Executive Director, shall I book a room ?? - Chapter 10

“I’ll delete it right away!”

“No need for that.”

Her finger, about to tap the photo album, froze mid-air.

“Even I’d feel a little weird about a sleeping photo being published, so take a proper one.”

“Y-Yes, I’ll take a proper one… Huh?”

For a second, she wondered if he’d lost his mind. But shockingly, he was dead serious. He even deliberately straightened his posture, leaning back in his chair with an air of dignity, interlacing his fingers and putting on a solemn expression.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and take it.”

“Huh?”
“Didn’t you say you needed a photo?”

“R-Right.”

Flustered, she snapped a picture, though she wasn’t sure if it turned out well. Even the way his eyes looked on the screen was so vivid she couldn’t meet his gaze.

After a quick sidelong glance to confirm the shot, she hastily hit save—only for him to extend his hand. He even checked how he looked in the photo (as if it mattered), chuckled, and then handed the phone back to her.

“Then I’ll take one of you too.”
“Of… what? Wait, me?”

“Is there anyone else here besides Kim Sujin?”

“T-That’s a bit much!”

“Taking someone else’s photo but refusing to give yours seems pretty shameless, don’t you think?”

“Excuse me?!”

Her eyes widened. Though he muttered it like a passing remark, it was clearly meant to be heard. And the way his sentence trailed off made it sound almost informal—or was that just her imagination?

Come to think of it, when they met earlier in the day and when he grabbed her wrist just now, his tone had bordered on casual too…

Is this really the time to be analyzing that?!

Her mind raced as she stared at the phone pointed right at her and his utterly serious expression. Pretending to be unaffected was torture.

“Um, can’t we just take a selfie?”

He smoothly handed her the phone. Her face burning, Sujin turned away, fanning herself, and looked at the screen now in selfie mode. As she pressed the button, her hand trembled inexplicably, and click-click-click—the sound of multiple rapid shots filled the air.

“Ah, Mom! Why—why is it doing this?!”
And now there were a bunch of awkward expressions plastered on the screen!

“Just give it here.”

With a face that screamed “I want to throw this phone into the sun,” she handed it over. He checked the photos, smirked, and casually slipped the phone into his inner pocket. The corners of his lips twitched as if holding back laughter, and Sujin could only swallow her tears.

“I’ll bill you separately for the portrait rights.”

“…Sure.”

“Just so you know, my rates are pretty high.”

Obviously. The Executive Director’s “rates” must be astronomical.

Her throat went dry at his terrifyingly casual remark. Sujin gulped and stared at his lips.

So… exactly how much are you charging, Executive Director?

“For now, let’s have a proper meal somewhere.”

And then?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask aloud, but as she waited, his lips parted again.

“I’ll contact you when I have time. You can go now.”

She stood there dumbfounded, blinking. …Wait, that’s it?

As if reading her dazed thoughts, he smiled.

“Looking forward to the next company newsletter.”

She felt like she’d been possessed.

***

How likely is it to unexpectedly reunite with someone you thought was long gone from your life?

“……Kim Sujin?”

The night before his first day back at work, Junseong had been casually flipping through the employee roster when that name slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

No, that couldn’t be right.

He scoffed and closed the file. It had been nearly ten years—it was time to let go. Among countless names that would’ve normally gone unnoticed, why did that one have to jump out at him? Why did his heart still lurch at something so trivial? He had never even wished for the miracle of her reappearing in his life.

“And here’s our lovely team leader from the sales department, Kim Sujin.”

But when the door opened, it really was her.
They say shock can numb you, and he understood that now. He was eerily calm—far calmer than he expected. And her? Stiff, formal, bowing her head with none of the warmth he had foolishly hoped for. The disappointment almost made him laugh.

Is it really you?

I missed you.

Did he really think she’d smile at him like before?

“Is something wrong, Executive Director? Does the food not suit your taste?”

The question snapped Junseong back to reality. He glanced around the long table, where the stiff expressions of the executives made it clear this wasn’t just a casual dinner.

