Ch 46

<46>

 

The Beginning of a New Time (7)

 

The July monsoon brought gray skies, scattering moisture-laden rain all day long. The rain, which had been drumming against the windows since last night, showed no sign of stopping even in the morning. Eunho gently stretched his stiff shoulders from side to side as he rose from his seat. Before he knew it, the dreamlike weekend had passed, and Monday, the day of his departure, had arrived.

 

Throughout the weekend, the two of them hadn’t stepped a single foot outside the gate. The only times they went out were the two or three trips to the front door to sort out the mountain of disposable containers from delivered food.

 

Their plan to mingle until they were exhausted before his departure repeatedly failed. Eunho’s condition remained poor, and it was difficult to time things right because he was sleeping so much. Yoonjae told Eunho, who was trying to force his low condition, that he didn’t have to and was satisfied with just sticking close to him. Even without sexual arousal, being close was enough to exchange pheromones, and for some reason, he felt that it would be good for Eunho. While Eunho slept, Yoonjae constantly injected his pheromones into Eunho. He watched over Eunho, covering him with a pheromone dome so that he wouldn’t struggle with pheromones while they were apart.

 

Eunho, who had been rolling around in bed and in the living room all weekend, dozing off as if he had swallowed a handful of sleeping pills, began to pack his bags in a hurry on Sunday night, realizing the reality. The thought of leaving Yoonjae in the vast space where the only sound was the rain pattering against the windows made him uneasy.

 

“I’ll contact you when I get home from work. It’ll probably be between 7 and 9 AM LA time.”

 

Even with Chief Yoon in front of him from early in the morning, Yoonjae unabashedly displayed his affection. He took out the ring that had become a necklace pendant and put it on Eunho’s finger, rubbed his lips on the back of his hand, and stamped his lips on his plump, white forehead, embarrassing Eunho.

 

“If anything happens, contact me anytime. Okay?”

 

Yoonjae, who had been trying to act like he was okay, became extremely anxious on the morning of his departure. Like a parent sending a child out to the water, he was uneasy and frustrated, fretting alone. Eunho, on the other hand, was calm. The face that grabbed Yoonjae’s hands and looked straight up at him, telling him not to worry, showed no trace of the tearful scene from the day before. Even though they had hugged each other to their heart’s content all weekend, he still felt regretful and sad that he could only hold him in his arms one last time before leaving.

 

“Please take care of him, Chief Yoon.”

 

Yoonjae felt sorry for him carrying a suitcase as big as himself, so he put it in the trunk of the car himself. He didn’t even use an umbrella and was drenched in the heavy rain, but Yoonjae didn’t care. Rather, Eunho, who belatedly followed him to put an umbrella over him, looked like he was about to burst into tears at the sight of him soaked. Eunho barely held back his tears and got into the passenger seat with a bright smile as his last gesture.

 

Yoonjae watched the departing car for a long time, then pressed his fingers against his eyelids and fell into thought. Only the sound of heavy raindrops pouring down on the umbrella Eunho had given him surrounded Yoonjae.

 

The sky was cloudy and dark, as if it had lost its color. The constantly moving wipers swept the rain this way and that, but even the red taillights of the car in front were blurred by the heavy rain.

 

“Thank you, Chief.”

 

Standing in front of the departure hall, Eunho gave his thanks to Chief Yoon, who had so much more to worry about, with sincerity and gratitude. He was an upper manager who had always looked favorably on him since his first interview and had even personally selected him, so he was no less than a grateful benefactor to Eunho.

 

“Contact me first when you arrive. Executive Director will be busy today.”

 

In his forties, he had succeeded in getting married late before Eunho joined the company and was about to have his first child. As soon as he heard the news of the pregnancy, Yoonjae sent him an amount equal to one year’s incentive, congratulating him and telling him to buy what he needed for the child. The team members collected money to prepare a gift package for the soon-to-be-born child, but Eunho felt bad that he couldn’t do more. Since the due date was after the general shareholders meeting, he vowed to bring a bunch of gifts for the baby when he returned, if the situation was okay.

 

“And…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Executive Director probably didn’t tell you because he was worried about you, but if the situation isn’t good, bodyguards will appear around you. They’ll explain it to you calmly, so just follow them. I’ve sent the bodyguard information to your personal email, so please check it.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

How worried must he be to go this far? Eunho fully understood Yoonjae’s agony and grabbed his suitcase.

