Revisiting the dilapidated villa in Seongsu-dong was an extremely impulsive action.

Returning to the hotel around 10 o’clock, Do Ha started work with a video conference and opened an email sent by Manager Kim Jung Joo.

After replying to proceed, Do Ha opened the attachments sent by Manager Kim Jung Joo.

A series of PDF files related to Yeo Eun were listed.

From family relationships to current financial situation.

This was what Cha Hyun used to pressure Yeo Eun.

“She said she was desperate.”

Understandably so.

Do Ha got up from his desk, washed away the thoughts that had been weighing on him all night, and changed his clothes.

Then he left the hotel and once again visited Yeo Eun’s villa.

The villa looked less dreary in the daytime. Less pitiful.

Do Ha recalled last night.

The moment he saw Yeo Eun walking feebly into the gloomy alley, something in his chest seemed to stand up sharply.

A feeling like being hit in the chest with a blunt object as irritation welled up.

But now it’s a different feeling.

His throat tingles as he watches Yeo Eun quickly descending the villa stairs.

It feels like something deeper is tingling too.

Jeans, a wide-fit white shirt blouse, flowing long hair, a face without makeup.

She catches her breath as she reaches his car.

Then she bows deeply to him with a flushed face.

To think she could look like that, he unwittingly smiled.

But when he got out of the car, he had completely erased his smile.

As he closed the car door, Yeo Eun bowed to him once more.

“Hello, Director.”

It was pleasant to see her raise her head and capture him with her tense brown eyes.

The curiosity lurking amid the tension. And a bit of fear too.

“What brings you here… sir?”

“Just because.”

Since it was an extremely impulsive visit, there was no reason.

He didn’t even look for an excuse.

“I thought we could have a meal together.”

“Ah, I…”

A sweet scent wafted from Yeo Eun as she hesitated, searching for an answer.

Do Ha frowned at the other smell clearly distinct from her own scent.

“What did you eat? Coffee?”

“Pardon?”

Surprised, Yeo Eun opened her eyes wide, then nodded while moving her lips.

“Yes.”

“Instant coffee?”

“Yes.”

A faint blush spread across her clear face.

It seemed to be the first time seeing her without makeup, but her face looked hardly different with or without it.

Her skin was so clean and white it seemed transparent, arousing a desire to dip his hand into it.

Reaching out his fingers to grasp her chin was also an extremely impulsive action.

She flinched in surprise but didn’t avoid him as Do Ha took a step closer.

“Can you let me taste it?”

Do Ha’s gaze caressed Yeo Eun’s lips closely.

To want to kiss in broad daylight, and in a shabby villa parking lot at that.

She was no ordinary troublesome woman.

As troublesome as she was, her transparent brown eyes trembled clearly expressing her refusal.

“I’m… not feeling well.”

“No kissing?”

Yeo Eun nodded and gestured slightly towards her home.

“Instead, I could make you a cup if you come up.”

What kind of woman is this?

Do Ha couldn’t help but laugh at that moment.

She says no kissing but invites him in.

It was so ridiculous that he let go of her chin and laughed out loud, causing Yeo Eun to straighten her posture and hold her neck upright.

“I’m not well enough to do anything else. But I have the energy to make you a cup of instant coffee.”

Pausing briefly, Yeo Eun carefully gauged Do Ha’s reaction.

“Would you like to come up?”

“Not embarrassed about your place anymore, I see?”

“You’ve already seen it anyway.”

She really is an amusing woman.

The temperature difference between yesterday and today is stark.

Did something burn in her head after suffering from a high fever?

It seems like a screw has come loose, or maybe it’s been tightened too much.

Something seems disheveled, but her defenses are even higher.

Do Ha stared at Yeo Eun for a moment before letting out a chuckle and answering.

“I’ll pass.”

Both her disheveled appearance and her tense defensive posture weren’t bad.

She still piqued his interest and stoked his desire to possess her.

Seo Yeo Eun was still an annoying but fun toy to him, and quite a good playmate.

He wanted to let her go out of pity for her life, but now he didn’t want to.

“I’m not confident I won’t kiss you if I go up. Not confident I’ll stop at just kissing either.”

After all, there aren’t many beings that arouse such improper desires in him even in broad daylight.

Having briefly summed up the situation, Do Ha opened the car door again.

He took out a file from the passenger seat and handed it to Yeo Eun.

“Read this and refer to it. It’s the speech for next Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony.”

“Ah, yes.”

The hand carefully receiving the document was white and clean.

The band-aid stuck to that white hand irritated him like a thorn in his eye.

Recalling the location of Son Gyu Won’s agency in his mind, Do Ha got into the car.

Starting the engine and lowering the window, Do Ha looked up at Yeo Eun.

“Not feeling regretful?”

The hidden question was whether she was really going to let him leave like this.

Yeo Eun dutifully answered his question.

