NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83
After ending her call with Su-a and turning her head, Su-yeon caught sight of a mirror.
In the mirror, Su-yeon saw the reflection of her own face, looking extremely troubled.
‘What should I do now…’
Her mind was just as complicated as her expression.
Because she had never even imagined the possibility of Ho-jin choosing to leave her side.
She had no sense of how she should act.
What if Ho-jin decided to leave again, like when he moved from ND Soft to her company, to try making a new kind of game?
What if another lucky game company CEO, like the second or third version of herself, came and lured Ho-jin away with perfect timing?
Though she knew these assumptions were highly unlikely…
She couldn’t help but feel uneasy, knowing that Ho-jin had willingly left his well-established position as a director at ND Soft.
It was likely this feeling of uncertainty that caused Su-yeon to unconsciously bite her nails.
Eventually, after ruffling her hair in frustration, she got up with a huff.
After all, her personality wasn’t the type to sit idly in a corner digging into the ground.
She realized that no matter how long she stayed here pondering alone, she wouldn’t arrive at a solution.
What she needed were answers, and to find them, she required information.
Thus, it seemed necessary to seek information from the person closest to Ho-jin.
***
RA Studio Office.
The usual weekday afternoon felt calm, and the office was operating in a relaxed atmosphere.
That is, until Su-yeon arrived.
Su-yeon appeared in the office, and as the atmosphere shifted, she walked over to one of the team members with a wry smile.
Her entrance caused the office to become quieter, and the chosen team member seemed to stiffen, sensing his fate.
“Uh, excuse me…”
Uncertain how to address him, she glanced at his employee ID, which read “Yoon Eun-hye.”
“Eun-hye?”
“Yes, yes?”
“Eun-hye, I’m not here to see you, so relax. I just have a quick question, if that’s okay.”
“Yes, yes! Please ask anything.”
“Do you happen to know where the Department Head is right now?”
Eun-hye pointed towards the Department Head’s office in response.
“Most likely in there. I haven’t seen him leave since this afternoon, so it’s probably right.”
“Is that so? And by any chance, have you noticed if the Department Head seemed troubled or worried about something recently?”
“Well… I haven’t interacted with him much lately, and nothing particular comes to mind.”
Su-yeon pondered further, then checked Eun-hye’s expression, who looked as if everything was normal.
“Alright, thank you for your answers. Get back to your work.”
“Thank you.”
After their conversation, Su-yeon nodded to Eun-hye before heading over to the art team.
The person closest to Ho-jin and capable of providing reliable information was none other than Lee Yerin, who transferred with Ho-jin to her company.
Upon arriving at the art team’s office, Su-yeon found the atmosphere similar to when she first descended.
The previously lively team office had suddenly turned quiet.
Ignoring the curious gazes directed her way, Su-yeon approached Yerin.
“Yerin?”
“Whoa, President! What brings you here?”
Surprisingly, Yerin, with her sharp cat-like features, greeted Su-yeon with visible surprise.
“Well, I came by to ask you something.”
As Su-yeon spoke, Yerin pointed to herself.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, sure. Ask anything.”
“It’s a bit inconvenient to discuss this here… If you’re not busy, would you like to grab a cup of coffee?”
“Sounds good. Just a moment.”
Yerin saved her work and followed Su-yeon out.
About five minutes later, they reached a personal café located outside the company.
Recently praised for its setup, which separates space for customer privacy, the café offered a comfortable setting for their conversation.
Sitting in a secluded corner, Su-yeon was the first to speak.
“This is our first meeting alone since the interview, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
While watching Yerin nod with her usual composed face, Su-yeon asked,
“I’m sorry for troubling you by coming here so abruptly. Do you understand why I’m here?”
“Of course.”
“Well then, I’ll cut straight to the chase. Yerin, how close are you with Ho-jin? Are you good friends?”
Taken aback by Su-yeon’s direct question, Yerin accidentally choked on her Americano.
“Cough, cough. Yes, yes…?”
