(Episode 81)
Are you going to kick me out?
I'm convincing myself not to...
by trying really hard to be reasonable.
Do you want coffee?
Just cook breakfast while I shower.
Mr. Shin went to the ER last night,
and Ms. Lee took him to the studio.
She left after about 2 to 3 hours.
I guess they're pretty close.
What about the other thing I asked you to check?
I didn't notice him contacting anyone from Chung Group.
At least not yet.
"Not yet"?
You can stop following A Jun for now.
Try to keep moving forward...
at your own pace.
I came to join the team...
because I need to sprint, not to do things at my pace.
Aren't you curious to find out...
what I can achieve in Chung Group as the chairman's stepson?
It's always the eccentric...
who takes over the mainstream.
I know my stepdad is a good man.
And right now, he's head over heels for my mom.
But...
his biological sons will surely keep me in check.
So I need to do something to prove myself.
I want you to teach me...
how to run a business.
You're young and ambitious.
I wish you all the best. Good luck.
What did you just say?
If you think we have a deep friendship, drink the entire glass.
My gosh.
When it's hard to trust what you see,
you need to trust your gut feelings.
But trust needs to be tested.
Are you angry at me?
You told me you're going to destroy me.
How do you want me to react to that?
I've come to grow feelings for Ms. Lee.
I just wanted to be honest about how I felt.
I already knew.
You kept joking around,
but I could tell that you had fallen for her.
But...
she likes you way too much.
Let's save this for later.
Right now, I have something very important to ask you.
I heard that Chung Group is getting ready...
to carry out a hostile takeover of our company.
It means Chung Group...
is trying to have management rights over Seorin.
Are you suspecting me right now?
Do you think I came...
to get information from you?
Sit down.
Apparently, when it's hard to trust what you see,
you need to trust your gut feelings.
A Jun.
I can laugh off your immature behavior.
But...
I will never forgive you if you break my trust.
It's true that I hate you sometimes,
and I also want to outdo you at times.
But a spy?
I would never.
Really?
Then call your stepdad right now.
I'll prove it to you.
(Father)
The receiver cannot be reached. You will be directed to voicemail.
Please leave a message after the beep.
Jung Min.
I don't know what my stepdad is trying to do,
but I swear I'm not a spy. I promise.
Hey, A Jun. I noticed that you called.
Is Director Seo nice to you?
Yes, Father.
I called to ask you something.
I heard Chung Group is planning to carry out a hostile takeover...
to own Seorin's management rights.
- Is that true? - No, it's not.
It looks like your older brother bought...
some of their convertible bonds without telling me.
I also caught him slowly gathering...
Chung Group's stocks as well.
We're taking care of it, so don't tell Director Seo.
It'll only give him the wrong idea.
But how did you find out?
My mom told me.
I thought it was you, but I guess it was my brother.
Okay, I get what you mean. I'll call you again.
Does that resolve your misunderstanding?
Yes.
It resolved my misunderstanding.
But let me say one more thing.
A Jun.
Please learn how to be considerate.
You know... You know I find it hard to control myself.
I know Ms. Lee...
isn't going to fall for me even if I hit on her.
But I just wanted to be honest about how I felt.
She always had her guard up and hated me so much.
Even so, you can't expect anyone to understand...
your immature behavior.
But still, you could've asked me what happened in the elevator...
instead of just grabbing me by my collar.
Okay. I'm sorry about that.
You say that, but you still seem angry.
This time, I reached out to you first,
so will you stop being angry at me if I give you space?
Let's go to work.
(CEO Lee Ji Eun)
Gosh.
Hey, it's me.
Did you have work after midnight again?
Yes.
I need to do a product presentation soon,
so I came to wake myself up...
hoping to get a cup of coffee.
I'll add two spoonfuls of friendship for you.
Why two?
- One isn't enough. - Okay, got it.
(CLB eco-friendly shopping bag business proposal)
Isn't CLB Chairwoman Seo's company?
Did she offer you a deal?
Give me that. I'm going to throw it away.
Why did you make it then?
To make him hate me.
What do you mean?
The crazy scandal with Shin A Jun,
the issue we had with Bisang Textile,
and the elevator incident.
I keep putting Jung Min in trouble.
So you're going to act like you held hands with Chairwoman Seo,
the woman who's trying to take his place,
to make him think you betrayed him?
I was told that Jung Min can't afford...
to get involved in any more trouble because of me.
Who said that?
It's true.
So it doesn't matter who said it.
So you're really going to hand that in?
No.
I no longer need to.
I think he's exhausted now.
I know this is how it's supposed to be,
but he told me he's going to stop getting involved in my business.
He told me he's going to end it once and for all.
Are you okay?
I kept pushing him away because of my guilty conscience.
But to be honest,
I must've been the one holding onto him.
In the past, I had a hard time understanding...
why you kept pushing him away.
But I think I get it now.
I broke up with Yeo Jin.
Why? What happened?
His mother called me recently.
She asked me "You're not dating Yeo Jin, are you?"
She might as well have told me not to date him.
I always thought it was cheesy to end the relationship...
for the sake of the other person.
