Chapter 9
Apparently, words backed by power really were different.
The moment Yugam ended the call, boxes filled with documents from the vice principal arrived at the chairman's office.
Jaekyung stared at the enormous pile.
“There's so much. Reviewing ten years of records will take quite a while.”
Yugam showed little reaction.
He returned to the desk opposite hers and sat down.
“Check every number and every letter.”
His eyes remained on the documents.
“Don't miss anything.”
Then, as if remembering something, he added,
“I'll give Seo Jaekyung the generous performance bonus she likes so much.”
Jaekyung should probably have been grateful for the bonus.
But she still glared at Yugam slightly because he always made everything sound irritating.
He didn't notice.
He was already absorbed in his work.
Now that Jaekyung had secured the documents, she needed to work even faster.
Following Yugam's order to prioritize the vice principal, she concentrated until her eyes felt dry.
Jaekyung had lunch with Kim Juyoung and was heading back to the chairman's office when someone suddenly appeared.
“Teacher Seo.”
The vice principal crooked a finger at her.
Jaekyung stopped.
“You've been busy lately, haven't you?”
“...Yes.”
The vice principal looked displeased.
“A contract worker shouldn't get too far ahead of herself.”
Jaekyung's eyes narrowed.
“You need to know when to quietly overlook things.”
He seemed upset that Yugam had spoken sharply to him over the phone that morning.
“That was... necessary as part of the procedure.”
“Teacher Seo!”
His voice dropped.
“Listen.”
He stepped closer.
“You might be the chairman's secretary now, but your status is still temporary.”
He pointed to himself.
“I've been at this school for twenty years. And you graduated from here too. Doesn't that make you one of my students?”
Then he handed Jaekyung a file.
“Process this under your name.”
Jaekyung's face went pale.
“If you do, everything will quiet down.”
Then he smiled.
“And when you're job hunting later, I'll write you a recommendation letter.”
Jaekyung stared at the papers.
“Wouldn't this cause problems?”
The vice principal laughed.
“Problems?”
He looked around carefully, then glared at her.
“You entered the information yourself. What problem could there be?”
His tone sounded like a threat.
At that moment, the chairman's office door opened.
Yugam and Chief Kwon stepped outside.
“What are you doing here?”
The vice principal immediately bowed calmly.
“Chairman, hello. I'm just handing over some work.”
Yugam took the file from Jaekyung's hands and opened it.
His gaze moved over the manipulated data the vice principal had prepared.
For only a fraction of a second, his eyes shifted.
“Is there any work that needs to be handed over to the chairman's direct secretary?”
The vice principal smiled smoothly.
“Secretary Seo said she made this material.”
Jaekyung froze.
“She had many questions, so I came during lunch to explain it.”
He lied effortlessly.
Jaekyung's mouth went dry.
Please notice that I didn't make it.
Yugam looked at the document again.
“If there's no evidence and the totals don't match, I won't casually reference it even if Secretary Seo made it.”
“Exactly.”
The vice principal laughed.
“To make sure you have nothing to worry about, Chairman, I'll carefully check all the data Secretary Seo entered.”
Yugam stared at the vice principal's slippery smile for a moment.
“I'll be in a meeting for about an hour.”
Then he looked at Jaekyung.
“Secretary Seo, contact me immediately if anything happens.”
“Yes. Have a good meeting.”
Yugam and Chief Kwon left first.
The moment they disappeared, the vice principal leaned toward Jaekyung and whispered,
“You saw that, didn't you?”
Jaekyung stiffened.
“Do you really think the chairman trusts you?”
He gave her a smug smile.
“Do what I tell you, and I'll at least help you keep your position.”
“Vice Principal!”
Jaekyung raised her voice.
“I don't need anything like that.”
Ignoring her, the vice principal patted her shoulder with a friendly smile and walked away.
Jaekyung stared down at the file in her hands.
Should I immediately report that the vice principal made this?
Her bad feeling about him no longer felt like simple suspicion.
The best thing she could do now was check whether the records had been manipulated or something had been omitted, then report the facts.
[My meeting will run late, so go home first. Driver Yoon will take you.]
After receiving Yugam's message, Jaekyung returned to his house.
No matter how luxurious it was, living in someone else's home couldn't possibly feel comfortable.
The place was empty.
Yet even the spotless floor made her feel as though she had to watch herself.
Jaekyung entered the room she was using and opened her laptop.
The fastest way to end her relationship with Yugam was to finish this work as quickly as possible.
When she finally lifted her head, the world outside the window was already dark.
He still isn't back?
Since they were living under the same roof, she couldn't help being aware of his movements.
Grrrrr.
Her stomach growled.
I should've bought something at the convenience store.
Traveling around in an official car had placed strange restrictions on normal things she had always taken for granted.
She wanted to avoid running into Yugam in the living room.
But her stomach growled even louder.
She had no idea what was in the refrigerator.
Still, it was probably better to eat something quickly.
Jaekyung quietly opened the bedroom door.
The enormous house was so silent that only the automatic sensor lights were on.
It was almost frightening.
She hurried into the kitchen and carefully opened the refrigerator.
Her eyes widened.
There were individually packaged salads.
Poke bowls.
All kinds of boxed meals.
“This is basically a luxury convenience store.”
Jaekyung looked around.
“Am I allowed to eat this?”
Calling Yugam just to ask would be ridiculous.
She picked one at random and started walking out of the kitchen.
“Having dinner?”
Jaekyung jumped.
