[Series]Betrayal -- A Prequel
Title : Betrayal - A Prequel, chapter 2
Author : freedomthisway
Rating : R for the usage of bad languages and mention of porn.
Character/Pairing : Eunhyuk, Yehsung, Junsu and other made up characters/YeHyuk, friendship HyukSu.
Word Count : 2524 words for this chapter
Warning : Bad, bad Yehsungie.
Genre : angst, maybe a bit of crack, and then angst again/Office AU
Prologue Summary : It’s the story about Hyukjae in the past, and there’s Yehsung, there’s a self-recorded porn, there’s betrayal, there’s a glorious career suddenly hit the bottom, and it’s all united to create the character of Hyukjae I need to build the story in the oncoming sequel the way I want it.
Oh, and there’s Junsu as Hyukjae’s knight in shining armor, platonically. :DD
Author’s note:
This prequel series is for the awesome xnhi a.k.a runawayxxlovee who has been so very awesome, and also for all SuJu fans out there (hello kiirohana16 and renichifreak…:D) who have YeHyuk as their kink.
But I have to warn you that if the ending goes up as how I plan it, you guys might want to kill me when this ends. LOL
And as always, I hope you guys enjoy this. :)
Hyukjae and Yehsung are kind of going steady after that.
They spend one night in Yehsung’s place, two nights in Hyukjae’s, or the other way around, and they both always make sure nobody knows.
It’s the deal. There’re just so many things on stake if their relationship is found out by others.
The town where they live is small and religious, and someone being gay is one of the things the citizens of this town won’t accept.
But Hyukjae is happy. He likes to think so.
And Yehsung seems happy too, though there were some moments when Hyukjae talks and Yehsung was busy doing things on his blackberry and then Hyukjae stopped talking because it’s weird to talk when nobody’s listening.
Well, Hyukjae has lots of experiences in getting hurt. But in this love department, Hyukjae is definitely lacking.
Yehsung is sweet. And he makes Hyukjae blushes like no one else can all the time with all of his attentions and surprises and sudden pecks on the cheek. But still Hyukjae feels a little bit disappointed. Because he thought being in love will be more heart-thumping, more sparking fireworks, and the happiness it gives will stay for a whole day and --like in Hyukjae’s case-- not only lasts one or two hours after sex.
But Hyukjae doesn’t have anything or anyone to compare and find the answer. Besides, there’s still this lust circling around the two of them that blurs Hyukjae’s perception and makes him can’t really decide the name of this empty feeling he feels growing inside as the night is getting darker and Yehsung is sleeping soundly by his side with his back on him.
Whatever this thing happening between them, it has been going around for almost two weeks. The project their companies are working on together has finished and it’ll be wrapped up for good tomorrow.
Earlier, Yehsung had texted him an apology for declining his invitation to a one day journey to a romantic beach. The trip was meant by Hyukjae as a celebration for their success in running the project well. But Yehsung said he had to work on this new presentation assigned by his boss and he couldn’t afford a leisure time this week.
Hyukjae sighs, absentmindedly fiddling with the end of his tie. He can see blocks of cubicles and the bustling of the employees outside his office from his big glasses window.
Hyukjae wonders if a dinner together will also fall into ‘leisure time’ categories in Yehsung’s book.
---00o00---
Hyukjae doesn’t know how things has turned this way.
This morning, five of KOOL’s best creative directors are lining up in front of his office, and each of them holds a resignation letter in hand.
Great creative directors are like the soul of advertising company like KOOL, and these five people are all the best in their field this company has ever had.
It’s a disaster, that’s what this is. No word covers this better than that and he’s so fucked up right now.
Hyukjae spends hours of his time on each person but there is nothing he can do to make them change their mind. Not a persuasion, not an offer of big bonus addition to their pay slip, not a threat to take away their right to get a recommendation letter from the company, and not even a penalty for them to pay a quite big amount of money to cover company’s loss as stated in their contract.
