RBCT Chapter 66 What kind of cunning strategist is this!
Chapter 66 What kind of cunning strategist is this!
When Jung Do-hoon arrived at the restaurant, the head waiter said that the person he had arranged to meet had not yet arrived.
That's normal, though. Girls always need to put on makeup before going out, so it's no big deal if it takes a little longer.
He led Park Ah-jung to the private room and sat her down first, letting her see what dishes she wanted to eat.
"Clerk, the food here is so expensive..." Park Ya-jeong raised her eyebrows. "Will there be any problems with reimbursement later?"
"At my own expense."
"Oh, then I'll eat less. How much do we even get paid?"
To be precise, Park Ah-jeong's salary is relatively low, less than three thousand US dollars a month.
Fortunately, she stayed at her parents' house, where food and lodging were free, which was enough for her needs.
Zheng Daoxun wasn't short of money for this meal, but he didn't need to pretend to be wealthy; he simply smiled.
"Then you can have the salad later, and we'll have the meat."
"That won't do! Wouldn't that make me seem like a superfluous person?"
"You are by no means superfluous."
Jung Do-hoon brought Park Ah-jung over, firstly because the meal was work-related, and secondly because he didn't want to be alone with Mina.
What if Mina is there to investigate him on behalf of Sana Minatozaki? With A-jung Park present, she probably wouldn't dare to bring up his private life outside of work.
"Clerk, I'd like to go to the restroom first."
"Okay, go ahead."
As soon as Park Ya-jeong got up and pushed open the door, she had only taken a few steps toward the restroom when she saw Mina.
She was talking to the supervisor at the moment and didn't see Park Ya-jung. Even if she did see her, she wouldn't recognize her.
Since they would be meeting formally in the private room later, Park Ah-jeong thought there was no need to rush to greet her, so she quietly walked past Mina.
only……
Why is Minatozaki Sana sitting at the table in the lobby?
Park Ya-jeong slowed her pace and glanced a few more times in the direction of Minatozaki Sana. The other woman seemed to notice her as well, and looked up to meet her gaze.
Perhaps it was a woman's intuition? Sana Minatozaki felt that the tall, beautiful woman in the blazer opposite her was scrutinizing her.
Who is she? Why is she looking at me like that?
Already feeling down because she couldn't join Mina in the private dining room, Sana frowned slightly at her, signaling for her to stop staring at her.
Can't celebrities eat at restaurants?
Park Ya-jeong glanced back and saw that Mina had already walked towards the private room, while Minatozaki Sana showed no intention of following her in. After thinking it over, she sent a message to Jung Do-hoon when she got to the restroom:
【Secretary, I see that Sana Minatozaki is here too. Should we invite her in to eat with us?】
Jung Do-hoon did not reply immediately, so Park Ah-jeong did not rush back. After washing her hands, she lingered in the corridor for a while, waiting for instructions from her direct superior.
Anyone would guess that Minatozaki Sana was brought by Mina, so since they're all guests, why don't they go in and eat together?
[Clerk Dao Xun: No need, you and she can eat out together. I'll reimburse you for whatever it costs.]
Didn't Zheng Daoxun just say she was a very important person? Now he's telling her she doesn't need to go back to the private room...
Park Ah-jeong pouted in annoyance, but still did as she was told.
Anyway, it's all about accompanying people to dinner. It doesn't matter who you eat with, since Zheng Daoxun will reimburse you.
Park Ah-jeong, wearing high heels, sat down opposite Minatozaki Sana.
"Hello, Sana xi".
"Sorry... I'm not available to take photos or sign autographs right now..."
Sana Minatozaki is in no mood to interact with fans right now; her mind is entirely on the private room. Mina hasn't made a sound since she went in, even though she promised to send real-time updates.
Mei said it wasn't appropriate for him to bring people in without permission, but now there's been no word from him. He should have gone in with Minatozaki Sana no matter what.
"Uh, I'm Secretary Dao Xun's assistant, you can just call me Ya Jing. He's talking to Mina Xi in a private room right now, so I'll take care of you."
Jung Do-hoon's assistant? A female assistant who is over 1.7 meters tall and has a model's figure?
Sana Minatozaki slightly opened her mouth, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her.
She tried to retrieve information from the few fragments of her dreams, but found no clues about the female assistant.
"Does he know I'm here?"
"Huh?" Park Ya-jeong was taken aback. She thought that Minatozaki Sana had only come with Mina.
Why does Sana Minatozaki care whether Jung Do-hoon knows about her existence?
