“Think carefully. It’s definitely not a bad condition for you, Seo Ha.”

Lee Seung Oh’s snake-like gaze scanned Seo Ha from head to toe. Dry hair due to cheap shampoo, dull skin, worn clothes and even more worn shoes. In other words, traces of poverty.

“I’m someone who can instantly elevate you to a place you couldn’t reach in a lifetime. If things go well, I get what I want, and you become a Cinderella like Team Leader Lee Ji Soo.”

Weren’t you the Cinderella, not me?

You lived as a male Cinderella for over a decade, then blinded by that great love and driven mad by your inferiority complex, you finally struck the princess with a glass slipper and dragged her out of the palace.

But it’s okay. If this is the grave you’re digging for yourself, there’s no reason not to help you shovel.

“Then…”

Seo Ha finally spoke hesitantly.

“Are you becoming my prince, sir?”

Lee Seung Oh seemed to really like that title. A smirk spread across his lips and his eyes filled with baseless confidence.

“Of course. I look forward to it, Princess Seo Ha.”

I never thought I’d hear that word again. It felt like hives were breaking out in my gut.

“No, sir. I was going to say I don’t need anything like that.”

Seo Ha raised her head resolutely and looked straight into Lee Seung Oh’s eyes.

“What do you mean? Are you rejecting my offer?”

“You hired me and made me a designer from an intern. So I’ll help you out of gratitude. But I don’t need a relationship as payment.”

Lee Seung Oh has a prince complex. At the same time, he easily loses interest in women who come to him too easily. Seo Ha never forgot these two things.

“You don’t need payment?”

“I don’t want that kind of relationship. I’ll do everything else as you instructed, so don’t worry.”

Seo Ha took a step back and bowed deeply in respect.

“I’ll take my leave now. I’ll report to you twice daily from now on.”

Lee Seung Oh watched in bewilderment as Seo Ha quickly disappeared. Amidst his confusion, his eyes held an even deeper interest than before.

[This is the timeline separator]

Seo Ha barely managed to eat cold kimbap for lunch while desperately working on the final stages of her project.

Unable to stay overnight at the company like the other designers, she had to finish as much as possible here and take home whatever work she could do there.

Thinking of her mother spending all day with the caregiver and helper, even the time spent breathing and blinking felt wasteful.

But the clock, unaware of her urgency, moved quickly and it was already seven o’clock. In an hour, even the caregiver would leave. If she didn’t finish this today, she wouldn’t meet the deadline.

Seo Ha quietly headed to the emergency stairs with her phone. After three or four rings, a dry voice answered.

[Late again?]

“I’m afraid so.”

[It’s work, so no need to apologize. I got off early and have been here since early evening, so don’t worry.]

Despite bickering about each other’s luck and attitude, in the end, Ryu Kyung Jun was the only one she could rely on. At least when it came to Hae Sun’s matters, Kyung Jun’s stance would be the same. Quite ironically.

Seo Ha finished her work with peace of mind and only headed home after nine at night. As she dragged her swollen legs up the alley after standing all day, Lee Seung Oh’s words kept swirling in her head.

How do I explain this?

She had agreed to cooperate since the other side was digging their own grave, but Kyung Jun, the negotiation condition, was the problem.

If she told the truth, he’d look at her with contempt-filled eyes and say, “Don’t drag me into such dirty business.”

And if she suddenly said, “Let’s date,” he’d look even more contemptuously and ask, “Are you in your right mind?”

“Is this the only way…?”

Seo Ha asked herself about ten times if she really had to use this method that was horrifying just to think about. She wanted to grasp at straws, knowing there was no other way. Sadly, there were no straws to grasp.

“Yip! Yip yip yip!”

As soon as she opened the door, Min Ji came running out, barking weakly. Jae Wook looked more disgruntled than usual.

“You’re back now? Why does that damn company always work people until the middle of the night?”

“It’s a busy season. I heard Secretary Ryu was here.”

Jae Wook jerked his chin towards the rooftop room, his expression saying he didn’t even want to answer.

“Dinner?”

“I ate something. Thank you for your concern.”

Seo Ha gave a slight nod and passed by Jae Wook to climb the stairs.

Light shone through the translucent glass of the entrance onto the wooden platform. The wind was quite chilly, and Kyung Jun was lying on the platform with one knee raised, eyes closed.

He must have heard Min Ji’s barking and the sound of footsteps coming up, but there was no reaction.

“Secretary Ryu.”

Seo Ha sat down beside him and called out softly. Only then did Kyung Jun half-open his eyes and turn his gaze to look at Seo Ha.

“I dozed off.”