They are walking out of the office today and they won’t come back, and though some of them give Hyukjae smiles full of regret and apology, but their steps towards the exit are light and certain.
Hyukjae can feel his head pulsing through sudden attack of migraine and he really doesn’t know how to tell his CEO about this without risking him having a heart attack in the process.
Hyukjae punches the quick-dial button on his phone. He needs someone to talk to, about whatever thing that can divert him for a moment from all of this mess.
But even after Hyukjae decided to be a considerate lover and forced himself to understand that the reason behind Yehsung’s lack of contact and his continuously turned off cell lately was because Yehsung really needed to focus on his job, it’s just too much to hear another operator’s voice as the answer to his call this time.
It has been five days and still Hyukjae can’t reach Yehsung’s cell nor meet Yehsung. It also looks like Yehsung keeps pulling an all-nighter in his office everyday because no matter how late the night had become when Hyukjae was coming to Yehsung’s apartment, there was always nobody answering his knocking.
Frustrated, Hyukjae snaps his phone shut and holds the urge to rub his temple hard. People keep glancing towards his office every now and then and it’s a clue for Hyukjae that this thing is no longer a secret. He needs to maintain his calm because who knows what kind of ruckus will spread out there if they see that even their HRD Head can not handle the situation.
A knock is heard all of a sudden and Hyukjae sees his assistant, Jung Hyun, peeking inside his office from the half opened door.
Hyukjae smiles a bit and gestures her to come in.
“The workers are going crazy out there, Hyukjae-sshi.” Jung Hyun says hesitantly as she slips inside his office and closes the door.
Hyukjae can only respond with another smile. “Yeah, but things are going to be fine soon.” Hyukjae says and frowns. It’s rare for him to be so unsure with things he said and he doesn’t like the feeling he get when it’s happened.
“Listen,” Hyukjae leans forward on his desk, face all serious. “I want you to put up vacancy ads to find replacements for those five. The arrangement and the media choice are just as usual, but the ads need to sound urgent. We’ll need new creative directors fast at this point. There are still three unfinished projects coming due at the end of this month.”
Jung Hyun watches him with concern, before leaning forward on her seat and whispers. “Hyukjae-sshi, I heard rumors about those resigning people.”
Hyukjae lifts one of his eyebrows.
“I’ve heard it from a quite reliable source,” Jung Hyun continues. “The rumors said that those five people have signed contracts with MK and they’ll start working there soon after their resigning process done here.”
Hyukjae’s eyes widen at hearing that. MK. It’s the company where Yehsung works.
It’s never a wise thing to take a rumor seriously, especially in work lines like his. But Hyukjae knows Jung Hyun and she’s not the kind of woman who likes hearing or talking non sense.
The shocking news leaves Hyukjae in a stupor for long minutes, his brain is working quickly as it absorbs the information and makes connections here and there. He just absentmindedly nods once when Jung Hyun, being a sensible assistant as she is, tells him that she’ll be back again later after lunch to help him work things out.
Another long minutes but Hyukjae still comes up with nothing. At least nothing with possibilities he wants to admit, because all of a sudden Hyukjae has this bad feeling and he really doesn’t want to think about what’s causing it.
Instead, he shifts his mind and focuses on arranging words that won’t make his CEO die on the spot as he’s informing him about this.
---00o00---
Hyukjae takes another deep breath as he stands in front of the building of MK Advertisement.
He being here in office hours is unavoidable. His boss, with veins popping on his jaws, had apparently heard the rumors about his five best creative directors moving to MK, and he wanted Hyukjae to confirm it with his own eyes.
Yeah, well, Hyukjae needs to talk with Yehsung anyway. It’s been too long and he wants to see how busy Yehsung actually is to repeatedly ignore his calls and messages. And there is that thing about how much Yehsung knows on the contracts those five people signed with his company.