Minami's sudden offer to introduce Jeong Do-hoon to some senior figure working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was rather odd.
What right does Mina have to offer Jung Do-hoon help? She probably just wants to use this as an excuse to have a meal with him.
Could it be that Sana Minatozaki is here to act as an outside strategist for Mina Mina?
"I can keep it a secret for you." Park Ya-jeong narrowed her eyes, sizing up the woman opposite her. She didn't seem very shrewd. Could she really be a good strategist?
Thank you.
"Order whatever you want, it'll be reimbursed by Secretary Do-hoon anyway." Park Ya-jung asked for the menu, and seeing that Minatozaki Sana wasn't in the mood to eat, she ordered a few dishes herself. "Is this enough? We can order more later if we're still hungry."
"Okay." Sana Minatozaki stared at her phone, glancing up several times as if to ask something, but then swallowing her words.
She wanted to know about Park Ah-jung's personal relationship with Jung Do-hoon, whether Park Ah-jung had any feelings for Jung Do-hoon, or whether Jung Do-hoon had any contact with her outside of work.
But once these questions are asked, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that they are questioning whether there is an improper relationship between the two outside of work.
No girl could accept such suspicion.
"Ya Jing xi..."
"Um?"
"My next question might be a bit presumptuous." Sana Minatozaki took a deep breath; she still couldn't help but ask.
"Just ask."
"Dohoon...the clerk, does he usually communicate with you a lot during work?"
"I've only been with the company for a short time, and this is my first time going on a field trip with Secretary Do-hoon. But I believe I can definitely grow into a trustworthy assistant." Park Ah-jeong rested her chin on her hand. It was her first time having dinner alone with her idol, and she found it all very novel.
"So what's your opinion of him?"
"Actually, I haven't had much contact with him, but I feel that he is a person with a strong sense of boundaries. Moreover, when he works, he doesn't seem like a 25-year-old at all. He is a year younger than me, but he acts like a senior in his thirties."
Sana Minatozaki's ears twitched slightly: "You have a maturity beyond your years, don't you? Don't you find that a little strange?"
"What's so strange about that?" Park Ya-jeong found Minatozaki Sana rather baffling. "Secretary Do-hoon is just very capable at work; he's quite interesting in his personal life. Eh? Does Mina have some feelings for our secretary?"
"What ideas could they possibly have?!"
Sana Minatozaki's reaction was as intense as a puppy having its tail stepped on.
Park Ya-jeong chuckled, "I brought you along as my strategist because I wanted your advice, right? Let's chat casually; we don't need to be so serious about our meal."
"I'm not here to be her strategist." Sana Minatozaki couldn't explain it to Aya-jung in a short time.
"Huh? Really? Then why did she bring you along? A girl asking a guy out to dinner alone can't just be about work, right? What do you think they're talking about in that private room right now?"
Seeing Minatozaki Sana's reaction, Park Ya-jeong became more and more convinced that Sana was there to act as a strategist, but dared not admit it after being exposed.
Yeah, what could Mina possibly talk about with Jung Do-hoon in that private room? There's still no reply…
Sana Minatosaki felt a sudden rush of breath; she felt as if she had made a huge mistake.
"It's nothing. Our Secretary Dao Xun is also single, and quite a few girls in our ministry have feelings for him. You wouldn't believe it, but I heard that on his first day back at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many female diplomats put down their work to see him."
"However, he doesn't seem very interested in relationships these days. There are quite a few beautiful women in our department, but we can't get them to have dinner with him. Mina-xi is quite clever, though, she started with his work as a clerk..."
"It's a pity, though. Very few diplomats marry foreigners. The vetting process is very strict, so in the end, they'll most likely end up marrying within the country."
Park Ya-jeong's incessant chatter passed by Minatozaki Sana's ears, but it felt as if a silencer had been installed in her ears, making it sound harsh and like tinnitus.
Many fragments of her dream flashed before Sana Minatozaki's eyes like slides.
Was it a sense of crisis at play? She felt a sudden panic in her heart.
"Huh? Sana-xi, where are you going?"
"I want to go to a private room."
"How can that be..." Park Ya-jeong had no choice but to step forward and stop Minatozaki Sana: "Alright, it was Secretary Do-hoon who asked me to greet you outside. I told him you were coming. You're interfering with my work."
Sana Minato doesn't care about appearances anymore. She doesn't care if she angers Mina or if Jung Do-hoon thinks she's being persistent.
At this moment, all she wanted was to see Zheng Daoxun immediately:
"I told you to get out of the way."