As the sharp lines of the eyes, lacking double eyelids, drew a sharp diagonal line, the already imposing impression became even more menacing.

Usually, she would have been cautious, but instead of that, Hyegyeong didn’t stop her disdainful gaze, twisting the corner of her mouth even more when she turned away and faced the iron bars again.

“Hey! Is there anyone here? Can’t you hear me? Hey…! Agh!!”

Suddenly, an inmate who had approached Hyegyeong from behind grabbed her hair violently.

Being dragged into the center of the cell without exerting any force, Hyegyeong struggled with her whole body, writhing.

Before she knew it, other inmates in the same room surrounded and gathered around Hyegyeong.

Yet, Hyegyeong, without blinking an eye, shouted even louder.

“Hey, aren’t you letting go of this? Do you know who I am? I’m Hye-Kyung Han, the daughter of Taesin Group!!”
“Sigh, okay then. You don’t know that you’re a noblewoman from a prestigious conglomerate. But are you still acting like a strong lady from the outside? Here, we’re all the same criminals who entered by committing crimes, you X!”

The inmate spared no harsh words, spitting them out while letting go of Hyegyeong’s hair as if striking her with a slap.

Then, he glanced at other inmates gathered around.

As if they had made a prior arrangement, over ten inmates moved decisively.

Soon, a blanket covered Hyegyeong, and without a chance to resist, a relentless beating rained down on her.

In a violent situation she had never experienced before, Hyegyeong panicked and was busy crouching her body.

The merciless violence continued for a long time.

However, that was only the beginning of the pitch-black darkness that unfolded before Hyegyeong.

At that time, Hyegyeong did not know that fact.

Five years later, at the Taesin Group headquarters.

Suyeon, who had been unable to take her eyes off the monitor for a long time, glanced at the clock and quickly gathered her belongings.

“Team leader, are you leaving?”

It was the moment when she was about to get up from her seat. Someone spoke to Suyeon.

“Ah, Miss Jieun.”

“You never even blinked when I asked you to leave at other times, but today you’re leaving early? Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes. I have an evening appointment.”

At the end of the words “evening appointment,” Suyeon nodded, smiling casually, and Jieun narrowed the eyes around her while closing the distance in an instant.

“Could it be a date with our CEO?”

“What? Oh… well.”

Suyeon mumbled an answer, nodding her head.

It wasn’t a date with Inho, but it was true that Inho would also be coming to the meal.

“You looked especially beautiful today for some reason! Ha, I envy you. No, how does our CEO shine more and more as he ages? By the way, wasn’t he supposed to go to the movies with his boyfriend yesterday? After watching a movie that our CEO starred in, they almost had a big fight as soon as they came out.”

“With his boyfriend? Why?”

“Throughout the movie, our CEO’s face was doing something, and it was so grateful that I almost shed tears. Haha, what did you say? Haha.”

Suyeon laughed cheerfully at Jieun’s jest.

In her heart, she wanted to spend more time with Jieun, but it seemed that even if she left now, the appointment time was imminent.

Suyeon got up from her seat with a regretful expression.

“When I meet my husband later, I’ll be sure to tell him. Miss Jieun went to see the movie as soon as it was released.”

“Really? You’re not joking, right? Ha, just knowing that you recognize me as a fan is overly honorable. Thanks to you, I’m getting closer to being a fan every day!”

With a touched expression, Jieun grabbed Suyeon’s hand warmly.

Then, leading the way, she headed towards the elevator.

It seemed like she was going to see her off.

Coincidentally, the elevator on the upper floor was already there.

Jieun pressed the elevator button herself and did not take her admiring gaze off Suyeon until she got on.
“Be careful going in, Team Leader.”

A voice full of aegyo poured through the closing elevator doors.

Suyeon grinned and waved at Ji-eun.

“Ji-eun, leave soon too. See you next week!”

As the doors closed, Suyeon pressed the B3 button with her familiar touch.

At the same time, the phone she had placed in her bag vibrated.

Hastily taking out her phone, she saw Inho’s name on the screen.

Just seeing that made a bright smile appear on Suyeon’s lips.

“Yes, Inho.”

Did you finish work?

“I just got on the elevator now.”

Now? It’s been 30 minutes past the closing time. What kind of company overworks its employees like this? I really hate it.

“I was about to leave, but I didn’t realize the time because I was too focused on checking some data.”

So why does that darn company keep passing on tasks that should be done by someone else to you?

A forced complaint followed consecutively through the phone.

Suyeon couldn’t hold back her laughter.

He used to actively support and cheer for her when they first discussed the issue of her joining the Taesin Group.

However, he started complaining more frequently from the time she was promoted to team leader and overtime became more frequent.

Precisely, it was around the time she, who used to be an ordinary employee, became a team leader.

Suyeon quickly changed the subject.

“Inho, did you leave?”

-… No, not yet.

“Why? Didn’t you say the shoot would be over around 5? You even said you might arrive earlier than me.”

I thought so, but a front goddamn delay kept happening, so the overall shooting got postponed.

Inho expressed his frustration with a voice full of disappointment.

Suyeon asked Inho while getting off the elevator that had just stopped.

“Really? Our husband must have worked hard all day.”

It was something she couldn’t have imagined saying before, but now it came out casually.

Forget it. I thought I was going to die of frustration because of how many times I made NGs in such an easy scene.

“Stop it. It’s not like I’m pushing around a junior just starting. Right?”

I’m not an amateur, and I’ve been in this field for a few years. If I behaved like that, I would have been more nervous and made mistakes I hadn’t made before. I barely finished by calming and comforting them.

While Inho was venting about what happened around lunchtime, Suyeon got into her parked car.

As soon as she started the engine and connected her phone to the car’s Bluetooth, Inho’s voice filled the car.

Ah, I miss Choi Suyeon. Oh? Are you in the car now?

Whether it was a change in sound quality or not, he, who had been muttering about wanting to see her like a child, immediately guessed Suyeon’s location.

Suyeon answered while fastening her seatbelt.

“Yes, I just got in.”

Then hang up and focus on driving. Anyway, I called to tell you that I might be a bit late.
“I got it. No need to hurry, so finish your schedule well and come slowly.”

Okay. Still, try to come as quickly as possible, and don’t smile too widely in my absence.

Suyeon couldn’t help but let out another laugh.

The reason for the somewhat mischievous tone in the plea was too transparent.

“I understand. See you later.”

Knowing but pretending not to, she concluded the call.

Then, she confidently stepped on the accelerator.

It had been about three years since she got a car, back when she didn’t know how to drive.

Around that time, when she joined Taesin Group, she received the car as a gift from Inho.

Joining Taesin Group headquarters was not originally part of her plan.

Thinking that the abandonment issue was settled and she was completely free, she suddenly wanted to try studying something she was interested in.

So, belatedly, she entered graduate school to start studying. About a semester before graduation, when she met Hyunjung after a long time, he unexpectedly made her an offer she hadn’t thought of.