Chapter 3: Chapter 3

As Seo Jaehee exited the Chairwoman’s office on the 40th floor, he was accompanied by Hyun Jiye.

“This way, Director,” she said, her heels clicking like a butterfly flitting toward a flower as she guided him to the executive floor on the 39th.

“The Vice Chair’s office is at the far end, and your office is here.”

“Yes.”

Jaehee, however, showed little interest, striding ahead with an air of indifference.

His irritation grew with each passing second that Suin failed to appear. Even Hyun Jiye’s cheerful assistance couldn’t ease his simmering annoyance.

“The office has been thoroughly cleaned since it was vacated. The former director, Mr. Kim Joayoung, was known for being very tidy.”

“Kim Joayoung?”

“You know him?”

“I’ve known him since I was a child.”

Jaehee had no interest in the standard layout of Hyesung Group’s executive offices, but Hyun Jiye, eager to please, continued her explanations without pause.

“The door to the right leads to your dressing room and bathroom. All amenities have been updated with brand-new items, and…”

“Secretary Hyun.”

“Yes, Director?”

Jaehee cut her off, causing her to flinch slightly. With a brief tilt of his chin, he dismissed her.

“You can leave now.”

“Pardon?”

Caught off guard by the sudden dismissal, Hyun Jiye blinked and momentarily trembled before composing herself.

“I’ll wait in the secretary’s office until your assigned secretary arrives. Please let me know if you need anything.”

Her crisp tone reminded him of someone else.

Suin must’ve trained her personally.

The resemblance in demeanor brought a faint smirk to Jaehee’s lips as the door closed behind her.

He strolled to the full-length windows, looking down at the cityscape below.

The sight of Korea’s skyline after so many years should have stirred some sentiment—but it didn’t.

After just two seconds, he turned his gaze toward the door.

“When will you get here, Lee Suin?”

The minutes, or perhaps the seconds, felt longer and more agonizing than the past eleven years.

***

By the time lunch ended and the afternoon sun angled through the glass buildings, the employees of Hyesung Group were all back to their busy schedules—except for one person.

Lee Suin.

She stood frozen, mentally rehearsing affirmations.

I am a professional. I am an expert. I am unshakable… I am…

But no matter how many mantras she chanted, her feet refused to move.

I don’t want to see him. What kind of face am I supposed to show him?

To make matters worse, he was now her superior.

How smug will he be now that he’s in a position of power?  @@novelbin@@

The thought made her skin crawl.

How am I supposed to endure this?

“I am Lee Suin,” she muttered firmly, clearing her throat to steel her nerves.

After adjusting her outfit and gathering her composure, she finally headed to the director’s office.

“Chief Secretary.”

“Well done. You can head back now.”

She dismissed Hyun Jiye, who greeted her warmly outside the office, before stepping forward and knocking on the door with a clenched fist.

Knock. Knock.

“Yes.”

The deep, smooth baritone response came immediately, as if he had been waiting.

The sound made her chest tighten, like a reflexive rejection.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, she bit her lip and pushed the door open, standing tall.

“Good afternoon, Director.”

She bowed gracefully, her posture impeccable.

“I am Lee Suin, assigned to assist you as your secretary for the time being.”

And then—

“Finally, we meet.”

Seo Jaehee still exuded the same unsettling energy as before.

“Lee Suin, the adult.”

Closing the distance in bold, deliberate strides, he moved like a predator.

Adult?

Suin couldn’t help but be puzzled.

If it’s Lee Suin, it’s Lee Suin. Why add ‘adult’?

She didn’t ask. Instead, she lifted her gaze.

The light from the full-length windows silhouetted his figure, casting him in shadow. His advancing form was like that of a large, wild animal.

For a moment, she felt a flicker of intimidation but refused to step back.

“I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept thinking about seeing you, Suin.”

By the time he finished speaking, Jaehee was standing directly in front of her.

“I’ve been waiting for this day.”

The proximity made his presence overwhelming.

His aura was intoxicating, like a dangerous musk that threatened to cloud her senses. Even the act of breathing felt precarious, as if inhaling too deeply would make her lose herself.

***

"How about you?"

Seo Jaehee's gaze remained fixed on Suin, who maintained her composed and formal demeanor.

Meeting Lee Suin again after a decade filled him with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction—she hadn’t changed much in those ten years.

