GITDS 03

Chapter 3

The slight smile that had lingered in Tae-kyung’s eyes until moments ago suddenly disappeared, replaced by a coldness.

Jungwon looked at him warily.

He spoke again.

“I’m asking whether you accepted my offer with some ulterior motive, Ms. Min Jungwon.”

Why?

The reason she had returned to the place she had fled from was obvious.

Jungwon deliberately kept her voice calm.

“Because Haesin offered me the most money.”

Jungwon answered without the slightest hesitation.

At her immediate response, another faint smile appeared at the corners of Tae-kyung’s lips despite his cold expression.

Seeing his reaction, Jungwon slowly furrowed her brow.

Well, even she had to admit that her current situation was rather ridiculous.

She had acted as though she would never return, only to come back after merely three years simply because they were offering her more money.

She didn’t know whether the matter had reached the ears of the Han Tae-kyung sitting before her.

Tae-kyung covered his face with one hand for a moment, wiping away his smile behind his palm. Then he looked at her again with a cold gaze.

“So, because we offered you the most money…”

“I’m the kind of person who keeps my personal life and work life separate.”

“Ah.”

Tae-kyung gave a brief response to Jungwon’s words.

Annoyed by his sarcastic attitude, Jungwon continued.

“So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask whether I came back for personal reasons.”

At her firm request, Tae-kyung merely gave a slight nod as though he understood. He offered no further response.

Instead, he tapped his fingers lightly against the table.

Tap, tap.

Then he asked another question.

“Is there anything you’re curious about regarding the company, Ms. Min Jungwon?”

Tae-kyung looked at her sharply and told her to ask if there was anything she wanted to know.

Jungwon opened and closed her lips several times before finally making up her mind and speaking with difficulty.

“I heard that you specifically wanted to recruit me. Even if you offered me a position, there was a high chance I would have refused because of my personal feelings about what happened before. So why did it have to be me?”

If it weren’t for Kyle’s proposal, Jungwon would never have gone anywhere near Haesin Group again for the rest of her life.

At her question, Tae-kyung stared into Jungwon’s eyes for a moment.

Perhaps he could see the anxiety hidden deep inside her.

A tense silence followed.

Then his answer came simply, as though he had not needed even a moment to think.

“Because, like you, Ms. Min Jungwon, I’m also the type of person who keeps business and personal matters separate.”

So many things had happened between them, yet his answer was so simple that Jungwon looked at him with a hint of resentment.

Recognizing the meaning in her gaze, Tae-kyung continued.

“As for what happened back then… I still deeply regret it. But right now, Haesin needs you. That’s why I offered you the position. And if you refuse, I’ll bring you back by whatever means necessary.”

Haesin needs me.

At those words, Jungwon’s expression subtly hardened.

“We’re going to build next-generation liquefied natural gas carriers. We’re also planning to expand into large passenger ships. To do that, we need skilled engineers, and you, Ms. Min Jungwon, fit that requirement perfectly.”

For a moment, Jungwon thought that the words what an arrogant man suited Han Tae-kyung perfectly.

His tone made it sound as though he regarded people as nothing more than tools for work.

Jungwon stared at him with displeasure.

My father was used the same way. And when he was no longer useful, they threw him away like garbage.

If I stop being useful, will I be thrown away too?

Her hands, resting on her lap, clenched tightly.

But what could she do?

She was the one who had walked into this hell of her own accord.

“The blueprints that served as the foundation for all the ships Haesin has built until recently were originally designed by you, Ms. Min Jungwon. Based on those blueprints, Haesin developed its own software so that ships could be designed more quickly and accurately. So I want you to take charge of that program and create the blueprints.”

“It seems Haesin doesn’t have any competent designers. You’re still building ships based on my blueprints.”

“You must simply be exceptionally talented. That’s why I’m trying to bring you back.”

At Tae-kyung’s words, Jungwon simply pressed her lips together.

His gaze shifted toward her reddened lips.

“I heard you like money, so I suppose we can reach a result that satisfies both of us. Is this enough to satisfy you?”

Tae-kyung picked up the pen lying before him, wrote a salary figure next to her employment history, and held the paper out to her.

His dark eyes were focused entirely on Jungwon.

For a brief moment, their gazes met intensely.

There was something familiar about that cold yet playful smile, even though today was the first time Jungwon had seen him in person.

She stared at Tae-kyung for a moment, then eventually looked away and lowered her head.

“I’ll… work hard from now on.”

This was the last place she had ever wanted to become entangled with again.

Even so, the biggest reason she had decided to return to Haesin was her sister.

So I’ll do anything to save my sister.

And to clear my father’s name.

Even if it meant deceiving the man sitting before her and walking down a thorny path, she would not stop.

“Ha…”

After leaving the conference room, Jungwon let out a deep sigh.

They had only talked for about twenty minutes.

Why was she so exhausted?

It wasn’t simply because it had been an interview.

The guilty feel guilty even when there’s no reason to.

Jungwon barely managed to calm her pounding heart as she made her way down to the first floor.

She was passing the company café on the first floor when she heard voices.

“Isn’t that Min Jungwon over there?”

“Who? Min Jungwon?”

“You know, the woman who sued the company about four years ago.”

“Come on. Why would she come here? If I were her, I’d never have the nerve to show my face here again.”

“I know. But doesn’t she look exactly like her?”

“Really? Ah-young, look over there. Doesn’t that woman look like Min Jungwon?”

Jungwon had been deliberately ignoring the voices as she walked past, but the familiar name made her turn around without thinking.

Two large, round eyes, bright as bells, met Jungwon’s gaze directly.

The woman staring at Jungwon let out a stunned voice.

“Ha… It really is Min Jungwon.”

Of all the people she least wanted to encounter, she had met this one far too quickly.

Jungwon’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked at Hwang Ah-young, the colleague who had worked alongside her in the design department three years ago.

Ah-young clicked her heels against the floor as she approached Jungwon.

“Well, I never thought I’d live to see the day. You, of all people, here.”

“……”

“Why are you here? Did you come to reminisce about the old days?”

“……I had an interview.”

“What?”

At the word interview, Ah-young’s expression immediately twisted, making her displeasure obvious.

She asked again.

“You mean you’re going to work here again?”

“Yes. In the design department. I’ll start working next week.”

“What?”

“You’re still in the design department, right? We might even end up on the same team. I look forward to working with you.”

Jungwon held out her hand as though offering to shake hands with her.

That was when she noticed the employee ID card hanging around Ah-young’s neck.

Senior Engineer Hwang Ah-young — Ship Design Department.

Seeing the title, Jungwon gave a faint smile.

“You finally became a senior engineer. Congratulations.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

Ah-young seemed to boil with anger at Jungwon’s congratulations.

She slapped Jungwon’s hand away with a sharp smack! before returning to her group.

They used to share a dormitory and were so close that they shared every secret with each other.

Even if Ah-young wasn’t happy to see her, couldn’t she at least return a simple greeting?

Jungwon stared quietly at Ah-young’s retreating back.

Well, it wasn’t as though she felt hurt or upset simply because Ah-young hadn’t returned her greeting.

I’m back now.

So I suppose the tangled threads between us will have to be unraveled one by one.

Jungwon’s mouth felt dry and bitter, as though she had been chewing sand.