Haeil could hardly believe the situation.
Who would have thought the new Division Head said to be handling the project from BC Holdings would turn out to be Baek Kanghyeon.
For Haeil, who’d been racking his brain over how to close the distance with Kanghyeon, this encounter felt eerily miraculous.
What a staggering coincidence.
And if it’s a coincidence—so what.
The corners of his mouth tugged up in delight.
Even living next door, it was hard to meet Baek Kanghyeon privately; now they’d be entangled officially. For Haeil, it was a scenario he couldn’t help but like.
Feeling his chest beat pleasantly, he walked past the lounge. Reaching the meeting-room door at the end of the long corridor, he smoothed down his overly lifted mouth and opened it. Through the crack came General Manager Park’s voice.
“The representative stepped out for some air. He’ll be right back—”
“Good afternoon.”
Haeil offered his greeting the moment he entered. Recognizing the voice, Baek Kanghyeon startled and looked at him.
“…”
Seeing the look on Kanghyeon’s face that might as well have said, What are you doing here?, Haeil smiled neatly.
“I’m Kwon Haeil, representative of club WAVE.”
Across from him, Kanghyeon’s eyes went wide. Even that look, Haeil found cute.
Thud—the door shut, and from Kwon Haeil’s mouth came a voice clearly aimed at Baek Kanghyeon.
“I am ex-treme-ly pleased to meet you.”
***
He was rattled.
Why he was sitting face-to-face with that man, why that man was reviewing the contents of this weighty project—he had no idea.
“…and that is how we plan to proceed.”
Into the ear of the thinking Kanghyeon came the voice of the Head of Strategic Planning, who was in the middle of explaining.
“As you know, all land around club WAVE—except the club itself—has already been purchased by Baekcheong Group. We’ll clear it cleanly and then press forward with hotel construction.”
“How long is the demolition expected to take?”
“We’re projecting up to three months.”
“Three months… Demolition is one thing, but the projected completion timeline is shorter than expected. Is that feasible?”
“You needn’t worry about that part. Baekcheong Construction is the number-one company with broad experience and expertise in construction. With the latest technology and efficient resource management, within the scheduled—”
Using the proposal as a base, the Head of Strategic Planning spoke with confidence. Haeil listened more intently than ever. He also reviewed relevant points in depth with General Manager Park and the attorney seated on either side.
Watching it, Kanghyeon was inwardly surprised.
He honestly hadn’t known this side of Kwon Haeil existed.
The Kwon Haeil he knew was always light and freewheeling. He often laughed for nothing or horsed around like a child, and sometimes went so far he made you wonder if he was in his right mind.
That man now showed a sober face with no trace of a smile.
Just from one close read of the project proposal, he pinpointed exactly what to ask and what to verify. He also grasped, as easily as looking at his palm, which parts to revise to maximize their gain. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
It was common knowledge that Alphas tended to be smart and physically capable. Among them, when it came to Dominants, excellence came with a “without exception.” It seemed Kwon Haeil was no different.
“It’s certainly not a bad proposal. No—an excellent one.”
Lifting his eyes from the last page, Haeil placed a faint smile on Kanghyeon across from him.
“The internal layout, and your grasp of our club’s unique systems, are both strong. I also liked the improvements proposed with the overall atmosphere in mind.”
His eyes narrowed slyly.
“It’s as if you came to the club yourself and checked every inch.”
It recalled the night he’d toured the interior. Haeil had volunteered to guide him then.
Looking steadily at the silent Kanghyeon, Haeil smiled.
“That’s how good it was.”
Feeling a fatigue worse than during overtime, Kanghyeon answered evenly.
“Thank you.”
He wanted to get out of here quickly and work. Or just sleep like a log.
That was how much the tension at this table was pressing on him too hard.
An unpredictable man—I have no idea what he’ll pull.
He worried that Haeil would swing him around to his heart’s content, using yesterday or the prior incidents as a pretext. Even now, their relationship was, at best, awkward—by no means good.
And Haeil knew his greatest secret.
Yesterday, the man hadn’t known what Baek Kanghyeon did or what position he was in. So he’d said he simply wanted to meet—but today would be different. On the basis of whether the contract went through and that secret, he could blackmail “Division Head Baek Kanghyeon” as much as he wanted.
If he really does threaten me…
What should he do then.
In truth, there was nothing to think about.
He would have to do as he asked. At least until the deal was sealed, he’d have no choice but to humor him and go along.
His father had laid out every path on the premise that this contract would succeed. Cracking that path now would be nothing more than a cute tantrum in his father’s eyes.
He might even say, Rebel more, and lay out a road so clear anyone could see it led to success. If that happened, it felt like more than his pride would collapse.
To prevent that, he had to wrap this contract up perfectly, without noise. And the man holding that key was Kwon Haeil, right before his eyes.
Pathetic.
He had, in effect, ended up with a leash around his neck, held by the worst possible man.
Thinking that, the nape of his neck throbbed with a cold ache.
As he worked not to let his anxiety show, a rather welcome sound reached his ears.
“We’re inclined to view the proposal positively. May I take a look at the contract?”
At Haeil’s words, Kanghyeon handed over the documents he’d prepared in advance.
“It’s a pre-contract containing this proposal. After review, if there are any requirements or parts to be revised, please feel free to let us know.” Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
“Thank you.”
Smiling with his eyes at Kanghyeon, Haeil passed the pre-contract to the attorney beside him.
“Counsel Jang, check it.”
“Yes, Representative.”
The attorney began rapidly verifying that BC Holdings’ proposed content matched what was written in the contract.
Meanwhile, without taking his eyes off Kanghyeon, Haeil asked,
“If we go by the proposal, we’ll be able to receive Baekcheong’s cooperation and support even before the hotel is completed, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He’d asked while looking at Kanghyeon, but the answer came from the Head of Strategic Planning at his side. Though his energy was nearly spent from fervidly conveying the proposal, he pricked his ears as if determined not to miss Haeil’s words.
“For that cooperation and support, who will be handling the back-and-forth?”
“We’re thinking of dispatching a dedicated project manager.”
“And Division Head Baek?”
At that, the Head of Strategic Planning looked flustered. By contrast, Kanghyeon’s face remained expressionless to the point his thoughts couldn’t be read.
Haeil asked again.
“This is a project Baekcheong Group and BC Holdings are pouring their hearts into. So the overall lead—the Division Head—will come often to check with his own eyes, right?”
The Head of Strategic Planning couldn’t answer and looked to Kanghyeon.
The firmly closed lips of Kanghyeon parted.
“…If that’s what you want, I’ll do so.”
At his words, Haeil beamed. It was the bright smile Kanghyeon had seen from Haeil now and then.
“Then, just in case, may we add this to the contract? We’ll define what counts as ‘often’ by the next meeting.”
At that, Jung Wonwoo’s face showed a start of surprise.
“Representative Kwon, even so…!”
“Secretary Jung.”
At a single call from Kanghyeon, Wonwoo’s voice cut off. He swallowed down the dissatisfaction that had slipped out before he knew it. For some reason, Haeil was looking at Wonwoo with a cool gaze.
After a brief stillness, Kanghyeon answered late.
“Let’s do that.”
Wearing a pleased face, Haeil looked at Kanghyeon and poked the attorney in the side.
“You heard him, Counsel Jang?”
“Yes, I’ll note that as well… And please stop poking me. It hurts.”
Perhaps because they had worked together for so long running the club, the attorney raised his eyes at Haeil’s jabs without hesitation; even so, he diligently skimmed the pre-contract in his hand without missing a single word.