Hyukjae really hopes Yehsung is as clueless as him about the last one.
The big glasses front door rolls smoothly as Hyukjae steps inside the building. MK is indeed a big company. It’s almost as big as KOOL, though MK still loses from his company in popularity field.
The familiar sight of office’s bustling can be seen even here in ground floor where some receptionists with headsets on their head are busy answering phone calls, and a couple of guards with blue uniforms are watching the people going in and out of the building with hawk like eyes.
Hyukjae approaches one of the receptionists at the long front office desk in the center of the floor.
“Excuse me.” Hyukjae says to the long black haired receptionist in the left end. “I’m here to see Mr. Kim Jongwoon.”
The receptionist gives him a professionally trained wide smile. “May I know who you are, Sir? And do you have an appointment with Mr. Kim?”
“Ah, yes. Just tell him Lee Hyukjae is here to see him. And no, I haven’t had any appointment. But he knows who I am.”
The girl nods, and presses some buttons on the phone-gadget-thingy in front of her before talking in a lowered voice.
Hyukjae looks around, admiring a beautiful fountain sets in one of the floor corners.
“I’m sorry, Sir.” The girl’s voice brings his attention back on the front office table. Hyukjae sees her giving him another smile, less wide than before.
“Mr. Kim is in the middle of an important meeting at the moment. He gives you his apology, but he’s unable to meet you right now. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow after you make a meeting appointment with Mr. Kim beforehand.” The girl says before nods once to Hyukjae and starts answering another phone call.
Hyukjae frowns. Call him a paranoid, but somehow he can sense avoidance in Yehsung’s words quoted by the receptionist. He wants to ask the receptionist once again, but she keeps talking to her headset and still the other phone in front of her rings again and again.
He sighs and turns around. He is so out of his mind that he doesn’t really watch his steps. And he can only let’s out an oof! as he bumps somebody in front of him hard.
“Hyukjae-sshi?” The man he bumped just before called him in a surprised voice and Hyukjae swallows an apology as he looks up to see him. He can’t help but being surprised too the second he recognize the man’s face as Sung Jaemin, one of the resigning creative directors.
“Jaemin-sshi?” Hyukjae frowns deeper as he sees a box full of office equipments in Jaemin’s hand and an ID tag hung on Jaemin’s pocket stating that he’s one of MK’s employees.
Jaemin’s eyes follow Hyukjae’s and he suddenly laughs nervously. The atmosphere around them seems awkward now because the fact that Jaemin is here in MK with that box in his hand and that ID tag is enough prove for Hyukjae’s earlier suspicion.
Jaemin looks flushed and uncomfortable, and for a moment Hyukjae feels sorry for him. Jaemin was actually one of few employees in KOOL that greeted him in the morning and sometimes sat and chatted beside him during lunch without having any hidden motives in his mind.
“Look,” Jaemin suddenly says. “It’s not my effective day yet here in MK anyway. So if you’d like, would you go to the café down the street there and wait for me while I’m bringing these stuff to my desk upstairs?”
Hyukjae is a little bit taken aback by Jaemin’s invitation and he stares questioningly at Jaemin.
“I think I still owe you a proper apology for… this.” Jaemin looks at him with plea in his eyes.
And so Hyukjae nods because he doesn’t have the heart to do the other way around, and with a thankful smile Jaemin bows once to Hyukjae before continuing his steps towards the lift.
---00o00---
“Really, I know we’ve caused trouble for you and KOOL by our sudden resignation.” Jaemin says softly after the waiter has finished serving their order and left.
Hyukjae smiles sadly, but can’t find any proper words to respond the true statement so he chooses to stay silent and stirs his Darjeeling tea instead.
Jaemin sees Hyukjae’s lack of response and sighs. “I know there is absolutely no reason for us, especially for me, to treat the company and you this way. But we’re kind of helpless to reject MK’s great offer.”
