind eye, this time he would be the “weak spot” that In-ah would grab onto.
“Here’s your coffee~”
In-ah handed out coffee to the installation team members who were taking a break from work.
Finally, ‘Mr. Bill’ received the coffee from In-ah. Then, as if she had been waiting, In-ah leaned in closer to him.
“Do you know me?”
He quickly pulled his head back and looked at In-ah with a strange expression.
“Should I?”
“I think so. I’m the woman in the post you wrote, the one who supposedly moaned in the rain.”
Surprised, he tried to leave immediately.
“But you wrote it as if you saw a woman you didn’t even know. Can you explain that?”
He changed his expression and shouted at In-ah.
“You woman really ain’t afraid, huh? Is it because you’re a designer?”
In-ah let out a dry laugh.
“Why bring up being a designer here, Mr. Bill?”
“What?”
“Why? I’m being slandered across the company for something I didn’t do. Does it bother you to be called Mr. Bill for what you’ve been doing for months?”
“Tell the company. I don’t care. I’m a contract worker, so I’ll just leave.”
He stood up and looked straight at In-ah.
He was a towering figure, so large that he seemed capable of flicking In-ah away with just a finger.
A look of confusion crossed In-ah’s face. She had intended to grab him by the throat, but he was offering his neck without fear.
“Seo In-ah!”
Jinwon came running from the other side, with Hye-yoon following him.
It seemed Hye-yoon had brought Jinwon, worried that In-ah might be in trouble.
“Let’s talk. Right now.”
In-ah glanced at Mr. Bill and then obediently followed Jinwon. However, Mr. Bill couldn’t take his eyes off Hye-yoon.
“What are you doing?”
“None of your business.”
“You don’t need to worry about useless rumors.”
“I don’t care about useless rumors either.”
Jinwon closed his mouth at In-ah’s sharp reply. A brief silence ensued between them.
While In-ah avoided eye contact, Jinwon continued to gaze at her intently.
“You’re going to the U.S., right?”
“…….”
“Why? Is it because of me?”
“…….”
“Is it because of the rumors?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Finally, In-ah turned her head to look at Jinwon.
“Do I have to answer? You never gave me a reason either, when you broke up with me seven years ago.”
Jinwon froze at In-ah’s unexpected words.
“So don’t ask. I won’t give you an answer.”
Leaving Jinwon behind, In-ah walked away.
Jinwon lowered his head. Seven years ago, and even now, he couldn’t give In-ah any answers.
***
In-ah was having dinner at her parents’ restaurant after a long time.
In-kyung placed a steamed egg dish on In-ah’s table and sat across from her.
“Are you really going to the U.S.?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t go.”
“Why?”
“I’ll be bored.”
“Wow. Is that something a thirty-year-old should say?”
“Oh, come on~”
In-ah casually turned her gaze and spotted In-woo serving.
“What’s he doing there?”
“He said he’d help with the serving.”
“What wind blew for someone who never helped because he was tired?”
In-kyung playfully glanced at one side of the restaurant. Following her gaze, In-ah noticed a pretty girl in an apron.
“He seems smitten with the new part-timer. Acting like a man, huh.”
Laughing along with In-kyung, In-ah turned her eyes back to In-woo.
In-woo’s cheeks were flushed as he took a tray from the part-timer.
Seeing In-woo’s expression, In-ah smiled as if a light bulb had gone off in her head.
***
In-ah went to see Mr. Bill from the installation team again. He didn’t even blink upon seeing her.
Instead, he seemed determined not to answer any questions. Just as In-ah had expected.
Mr. Bill put the coin he was about to insert into the vending machine back into his pocket and stared at In-ah.
“Weren’t you standing there to put in the coin?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Geez.”
He inserted the coin and took a coffee from the vending machine.
“If you want to hear anything from me, shouldn’t you at least buy me a vending machine coffee?”
“I didn’t come to listen, I came to tell you something.”
“What?”
His eyes showed curiosity at In-ah’s unexpected statement.
“You’re in charge of the installation for the project Hye-yoon is handling, right?”
“Why do you ask?”
He visibly flinched. Seeing his expression, In-ah crossed her arms with a relaxed demeanor.
“Oh, I haven’t told Hye-yoon about what you did, Mr. Bill…”
“Why tell Hye-yoon?”
Seeing him flare up confirmed it for In-ah. He definitely had feelings for Hye-yoon!
He hadn’t even managed to talk to her, but if he got labeled as a scoundrel because of this, he’d be in trouble.
Feigning ignorance, In-ah asked nonchalantly.
“Oh, should I not?”
He gulped nervously. After a moment, an unexpected name came out of his mouth.
***
A few days later, In-ah visited Jinseong Construction’s headquarters.
She was there to meet the person Mr. Bill had named.
Despite it being her first visit, In-ah confidently approached the reception desk.
“I’m here to see the CEO. I’m Seo In-ah from Lysian Furniture.”
Moments later, surprisingly, the CEO of Jinseong Construction agreed to meet her, and In-ah was escorted into the CEO’s office.
“Seo In-ah? We’ve met before, right?”
Seong-tae, sitting down, looked at In-ah with interest.
“Is it okay if I sit here?”
Unfazed, In-ah sat on the sofa in the middle of the CEO’s office.
“Oh dear! I should have offered you a seat first. How rude of me~ Secretary Yoon, please bring us some tea.”
“I’m fine without tea.”
Seong-tae raised an eyebrow as he observed In-ah.
Without any intention of moving to the sofa, Seong-tae remained seated and asked In-ah,
“What brings you to see me?”
“I have something to ask you, CEO.”
“Ask me? What could it be? I’m very curious.”
Seong-tae looked at In-ah with a sticky gaze, smiling.
“I’m curious why the CEO of Jinseong Construction is so eager to get rid of a mere furniture company’s Team Leader and designer.”
In-ah met Seong-tae’s eyes directly, emphasizing each word.
Seong-tae pursed his lips, appearing to think for a moment, then tilted his head and looked at In-ah with an aggressive gaze.
“Could you explain in a way I understand? My brain isn’t that bad, but I really don’t get it.”
“Even using the contract workers from our furniture installation team to create a sordid scandal…”
At that moment, Seong-tae raised a hand to stop her.
“Young lady, you’re surprisingly fearless, aren’t you?”
His demeanor was so threatening, and his gaze seemed ready to pounce, that anyone would have shrunk back. But In-ah was not just anyone.
“You’ve noticed correctly. I’m not easily scared. So this time, I won’t just let it go.”
“What do you mean?”
“CEO, your offhand comment has had quite an impact. You’ll need to correct it yourself.”
Seong-tae, who had been listening with furrowed eyebrows, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ah! I just mentioned seeing two people leaving the resort in the morning, but I guess there was a misunderstanding. I apologize if it caused any trouble.”
Feigning innocence, Seong-tae even made a sympathetic face toward In-ah.
Watching him quietly, In-ah spoke clearly.
“It seems you were directly involved.”
“…….”
For the first time, Seong-tae was at a loss for words. He felt that this woman was not someone to be underestimated.
“You know we’re bound by contract, right? It’s a shame. I tend to talk a lot. Well, I’ll be leaving now.”
As In-ah turned to leave without hesitation, Seong-tae’s urgent voice stopped her.
“Wait a moment!”
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