Yoo In doubted her eyes as she saw the flawless, pure white high-rise building visible through the windshield.

She wanted to deny the reality that the day had come when she would willingly visit a place she had only been to once years ago and never dared to approach since.

“Director. Why did the location… end up like this?”

“Nam Yoo In said it was fine.”

“No, I didn’t mean the Ilrang building was fine!”

Her thin voice, which rarely rose, rang out beyond its usual range twice today alone.

Yoo In huffed in bewilderment, but Ki Yeon only glanced at her briefly without offering any explanation as he skillfully drove into the underground parking lot.

The car’s engine was turned off after parking in a spot close to the entrance leading to the elevators.

Ki Yeon turned his body and looked at Yoo In intently and ardently.

“What is it. Why are you looking at me like that.”

“It doesn’t seem quite right as it is.”

Ki Yeon muttered while touching his lips, then suddenly opened the console box and rummaged through it.

“What doesn’t seem right? Director. If you’re busy, I’ll just go. I don’t want to go in here…!”

Without warning, a hand approached her face and placed something on it before moving away.

Ki Yeon raised the corners of his mouth as he watched the bewildered Yoo In feeling her nose bridge.

“That’s better. It suits you well.”

“Director. What on earth is this right now? Please explain-”

The man got out of the car without listening to her protests fully, quickly came back, and flung open the passenger door.

“Get out.”

When she glared up at him angrily at the commanding tone, the man whose thoughts were unreadable stared back intently.

“I don’t like it here. I’m not going.”

Despite her sharp response, Ki Yeon remained unmoved, let out a shallow sigh, then knelt down in front of Yoo In.

Thanks to the lowered viewpoint, this time Ki Yeon looked up at her clear face.

“Why don’t you like it?”

“What if someone recognizes me? If strange rumors start spreading, it’ll cause trouble for my sister. That absolutely can’t happen. And I told you before too. I… don’t want to set foot in here.”

It had been a long time since she developed an aversion to the massive inferno that is the entertainment industry, watching her sister struggle and suffer while enduring injuries to her body.

This glamorous hell had left indelible scars not only on Yoo Jin but on Yoo In as well. Unlike her sister, Yoo Jin seemed to have overcome it well, but Yoo In had not.

She spent her time hiding the fact that she was Nam Yoo Jin’s sister, recoiling from people’s attention, not mixing with anyone, and isolating herself.

“Yoo In.”

Except for this man, who was an incredibly special exception.

Perhaps the reason she couldn’t refuse getting close so quickly was because.

She couldn’t quite grasp that the man who had led Yoo In, sunken at the bottom of a stagnant lake, to the shore, happened to be at the pinnacle of the fiery pit.

But today, she clearly felt it. What kind of person this man who had dragged her here was.

“Do you think Nam Yoo Jin is able to live comfortably as an actress doing whatever she wants because she manages her private life meticulously like others say?”

“…”

“You know better than anyone that’s not the case. You know what your sister’s personality is like.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Trust me.”

His obsidian-like eyes, whose depths were unfathomable, shone heavily. His neat features illuminated by the bright fluorescent lights of the underground parking lot looked infinitely solemn.

“I know what you dislike and what you’re afraid of, so I’ll protect you. I won’t create situations you’re scared of, ever.”

Ever.

The syllable came out with strong emphasis. As soon as she heard it, she realized.

That she became incredibly weak to this face, to the words spoken by this voice. That it was true now, and would be in the future.

Although her downturned eyes were heavy with worry she still couldn’t shake off, she couldn’t take her eyes off the man who was crouching down in an expensive suit asking her to trust him.

They silently looked at each other’s faces like that. Then, Ki Yeon stood up smoothly without any sign of dishevelment.

“If you understand, your hand.”

A long, large hand was extended. Seeing it somehow made the corners of her mouth tingle.

“I’m not a dog, what do you mean ‘hand’?”

“You are a puppy though.”

At the end of her glaring gaze, his dimples showed as he grinned widely. Deep dimples that seemed out of place, yet suited him too well.

Yoo In slowly stretched out her arm and took Ki Yeon’s hand. The strong force made Yoo In get out of the seat and pulled her forward without hesitation.

While waiting for the elevator, Ki Yeon only made phone calls in a low voice that was barely audible.

Yoo In awkwardly fiddled with the black-rimmed glasses Ki Yeon had forcibly put on her as she quietly stared at the cursive engraved on the silver metal door.

‘ilrang’

So you’ve finally come here, huh. Is this really happening? A deep sigh and her head drooped down.

No matter how much Ki Yeon said he’d protect her, she was anxious because she knew that in this industry, rumors travel not just a thousand but a million miles.

What if Nam Yoo Jin hears that Director Do Ki Yeon and her sister are together?

“Yoo In.”

At the sound of her name being called, she raised her lowered head to see the elevator doors wide open. Ki Yeon pressed the button and nodded his head inward.

Yoo In passed by the man whose casual gesture seemed oddly natural and settled in the corner where cool air was weakly blowing.

Ki Yeon pressed the button for two floors below the top floor and stood close to Yoo In.

“…Director.”

“What?”

“Did something urgent come up?”

“Hmm. Something like that.”

“Then you should be working, why am I…”

“Because I didn’t want to send you back as you were.”

When Yoo In turned her head slightly, her gaze met with his slender, downcast eyes in mid-air.

