CHAPTER 09…………………………
When lunchtime came, Geon-woo naturally went to Hana’s office.
“Oh? Hello!”
Miju, who happened to be at her desk that day, greeted him cheerfully. Geon-woo lowered his head slightly in response.
“What brings you here? The managing director left quite a while ago…”
“When did she leave?”
“About… forty minutes ago. She said she was going out for lunch. Weren’t you supposed to eat together? I thought you two had plans as usual today.”
“I see.”
Geon-woo stood there briefly, checking his phone, then walked past Miju.
“…Have a safe trip!”
As he disappeared in an instant, Miju leaned out and called after him. Just as she was about to sit back down at her desk—
Tap, tap—
“Did you forget something?”
Footsteps approached again, and Geon-woo reappeared. Miju looked up at him, slightly flustered.
“Did she say she was coming back to the office?”
“Huh? Oh—since she didn’t say anything to me, I think she’ll probably come back here.”
“I’ll wait inside for a bit, so don’t worry about me and go eat.”
“Ah, yes…!”
Geon-woo turned and headed into Hana’s office.
“Director! Why are you so lateee…!”
“Huh?”
Hana lightly tapped the phone in her hand. The screen lit up, clearly displaying the current time.
“I’m late? It’s still lunchtime…”
With about a minute left, Hana pouted and spoke playfully, as if wronged.
“That’s not the point…! Your husband is inside waiting for you! He’s been here for quite a while!”
“What…? Who’s waiting?”
“Your husband! I think your plans crossed today. He said he wanted to see you and kept waiting inside. I thought he’d left, but even after I came back from lunch, he was still there!”
Still flustered by Miju’s words, Hana hurried toward her office.
Click—
When she opened the door, she saw Geon-woo sitting boldly in her desk chair, not on the sofa, as if it were his own office.
“You’re back?”
As soon as their eyes met, he casually waved at her in greeting.
“What are you doing sitting at someone else’s desk? Get out.”
“We’re not strangers. We’re legally married.”
He answered her sharp remark with a sly response as he stood up. With his long strides, he closed the distance in no time and stopped right in front of her.
“Who did you eat lunch with?”
“I had plans.”
“With who.”
“There’s no reason you need to know.”
She passed him—or tried to. Before Hana could even take a step, her wrist was caught.
“You bailed on our plans without a word, and now you’re acting shameless?”
“Plans? When did we ever make plans?”
“We eat lunch together every day. That’s a plan. I came all the way here today expecting to eat with you too. Don’t you see that I waited, couldn’t even eat, and wasted my time because you left without saying anything?”
“Ha. That’s ridiculous—!”
“So I deserve an explanation. Who were you meeting that made you break our plans without even contacting me?”
No matter how much she twisted her wrist, she couldn’t break free from his firm grip. Finally giving up, Hana let her arm go limp.
“I ate with a friend.”
“Which friend.”
“…Nayeon.”
She made a vague excuse. Since he didn’t particularly like her parents meeting Hana, she didn’t bother being honest.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She trusted that Nayeon, who always had her back, would play along if needed. Expecting him to grab his phone immediately, Hana was caught off guard when he instead let out a dry chuckle.
“She has a family gathering today. I saw her heading out with her brother.”
“……”
“Didn’t know?”
She realized her mistake. When had he even run into her? With nothing left to say, Hana pressed her lips tightly together and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Who did you meet?”
“Who I meet is none of your—!”
“Should we get the divorce papers?”
Hana frowned. Geon-woo just shrugged irritably, as if nothing were wrong.
“Not talking? Want me to find out myself?”
“……I met the Vice Chairman.”
Since it was something he’d find out soon anyway, she finally admitted it. As expected, Geon-woo’s face tightened immediately.
“Why did you meet my father?”
“He contacted me and asked to have lunch together.”
“What did you talk about?”
“…He told me to get divorced. He said the company agreement was over, we’d both benefited enough, and there was no need to keep up the marriage.”
“So. Are you going to divorce me?”
“……”
As if he understood the meaning of her silence better than anyone, Geon-woo nodded.
“From now on, don’t take calls from my parents. And if possible, don’t go even if they summon you.”
“……Okay.”
Could she really do that?
What if she ended up on their bad side? But under the pressure of Geon-woo’s sharp gaze, Hana reluctantly murmured her agreement.
TJ Group
When the door at the end of the hallway opened, Nayeon’s gaze naturally shifted in that direction.
“What? Why are you here, oppa?”
Her eyebrows shot up at the unexpected appearance.
“How’s work going?”
Geon-woo asked casually, glancing around.
“When is it ever ‘going well’? I’m just working myself to death so I don’t look like a nepotism hire.”
Nayeon frowned and shook her head.
“So why are you here?”
“I’m on my way to the Vice President’s office.”
Geon-woo replied curtly.
“Then go straight there. Why are you hovering around here?”
Nayeon’s sharp gaze scanned him.
“I just stopped by. By the way, I heard the Vice President position at Inception is vacant—where did your brother go?”
“How would I know? If you’ve confirmed he’s not here, why don’t you go back to your company instead of loitering around?”
Stepping closer, Nayeon spoke in a low voice.
“But oppa—are you really not going to divorce Hana?”
“Yeah.”
The answer came out so naturally, without a second’s hesitation, that Nayeon was momentarily speechless. Soon, she opened her mouth again.
“Then do it properly. Why are you letting weird rumors spread? Stories about you going in and out of hotels, hanging out with the Jet Group’s daughter—every kind of gossip is floating around. Hana can’t even open her mouth because she’s worried about Chairman Seo. If you act like that too, what does that make her?”
“Who’s spreading that kind of bullshit?”
Geon-woo’s voice sank low.
“Bullshit or not, people are treating it like fact. Does it make sense that a married man is supposedly getting engaged? Please treat Hana better—or at least behave yourself.”
Nayeon stepped closer and met his eyes. The tension in the hallway froze cold.
Geon-woo stood there expressionless for a moment, then turned and walked away without a word.
Bang—
At the end of the corridor, the door slammed shut, and his back disappeared from view.
Left behind, Nayeon crossed her arms and sighed.
“Seriously… that temper.”
Summoned by Gi-hun, Hana went to the chairman’s office and heard an unexpected order.
“Come home so we can have dinner together. There’s someone I want to introduce you to, so don’t be late.”
It was a dinner invitation she dreaded. Having dinner in a family where no one welcomed her—honestly, even eating with Geon-woo felt far more comfortable than that.
“…Yes.”
But there was no way she could defy Gi-hun’s words. As always, she gave an obedient answer.