But now I'm starting to think that leaving that person...
might also be a way of loving him.
It must've been tough.
I'm sure it's not as bad as you.
I'll be off now.
- I'll call you. - Okay.
Bisang Textile is Seorin's affiliate.
So that might act in the company's favor...
when they pick out the final brands.
But the competition is pretty intense,
so I think we need something that stands out.
I'll think about it.
I'll look over it...
and let you know if anything needs to be edited.
- Okay. - Yeo Jin.
Never mind. Thank you.
We need to keep working together.
How long are you going to make things awkward?
I already gave you a briefing regarding the product.
What more do you want me to say?
The entire team is walking on ice because of us.
Then do you want me to quit? Should I quit this job?
But you see,
I'm struggling to make a living for my family,
so I can't quit.
Are you going to keep acting like a kid?
Yes, I'm acting like a kid because I am one.
It looks like you need a time out.
He got dumped.
It's natural for him to be angry.
Are you sure things are over between you guys?
He whines and throws tantrums like a little baby.
I'm glad I broke up with him.
Go ahead and keep lying.
I'm trying to get over him.
If you keep crying, I can't focus on work.
I know you don't want to, but you need to get that shot.
Good luck with your treatment.
And be nice to your grandma.
I'll buy you your favorite robot after work...
and meet you there.
Yes.
My son is so kind. You're all grown up.
Really?
I see.
I'll call you back.
I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.
You don't need to be sorry.
You can call your son again.
Come in.
I figured you would've had coffee already,
so I brought you juice.
How do you know I had coffee this morning?
I just noticed that you ask me for coffee...
whenever you come to work 30 minutes early.
Today, you came 15 minutes early,
so I figured you already drank it at home.
You're very detailed.
I'll take that as a compliment.
By the way,
is your son at the hospital?
Is he sick?
He has aplastic anemia.
It's leukemia.
Leukemia? My goodness.
It must be tough.
My son's doing his best to hang in there,
so I should also stay strong.
I'll be more careful so that it doesn't bother you.
You don't need to be careful.
Let me know if you need my help.
Thank you for being so considerate.
Oh, by the way,
Chairwoman Seo...
wanted to meet you once you came to work.
CLB completed their move to the building last night.
It looks like she's telling me she's ready to attack...
now that she'll always be nearby.
How should I react to that?
You should remain calm when you're dealing with...
people of no importance.
I think it's going to be difficult to just endure it.
Sir.
Misfortunes don't last forever.
Cheer up.
Do I look misfortunate to you?
It seems like you're suffering due to the people around you.
If I may, I'd like to give you a word of advice.
You shouldn't feel the need...
to take care of everyone.
I should brace myself and stay strong.
(Proposal outline)
(What to expect)
I made up with Jung Min this morning.
Although he still seems a bit angry.
You guys go way back.
I'm sure he'll come around once he finds out...
that nothing happened between us.
And if you approach him honestly about Alley,
I bet he'll give you an explanation.
I'm sure he had a good reason.
You trust Jung Min a lot.
That's because I know he's a righteous man.
I don't think it's the right time to mention Alley to him.
It'll only make things worse.
- Hello. - Good morning.
You came early as usual.
Mr. Shin, you came early too.
My desk is here now,
so I should follow Bisang Textile's rules...
even if I'm here as Chung Group's manager.
I heard you need to come to work 15 minutes prior.
I'm not late.
The youngest in the team is the latest?
What a lousy new recruit.
I'm not late either.
What's the use of saying work starts at 9 a.m.?
Why not just change it to 8:45 a.m.?
She always has something to say about everything.
Okay, everyone.
Today's a great day.
So let's stop arguing.
Ms. Choi.
I want you to delete the CLB proposal...
you wrote yesterday.
And get rid of all the documents that we printed out.
Okay.
I have a few unforgettable moments throughout my life.
And one of them is when I got dragged out...
like a dog to this lobby.
Not only is it hard to forget, but I should never forget it either.
You'll be able to return to Seorin soon.
You need to fight until the very end to win.
So I should fight until this ends.
I have to see Ji Eun...
getting dragged out too.
(Congratulations on your move, From Choi Myung Hwa)
So tell me.
How does it feel to visit the company building?
It's making me more eager to win this fight.
How do you feel?
I feel both nervous and excited.
It's nice.
Now that my company moved into Seorin's building,
it's become easier for me to keep an eye on Jung Min.
This is going to give Jung Min a big headache.
His head is about to burst.
(CLB eco-friendly shopping bag business proposal)
Ji Eun is unbelievable.
I convinced her.
I told her to separate herself...
from Jung Min.
I told her to stop thinking negatively...
and that the CEO should merely think of making a profit.
That's the advice I gave her.
Do you really think she did this because of your advice?
You and Jung Min are at war.
The fact that she gave you this proposal...
means she's going to stop getting involved with Jung Min.
In other words,
she's doing this to cut ties with Jung Min herself...
so that she can stop...
putting him through trouble.
That's very touching.
Tough love for Jung Min, right?
