Iseul stopped on her way to the division director's office.
...What if even Oppa doesn't know about this?
She would end up revealing something Jinhyeok had deliberately kept hidden.
The fact that he hadn't even told his own team members meant that nobody was supposed to know.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Iseul turned around.
She needed to be more careful.
But when she returned to her desk, she stopped in surprise.
What? Where did everyone go?
The office was completely empty.
Her mind, which had been working so smoothly a moment earlier, suddenly ground to a halt.
And so, she spent the next twenty minutes sitting there in a daze.
"Oh? Assistant Manager Choi, you're back. What did they say in Human Resources?"
"Ah... The person I wanted to see wasn't there, so I just came back. But where have you been, Manager Park?"
"Huh? Uh... I was, you know... Oh! Right. The bathroom. I went to the bathroom. Hahaha."
Jongil truly didn't possess even the slightest talent for acting.
Iseul's eyes narrowed as she took in his awkward laugh and the notebook in his hand.
"You were in the bathroom for twenty minutes?"
"Huh? Ah... Maybe I ate lunch too quickly. Hahaha. It took a little longer than usual."
That explanation was even less believable.
Jongil was a man who liked to boast that he had never suffered from an upset stomach, much less indigestion.
And more importantly, why had he taken a notebook to the bathroom?
This was the same man who had once worked himself into a panic because he'd forgotten to bring his notebook to a meeting.
Iseul's eyes were growing narrower by the second when...
This time, Assistant Manager Oh Ilman returned to his desk with his head slightly lowered.
"Assistant Manager Oh, where have you been?"
"Huh? Uh... The b-bathroom?"
Jongil turned toward Ilman in alarm.
He was afraid that someone would discover he had actually gone to the rooftop instead of the bathroom.
"What? Your stomach was upset too? Which floor did you go to?"
"...Ah, I went to the floor below. Why do you ask?"
"Hahaha! I see! I went to the bathroom too. I went upstairs. Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahahaha."
The two men continued their painfully awkward conversation.
Iseul raised her head, closed her eyes, and silently repeated the Korean character for patience to herself.
Both men turned toward their monitors.
A heavy atmosphere settled over the Commercial District Analysis Team's office.
Iseul folded her arms and stared at the backs of their heads.
They're definitely hiding something.
As someone who enjoyed reading detective comics, she shouted inwardly.
There is only one truth!
Both men had managed to contact the team leader.
She was one hundred percent certain about Ilman in particular.
He hadn't even bothered to ask what she had discovered in Human Resources.
And Jongil was no different.
There was his ridiculous excuse about having an upset stomach, not to mention the notebook in his hand.
But the most convincing evidence was the change in his behavior.
Until a little while ago, he had been so worried about Jinhyeok that he could barely stay in his seat.
Yet when she told him she'd returned from Human Resources without learning anything, he had casually brushed it off.
That could only mean he no longer needed to find out where Jinhyeok was.
I'm sure of it.
Both men had spoken to Jinhyeok.
And they were keeping that fact secret even from each other.
It was probably the team leader's instruction.
But why leave me out?
Just in case, Iseul checked her phone.
There were no missed calls or messages.
Of the three team members, she was the only one who hadn't been contacted.
She began chewing on the end of her pen.
Has he really taken on something that difficult? Something I wouldn't be able to handle?
That was certainly possible.
The expressions on the two men's faces as they searched for information were more serious than she had ever seen them.
But for some reason, she felt something rather different from being left out.
...Could he be trying to protect me?
Tap.
The pen she had been spinning between her slender fingers fell onto the desk.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
Smack.
Iseul slapped her own forehead with her small palm.
Have you lost your mind? Get a grip!
The sharp slap brought her wandering thoughts back under control.
There was no way that was the reason.
From everything she had seen, Jinhyeok was a man who never showed the slightest romantic interest in any woman.
Even when Iseul burned the pork belly at a company dinner, he hadn't offered to grill it for her.
He had been too busy analyzing the restaurant's data.
Iseul puffed out her cheeks, trying to cool her face, and pushed the distracting thoughts aside.
Jinhyeok always assigned work according to each person's strengths.
He had done so during the Creative Village project and again during the workshop.
If he had given assignments only to those two, he must have had a good reason.
Iseul decided to focus on what she could do.
Fine. It doesn't matter if he hasn't assigned me anything.
I already know exactly what I should be doing.
"Are you going out on a site visit?"
Iseul asked Jongil, who was packing his bag.
"Huh? Uh, yeah. There's something I need to check. Hahaha."
"All right, Manager Park. Take care. And don't forget this."
Resisting the temptation to question him, Iseul handed Jongil his notebook.
"Ah, thanks. Keep up the good work, everyone."
After Jongil left, Iseul stared at Ilman, who had turned his monitor in an unusual direction.
Then she stood up.
Good grief. Just look at that.
Who else would sort this out for them if I weren't here?
The monitor was positioned where Jongil and Iseul wouldn't be able to see it.
But anyone from the Store Development Team on the other side of the glass partition could easily look over if they wanted to.
"Assistant Manager Oh, would you mind if I moved my desk?"
"...Huh? All of a sudden?"
Ilman looked up in surprise.
"There's too much sunlight coming through here. My eyes have been hurting a little lately too."
"...Oh, really? Then you should definitely move. Make sure you see a doctor too."
"Of course!"
Iseul gave him a bright smile and moved her things.
Ilman then carefully adjusted the angle of his monitor.
It was now positioned perfectly, where nobody could look over his shoulder from any direction.
On the other side of the glass partition, Geum Seokcheol frowned as he kept a close eye on the Commercial District Analysis Team's office.
