It was too obvious.

Chairman Cha Ji Seop, Director Cha Hyun, Vice Chairman Cha Un, even Seo Yeo Eun.

“How do they all see me?”

He already knew they were having people follow him and take photos of his every move.

One from Cha Hyun’s side, another from Cha Un’s side.

Cha Hyun was likely doing it on Chairman Cha Ji Seop’s orders, but the funny one was Cha Un.

Why Cha Un and Seo Yeo Eun were chasing after him.

What were they so afraid of?

Do Ha smirked as he looked at K Hotel where the Federation of Korean Industries meeting was being held.

But the funniest of all was undoubtedly Seo Yeo Eun.

She blatantly revealed her true intentions while acting as Chairman Cha Ji Seop’s spokesperson to him.

“Isn’t it funny?”

Do Ha spoke in a bitter voice to Manager Kim Jung Joo at the wheel.

“It’s funny how the Chairman sends me to the FKI meeting in Vice Chairman Cha Un’s place, and it’s funny how I grumble but attend because I’m held back by that Chairman.”

The idea that he was being held back was also funny.

He had only accepted the proposal thinking to create a smokescreen, but it seemed the smokescreen was turning out quite substantial.

Even he had his judgment clouded by that smokescreen for a brief moment.

Agreeing to do an interview with a government publication.

Why on earth did he agree to such a bothersome thing?

He considered backing out even now, but his desire shook its head saying that wasn’t it.

Seo Yeo Eun was too sweet for that.

“Manager Kim Jung Joo.”

So he changed his mind a little.

“Since we’re playing along anyway, how about we play it up big?”

“Play it up big?”

Manager Kim Jung Joo’s eyes widened at Do Ha’s words as he looked back at him in the rearview mirror.

“I mean Seo Yeo Eun.”

Do Ha voiced the issue he had been pondering for days.

“That wretched building, you inquired about the owner, right?”

“You mean Seongsu Villa? Of course.”

He had no intention of going easy on the woman who dared to try and play puppet master with him.

He had to get back more than what he was giving.

“For such a rundown villa, it wouldn’t be strange if all the plumbing burst, would it?”

Manager Kim Jung Joo nodded in understanding, his eyes sparkling as he gauged Do Ha’s intentions.

“Not just the plumbing, sir. It wouldn’t be strange if the ceiling collapsed either.”

He then parked the car under the hotel pergola.

“I’ll meet with them soon and take care of it. Have a good meeting.”

Do Ha nodded with a smile as he got out of the car, then looked back at Manager Kim Jung Joo.

“I won’t be eating dinner out, so make sure Ms. Seo Yeo Eun leaves work before 6:30.”

Then he closed the car door.

The K Hotel lobby was full of familiar faces.

Among them was Chairman Jin Man Jae of ST Group.

Upon seeing him, Chairman Jin approached with a big smile.

“Oh my, if it isn’t our Director Cha Do Ha.”

Looking at the outstretched hand offering a handshake, Do Ha recalled Yeo Eun.

[You shouldn’t avoid handshakes that are offered. Accept them from anyone. Just don’t shake, if you want to establish authority. Just grasp and release quickly. Your authority only needs to be recognized by the other person.]

Do Ha firmly grasped Chairman Jin’s hand then quickly let go.

“Nice to see you again.”

With a cold smile and a slight nod, Do Ha then shook hands with another person beside Chairman Jin.

He wasn’t unaware of Chairman Jin’s voice going on about how Do Ha would become his son-in-law.

They had already met for an arranged date, and if they were to have a formal meeting of families soon, that voice would gain even more strength.

But until then, not a chance.

Do Ha didn’t even glance at Chairman Jin as he stepped back with an awkward expression, and went inside to find the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy.

Inwardly, he swallowed his irritation.

He’d already shaken over twenty hands.

[A faint smile, a simple greeting, keep the handshakes brief. That’s all you need to do.]

Would Seo Yeo Eun know that he was diligently carrying out her requirements even as his annoyance was rising?

“Well, if she doesn’t know, I’ll just have to teach her.”

He just had to get something else from that woman in return for his efforts.

For that, he could probably endure even greater hardships.

As he entered further inside with that thought, a familiar face approached him.

Jin Yu Hee?

“Hello, Director Cha Do Ha.”

Do Ha furrowed his brow as he watched Jin Yu Hee approach with a beaming smile.

“What a surprise to see you here.”

He thought Chairman Jin had come as ST’s representative, did he deliberately bring Jin Yu Hee along?

To create a photo opportunity with him.

“Don’t look at me like that. There are no reporters here. Ah, of course.”

As if she had read his mind, Jin Yu Hee continued, still smiling brightly.

“There must be reporters invited by the Federation.”

Then she suddenly extended her hand to him.

“It’s nice to see you.”

As Do Ha looked down at Jin Yu Hee’s hand with a cold gaze, she lowered her voice and spoke with a tone full of sarcasm.

“Didn’t your image trainer teach you this courtesy? That you shouldn’t refuse an outstretched hand?”

“Why? I learned it diligently.”

Do Ha smirked and grasped Jin Yu Hee’s hand.

“It’s nice to see you, Director Jin Yu Hee.”

As he quickly loosened his grip, just like with the over twenty handshakes before, Jin Yu Hee firmly grasped his hand.

