“Don’t feel burdened. Won’t you feel more motivated after resting comfortably?”

I Hyun probably wouldn’t understand that saying that makes it more burdensome.

Even if she refused, I Hyun was the type of person who would somehow give her a vacation.

With no other choice, Ye Rin nodded.

“Then, since you’re offering, may I accept it?”

“Yes.”

And so, Ye Rin ended up reluctantly accepting one day of paid leave.

It should have been a joyous occasion to have an extra precious day off, but it wasn’t.

It felt more like receiving a heavy stone rather than a vacation.

Something weighed on her mind, making her feel truly heavy and troubled.

I Hyun, who had been driving slowly, gradually decreased the car’s speed due to a timely change in traffic signals.

“Secretary Han, is that all you have to say to me?”

Ye Rin knew all too well why I Hyun was taking the time to drive her home personally.

As the nervous Ye Rin fidgeted with her fingers on her lap, I Hyun smirked.

“Secretary Han, you’re always so tense when you’re with me.”

I Hyun placed both hands on the steering wheel and buried his face in them.

The trap was that even his half-hidden face was admirably handsome.

“Speak comfortably.”

Telling her to speak comfortably in such an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Ye Rin glanced at the navigation.

There were still about 5 minutes left until they reached her home.

If she expressed her refusal now, she felt like she’d be sitting on pins and needles for the remaining time.

‘I think I should say something to stall for time.’

Ye Rin quickly racked her brain.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what would be appropriate to ask.

“Secretary Han?”

Finally, very slowly, Ye Rin’s mouth opened.

“There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while.”

“What is it?”

“What’s your favorite food, Director?”

Hearing that, I Hyun chuckled, and

Ye Rin tightly closed her eyes due to the question that had popped out without going through her brain.

Of all the questions she could have asked, she blurted out about his favorite food.

Seeing Ye Rin’s embarrassment, I Hyun smiled brightly with the corners of his mouth pulled up.

“Was that so curious to you?”

Ye Rin slowly opened her eyes and spoke in a dignified voice.

She didn’t want to admit that it was just a random question she had asked to say something.

So she continued speaking calmly, as if she had intended to ask that question from the beginning.

“Yes, actually, it hasn’t been long since I started working for you, Director.”

“That’s right.”

“In the future, if your schedule is tight, I might need to prepare lunch boxes for you…”

“I eat everything well.”

I Hyun answered very seriously.

“When choosing restaurants, I tend to focus more on how comfortable it is for meetings rather than taste.”

Ye Rin listened intently to I Hyun’s words as if entranced.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about me?”

There would be many if she thought about it, but fortunately, I Hyun’s car came to a stop in front of Ye Rin’s house just in time.

Ye Rin quickly blurted out an answer.

“No, there isn’t.”

I Hyun’s eyebrows rose slightly at the abrupt cut-off.

Ye Rin unclicked her seatbelt with a click and, with great difficulty, finally uttered the words she had been putting off all day.

“I’ve thought very seriously about the proposal you made, Director.”

Not having the courage to express her refusal while looking into I Hyun’s eyes, Ye Rin continued speaking while looking at her hands on her lap.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept that proposal.”

“…”

Silence fell again.

Just when the silence became unbearably heavy,

I Hyun spoke in a low voice.

“So, I’m being rejected now, right?”

“Pardon?”

To dare reject Cha I Hyun.

Ye Rin waved both hands.

“No, strictly speaking, you never confessed to me, Director.”

“I did.”

“When?”

“I asked you to date. Isn’t that a confession?”

“That was a proposal.”

I Hyun’s lips twitched momentarily as if amused.

His gaze fell on her dignified face.

She always has that tense expression when she’s with me.

However, that doesn’t mean she always goes along with what I say.

In truly important moments like today, she clearly expresses her own will like this.

That’s what made her even more unpredictable.

I Hyun tapped the steering wheel with his index finger and spoke.

“So it was a proposal, not a confession, you say.”

“So I’ve never rejected or dumped you, Director, right?”

Ye Rin smiled, trying to curve her eyes into crescents.

“I guess that’s true.”

Ye Rin thought he would tell her to get out of the car now that their conversation was over, but I Hyun unbuckled his seatbelt.

And then he suddenly got out of the car first.

As the door closed with a thud, Ye Rin muttered to herself.

“Why? Where are you…”

Before she could finish wondering where he was going, the passenger door swung open.

“Let’s get out, Secretary Han.”

“Yes, Director.”

He was a man kind enough to personally open the car door for the secretary who had rejected his confession, no, proposal.

Or was it just good business manners?

Whatever it was, I Hyun was looking down at Ye Rin with a heated gaze rather than a cold one.

“Well then, I’ll be going in now.”

“Alright.”

As Ye Rin took a step, I Hyun moved in the same direction.

“Director?”

Ye Rin gently bit her lip as she pondered what to say next.

Just as she was about to ask why he wasn’t getting back in the car and was following her instead,

I Hyun beat her to it.

