Could it be because of the color of his tie?

For a moment, I had the illusion that a faint green light flickered in his black eyes.

Cold and fierce.

Yet infinitely languid, as if the surrounding air might melt.

To be able to overwhelm someone with just a glance – Cha Do Ha was a far more threatening opponent than she had imagined.

“So what I mean is…”

Yeo Eun hurriedly continued speaking, trying to escape the suffocating pressure.

But her words were cut off once again.

It was because Cha Do Ha asked a completely unexpected question.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

“Pardon?”

Yeo Eun’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You didn’t pick up, when I called.”

He called? Cha Do Ha?

She didn’t remember receiving any calls.

“When… did you call?”

“Yesterday. As soon as I arrived in Korea.”

Ah.

Last evening, there had been a call she didn’t answer, assuming it was Son Gyu Won.

She had firmly blocked the number, so there was no way it could have connected.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was you, Director…”

She should have bowed her head, but her gaze remained fixed on his dark eyes.

Those mysterious eyes with a green tint seemed to be devouring her whole.

Slowly approaching, Cha Do Ha spoke in a chilling voice.

“It seems you communicate well with Director Cha Hyun, since you came here despite not receiving my call.”

The last day of September.

It was still too early to feel cold, but Cha Do Ha’s voice brought another chill.

“At this point, shouldn’t Ms. Seo Yeo Eun make a choice?”

“…?”

“Depending on your answer, it will be decided whether a fifth axe blow is possible or not.”

Cha Do Ha’s gaze suddenly changed after uttering those cryptic words.

“Who are you making the contract with?”

The sharp, eerie energy disappeared, replaced by arrogant confidence.

“Cha Hyun? Or me?”

Although Yeo Eun turned into an idiot whenever she stood before Cha Do Ha, she wasn’t foolish enough not to understand the meaning of his words.

“I received the advance payment from Director Cha Hyun.”

“So you’ll continue to serve Cha Hyun?”

Cha Do Ha was offering her another option.

“Daring to use me as a pawn on the chess board?”

He leaned in close, tilting his head askew as he looked down at her intimidatingly.

“Are you saying you’ll do whatever Cha Hyun orders, even if it goes against my wishes?”

“…”

“Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

“Yes, it’s ridiculous.”

Not averting her gaze from Cha Do Ha, Yeo Eun clenched her trembling fingertips as she continued speaking.

“But the reason I agreed to this ridiculous contract was…”

However, she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.

“Because I had no other choice.”

A way to send Cha Do Ha obediently to the arranged meeting place.

There was no such thing.

“The interests involved are far more complicated than you realize, Director.”

There was no way to gain the upper hand against Cha Do Ha.

Either accept the choice he offered, or give up entirely – it would be one of those two options.

“Far more complicated interests involved…?”

Cha Do Ha slowly repeated Yeo Eun’s words, then let out a chuckle.

“Are you being threatened or something?”

She didn’t answer.

But Cha Do Ha seemed to already know the answer.

His deep, dark eyes flashed sharply as he smiled coldly.

“You think I can’t do what my aunt can do?”

In the end, Cha Do Ha added another threat on top of Cha Hyun’s.

“I’d probably be even more ruthless than her, not less. When it comes to exploiting people’s weaknesses.”

It was truly a cruel moment, yet his appearance was so intensely captivating that it was even disheartening.

Perhaps Cha Do Ha was a devil.

A devil who appeared to completely upend her life.

Yeo Eun lowered her head and let out a quiet sigh.

Then she raised her head again and met Cha Do Ha’s gaze.

“What do you want?”

Her voice no longer trembled.

As quick as she was to judge, she was just as quick to give up.

She was perceptive and knew her own limits well.

Cha Hyun had said she liked Yeo Eun for those very reasons.

Because her life was messy. Because she had so much to protect.

Because she had enough weaknesses to not be swayed no matter how captivating Cha Do Ha was.

But that didn’t mean she would act submissively.

Yeo Eun raised her head high and continued speaking with a gaze similar in texture to Cha Do Ha’s.

“I just need you to go to the arranged meeting today without resistance. Then I… can protect at least one of my people.”

At the very least, she could stop the first promissory note due to Persona.

Then Ji Soo would be safe.

She could think about her mother after that.

“So tell me what you want.”

Yeo Eun clenched her molars and waited for Cha Do Ha’s answer.

Barely a hand’s width apart.

Cha Do Ha, facing her at such a close distance that they could feel each other’s body heat, was large, cold, and threatening.

Just a few minutes ago, her heart had raced at this man’s gaze.

Now she was simply terrified.

Because he was a being who held the power of life and death over her.

Cha Do Ha’s tilted head slowly turned to the opposite side.

“Shall we… make a deal?”

His eyes, tinged with a cold smile, flashed with a strange light.

Though her heart chilled, Yeo Eun didn’t show it as she boldly retorted.

“That’s what you want too, isn’t it? That’s why you called me.”

Otherwise, there’s no way Cha Do Ha would have called her.

For a moment, the corners of Cha Do Ha’s mouth curved into an enchanting smile.

“They said you were smart, but you have good sense too, Ms. Seo Yeo Eun.”

His smile, devoid of coldness, even gave off a refreshing feeling.

“Alright. Let’s make a deal.”

