Banished to Changwon
Do Kang-hyun walked toward the table, his eyes locked straight onto Ye-seo’s.
His face was expressionless, yet it looked as if he had already heard every word. The moment his gaze shifted from her to Deputy Manager Choi Yeon-jun and sharpened to a cutting edge, Ye-seo knew for certain.
Above all, the way Deputy General Manager Yoon Tae-seok followed behind Executive Director Do Kang-hyun confirmed it. He was staring at Choi with a stern look, as if scolding the oblivious man in the director’s stead.
But Choi, who had no idea, only brightened at the sight of the two of them. As always, he bowed respectfully toward the executive director.
“Good morning, Director.”
Do Kang-hyun did not even acknowledge the greeting before turning his eyes away. Only then did the other employees notice him and offer their own greetings from every side.
“Director, you’ve arrived.”
“Good morning, sir.”
Without a word, Do Kang-hyun went to his seat and sat down. Then he took a sip of the still-steaming black tea.
Of course, he said nothing particular about Deputy Manager Choi Yeon-jun. Watching Choi finally return to his own seat, Ye-seo felt a measure of relief.
But before starting the meeting, Do Kang-hyun looked at Choi Yeon-jun one more time. He was not a man who readily showed emotion on his face, yet that gaze was anything but favorable.
Only Ye-seo and Manager Yoon, who had been discreetly watching his mood, exchanged a glance and silently shared their unease.
At last, facing the quiet table where everyone sat upright and attentive, Do Kang-hyun opened in his usual commanding tone.
“Begin the meeting.”
It was a day no different from any other. Once again Ye-seo had come to work with Executive Director Do Kang-hyun, enduring his sticky, lingering gaze the entire ride in the car.
When they reached the office, the secretarial suite was in a strange stir. The moment the director disappeared into his private office, Manager Yoon hurried over to Ye-seo and whispered.
“Ms. Jin Ye-seo.”
“Yes?”
“Have you heard the news?”
Something tense and unknown hung in the air; Ye-seo grew even more puzzled.
“What news?”
“About Deputy Manager Choi Yeon-jun.”
At the name Choi Yeon-jun, her heart gave a sudden, violent lurch.
“Deputy Manager Choi… what about him?”
Seeing her anxious face, Manager Yoon glanced toward the executive office and lowered his voice further.
“Choi’s been reassigned. To Changwon.”
“…….”
Her mouth fell open at the completely unexpected news. The director had ridden in with her that morning without saying a single word about it.
“Changwon…?”
A young deputy manager who had been pouring himself into an important project currently underway under the director—suddenly transferred to the provinces. It was exceedingly strange.
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
Even the usually composed Manager Yoon looked more than a little stunned.
“The director did it.”
A chill ran down her spine. The strength left her hand; the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder slipped down, and she had to quickly hitch it back up.
“The director….”
“Choi was going on about how he’d make a move on you, Ms. Jin—saying you were just his type and all that.”
No. Surely not because of those words?
“But that was just a joke he tossed off in passing.”
“Apparently it wasn’t a joke to the director.”
Then it really was because of me?
The more she heard, the less Ye-seo could pull herself out of the shock. More than anything, the fact that Do Kang-hyun had gone this far because of her felt unbearably cold and ugly.
What do I do. It isn’t my fault, but it is because of me…. If I hadn’t been here, none of this would have happened.
Do Kang-hyun’s true intentions remained a mystery, and every kind of thought crowded in at once. She could not stand it.
“A few days ago during the meeting I saw him making no effort to hide how interested he was in you. That guy’s just unlucky, that’s all. Of all people….”
Deputy Manager Choi Yeon-jun had apparently been a key member of the project he was on. Young as he was, he seemed competent.
That was why the director had entrusted him with a fair number of major tasks on that project. A personnel order like this looked strange to anyone’s eyes.
“What’s even in the Changwon facility?”
Still unable to sort through the confusion, Ye-seo asked in a trembling voice. What would happen to him if he went to Changwon?
“Ha…. There’s nothing in Changwon but a warehouse. He probably won’t go.”
Manager Yoon clicked his tongue, sounding genuinely regretful about the whole affair, and continued.