His voice was a bit hoarse. Slightly more cracked and lower than usual.

“You should have slept inside if you were going to sleep.”

“The Chairman went to bed early, so I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

Yawn, Kyung Jun yawned and seemed about to get up, but he just adjusted his position, using his arm as a pillow.

“You got off earlier than I expected. I thought you’d come after midnight.”

“Did you want me to work until midnight?”

“Not that. I thought I’d have to be here until after midnight.”

Seo Ha wondered how to respond, then just flopped down next to Kyung Jun. Seoul’s night sky was dark yet too bright, with no stars. Only a few artificial satellites twinkled artificially, pretending to be stars.

“Thanks to you, I could work with peace of mind. Thank you.”

“I just served my Chairman. You just did your job. It’s not thanks to anyone and there’s nothing to be thankful for.”

“When someone says thank you, can’t you just say ‘you’re welcome’?”

“No.”

“…”

“You went to the CEO’s office today, right?”

Kyung Jun changed the subject. He clearly preferred such practical conversation to talk of gratitude.

“Yes.”

“What did you talk about?”

“He said he made a promise with Lee Ji Soo. If none of my works are selected at the evaluation, I’ll be fired.”

“That’s not very surprising. Why did Lee Seung Oh tell you that specifically?”

“He said he’d prevent Lee Ji Soo from interfering. My work will be selected at the evaluation. At least one piece.”

“Lee Seung Oh said that directly? Why?”

“He said he’s interested in me.”

Suddenly, the side of her face felt hot. Seo Ha reflexively turned her head to look at Kyung Jun and flinched at his deeply furrowed expression.

“Why are you making that face?”

“So what did you decide to do?”

“About what?”

“With Lee Seung Oh, who’s interested in you. What did you decide to do?”

Telling the truth would gain nothing. Kyung Jun wouldn’t understand at all why Seo Ha needed to seduce and bring down Lee Seung Oh.

“Nothing. When I asked if he wasn’t in a relationship with Team Leader Lee Ji Soo, he just said yes. We didn’t talk about anything else.”

Kyung Jun muttered “that bastard” in a barely audible voice.

Her back felt cool against the chill. Glancing sideways at Kyung Jun, she saw him frowning at the artificial satellites with a displeased expression. Seo Ha thought now was the time to use that ridiculous method.

“Secretary Ryu.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have someone you like?”

Until then, Kyung Jun had been lying still, but he suddenly turned his head.

Did I lie down too close? His expression that clearly said “Are you crazy?” was too visible.

“Why are you prying into my personal life unnecessarily?”

“Just curious. I know you don’t have a girlfriend. I wondered if you at least had someone you liked.”

“I do.”

Kyung Jun answered firmly, then added after a moment.

“Just in case, let me be clear, it’s absolutely not you, Cho Seo Ha. Absolutely not. Not even if the sky split into eight pieces and someone ate one.”

“That’s a shame. I like you, Secretary Ryu.”

Kyung Jun sat up abruptly. His expression said “Are you crazy?” even more seriously than before.

“What is this? A punishment? Or some ‘confess and scold’ thing?”

“Why would you say that?”

Seo Ha frowned and sat up as well.

“I’m just saying I like you. That I have feelings for you. I’m just expressing my feelings.”

Saying something she didn’t mean made her heart race and her face turn red. She could only hope the darkness would hide this expression too.

Between Kyung Jun staring at Seo Ha with a dumbfounded expression and Seo Ha meeting his gaze without avoiding it, a cold wind suddenly blew. Was it her imagination? Kyung Jun’s face seemed to have reddened a bit too.

“… Sigh.”

Eventually, Kyung Jun covered his face with both hands and rubbed up and down.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

“Please act like you heard it. I mustered up the courage to say it, so if you pretend you didn’t hear it, I’ll be sad.”

“I told you I have someone I like, and it’s not you.”

Kyung Jun emphasized “not you” with particular force. It wasn’t even a hurtful statement, but strangely, one side of her chest stung.

“Who is it then?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Kyung Jun cut her off sharply, then stood up and brushed off his jacket.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It’s not like I wanted to confess.

Seo Ha grumbled inwardly as she watched his back quickly descending the stairs without looking back.

She had only said something she didn’t mean to seal the deal with Lee Seung Oh, but perhaps because it was a lie, her heart was pounding and her face kept heating up.

“Whew, it’s hot.”

Seo Ha fanned herself vigorously as she entered the front door. The boiler must have been turned up high, as the warm air enveloping her body made her face even redder.

Neither Seo Ha nor Kyung Jun knew that Jae Wook had been listening to their entire conversation from the bottom of the stairs.