A trip? In Taiwan? Yoonah blinked. It was a bit unexpected.
"...What about Mr. Daniel?" The words slipped out before she could stop them, her tone edged with mild surprise and curiousity.
"Daniel has something else to do for me," Kim Tan answered unhurriedly, his fingers still tapping the arm of his chair. "Do I have to explain myself to you Seol Yoonah-ssi?"
Yes you do! You are my boss!!
"...No, sir." She replied.
When Seol Yoonah had started newly as Kim Tan's secretary, he had told her that she wouldn't have to follow him on business trips because Daniel had that covered. She wondered what made him change his mind.
She sighed, "Should I get Coffee for you sir?"
"Don't. I don't drink regular coffee."
"... Alright sir."
Kim Tan said nothing else, he stared into space for a while, lost in thought. Seol Yoonah remained seated as he hadn't dismissed her yet.
His gaze was warm and well, a bit zoned out? Yoonah stared at him. She couldn't understand this man.
She raised her eyebrows, "...sir?"
Kim Tan slowly turned his head and finally faced her, his eyes—dark, deep, unwavering. The kind of gaze that could strip away pretenses and leave you bare.
Yoon-ah felt the weight of it settle on her, cold and assessing. But then, for the briefest flicker of a second—that glint again.
A glint of something.
Something unreadable.
Something out of reach.
A flicker of something she couldn't quite understand.
He stared at her. He looked lost in thought.
That glint vanished. As if it was never there.
She frowned.
Finally, Kim Tan sighed. His gaze shifted away from her, it slipped away as if retreating from something he didn't want to acknowledge. She raised her brows in mild confusion. What was making this big man sigh?
"...By the time you step out of my office, the whispers would have faded." Kim Tan mused.
"So the bad rumours would go away?"
"That's right. So you don't have to worry about it anymore... and you won't have to make such an unsightly expression in my office again." He smirked. Yoonah grimaced. This man was making fun of her again.
Honestly, the very evening her friends at work had told her about Baek Jisoo, she had decided to tell Kim Tan about it the next day.
She had wondered how to go about telling him, but luckily she didn't have to do anything. This eased her a lot.
She sighed in relief, not outwardly and definitely not in front of Kim Tan of course.
"Thank you sir."
"..Hm."
Tch! This man!
"Anyhow, Seol Yoonah-ssi, we'll be going to Taiwan on Thursday. Do well to make sure you're adequately prepared for the trip."
"When will we be back?"
"Next week. On Tuesday." He hummed.
That was a long trip, Yoonah wondered how her parents would take this news. Her brother wouldn't care much but her parents would be a different story, but depending on their mood. She would find out soon enough.
Kim Tan stood. Adjusting his suit and neck tie before glancing at her.
Placing his hands in his pockets, his expression– one of unfathomable detachment– revealed nothing, "let's go."
Her feet moving before her mind did, go where?
Soon enough, they pased his office and into the regular worker zone. She trailed behind him, her poise, flawless and unwavering, exuded an effortless grace that captivated everyone around her– the total opposite of Kim Tan's which carried an effortless yet commanding presence, a quiet assertion of power that needed no embellishment.
Standing together, they were an exquisite masterpiece– impossible to ignore and anyone with eyes couldn't help but stare. They were simply breathtaking.
Mrs.Oh and her subordinate, Mr. Kang– a burly, broad shouldered, tan skinned man with a bald head and thick glasses– were just making their way out and back to their station when they spotted him.
They bowed, Mrs. Oh glanced at Seol Yoonah standing behind him, offered her a small smile, and walked away, Mr. Kang's imposing figure right behind her. Yoonah who had instinctively moved to greet her, stopped her self just in time to watch her walk away.
Still trailing behind Kim Tan, Kim Tan abruptly stopped.
And she stopped right behind him, making sure to not bump into him. Kim Tan looked at the everyone in the marketing division. His expression taut with seriousness as he addressed them.
"I hope everyone understands why they work here. You may be in the marketing division, but this is not a market place. Remember that and act accordingly."
A heavy and oppressive silence hung over the room.
Kim Tan's gaze remained cold and unwavering. Then with biting sarcasm, he added, "In fact, I would love to hear more gossips and rumours about women seducing me for a position in my own company. Please, by all means– keep them coming, okay?"
"No sir!" the voices of everyone rang in unison, firm and resolute.
This was an order that they had to disobey. Any further talk and some would face legal actions for defamations and directly lose their jobs. They weren't foolish–They knew their boss's sarcasm when they heard it. And they knew better than to test him.
It wasn't just a command–it was an unspoken ultimatum. They knew how their boss operated and they wouldn't risk anything for it.
Kim Tan let the silence settle before shifting his gaze, his sharpened gaze simmered into a cool and unreadable expression, "Anything else to add, Seol Yoonah-ssi?"
Yoonah confidently stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "Yes sir. I would like to add that my degree and résumé are adequately enough to work as Mr.Kim's secretary. And for the record, The car you all assume our boss gifted me belongs to my family, Thank you." She bowed before she smoothly returned to her place behind him.
An apologetic expressions where on some of their faces. At least they regret it. Well, some of them.
"That should be all." Kim Tan walked away, Yoonah still trailing behind him. They entered the elevator, and came out of it a few minutes later.
Yoonah had no idea where she was following him to but she kept at it.
In a positive mood, she looked at Kim Tan in a new light, he allowed her to defend herself in front of everyone, some wouldn't do what he did and she really respected him for that.
Finally, they were outside the building, a car waiting for Kim tan, Daniel right at the driver's seat. He waved at her, she smiled as she waved at him. Kim Tan turned to her just as she dropped her hands,smiled and said to her, "You can go back up now." He opened the car, sat in the passengers seat and left.
Yoonah watched them go.
Tch! I thought you had some important task to assign to me.
Why did she even follow him downstairs?
Oh right? I'm his secretary.
She groaned and turned to return to her desk right at the top most part of the building. Elevator time would take almost 10 mins.