Private Secretary - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Private Secretary Episode 12

Tae-san lowered his gaze to look at the women’s resumes spread out on the table.

His stern face revealed no hint of his thoughts, making Lee Seol anxious.

On the way back from meeting the chairman, she had already searched for information about this person named Ryu Hwa-pyeong.

It was to understand the objective reasons why Kim Se-na chose Ryu Hwa-pyeong over Kang Tae-san.

According to Lee Seol’s research, the business rankings of Tae-san’s company Hogan Group and Hwa-pyeong’s company Hwaeng Group were quite similar.

Some years Hogan was ahead, other years Hwaeng took the lead. The same went for market capitalization rankings.

However, if there was a difference, it was in their inheritance prospects.

Tae-san, who had two older brothers above him, had somewhat lower chances of inheriting major subsidiaries compared to Hwa-pyeong, who was an only child.

Moreover, Chairman Kang Hee-jae had publicly stated that he wouldn’t unconditionally hand over management rights to his children, but that they had to prove their abilities by competing with professional managers.

In other words, from any perspective, Ryu Hwa-pyeong was in a much more advantageous position than Kang Tae-san for inheriting management rights.

Lee Seol speculated that this might be the core reason Kim Se-na chose Ryu Hwa-pyeong.

Therefore, this was still an unfinished game and a fight worth pursuing.

The fact that both men’s conditions were similar meant Kim Se-na’s heart could change at any time.

Then Tae-san, who had been staring at her intently, suddenly stood up from his seat.

Since he got up without giving any answer, Lee Seol also stood up, but he went straight into the bathroom.

Lee Seol sat on the sofa and waited quietly to give him time to think.

Hoping desperately that he would accept her proposal.

The bathroom door opened only after much longer than usual.

Tae-san, wearing a shower robe, approached Lee Seol at a rapid pace, so aggressively that it was somewhat frightening.

“Can you take responsibility for what you said?”

Lee Seol hesitated slightly before opening her mouth.

“…There’s no guarantee that going on blind dates will bring back Kim Se-na’s heart. However, I believe it’s the only and most effective way to turn her heart around. Especially if Kim Se-na chose Ryu Hwa-pyeong for practical reasons rather than love.”

“…”

“This is purely my personal opinion, but when you two were standing together that day, there was clear affection in Kim Se-na’s eyes. Perhaps when she gave you the wedding invitation, she wanted to test your feelings. Thinking that if you approached her actively, she could easily call off this marriage.”

When Lee Seol spoke decisively, Tae-san’s eyes wavered subtly. There was definitely a change in his feelings.

However, his pride still seemed to hold him back, as Tae-san turned his gaze away and smiled bitterly.

“What if I end up looking foolish alone? It would be better to just let her marry another man. I’ll pass on looking ridiculous. Once is enough for losing face.”

Lee Seol sensed intuitively that this was exactly when she needed to push forward.

“Who am I? Aren’t I the talent you personally selected with your discerning eye? Please trust me, Han Lee Seol, just this once. I’ll handle it cleanly so you won’t lose face.”

When she clenched her fists and called herself ‘talent’ with her own mouth, Tae-san finally burst into laughter.

“Anyone watching would think you’re at a speech contest.”

Still, he didn’t seem to dislike Lee Seol’s consistently loyal attitude, as a faint smile spread across Tae-san’s lips.

Though she was a bit over the top at the end, Lee Seol was sincere.

She had absolutely no intention of making her boss look foolish. She believed that her boss’s honor was directly connected to her own.

Lee Seol didn’t accept the chairman’s absurd instructions simply because they were ‘orders from above.’

It was because the chairman’s earnest affection had convinced Lee Seol.

His desperate desire to show that his son wasn’t an idiot had deeply moved Lee Seol as well.

Lee Seol also hoped that the boss she served wouldn’t be a fool who just waited endlessly for the woman who abandoned him.

Even if he was currently struggling with the wounds of heartbreak, she hoped he would ultimately be someone who would do whatever it took to win over his target.

Therefore, Lee Seol desperately wanted to make this work.

Even if she couldn’t get them married, Lee Seol sincerely wanted to at least protect Tae-san’s pride.

“But if it fails, will you take responsibility? If my reputation gets damaged, I mean.”

“Yes. I’ll submit my resignation.”

“Is that taking responsibility?”

“That’s the maximum responsibility I can take. For a salaried office worker, quitting their job is quite a resolute decision, isn’t it?”

“…Why are you working as a secretary? Go out and be a lawyer.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment on my logical speaking skills.”

“Ha, how shameless.”

Still, perhaps his unpleasant mood had lifted compared to earlier, as he went and sat at the dining table where food was prepared without further comment.

Watching his back, Lee Seol let out a small sigh. Though it might not have shown on the outside, she had been quite nervous inside.

“Then Department Head, please write a message on this card.”

“What?”

“Just write ‘Congratulations on your marriage.'”

Lee Seol handed Tae-san a small card and fountain pen she had prepared.

“What are you up to?”

“Didn’t you decide to leave it all to me? Just trust me and follow along.”

Tae-san picked up the pen with a displeased expression.

He wrote “Congratulations on your marriage. Tae-san.” quite quickly, as if his wounded pride absolutely wouldn’t allow him to congratulate her willingly.

* * *

From around the time they agreed to arrange blind dates, Tae-san’s schedule began to get even busier.

By Chairman Kang’s orders, he was put directly in charge of the promotional strategy for the soon-to-be-released electric vehicle.

While new car marketing had previously been led by the subsidiary Hogan Motors, this time it was exceptionally handled directly by headquarters given the stakes for the group’s fate.

Moreover, Chairman Kang wanted this marketing to encompass not just improved sales performance, but also the future direction of both Hogan Motors and Hogan Group.

With such weighty expectations added, Tae-san’s shoulders inevitably became heavier.

Since he had to exchange close opinions with not only the headquarters marketing department but also Hogan Motors officials, he had at least 5 meetings scheduled per day.

The schedule was so tight that even meals were combined with meetings.

Thanks to this, Lee Seol, who managed Tae-san’s private life, was often deployed to public affairs as well.

As she saw Tae-san at the company more and more often, Lee Seol was genuinely impressed each time.

People normally become sensitive when overwhelmed with difficulty, but he remained the same as usual.

He tried to maintain his usual routine and didn’t demand more than what he originally required.

His sarcastic way of speaking remained, but at least he was someone whose mood didn’t become his attitude.

Seeing such professionalism, Lee Seol learned a lot and reflected on herself as well.

At first, she had only thought he was rudely prickly, but she came to understand that it all stemmed from his tenacity to handle work flawlessly.

Without Lee Seol realizing it, positive impressions of Tae-san continued to accumulate.

* * *

Unable to schedule the blind date due to the busy schedule, Lee Seol finally consulted with Tae-san and set a date only after receiving a pressing call from the chairman.

The long-awaited first blind date was set for this Saturday.

Lee Seol managed to get Kim Se-na’s number from Tae-san with difficulty.

“Hello. This is Han Lee Seol, Department Head Kang Tae-san’s secretary. We met briefly on Saturday – do you remember me?”

[Yes. Hello. I remember. But why are you contacting me?]

“The Department Head instructed me to send a wedding congratulations gift. Could you give me an address where you can receive the gift?”

[…Ah, Tae-san is sending a wedding congratulations gift? That’s unexpected. He’s not usually that thoughtful. I’ll just accept the sentiment…]

“I’m sorry. I have strict orders to send it no matter what. Could you please just accept it?”

When Lee Seol earnestly requested, Kim Se-na found it difficult to refuse to the end and finally gave her the address.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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