“I think it’d be nice to have you in my space too.”

His husky baritone voice lowered suggestively. The excuse sounded too grand and strangely like a confession.

Embarrassingly, her heart started pounding faster. And in the elevator of the Ilrang building, no less.

Because of that, she failed to hear the mechanical voice announcing the lobby. The doors suddenly opened, revealing sparsely standing employees.

“Ah… people.”

“It’s okay.”

Ki Yeon murmured lowly as he stood in a familiar position blocking the front, and Yoo In’s hand, tense and stiff, gripped Ki Yeon’s hand that was holding hers even tighter.

Those who spotted Ki Yeon bowed their heads politely, but the last female employee who got on exclaimed “Oh!” and greeted him cheerfully.

“Director Do, you’re coming to work twice today as well.”

Ki Yeon responded with a nod so perfunctory it would make the other person embarrassed.

The adequately cool interior became like the middle of Siberia with just one of Ki Yeon’s attitudes.

Due to the tense atmosphere created, the employees stood at attention looking only forward before getting off en masse at a middle floor, and thanks to that, Yoo In, now away from unnecessary attention, let out a sigh of relief and said:

“You did that on purpose, right?”

“What?”

“Just now, being super cold to that woman who greeted you.”

“Cold?”

Ki Yeon tilted his head quizzically.

“I don’t know which part was cold.”

Ki Yeon seemed neither interested nor feeling the need to be. Then was that perhaps Director Do Ki Yeon’s default setting for social interactions?

To put it nicely, strictly businesslike, and to put it harshly, a completely unsociable demeanor?

She suddenly recalled something she had heard from her sister once. Complaining about a boss whose personality was terrible and awful, but who was good at his job. That complaint was completely real.

While briefly reminiscing, she was startled by a sudden pulling force, and when she came to her senses, they had arrived at the floor the man had pressed.

Unlike the pure white exterior, the corridor they stepped out onto was paved with gray marble. The wall, modern to the point of being bleak, was also a light gray color.

“You’ve arrived.”

A man silently emerged from an office midway down the corridor and bowed his head, causing Yoo In to startle as if having a seizure.

Ki Yeon clicked his tongue lightly and pulled on Yoo In’s shrunken shoulders as he answered dryly.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes. They’re waiting in the conference room. But…”

The eyes of the man in the navy blue suit traveled from Ki Yeon’s arm, down his hand, to Yoo In. For just a moment, his neat expression crumpled before quickly returning to normal.

Yoo In flinched, this time for a different reason.

“Bring us something to drink. Yoo In, what do you want to drink?”

The question suddenly changed course. Yoo In was taken aback again.

“Ah… I don’t really…”

“Do you have anything warm? Ah, is tea okay? With milk.”

Yoo In lightly hit the arm of the man who was ordering without her asking. Ki Yeon looked at Yoo In with a “why are you doing that” expression, but his face was already tinged with mischief.

The unidentified man moved ever so slightly. Likewise, Yoo In was also uncomfortable in this situation. Only one person was enjoying himself.

In the end, the man standing in front said he would prepare warm herbal tea before disappearing first, and Ki Yeon, amused by himself, opened the thick wooden door located on the opposite side of where the man had disappeared with a grin.

Ki Yeon’s office was clearly Do Ki Yeon-esque at first glance.

As soon as they entered, the refreshing scent he always carried could be smelled, and the space containing only necessary furniture was clean to the point of being pristine in black and white.

“It’ll be over soon, so just wait here for a bit.”

Ki Yeon tapped the head of the black sofa as if designating a place to wait, then walked towards the large desk.

While Yoo In sat on the assigned sofa, the man checked his monitor, took off the vest constricting his upper body, and loosened his tie.

Behind his broad back, heavy rain clouds looked very close through the large glass window.

Knock knock−.

Yoo In, who had been intently observing the man who looked like a model from a foreign magazine, quickly turned her head towards the source of the knock.

Although no one responded, the door opened smoothly. This time, it wasn’t the neat man from earlier, but another person who entered carrying a small tray.

A young-faced man in a neat suit approached Yoo In directly with a diligent smile.

“I’ll serve you tea. Is there anything else you need?”

“Ah, um. No. There isn’t. Thank you.”

The man who received the bewildered thanks quietly set down the steaming mug and stepped back, then spoke to Ki Yeon.

“Director. The CEO is also in the conference room.”

An irritated sigh erupted from beyond the desk at the simple report.

Ki Yeon, with furrowed brows, slowly brushed up his hair that had become disheveled from the rain. It was a gesture that mixed annoyance, reluctance, and irritation.

Yoo In made an odd guess while watching this. The Ilrang CEO and Director Do Ki Yeon must not get along very well. That’s what she thought.

“Ah, and Secretary Kim. Please fetch the item from the backseat of my car.”

“Yes. Understood.”

The man called Secretary Kim, who received the car keys, left, and shortly after, Ki Yeon in just his white shirt approached where Yoo In was sitting.

He, who had completely removed his loosened tie, dropped a soft cloth into Yoo In’s hand.

“I’ll be back. Wait here quietly.”

Although the word ‘quietly’ bothered her a bit, she nodded anyway. Having entered his fortress, she had nowhere else to go.

Until he returned.

As if he had sensed the hidden meaning in her murmur, Ki Yeon smiled proudly, firmly pressed down on Yoo In’s crown, and left the office.