“Shin Seung Ho, are you up? I bought the two shot espresso you like. Why couldn’t I reach you yesterday? Perhaps… huh?”

Chattering as he opened the front door, Min Woo stepped back in surprise.

The person in the living room was not Seung Ho. With messy hair as if they had just woken up, the person looking at him was a familiar face to him as well.

‘The girl who worked at Seung Ho’s house during their teens, her name was Ji Hyun.’

That’s right. Choi Ji Hyun, Shin Seung Ho’s butterfly.

A suffocating silence flowed between the two. Min Woo was the first to break the awkward silence, raising his creaking arm.

“Oh, hello? It’s been a while.”

With no response in return, it was also his job to regret it.

‘Kwon Min Woo, are you out of your mind? Saying it’s been a while when you’re not even friends….’

It couldn’t be more foolish than this. He regretted the awkward greeting. Ji Hyun just bowed her head with a wary look at the greeting.

“……”

Then the bathroom door opened. The gaze of the two turned simultaneously to the owner of the house coming out. Wearing only a bathrobe, Seung Ho walked out of the steam, drying his hair with a towel. The surprised Min Woo widened his eyes.

“Hey, Shin Seung Ho, what if you walk around like that anywhere!”

There’s a lady here too……

Unlike his intense reaction, Seung Ho’s indifferent voice brushing back his wet hair was no different than usual.

“This is my house though?”

“That’s true. Seriously……”

Staring blankly at Seung Ho, Min Woo turned his head to look at Ji Hyun. She was tightly pressed against the window, looking at the Han River. Since her back was turned, her expression was unknown, but judging by her reddened neck, Ji Hyun must have been greatly embarrassed as well.

A guy who was so picky about letting anyone into his house called a woman over and even took a bath……

Alternately examining the two sharply, Min Woo swallowed at a thought that flashed like lightning.

‘Wait a minute! This is….’

The face of a woman who had just woken up and the neat man who had finished bathing.

Could it be……

“Perhaps……”

Min Woo put his hand gathered in a circle to his mouth as if talking about a secret. Seung Ho remained still, his eyes narrowed as if to continue speaking. With his hand gathered to his mouth and his voice greatly lowered, Min Woo’s words sounded very intimate.

“Did you two… do it?”

“…..What?”

Min Woo trembled at the sharp gaze that seemed to really do something to him if he said more.

“Keep babbling with that loose mouth and see what happens.”

“Oh, no?”

The answer was enough with Seung Ho’s returning gaze. Indeed, if they had, there’s no way he would have left her hair like that. Ji Hyun’s light brown hair was so tangled here and there that it wouldn’t be strange for a bird to come and make a nest. It was a slim possibility, but somehow he felt deflated.

Now all that was left was to beg Seung Ho, who was glaring at him as if he was about to kill him. Clicking his tongue with displeasure, Seung Ho headed straight for the dressing room.

“I’m sorry. I misunderstood because I’ve never seen you let anyone into your house.”

Min Woo followed into the dressing room with his hands clasped together. As Seung Ho threw the towel and gown on the floor one after another, his dazzling upper body appeared. The body with well-toned muscles appropriately arranged could tell how serious he was about working out.

Taking out a well-ironed dress shirt, he put it on and picked up the cuffs at the same time. His hands fiddling with the onyx-cut cuffs were very skillful, as he had done before.

Ignoring Min Woo’s desperate gaze, he scanned the dozens of neatly hung suits and finally chose a deep ink-colored suit.

As he neatly brushed back the hair that comfortably covered his forehead, his cold impression stood out even more.

Min Woo, who had been staring at him with a tired face, opened his mouth.

“Since when?”

Seung Ho’s gaze, checking his suit attire, glanced sideways. Min Woo pointed to the living room with a nod.

“Since when has Choi Ji Hyun been coming to your house?”

Even to him, who had known Seung Ho for a long time, Ji Hyun’s presence was unfamiliar. There was only one reason Shin Seung Ho used the penthouse in London all by himself.

‘Because he can’t stand others.’

Even Min Woo, a close friend, was no exception when it came to accessing the house where he let no one in. Considering his personality of not caring who came in and out of the mansion or his room, it was quite unexpected, but ironically, it felt like this was Seung Ho’s true self.

Min Woo’s face, lost in thought for a moment, gradually distorted.

“Don’t tell me… you’re going back to Korea because of her?”

“……”

“There are many other girls if you want a woman.”

Min Woo, who studied abroad together, recalled the many women who yearned for Seung Ho by his side. For some reason, the women who got tangled with Shin Seung Ho were mostly obsessive ones. Bo Ra, who had been enthusiastically raising the heat around him during their student days, was also one of them, but surprisingly, a more extraordinary woman appeared.

“Chae Rin won’t stay still……”

As soon as Chae Rin’s name was mentioned, Seung Ho’s brow furrowed as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“Why is she mentioned here?”