 

“Please take good care of Executive Director. Director.”

 

“Go in quickly. Be sure to contact me when you arrive.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Eunho bowed his head and turned to the departure hall. He suppressed his heavy heart as much as possible, telling himself not to make such a fuss over a short separation. Among the many people he had seen in his life, Choi Yoonjae was by far the most outstanding. Believing without a doubt that he would do well, Eunho entered the departure hall with a lonely heart.

 

***

 

As soon as Secretary Park arrived at work, he opened his soaking wet umbrella in the empty space inside the secretary’s office. He sighed deeply as he looked at his suit pants and shoes, which were wet to the knees from the heavy rain. He pulled out tissues as he saw them and wiped off the moisture. He thought that if he left them as they were, the mustiness would continue throughout the morning, so he would have to change into slippers when he sat at his desk and dry his socks. Just then, he heard whispering voices from inside the pantry.

 

“Eunho-ssi is on vacation today?”

 

“That’s unusual, without saying anything.”

 

“He’s even on vacation for a week? Is something wrong?”

 

Secretary Park was surprised by the story of Yoo Eunho’s vacation and pretended to make coffee as he entered. Secretary Kim and Secretary Lee, who were checking the scheduler, made eye contact with Secretary Park as he entered and greeted him lightly before continuing their conversation. Secretary Yoo, who was usually very responsible, was making a fuss about what was wrong, when Secretary Han, who followed him in, knocked on the wall of the pantry to draw attention.

 

“Good morning, Chief Yoon is out on business and won’t be in until 10 o’clock. The weekly business meeting has been pushed back to 11 o’clock.”

 

“Then, instead of Secretary Yoo, will Secretary Han attend the 9 o’clock executive meeting?”

 

“Yes, I’m going to prepare now.”

 

Secretary Han had a lot to do from the morning due to Eunho’s absence, so she just said what she had to say with her laptop in hand and disappeared. Secretary Park raised his wrist to check the time and then immediately took his coffee and left the pantry. He had to attend the 9 o’clock executive meeting like Secretary Han, so he had a lot to prepare. Secretary Park left the secretary’s office and returned to the desk in front of CEO Han’s office, where he turned on his laptop and checked the secretary team’s scheduler once again.

 

The vacation request had been submitted at 6:03 AM this morning, and Chief Yoon and Executive Director Choi had approved it immediately at 6:05 and 6:06, as if they had known in advance. Suspicious of the vacation request that had been approved so quickly, he was looking through the old records when CEO Han passed by. Secretary Park immediately greeted him and followed him inside.

 

“CEO.”

 

The rain that had been falling all day yesterday created a subtle smell of wetness, no matter how much dehumidifying he did. The way he glanced at Secretary Park, who followed him, was very annoying.

 

“Secretary Yoo took a week’s vacation this morning without notice.”

 

At the mention of Yoo Eunho, CEO Han’s brow furrowed as he pushed up the glasses that had slipped down his nose. On Monday mornings, when even executives come to work on time unless they are on sick leave, it is inevitable for the secretary who attends to the executives to come to work. But for Yoo Eunho, who attends to Executive Director Choi, to take a long vacation before coming to work, there are many questions that arise.

 

“Today is Monday.”

 

“Judging from the fact that Chief Yoon is also late for work, it’s a bit strange. He said he was out on business even though he didn’t have any schedule in the morning.”

 

“Okay, thank you.”

 

Did Choi Yoonjae make the first move? Is he going to hide Yoo Eunho behind him, eliminate anything that could be a weakness, and come out for an all-out war? CEO Han took out his cell phone from his pocket and selected Chief Yoon from his call list. His blunt fingertips nervously pressed the call button.

 

“Where are you?”

 

-CEO, I’m on my way to the company.

 

After a short signal, Chief Yoon’s voice, who answered the phone right away, echoed faintly in the quiet surroundings. Judging from the distance in his voice, it seemed to be connected via Bluetooth. The loud sound of the wipers moving flooded into the call.

 

“I heard you were out on business.”

 

-There were some ambiguous parts in the investment plan sent by MPick, so I’m a little late because I was checking them.

 

“Ah, I see. Come slowly.”

 

He rattled off the answers without a hint of embarrassment, so it was difficult to press him any further. CEO Han hung up the phone and immediately called Vice President Choi Seryeong.