Yes, why do they make things so complicated?
If they keep being too considerate,
they'll only grow further apart...
and start misunderstanding each other.
It's only going to tire them out.
You should learn to be happy and overcome your misfortunes.
But I guess Ji Eun is scared of love.
Then while she's scared, we should push her...
into her own grave.
Which one of us should do it?
I haven't seen my son in a while, so I should go say hello.
So you heard Chairman Chung...
deny it himself?
I was suspicious of him at first,
but I was able to confirm...
that Chairman Chung is our ally.
Rumors get exaggerated over time.
We almost got fooled by Chairwoman Seo.
And that could've upset Chairman Chung.
The closest people are always the ones who leak information,
so we need to be extra careful to keep things confidential.
Okay, sir.
(CLB eco-friendly shopping bag business proposal)
You were never interested in working at the company.
The only reason you started working at Seorin...
was to get your father to approve of Ji Eun.
But you really don't have any reason to stay...
now that you've gotten betrayed by Ji Eun.
I bet Jung Min tried really hard to keep himself together,
but it's all going to go down the drain.
Does that mean Ms. Lee held hands...
with Chairwoman Seo?
Ms. Lee.
Some things are just wrong.
What do you mean?
I heard you sent a proposal to Chairwoman Seo.
I was offered to do so, but I never sent one.
Then what...
Then what's the proposal that Director Seo just received?
Ms. Choi, didn't you get rid of it?
Yes, I did.
You got rid of it?
That means you made one.
Yes, we made a proposal.
But we didn't need it anymore, so we discarded it.
And we never sent it to Chairwoman Seo.
You should've seen how devastated Director Seo was.
My gosh.
How in the world did the proposal get sent to Chairwoman Seo?
This is absurd.
You told me you won't do it.
Did Chairwoman Seo buy you out?
Don't try to frame me.
You were the one who told me...
to secretly leave the proposal on Chairwoman Seo's desk.
I told you I changed my mind and that you shouldn't do it.
It wasn't me.
Yesterday at the parking lot,
I told you that I'm done putting Ms. Lee in trouble.
You're obviously the troublemaker.
Aren't you the one who did this?
Don't you remember?
You saw me drive out of the parking lot yesterday.
Send the proposal to Chairwoman Seo...
before Ms. Lee changes her mind.
The fact that she made a proposal means...
she's going to send it to her.
I don't feel the need to get involved.
She's taking a risk...
because she feels lost right now.
But she'll eventually come to her senses,
and she won't be able to betray Jung Min.
Yes, I know. She's a kind person.
That's why I don't want to do anything bad to her.
Yes, she's kind.
It breaks my heart too.
This is really hurting my conscience.
It's not like you to care about your conscience.
Telling you Ms. Lee's whereabouts...
is completely different from sending the proposal...
and framing her, so I'm not going to do it.
I guess I'll have to give up on this one.
Young Eun, doesn't this feel like a dream?
Yes.
I can't believe we're going to move back to our old house.
You really should be nicer to Mr. Kang from now on.
Of course.
I should always be grateful.
This is going to impress you even more.
I rewrote the contract and registered the house...
under your name.
What?
Unbelievable.
(Jo Hyun Sook)
It broke my heart when I saw you...
write a memorandum saying you'll never...
covet my money.
I know your mother meant it when she said...
she doesn't want our relationship to get tainted.
But still, I'm allowed to give you a gift.
So just take it.
Take it before he changes his mind.
I don't know what to say.
Should I tell you?
Just tell me you love me.
My goodness.
Hurry up and tell him you love him.
I love you, Jin Sung.
I love you too, Hyun Sook.
I love you too, Stepfather.
Ji Eun must be really busy these days.
I haven't seen her in ages.
I don't think things are going well with the company.
I'm not surprised.
The company doesn't have a lot of money yet.
And although it's an affiliate of Seorin,
they don't receive any benefits.
I bet Ji Eun is having a hard time...
trying to make ends meet so she can pay her employees.
I know money isn't the reason why...
Ji Eun wants to succeed.
But money makes you do things that you don't always want to do.
I'm worried she might get hurt in the process.
They say you're already successful if you're blessed...
to live the life you want to live.
Ji Eun chose to build her business,
so all we can do is wish her the best.
Young Eun, call Ji Eun.
We closed the restaurant today, so we're going to eat beef at home.
- Ask her when she's coming home. - Beef?
Where's my cell phone?
Here.
Is it good?
(CEO Lee Ji Eun)
(Young Eun)
Haven't you been able to reach Director Seo yet?
No.
If he ever comes back to his office, please let me know.
I'll be waiting in my office.
Lee Ji Eun.
You're the first person that needs to disappear...
from Director Seo's life.
And I'll make sure that happens.
(Phoenix 2020)
What made you fall in love with Jung Min?
Because he's the only person who loves me more than myself.
This is really making me want to make her mine.
You don't seem like an ordinary secretary.
I work for Director Seo, so I shouldn't be ordinary.
I no longer have the strength...
to pull you back into my heart.
I'm sorry. Please forgive me.
You destroyed my love for you.