Just Twilight-Chapter 73

— There is one person. An old friend from high school. She was a scholarship student sponsored by the foundation run by Director Hong Mihyang.

“They sleeping together?”

— No.

“How do you know? What, you got cameras in her house or something?”

She heard the man suppress a sigh.

— There were some rumors within Hangeong. Supposedly, Team Leader Na Seungwoon…

He hesitated again. Sera arched a brow.

“Just say it.”

— …He’s liked her for a long time, but she never reciprocated.

Sera let out a short, dry laugh.

Her lipstick smudged as she bit her lip in amusement. Clicking her tongue, she pulled out a tissue and wiped the red stain away.

“What’s her name?”

***

Junyoung hurried her steps, glancing at the time. Her skirt kept tangling between her legs. She had overslept and hadn’t had time to grab a petticoat.

“It’s fine. You must be busy too. The general meeting’s coming up, isn’t it?”

She glanced both ways before crossing the street, shifting her phone from her shoulder to her hand. A deep, sleep-laden voice filtered into her ear.

— And yet you don’t even know my address.

“Samdu does.”

— I want to bring you myself.

His voice was unusually slow and drowsy. She could hear the faint rustling of sheets as he shifted.

— To my house.

His words dripped with sweetness, and Junyoung found her lips twitching against her will. Clearing her throat, she schooled her expression.

“Then I’ll come tomorrow. I need to pack my things today. My place is a disaster after coming back at two in the morning.”

— Hmm.

He made a low, satisfied sound, like a predator rumbling after a meal, before yawning.

— Fine. Then I’ll come to your place today.

Junyoung let out a quiet chuckle as she reached the front of her office building.

“You’re obsessed with me, Kwon Beomjin. Every chance you get, you have to sleep next to me.”

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— Cut it out.

His tone turned gruff.

“What?”

— Stop teasing.

She heard the shift of his sheets again.

— I’m still in bed, listening to your voice. Where do you think my hands are going?

“Hey! It’s morning!”

Her voice came out louder than expected, drawing a few curious glances from passing pedestrians. Beomjin let out a low chuckle.

— Have a good day at work. Eat properly.

“Yeah, yeah. See you later.”

She made a loud smooching sound into the phone before hanging up, grinning to herself. It was time to run.

Most of the chaos in Busan had been settled over the past week. Choi Yeongbok was being investigated in connection with Jung Mansu and the others for his criminal actions. Whether it would be classified as aggravated assault or attempted murder was still up in the air, but the fact that it had been a series of repeated offenses meant the charges would likely be severe.

The workers at the site had been shocked when they heard the news. Some cursed him outright, unable to understand his actions, while others were hesitant to judge. Either way, the construction was continuing without issue.

Junyoung had completed her statements and confirmed that things at the site had returned to normal before finally making her way back to Seoul early that morning.

“Agh, Assistant Manager Yoon, you’re already here?”

As Junyoung stepped into the office, the first person she locked eyes with was Team Leader Seong. Seeing his subtle gesture, she set her bag down and walked straight to him.

“The Busan site has been settled?”

“Yes. The compensation budget that Deputy Park Hyungjun requested can be withdrawn.”

She let the implication hang in the air—subtly emphasizing how half-heartedly that man had handled things. Seong raised a brow at her remark.

“Well, securing the budget isn’t a bad thing, but noted. Anyway, good work.”

“I saw an email from Martin. I’ll follow up on it right away.”

“Martin?” Seong frowned, leaning back in his chair. His arms crossed as he shook his head.

“He’s still sending emails to you?”

Junyoung stayed silent as he continued.

“TANDOZ is being handled on our end now. Forward his emails to Deputy Park instead. You’ve been away for a while, and things must be chaotic, so for now, join Manager Im’s media management team. He needs backup.”

“…Excuse me?”

Seong gave her a pointed look before picking up the receiver of his phone.

“I need to make a call, so step out.”