They were at Seol, a high-end restaurant inside Hotel Lavita—a Michelin three-star establishment. There was no way the food was the issue.

Setting down his chopsticks with deliberate calm, Junseong smiled.

“My apologies. After being away for so long, my body isn’t keeping up with my mind. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Ah, well… Truthfully, many of us are concerned about your sudden, intense workload.”

“Indeed. Had you spent more time at headquarters—understanding how things operate here—it might’ve been easier for everyone.”

“Even if the Americas division is mostly wrapped up, you already have responsibilities. Taking charge of this bidding project and the hanok hotel initiative seems… excessive.”
“With all due respect, Chairman Han surely has his reasons, but President Han is already handling the duty-free matter. Wouldn’t diverting resources—even young talent—be wasteful?”

Even the youngest among them, Sales Director Shin, was in his early fifties. None of them were thrilled about a superior young enough to be their nephew.

“He can barely get a word in! They’re tearing into him, picking apart everything he says—it’s brutal.”

“Seems like whatever he did in the States turned him into a tough one. This won’t be easy.”

“Well, he is from that family. Worrying, really.”

These were the whispers that had spread within a single day of his return. The source? Likely Director Shin, who had spent the morning sweating under Junseong’s scrutiny.

Aside from two years at headquarters, Junseong had spent the last six overseas. Being named Executive Director of Hotel Lavita—just two days after wrapping up his overseas assignment—was unexpected, to say the least.

Their concerns made sense. An inexperienced superior, a bookish outsider suddenly taking charge—of course they resented it. The mere possibility of change was enough to unsettle them. He knew what they wanted, even if they wouldn’t say it outright.

But he had no intention of backing down.

“They’ll lose their minds. Putting you in that seat is practically a declaration of war.”

Last night, just before midnight, Chairman Han had appeared at Junseong’s apartment, exhaustion lining her face.
“And yet you pushed me into it anyway?”

“I want them angry. That’s the only way the rats hiding in the shadows will come out.”

A faint smirk curled at her lips—a mother’s pained smile as she sent her own son into battle.

Han Jungwon.

At this point, Chairman suited her far more than mother. Decades of leading a corporate empire had hardened her, but even she couldn’t ignore the weight of the problems piling up.

“They’ll be looking for any weakness. Don’t give them an opening.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Now get some rest.”

No pleasantries, no small talk. Just dry, practical words—the first they’d exchanged face-to-face in two years.

Junseong didn’t stop her as she left. Confirming each other’s health was enough. What she needed now wasn’t a doting youngest son, but every possible minute of sleep.

“There’s no need for concern. No matter where I’m placed, I intend to focus solely on my duties.”

The blunt phrasing—placed, as if he were a piece on a board—made the executives stiffen.

“Wouldn’t disgracing the person who put me here defeat the purpose of being a parachute?”

“A—a parachute? That’s—”

“Of course not. Just… a bit early, perhaps. But this seat was always meant to be mine.”

The moment he drove the nail in, their flustered glances betrayed their realization—the meek youngest heir they remembered was long gone.

“I know what future you’re envisioning. What outcome you fear.”

It was an open secret that Han Jungkyun—Junseong’s uncle and the Chairman’s younger brother—was quietly expanding his influence.

What had begun as support for his sister had curdled into unchecked ambition. The resulting factional divides within the group affected everyone at that table.

“The foundation of investment is diversification. Staking everything on an uncertain outcome is the greatest risk of all.”

But they weren’t the type to openly pick sides when the future was still undecided. They were here for profit, not loyalty.

They’d switch allegiances in a heartbeat if it meant survival—and his words cut straight to that truth. Their silence was agreement.

“I may lack experience, but I’ve learned more than most by watching from the sidelines. Bear with me, and I’ll repay your patience with results.”

After all, would a tiger sire a dog?

He was Han Jungwon’s son. The woman who had dragged HJ Group to its heights despite every obstacle—her blood ran in his veins. Weakness wasn’t an option.