 

“It’s me. It’s not certain, but it seems that Secretary Yoo has disappeared.”

 

CEO Han, who knew Choi Seryeong’s plan in advance, couldn’t shake the feeling that he had buttoned the first button wrong. The plan was to kidnap Yoo Eunho around the weekend of this week and torment Choi Yoonjae for a month, but even this easy thing was already starting to go wrong.

 

They say that everyone has something to hide, but Choi Yoonjae belonged to the boring type who perfectly obeyed the social norms and all the legal nets set by the country. No matter how hard Choi Seryeong tried to dig into Choi Yoonjae’s past, not even a single fine ticket came out, he was that close to perfection. Like his personality, even the company’s financial accounting was too perfect, and even at the time of succession, he was so strict that he sold the land on the spot to pay the taxes in full without even trying a common illegal method.

 

He had been a model taxpayer for the National Tax Service for more than a dozen years, so his only weakness was Yoo Eunho, whom he had recently imprinted on. Seryeong’s voice, who had been listening, sank sharply as she felt the urgent trembling in CEO Han’s first words.

 

-I already received a report. He’s leaving the country.

 

“…Leaving the country?”

 

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected him to leave the country since he was on vacation for a week, but the situation was going in the worst possible direction. A rough sigh broke into the air.

 

-We missed him. His destination is LA. I’ve already sent someone on the next flight, but do you know Yoo Secretary’s main residence?

 

CEO Han, who didn’t know much about Yoo Eunho, frowned at the mention of LA as his destination and turned on his computer. He accessed the personnel team’s in-house management system and searched for Yoo Eunho, but his address came up as Seoul. CEO Han, embarrassed that Yoo Eunho’s destination was an unpredictable place, not a resort, rubbed his forehead roughly and got up from his seat.

 

“I’ll have Secretary Park check it right away.”

 

A furious hiss rumbled over the speaker. Choi Seryeong seemed just as embarrassed by the unexpected turn of events. She had been planning the kidnapping, observing him closely since last week to find a loophole between the two of them, but he had blatantly stabbed her in the back, making the situation chaotic.

 

-When you go into the meeting, check on Choi Yoonjae. See if that guy is hiding him, or if something happened and Secretary Yoo acted out of the blue.

 

Seryeong still didn’t know the exact situation. The kidnapping of Eunho was something that only CEO Han and her closest aides knew, so it couldn’t have been leaked. Even if the sensitive Yoonjae felt that he was being followed, it would have been difficult to guess that Eunho was the target, so she couldn’t figure out what was going on. If it was just a simple trip, it might be a good thing, so she needed to check the facts accurately rather than making excessive assumptions.

 

CEO Han, who entered the executive regular meeting room, was greeted by the board members and entered the head seat inside. Sitting in the center of the oval round table, he glanced at Yoonjae next to him and casually added a word.

 

“Secretary Yoo is not here?”

 

“He seemed to need a vacation, so I approved it.”

 

“Oh, he must have had a hard time supporting Executive Director Choi all this time. Did he go somewhere far away?”

 

CEO Han, who said the words “somewhere far away,” felt like he had made a mistake, and Yoonjae’s suspicious, cold gaze collided with his in the air. Thinking that he might be counterattacked if he added ambiguous words, CEO Han turned his head as if he wasn’t interested and focused on the laptop that Secretary Park handed him. CEO Han didn’t realize it himself, but his lips were full of discomfort.

 

Yoonjae’s expression didn’t change. He was so calm and composed that it was impossible to even guess what he was thinking. Even his pheromones were perfectly concealed, so there was no sign of any fluctuation.

 

CEO Han gave up on trying to dig in like a wildcat and smiled bitterly. He had thought he was a fluffy puppy, but he had become a tiger that could cut off the enemy’s breath in an instant. CEO Han, who had bet on Choi Seryeong, thinking that it wouldn’t be a losing fight, was struck by the thought that he had made a mistake in judgment. A sharp premonition that he might be bitten off at once and return to an irreparable level violently stabbed his temples.

 

Yoonjae confirmed Chief Yoon, who quietly entered through the back door during the meeting. Chief Yoon, who was approaching, made a meaningful nod to Yoonjae and gave him a look. A silent signal that only the two of them understood. Yoonjae didn’t show it, but he lightly turned the fountain pen he was holding and breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“…I confirmed that he went in, and I gave you the personal bodyguard’s personal information.”