“Let’s go up.”

“Surely you don’t mean to go together?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. To escort Secretary Han.”

“It’s fine.”

“You said the stairs were dark.”

That was exactly what she had told I Hyun just last night.

She couldn’t very well say the stairs had brightened up overnight.

“No, I can manage on my own…”

“I’m not escorting you as a rejected boyfriend right now.”

Ye Rin’s dark brown pupils trembled slightly.

“I’m accompanying you as a superior concerned about his secretary’s safe return home.”

What’s the difference?

Before she could think deeply about it, I Hyun had already taken a step forward.

With no other choice, Ye Rin followed behind him.

“Secretary Han, I thought I’d be fine, but…”

“…”

“This is the first time I’ve ever pursued a woman like this.”

That seems likely.

Someone like I Hyun probably has women lining up to meet him without him having to make the first move.

Taking another step, I Hyun let out a sigh as if upset.

“Of course, this is also the first time I’ve been rejected like this.”

“…”

“I’m more troubled than I expected.”

Not knowing what to say to comfort, no, console him, Ye Rin just kept her mouth shut.

As if reading her thoughts, I Hyun said,

“Ah, this is just me talking to myself.”

“I see…”

“I’m not saying this to burden you.”

It was a new concept of conversation that made the listening party feel sorry.

Ye Rin, following behind I Hyun up the stairs, carefully spoke.

“Director, I’ve never rejected you.”

“No need for comfort.”

No, it wasn’t comfort.

It was just stating a fact.

The situation was flowing in a peculiarly as if she had actually rejected I Hyun after receiving a confession.

“Director…”

Just as Ye Rin was about to say something more,

I Hyun stopped abruptly upon reaching the rooftop floor where she lived.

“Direc…”

I Hyun reached back, waving his hand in the air, and somehow found Ye Rin’s hand, grasping it firmly.

‘What? Did he grab it to receive comfort?’

What broke that train of thought was a familiar gruff voice coming from in front.

“Ho ho ho. Were you two together again until this late hour?”

As Ye Rin finished climbing the stairs, she saw Pyeong Hun crouched in front of her house.

“Dad?”

“My daughter, you’re here?”

Pyeong Hun greeted Ye Rin with a broad smile, as if he were truly a loving father.

I Hyun was not at all pleased to see Pyeong Hun.

He tilted his head slightly and glared at Pyeong Hun with the same cold gaze as last night.

“President Han, we meet again.”

“Ho ho ho. Today too, our daughter…”

“Did you come because you were worried about how she was doing?”

“Of course. That’s right.”

Pyeong Hun awkwardly moved his arms back and forth as if he were at a mineral spring.

I Hyun tightened his grip on Ye Rin’s hand and pulled her to his side.

And then, as if to show off, he interlocked their fingers again in front of Pyeong Hun.

“As it happens, the security in the house where our Ye Rin is staying is so poor that I’ve been escorting her home every day.”

“Oh, is that so?”

A slight crack appeared on Pyeong Hun’s face.

He had come to talk to Ye Rin alone, but judging by the situation, it seemed that today was not going to work out either.

He couldn’t even say he’d come again tomorrow because of what I Hyun had just said.

Sure enough,

I Hyun pulled up the corners of his mouth in a grin and spoke in a low voice.

“I’m responsible for our Ye Rin’s return home every night, so you don’t need to worry and can go back.”

On the surface, it sounded like a kind statement, but the true meaning behind it was sharp.

It meant to stop making petty excuses and leave.

Pyeong Hun couldn’t reveal his true nature and could only laugh.

When Pyeong Hun still didn’t move, I Hyun changed his plan.

He turned his body and poured a warm gaze towards Ye Rin.

“Ye Rin, go inside quickly.”

“Yes…”

As Ye Rin stiffened up, I Hyun spread his arms wide.

“You have to give me a goodnight hug.”

“…”

Since when did we ever do that kind of greeting?

As Ye Rin hesitated, Pyeong Hun watched with a strange look.

I Hyun soon chuckled and lowered his arms.

“Sorry. You must have been embarrassed in front of your father. Go in quickly.”

“Yes, I’ll go in first.”

Thinking that if she stayed here any longer, she might find herself in I Hyun’s arms before she knew it, Ye Rin hurriedly headed towards the entrance.

“Dad, please go home safely too.”

Pyeong Hun’s gaze naturally shifted to the door lock.

If he moved his head just a little more, he might be able to see the password…

“President Han.”

Just as Ye Rin was about to press the door lock, I Hyun abruptly entered Pyeong Hun’s line of sight.

Faced with his sturdy build, Pyeong Hun unconsciously took a step back, just like during their first meeting.

“Oh, yes.”

“Where do you live?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I’ll escort you home.”

“What? You will?”

“Yes.”

I Hyun placed his large hand squarely on Pyeong Hun’s back and gave a slight push.

His strength was so great that Pyeong Hun couldn’t resist and was pushed towards the stairs.