Ha Eun’s eyes narrowed.

Tae Ha had completely ignored her. This couldn’t be happening.

And in front of a company employee, no less.

Eun Seo had always been below her, never equal or above. How could someone like her be by Kwon Tae Ha’s side?

Ha Eun clenched her teeth. Clear white marks appeared on her palm where her nails dug in.

Ha Eun smirked when she saw Eun Seo stop in her tracks upon seeing her.

She always had that posture in front of her. That’s how it should be.

She was determined not to give up her place beside Tae Ha. With that resolve, Ha Eun bowed her head slightly in greeting, conscious of Tae Ha.

Eun Seo also bowed from a distance.

However, Ha Eun’s gaze was so piercing that Eun Seo brushed her cheek with her hand to cool the intensifying heat.

Click, click. Ha Eun’s footsteps clearly marked the floor and disappeared around the corner. The space she passed through was filled with a chilling coldness.

After Ha Eun disappeared, Eun Seo let out a shallow breath and resumed walking. As she walked, several thoughts crossed her mind.

When she met Ha Eun at the cafe before, she had said that if they met again, it wouldn’t be to see Eun Seo, but to see Tae Ha.

True to those words, Ha Eun had clearly come to see Tae Ha today, and perhaps the reason was related to marriage.

She felt uneasy.

Chairman Kwon Gi Hoon and Kwon Tae Ha would have different thoughts.

“Secretary Song, where have you been?”

But the moment she heard Tae Ha’s voice, all of Eun Seo’s worries vanished. Tae Ha was leaning on the secretary’s desk with his elbow, smiling at Eun Seo.

His eyes, reminiscent of a winter night, sparkled warmly unlike the season.

Whatever happened, Kwon Tae Ha was by her side. That was enough.

“I was setting up the conference room for the video call this evening.”

Eun Seo stood in front of the desk, clasping her hands modestly as she spoke.

“Good job. Now get back to work. Oh, and if Han from the team asks you anything, just answer ‘yes’ no matter what. Understood?”

Tae Ha instructed Eun Seo like this, and then to Han from the team,

“And Han, don’t ask in the negative form, ask in the positive.”

He directed like this.

Eun Seo questioned with her eyes at the bizarre instructions, but Tae Ha just grinned and turned away.

Then, as if remembering something, he tapped his finger in the air and said to Han,

“Han. Don’t forget to contact the car wash person. Otherwise, I’ll sell the car.”

As soon as Tae Ha disappeared into his office, Han, who had been guarding behind Tae Ha all along, asked Eun Seo before she could even sit down.

“Secretary Song. Are you dating the CEO by any chance?”

“Pardon?”

Before the flustered Eun Seo could gather her thoughts, the next question flew in.

“The CEO said he has a fiancée?”

“What?”

“I asked in the positive form. You just said ‘yes’, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Secretary Song, I thought you were on Team Choi’s side, but you’ve got the golden thread. You were on the CEO’s side. Then, were the CEO and Team Leader Choi not in that kind of relationship? Wow. Our CEO liked women after all.”

Muttering almost to himself, Han tilted his head with a slightly dazed look.

“I can’t spread rumors. I haven’t made any mistakes with you, Secretary Song, have I?”

“Of course not. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“But that woman who came earlier said she was the CEO’s fiancée, what’s that about? No, never mind. Let’s work. Let’s work, us. What good is knowing? It’s not like we can talk about it anyway.”

Han seemed to feel it was impolite to ask too deeply, so he took his eyes off Eun Seo and started working again, clicking his pen.

* * *

On the outskirts of Seoul, a sedan pulled into the parking lot of a cafe overlooking a calm lake. The car parked in the spot closest to the building, and soon two people got out.

Ha Eun bought two cups of coffee and sat at an outdoor table where Butler Jang was waiting.

“Here’s your coffee.”

“Are you drinking latte? You should avoid fattening drinks as much as possible.”

“This much won’t make me gain weight. I didn’t add syrup.”

Butler Jang made a disapproving face before taking a sip of coffee.

“It’s nice to come out. Getting some fresh air after a long time.”

“Mother, how long do you plan to live at the Chairman’s house? Aren’t you tired of it? You’ve been living in someone else’s house for almost your entire life. Besides, your job is practically just running errands.”

“I’ll quit when you get married. So hurry up and think about winning the young master’s heart. Before the Chairman changes his mind too. And I forgot to mention, I actually… the kimchi company…”

“What?”

“Never mind, forget it.”

“Sigh.”

As Ha Eun sighed while fiddling with her straw, Butler Jang put down her coffee cup and gauged the situation.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Is that why you wanted to meet?”

“I have something to discuss with you.”

Ha Eun was troubled by Tae Ha’s words that he liked Eun Seo.

It felt like a huge rock was blocking her airway, and she felt she might suffocate if she stayed like this. That’s why she sought out Butler Jang.

When she first saw Eun Seo, she had no intention of telling Butler Jang. She knew her interference would become even more intense than it already was.

But now she had nowhere else to go.

Every time she met Tae Ha, rejection was the norm, and now that he even said he liked Eun Seo, if the marriage fell through, she knew she would not only face Butler Jang’s resentment but also lie awake at night feeling defeated by Eun Seo.

“Mother, Kwon Tae Ha has a woman.”

In the silence, Butler Jang’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“It’s true.”

“Young Master Tae Ha has never even had a casual girlfriend. What woman could there be?”