Do Ha’s eyebrow twitched for a moment.

It meant ‘What are you doing?’

But Jin Yu Hee, without so much as blinking, smiled instead.

“So this is how it feels. Cha Do Ha’s hand.”

He had been told not to reject anyone’s hand, but Do Ha ended up shaking off Jin Yu Hee’s hand as if brushing it away.

Jin Yu Hee then put on an exaggeratedly embarrassed expression and continued speaking.

“I also got to hold Seo Yeo Eun’s hand. It was nice. Small, moist, and soft.”

What was this woman trying to do?

“I wonder if others would envy Director Cha Do Ha for being able to freely hold such hands? Or would they curse him as a worthless rake who only messes with his subordinates?”

Her outright criticism of him didn’t even register.

After all, he had been paying to hear such criticisms.

The problem was that this woman seemed to have met Yeo Eun separately.

“Why? Are you envious?”

Do Ha leaned in close to Jin Yu Hee and spoke with his lips curled up gently.

“You think I only hold that woman’s hand? There’s not a part of her body I haven’t grasped.”

At his words, Jin Yu Hee’s eyes flashed sharply.

“If you’re jealous, why don’t you try seducing Seo Yeo Eun yourself, Jin Yu Hee?”

Do Ha sent her a gaze of the same texture and issued a cold warning.

“But remember one thing. I don’t like anyone putting their saliva on my possessions. I’ve half-killed such people until now.”

Do Ha straightened up slowly, smiling faintly as he added his final words.

“There are no exceptions for women, Director Jin Yu Hee.”

Then he moved on, ignoring Jin Yu Hee completely.

He felt disgusted.

* * *

At 6 PM, as Yeo Eun sat at her desk polishing Do Ha’s speech for Friday, she received a message.

It was from Secretary Gong, Chairman Cha Ji Seop’s secretary.

Her chest tightened at the short message.

‘Good job, thank you’ was fine. But having lunch together?

It felt like her throat was stuffed with dry sweet potatoes, making it hard to breathe.

Yeo Eun stared at her phone for a moment, pondering, then wrote a reply.

It was an invitation from Chairman Cha Ji Seop.

It wasn’t something she could dare refuse.

Yeo Eun’s finger trembled slightly as she pressed the send button.

Just then, the office door opened and Manager Kim Jung Joo entered.

His hands were full of documents.

Even when Do Ha wasn’t around, Manager Kim Jung Joo’s daily routine was incredibly busy.

So Yeo Eun, whose original workload had decreased since coming to work at headquarters, helped with Manager Kim Jung Joo’s tasks.

She helped organize documents, polished PR article texts.

She earnestly assisted with tasks not related to Do Ha as well. It felt like that would ease her mind.

Manager Kim Jung Joo was grateful, saying he could process work faster thanks to her help.

After two days of working together in sync, Yeo Eun, who had grown quite close to Manager Kim Jung Joo, approached him and took some of the documents.

“There’s a lot here, isn’t there?”

“That’s because the Director’s work is phenomenal. He reviews all the materials poured out by each affiliate.”

It didn’t seem like an exaggeration.

From what she had observed over the past two days, it was a statement that could be sufficiently explained.

Yeo Eun nodded and followed Manager Kim Jung Joo into an empty room without an owner.

Do Ha’s scent permeated the office where the sun was setting beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The reddish sunset view outside the window and the sepia-toned office landscape created by the sun before it set, coupled with the intoxicating fragrance, strangely stirred her heart.

Though the office was empty, it seemed as if Do Ha’s figure lingered in front of the desk.

It was as if the scene from this morning when he had brought her here was preserved, or as if the image of him she had first seen at the hotel last night remained as an afterimage.

Perhaps his scent had brought his phantom.

“Hand me those documents, please.”

Manager Kim Jung Joo, who had already placed documents on Do Ha’s desk, took the papers from Yeo Eun’s hands.

“Ms. Seo Yeo Eun, you can go home now.”

She had heard that work hours were until 7 PM.

But he was telling her to leave an hour early.

“Already?”

At her question, Manager Kim Jung Joo smiled faintly.

“The Director said he wants to have dinner together. He said to come out around 6 and call him.”

Cha Do Ha said he wanted to have dinner together…

A tingling sensation spread across her palm and her fingertips sizzled.

It was just an invitation to eat, but her heart was already racing ahead.

When she couldn’t readily answer, Manager Kim Jung Joo smiled awkwardly and spoke again.

“I chose my words poorly. Not going home, but work. You have to… consult.”

“Ah, yes.”

Consult.

That’s right. She was just Cha Do Ha’s image trainer after all.

Yeo Eun smiled brightly, bowed her head to Manager Kim Jung Joo, and hurried to leave work.

Just as Yeo Eun, wearing a trench coat and holding her handbag, picked up her phone, a message arrived from Cha Do Ha.

He said he wanted to have dinner, but in the end, it’s the hotel.

Yeo Eun laughed wryly and quickly left the office.

Was last night so good that she could laugh at such a ridiculous request from Cha Do Ha?

“It was good.”

Not denying it to herself, Yeo Eun checked the time as she passed through the main gate of the headquarters.

That’s when it happened.

Along with the sound of a car horn, someone called her name loudly.

“Yeo Eun!”

The one who had just stopped their car under the pergola was Cha Hyun.