“He’s young and capable, so he’ll probably just move to another company.”
“…So he’ll resign soon.”
“Most likely. I hear he’s crying right now….”
“What did he even do that was so wrong…. I should speak to the director about this.”
“Ms. Jin Ye-seo. I think it would be best if you said nothing for now.”
“…….”
Ye-seo blinked at Manager Yoon, who was firmly stopping her.
“It’s a pity, of course, but it’s already done. The poor guy probably thought he’d hitched himself to the director’s line and that his future was a clear highway. He should have been more careful.”
Muttering those words, Manager Yoon returned to his desk. However sorry or regretful he might feel, Yoon Tae-seok was ultimately on Do Kang-hyun’s side. Only Ye-seo remained standing alone, her face bitter with the awkwardness of it all.
What on earth is going on.
How many more shocking things would Do Kang-hyun put her through from now on? This was something she could never have prevented in advance, which only left her feeling more powerless. And she was already afraid of what lay ahead.
In any case, Ye-seo set her bag down at her desk and went to the pantry. It was time to bring the morning drink to the man at the center of the problem.
She also, privately, wanted to see the face of the person who had done this. In the car she had been too busy avoiding his eyes to look at him properly.
She had seen him drink coffee at home that morning, so now she arranged an iced herbal tea on a tray.
That living under the same roof could be useful in a situation like this—it was almost laughable, in a way that was not funny at all.
Knock, knock, knock. After three knocks she entered and found Do Kang-hyun, the very architect of this mess, looking completely unbothered, his expression as ordinary as ever.
Kang-hyun had been looking at his computer screen; when the door opened he lifted his eyes to Ye-seo.
Before, the man had never bothered to look up even when a secretary came in to leave a drink. Yet whenever Ye-seo entered, he always looked at her. A subtle expression flickered across his face.
Anyone could see he already knew—that Ye-seo had heard the news about what he had done to Deputy Manager Choi. The leisurely way he seemed to be watching her reaction only made it worse.
“Director….”
After setting the tea down, Ye-seo could not hold back and opened her mouth. As if he had expected nothing less, Do Kang-hyun answered.
“Yes.”
“But…. won’t it be inconvenient without Deputy Manager Choi Yeon-jun?”
From what Manager Yoon had said, he had been a talent expected to rise quickly. Which meant the director had been entrusting him with a great deal of work.
Do Kang-hyun said nothing and merely shifted his gaze to the glass she had set down. Then he picked it up and took a sip of the herbal tea. Only afterward did he give his answer.
“He used to be convenient to have around, sure. But now I figure it’ll be more convenient without him.”
Ye-seo stared at Kang-hyun, too flabbergasted to speak.
“Choi Yeon-jun—you said you didn’t like him. Said you never wanted to know him going forward.”
So much for her worry that he might pretend ignorance if asked. Kang-hyun was openly admitting right in front of her that he had sent Choi Yeon-jun away.
“I cleared that annoying, inconvenient bastard out of your sight, so you should be more comfortable now, shouldn’t you?”
Ye-seo squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. Comfortable. How could he say such a thing.
“…More comfortable? This company could never be comfortable for me anyway. Who could possibly be more uncomfortable than you, Director.”
Unable to hold it in, she grumbled at the man talking nonsense. Then, calmly, she protested the blatant injustice of it all.
“This personnel transfer is unfair. Please cancel it.”
She had returned to a polite tone, yet Do Kang-hyun only grew sharper, the edge in him whetted finer still.
“Why are you so worked up about it. Planning to start an office romance with Deputy Choi, since he’s less inconvenient than I am?”
“What? Of course not.”
“Was it fun when that bastard was making eyes at you?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
Flustered, Ye-seo did not know what to say. Was this something that warranted such an oversensitive reaction? With each passing day she found it harder to understand why this man was so obsessively fixated on her.
“I won’t even make eye contact with him….”
In the end Ye-seo chose a slightly more abject path. If she showed a little more deference to the rigidly upright man, perhaps there would be some chance of persuading him.
“Nothing like that will ever happen, so… couldn’t you please cancel it….”