Gyeo Wool had been so distracted that she had forgotten her wrist was still being held by Tae Wook.

“This hand…”

Before she could even ask him to let go.

Tae Wook pulled Gyeo Wool’s wrist towards his body.

The moment Gyeo Wool’s upper body was helplessly pulled and touched Tae Wook’s firm chest.

Hot breath scattered on her face and before she could be surprised, Tae Wook’s lips touched Gyeo Wool’s lips.

Tae Wook sucked on Gyeo Wool’s lips with a smacking sound and then quickly released them.

“Sir, sir…”

Gyeo Wool’s surprised eyes widened to the point of tearing.

How could he suddenly kiss her, and in the pantry of all places.

“It’s in exchange for the laundry fee.”

“Pardon?”

“I said you didn’t have to apologize, but that doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for ruining the shirt.”

“Even so…”

Gyeo Wool couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘kiss’.

She was embarrassed, and there was also the risk of other employees coming in and overhearing.

“I’ll go change my shirt. Secretary Han…”

Gyeo Wool covered her mouth with her free hand in surprise.

It was because Tae Wook’s face was approaching hers again.

Assuming he was going to kiss her again, she guarded her lips.

“Huh!”

Tae Wook let out a short laugh.

“I was going to tell you that your face is bright red. If you go out like this, the employees are bound to misunderstand. Cool down your face before you come out.”

Only then did he release Gyeo Wool’s hand and leave the pantry.

Stagger.

Gyeo Wool, whose legs had given out, steadied herself by placing her hand on the table.

“Ha…”

The man who just left the pantry.

Known for his prickly and razor-sharp rationality.

Was that really Kang Tae Wook, famous for his deeply serious personality that doesn’t even allow light jokes to leave his mouth?

−Is such a cold personality that common to begin with? He used to be cheerful and overflowing with affection.

−It’s nice to see him back to how he used to be.

Gyeo Wool recalled what Chairman Kang had told her.

“Has he really changed?”

It seems Chairman Kang felt Tae Wook had changed, but she was the only one who didn’t know.

No matter how much he’s changed, kissing at work is not okay.

“And that’s today following yesterday. What if the employees see.”

Gyeo Wool muttered to herself while fanning her burning face with her hand.

But her reddened cheeks showed no signs of cooling down.

The car carrying Tae Wook entered the apartment parking lot.

“I’ll just change clothes and come right back down. It should take 10 minutes.”

Tae Wook instructed Driver Choi and got out of the car, heading straight for the elevator.

He had come to the apartment during the busiest afternoon hours to change his shirt.

There were no shirts in the styler in the CEO’s office.

Seeing only a single pair of pants hanging there, Tae Wook couldn’t help but feel perplexed.

Although he rarely needed to change clothes like today, this was unthinkable when Gyeo Wool was his secretary.

She not only kept the styler stocked with shirts and suits, but also regularly changed them to match the season.

“It’s partly my fault too. I paid too little attention.”

Tae Wook checked his wristwatch as he opened the front door.

“I’d better hurry. There’s not much time.”

He had a meeting with a buyer from Sweden at 3 PM.

If it weren’t for the meeting, he could have worn the coffee-stained shirt until he left work.

After all, it was a trace made by Gyeo Wool’s startled action.

Her apologetic face after spilling the coffee was so lovely and cute.

His lips reacted first, stealing her lips.

And then.

“In exchange for the laundry fee…”

Even as he said it, he couldn’t help but think how ridiculous and shameless those words were.

Tae Wook was quickly walking through the living room towards the dressing room when it happened.

He heard the housekeeper talking on the phone in the kitchen.

She seemed unaware that he had entered, being preoccupied with the call.

“The room? I checked again today, but there were no signs of them sleeping together.”

Tae Wook’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

What is this about?

“I confirmed that they went to their separate rooms after work. Yes… Yes… I’ll call again tomorrow…”

“What are you doing right now!”

The housekeeper turned around before she could finish the call.

“Ah! Sir, sir!”

Seeing Tae Wook standing right behind her, she was so startled that she dropped the mobile phone she was holding onto the kitchen floor.

“Tell me! Who were you just talking to!”

An terribly low and threatening voice flowed from Tae Wook’s mouth.

He immediately realized that the housekeeper’s conversation was about him and Gyeo Wool.

And that she was reporting it to someone.

“I asked you who it was.”

This time he raised his voice so loud that it echoed through the house.

There was no need for honorifics with a woman caught doing something she shouldn’t.

“That, that…”

The housekeeper, who had turned pale, fidgeted and couldn’t continue speaking.

“You can’t tell me right now!”

Tae Wook’s anger exploded.

At that, the housekeeper flinched and confessed the truth.

“The, the vice chairman’s secretary, they said.”

“Ha…”

Tae Wook let out an exasperated breath.

To think Ki Bum would have used the housekeeper.