Su-yeon handed her a few tissues while rephrasing her question,
“I know that your decision to transfer here was based on Ho-jin’s recommendation, and you’ve both continued to work on the same team. I assumed you were close.”
“Umm… If by ‘close’ you mean physically close, then yes… that’s probably right.”
Indeed, in Yerin’s experience, she and Ho-jin were the closest of colleagues.
“So… Have you noticed Ho-jin seem troubled or worried about something recently?”
Yerin looked at Su-yeon with a strange expression, sensing something unusual in her question.
Objectively, it seemed like a simple inquiry from a boss concerned about her subordinate, but one could definitely interpret it in a far less innocent way.
‘Could something have happened between the President and Ho-jin?’
Though Yerin had her suspicions, the atmosphere wasn’t suitable for prying, so she could only cautiously shake her head.
“Well, I haven’t really noticed anything like that… Ah.”
During her explanation, Yerin recalled a memory.
Now, she spoke up.
“Now that I think about it, there was something.”
This surprised Su-yeon, though luckily Yerin was deep in thought and didn’t notice.
“It wasn’t long, only about a week ago or so, but I did see my senior occasionally looking at business cards or his smartphone screen with a concerned expression.”
“Did you see what business cards they were?”
“No, I didn’t get close enough to identify the cards. All I could see was vague outlines… Ah.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“No, I don’t remember anything specific, but I think I know where my senior received the business card.”
“Where?”
“Well, lately, I’ve been going to the gym with my senior. If he received a business card, it was probably there.”
“The gym?”
“Yes. After the workout, we usually shower. I’ve often noticed my senior speaking with people from the industry while I was finishing up.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Pretty sure…?”
“Alright…”
Yerin’s explanation left Su-yeon momentarily lost in thought.
Watching her contemplation, Yerin felt an odd sensation. She realized her perception of Su-yeon had changed.
Before today, Su-yeon was primarily seen as a career woman deeply involved in her work, always supporting the team.
But now, she seemed more emotive, even somewhat endearing, despite the rudeness of the thought.
Moved by this transformation, Yerin found herself speaking without meaning to.
“President, would you like some help from me?”
***
The next day at lunchtime.
Following Yerin’s advice, Su-yeon visited a nearby gym.
This gym, K Fitness Center, was located not far from Enson GT’s Head Office.
It was one Su-yeon had frequented in the past.
“Lately, I haven’t been able to visit as much due to my busy schedule…”
However, because she had visited often, the employees recognized her and provided assistance with just a simple explanation.
Through the help of a gym employee, she found a prime observation spot, hidden well from the entrance.
Just as she had been waiting for about 5 minutes, Ho-jin appeared at the entrance, with water still damp in his hair after a shower.
“Good…”
Yerin, who had mentioned working out with Ho-jin the previous day, was not yet visible, likely needing more time.
Thus, Su-yeon observed Ho-jin alone.
Nothing particularly unusual stood out about Ho-jin.
He glanced at his smartphone and occasionally did some light stretches, possibly because his muscles felt tight.
He occasionally took calls from team members.
“Nothing interesting happened today…”
Though Su-yeon hadn’t expected immediate results, she felt a tinge of regret at having wasted her time.
Just as she was about to get up, noticing her legs were going numb from sitting for so long,
Her attention was drawn to a man approaching Ho-jin.
He was dressed in a tidy suit and had a slim build, with hands that lacked even a single callus.
He was obviously not the type to frequent a gym.
“So he must’ve had a specific reason to come here today.”
As if confirming Su-yeon’s suspicions, the man approached Ho-jin, engaged in a brief conversation, then handed him a business card.
Su-yeon had no choice but to accept what she saw as truth.
Su-a’s words weren’t lies.
The reality she had been ignoring was unfolding right before her eyes.
Su-yeon stared intently at the business card Ho-jin was handed.
The look on his face revealed everything.
This wasn’t just a casual professional courtesy.
Su-yeon slowly rose from her seat.
‘I can’t lose him like this.’
It was time for her to confront Ho-jin directly.