Hyukjae stares at Jaemin playing with his juice straw.
“I mean, when this man claiming himself as representative from MK contacted me and offered a chance to work at MK, I’ve tried to reject it at first. Saying that I’d paid more than enough at KOOL and I enjoyed working there.” Jaemin shrugs. “But then this man told me that he knows exactly how much I was paid in KOOL. And it surprised me because a second later he really said it, exactly correct even until the last number. Then he said that MK could give me a lot more than that. Not to mention other facilities and bonuses that he knew wasn’t available at KOOL if I agreed to sign the contract.”
As Jaemin continues, Hyukjae can hear a hint of shame in his voice and Hyukjae notices Jaemin is trying hard to avoid his gaze. “Well, the offer seemed getting better and better with every word he said, and so…. I guess you know what happened next.”
Hyukjae grips his cup tighter at hearing that and he suddenly feels bad. So bad he really wants to throw up.
Nobody knows how much an employee is getting paid in a company except the HRD Head and the CEO. It’s the game’s rule. And Hyukjae is sure as hell he never gives out that kind of secret information to anybody because he knows things like this is most likely going to happen if it leaks out.
All of his file containing information about employees’ compensation and benefit are password-locked by him, and the only copy he has of those files are saved in his private laptop. So there’s no way someone, especially someone at MK, can find out about that information.
Unless if it’s somebody who is very close to Hyukjae and often stays in his apartment long enough to snuck up into his laptop and hi-jack his file.
Trying hard to control his suddenly trembling voice, Hyukjae asks Jaemin. “Jaemin-sshi, do you know the name of that man offering you the job at MK?”
Jaemin looks up, seems a little bit surprised with Hyukjae’s question and doubt clearly colors his voice as he licks his lips and answers. “Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”
Jaemin scratches his head and seems even more uncomfortable than before. “I’m sure you know him too, Hyukjae-sshi, considering how close you two when you worked on our latest joined project together. He’s Kim Jongwoon-sshi.”
TBC
PS: Wanted to kill me already? LOL
Author : freedomthisway
Rating : R for the usage of bad languages and mention of porn.
Character/Pairing : Eunhyuk, Yehsung, Junsu and other made up characters/YeHyuk, friendship HyukSu.
Word Count : 2524 words for this chapter
Warning : Bad, bad Yehsungie.
Genre : angst, maybe a bit of crack, and then angst again/Office AU
Prologue Summary : It’s the story about Hyukjae in the past, and there’s Yehsung, there’s a self-recorded porn, there’s betrayal, there’s a glorious career suddenly hit the bottom, and it’s all united to create the character of Hyukjae I need to build the story in the oncoming sequel the way I want it.
Oh, and there’s Junsu as Hyukjae’s knight in shining armor, platonically. :DD
Author’s note:
This prequel series is for the awesome xnhi a.k.a runawayxxlovee who has been so very awesome, and also for all SuJu fans out there (hello kiirohana16 and renichifreak…:D) who have YeHyuk as their kink.
But I have to warn you that if the ending goes up as how I plan it, you guys might want to kill me when this ends. LOL
And as always, I hope you guys enjoy this. :)
Hyukjae and Yehsung are kind of going steady after that.
They spend one night in Yehsung’s place, two nights in Hyukjae’s, or the other way around, and they both always make sure nobody knows.
It’s the deal. There’re just so many things on stake if their relationship is found out by others.
The town where they live is small and religious, and someone being gay is one of the things the citizens of this town won’t accept.
But Hyukjae is happy. He likes to think so.
And Yehsung seems happy too, though there were some moments when Hyukjae talks and Yehsung was busy doing things on his blackberry and then Hyukjae stopped talking because it’s weird to talk when nobody’s listening.
Well, Hyukjae has lots of experiences in getting hurt. But in this love department, Hyukjae is definitely lacking.