“I do regret it. Very much.”

He almost turned off the engine right then.

He knew she was an amusing and ridiculous woman, but he didn’t know she could be this brazen.

“You keep exceeding my expectations today.”

Even trying not to smile, frivolous laughter kept splitting his lips and bursting out.

Would his grinning words seem like those of a lightweight punk?

“Want to hold me back?”

Yeo Eun looked down at him silently for a while, taking her time to choose her answer.

Then, moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, she carefully asked back.

“Would you… let yourself be held back?”

In the end, laughter burst from Do Ha’s lips.

How long had it been since he laughed out loud like this?

After laughing for a while, Do Ha covered his lips with the back of his hand, his elbow resting on the window frame.

He could grab Seo Yeo Eun’s white hand just by reaching out.

She wouldn’t be able to refuse if he grabbed her and pressed his lips against hers right now.

She wouldn’t be able to say anything even if he dragged her inside and threw her on the bed.

Because that’s the kind of existence Seo Yeo Eun was.

She was too easy a woman, but he didn’t want to do that.

“No.”

Do Ha looked up at Yeo Eun, forcibly removing the laughter from his face, and continued coldly.

“Since you say you regret it, keep regretting it.”

Crazy bastard.

When he’s the one who’s regretful.

“I’m leaving.”

Do Ha raised the window and left the villa parking lot.

Looking back through the rearview mirror, Yeo Eun stood still, seeing him off.

The regret was so strong it made the back of his head tingle.

* * *

Yeo Eun just blankly watched Cha Do Ha’s car disappear into the distance.

She had almost nodded when he approached asking to taste her coffee.

That’s how seductive Cha Do Ha was.

At that moment, Cha Hyun’s words came to mind.

Was her worth of money at that moment to accept Cha Do Ha’s lips, or to push them away?

As Yeo Eun, who must seduce but not be seduced, she had to push him away at that moment.

Answering that she regretted it when Cha Do Ha asked if she felt regretful.

Asking if he would let himself be held back.

In the end, wasn’t it just her struggle for her worth of money?

She felt a little sorrowful about her situation.

“So what if you’re sorrowful? Who’s going to save your life?”

Forget it, okay?

Turning her gaze dripping with lingering feelings from the end of the alley, Yeo Eun looked down at the file in her hand.

She had felt excited for a moment by Cha Do Ha, who came without any reason and said he wanted to have a meal.

But in the end, it was because of work.

“Stop getting your hopes up and just do your work.”

Cutting off her lingering feelings in one breath, Yeo Eun hurried into her busy day.

* * *

Being busy prevents idle thoughts.

Thursday, Friday, and the weekend.

She took care of So Jung in the hospital and In Tae hiding in a motel, and in her spare time, she went over the documents Cha Do Ha had given her.

Besides those documents, Manager Kim Jung Joo sent several files by email.

Thanks to that, Yeo Eun was able to forget about Cha Do Ha and hurried to prepare for work on Monday morning.

Wearing a gray pencil skirt, white shirt, and a cherry blossom-colored V-neck knit over it, Yeo Eun packed the files into her briefcase and even packed that ‘damn’ portfolio neatly.

She put on her glasses out of habit, then took them off again and put them on the shelf before finally being able to leave the house.

The only advantage of the Seongsu-dong villa in its worst condition was that it was easy to commute to downtown Seoul.

It didn’t take long to get to Han Joo Group headquarters either.

Although she was told to come by 9 o’clock, Yeo Eun arrived at Han Joo Group headquarters at 8:30.

The headquarters of Han Joo Group, one of Korea’s top 3 conglomerates.

She had only passed by and looked up at it before, never thinking she would come inside.

Stepping into a place more splendid than a 5-star hotel lobby, Yeo Eun fiddled with her phone.

After checking Manager Kim Jung Joo’s message once more, Yeo Eun approached the information desk.

“Excuse me, Manager Kim Jung Joo from Strategy Planning…”

With just one sentence, the desk employee smiled brightly and held out an access pass.

“You must be Team Leader Seo Yeo Eun from the Strategy Planning external contract company? I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, me too.”

Embarrassed by being called by name with a title, Yeo Eun just nodded briefly and hung the access pass around her neck.

She had only taken a few steps when.

“Yeo Eun?”

Yeo Eun stopped at the voice calling her.

“CEO Cha In Woo?”

Cha In Woo, who should be at Han Joo Trading, was crossing the headquarters lobby towards her.

With a pretty smile at the corners of his eyes, kindness was evident even in his stride.

A gentleman who graciously received greetings from every employee he encountered.

Indeed, he lived up to his reputation as Han Joo Group’s most popular man.

“Hello, CEO.”

Yeo Eun bowed her head in greeting and gave a strictly businesslike smile.

Cha In Woo stared at her for a moment before speaking with a somewhat bitter expression.

“So you really came?”