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Chapter 67

"It's nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"It's not something you can help with."

The problem she was carrying inside could only be solved by her.

"How can I decide if I can help or not unless you tell me?"

"There are some things like that."

With his black sunglasses still on, he sat with his legs arrogantly crossed. Without being able to see his eyes, it was harder to read his mood.

More importantly, why was he here?

"Anyway, why did you come here? Who walks from Hannam-dong all the way here? You have the Han River right nearby, and plenty of walking trails."

She tried to cut him off before he could say anything strange, but Hae-joon just smirked. That arrogant smile only unsettled her more. It was clearly a prelude to something odd.

"Secretary Cha didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"That this stream was voted the most walkable path by Seoul citizens."

"Seoul citizens voted on that?"

She'd never heard of such a survey.

"Yeah. I guess you really didn't know."

He turned his head away, rummaged for something, and showed it to her.

It was a monthly magazine published by the district office of her neighborhood. He even helpfully opened it to the page about the stream.

"See?"

He pointed, as if to prove he was right. The article was indeed titled 'The Most Walkable Path Voted by Seoul Citizens.'

"Why do you have this? I've never even seen it."

Living in this neighborhood for years, she'd never once looked at the district office's monthly magazine. She wouldn't have thought to find one, and didn't even know where to get it.

"I'm interested in all sorts of things."

Even the most curious person wouldn't read another neighborhood's district magazine. Most people probably didn't even know what their own district office published. And Kim Hae-joon was the type who usually didn't care about things unrelated to him.

"So I've been planning to come here for a while. And by coincidence, I ran into Secretary Cha like this."

Planning? To come here?

"Ah... Secretary Cha lives nearby, right?"

"What are you doing?"

"Doing what?"

Why are you acting like such a bad actor? She wanted to ask, but held the words back.

"Nothing. Forget it."

Talking to him would only drag her in. But where did he even get that magazine? Today was full of surprises—appearing out of nowhere, wearing that outfit.

"Did you know, Secretary Cha?"

No, I don't. She wanted to snap back. What was he leading up to this time?

"The youth unemployment rate is no joke these days. Especially in Seoul. Too many people in too small a space—can't be helped."

He held up the newspaper as if he'd prepared it. The headline read 'Youth Unemployment at Record High.' A dramatic title, as if the world were ending. His intention in showing this to her was obvious.

"It says hell might be waiting out there. Look—changing jobs isn't easy."

As if performing a one-man play, he unfolded the newspaper and carried on the conversation by himself.

"It's really not easy, is it, Secretary Cha?"

With sunglasses so dark you couldn't even see his eyes, she wondered if he could actually read the paper.

"People have been saying it's hard to get a job for the last ten years."

"Then why take that difficult path when you have a comfortable nest?"

If it were a comfortable nest, she wouldn't be thinking of leaving. It was more like sitting on pins and needles. If she dragged it out any longer, the Chairman might just order her fired. If she wanted to walk away with her severance pay intact, it was better to leave quietly.

"I've already told you my decision."

She drew a clear line. If she'd decided to leave, she'd push through without wavering. His eyes were still hidden behind the sunglasses, but the frown on his face showed he wasn't pleased.

"Fine. Whatever you say."

He nodded with a reluctant tone and started flipping through the newspaper again. The man who'd supposedly come all this way for a nice walk had been poring over newspapers the whole time. If that was his plan, he could have stayed home.

"These days, this is also a problem. Everyone and their dog wants to start a business, and most of them go under."

He waved the newspaper in front of her as if to show her.

'More than half of startups close within five years.'

First job seekers, now startups.

"At first, everyone has big dreams. They want to go public, build towers. But most can't. And plenty fail. It's a huge social cost."

She'd never mentioned wanting to start a business. She didn't have the money for it, and it wasn't even on her mind. Why was he bringing this up?

"It's a serious issue."

He shook his head, folded the newspaper, and placed it beside him, as if he'd said all he needed to say. Out of all the articles, why pick those two? She wondered about his intention.

Then she remembered him peering into the café when she'd met Jeong-woo. That was the day Jeong-woo had talked about his startup and offered her a job. His words now brought that moment back. Did he know something?

"What's your real reason for doing all this, President?"

"Reason?"

"You keep loitering around whenever I meet Jeong-woo. I saw you that day, looking into the café. Everyone inside probably did too."

"They saw me? Everyone?"

"So you admit you were there."

His lips twitched. At her mention of being seen, a flicker of embarrassment crossed his face. The man who'd been so chatty moments ago fell silent.

"Why do you keep following me whenever I meet Jeong-woo?"

"What, do you have something to hide? Did you two conspire?"

He shot back, unashamed.

"Did he ask you to work with him?"

"You know something, don't you?"

She was sure he did. That was why he'd brought up the difficulties of startups and the high failure rate. But she couldn't tell how much he knew.

"I told you. When you quit, there'll be people trying to lure you."

"Do you even know what kind of business he's talking about?"

"I don't care."

"You seem pretty interested."

"I'm not."

"Should I tell you what I heard from him that day?"

"I said I don't care!"

"Wouldn't you need to hear it to judge if it's viable?"

"Are you defending him right now?"

She was taken aback. Was he asking why she wasn't taking his side, just because he was her boss? The conversation was getting childish—it reminded her of childhood friends who'd split into teams and get upset if someone took the other side.

Even as she retorted, she couldn't tell where this was going. She felt herself being drawn into his childish pace.

"So, are you really going to work with him?"

"That's my decision. I don't think I need to report it to you."

He fell silent. His demeanor had shifted. Had she been too harsh? She regretted it briefly. She hadn't needed to go that far, especially with a boss she'd worked with for years.

"What I mean is..."

She tried to say more, but couldn't find the right words. Even making excuses felt odd.

"That's why you keep saying such strange things."

She sighed, then replayed the situation. His coming here, his odd remarks—they all pointed to one thing. The very thing that had been confusing her most. It wasn't her style to keep suffering in silence. It was time to clear the air.

"President, I'm just genuinely curious."

"......"

"Do you actually like me?"

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