Team Leader Kang has been away for a long time. I need to talk to him about the Creative Village project...
Seokcheol had proceeded with the Creative Village property acquisitions without deviating even slightly from Jinhyeok's plan.
He wanted to report his progress and ask whether there was anything else he could help with.
It would be the perfect opportunity to build a closer relationship.
Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to find a chance to speak with him.
Jinhyeok had spent an entire month working in Mullae-dong, then immediately left for a week-long workshop.
At this point, the most talked-about person in Seongun Development wasn't President Baek Kangjin or the division director who had been transferred from headquarters.
It was Team Leader Kang Jinhyeok, who seemed to achieve extraordinary results with everything he touched.
Considering Kangjin's age, Jinhyeok would probably take over his position within five years at the latest.
That was why they had brought in someone who had served as head of the Future Strategy Office and appointed him division director.
Seokcheol was certain of it.
The entire arrangement had been made for Jinhyeok's benefit.
I need to keep finding ways to work with him.
I have to make myself useful so he remembers me.
Seokcheol stood up and headed toward the Commercial District Analysis Team.
"Good afternoon, Team Leader!"
He was just about to push open the glass door when Iseul came rushing out so suddenly that he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Whoa! You scared me! What's the matter? Why are you rushing out like that?"
"Huh? Nothing's wrong! You're a team leader, so it's only right that I come out to greet you. Isn't it? Hahaha."
Seokcheol scratched the back of his neck.
"...I-Is that so? Ahem. Anyway, where's Team Leader Kang? I haven't seen him for a while."
"He's out on a site visit. He said he'd tell us where he went when he gets back."
"Really? Then what about Manager Park? I saw him leave a moment ago. Did he go to meet Team Leader Kang?"
"No! That's not it. Manager Park went out to take care of some personal work. Is there anything you need? Could I help you?"
Iseul looked up at Seokcheol with a bright smile.
In contrast, he looked down at her with an indifferent expression.
His eyes seemed to say, What could a mere assistant manager possibly do to help me?
"Ahem. No, it's nothing. I was just curious. Make sure you tell Team Leader Kang I came looking for him when he gets back. And stop startling people like that, Assistant Manager Choi. Understood?"
"Yes! Understood, Team Leader!"
Seokcheol glanced over Iseul's shoulder.
Oh Ilman was sitting with his nose practically pressed against his monitor, just as usual.
Nothing seemed particularly different.
"...Assistant Manager Choi."
"Yes?"
"By any chance..."
Seokcheol looked around and lowered his voice slightly.
"Did you hear anything during the workshop or one of your company dinners? Anything about Team Leader Kang?"
The friendliness in Iseul's eyes gave way to caution.
"What kind of thing?"
"Well, I mean... How should I put it? You know, something like... Team Leader Kang is actually..."
Seokcheol let his words trail off.
On second thought, nothing good would come of revealing the identity of a member of the royal family.
"Hmm. Never mind. Forget I asked."
"What is it? What's wrong with Team Leader Kang?"
"I said it's nothing. Just keep doing your assigned work as well as you have been. This is a matter for people higher up."
"..."
With that subtly dismissive remark, Seokcheol turned and walked away.
His rather irritating attitude reminded Iseul of something Chairman Choi had told her when she joined the Commercial District Analysis Team.
'Good! Go ahead and give it a try. I bet you'll come running to me demanding a higher position before even a year has passed.'
If Iseul wanted to, she could rise above Seokcheol whenever she pleased.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you in there?"
A privately operated parking lot near the Gaon Charcoal Grill Balsan branch.
A man who appeared to be the parking lot owner tapped on the driver's window.
"What's the matter?"
"Ah... Your engine's been running this whole time. Is everything all right?"
Surely he wasn't imagining that the owner of a 300-million-won car would run away without paying the parking fee.
Or that I had mysteriously died inside the vehicle.
"I have some work to do in the car. Don't worry about it. I'm almost finished."
I answered calmly to reassure him.
He must have understood immediately after looking through the window at the back seat.
Buying such a large car had really been a good decision.
It was a space that could become my own private hideout whenever I needed one.
Even with a laptop table set up on the camping mattress, there was more than enough room to stretch out my legs and roll around.
Bzzzt.
[Team Leader! I found the final issue published eight years ago. But this... something seems strange. I'll investigate further and contact you again. I'm also meeting Reporter Moon Daegi tonight!]
It was Jongil.
He had promised to finish everything in two days, and it looked as though he'd been running around nonstop since lunchtime.
Assistant Manager Oh was no different.
His message had arrived about thirty minutes earlier.
True to his personality, it was carefully worded.
But I could sense his determination to work through the entire night.
[I've examined seventeen property registry records. A particular pattern is emerging. The findings look promising, but it's too early to draw a firm conclusion. I'll show you something conclusive before sunrise, Team Leader.]
After reading the encouraging messages, I began transferring the information from the diary app into my laptop.
The sheer number of red diary entries had terrified me at first.
Now, I was actually glad there were so many.
Whenever Jongil and Ilman made progress or I worked out another part of my plan, some of the entries grew paler.
I didn't know whether the app had always worked like this or whether it was a newly developed feature.
Either way, it was an extraordinary ability.
I could now confirm in real time whether I was moving in the right direction.
No.
There was something even more incredible than that.
I had discovered who Division Director Choi Taesik really was.
And that wasn't the only information I'd obtained.
There was so much more that the dozens of red diary entries were starting to feel like gifts rather than warnings of misfortune.
And so, I decided to go and empty the pockets of an ambitious second-generation chaebol heir.
