Deal Breaker - Chapter 57

‘Why is she like this? Have I been overworking her?’

What on earth was she thinking about so intently?

Hyeji’s eyes darted around as she wrestled with her thoughts, finally letting out a deep sigh. Kanghyeon felt increasingly uneasy.

“Are you burned out? Want to take a few days off? I’ll book a hotel in Jeju for you, so go relax with your grandmother.”

Hyeji shook her head without even pausing to consider it.

So, a few days wouldn’t be enough?

“Then what about next year?”

Again, Hyeji shook her head.

“…Or do you just want to take a break from your secretary work?”

That was the furthest Kanghyeon was willing to bend.

She wouldn’t have to come in every day, just show up whenever she had to do guiding work. That way, she could spend most of her time resting or doing what she wanted, and maybe work only once a month at most. But…

“No. Please just forget I said anything.”

With a dark expression masked by a forced smile, Hyeji acted like nothing had happened and left.

Even after she was gone, Kanghyeon couldn’t bring himself to pick up his pen again.

She asked him to forget it, but how could he? His gaze, fixed on the closed door, wavered with confusion.

‘What’s really going on with you?’

He had never once felt the urge to use his ability to read someone’s mind for personal reasons.

But now, he wanted to see inside Noh Hyeji’s head.

* * *

Kanghyeon told Hyeji to cancel an important lunch appointment that had been on the calendar for a month. She thought something urgent must have come up, but when lunchtime came around, he casually asked she if she wanted to go eat.

So he just didn’t feel like going to that meeting? Then why not cancel it earlier?

She’d been a little annoyed at him for making her grovel to the other party’s secretary to apologize, but her annoyance vanished the moment he said he’d buy her tuna sashimi.

‘Tuna sashimi! The stuff you can’t get enough of because it’s so rare!’

But now what? Ever since she got pregnant, tuna sashimi had gone from ‘rare treat’ to ‘off-limits’.

They ended up settling for delectable Korean beef. The moment a piece of perfectly grilled ox tongue touched her mouth, all longing for sashimi melted away just like the beef on her tongue.

It seemed today her boss had decided to take up a side job as a doting grandma. He didn’t eat much himself but kept putting his share of meat on her plate, scolding her for not eating the seasoned chives he’d just had, telling her to eat vegetables too. Then, suddenly, he lowered his voice seriously and called her.

“Secretary Noh.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Then should I give you a raise?”

“Yes.”

She grinned, and the stern expression he’d been wearing softened into a weary smile.

“Our Secretary Noh, your tricks for salary negotiations improve by the day.”

No, this wasn’t some ploy to get a raise. Her plan had been to quietly give birth and return without anyone knowing.

But if he was offering to raise her salary? Well, she’d better stick close, then.

If she took a year off, it would be unpaid leave. It’d be far better to take paid maternity leave and milk the benefits the law offered her.

Of course, that meant her pregnancy would inevitably be revealed. Should she pretend to have a boyfriend? When he asked last time if she had someone, she should’ve said yes.

Either way, she’d have to insist the baby wasn’t his.

Being pregnant meant she hadn’t gotten her contraceptive shot. That alone made it entirely plausible that the baby was his. Yet she’d claim there was a 100% chance it wasn’t. Kanghyeon would know the logic was flimsy, but if she played it convincingly, he’d play along convincingly too.

In that case, there was no need to fake having a boyfriend this early. She could just say, “Actually yes, I’m seeing someone right now…” later when the time came.

Alright, that problem was solved…

Hyeji suddenly set her chopsticks down, reminded of another issue after something Kanghyeon had said earlier that morning.

“Director, I’m really sorry, but…”

Kanghyeon raised his brows at her, his adam’s apple bobbing above his casually propped-up hand.

“What is it?”

“I don’t think I can go to Libya.”

She hadn’t considered it earlier, caught up in the whirlwind of projects at both the company and the Center, but now she realized. Long-haul flights, a mission site riddled with danger, and on top of that, this mission was about rescuing hostages kidnapped by armed groups? One wrong move, and the baby could be at risk.

“Why?”

Of course, she couldn’t tell him the real reason.

“My grandmother’s surgery was scheduled a few days ago… and unfortunately, it’s on the same day as the mission.”

“Ah…”

As expected, discomfort clouded Kanghyeon’s expression. Stroking his sharply defined jawline, he seemed deep in thought, then asked something unexpected.

“Was that why you were asking for time off? Because your grandmother’s sick?”

Ah. So that’s all she needed to say from the start? She realized too late. By now, the insight was useless. A golden tip turned worthless the moment he approved her raise.

“No, that’s not it. It’s not a serious illness. She just needs surgery.”

“What kind of surgery?”

“A herniated disk.”

“Right. She’ll have trouble moving around after the operation, so family should be there with her.”

What about the surgery costs? Will you request for a leave, Secretary Noh?

The way he asked questions and fussed over things like it was his grandmother left a bitter taste in her mouth. It felt like she was taking advantage of his impeccable manners, knowing he would never tell her to postpone her grandmother’s surgery for work.

“I’ll search all the Center branches, from local divisions to headquarters, to find a Guide that matches you perfectly, Director.”

“Radial compatibility.”

“Of course.”

She answered automatically—

Then froze.

‘Wait… why did I say of course?!’