With no room for argument, Junyoung turned on her heel and walked back to her desk, a scoff escaping her lips.

It wasn’t unexpected, but the bluntness was something else.

Judging by the atmosphere, the rumors about Na Seungwoon being appointed as a director in the upcoming shareholder meeting had already spread. Was that why they were in such a rush to sideline her?

Turning on her computer, Junyoung sent a request to join Manager Im’s team chat. The moment her access was granted, meeting schedules flooded her screen. She scanned them quickly before sighing.

She could ignore it all she wanted, but Seungwoon’s appointment as a director would impact her in some way. Whether she intended it or not, she was known as someone associated with Director Hong Mihyang’s faction.

And if Seungwoon—once just another team leader—became a director, that meant his influence within the company would only grow.

Recalling the last time she saw him, she unconsciously flexed her wrist, feeling a dull ache.

She couldn’t control everything, but she could anticipate the changes. Her eyes sharpened as she typed a reply to Manager Im.

***

“With the shareholder meeting approaching and the appointment of a new director at stake, we need to discuss how to handle foreseeable issues.”

At the end of the briefing, Manager Im’s voice carried an air of finality. Junyoung raised her hand.

“Isn’t this typically handled by the PR team? What’s the reason for our additional involvement?”

“The PR team is currently occupied with the overseas plant project on direct orders from the chairman. They don’t have the capacity to handle media strategies for the shareholder meeting.”

Pushing up his glasses, Manager Im’s response was succinct.

Junyoung smirked slightly.

That single statement told her everything she needed to know.

Chairman Hong wasn’t planning to cast the spotlight on Seungwoon’s appointment.

“Our team manages potential risks to the company,” Manager Im continued. “If you think about it broadly, neglecting an opportunity to generate greater profits could also be considered a risk.”

Junyoung nodded slightly, flipping through the documents in front of her. The meeting pressed on.

Unlike most, Manager Im wasn’t deeply involved in the company’s factional disputes. He had never climbed the corporate ladder quickly, but he also wasn’t sidelined.

Perhaps it was because he had worked in Strategic Planning during the era when Chairman Hong Inseop’s father was still actively running the company. Even after the chairman took full control, he neither tried to recruit Manager Im nor force him out.

That left Manager Im in a rare, neutral position—one of the few people in Hangeong who simply did his job, untouched by office politics.

“And Team Leader Na Seungwoon is reportedly set to announce his engagement to Jang Sera, the second daughter of Myungin Daily’s CEO, Jang Uitae. If he is officially appointed as a director, this collaboration with Myungin Daily could significantly boost our stock value.”

“It would be better to frame this as a fair competition rather than a succession battle,” Junyoung interjected smoothly. “No matter how the media spins it, they will bring up his connection to the chairman. Since they’re going to dig for scandal anyway, we should make sure we benefit from it.”

At her remark, several heads turned her way.

Junyoung casually twirled her pen before leaning forward.

“Can we establish real-time communication with Myungin Daily’s PR team? If we time the article’s release with the shareholder meeting results, we can maximize its impact.”

People around the table nodded in agreement. Manager Im, jotting something down in his notebook, finally looked up and gave a short nod.

“We’ll send the contact information to Assistant Manager Yoon. Handle the article control. But keep in mind, Team Leader Na Seungwoon’s appointment is not yet confirmed. We need to be careful with the timing.”

“Understood.”

“Moving on to the next agenda.”

Manager Im methodically steered the meeting forward. Assignments were divided among the team members, and strategic directions were discussed. By the time they wrapped up, the clock had long passed official working hours.

“We’ll adjourn for now. Make sure to keep each other updated.”

Junyoung was stretching her sore back when Manager Im’s voice stopped her.

“Assistant Manager Yoon, stay behind for a moment.”

She froze briefly before schooling her expression.

The room gradually emptied, leaving behind an odd, charged silence.

Manager Im blinked at her, then gestured toward the seat across from him.

“You have a personal connection with Team Leader Na Seungwoon, correct?”