"How does it feel to meet the adult Seo Jaehee?"

"Why do you keep emphasizing 'adult' so much?"

Even though his frame had grown larger and his presence more intense since their teenage years, the tension radiating from him seemed to excite him even more.

"Because we’re both adults now."

That’s right.

Lee Suin, I’m an adult now.

No longer the restricted, constrained teenager—now, he could do whatever he wanted, however he wanted.

***

The way Seo Jaehee stressed the word "adult" wasn’t just about age.

It was deliberate, laced with subtle provocation, a taunt meant to push Suin’s buttons.

She knew this, but she wasn’t going to let herself be rattled.

"Director, please keep work and personal matters separate."

Suin responded with cool precision, her icy gaze unwavering and unblinking.

"And refrain from inappropriate remarks."

"But what’s the harm when it’s just the two of us?"

"And drop the informal tone as well."

"Does that mean I don’t have to restrain my actions?"

Despite Suin’s stern expression, Jaehee smirked mischievously, his tone laced with teasing malice.

“……”

She shot him a sharp glare, but all it did was bring his features into sharper focus.

His small, angular face carried strikingly defined features—high, smooth forehead, perfectly symmetrical brows, a sharp nose, and lips tinged with an enticing shade of crimson.

When their eyes met, his deep, almond-shaped gaze, lined with prominent double eyelids, pinned her in place.

Those irises, a rich and intense black, carried a hunger that felt primal and unyielding, like a starved predator stalking its prey.

Ah… this is dangerous.

The simmering intensity in his gaze was impossible to ignore, an unabashed desire that oozed with confidence.

"Actions, Suin. Natural movements."

She must have been glaring at him too fiercely, for he casually clarified, pretending to brush off her tension.

"For example, this."

He reached out and lightly tapped her arm as if greeting an old friend.

"Please refrain from unwanted physical contact."

Suin stepped back, maintaining her steely composure.

"And I’m here merely to introduce myself today. I’ll begin assisting you formally starting tomorrow."

"Then we’ll be together from now on?"

"As I said, it’s temporary."

"Doesn’t matter."

“Excuse me.”

Refusing to let her guard down, Suin bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

Her back was perfectly straight, and her steps steady as she exited the director’s office. Yet inside, she felt suffocated.

His gaze burned into her back like glue.

Why am I so tense?

Once outside, Suin exhaled deeply, chastising herself for her shaky composure.

It’s already done, but still…

Something about the thirty-year-old Seo Jaehee felt far more daunting than the bratty version she used to know.

*Why?*

Back then, dealing with the immature Seo Jaehee had been so much easier…

***

*Jaehee and Suin at Age Ten*

Suin’s first impression of the Hyesung estate had been, *It’s enormous.*

Having grown up in a cramped, old house, the sight of the mansion’s towering walls and forest-like garden felt like stepping into a fantasy world.

“Mom! Are we really going to live here now?”

Her father, Lee Injae, had recently become Chairwoman Woo Ilhwa’s personal secretary, while her mother, Jin Sukyung, had been hired as the estate’s head chef. This led the family of three to move into one of the estate’s guesthouses.

“That’s right. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes! It’s amazing!”

The Hyesung estate consisted of a grand three-story main house, along with various security facilities and several staff quarters. Suin’s family had been assigned the first guesthouse.

“The Chairwoman even had your room decorated specially for you.”

“Really? I want to see it now!”

“Not yet. Let’s finish unpacking first. It’s dusty right now, so stay outside for a bit.”

“Okay!”

Suin was delighted—her new home was clean, and she had her very own beautiful room.

That is, until she met the troublemaker, Seo Jaehee.

“And who are you?”

“I’m Lee Suin.”

Suin’s initial impression of Jaehee, who stood there with a slouched posture and a cocky grin, was one of immediate wariness.

Being sharp-witted and proud, she hated the idea of losing to anyone.

“And who are you?”

“I’m Seo Jaehee.”

Jaehee didn’t even raise an eyebrow at her response.

Instead, his gaze shifted lazily between Suin, the guesthouse she had just emerged from, and her father unloading their belongings. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“So, you’re the daughter of one of my mom’s subordinates?”

Subordinate?

“And you’re…”

Before she could respond to his rude phrasing, Jaehee interrupted with a grin—one so impish it made her blood boil.

“My lackey.”

What kind of twisted logic is that?!