Yehsung is sweet. And he makes Hyukjae blushes like no one else can all the time with all of his attentions and surprises and sudden pecks on the cheek. But still Hyukjae feels a little bit disappointed. Because he thought being in love will be more heart-thumping, more sparking fireworks, and the happiness it gives will stay for a whole day and --like in Hyukjae’s case-- not only lasts one or two hours after sex.
But Hyukjae doesn’t have anything or anyone to compare and find the answer. Besides, there’s still this lust circling around the two of them that blurs Hyukjae’s perception and makes him can’t really decide the name of this empty feeling he feels growing inside as the night is getting darker and Yehsung is sleeping soundly by his side with his back on him.
Whatever this thing happening between them, it has been going around for almost two weeks. The project their companies are working on together has finished and it’ll be wrapped up for good tomorrow.
Earlier, Yehsung had texted him an apology for declining his invitation to a one day journey to a romantic beach. The trip was meant by Hyukjae as a celebration for their success in running the project well. But Yehsung said he had to work on this new presentation assigned by his boss and he couldn’t afford a leisure time this week.
Hyukjae sighs, absentmindedly fiddling with the end of his tie. He can see blocks of cubicles and the bustling of the employees outside his office from his big glasses window.
Hyukjae wonders if a dinner together will also fall into ‘leisure time’ categories in Yehsung’s book.
---00o00---
Hyukjae doesn’t know how things has turned this way.
This morning, five of KOOL’s best creative directors are lining up in front of his office, and each of them holds a resignation letter in hand.
Great creative directors are like the soul of advertising company like KOOL, and these five people are all the best in their field this company has ever had.
It’s a disaster, that’s what this is. No word covers this better than that and he’s so fucked up right now.
Hyukjae spends hours of his time on each person but there is nothing he can do to make them change their mind. Not a persuasion, not an offer of big bonus addition to their pay slip, not a threat to take away their right to get a recommendation letter from the company, and not even a penalty for them to pay a quite big amount of money to cover company’s loss as stated in their contract.
They are walking out of the office today and they won’t come back, and though some of them give Hyukjae smiles full of regret and apology, but their steps towards the exit are light and certain.
Hyukjae can feel his head pulsing through sudden attack of migraine and he really doesn’t know how to tell his CEO about this without risking him having a heart attack in the process.
Hyukjae punches the quick-dial button on his phone. He needs someone to talk to, about whatever thing that can divert him for a moment from all of this mess.
But even after Hyukjae decided to be a considerate lover and forced himself to understand that the reason behind Yehsung’s lack of contact and his continuously turned off cell lately was because Yehsung really needed to focus on his job, it’s just too much to hear another operator’s voice as the answer to his call this time.
It has been five days and still Hyukjae can’t reach Yehsung’s cell nor meet Yehsung. It also looks like Yehsung keeps pulling an all-nighter in his office everyday because no matter how late the night had become when Hyukjae was coming to Yehsung’s apartment, there was always nobody answering his knocking.
Frustrated, Hyukjae snaps his phone shut and holds the urge to rub his temple hard. People keep glancing towards his office every now and then and it’s a clue for Hyukjae that this thing is no longer a secret. He needs to maintain his calm because who knows what kind of ruckus will spread out there if they see that even their HRD Head can not handle the situation.
A knock is heard all of a sudden and Hyukjae sees his assistant, Jung Hyun, peeking inside his office from the half opened door.
Hyukjae smiles a bit and gestures her to come in.
“The workers are going crazy out there, Hyukjae-sshi.” Jung Hyun says hesitantly as she slips inside his office and closes the door.
Hyukjae can only respond with another smile. “Yeah, but things are going to be fine soon.” Hyukjae says and frowns. It’s rare for him to be so unsure with things he said and he doesn’t like the feeling he get when it’s happened.
“Listen,” Hyukjae leans forward on his desk, face all serious. “I want you to put up vacancy ads to find replacements for those five. The arrangement and the media choice are just as usual, but the ads need to sound urgent. We’ll need new creative directors fast at this point. There are still three unfinished projects coming due at the end of this month.”