“Since when? From when you first came to the apartment? Is that right?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

When Tae Wook pressed, the housekeeper shook her head vigorously while whimpering.

“It’s only been a few days. Please believe me.”

Tae Wook twisted his lips bitterly.

“Believe you? That’s not something that should come from the mouth of someone who searched my room and Secretary Han’s room to report, is it?”

“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

The housekeeper begged Tae Wook with both hands.

“It was a large sum of money I had never touched before, I think my eyes went crazy.”

Tae Wook was not unaware that Ki Bum would have offered a large sum of money to recruit the housekeeper.

But!

He was furiously angry at the fact that it happened in the apartment, which should have been the most private and safe place. And he couldn’t forgive either Ki Bum or the housekeeper who orchestrated this.

“I must have gone crazy for money. Please forgive me, sir.”

The housekeeper finally realized what she had done and shed tears.

But in Tae Wook’s eyes, she only appeared detestable.

“Get out of here right now!”

“Sir…”

“If you don’t get out right now, I don’t know what I might do. Do you understand?”

The housekeeper left the apartment in a hurry, grabbing only her bag, not even remembering that her mobile phone had fallen to the floor.

Tae Wook clenched his fist tightly as he glared into empty space.

He applied so much force that his thin nails dug into his palm, causing pain.

“You made a mistake. I will never forgive you.”

Gyeo Wool was leaving the company after receiving a phone call.

As soon as she turned the corner along the building, the ground-level parking lot came into view.

A man in a suit next to a black car caught Gyeo Wool’s eye.

The man opened the back seat door of the car as if he had been waiting.

Ki Bum could be seen sitting inside the opened door.

Gyeo Wool took a deep breath inconspicuously and bowed her head.

“Hello.”

“Unless you’re desperate to be seen by people, get in quickly.”

Ki Bum frowned and spoke irritably, causing Gyeo Wool to hurriedly get into the car.

She was so tense and surprised that she didn’t even notice the door closing behind her.

“You must have expected that I would come looking for you, right?”

“Yes.”

Gyeo Wool held her breath and gripped her skirt on her thigh.

She was so nervous that blue veins stood out on the back of her hand.

“I heard you made a contract with Tae Wook?”

“Yes.”

“When he reached out for help, you must have jumped at the chance.”

Ki Bum twisted the corner of his mouth and spoke sarcastically.

“No. I refused several times, saying I couldn’t…”

“Don’t you dare!”

Ki Bum’s voice was fierce as he cut off Gyeo Wool’s words.

“If you came in with any thoughts of trying something again with Tae Wook, wake up from that dream!”

“I have no such thoughts. I accepted the contract with the intention of being helpful to the CEO.”

“Helpful? Do you think I don’t know your black heart?”

Ki Bum snorted and glared fiercely at Gyeo Wool.

“You might have been lucky enough to seduce Tae Wook into marriage, but not this time. I’ll be watching with both eyes wide open.”

Ki Bum believed that in the past, Gyeo Wool had intentionally approached Tae Wook when he was under pressure to marry.

He thought that was also the reason she was able to stay by Tae Wook’s side for over a year, unlike other secretaries who couldn’t last even a few months.

“I truly have no other thoughts, nor do I intend to. Please believe me.”

“You’re not lying?”

“I’m sincere.”

Ki Bum’s sharp gaze, not easily believing Gyeo Wool’s words, poured fiercely into her pupils.

She did not avoid his gaze.

A moment later, Ki Bum seemed to soften his gaze and then blurted out something unexpected.

“Tae Wook is going to marry Congressman Choi Min Gyu’s daughter.”

Gyeo Wool realized that there was one more hurdle left to prove that her words were not a lie.

“You know Congressman Choi is being mentioned as the next presidential candidate, right?”

Even if someone had no interest in politics, how many people in Korea wouldn’t know the name Choi Min Gyu?

That’s how famous and influential a politician Congressman Choi Min Gyu was.

“Once the marriage is settled, Tae Wook’s future will open up like a wide road.”

Gyeo Wool knew that despite his words, this marriage was for Ki Bum’s own benefit.

“So…”

Knock knock!

Suddenly, Ki Bum’s secretary standing outside the car lightly tapped on the car window.

Judging by his serious expression, something must have happened.

“What’s the matter?”

Ki Bum lowered the window and asked.

“Just a moment…”

The secretary approached Ki Bum and whispered in his ear.

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes. She seemed to have dropped her mobile phone without even hanging up because she was so surprised.”

Ki Bum wore a perplexed expression after hearing what the secretary relayed.

It was news that the housekeeper had been caught by Tae Wook.

However, Gyeo Wool couldn’t understand what Ki Bum and the secretary were saying.

“Something has come up that I need to attend to quickly. So I’ll just state my business briefly.”

Ki Bum hurried his words with a displeased look.