Taming the Dangerous Lawyer Secretly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4

Even after coming home, I can’t escape Kwon Jun Hwi—even in my personal space.

[Attorney Kwon Jun Hwi also stated at the beginning of the discussion that he supports the reinstatement of the adultery law.] [The institution of marriage and family is already legally intertwined with the Family Law, which collectively refers to Book IV and Book V of the Civil Code. Therefore—]

His neat, sharp, and intelligent appearance. His soft voice gently whispering into my ears. His subtly smiling lips. Even his perfectly proportioned, charming eyes beside his well-defined nose.

On the TV panel, he wasn’t the emotionally distant boss Yeon Woo knew.

He was an entirely different person—indeed, far too impressive a man.

“He’s handsome. Even more annoying now.”

Let’s just admit it: he’s devastatingly good-looking.

Especially right now—wearing those large, thin silver-rimmed glasses he never uses otherwise—it felt as if he’d deliberately aimed straight for Yeon Woo’s taste in looks.

“How on earth did that ridiculously perfect face end up on your side?”

If only he weren’t so prickly, I might’ve actually fallen for him.

Ah, I’m losing it, Kim Yeon Woo. What am I even thinking? Did I really get drunk off just one can of beer?

Chuckling at my own ridiculous imagination, I quickly downed the rest of my beer.

Then I refocused diligently on practicing French.

“…Quel bel homme tu es.”

***

“Assistant Kim Yeon Woo.”

Jun Hwi softly called out to Yeon Woo in his usual calm tone.

When she entered his room, he was seated at his desk, looking at her through the same silver-rimmed glasses she’d seen on TV.

“Yes, Attorney?”

“Come here for a moment. Come closer.”

His large hand, with thick knuckles, beckoned her.

Had Attorney Kwon’s hand always looked this strikingly masculine? she wondered, as she approached the desk.

“Here, Excel won’t open properly.”

“Oh…”

“Could you take a look?”

She stepped into the space still lingering with his cool, bass-toned presence. Carefully reaching out, she took the mouse he’d pointed to with his chin.

The warmth still lingering on it felt as if they’d just held hands tightly.

“…Kim Yeon Woo.”

The distance between them had shrunk far too close. Every toe curled with tension. Suddenly, even the sound of his breath brushed against her ear with startling clarity.

Yeon Woo.

His lips, speaking her name, grazed against her hair.

“Ah—Attorney…”

This is dangerous.

Her heartbeat pounded so wildly it ached right below her sternum, and a sharp, electric sensation shot through her entire body.

Then, he suddenly reached out and cupped her face—

“…!”

Ah! What kind of ridiculous dream is this!

Yeon Woo jolted awake in the pitch-black room, sitting upright in bed and gasping for breath.

“Wow. I must’ve gone crazy.”

It was way too vivid—I’m completely wide awake now!

Could it be because I fell asleep last night watching Kwon Jun Hwi on TV?

Even if I haven’t dated in forever, dreaming something this absurd?

Could it seriously be… sexual frustration or something?

“No way… And of all people, Kwon Jun Hwi?”

Ughhh!

Yeon Woo buried her face in her knees and let out an embarrassed scream.

My subconscious is absolutely insane—must’ve lost its mind completely.

Six months of being tormented by a workaholic boss, plus worrying about back-to-back parties for three days straight—this must be some kind of neurosis or trauma or something.

Right. Stress. That’s how terrifying stress can be!

Trying to brainwash herself, Yeon Woo vigorously shook her head, hoping that would banish the lingering image of Kwon Jun Hwi in glasses.

She desperately tried to shake off even the trembling sensation left behind by his lips touching her.

After making a racket alone in the dead of night, she glanced at her phone: 4:18 a.m.

No way she’d fall back asleep now.

Eventually, the most pressing concern pushed its way back into her restless mind.

She had to become his “partner.” But specifically—how far should this go, and what kind of relationship should they portray?

She’d been putting off this worry because Jun Hwi had been absurdly busy, giving her no proper chance to ask.

Was Kwon Jun Hwi wrestling with the same question?

Ugh! I have no idea!

“I absolutely have to ask him tomorrow.”

After letting out yet another useless sigh, a sudden idea struck her.

Even if I can’t bring myself to refuse, what if I make Kwon Jun Hwi refuse me instead?

After all, all they really need is someone—anyone—to write the interview report, right?

So what if I act weird on purpose and drastically lower perfectionist Kwon Jun Hwi’s expectations? I could even give off strong “I’m about to cause a huge mess” vibes.

Let’s just throw it out there. If it works, great. If it doesn’t… well, I’ll just grit my teeth and go to work anyway.

Now wide awake, Yeon Woo spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, mentally listing all the ways she could do things he’d absolutely hate.

***

“Assistant, Hye Jin. Long time no see.”

“Attorney Yang!”

“Did you have a good trip?”

Yang Ju Yeon, another attorney Yeon Woo assisted, had returned to the office after a week-long business trip.

Thanks to the long-absent mood-maker, the morning felt warmer and friendlier than usual.

The three of them chatted and caught up while enjoying snacks Yang Ju Yeon had brought back as souvenirs.

They happily exchanged stories—Yang Ju Yeon’s wild business trip anecdotes, office gossip that had accumulated over the week, and even how Yeon Woo ended up attending the French Business Association dinner party.

They laughed and chatted for a good while, until Yang Ju Yeon suddenly stared intently at Yeon Woo across from her and let out a startled exclamation.

“But Assistant Kim—you’ve got blood on your nose! Oh my goodness, you’re having a nosebleed!”

“Oh…”

“Here, Assistant—quick, clean it with a tissue!”