Jung Hyun watches him with concern, before leaning forward on her seat and whispers. “Hyukjae-sshi, I heard rumors about those resigning people.”
Hyukjae lifts one of his eyebrows.
“I’ve heard it from a quite reliable source,” Jung Hyun continues. “The rumors said that those five people have signed contracts with MK and they’ll start working there soon after their resigning process done here.”
Hyukjae’s eyes widen at hearing that. MK. It’s the company where Yehsung works.
It’s never a wise thing to take a rumor seriously, especially in work lines like his. But Hyukjae knows Jung Hyun and she’s not the kind of woman who likes hearing or talking non sense.
The shocking news leaves Hyukjae in a stupor for long minutes, his brain is working quickly as it absorbs the information and makes connections here and there. He just absentmindedly nods once when Jung Hyun, being a sensible assistant as she is, tells him that she’ll be back again later after lunch to help him work things out.
Another long minutes but Hyukjae still comes up with nothing. At least nothing with possibilities he wants to admit, because all of a sudden Hyukjae has this bad feeling and he really doesn’t want to think about what’s causing it.
Instead, he shifts his mind and focuses on arranging words that won’t make his CEO die on the spot as he’s informing him about this.
---00o00---
Hyukjae takes another deep breath as he stands in front of the building of MK Advertisement.
He being here in office hours is unavoidable. His boss, with veins popping on his jaws, had apparently heard the rumors about his five best creative directors moving to MK, and he wanted Hyukjae to confirm it with his own eyes.
Yeah, well, Hyukjae needs to talk with Yehsung anyway. It’s been too long and he wants to see how busy Yehsung actually is to repeatedly ignore his calls and messages. And there is that thing about how much Yehsung knows on the contracts those five people signed with his company.
Hyukjae really hopes Yehsung is as clueless as him about the last one.
The big glasses front door rolls smoothly as Hyukjae steps inside the building. MK is indeed a big company. It’s almost as big as KOOL, though MK still loses from his company in popularity field.
The familiar sight of office’s bustling can be seen even here in ground floor where some receptionists with headsets on their head are busy answering phone calls, and a couple of guards with blue uniforms are watching the people going in and out of the building with hawk like eyes.
Hyukjae approaches one of the receptionists at the long front office desk in the center of the floor.
“Excuse me.” Hyukjae says to the long black haired receptionist in the left end. “I’m here to see Mr. Kim Jongwoon.”
The receptionist gives him a professionally trained wide smile. “May I know who you are, Sir? And do you have an appointment with Mr. Kim?”
“Ah, yes. Just tell him Lee Hyukjae is here to see him. And no, I haven’t had any appointment. But he knows who I am.”
The girl nods, and presses some buttons on the phone-gadget-thingy in front of her before talking in a lowered voice.
Hyukjae looks around, admiring a beautiful fountain sets in one of the floor corners.
“I’m sorry, Sir.” The girl’s voice brings his attention back on the front office table. Hyukjae sees her giving him another smile, less wide than before.
“Mr. Kim is in the middle of an important meeting at the moment. He gives you his apology, but he’s unable to meet you right now. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow after you make a meeting appointment with Mr. Kim beforehand.” The girl says before nods once to Hyukjae and starts answering another phone call.
Hyukjae frowns. Call him a paranoid, but somehow he can sense avoidance in Yehsung’s words quoted by the receptionist. He wants to ask the receptionist once again, but she keeps talking to her headset and still the other phone in front of her rings again and again.
He sighs and turns around. He is so out of his mind that he doesn’t really watch his steps. And he can only let’s out an oof! as he bumps somebody in front of him hard.
“Hyukjae-sshi?” The man he bumped just before called him in a surprised voice and Hyukjae swallows an apology as he looks up to see him. He can’t help but being surprised too the second he recognize the man’s face as Sung Jaemin, one of the resigning creative directors.
