Chapter 27: The King’s Ears Are Donkey Ears

Late afternoon.

Executive Office of the Yeryeo Hotel Headquarters.

Bathed in the warm glow of the sunset streaming through the glass wall, only Jung Hwayoon remained alone in silence.

Since the workday was nearly over, the secretarial staff were just waiting for Hwayoon to step out of the executive office.

But at that moment, she was still silently replaying her earlier conversation with Yoo Seoa.

“Let me ask you directly.”

“Sure.”

“What exactly… did you do with my brother? The general manager said it was just the two of you who went out.”

“We went on a date.”

“…Ha…”

Hearing the word date made her mind momentarily go blank.

But as it turned out, it was just a professional conversation related to work.

Fortunately, the dreadful possibility that her brother and Yoo Seoa were romantically involved wasn’t true.

She couldn’t deny that a part of her had hoped Seoa would have made things clearer from the start, to avoid such misunderstandings—But then again, that wasn’t Yoo Seoa’s style.

From their very first meeting, she had boldly declared that she was there to flirt.

A very peculiar person, indeed.

The things Hwayoon had heard from Jung Doyoon weren’t especially suspicious either.

It just… happened.

They met by chance.

All they discussed was the matter of the Saudi prince’s stay—purely business.

‘Since when has my brother ever been that easygoing? No, Seoa must’ve insisted and dragged him into it.’

Whether she liked it or not, Doyoon was her only family.

She knew better than anyone that her ice-cold brother wouldn’t warm up so easily.

But the problem was Yoo Seoa herself—she was, in many ways, anything but ordinary.

Hwayoon had never met anyone like her.

“I came here to flirt with you.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m trying to win you over, Executive Jung, to make my life a bit easier. But you’re not falling for it.”

Well—okay.

She had met someone like that once.

But that person was long dead—and a different gender.

Anyway, Yoo Seoa was one in eight billion.

Definitely not someone you could call an ordinary woman.

In that sense, it was perhaps inevitable that Hwayoon couldn’t stop thinking about her—especially when it seemed like she might have feelings for Doyoon.

If Seoa were truly serious about dating Doyoon, it felt like only a matter of time.

“…So I tested her.”

Hwayoon couldn’t say she hadn’t worried.

After all, who in their right mind would like someone as icy as her brother?

…And yet—there’s always that what if.

“Hmm… He was handsome, though.”

“…What?”

“Oh, are you jealous? Just kidding.”

That answer made everything more confusing.

She couldn’t tell what Yoo Seoa was thinking.

But it was Seoa’s final words, just before leaving the executive office, that stuck the most:

“Unless you tell me to go to him… I won’t.”

That unsettled Hwayoon.

“So what, if I give permission, she will go to my brother…?”

Troubled by this what if, she clenched her fist.

No matter what—Doyoon was off-limits.

Yoo Seoa was brilliant at her job, and as a woman, had no real flaws.

She was too good to waste on someone like Doyoon.

Maybe that was it.

Or maybe it was that nagging feeling that Seoa really did have feelings for Doyoon.

“Hmm.”

“…?”

Late in the evening, as soon as she got home, Hwayoon headed straight to the living room where Doyoon sat.

She silently stared at his face, trying to judge it as objectively as possible.

Sharp nose.

Tightly closed lips.

Cold eyes that made it hard to read emotion.

“…Ha…”

“…??”

Right—he wasn’t ugly.

Even Hwayoon could admit he was quite handsome.

Objectively, there wasn’t much to fault about his face.

It was the kind of face someone like Yoo Seoa might call handsome.

That much, she couldn’t deny.

But because he was her brother, of all people—It annoyed her.

Of all the handsome men in the world, why him?

She really hoped Yoo Seoa didn’t have feelings for him.

“…Do you have something to say?”

“Hmm.”

That was it.

Doyoon’s confused question was met with nothing but a short, irritated scoff.

Then Hwayoon turned away and headed straight up the stairs to the second floor.

Her heels clicking on the marble steps, she disappeared from view.

“What on earth is wrong with her?”

Doyoon could only feel confused.

Did Seoa say something bad about him?

But that didn’t make sense—there was no reason for Seoa to badmouth him.

“…Ha.”

Letting out a brief sigh, he turned back to his tablet.

Honestly, this wasn’t the first time Hwayoon had acted like this.

Asking her what was wrong probably wouldn’t get him anywhere.

But still, he couldn’t just keep avoiding her.

Especially since the next day, they had to go together to welcome the overseas branch managers.

“It’s been a while.”

“Ah, Doyoon! —Oops, I mean, I should call you Executive Jung now.”

“That’s alright. Please call me whatever’s comfortable.”

The next morning, in the lobby of the Yeryeo Hotel Headquarters.

Doyoon and Hwayoon, both perfectly composed, greeted the arriving overseas managers.

