It was unknown how the rumors began but as Min Jae entered the office building, he immediately noticed that the people he was passing by were giving him weird looks. Others were audibly whispering behind his back. It was a very unusual sight for him to see--a disturbing one actually. Regardless, he kept on a straight face, mentally noting to ask Secretary Yoo when he sees him.
On the other hand, Yoo Joong was panicking as he waited for his boss. The rumors were terrible! Everyone at the company was talking about it! He was secretly hoping that they weren't true. It would be a shame if they were, especially to him who had always looked up to Mr. Lee.
When he saw his boss arrive, he straightened up professionally and bowed to greet his superior. Min Jae didn't even stop to spare Yoo Joong a glance. Instead, he ordered him to follow right away.
"What's going on?" Min Jae directly asked as soon as they were inside their office. He sat at his swivel chair and turned to look at the great view of Gangnam district.
Yoo Joong felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. The tone of Mr. Lee's voice was nerve-wracking! "Uhm... Mr. Lee... I didn't spread the gossips I swear! It's--"
"That's not what I'm asking." Min Jae cut him off.
Secretary Yoo swallowed. There's a high chance that Mr. Lee will be very mad upon hearing about it, but still... he has the right to know. Yoo Joong took a deep breath. And as briefly as he could, he explained to Min Jae everything he knew and everything he heard.
According to the rumors, the young CEO didn't want to take responsibility of his child with the woman causing a scene at the lobby yesterday. Some had already identified her as Choi Na Rae, a previous employee at the company. Other people purposely shared how they witnessed her suspicious relationship with the CEO. And as they kept adding coal to the fire, the gossips grew bigger until they were now uncontainable.
"I've only known about this issue earlier, Mr. Lee. As of now, I have no idea where it originated." Secretary Yoo honestly reported. Min Jae didn't reply immediately thus, it gave Yoo Joong the impression that he was already upset. And so to appease his boss, Secretary Yoo took initiative. "I will inform the HR department to deal with this matter right away, sir. They already know what to do." He informed.
On the other hand, Min Jae wasn't really upset nor even the least bit angry. They were partly true but aside from that, he particularly wasn't in the proper state of mind. After all, his wife just left with his children. These rumors wouldn't hurt him as much. He abruptly stood up and walked closer to the window. It was a great view below. Hopefully, Eun Young and the kids stayed around the vicinity. At least it somehow made him feel that they aren't that far off apart with each other.
"Summon Hans into my office on your way to the HR. Tell him I need those concrete information now." Min Jae authoritatively said with his back still facing Yoo Joong.
"Yes, Mr. Lee." Secretary Yoo responded and with that, he proceeded to carry out his tasks.
A few days ago, prior to his meeting with Na Rae and upon his knowledge of her pregnancy, Min Jae hired a private investigator. He wanted to find out if this child was really his. She could've lied about the medical records. That was very easy to forge and manipulate. Min Jae wanted to know for himself so no matter what the truth was, he vowed to himself that he will accept it and that he will be responsible of his next actions.
Half an hour later, a man in his late twenties entered Min Jae's office. He bowed in respect to the young CEO and without further ado, he reported his findings. From his satchel, he produced a manila folder with still images of CCTV footages.
"I've traced back Ms. Choi's first visit to the hospital." Hans said. "She was first admitted after fainting at a bar last 23rd of November. She was rushed to the hospital after losing her consciousness and it was only on that same day that she learned about her pregnancy. Ms. Choi was diagnosed to being approximately three weeks pregnant by a specialist."
Min Jae mentally calculated the number days. If she was already three weeks pregnant by the 23rd of November, then the child would've been made at around last week of October to first week of November. Min Jae's head slowly started to ache as he processed this information.
"She returned to the hospital three days after for another check up. That was when she asked for this medical proof of her pregnancy." Hans explained, showing Min Jae the photocopy of the record Na Rae gave Eun Young. "I've already asked around but the soonest we can have the Paternity Test [1] would be until the fetus is eight weeks old. Ms. Choi is only at the fifth week of her pregnancy so I'm afraid we can only wait for now."
Three weeks... Three more f****** weeks!
"And her whereabouts?" Min Jae asked.
Hans showed a recent picture of Na Rae having lunch with her sister. "She's currently staying with her sister. Ms. Choi is working as a waitress in a diner while trying out for the entertainment industry. Apparently, with her unborn child, many agencies have already declined her application."
Min Jae stared at the picture of the two sisters. They seemed really happy in the photograph that if one were to look at it, he or she could easily conclude that the siblings were close. Min Jae recalled his previous encounter with Gum Bo Ra. She was hurling threats at him when they last met and from what he could remember... she definitely knew something.
With his eyes narrowing on Bo Ra's image, he spoke. "Find out more about Mrs. Gum Bo Ra. I want to know everything about her."