Chapter 99
Haemin's POV
I immediately lowered my head and bowed politely almost on instinct.
"Good morning, Madam."
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Then—
"Oh my."
The voice that reached me was much softer than I expected.
"Please straighten up. There's no need to be so formal."
I blinked slightly.
Slowly, I raised my head again.
Madam Han was looking at me with visible curiosity. Her eyes moved over me once before she tilted her head slightly.
"Hm?"
A confused expression appeared on her face.
Then she glanced around the lobby.
"Is there some kind of school visit today?"
Huh?
*Silence*
I froze.
Every employee nearby looked visibly awkward after hearing that question, yet none of them seemed brave enough to say anything.
Madam Han looked back at me again.
"Students these days really know how to dress well, don't you think so, Secretary Na?"
The middle-aged man standing beside her, who looked to be in his fifties, smiled at me.
"Yes, indeed, Madam."
Madam Han nodded in agreement before turning toward me again, her curiosity only growing.
"What school are you from, kid?"
I nearly choked.
Before I could answer—
The security guard beside me quickly stepped forward.
"Madam, I apologize, but this person here is not a school student. He is the Chairwoman new assistant."
She blinked, trying to process the words, before her eyes widened in slight shock.
The people accompanying her had the same reaction.
"What!? My daughter's new assistant?"
"Yes, Madam."
The security guard straightened immediately.
"He is Chairwoman Seo's new assistant."
At this point, everyone looked genuinely surprised.
Madam Han and her entourage stared at me.
I immediately bowed once again and introduce myself.
"Greetings, Madam. My name is Kim-Haemin, the Chairwoman's assistant. It's my honour to meet you."
Several surprised voices sounded almost at the same time.
Everyone, including Ms. Han, looked completely caught off guard.
She looked at me again, then back at the security guard, then back at me.
"Wait, please straighten up first."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"How old are you?"
I straight myself again before scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"I'm… nineteen, Madam."
The entire group behind her visibly froze.
"…Nineteen?"
"Nineteen?"
"Did he say nineteen?"
Even the security guard looked embarrassed hearing it out loud.
Madam Han eyes widened further.
"What?"
The elegant woman immediately looked concerned.
"Nineteen?"
She took a small step closer.
"Did Yuna force you to work here?"
Her face suddenly turned serious.
"Seriously, that daughter of mine… she still does whatever she wants."
"N—No, Madam. It's not like that at all. Chairwoman didn't force me or anything. I work here willingly."
Of course she forced me. But I can't say that out loud, can I?
She sighed and folded her arms.
The people behind her exchanged nervous looks.
"Are you absolutely sure? She didn't threaten you or anything?"
She had somehow hit the bullseye perfectly.
"No, Madam. I chose to work here myself. Chairwoman Seo didn't force me."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Madam Han remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness."
She looked at me with a warm expression before composing herself again.
"It must be hard working under her, right? On behalf of my daughter, I apologize if she has caused you any trouble."
I panicked and quickly shook my head.
"Please don't apologize, Madam. Chairwoman has treated me well."
Madam Han looked at me for a second, then a small smile appeared on her face once more.
"I'm glad to hear that. So, Assistant Kim, is Yuna here? I came today specifically to see her."
"Y—Yes! She's upstair in her office. Please let me lead you."
"Such a well-mannered young men."
I quickly looked away to hide my embarrassment before stepping forward and pressing the elevator button.
A few moments later, we entered the elevator together.
Everyone in the lobby gave her a final bow before the elevator doors closed.
The atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable. But for some reason, I felt strangely awkward.
Please arrive faster.
I silently prayed for the elevator to hurry up.
Then I noticed something.
Actually, ever since we were downstairs—
Secretary Na, who standing beside Madam Han had been looking at me repeatedly, his face filled with curiosity.
"Oh, right, Assistant Kim."
Madam Han broke the silence.
"Yes?"
I immediately straightened.
"Is Harin around too? I didn't see her downstairs earlier."
"Secretary Yoo? O—Oh, yes. She went out because the Chairwoman assigned her some work."
Well, that was only my guess. It's not like I could say I had no idea where she was, right? Honestly, whenever Yuna and Harin wanted to do something, they would just go ahead and do it without telling me. They seemed to see me as some clueless kid who wouldn't understand even if they tried to explain.