“I know it’s hard to believe. But it’s true.”

Seeing Ha Eun’s expression, which was far from normal as she lowered her eyes to the table, Butler Jang became anxious. Ha Eun’s words seemed real.

“Who is it?”

“Mother, do you remember? Dohwa Village.”

Suddenly, a chill like a sharp blade caressing the nape of her neck enveloped Butler Jang’s entire body.

At the same time, the image of Eun Seo she had seen at the Seo Taek banquet hall filled her mind.

Song Eun Seo from Solnae Village, Song Eun Seo from Dohwa Village. The premonition that that child might be Dong Taek’s child.

“Do you remember Eun Seo who lived with us back then?”

“…”

“It’s her. She’s living at Kwon Tae Ha’s house. Not only that, she works as his secretary. Can you believe it?”

“She’s not acceptable!”

Startled by her own outburst, Butler Jang covered her mouth with her hand and turned her eyes to the lake.

“Mother…”

When she came to her senses, Ha Eun was looking at Butler Jang with a rather strange expression.

“Anyway, she’s absolutely not acceptable. She doesn’t suit the young master.”

“I… suppose so.”

“Do you know how long they’ve been seeing each other?”

“I’m not sure about that, but on the day I met Tae Ha for the second time, I saw Eun Seo at the department store. I thought it might not be her then, but I guess I was wrong.”

“So it’s been since then?”

“I’m not certain. But after we had dinner that day, Kwon Tae Ha took Eun Seo with him. Like a fool, I thought they were just going to work since he said so.”

“Foolishly falling for something like that.”

“What should we do?”

“What else? Just trust me and do as I say. The Chairman won’t accept Eun Seo, so you need to keep your composure. But is that Song Eun Seo really the Song Eun Seo from Dohwa Village?”

“I confirmed it with her directly.”

Butler Jang’s clasped hands trembled under the table. She interlocked her fingers, applying pressure to each knuckle to stop the shaking.

“I think we should speak to the Chairman about moving up the wedding. Don’t give up. Once you marry the young master, you’ll receive shares. Think about that and absolutely don’t let Eun Seo take him away.”

“What shares?”

Ha Eun’s eyes widened at this unexpected information.

“It’s what the late madam left for you. As soon as you marry Young Master Tae Ha, you can receive 5 percent of Dong Eui Foods shares.”

Ha Eun could only stare at Butler Jang with a shocked expression, unable to say anything.

On the other hand, Butler Jang, who had been shocked to hear about Eun Seo, now calmly organized her bag as if nothing had happened.

“I didn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid you might let it slip. The Chairman really hates that kind of thing. So keep your mouth shut until you receive the shares and focus on winning Tae Ha’s heart. Understood?”

Ha Eun nodded as if making a promise.

* * *

Knock knock.

After Tae Ha entered the conference room and Eun Seo was about to start working, someone knocked on the secretary’s office wall.

When she turned around, Jung Woo was leaning against the wall. Judging by his unbuttoned shirt and rolled-up sleeves, he too seemed to have been buried in work.

“Team Leader Yoon!”

Eun Seo stood up with a smile.

“Are you busy?”

“Yes, a little. Work has piled up.”

“You seemed to be working so hard, did you play hooky? Why has work piled up?”

“I know, right? I guess I’m a bit slow.”

Eun Seo scratched the back of her neck. She couldn’t bring herself to say that work had piled up because she had spent time with Tae Ha at the villa.

“I saw Tae Ha going into a meeting earlier. If you don’t have anything else, let’s go home together. It’s late anyway, so we’re unlikely to be seen by other employees. I didn’t bring my car, so I was thinking of taking a taxi.”

“I was planning to work for about two more hours. Is that okay?”

“Two hours? Then you’re planning to leave with Tae Ha?”

“No.”

“Have you had dinner?”

“Yes, earlier.”

“How about coffee then?”

“That too.”

“Do you like beer?”

“Yes.”

“Were your answers always this short?”

“I guess so?”

“Are you like this with Tae Ha too?”

“No. They’re long. When I report, I make them very, very long. Otherwise, he asks again.”

Jung Woo laughed at Eun Seo’s words and straightened up from the wall. He could sense a hint of resentment in Eun Seo’s expression, as if she felt her boss’s petulance.

Jung Woo thought that Tae Ha probably wanted to keep Eun Seo in his office for as long as possible. He knew this, but Eun Seo seemed oblivious.

“Come on, get up. Let’s have a beer. It’s past working hours already. No one will say anything if we drink.”

“Now?”

“We don’t need to go far, let’s drink together on the company rooftop. It’s a farewell drink.”

“A farewell drink? Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m planning to leave Dong Taek.”

“What? Really?”

Eun Seo’s eyes widened.

“I was only staying there temporarily until I bought a house. Now that my place is mostly ready, I’m planning to move out.”

Eun Seo felt unnecessarily disappointed and lowered her eyes. He had been one of the few people who had been kind to her in her life.

From the day they met until now, he had taught her piano whenever he had time, and thanks to that, she could now play a few songs.

“You’ll visit often, right?”

“Would Tae Ha like that?”

“Of course. You’re cousins, practically friends.”

“Is that so?”

Jung Woo smiled and tapped the watch on his wrist.

“Let’s go. I have something important to tell you too. Let’s leave before Tae Ha comes looking for you.”

Eun Seo pushed her chair under the desk and followed Jung Woo out.