Secretary Choi wore a puzzled expression.

“Did you say it was December 24?”
“Yes.”
“Well, there’s still time left.”
“…Yes, it seems not easy for you.”
The corners of the rigidly set mouth of Secretary Choi softened with a hint of playfulness at the end of his sentence. Kang Woo just let out a hollow laugh, refraining from saying anything else.

If asked what had happened after the expensive day they had exchanged for a month, there had been no major progress. Just like Cinderella after the magic had ended, they had returned to being a plain, windowshopping couple.

If there was a little solace, it was that at least they exchanged a few words. Coincidental touches were met with no more than a blushing face.

“Ha.”
After a long sigh, Kang Woo closed his file and handed it to Secretary Choi.

“Your aunt.”
An abrupt change in address during work. Secretary Choi bit his lower lip to suppress his laughter. The consistently unchanging man had been acting differently recently.

“Yes?”
“What do women want from men? Excluding those long, gradual things. A way to paralyze them instantly.”
“Love is patience.”
“Love?”
Kang Woo chuckled at the repetition of the word. There was neither affirmation nor denial.

“You seem to have fallen in love, sir.”
“On what basis?”
“That’s not something I can explain. You’ll have to find out for yourself, sir. I’m sorry.”
“…Ji Se Ah, aren’t you being too harsh? It’s more than I thought.”
Whether it was overwhelming or unfair. At the fleeting anxiety that crossed his usually calm face, Secretary Choi flinched.

“I was indeed surprised. The always quiet madam was so angry. After having a confrontation with the boss that day, when she caught my eyes standing at the desk, she shyly looked away. I guess I didn’t know the madam well.”
“It feels like living with another woman these days.”
“Sir, you’ve changed too. You’ve definitely become gentler. Enough to even ask me such questions.”
“They say desperate men look for a well. I am somewhat desperate these days.”
After making a joke, Kang Woo got up from his seat. There was no sign of his earlier relaxed demeanor in the way he was adjusting his tie.

“Shall I tell you after the meeting? The vehicle inquiry results have come out.”
“Tell me.”
“As you suspected, sir.”
Kang Woo’s lips curved into a challenging smile. His eyes also became sharp, like a wellhoned blade.

“The vehicle owner and the one who rode it then are different?”
“Yes. You’re correct. It was a stolen identity. The vehicle owner is a man in his 60s, a completely different person than the one you mentioned.”
“I anticipated that the moment he showed his face. I just hoped he wasn’t that dumb.”
“As you instructed, sir, we have assigned bodyguards to the madam. But, don’t you think you need bodyguards too? You have, well….”
“Many enemies?”
“I hope you didn’t do something to deserve others’ resentment? I have heard whispers from here and there, but it’s very concerning that you’re being followed.”
“I’ve only done business. Legally.”
He had received much envy and jealousy for his radical rise. The common criticism was about the young upstart being too bold.

Is it due to the hidden power of his father or mother, or is he doing something behind the scenes? He must have known about the rumors that had reached his ears.

So, he was certain that the target was not Se Ah but him. Ji Se Ah could never be a woman who would earn resentment in her life, as she was far from aggressive.

“I need to find out why they’re chasing me and who they are. To do that, I mustn’t have anyone behind me.”
“But isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
Secretary Choi expressed genuine concern. It seemed that the only ones who worried about him were his mother and Secretary Choi. He had been accustomed to sharp criticism and critique since his childhood, so he didn’t know how to respond.

“If I don’t contact you for more than a day, report it to the police. But, you don’t need to worry. If they wanted to harm me, they would have done it more meticulously that day. I was never as distracted as I was that day.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, be careful with the term ‘madam’ in front of Se Ah.”
Even though he had a large frame and his eyebrows were furrowed, he lowered his guard when it came to Se Ah. At this, Secretary Choi wore a surprised expression.

“If you slip up again, you’ll really have to crawl from the bottom. It’s already a downfall now.”
“Did you do well from the beginning, sir? As soon as you held the wedding, you returned to the company without a honeymoon. You’re hooked on work all week, whether it’s a weekday or weekend.”

“I’m heading into the meeting.”
Kang Woo took the minutes and left his office.

That same time in the small conference room.

The writers for had gathered to discuss the production.

Though there were two scriptwriters a main writer and an assistant writer they had the help of the editing team. Simply put, if the writers wrote the story and the dialogue, the editing team was in charge of corrections.