I'd been bothered by that for a long time now.
But it's not like they cared about how I felt.
"I see. That's unfortunate."
Madam Han then glanced at Secretary Na beside her before smiling teasingly.
"Look at that. Your favorite niece isn't even here when you visit. It's not easy for us to come here often."
Secretary Na simply let out a quiet chuckle.
"I really should have informed her before coming."
Favorite niece?
Was he Harin's uncle or something?
A few moments later, we finally reach the private floor.
The moment we stepped outside—
As expected.
The entire floor froze.
Every staff member in the corridor stopped what they were doing. Their faces turned pale the moment they saw us step out. They stood stiffly, as if trying to process whether the person standing before them was real or not.
Then, as though reality had finally sunk in, they rushed forward in less than two seconds and bowed deeply, almost desperately, in perfect synchronization.
"Good morning, Madam!"
The greetings echoed down the hallway in a nervous chorus. The atmosphere instantly became heavy and tense. I could feel the panic in the air. It wasn't surprising. After all, no one had been warned about her sudden visit.
Madam Han let out a soft sigh as she looked at the scene.
"Really… we should have informed them beforehand," she murmured quietly to Secretary Na beside her.
He simply shook his head helplessly.
"This way, Madam."
I quickly composed myself and led the way toward Yuna's office, doing my best to ignore the nervous stares that followed us.
The employees continued bowing as we passed.
The pressure was unbelievable.
When we reached the grand doors, I stepped forward and knocked carefully.
Seriously, I wasn't looking forward to meeting her again.
*Knock*
*Knock*
"Come in."
I immediately opened the door.
The moment I stepped inside—
Yuna looked up from her desk.
Her eyes softened slightly when she saw me again. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Changed your mind already?"
I almost had a heart attack when she said that.
Thank goodness she didn't say it out loud because Madam Han was standing right outside the door behind me.
I quickly cleared my throat.
"Actually, Chairwoman, there is—"
Before I could finish—
Madam Han walked inside.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
The smile disappeared from Yuna's face.
Completely.
The softness in her eyes vanished as though it had never existed, replaced by a cold, distant look.
Yuna slowly leaned back in her chair.
"What are you doing here?"
What?
I was completely shocked. Yuna… how could you say that to your own mother?
Madam Han, however, remained completely calm. Not even slightly offended. As if she was used to this kind of greeting from her daughter.
"Oh my."
She shook her head lightly.
"Isn't it a bit rude to greet your mother like this? I came all the way here just to see you, you know."
Yuna didn't look moved at all.
Her expression remained completely unreadable.
"I didn't ask you to come."
"Chairwoman—"
I instinctively wanted to say something because Yuna was being incredibly rude right now, but Secretary Na lightly placed a hand on my shoulder and simply shook his head once.
"Your temper really hasn't changed at all, has it, Yuna? Even after all these years."
Yuna's expression remained cold and distant, showing no sign of warmth toward her mother.
"If you're here just to lecture me, please save both of our time."
Madam Han simply sighed at her daughter's attitude and rubbed her forehead lightly.
"Like father, like daughter."
She then turned toward me with a gentle expression.
"Assistant Kim, could you leave us for a moment? There's something we need to discuss privately."
I hesitated for a second, my gaze shifted between the two women.
The atmosphere in the room was already tense enough that I felt slightly worried about what might happen after I left.
At the corner of my eye, I noticed Yuna clicking her tongue quietly in irritation as she looked at me. But since she didn't say anything, I guess it's okay if I leave.
"O-Of course, Madam… I will excuse myself first."
I bowed politely to both of them before turning around. Secretary Na gently led me toward the door.
The moment we reached the doorway, Secretary Na looked back inside the office briefly before turning to me.
"Assistant Kim."
"Yes?"
"If Secretary Yoo returns to the office, can you tell her to contact me?"
"Secretary Yoo?"
Secretary Na nodded.
"Yes. I need to speak with her regarding something important."
"Ah… alright."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you."
Then he gently closed the office door.
I stood there, watching the close door.
Wait... now that I've come to my senses, isn't she, technically, my mother-in-law? Shouldn't that mean something to me? Forget it. Why am I even thinking about that now? Our relationship is going to end in a few weeks anyway...
