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Chapter 12
After hesitating for a while, Yena carefully spoke.
“Um, Manager. I’m sorry, but… I just really need a plain business suit. Something monotone, without any embellishments — a simple, ordinary style.”
“Pardon? Ordinary… you said?”
A flicker of confusion passed over the manager’s once-proud face.
“Yes. I already have too many of those fancy clothes at home. I’d rather have something I can wear comfortably, without worrying too much about it.”
The manager blinked rapidly, then let out an awkward laugh.
“Ah, haha. Executive Choi, I’m so sorry. I must’ve misunderstood. I’ll prepare exactly the kind of style you want right away.”
“Thank you.”
The staff rushed busily around the showroom, and the racks quickly began to fill with calm, simple suits.
“Hehe, Executive Choi, thank you for waiting. How about trying one of these first? I’ll get a few more options ready in the meantime.”
“Sure.”
As Yena stepped into the fitting room to change, the manager shot Hyunseung a reproachful glance, then whispered under her breath close to his ear.
“Chief Cha, you could’ve given me a heads-up. Did something happen to the Executive?”
Hyunseung replied with a blank expression.
“I didn’t know either — what kind of clothes she planned to buy.”
It was the truth. He really hadn’t expected this. The Yena he knew — the woman who despised looking like a “worker ant” — had chosen an all-black suit and white shirt, the very outfit she used to scorn.
A worker ant’s clothes.
Did she mean to live like a worker ant now, not a queen ant?
That thought left Hyunseung even more confused.
While Yena was changing inside, the faint chatter of the staff filtered through the thin door.
“What’s going on with Executive Choi Yena’s assistants? When they walked in earlier, I almost fainted.”
“Pfft, me too. I’ve only ever heard about Ilseong Group’s F4, and now I actually saw them up close — I could hardly breathe. The tallest one is Chief Cha Hyunseung, right?”
“Yeah. All of them look good, but Cha Hyunseung is on another level. He could totally be an actor. It’s honestly a waste for him to be stuck in this company.”
“Exactly. It’s almost unfair that only we get to see someone like that.”
Yena recalled the sparkle in the female employees’ eyes when she first entered the showroom. She had thought that admiration was directed at her. Now, realizing it had been Hyunseung they were looking at, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Well, who wouldn’t be drawn to that sculpted, aristocratic face — the kind that seemed born of European nobility?
“Ugh, I’m so jealous of Choi Yena.”
“Right? Oh, by the way, that red suit she wore today — wasn’t that from Gucci’s spring collection?”
“Yup. I thought so too. The color really popped. She must already have a closet full of designer clothes, so why buy more? Especially something that plain.”
Yena glanced at the red suit she had just taken off and hung on the rack.
Plain? She never thought it looked that good, but perhaps to others it did.
She turned the handle and opened the fitting room door.
“Shh!”
The manager rushed toward her as Yena stepped out, now dressed in a black suit.
“Oh my, Executive! You really can pull off anything. The fit looks like it was tailored just for you!”
Yena hesitated, standing before the large mirror. The manager fussed at her side, smoothing the outfit.
“I was worried it might be too simple, but seeing you in it — the whole look just shines. What do you think, Executive?”
“…It’s fine.”
Yena couldn’t bring herself to meet her own eyes in the mirror, keeping her gaze lowered.
From behind, Hyunseung’s brows furrowed slightly.
Normally, Yena would have been spinning before the mirror, twirling, flitting around the shop like an excited child. Now, she looked shy, avoiding her own reflection.
Who was this woman?
And suddenly, the image of Jiyoon’s bashful face flashed before him. The doubts he had forced aside earlier began to rise again.
Who are you, really?
He stared hard at Yena’s reflection.
Yena flinched when her eyes met Hyunseung’s in the mirror and quickly looked away.
Another question was added to the growing list inside his mind.
After that, Yena picked out a few more similar suits without much trying on. She also bought two pairs of low-heeled black shoes, claiming her feet hurt.
It was the exact plain, unremarkable “worker ant” style she used to scorn.
