People backed away from the filthy water flooding the floor, repeatedly asking, “What should we do?”

No one extended a helping hand to Shin Joo, who had become a spectacle.

The eyes sending her sympathetic gazes were, on the contrary, glinting darkly.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips at the utter absurdity of the situation.

Just a few days ago, people from the private loan company had turned her house upside down before disappearing. But looking at the villagers now, even those loan sharks seemed like gentlemen in comparison.

“That b*tch is laughing. Are you laughing?”

The real estate agent, Mr. Kim, feigned laughter before rolling his eyes so far back that the whites showed.

“You take after your father. You’re an expert at infuriating people.”

Mr. Kim had been her father’s childhood friend, attending elementary through high school together.

Whenever he came over late at night with her drunk father, he used to hand Shin Joo 10,000 won.

That same person was now disgracing her father and hurling daggers at Shin Joo instead of money.

“Where’s the boss here? We should let them know that the thief’s daughter is working at a big company.”

“Stop it and get out.”

Shin Joo grabbed Mr. Kim’s arm and pulled, biting her lip so hard it nearly bled.

However, Mr. Kim maintained his stance and shoved Shin Joo back with all his strength.

No matter how much older he was than her, she couldn’t withstand a man’s power.

To make matters worse, her foot slipped on the wet floor, causing her body to stumble and fall backwards.

Her head was about to hit the marble floor directly, but something firm like a wall caught her from behind.

She thought she had collided with a pillar in the lobby, but it turned out to be Nam Do Hyun, who had returned from his offsite work.

Standing at 190cm tall, Nam Do Hyun’s mere presence was enough to draw people’s attention.

His skin, without a single blemish, looked soft and clean, comparable to a woman’s complexion.

The deep eyes set beneath his thick eyebrows sometimes appeared to be glaring fiercely when he wasn’t smiling.

In reality, there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face.

“Sir.”

Shin Joo straightened her body that had nearly fallen and stepped aside.

The lobby, which had been noisy like a market, became so quiet that not a single voice could be heard crawling.

Even with a side glance, it was evident that Nam Do Hyun was the owner of this company.

Nam Do Hyun’s gaze, which had drifted downward, fixed on Shin Joo’s damp sky-blue blouse. His cloudy eyes flickered with a dark gleam.

“Are you the boss?”

As if on cue, people shut their mouths, but Mr. Kim approached, acting flippantly.

At Mr. Kim’s question, Nam Do Hyun tilted his head towards the secretary beside him.

His jawline, as if it had been chiseled at the most perfect angle, was revealed at a slant.

“Chief Kang.”

“Yes, sir.”

His gaze remained on Shin Joo as he parted his lips slightly.

“Have the entire floor cleaned, as employees might slip and fall while passing by.”

“Yes.”

“And escort out anyone causing a disturbance without a visitor’s pass. Do it with appropriate politeness and courtesy.”

The gentle voice flowing out was kind, yet strangely grating.

And it became clear that it wasn’t a misconception.

“But if they still don’t get it, call the police and have the legal team prepare to sue everyone for obstruction of business.”

“Understood.”

At the mention of a lawsuit, the villagers fidgeted.

Consequently, Mr. Kim also swallowed his saliva and grabbed Nam Do Hyun’s arm.

“Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

Nam Do Hyun bluntly expressed his displeasure and roughly pulled his arm up.

Mr. Kim’s arm, which had been raised high, flailed in the air.

“Do I have to be caught just because you call me?”

“I’m just saying, let’s talk for a moment.”

“Make a formal request for a meeting through the information desk.”

“A meeting, my foot!”

Before Mr. Kim could finish his sentence, Nam Do Hyun brushed past him.

The villagers quickly stepped back, fearing they might cross Do Hyun.

People who had spent their entire lives farming in the countryside couldn’t help but fear the law.

“I’m telling you I have something to say about that b*tch Shin Joo!”

Although he shouted at the top of his lungs, thick veins bulging in his neck, Nam Do Hyun had already crossed the entrance gate that they couldn’t pass.

Just as Mr. Kim, boiling with anger from head to toe, was about to lunge at Shin Joo, the security team staff stepped in between them.

“Please leave.”

“Let go! Hey, I said let go!”

“If you don’t leave, we’ll have no choice but to call the police.”

The security team staff spread their arms and pushed the villagers towards the exit.

Mr. Kim was highly agitated, spitting as he waved his index finger wildly in the air.

“I know where you live, so don’t even think about running away! I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth until I get my money!”

Pushed by the strength of the security team staff, the villagers were driven out of the building. The people standing beyond the glass door shouted at Shin Joo.

Although the content wasn’t conveyed, it was evident that they were cursing.