She’d actually had a brief nosebleed while washing her face that morning. She thought it had stopped, but apparently it was flowing again.

Gratefully accepting the tissues Hye Jin handed her, Yeon Woo tilted her head slightly backward.

“Now that I look closer, you look really pale. Have you been overworking yourself lately? Maybe you should just go home and rest.”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve just been sleep-deprived lately, and I’ve always gotten minor nosebleeds when I’m exhausted.”

“Really? I nearly had a heart attack! It’s not because I was away, right? Of course—it’s got to be Attorney Kwon.”

Ugh. Just hearing his name brought the vivid dream from last night rushing back.

Yeon Woo could only roll her eyes helplessly.

“Is Attorney Kwon tormenting you again? When’s that guy going to get a clue?”

Yang Ju Yeon, who earlier had pointed toward Kwon’s office—still empty—shook her head with a sigh.

Well… he did provide the cause, technically.

Hmm. But this time… it feels more like my own subconscious is actively digging me into a hole with wild fantasies I never even asked for.

Just then, as if reading her thoughts, Kwon Jun Hwi walked in with sharp, decisive footsteps.

Yeon Woo quickly gathered the tissues on her desk and covertly glanced into her compact mirror to check for any lingering stains.

Catching a sideways glimpse of Yeon Woo’s lively little gathering, Kwon passed by without stopping—until Yang Ju Yeon called out to him.

“Kwon. Aren’t you going to greet your senior, whom you haven’t seen in ages?”

“Why are you already here?”

“What do you mean? My trip ended, so I came to work.”

Ugh, it was just a dream—why does it bother me this much?

His mere presence subtly infused the office air with his scent, and at the same time, her breath caught in her throat.

She was supposed to start acting strange now to deliberately lower his expectations and get branded as “that odd one”—but the moment she met his indifferent gaze, all her resolve to perform vanished instantly.

Worse, her eyes landed right on his large, veined hand holding his phone—

Unconsciously, she found herself comparing it to the hand from her dream, and shivered involuntarily.

Burdened by tangled thoughts and guilt, Yeon Woo lowered her head to her monitor, pretending to check emails to avoid his gaze.

“Anything the matter?”

“A—ah, no.”

Noticing the sudden shift in Yeon Woo’s demeanor, Jun Hwi’s brow furrowed slightly.

It was just a morning greeting—why avoid eye contact like someone who’s done something wrong?

“Kwon. Stop bullying Assistant Kim.”

“What’s with the hostility first thing in the morning?”

“Just look at her face—it’s seriously ghostly pale. Ugh!”

Yang Ju Yeon, who always declared, “I’m a mom—I’m not afraid of anyone,” was indeed the only person unafraid of Kwon Jun Hwi. She laughed casually and playfully shoved him away from Yeon Woo.

With a slightly irritated expression, Jun Hwi exchanged a few more sharp words with Yang Ju Yeon before they both walked past Yeon Woo and disappeared into their respective offices.

Phew. Yeon Woo silently exhaled in relief and finally prepared to start her actual work—

[P Telecom—please return criminal case evidence materials.] — Sent at: 4:18 a.m.

“Gah!”

She nearly jumped out of her seat.

Even the email she’d opened to avoid looking at him carried traces of last night’s dream.

Our workaholic attorney—what were you doing awake at 4:18 a.m.?

***

Knock knock. Her knock on the half-open door of Attorney Kwon Jun Hwi’s office was unusually cautious.

“Come in.”

Always pressed for time—even down to the seconds spent opening and closing doors—his office door was perpetually left slightly ajar.

Through the narrow gap, she could see Jun Hwi sitting at his desk, sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, intently flipping through documents.

“It’s fine. Just get the signature and leave quickly—you’ve done this a hundred times, Kim Yeon Woo.”

Swallowing hard and taking a small breath, Yeon Woo tightly gripped the approval clipboard and carefully stepped inside.

“Attorney, we have expenses scheduled for the dinner party. Could you please sign the estimated expenditure confirmation?”

“You feeling okay?”

“Huh?”

“Your face looks bad—they said so, didn’t they? Yang mentioned it.”

Strange—he’s asking about her condition but acting so indifferent?

Still focused on his documents, Jun Hwi casually tossed out the question, sounding concerned yet detached.

“I’m fine. Please sign, Attorney.”

“…”

Yeon Woo placed the clipboard lightly on the edge of his desk and stood as far back as possible.

The moment she saw his silent hand pick up the clipboard and carefully scan its contents, that crazy dream flashed through her mind again.

“…Assistant.”

Suddenly calling her name, Jun Hwi’s long fingers popped open the top two buttons of his shirt—unguarded, since his tie was already off.

It’s just his usual habit when feeling stifled—why does it have to look so damn sexy?!

At the same time, in her dream, his lips—once brushing her hair—now traced a faint curve as they tilted upward.

“Oh, please…”

Ordinary moments that never fazed her before now played in agonizing slow motion.

Just sign already—stop dragging this out!

Yeon Woo squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

“What’s this? Dress rental, hairstyling, makeup?”

Predictably, his icy question followed.

Yeon Woo snapped back to reality. This was the crucial part.

“It’s for the party—I need a proper dress and matching hair and makeup.”

“And this one-time cost totals 3 million won?”

“Well… since it’s an event representing Ro And Yul, we have to go all-out! The dress is an imported new release—might cost a bit more. The makeup will be done at a famous designer studio in Cheongdam-dong—”

“…”

He stared intensely at the clipboard, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

Then his eyes slowly traveled over Yeon Woo standing beside him—full of open curiosity.

“It’s still cheaper than a single golf hospitality event. Fine.”

“Huh?”

“I’m approving the expenditure.”

That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting at all!