“Because she’s……”

Crazy about you……

Min Woo, who couldn’t say the rest to Seung Ho, who was already hostile to Chae Rin, quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, are you going to keep living with that kid like this? This is your house.”

Seung Ho tilted his head at the content of the conversation that was getting worse.

“I’m pretty sure I said I use it as an office too……”

“Did you? Haha, then you two really sle…… No, you said no. Sorry, my mouth is moving on its own.”

Seeing Seung Ho’s hand tightly grasping the needle-sharp collar pin as if he couldn’t stand it anymore, Min Woo stepped back with a gasp. He didn’t want to get stabbed to death for saying a few wrong words.

“I’m using her as a temporary executive secretary. I’ll be using her on a contract basis for the time being.”

“Until when?”

Fixing the collar pin on his shirt and tie, he didn’t take his eyes off the mirror.

“……Until I need her.”

“Whew……”

The water scales receiving the morning sunlight were beautiful as if they were laid with jewels, but there was no way they could catch the eye. Ji Hyun, whose nerves were gathered behind her back as if she was sensitive, was only embarrassed by this situation. Not only did she work at Shin Seung Ho’s house and spend the night, but she was also caught by Kwon Min Woo.

On top of that, she was unfairly misunderstood……

Ji Hyun ruffled her hair with both hands.

‘Ah, I’m really going crazy.’

At the sound of footsteps, Ji Hyun hastily composed her expression and turned her head. Seung Ho, who had taken off his comfortable homewear and dressed neatly, was there.

“I’m going out now.”

“Oh? Then……”

‘I should go too.’

Ji Hyun stood up awkwardly. However, the returning words missed her expectations.

“Except you.”

“Huh?”

“You worked late yesterday, so go home and rest today.”

Seung Ho, who had a rough idea of how hard it would be for an executive secretary who didn’t fit her aptitude, generously used his humanity. Even if he wanted to take her with him, Ji Hyun’s appearance was a mess. From the makeup that was easily erased because it was so light to the hair that stuck out, and she was looking at him with round eyes like that……

She clearly didn’t know what she looked like yet. Seung Ho’s lips slightly loosened as he looked Ji Hyun up and down from head to toe.

“If you want to wash up, you can use the bathroom.”

Ji Hyun shook both hands, turning pale.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just go.”

“Okay then.”

Min Woo, who was about to leave with Seung Ho, glanced back. Ji Hyun, hesitating about what kind of greeting to give, stared blankly at them leaving. Seung Ho, who got on the elevator, turned to Min Woo, who pressed the button to go to the underground parking lot.

“Tell me what you came to see me for.”

The fact that Min Woo, who knew Seung Ho well, deliberately came to his house meant that what he was going to say was unusual.

“I came all the way to your house because it was an important matter that I couldn’t say over the phone, but……”

“The point.”

Grumbling Min Woo changed his attitude and handed a tablet and a paper cup of espresso to Seung Ho.

“The stock movement of Shin Yang ES is a bit strange. It’s not a big movement that can be noticed yet, but the stock price keeps falling.”

Seung Ho listened attentively to Min Woo’s words, staring at the jagged graph.

“Actually, the fluctuation range wasn’t large, but the stock movement had been quite stable for a long time.”

“When did the stock price start to fall?”

“As you know……”

Min Woo trailed off.

“I guess the management is a mess.”

Seung Ho sneered, bringing the paper cup he was holding to his mouth. The bitter espresso moistened his mouth.

ES was one of the few representative subsidiaries of Shin Yang, and it was also a place that Myung Ho had recently received by throwing a tantrum.

“My thoughts are a bit different.”

As if it was difficult to say it out loud, Min Woo sighed heavily first and spoke heavily.

“Rather than a management problem, I think Young Master Myung Ho might be playing with the stock price.”

“If it’s a joke, that’s rather fortunate.”

Myung Ho, who had been leading a dissipated life, suddenly couldn’t stand seeing himself getting farther away from being the successor as he got older, so he was watching for an opportunity to learn management and vigilantly cut down Seung Ho.

“If it’s a joke at the level of aegyo, I’ll accept it. If it’s more than that, we’ll have to prepare on our side too.”

“Got it. If any suspicious points are detected, I’ll tell you right away.”

Ding, the elevator door opened and Seung Ho abruptly stopped walking straight to the parking lot.

“Ah, and from now on, don’t come into my house as you please.”

“What?”

Min Woo’s mouth gaped at his absurd words. It was not a request, but a warning and a notice.

A notice that he would not let anyone into his territory except Ji Hyun.

Seung Ho, who gave a unilateral notice, hurried his steps again without adding any excuses or pretexts. Min Woo, who was blankly watching him move away, shook his head.

‘He talks as if he’ll use and throw her away right away, but this is totally bringing in a master.’

Author’s Words

The name is one, but the positions are many. From Min Woo’s point of view, a master, and from Ji Hyun’s point of view, a servant.