Beep.
1 p.m. sharp.
Checking the time, Yena pressed the speakerphone button.
“Chief Cha, has Deputy Manager Lee Jinsang arrived yet? He was supposed to report at one.”
— “Not yet. Shall I call him?”
“No, let’s wait a little longer.”
Just then, Jinsang barged in without knocking.
Hyunseung, frowning, swept his eyes up and down him.
“Executive, Deputy Manager Lee Jinsang just arrived. Shall I send him in?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Carrying a thick pile of documents, Jinsang entered, looking tense.
Yena’s expression cooled as soon as she saw him. She moved slowly toward him.
The bandage that had once covered his forehead was gone, and his face was perfectly smooth, not a single scar in sight.
The sight made a curse rise to her throat — one she barely managed to swallow.
Lee Jinsang. Long time no see. It’s me — Jiyoon. The wife you dumped into the sea off Jeju Island.
You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day.
Get ready. From now on, not a single day of yours will be peaceful. You’ll suffer, you’ll panic. Your head will ache when you’re awake, and at night you won’t even be able to sleep from fear. You’ll go mad, slowly, and then rot away… beneath my feet — in the worst way possible.
Feeling Yena’s sharp gaze, Jinsang lowered his eyes respectfully.
“Executive, I’m sorry for being a little late.”
“You must’ve been quite busy preparing.”
“Yes, well… it was all kind of sudden, haha.”
His slightly sarcastic tone grated on her nerves. He placed the heavy stack of papers on the meeting table.
In that moment, the Rolex watch on his wrist gleamed — the same model he used to obsessively search online.
The very one that had made Jiyoon snort in disbelief when she’d seen the price.
“That’s a nice watch you’ve got.”
“Ah, this? I knew you’d recognize it, Executive.”
“Heh, of course.”
He looked pathetically pleased by her recognition, smiling like a fool.
“It’s a limited edition — only three in Korea. I had such a hard time getting it. Hardly anyone recognizes it, so it feels great that you noticed. You’ve got such an eye for things, Executive.”
Still grinning, he toyed with the watch.
“But… that model costs quite a fortune. How’d you manage to buy it?”
“Oh… well, I did a bit of stock trading, and one of the investments hit big by chance…”
Then his face stiffened, his voice trailing off awkwardly.
Yena raised a brow, watching his expression closely.
No, that’s not true. Every time you bragged about your ‘investments,’ you lost money. That Rolex — you bought it with my life.
She smirked faintly.
“Wow, sounds like you’re quite the investor. Congratulations.”
“Oh, no, not really, haha.”
Jinsang rubbed his forehead, embarrassed.
“Well then, shall we begin the report?”
“Yes. There’s quite a bit, so I brought all the documents with me. If I could just go over them…”
“Hold on a moment, Deputy Lee.”
“Yes?”
He flinched.
“You’re not expecting me to read all this myself, are you?”
She pointed at the mountain of papers with her chin.
“Ah, no, of course not. I just thought you might want to reference them while I explain—”
“You’re saying you’re going to explain all this verbally? You think that’s possible?”
“…O-of course.”
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, face contorting.
Watching his discomfort, Yena nearly laughed.
Lee Jinsang, this is just like you. Always taking credit for others’ work, just changing the cover and pretending it’s yours. You’re only good at sticking your spoon into someone else’s meal. You think you can fool everyone — but not me.
He’d barely had any time that morning to even catch up on the workload. After all, for weeks, he had been skipping out, using his wife Jiyoon’s death as an excuse.
“When giving an executive report, it’s basic courtesy to summarize and organize the data — to use visuals or at least one PowerPoint slide. And yet you plan to wing it verbally? Are you underestimating me because I’m young?”
Yena’s voice rose steadily.
Jinsang’s lips cracked dryly.
“N-no, that’s not it—”
“Deputy Lee, you’ve worked here quite a long time, haven’t you? It’s disappointing to see how unfavorably you compare to your wife, Manager Kim Jiyoon. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been here even longer than she was, right?”
“……!”