‘Dad. I shouldn’t hate you, but today, I really resent you so much.’

The day she was branded as the debt-ridden daughter at the company she had struggled to get a job at.

The day she had to endure being drenched in foul-smelling water and couldn’t even go home.

Yet, the day she had to persevere and live to see tomorrow.

She truly hated it.

As the spectators began to leave one by one, Shin Joo stood alone in the center of the lobby.

As she stepped into the office, people peeked out their eyes above the gray partitions.

Just as Shin Joo was about to go to her seat, pretending not to notice her colleagues’ gazes, Team Leader Park from the PR team gestured, getting up from his chair.

“Shin, come to my desk for a moment.”

As Team Leader Park looked around at the employees with perked-up ears, they fiddled with their mice for no reason.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I apologize for causing a disturbance.”

Shin Joo’s voice reverberated through the quiet office.

As Shin Joo straightened her back after briefly bowing, Team Leader Park spoke.

“The CEO wants to ask about this incident. He told you to come up to his office.”

Shin Joo had anticipated it, so she nodded her head without objection.

Turning around, Shin Joo brushed her damp black skirt with her hand.

“Team Leader, may I take a half-day off?”

Team Leader Park’s eyes shifted to the clock on the wall.

“There are less than two hours left until the end of the day anyway. Go to the CEO’s office and then head straight home.”

“Thank you.”

Returning to her desk, Shin Joo turned off her computer that was on and grasped the strap of her handbag.

Leaving behind the numerous eyes of the people, Shin Joo exited the office.

She took the elevator and arrived on the 31st floor, where the CEO’s office was located. Chief Kang, who had been waiting for Shin Joo, opened the door to the CEO’s office.

As she stepped into the office, the door behind her closed.

Nam Do Hyun, who had been gazing at the tightly packed buildings, turned around.

Do Hyun, who had taken off the jacket he had been wearing in the lobby, was dressed in a white dress shirt and a black vest.

“Come closer.”

He raised his hand that had been in his pocket and flicked his fingertips.

Beyond the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his toned arms with protruding veins were exposed.

Even though Nam Do Hyun wasn’t going to eat her alive, Shin Joo barely managed to take four steps away from the door.

“Closer.”

When Do Hyun spoke again with emphasis, Shin Joo narrowed the distance this time to within arm’s reach.

Shin Joo wanted to quickly conclude the conversation as she was self-conscious about the foul smell emanating from her body.

“I have no words to say regarding today’s incident. I apologize.”

Shin Joo deeply bowed her waist and clasped her hands together, placing them on her knees.

Nam Do Hyun, who had called her to check if she was okay, burst into laughter at the sight of her suddenly showing him the back of her head, which felt out of place in the situation.

“If you bow your head right away, I’m left with nothing to say.”

Nam Do Hyun sat on the edge of the desk and firmly crossed his arms.

His fair fingers, without a single callus, tapped on his forearm.

Waiting for her to raise her head, only her voice drifted out.

“I will write an incident report.”

“Ah, even an incident report.”

It wasn’t as if he had called her up just to receive a mere incident report.

Her soft, impersonal attitude, devoid of any warmth, made him feel even more disappointed.

“What will you write?”

“……”

“Will you write a lengthy account, mentioning Shin Joo’s sad past, in an attempt to garner sympathy from others? Didn’t you already receive enough half-hearted sympathy in the lobby?”

The incident report would go through the team leader and the division head before reaching Do Hyun.

Inevitably, her story would be read by others, but he still brought up the incident report despite knowing that.

Shin Joo, who had been stubbornly showing only the back of her head, straightened her back.

She raised her body, which she had easily bowed, as if she wouldn’t bend it again, and met Nam Do Hyun’s eyes.

Her eyes conveyed that he had considerably soured her mood.

“I’m not being sarcastic. I’m simply curious. Purely curious.”

“I will write it as factually as possible, minimizing any superfluous details to avoid receiving sympathy.”

“Alright. If Shin Joo wants to write an incident report, go ahead and submit it.”

He looked as if he had no interest in her incident report anyway.

She wondered if he had called her to his office out of curiosity about her disheveled appearance.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“I do.”

Nam Do Hyun brought over the black key card he had placed on the desk.

“Go to my place and wash up. Find clothes that roughly fit you and put them on.”

Shin Joo looked down at the key card wedged between Nam Do Hyun’s long fingers.

Nam Do Hyun flicked his wrist as if telling her to take it.

“Ordinary bosses don’t hand over their house keys to their employees.”

“Our relationship isn’t defined as one between a boss and a subordinate, is it?”

The respectful speech that had persistently clung to his words was abruptly cut off.

It signified that the official conversation had ended the moment he handed over the key card.

“It’s not like it’s your first time going to my house anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”