Deal Breaker - Chapter 44
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Naturally, the lunch appointment was not canceled.
On the way to Hannam-dong by car, for some reason Kanghyeon told Hyeji to sit in the back seat instead of the passenger seat. Next to him.
“Where did you buy this bag?”
“At a department store.”
“How much?”
“I paid 100,000 won when it was on sale last time.” (Approx. 70USD)
“100,000 won?”
“It doesn’t look like it, does it?”
“No, the logo alone makes it look like that.”
It seemed like he had her sit next to him just so he could pick a fight.
“Other female employees carry luxury bags worth millions just fine, so why does Secretary No, who earns plenty, walk around with a 100,000-won bag from a department store sale?”
“I own luxury bags too.”
“Then use them.”
“If I use them every day and they get scratched, I’ll cry.”
Besides, Hyeji often had to carry large and heavy items like documents and a tablet, so her bag had to be big and sturdy.
“I prefer something durable that I can carry around without worrying.”
“There are plenty of sturdy luxury bags.”
“Still, there’s no reason to buy something expensive. It’s for work, after all.”
Perhaps because she’d spent her whole life buying only cheap things, even now that she had money, she couldn’t bring herself to casually purchase expensive items. Even when she did splurge, she couldn’t bring herself to use them, just like her grandmother.
“Your dignity as my secretary reflects my own.”
That was true. And Hyeji knew it well.
Whenever she accompanied her boss to an event where appearances mattered, she paid close attention to the price range of her clothes and belongings. For a company owner, a secretary was as much a symbol of wealth and status as his car. But that was for special occasions. Did she really need to be flashy even when she was holed up in the office?
“You used to tell me to dress comfortably, so why this all of a sudden? Is there someone you want in this seat now, and my very existence annoys you? If you give me a generous severance package and process everything so I can collect unemployment benefits, I’ll resign anytime.”
“Thanks to Secretary Noh and her 100,000-won bag, everyone thinks I pay my staff too little, so nobody wants this job.”
“Then you should just buy me one. It’s part of my dignity maintenance expenses, after all. Thank you in advance.”
When Hyeji even bowed politely, Kanghyeon narrowed his eyes as if to say, Talk sense. But Hyeji knew. Next week, there would be a box stamped with a luxury logo on her desk. With a note saying to return it when she quit.
It wasn’t the first time. Last month, for her birthday, she’d been gifted the dress she wore to the Dubai party, complete with matching jewelry, shoes, and a clutch.
Beautiful, but useless. It was a gift, so she couldn’t sell it, leaving her at a loss over what to do with it.
She had once casually lamented that with her repetitive life of commuting between home and work, there was no way she could show up to the office in a backless dress. The next week, he’d suddenly bought her a trench coat, saying to cover her back. And of course, told her to return it when she quit. Not that he really meant it.
Just because he kept buying her expensive things didn’t mean he had romantic feelings for her. To him, she was still just a pitiful girl supporting her family.
It seemed that Han Kanghyeon’s brand of charity required an excuse that wouldn’t make either the giver or the recipient uncomfortable. This time, he wanted to buy her a bag, so he picked a fight over the perfectly fine one she already had. Six years as a servant—no, as a secretary—had taught her well how to play along.
But what was with this off-beat conversation?
“Let’s be honest. Secretary Noh, am I underpaying you?”
“……”
No, but what salary worker would confess to their employer, I’m paid too much though?! That would only hurt her in next year’s salary negotiations.
Besides, a ‘high salary’ was like a warm iced Americano. Something that simply didn’t exist.
“My entire salary goes toward loan payments and savings.”
Catching his implication that she should spend a little on herself, Hyeji skipped a step in the conversation and responded.
“Why do you live like that at your age, all about money, money, money?”
“Says the one who keeps trying to tempt me with money, money, money.”
“It’s fine to have a goal like buying a house, but you should enjoy life in the meantime too. Money comes and goes, but time, once gone, never comes back.”
“That’s easy for the son of a rich family to say. For a daughter from a poor family, life is survival, not enjoyment. Money doesn’t come and go. It just stays gone.”
“Right, I’m the bastard born with both a gold spoon and an Esper spoon in my mouth.”
“You’re not exactly someone deserving of death, though. And then who would pay my salary? Oh, I guess thirty-one Espers would.”
Hyeji smiled leisurely and nodded, subtly emphasizing that she had plenty of Espers she was matched with, and therefore plenty of places to go. The truth was, no one matched Kanghyeon’s conditions, but she couldn’t let him know that.
“Thirty, more like. Anyway…”
Correcting the detail, Kanghyeon immediately countered.
“So there are that many people who’d care for and protect you even if I died suddenly. Good to know I can die in peace.”
He returned her smile and looked forward, locking eyes with the chauffeur in the rearview mirror. The driver was anxiously gauging the atmosphere between them.
There was no need. This was just a routine test.
Boss and secretary. Superior and subordinate.
Esper and Guide. Subordinate and superior.
Their relationship was a delicate balance, with two opposing power dynamics coexisting. Neither of them could be the absolute superior or inferior. Testing each other’s positions through this kind of sparring was essential.
