Chapter 110

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Youngsu Park, the manager of the purchasing team, invited Yonggu to the managers’ meeting. The meeting started as soon as the managers reported to work and continued even when lunchtime was approaching. Finally, Youngsu and Yonggu came back to the office.
Both were exhausted from the meeting, but their faces were bright. Yonggu told the team members about the outcome of the meeting.

They’ve decided to separate the luxury department into an independent corporation, and I feel that the president has decided to make Minhye Park, manager of the PR team, take business management training on this occasion.

That was what Hyunwoo expected. Minhye would be appointed as the representative of the new corporation, and she would pick up some members from the purchasing team to join the new corporation. Yonggu will be duly chosen, as well as the staff of the luxury department. As the design of the set was the core of the new business, there would be additional hiring of designers.
Explaining to the team members in excitement, Yonggu said pointedly to Hyunwoo,

Not only our team manager Youngsu but also assistant manager Hyunwoo will belong to the new corporation.

Hyunwoo’s eyes widened at that. It was only natural that Yonggu and Youngsu would move to the new corporation, but why should be Hyunwoo included?
And the luxury department was located in the provincial city of Umsung. If Hyunwoo moved to the new corporation, he might have to commute to and from Umsung. He had no intention at all to go there with his physically weak parents left alone in Ansan.
Hyunwoo shook his head resolutely,
I’m not going. I’ll stay here.

Yonggu grinned at that, saying

Do you think that’s possible in corporate life? You are supposed to come and go as ordered. I guess you’ll get a promotion before moving there, so be ready to offer thanks when the management makes the decision.

But Hyunwoo had no intention to transfer at all,
I can’t commute to and from a faraway place because of my parents’ health problems. Please take that into account.

Tilting his head, Yonggu nodded his head,
Really? I have to take that into account, then. I think the president might understand your situation.

Hyunwoo felt relieved. As Yonggu was the core member of the newly emerging corporation, Hyunwoo thought he could be excluded from the list of the candidates transferring to it. And there would be a lot of staff members wishing to join the new corporation when the management announced publicly that because there are many more chances of promotion at a new company.
I wonder if the management will pick up someone like me who doesn’t want to go.
That Saturday evening Yonggu went on a date with Minhye. As promised, they had dinner after watching a movie. Yonggu did his best to win her heart. He gave her a gift of roses and entertained her with all sorts of interesting stories that evening.
Minhye didn’t refuse his sincerity. Rather she sometimes got physically affectionate to him at the proper time to tempt him, but it was not because she loved him.
Of course, she had a good feeling about him. Yonggu was capable, handsome and from a good family, but he was not the type of person that she missed when he was not with her, nor did she want to hug him passionately when she was alone with him. Even if he was her type, it didn’t matter much because he was one of the candidates she had in mind as her marriage partner. She thought dating and marrying were separate from each other, so she dated several men, apart from her marriage candidates. She had a boyfriend even now, but she had never thought of getting married to that person. She just wanted to savor the moment. During the process, one was supposed to lose interest in the other at some point. She dated men because she wanted to enjoy life the best she could before she got married, and she thought of delaying marriage for as long as possible.
The reason she pretended to love Yonggu was because she just wanted to manage him as one of her marriage potentials.
On the other hand, she felt regret about Sangho Oh and Younghwan Koh, her former dates. In particular, Sangho had been the most promising candidate but failed to make his presence felt at Aurum. Younghwan showed the limit of his ability when he failed to pull off a contract with JBC. Now, there are only two left, Yonggu and Hyunwoo, though Yonggu probably thought he was the only candidate.
The evening wore on, and before they knew it midnight came, but Minhye didn’t think of going back home. Yonggu could not tell her to go back home first, or he would stop her even if she wanted. They moved to a cocktail bar after having a beer, and then went to a nightclub after they were drunk.
90% of the man-woman relationships depended on the atmosphere. When they stepped into the nightclub, their courteous relationship turned into a lustful one. Their physical affection became natural. It looked as if Minhye made a hard decision. Even when Yonggu got close to her aggressively, she responded more aggressively as if to say that his advances weren’t enough.
When it was 3 am, they lay in a hotel room. After having passionate sex, they were having fun, fully naked, on the bed.
Yonggu couldn’t believe it. The usually arrogant and conceited Minhye was allowing him to touch her. Even when he caressed intimately where he couldn’t even dare to look she didn’t refuse him. She just started whining and writhing as if she was shy when he touched her.
Suddenly, she mentioned the company project, as if she felt it was a big burden.

