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Chapter 210 – The Former Bully's Crush…
[POV Change]
"Ugh… This is annoying, even this early in the morning."
It was Monday morning—the time no office worker wanted to face. Han Jisoo, preparing for work, felt no different. Lately, her mood had been especially sour.
'Is there no way to get rid of that guy?'
The image of a certain man came to her mind as soon as she woke up.
He was the man who, as an orphan without parents, had been bullied by her every day during their school years. Now, he worked at the same large company as her, as a subordinate in her department. This made her deeply uncomfortable.
"How did I manage to erase my past… tsk."
She felt no remorse for the wrongs she had done. Instead, she was anxious and displeased, as if his presence blocked her bright future. She wondered if there was any way to get him fired.
Recently, she had tried to make him uncomfortable by being deliberately curt, hoping he would quit. But just like in school, he mostly ignored her, so it had no effect.
"He's a parachute hire, and the team leader is too protective of him…"
He had been hired through connections, making him untouchable. The team leader was almost always by his side, which made it even harder for her to bother him.
His presence was making Jisoo anxious that her past as a bully might be exposed. But what troubled her more was how close he was to someone she liked.
'Tsk… Why does it have to be that guy…'
Jisoo had a secret preference she couldn't share with others. After joining the company, she had quietly developed feelings for someone.
It was someone even she, who looked down on most people, respected deeply. Seeing him close to that person filled her with jealousy and envy, though she never admitted it aloud.
Although she had become more open-minded, she knew her preference was still difficult for most people to accept. So, she kept those feelings to herself.
Having to see Joohyun every day while holding these feelings only fueled her resentment and anger toward him.
She understood that getting involved or starting a fight with him was a bad idea. But emotionally, she couldn't help herself. Instead, she ended up criticizing and denouncing him even more.
"I guess I should go to work."
She arrived at the office a little earlier than most. It wasn't out of diligence, but to see someone. After arriving, she didn't head straight to her desk. Instead, she stayed at a nearby café until the last possible moment. This was her routine.
Once early at work, Jisoo went to the company café.
"Welcome… You're early again today," a young man greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Iced Americano," she ordered.
"Yes, understood."
He was a handsome café employee popular within the company. Many female employees visited just to see him, making the ratio of men to women about two to eight.
Despite his friendly smile and greetings, Jisoo showed no interest. She focused solely on her phone.
The young employee seemed interested in Jisoo and tried talking to her every day when she came early. But she never responded.
Still, he convinced himself that she was shy and that her early visits were for him. He waited for her to make a subtle move.
In the end, this employee quit without ever having a single private conversation with Jisoo.
Jisoo took a seat where she had a clear view of the lobby and waited for the person she came to see. As time passed, she spotted him walking through the crowd and smiled.
'Ah… He's so handsome today, too.'
Though they had never spoken, just seeing him from afar filled her heart.
'If only that guy wasn't there!'
Every morning, she followed this routine. But there was someone always nearby, chatting happily with the person she liked.
Lee Joohyun.
Back in school, he was a quiet boy who rarely talked to girls. She had looked down on him. Now, he worked in the same company, right beside the person she admired. That alone made her uneasy.
'They come to work together every morning… Why does it have to be that guy?!'
Feeling annoyed, Jisoo started her day. She stayed at the café until the last moment before heading to work.
"Hello, Jisoo."
"Hello."
Once at work, she greeted her team members as usual. Then, Joohyun came into view.
Unlike the other team members, he didn't even make eye contact with her, let alone greet her. This was exactly what Jisoo wanted, but his attitude still made her feel uneasy.
Even while sitting at her desk and working, her irritation grew as she thought about Joohyun.
As she pondered ways to get rid of him, a voice interrupted her.
"Yes… Yes… Yes, I understand… Jisoo."
"Yes, team leader."
"Could you please go up to Yeonhee's office right now?"
"...…Huh?"
At that unexpected moment, Jisoo's heart began to race. She had been called by someone she deeply respected and liked. Quickly, she rose from her seat and headed toward the office.
She didn't notice Joohyun smiling faintly behind her.
…
…
[MC POV]
"The investigation on the woman named Jisoo is complete."
"Already? No, more than that, is it even okay to investigate like this?"
"....."
"O-Okay…"
Yeonhee's silence made me feel a little pressured, so I brushed it off as if it were nothing.
'I guess I was investigated like this too…'
It seemed they had gathered everything about me through secret channels before I even arrived at this mansion. So, I didn't bother asking further.
"After investigating that woman, it appears she comes from a fairly wealthy family. She studied somewhat, but she hung out with a bad crowd."
"Well… She was a bully during her school days."
"Yes… She cleaned all that up when she entered university. She did it so thoroughly that I was a bit surprised."
Yeonhee had collected nearly all the information about Jisoo. Her usual blunt expression remained, but this time I could sense her unpleasant feelings toward Jisoo.
Yeonhee typically used honorifics and treated others with respect, even if they were younger or lower in rank. But she did not show that attitude toward Jisoo.
Both Yeonji and Yeonhee held negative feelings toward Jisoo because she had bullied me during our school days.
The reason Yeonhee investigated Jisoo wasn't because I asked her to. She did it to see if Jisoo might cause any trouble for me. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any major issues.
"If Joohyun wants, I can fire her from the company immediately."
"It's okay… That wouldn't make me feel any better."
It could be seen as an abuse of power, but Yeonhee was always decisive when it came to matters involving me or my family.
If there was someone I felt uncomfortable around or disliked, Yeonhee would deal with them, even if it wasn't entirely right. But since I didn't have strong ill feelings toward Jisoo, I didn't plan to take action.
"Hmm… If you say so, I understand. But during the investigation, I found something interesting. Would you like to hear it?"
"Huh? What is it?"
A slight smile appeared on Yeonhee's lips.
"I found out who that woman likes."
"Who does she like? I'm not really curious about that…"
It wasn't really my business who Jisoo, practically a stranger, liked, dated, or married.
'Even if we both get married, we wouldn't invite each other to the wedding.'
Though we worked in the same team, we weren't close enough to celebrate special occasions together. The grudges from the past hadn't fully faded.
So, we simply acted as if the other didn't exist and only spoke about the bare minimum related to work. That was how it would remain.
'Yes, after seeing who she likes… I think I can use this to make Joohyun happy.'
Yeonhee's usual blunt expression softened into a lewd smile, one she rarely showed except when she was with me.
…
…
[POV Change]
'D-Did Yeonhee really call me?'
Jisoo hurried toward Yeonhee's office while her heart was pounding wildly. She barely managed to stop a smile from forming on her lips.
She had been silently suffering for a long time, unable to share her feelings with anyone. Now, the person she liked had called her. Jisoo felt a mix of anticipation and excitement.
Of course, it was likely just an official company matter. Still, since it was the first time the person she liked had called her, she pushed aside all other thoughts and headed to the office.
"Hoo…"
Knock…Knock…
Jisoo usually thought she was the best and looked down on others. But when she saw Yeonhee, everything was different.
Yeonhee was an ideal woman—more outstanding and superior than herself. She was the woman who had made Jisoo feel love for the first time.
She knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
"Yes, I—I'll come in!"
When she entered, she saw Yeonhee sitting and working. Just seeing her made Jisoo smile with joy.
"Sit there and wait."
"Yes, y-yes! "
Jisoo didn't know why she had been called, but she was happy just being in the same space. She sat on the sofa, secretly glancing at Yeonhee and smiling.