After carefully scrutinizing Yeo Eun’s expression with his sharp gaze, Cha Do Ha leisurely continued.

“I’ll go to the arranged meeting without resistance, and you’ll accompany me. That’s my only condition.”

* * *

Accompanying him to the arranged meeting.

It was an unreasonable demand, but she couldn’t refuse.

5 minutes before 5 o’clock.

After briefly stopping by the restroom, Yeo Eun called Cha Hyun to briefly report the situation.

She thought Cha Hyun would hit the roof, but her reaction was different from what Yeo Eun expected.

[Do Ha is not easy to handle. He’s completely different from the other people you’ve dealt with so far. He’s unpredictable, and sometimes cruel. Moreover, he never shows his true feelings to others.] [Is that… so?] [Just remember one thing. Regardless of the reason or situation, Seo Yeo Eun must tame Cha Do Ha. So you shouldn’t be picky about your methods. The arranged meeting? Just go along with it. But behave appropriately.]

Before the words “behave appropriately” had even faded from her ears.

Following Cha Do Ha into the HJ Hotel VIP lounge, Yeo Eun realized something was wrong.

In the empty VIP lounge, there was only one table set up.

And sitting at that table was a very elegantly dressed woman.

Jin Yu Hee, daughter of ST Group Chairman Jin Man Jae.

A woman who dared to have the qualifications to covet Cha Do Ha.

Yeo Eun had planned to nicely hand Cha Do Ha over to that woman and sit a few tables away, but there was a hitch in the plan.

To think they would clear out the entire lounge for an arranged meeting.

“Director?”

She quietly called out to Cha Do Ha as he walked ahead, and he turned around.

“I’ll wait by the entrance. I hope you two have a good time.”

It was the best choice for Yeo Eun, who needed to behave appropriately.

But Cha Do Ha didn’t seem to think so.

He raised one eyebrow sharply and slowly approached.

“That wasn’t part of my conditions.”

Then he gently grasped Yeo Eun’s hand.

Surprised, Yeo Eun tried to pull her hand away, but it was futile.

He held on more firmly and gave a crooked smile.

“If you want to protect your person, just follow along obediently.”

Her mind went blank.

* * *

Yu Hee was not in a good mood.

This state had been continuing for 6 months now.

The reason was that her marriage partner had been decided around that time.

Born as the esteemed daughter of ST Group Chairman Jin Man Jae, ranked 10th in Korea’s business world, she already knew that her match would be determined by a political marriage.

That’s just how marriages work in this world.

Instead, someone of her caliber should rightfully be matched with Han Ju Group heir Cha In Woo.

But Cha In Woo got engaged to Yoon So Ra of Raon Soft, and she became like leftover rice, having dreamt an empty dream.

It was a sense of utter defeat she had never felt before in her life.

One such experience was enough, and not wanting to taste it again, she was in the process of carefully choosing her next partner.

But as if one defeat wasn’t enough, her father presented Cha In Woo’s cousin Cha Do Ha as her match.

Cha Do Ha.

The only son of Cha Kang, the second son of Han Ju Group Chairman Cha Ji Seop.

When his father unexpectedly passed away in an accident 6 years ago, he naturally became distanced from the succession line and became an unremarkable man.

He was truly an outsider in the business world, exiled to America without ever showing his face in social circles.

People even referred to him as a good-looking but hollow peach, with a handsome face but no substance.

That is, until just 6 months ago.

The situation changed a bit when he was called by Chairman Cha Ji Seop to join Han Ju Group’s Strategic Planning Division.

His management skills demonstrated in the short 6-month period were truly remarkably excellent.

He brilliantly identified Han Ju’s outdated aspects, cut them out like a knife, and replaced them with new ones.

This applied to both people and projects indiscriminately.

His interview in the company newsletter expressing such thoughts also received good responses from Han Ju’s young employees.

Her father, Chairman Jin Man Jae, seemed to highly value that point as well.

[The old and conservative Han Ju Group will be completely reborn at the fingertips of Director Cha Do Ha. He’s an amazing person. A coveted talent.]

That’s what her father said after meeting Cha Do Ha at a business leaders’ association seminar.

[And his looks are just exceptional. The Cha family is known for their good looks, but he seems to have taken a lot after his mother’s side as well. You’ll be shocked when you see him. He can’t even be compared to CEO Cha In Woo.]

For the first time, she found her father distasteful for praising someone rumored to be a good-for-nothing as the best catch, when looks aren’t everything.

Then she saw Cha Do Ha’s face on the news.

They said he couldn’t even be compared to Cha In Woo, who was called the prince of high society, and Cha Do Ha was truly a man so beautiful it was impossible to take your eyes off him.

Perhaps that’s why. She became interested.

She observed him for about two months like that.

They say if you have a handsome face, you live up to your looks, and Cha Do Ha properly proved that old saying.

One moment he was enjoying wild parties with Kwon Yi Han, the youngest of LI Group known as his close friend, and the next a scandal broke out with actress Kim Hae Ri.

In the end, birds of a feather flock together.

An marriage talk with such a man would only lower her own value, but as if that wasn’t enough, Cha Do Ha showed up to the arranged meeting with a woman.

With a w-o-m-a-n.

Yu Hee’s gaze lingered on the woman standing next to Cha Do Ha.