 

Chief Yoon, who followed him into the office after the meeting and lowered his voice while looking around, revealed a much lighter heart. He had been worried that there might be a problem until he left the country, but he was relieved that it had passed without incident. Now, all he had to do was wait for the confirmation call upon arrival. A bodyguard would probably be with him from the airport, so there wouldn’t be any major problems.

 

“Secretary Eunho must have been very worried. He made everything from the document writing guide to the work samples.”

 

Chief Yoon, who entered in the middle of the regular meeting, quietly sat in the back seat, opened his laptop, and smiled happily as he opened each of the work folders that Eunho had left behind. He had met quite a few secretarial staff members, but it was rare for someone to finish so perfectly and leave like Eunho. Eunho was one of the best people he had ever known, enough to fully understand why Choi Yoonjae had chosen him as his partner.

 

“Please take care of it until the general shareholders meeting. I’ll hire a new secretary after that. And does the personnel team have Secretary Yoo’s home address on file?”

 

“No, they don’t.”

 

“Thank you, Chief Yoon.”

 

CEO Han noticed. His slippery gaze, which had asked if he had gone somewhere far away and then awkwardly smoothed his lips in surprise, was somehow unsettling.

 

***

 

Yoonjae found Kang Taeoh in his recent call list.

 

“I’ll have to postpone our dinner appointment.”

 

-…Did the other party notice?

 

He spoke calmly, but there were many signs of hesitation from the beginning. Taeoh felt anxious at Yoonjae’s tone of postponing the appointment and checked the situation.

 

“That’s how the atmosphere is. It seems they’ve planted someone faster than expected.”

 

-Should I tell my mother in advance?

 

“Yes, please.”

 

-I’ll give you the contact information of the bodyguard who will be with him from the airport. You’ll probably have to coordinate with them in advance.

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

There was no way to know how far Choi Seryeong had reached. In the worst case scenario, she might have already been on the same flight as Eunho, or she might be planning to chase after him on the next flight. The words “somewhere far away” that came out of CEO Han’s mouth kept bothering him. Especially if it was a meaningful statement.

 

It seemed safer to ask Kang Taeoh’s mother to have Eunho stay in a different place than his parents’ house. However, it was difficult to simply trust him and her, so he decided to have a separate bodyguard move with them to judge the overall situation.

 

-Then, I’ll see you in a week, and I’ll go and check in person and give you a video call.

 

“……”

 

-It’s been a while since I’ve seen my daughter. Actually, I was planning to go to my daughter for a week if I saw you today.

 

Taeoh also cared a lot, even though he didn’t show it. The sense of solidarity that had been placed in the special situation of regression definitely bound the two together, but above all, Yoonjae’s sincerity and business judgment were very attractive to Kang Taeoh. As a business partner, it wasn’t easy to find someone as clean and reliable as him.

 

“If I can’t receive calls due to circumstances, I’ll send you my secretary’s contact information, so please contact them.”

 

-While I’m in the United States, I’ll leave my secretary’s contact information in case something happens.

 

As they talked, the fact that the two had similar personalities also formed a sense of kinship. Yoonjae could fully understand and sympathize with why Junseo had chosen Kang Taeoh as time passed.

 

“Please don’t startle Yoo Eunho.”

 

-I’ll connect you as soon as I meet him.

 

With several people looking out for Eunho, this much was enough. Yoonjae ended the call and then searched through his contacts. As he lowered his head, a few strands of his neatly slicked-back hair fell forward. Yoonjae swept his hair back with his fingers, then raised his voice slightly as he recognized the voice amidst the loud background noise. It sounded like the other person was out on business, as the surroundings were very noisy.

 

“It’s me, Shin.”

 

-Yes, Executive Director.

 

“I’d like to postpone our appointment tomorrow to about ten days from now. I’ll contact you again around then. I apologize for the postponement.”

 

-Ah, no problem. Then please contact me when the time comes.

 

Yoonjae, who held numerous accounting irregularities of Yoosung Group in his hands, planned to meet Kang Taeoh this evening to formulate a concrete plan, and then meet with Reporter Shin the next day to coordinate the timing of releasing the data. An arrow must be shot when the bowstring is taut in order to fly quickly and accurately, so he had been collecting data meticulously over several years, waiting for the right moment.

 

Finally, the time had come.