Daehyun walked into the office and was greeted by all his employees. They all looked at his hand curiously and he suppressed a sigh. Of course; it was natural that they would care about the wedding.

            His secretary, the only one he was close to, sidled up to him and raised her eyebrows. “So, how’s the bride?” He shrugged and she tsked. “What type of reaction is that? I asked you how is your newly wedded wife?”

            “I don’t know. She’s alright.”

            She closed the door to his office and pulled up a chair. She pursed her lips as he rifled through the papers she had given him and slapped a hand on the table. “Jung Daehyun! Don’t think I don’t hear about your behavior from Youngjae. They’re all disappointed in you, and I have to say I am too. I’ve know that lovely girl since she was young and she does not deserve your treatment. I know you’re stubborn and in your heart, you still like that other woman, but you better get your head out of the clouds.”

            Daehyun narrowed his eyes at the woman in front of him. If she weren’t his nurse and trusted secretary, he would fire her on the spot for being so insolent, and also so correct. “I can see the conflict in your eyes, young man. You know I’m right.”

            He threw the papers on the table. “The door’s that way. You can leave now.”

            She gave him an irritating smirk and shrugged. “Suit yourself. But if you ever need her, don’t come crying to ahjumma saying that she wouldn’t cooperate.”

            The moment the door closed, he slumped down in his chair. What hidden charm did Jinli have that he couldn’t see? He certainly did not understand why everyone rooted for her so much. They probably don’t know the real her, he concluded. They don’t see how helpless she is and how useless she can be.

            He tapped a rhythm on the table and spun his chair so he could look out the window. There was going to be a negotiation later and he did not need to be distracted. Daehyun bit his lip and decided that he wasn’t going to bother with thinking about her. She was only going to distract him.

            He resumed his working mind and continued to work out the minute details of the deal. It was a difficult company that he had to snare and he had to work hard to ensure that he succeeded. If he didn’t, he knew his father would not be pleased.

            There was a knock on his door and Daehyun sighed. “Come in.”

            Jongup walked in and smiled. “Working on the deal, Hyung?”

            Daehyun grunted. “Yeah. What’s the matter?”

            “Their secretary just informed me that the head manager is planning on coming over soon and to tell you to set up a business room. It looks like they’re desperate to merge. It’s not going to be as difficult as we thought. They want to merge and bring over a worker. I heard the person they’re bringing in is no joke, so they’ll be using that as their bargain.”

            “Alright, so they already are agreeing to a deal. This time, they want to join forces? I’ll have to evaluate their person first before I can agree on anything though.”

            Jongup nodded. “Of course.” He lingered at the desk and Daehyun raised his eyebrow.

            “Anything else?”       

            His friend glanced at the door and sat down. “As a matter of fact, yes. How’s Noona?”

            Daehyun’s temper rose. Again, they were asking about Jinli. He was starting to get tired of this girl. “I’ve been with her fully for one week and I’m just coming back to work. All everyone is ever interested in is how she is doing. Why?”

            “She’s your wife. We care about the wife of our very important manager. She could be the wife of the future CEO. It’s courtesy. But I want to know if you’re treating her right. Hyung, remember, I told you. She’s a nice person.”

            Daehyun pointed at the door. “You can leave now. Have their secretary send in a resume for the person they want and tell them that I don’t want to meet. I don’t need to. I know their end of the trade. I just want to know who they’re bringing over.”

            Jongup nodded and shook his head slightly. “Just don’t regret your decision. If her father pulls out for some reason, you may regret it. Our stocks really rely on his addition, remember.”

            Daehyun scowled. It was always about the company.

***

            Jinli barricaded herself in her office the entire day. She politely smiled and answered the questions that curious employees had asked her and made the excuse of needing to catch up with work so she could have peace and quiet. She had to finish her jobs in Seoul first and then slowly transition into the new office in Busan. It was going to be a whole new environment but she was happy to be away from Daehyun for a week.

            One week had been too long to spend with him, so this week was a cancellation, a rejuvenation. She never got over the rejections but she made up her mind. If his parents would nag about grandchildren, it was solely his responsibility to make it happen.

            “Jinli!” She looked up and saw Taewoon there. She did a double take and let a small smile spread across her face. Even though she had no romantic feelings for him, he was still a good person.

            He walked up to her and she nodded at his suit. “I didn’t realize you owned anything other than swimming trunks,” she .

            He laughed. “I’m a new intern here. Does this mean you’re my boss?” His eyes lit up and she knew that maybe this puppy crush has gone a little far.

            Jinli stood and shook her head apologetically. “I’m afraid not. I’m moving to the Busan branch because my husband is there.” The disappointment was clear on his face and she hesitated. “But I’ll be here for another week and I can show you around. Would you like to grab coffee? I have a break.”

            He took her on her offer and they went to a nearby café. “So have you always been interested in interior design? Funny we never touched upon it when we were at Jeju.”

            Taewoon shrugged. “It’s like a secret passion I have. It’s fun and it’s creative and I enjoy doing it. How about you?”

            She laughed. “I’ve been doing it for at least five years now. It’s a way for me to leave a mark in everyone’s lives to be honest. And it’s also a way to be artistic and not have to rely on public opinion.”

            They talked on and on and she was almost sorry to have to return back to the office. After having to deal with Daehyun’s aloofness, the conversation was interesting. Right before she turned into her office, he stopped her.

            “Are you happy with your husband?” He asked the question innocently, as if he just wanted to know.

            Jinli was quiet for a moment and because she trusted him and didn’t feel the need to play up an act. She shook her head. “Not particularly.”