“Jaemin-sshi?” Hyukjae frowns deeper as he sees a box full of office equipments in Jaemin’s hand and an ID tag hung on Jaemin’s pocket stating that he’s one of MK’s employees.
Jaemin’s eyes follow Hyukjae’s and he suddenly laughs nervously. The atmosphere around them seems awkward now because the fact that Jaemin is here in MK with that box in his hand and that ID tag is enough prove for Hyukjae’s earlier suspicion.
Jaemin looks flushed and uncomfortable, and for a moment Hyukjae feels sorry for him. Jaemin was actually one of few employees in KOOL that greeted him in the morning and sometimes sat and chatted beside him during lunch without having any hidden motives in his mind.
“Look,” Jaemin suddenly says. “It’s not my effective day yet here in MK anyway. So if you’d like, would you go to the café down the street there and wait for me while I’m bringing these stuff to my desk upstairs?”
Hyukjae is a little bit taken aback by Jaemin’s invitation and he stares questioningly at Jaemin.
“I think I still owe you a proper apology for… this.” Jaemin looks at him with plea in his eyes.
And so Hyukjae nods because he doesn’t have the heart to do the other way around, and with a thankful smile Jaemin bows once to Hyukjae before continuing his steps towards the lift.
---00o00---
“Really, I know we’ve caused trouble for you and KOOL by our sudden resignation.” Jaemin says softly after the waiter has finished serving their order and left.
Hyukjae smiles sadly, but can’t find any proper words to respond the true statement so he chooses to stay silent and stirs his Darjeeling tea instead.
Jaemin sees Hyukjae’s lack of response and sighs. “I know there is absolutely no reason for us, especially for me, to treat the company and you this way. But we’re kind of helpless to reject MK’s great offer.”
Hyukjae stares at Jaemin playing with his juice straw.
“I mean, when this man claiming himself as representative from MK contacted me and offered a chance to work at MK, I’ve tried to reject it at first. Saying that I’d paid more than enough at KOOL and I enjoyed working there.” Jaemin shrugs. “But then this man told me that he knows exactly how much I was paid in KOOL. And it surprised me because a second later he really said it, exactly correct even until the last number. Then he said that MK could give me a lot more than that. Not to mention other facilities and bonuses that he knew wasn’t available at KOOL if I agreed to sign the contract.”
As Jaemin continues, Hyukjae can hear a hint of shame in his voice and Hyukjae notices Jaemin is trying hard to avoid his gaze. “Well, the offer seemed getting better and better with every word he said, and so…. I guess you know what happened next.”
Hyukjae grips his cup tighter at hearing that and he suddenly feels bad. So bad he really wants to throw up.
Nobody knows how much an employee is getting paid in a company except the HRD Head and the CEO. It’s the game’s rule. And Hyukjae is sure as hell he never gives out that kind of secret information to anybody because he knows things like this is most likely going to happen if it leaks out.
All of his file containing information about employees’ compensation and benefit are password-locked by him, and the only copy he has of those files are saved in his private laptop. So there’s no way someone, especially someone at MK, can find out about that information.
Unless if it’s somebody who is very close to Hyukjae and often stays in his apartment long enough to snuck up into his laptop and hi-jack his file.
Trying hard to control his suddenly trembling voice, Hyukjae asks Jaemin. “Jaemin-sshi, do you know the name of that man offering you the job at MK?”
Jaemin looks up, seems a little bit surprised with Hyukjae’s question and doubt clearly colors his voice as he licks his lips and answers. “Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”
Jaemin scratches his head and seems even more uncomfortable than before. “I’m sure you know him too, Hyukjae-sshi, considering how close you two when you worked on our latest joined project together. He’s Kim Jongwoon-sshi.”
TBC
PS: Wanted to kill me already? LOL