With polite smiles and firm handshakes,

They offered their own version of hospitality, suggesting the guests rest after their long flight.

“If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Oh, thank you. That’s very thoughtful.”

“Not at all. It’s only right…”

Doyoon paid close attention to even the smallest shifts in expression or tone of the visiting managers.

He and Hwayoon weren’t the only executives present—So they also had to engage in various other conversations.

“This new city project…”

“The matter you were concerned about last time—”

“Next week, there’s the wedding of Executive Director Kang’s daughter…”

“…It’s noisy.”

And so, when the overseas branch managers and their staff had disappeared to the VIP floor,
“Good work,” said Jeong Hwaryun briefly as she left the lobby, leaving behind only those words to Jeong Hae-yon.

Once in the black sedan, heading towards the headquarters of Yeryeo Hotel, Jeong Hwaryun let out a slow sigh she had been holding in.

“It’s hard…”

Perhaps because she had been continuously smiling, her facial muscles seemed stiff.

Dealing with the executives of Yeryeo Group was not something Jeong Hwaryun particularly enjoyed.

Of course, she did not deny that it was necessary.

Yeryeo Group was a kind of nature, and the laws of nature only had one rule: survival of the fittest.

If you didn’t grow strong, you’d be eaten.

To survive in the battlefield that was Yeryeo Group, even unfamiliar people had to be treated with a smile and turned into allies.

However, the pressure of needing to show herself well was particularly stressful.

“…Please let me be alone for just an hour.”

“Ah, yes. Understood, Executive Director…”

When they finally arrived at the Yeryeo Hotel headquarters, Jeong Hwaryun postponed all her schedules for a little while.

She wanted to clear her head by drinking some coffee before starting her work.

Therefore, she headed to the café on the first floor, not the executive office.

It wasn’t because there was any particular reason, but…

“Hello.”

“…Seo A?”

As if she had been waiting for Jeong Hwaryun to come to the café, Seo Ara suddenly appeared from somewhere in the café and greeted her.

For a moment, Jeong Hwaryun recalled Seo Ara’s words that she could act spoiled in front of her.

“About the global gourmet event planning proposal being held at our hotel…”

“With the recent growing interest in food tourism both domestically and internationally…”

“Are there any chefs invited this time that the Executive Director is interested in?”

Though the conversation continued on official matters, Jeong Hwaryun was unexpectedly pleased by Seo Ara’s appearance.

She was unpredictable, but her words were never careless.

“…Can I be a little spoiled?”

“Ah, yes. It’s perfectly fine.”

“It’s nice that you’re always the same.”

Afterward, Jeong Hwaryun casually opened up a bit about her true feelings regarding the overseas branch managers to Seo Ara.

Of course, she didn’t openly gossip or show any foolish side.

But she did share that they were difficult people.

It felt like the old saying, “The king’s ears are donkey ears.”

As Seo Ara had once said, Jeong Hwaryun spilled some words she had kept inside, and it made her feel a bit better.

“Honestly, I wish everyone would just quietly come and quietly leave.”

“I understand. From our perspective too, it’s a hundred times better when there are no complaints.”

As Jeong Hwaryun continued to converse with Seo Ara, her sense of frustration seemed to lift.

However, just as her personal stories were coming to an end, this time it was Seo Ara who brought up a personal matter.

“Executive Director, may I talk to you about something personal for just a moment?”

‘Personal… matter?’

Her heart sank.

For some reason, it seemed like Seo Ara’s personal story would be related to Jeong Daeyoon.

What could she be trying to say?

Was she going to ask for permission about her relationship with him?

Or maybe confess that she had feelings for him…?

“…Alright.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Honestly, Jeong Hwaryun didn’t want to hear either of those things.

But, she was curious about what would be said.

She couldn’t refuse.

In the end, she tried her best to keep a neutral expression and remain calm.

She decided to listen first and judge after hearing what Seo Ara had to say.

“…Well…”

It felt like the tension of a ticking time bomb.

Before she realized it, Jeong Hwaryun swallowed dryly and listened intently to Seo Ara’s voice.

Her mind was spinning with all kinds of thoughts.

But, in the end…

“How do you usually conduct interviews?”

“…Pardon?”

The words that came from Seo Ara once again deviated from what Jeong Hwaryun had expected.

Jeong Hwaryun doubted her own ears for that very reason.

“I have an interview to conduct after work today.”

“An… interview? Seo A, are you transferring?”

“I’m the interviewer. It’s a side job of mine, outside of hotel work.”

“??”

“I’m looking to recruit a colleague for my side job… I’ve always been the one being interviewed, so I’ve never actually interviewed anyone.”

Could you perhaps give me some advice on what kind of questions I should ask during an interview?”

That last question, asked in her usual calm voice, made Jeong Hwaryun blink.