GITDS 06

Chapter 6

“I’m going out for lunch today. Anyone want to come with me?”

As lunchtime approached, Ah-young stood up from her desk and asked the team members.

One by one, they agreed and got up from their seats.

Ah-young had always been good at getting along with people, and even when they had worked together in the past, there had always been plenty of people who naturally gravitated toward her.

That was why whenever she talked about Jungwon, rumors spread quickly.

Wondering what they would be talking about this time as they gathered together like that, Jungwon frowned.

“Why are you alone? Didn’t you go out for lunch?”

Do-jin, who had been away from his desk all morning because of a meeting, finally returned to the office. Seeing Jungwon sitting alone, he asked her the question.

Jungwon answered somewhat bluntly.

“No. I don’t really feel like eating.”

Although she said that, the truth was that she simply didn’t want to attract attention from the others.

Jungwon was actually very glad that the Design Department was located in a separate building.

If it had been in the main building, she would have been much more exhausted than she was now.

“Hmm…”

At Jungwon’s indifferent response, Do-jin seemed to think for a moment before approaching her.

Jungwon shifted her gaze away from the monitor and looked at him.

He smiled brightly.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it?”

“I may not look like it, but I’m actually kind of a loner at work. So I don’t have anyone to eat lunch with… Would you mind coming with me?”

Jungwon blinked several times at Do-jin’s question.

Then she suddenly let out a small laugh.

“You’re not very good at lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“It was obvious.”

“There’s really no one else here right now~. So, are you coming or not?”

“Are you very hungry?”

“Hmm… Actually, not really…”

Do-jin smiled awkwardly.

Ah, so he only asked me to lunch because he was trying to make me feel less awkward since it was my first day.

Touched by his kindness, Jungwon smiled.

“Then instead of going to lunch, could you teach me something?”

Jungwon pointed toward the design program displayed on her screen and continued.

“I heard you’re the one who created this program, Team Leader.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I tried using it a little this morning while following the guide… And when I compare it with the existing blueprints, the error in the design measurements is noticeably smaller when using this program. It’s really impressive.”

At Jungwon’s compliment, Do-jin pulled over the chair beside her and sat down.

When he leaned toward her as if he were about to take the mouse, Jungwon subtly moved aside.

“I didn’t make it alone. The chairman put in a lot of effort as well.”

“The chairman…?”

Jungwon’s mouth fell slightly open at this unexpected information.

If he had participated in the development, that meant he knew how to read blueprints, at the very least.

Come to think of it, what had Han Tae-kyung said he did before becoming chairman?

Do-jin turned his head and briefly looked at Jungwon.

“You didn’t know that the chairman worked for a marine engineering company before he came to Haesin, did you?”

“Oh, no. That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“He wasn’t interested in management either, and he hated being recognized as the second son of the Haesin Group. So he hid his identity and joined another company. He started there at the bottom and learned ship design from the ground up. That’s why he has quite a lot of field experience as well.”

“That’s something I didn’t know.”

“He isn’t the kind of person who goes around telling people about things like that. I only found out while we were researching and developing the program together.”

Hearing something she had never known before, Jungwon quietly nodded.

Han Tae-kyung had become chairman of Haesin only after his father, Chairman Han, and his older brother, Han Jae-hyun, had been involved in an accident.

The accident had been an explosion, just like the one that had taken Jungwon’s father’s life.

But now that she thought about it, could both of those accidents really have been coincidences?

Jungwon spoke again.

“Is this program only going to be used by you and me here?”

“Yes. We’ve finished developing it, but it’s not perfect yet. For the time being, engineers at the senior level and above will be the first to use it for actual design work as a trial. After that, we’ll make improvements and eventually roll it out for everyone.”

“Ah, I see…”

Jungwon gave a short reply and stared quietly at Do-jin, who was sitting beside her.

Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, she asked,

“But Team Leader, don’t you think I’m strange?”

“What?”

“The fact that you’re apparently a real loner. Everyone at the company has been talking about me all day.”

The entire Haesin office had been buzzing with gossip after hearing that Min Jungwon was coming back.

Do-jin must have heard the rumors too.

So why didn’t he think she was strange?

From the moment they had first met until now, Do-jin had never once treated her with anything but kindness. Because of that, Jungwon couldn’t help asking him as though she were the one who found it strange.

“I only believe in what I see and experience for myself.”

Do-jin’s eyes, which had been fixed on the monitor, met Jungwon’s wavering gaze.

With a gentle smile, he continued.

“I know you’re not that kind of person, Min Jungwon.”

At his smile, Jungwon’s lips curved into a smile as well.

He was someone she’d only met today.

So why did he make her feel so warm inside?

While Jungwon hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should thank him, the cheerful sound of a messenger notification rang out.

The moment she saw who had sent the message, her expression subtly stiffened.

Knock, knock.

“Ms. Min Jungwon is here.”

Secretary Yoo knocked on the chairman’s office door and announced Jungwon’s arrival.

With a click, the door opened, and Jungwon’s heart began beating faster for no reason.

Seeing him once during the interview should have been enough. So why had he called her into such a private space?

And if people found out that she had been summoned to the chairman’s office—especially Ah-young—what would they say this time?

Thinking about Tae-kyung’s intentions for calling her, Jungwon stepped into the chairman’s office.

Han Tae-kyung, who was sitting behind his desk looking over some documents, briefly glanced at Jungwon and the secretary as they entered before returning his attention to the papers.

Apparently, he only wore glasses when working. Unlike the last time, he was wearing thin black-rimmed glasses today.

Jungwon thought that they made his already cold appearance seem even colder.

Following Secretary Yoo’s guidance, she took a seat.

“Would you like some coffee or tea?”

Jungwon shook her head.

“Secretary Yoo, you can leave now.”

“Yes. I’ll leave you two to talk.”

At Tae-kyung’s somewhat sharp tone, Jungwon narrowed her eyes slightly as she tried to gauge his mood.

Secretary Yoo bowed and left the chairman’s office.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

How many times did the clicking sound of Tae-kyung’s pen echo through the office?

Jungwon discreetly raised her wrist and checked the time, her expression gradually becoming more irritated.

Just as she was about to ask with her lips how much longer she would have to wait, Tae-kyung placed his pen down on the desk with a sharp click and looked at her.

“How is it?”

Jungwon stared at him, unable to understand what he meant by such a sudden question.

But Tae-kyung simply looked at her as though waiting for an answer.

She asked again.

“What exactly are you asking about?”

At Jungwon’s question, Tae-kyung placed the glasses he had been wearing on the desk and stood up.

He approached Jungwon with long, purposeful strides and sat down directly across from her.

A rich scent of perfume brushed against the tip of Jungwon’s nose.

It was a fresh, marine fragrance that reminded her of waves in summer.

“How does it feel to be back in the place where you used to work with your father?”

Tae-kyung’s sharp eyes turned coldly toward Jungwon.

What is it about Han Tae-kyung that makes him act so strangely toward me?

He had been the one to approach her first and offer her a position because he supposedly needed her.

Yet after she accepted, he kept looking at her suspiciously, asking questions as though he were trying to probe into her thoughts.

Waiting for Jungwon’s answer, he seemed uncomfortable with the silence and reached up to loosen his neatly tied tie.

Even as he loosened it, he kept his intense gaze fixed on Jungwon.

“During the interview last time, I believe you said that you distinguish between business and personal matters. This question seems rather personal. Did you call me here simply because you were curious about that?”

Jungwon answered curtly, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Tae-kyung said,

“No. I thought I’d give you some advice.”