Honestly…
Yuna didn't seem to have a good relationship with her mother. Well, I could pretty much understand the reason behind it, but still...
I really hoped nothing would happen.
Harin... please come back soon.
Just as I was thinking that—
"Found you, my cheeky junior!"
"W-What!?"
An arm suddenly hooked itself around the back of my neck, nearly causing me to stumble forward from the sudden pull.
My heart almost jumped out of my chest as I quickly turned around in surprise.
"Daejin sunbae?"
The man laughed quietly after seeing my reaction.
"Who else were you expecting?"
"Sunbae!"
I grabbed his arm immediately while trying to steady my breathing.
"You scared me!"
Instead of letting go, Daejin tightened his arm around my shoulders.
"This is what you get for making yourself so hard to approach. Do you know how long I've been waiting for Secretary Yoo to leave the office so I could finally talk to you?"
"Really? Surely it's not that hard to just talk to me, right?"
"The hell it isn't. Secretary Yoo warned all of us not to engage with you unnecessarily unless it's work-related. We all want to talk to you casually, you know, but we're more afraid of her finding out and putting our careers here at risk."
"Really? She did that?"
"Yes!"
I could only shake my head after hearing that.
Honestly, this was exactly what I meant when I said Harin and Yuna always did whatever they wanted.
Daejin seemed to notice my expression because his teasing smile softened slightly as he looked at me.
"It's pretty tough huh?"
"Hm?"
I didn't quite understand what he meant, but he subtly nodded his head toward Yuna's office.
"To handle Madam Han all by yourself without Secretary Yoo around. Not to mention it's only been a few days since you started working here. We all feel sorry for you right now."
I could only laugh awkwardly in response.
"Kinda… but she seems pretty nice, actually."
"Now that you mention it, I noticed that too. But for the past few years, you have no idea how scary and strict she used to be. Everything changed quite drastically after the late Chairman fell sick, and her attitude softened even more after he passed away."
"I see."
I found myself glancing toward Yuna's office again.
For some reason, it was difficult to imagine the gentle woman I had just met being intimidating.
"Anyway, Sunbaenim."
I gently removed his arm from my shoulders.
"If you'll excuse me, I actually have something I need to do."
"Already? You really hate talking to me, don't you?"
"I'm not!"
I immediately protested.
"You can still talk to me after work, can't you? And besides…"
I pointed toward his desk.
A mountain of documents was piled on top of it.
"Don't you have your own work to do, Sunbae? If Secretary Yoo catches you wandering around, don't drag me down with you."
"Ugh, now that you've shown me those files, I feel even less motivated to finish them."
"Fighting, Sunbae."
"But before you go, Haemin."
"Hm?"
Daejin suddenly looked unusually serious.
"If you happen to run into Jiyoo today… make sure you pretend to be dead."
"What?"
"Or suddenly faint. Anything works."
"Huh? What are you even talking about, Sunbae?"
"I'm being serious. She's really pissed off right now and feels completely betrayed by you.
"Wait, why?"
"Because—"
Before Daejin could finish his sentence—
"Because of what exactly?"
A dangerous voice suddenly appeared behind us.
We both froze on the spot.
Slowly, we turned around.
Jiyoo was already standing right behind us, arms crossed.
Without wasting any time, she reached out and grabbed Daejin's ear.
"Ow!"
"Kang Daejin."
Her smile looked terrifying.
"What exactly are you telling Haemin about me? Are you badmouthing me in front of him?"
She twisted his ear harder.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm not!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Then she turned her sharp gaze toward me.
"Is it true, Haemin?"
Looking at Daejin sunbae's pitiful expression, I immediately decided to help him.
"Yes, Noona! He's not badmouthing you. He was… yeah, he was praising you. He's saying how hardworking and important you are to this company. He said nobody can handle things as efficiently as you and he can't help but respect you for it."
Daejin immediately nodded.
"Exactly!"
He pointed at me dramatically.
"See? Haemin understands me. I was literally just saying how amazing you are."
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Daejin nodded rapidly.
Then, after a few seconds of consideration, Jiyoo finally released Daejin's ears.
"Then it's fine."
She really was terrifying.
Daejin immediately grabbed his ear.