Do you think we can make it?

Yonggu smiled automatically to hear her mention ‘we’. He could feel her affection for him.

Everything will be alright. Don’t worry.


I thought about the new business project alone last night. I think we had better keep the headquarters in Seoul for the sake of publicity.


That’s a good idea.


I also drew up a list of the members to join. I’m thinking of bringing you and Hyunwoo from the purchasing team.


Hyunwoo won’t go. It’s difficult for him to move anywhere else because of his parents’ health problems.

Yonggu told her about Hyunwoo’s situation, but she would not listen.

Every company employee has their own personal problem. He has to follow the order if he wants a corporate life.


Still you have to take into consideration his problem…
said Yonggu on his behalf.
But Minhye regarded Yonggu’s explanation as envy. Yonggu considered Hyunwoo as his rival, she thought. She was determined to bring Hyunwoo to the new corporation by all means. If the management announced the reshuffle with respect to the new corporation, Hyunwoo had to follow the order unless he is ready to quit.
She was confident.
How can he resist when I insist he should come with me?
Several days later, there was posted on the company bulletin an official announcement on the new corporation. It said the luxury department would be separated into an independent corporation named ‘Space Design.’ It also mentioned about the hiring of those who wished to transfer to the new corporation, with preferential priority to the Aurum employees. There were two workplaces, one in Umsung and the other one in Seoul.
The announcement was the hot topic among the Aurum employees. When they met by twos or threes, they talked about the new corporation.
The members of the purchasing team were no exception. Manager Youngsu Park and Assistant Manager Yonggu were already destined to transfer, but other members agonized over it, but there were some who were freed from such agony. One of them was Suji Min.
Although she could get a job at a large company with her excellent ability, she chose Aurum, a middle-sized company, because she could not move out of Ansan because of her family situation. She would not have applied for a job at Aurum from the start if her family situation had allowed her to find a job at a big company.
Nonetheless, the new corporation drew her sharp interest because of her colleagues’ possible transfer. In particular, she was curious about Hyunwoo’s possible transfer.

Have you applied for transfer?

Hyunwoo and Suji were already on affectionate terms. It had only been three times that Hyunwoo drove to the swimming pool to pick her up, but that was enough for them to get close enough.
In particular, Suji’s reaction changed a lot. Though she was icy toward Hyunwoo recently, she took interest in things related to Hyunwoo more than anything else.
Of course, there was some adverse effect because of that. Originally, Hyunwoo was the first to come to the office, but his arrival at the office was delayed by one hour because his waiting for Suji in front of the swimming pool. The team members began whispering about him.

He got here first right after he was hired, but now.


Looks like he’s slacked off since he got promoted to an assistant manager.

But Hyunwoo didn’t care at all because he came to the office very early in the morning just because he wanted to without regards to anyone else’s thoughts.
The big adverse effect on him was something else.
He was confused about Suij’s changed attitude toward him.
I suspect Suji is really interested in me.
Given her behavior so far, it looked like she was. And she acted like that even today.
She asked him first, not Sangho about the transfer.
Thought it was a trifling thing, Hyunwoo felt good. He wanted to figure out how she felt.

Why? Do you want me to transfer?


Nope, the opposite.


Why?

She hesitated to reply at that moment. It looked like she couldn’t find any good excuse. After thinking about something a bit, she made up some excuse by saying,

You’re in charge of the purchasing team’s luck. I think something good can happen to me if I keep working with you.


If you think so, I won’t go.


Seriously? Can you promise me?

Without hiding her delight, Suji showed her gladness. She even forced him to pinkie-swear.
Though Hyunwoo had no idea why she did so, still he felt good about it. Hyunwoo gladly pinkie-swore.

You promised it to me. I’ll be greatly disappointed if you break your promise and went away. Okay?

Hyunwoo assured her in a confident voice,
Don’t worry. I’ll never transfer.

Several days later the application period was closed.
Minhye, who assumed the CEO of the new corporation, scrutinized the application list.
As expected, Hyunwoo’s name was not there. It was a bit surprising that Sangho Oh and Younghwan Koh were not on the list, but they were already out of her favor.
Minhye went to see her father, Daebong, the president of Aurum.
A little later Daebong called Hyunwoo to his office.

Assistant Manager Hyunwoo. Go with manager Youngsu to the Seoul office of the new corporation. Work at the Seoul headquarters of Space Design.