Taming the Dangerous Lawyer Secretly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14

For two days, I agonized over whether to go with Kwon Jun Hwi or resort to my last option, even losing sleep over it.

Still, I should try my best to avoid taking that final step. After much deliberation, I decided to first submit a transfer request.

On the third day, as soon as Yeon Woo arrived at work, she opened her messenger and initiated a chat with Section Chief Park from HR.

[Section Chief, I’d like to apply for a job transfer. It doesn’t have to be as a secretary—even a regular staff position would be fine.]

Thump-thump! Throughout the short, tense moment while Section Chief Park repeatedly typed and deleted messages, Yeon Woo nervously chewed on her lower lip.

Please, just say yes, please…!

[In the current atmosphere, which team leader would be willing to take you on, Assistant?]

“…”

[No one welcomes a subordinate who excessively contradicts their superior.]

Ah. Even the transfer attempt had failed. All the tension that had built up drained right out of her.

Still, it was the truth. She nearly found herself nodding in agreement.

In the end, the worst-case scenario she’d spent months hoping wouldn’t happen had finally arrived. She had only one choice left.

Quit! Kim Yeon Woo.

Leave Kwon Jun Hwi behind and start fresh.

They say all workplace ailments are cured by leaving the office—or quitting entirely—and it really was true.

From the moment she made up her mind to resign, her heart felt lighter and clearer than ever—so much so that even the soju-and-beer she’d angrily downed the previous night couldn’t dampen her excellent mood.

Thus, when a new hire approached her right after she clocked in to relay Jun Hwi’s summons, Yeon Woo merely scoffed.

“Assistant, Attorney Kwon asked to see you as soon as you arrived.”

“Could you please ask Attorney Kwon if there’s anything Hye Jin needs from him?”

“Huh…? Me…?”

Of course she knew. He’d specifically called for Kim Yeon Woo—so if someone else went instead, his perfect face would crumple in frustration when things didn’t go his way.

But now, there was no need to tiptoe around him. After all, it was all ending soon anyway.

‘Get a grip, Kim Yeon Woo. Are you really still emotionally attached to this place?’

She’d rebel just enough, say everything she needed to, and then one day—poof—disappear without warning.

Then she’d set off to find another firm willing to take her! Everyone changes jobs—it’s not like she couldn’t do it too.

“I’m sorry, but I have something urgent to handle right away. Could you do me this favor?”

She felt bad for Hye Jin, but this was the time to be firm. After all, they’d be parting ways soon anyway.

With her mind emptied and her thoughts even more so, time flew by quickly.

As soon as the news announced the upcoming college entrance exam, the temperature dropped sharply, as if on cue.

Though it was cold enough to see her breath, the sunshine remained warm, making it still pleasant enough to walk around. After lunch, Yeon Woo and Hye Jin each held a steaming cup of coffee and took a wide loop around the office building.

They’d chatted about ordinary office-worker topics—whether they’d used up all their vacation days, what they’d do for Christmas, how the year was already almost over—and were just heading back into the office when Kwon Jun Hwi came into view.

“That’s Attorney Kwon. Looks like he’s coming back from an external meeting.”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Though she replied absentmindedly, Yeon Woo’s eyes lingered on him for quite a while.

His tall, solid frame was perfectly matched with a sleek suit and a sophisticated navy coat.

Her supervising attorney, whom she hadn’t closely observed in a while, still looked as striking and uniquely superior as ever.

Since that incident, there’d been no special events or meaningful interactions between Jun Hwi and her—just a cool, distant professionalism.

Above all, he’d grown extremely busy dealing with the overwhelming workload piling up before year-end, so their communication had been strictly work-related and minimal.

She should’ve handled things this way from the start. In the absence of her usual drive to do everything diligently, a sense of relief filled the space instead.

Only occasionally—very occasionally—did she feel an inexplicable pang of guilt toward him.

Especially when he’d silently stare at her with that look of someone who had something to say.

In those moments, she could usually dodge his gaze by pretending to be busy typing or making a call—but even then, a brief, half-second ripple of remorse would sometimes well up inside her.

This time, however, it was Yeon Woo observing him. Jun Hwi stepped out of the backseat of a car but didn’t head straight into the building. Instead, he held onto the open car door and exchanged a few words with someone inside, lifting the corner of his mouth into a smile.

He actually smiled.

“…”

Who could possibly be so special that parting ways with them brought such tenderness?

Out of curiosity, Yeon Woo instinctively leaned forward to get a better look at his companion. But the car’s dark tinted windows obscured her view—she could only make out a feminine silhouette.

By then, he’d already sent the car off and entered the Ro And Yul building.

His schedule for this morning… was personal. She remembered clearly—it was the first time since she’d been assigned to him that he’d blocked off the entire morning for private matters.

True to his reputation as a relentless workaholic, he was someone who lived for work day and night. Aside from essential meetings or client dinners squeezed between tasks, he never seemed to take detours.

She’d sometimes wondered whether this man ever experienced any real joy in life—but after seeing him attend concerts, she’d confirmed he was, in fact, human and not a machine.

Beyond that, who knew…? Still, she’d often seen people at this firm whose lives revolved entirely around work and study, so she assumed he belonged to that same category.

What could possibly be so important that he’d clear his whole morning for it? She’d been curious—

Ah, so that’s why. He must’ve wanted to focus on the woman who made him smile when they parted.

But really, what did it matter? It was his “personal” schedule, after all. Suppressing her budding curiosity, Yeon Woo stepped into the lobby.