"Seriously, Jiyoo, can't you be a little kinder? My ear actually hurts, you know. Keep acting like this and no man is ever going to want you."
Jiyoo looked completely unbothered.
"Like I care about that. And what are you still doing here? Go finish your work."
"Cold."
He dramatically wiped away imaginary tears before turning around.
Jiyoo immediately grabbed a nearby file.
"I'm going! I'm going!"
I couldn't help laughing as he hurried back toward his desk.
It was only me and Jiyoo now.
"So… Noona…"
I pointed vaguely in another direction.
"I'll excuse myself first."
"Where exactly do you think you're going, my junior?"
"Yes?"
My heart immediately sank.
"There are a lot of questions I want to ask you."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Let's go to your desk."
I was screwed.
She looked genuinely pissed, just like Daejin sunbae had said.
And somehow, I already knew exactly what kind of questions were coming.
The moment we reached my desk, Jiyoo immediately pushed my shoulder.
"Here. Sit down."
I dropped into my chair.
She pulled another chair over and sat directly in front of me.
Without wasting any time—
"Haemin, what's all this news about?"
"Is it true you went out with Ms. Hwang?"
"Are you in relationship with her?"
The questions came so fast that I couldn't even process them properly.
"Did you already know her before you started working here?"
I instinctively turned my head toward Daejin's desk. He was already sitting comfortably, watching the scene with amusement.
*The question continued*
When our eyes met, he silently raised a thumb and gave me a sympathetic "good luck" look.
Seriously this guy.
I let out another sigh before turning my attention back toward Jiyoo noona.
"Noona, one question at a time, please."
Jiyoo crossed her arms.
"Fine."
Then she leaned forward.
"Now explain."
"Noona, what happened last night isn't what it looked like. It just…"
Since there was no point trying to hide everything without giving a reasonable explanation, I decided to tell her the truth. But without revealing too many details about how close Sera and I actually were.
I denied all the rumors that I was passing information to her and explained that my appointment as a mediator between the two companies only happened because Sera trusted me and Yuna approved it.
I also added that Yuna already knew Sera and I knew each other before I was hired.
Throughout the entire explanation, Jiyoo simply listened quietly without interrupting.
Honestly, I didn't expect her to believe everything I said anyway.
Eventually, my explanation came to an end.
For a few moments, she remained silent before letting out a long sigh and shaking her head.
"You've really been having a hard time lately, haven't you?"
I could only smile awkwardly.
"Kinda."
"Seriously, Haemin, your face really drives women crazy, doesn't it? To think you even won Ms. Hwang's heart..."
"Noona, what are you talking about?! We're not in a relationship!"
Jiyoo laughed softly.
"I'm just kidding. But look, I'm sure Harin already lectured you about how careless your actions were last night, so I'm not going to repeat everything she probably said."
That was unexpected.
"I'm sorry for pressuring you to explain everything, Haemin. But I did this because I was worried about you. Most people are still skeptical because they don't know what really happened. Rumors tend to spread faster than facts in a company like this.
She folded her arms.
"But I'll help clear up the misunderstandings whenever I can."
Her words caught me off guard.
"You… trust me, Noona?"
She smiled gently.
"Of course I do. I know how to read people. And I know you're telling me the truth."
I felt a wave of relief wash over me.
"But Haemin."
Her expression turned serious again.
"I'm hoping that's really all there is to this situation."
"What do you mean by that?"
Jiyoo rested her elbow on the desk.
"I mean I hope you're not hiding anything else that could create bigger problems for the company later."
"No?"
"Good."
Her gaze remained fixed on me.
"Because as part of the legal team, if the board start pushing for a formal investigation into this… I might not be able to protect you. And when that happens, I'll probably end up on the opposite side of Harin."
"She'll obviously do everything she can to protect you, and I'll be obligated to do my job. Neither of us wants that situation. So I'm asking you again, is that really all there is to it?"
I nodded quickly.
"Yes. That's everything."
For several seconds, she simply studied my face before finally smiling again.
"Okay."
Just like that, the tension disappeared.
"That's all I wanted to know."
She then stood up and gave my shoulder a light pat.
"Also, if Harin isn't around and you need help with anything, come find me, okay?"
"O–Okay"
She smiled one last time before walking away.
I watched her leave before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
She really could turn scary in an instant.