“Hey, Hye Jin—should we take the next elevator?”

At the tail end of lunch hour, the first floor of Ro And Yul was packed with people waiting for elevators. Jun Hwi, whose height towered over most others, stood among them.

To avoid crossing paths with him, Yeon Woo grabbed the new hire’s sleeve and made up an excuse—only to see Jun Hwi bypass the crowd and slip through the emergency stairwell door.

Phew. Yeon Woo exhaled deeply, changed her mind, and boarded the elevator that had just arrived.

A large bookstore near the office.

While rummaging through the TOEIC exam section, Yeon Woo’s phone vibrated in her bag. It was the main office number for Ro And Yul.

Who calls someone after work hours so rudely? But since she hadn’t officially resigned yet, she couldn’t ignore it. Clearing her throat lightly, she answered.

—Hello, is this the secretary assigned to Attorney Kwon Jun Hwi?

“Yes, that’s me.”

—We’re currently in a call meeting, but Attorney Kwon hasn’t joined. He’s not answering his phone either. Do you happen to have a way to reach him, Assistant?

What on earth?

‘A workaholic skipping a meeting?!’

This was unthinkable for Kwon Jun Hwi. She hurriedly ended the call with a promise to look into it and immediately dialed his number. He didn’t answer—not even after two attempts. It was the first time he’d ignored her calls for this long.

She strained her memory to recall his schedule. There was a call meeting at 6:40 p.m.—the one he should’ve joined by now—and before that… a personal appointment.

What exactly had that personal appointment been about? Even in her panic, the image of him smiling at the woman in the car flashed through her mind.

He didn’t pick up the third time either. As she hurried out of the bookstore, the Ro And Yul building across the street came into view.

Should she head back to the office?

There was no guarantee he was even there—and she had Pilates class soon.

Torn between immense annoyance and the last shred of duty as his secretary, she chewed on her thumb. Her sigh instantly turned into a puff of white vapor in the cold air.

‘What if something serious actually happened?’

In the end, she followed her conscience and turned back toward the office.

Whether she liked him or not, he was still her superior. Her innate sense of responsibility pushed her to do her best until the very end, so she could face herself without shame.

The entire floor was silent—everyone had already left. Only the dull thud of Yeon Woo’s heels echoed across the carpeted floor.

Aside from the hallway lit by minimal lighting, the place was mostly dark. On her way to her desk, she noticed a faint glow seeping through the frosted glass of Attorney Kwon’s office and headed straight there.

‘He didn’t leave yet? Then why didn’t he join the call?’

Strangely, the door—which he usually left slightly ajar when inside—was firmly shut.

Yet the lights were on inside. Frowning, Yeon Woo carefully knocked.

“Attorney, are you in there?”

Ah—her knock pushed the door inward. It hadn’t been fully closed after all, leaving Yeon Woo having inadvertently opened it the moment she knocked.

“Attorney…?”

Since the door was already open, she stepped in.

“Huh!”

—and instantly froze, gripping the doorknob.

Warm, humid air poured out through the open gap, carrying with it a strangely unsettling floral perfume.

He sat in his desk chair—but not in his usual composed, fortress-like posture. His shirt buttons were undone, exposing bare skin, and his head was tilted completely backward.

A strange woman pressed tightly against his solid-looking chest, her face buried close—until she sensed someone’s presence and lifted her head.

“…!”

A low, pained groan escaped him as his prominent Adam’s apple bobbed. The woman stopped caressing his skin and turned to face Yeon Woo.

The soft light from the lamp reflected delicately off each golden wave of her lush hair. Clearly startled too, the woman’s pale blue eyes widened in alarm.

“W-What’s… going on…?”

Her trembling hands instinctively flew to cover her mouth. Even though she’d made a clear sound, he remained lost in faint moans, utterly unaware that Yeon Woo had seen everything. How deeply immersed he must’ve been!

The mysterious blonde cautiously stepped toward Yeon Woo, parting her lips as if to speak.

Yeon Woo absolutely didn’t want to hear a single word.

“Excuse me.”

Barely managing to squeeze out those words in a cracked voice, she slammed the door shut.

The sound of her heart plummeting into despair drowned out the echo of the closing door.

She’d completely forgotten why she’d even come back to the office.

All she could see was the image of his bare torso entwined with that blonde woman.

When she squeezed her eyes shut to banish the afterimage, his low, lingering groan echoed in her ears.

Desperate to shake off the entire scene, she walked mindlessly—only to realize she’d already left the office. Yeon Woo roughly jabbed the elevator button and sank to the floor.

“Ha…”

She simply couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed.

Right—why should she care about Kwon Jun Hwi’s personal life anyway? Whether he’s hugging a woman or not, it’s none of her business!

Yet, despite telling herself that, a pained, groaning sound involuntarily escaped her as she clutched her head.

“Haha…”

A hollow laugh spilled out. It really was time to quit. She no longer had the passion or energy to stay in this organization and endure even her boss’s secret private life.

Besides, Kwon Jun Hwi himself held a significant stake in her decision to resign. After all, he’d been the one tormenting her most recently—and most closely.

But this overwhelming, crashing wave of betrayal… how on earth could she even explain it?

Before she could process it further, she heard someone approaching hurriedly.

This wasn’t the time to wait calmly for the elevator. Yeon Woo flung open the emergency stairwell door and dashed down the steps.

Or at least tried to—until Jun Hwi’s firm hand caught her arm.

“Kim Yeon Woo!”

Breathless from running, Jun Hwi called out to her.