To the Missing Secretary (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
During the four years she worked as his secretary, Ra Jin had only gone to a restaurant with Jae Heon when there was a business meeting.
It was because she had rejected every one of Jae Heon’s dinner invitations.
There was only one reason.
To keep her feelings in check.
She feared that if they ever shared a meal alone together, she might start believing she was someone special to him. Her feelings would only deepen, and before she even realized it, she might confess—something she absolutely couldn’t afford to do.
“Secretary Sa.”
Snapped back to attention by his voice calling her name, Ra Jin cleared her throat, about to reply, “Yes, Director.”
“No, Ra Jin-ah.”
For a moment, Ra Jin was speechless. Her heart dropped with a thud.
Am I dreaming with my eyes open?
Or was it just a hallucination—a figment of her long-held imagination where Jae Heon called her by her name?
“It feels like it’s been a very long time since I’ve called you like this.”
Or perhaps never at all? Watching Jae Heon as he tried to recall, Ra Jin blinked slowly.
This wasn’t a dream. It was reality.
In reality, Jae Heon had just called her by her name.
“Anyway, I’d like you to think of us not as boss and subordinate right now, but as something a little more relaxed.”
Ra Jin hesitated, lips twitching slightly, before quietly asking,
“So this isn’t official business time… but personal time?”
The phrase “personal time” carried such a secret nuance that both of them felt a hot, shimmering haze rise within.
“Yes. Not Secretary Sa…”
Jae Heon’s voice dropped lower.
“But Sa Ra Jin.”
Hearing her name on his lips sounded incredibly sweet.
Unable to control her pounding heart, Ra Jin took a sip of her cocktail—but instead of cooling her down, it only made her feel hotter.
“…”
Jae Heon’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.
His gaze drifted to Ra Jin’s slightly flushed cheeks. Then his eyes slowly moved downward.
Her slender, pale fingers clutching the glass, her red lips touching the rim, the profile of her savoring the drink—all of it looked intensely alluring.
Even the way she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Startled by his own thoughts, he quickly averted his eyes and took a sip from his own glass.
Did I say something I shouldn’t have? He’d only suggested thinking of him as a senior, not a boss, hoping it would make it easier for her to open up.
He hadn’t expected his heart to race like this.
Caught in this strange atmosphere, they silently sipped their drinks.
Just moments ago, they’d been boss and secretary who understood each other’s thoughts better than anyone else.
But now that they’d entered “personal time,” they couldn’t read each other at all.
“Well…”
Ra Jin broke the silence first.
“Should I call you senior now?”
Jae Heon, well aware she was trying to lighten the mood, gave a slight smile and nodded.
“Yes. But drop the ‘-nim.’”
Hearing that, Ra Jin’s expression visibly relaxed.
“It’s been so long since anyone called me that.”
“I haven’t used that term in a long time either.”
Even back in college, she’d rarely addressed him that way.
“Do you attend alumni gatherings?”
“Sometimes. Everyone always asks about you… I mean, about senior.”
Though the new address felt awkward, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
In fact, it felt nice—like she and he had become closer.
“They’re just asking out of formality.”
“No, it’s not like that. Everyone always asks me how you’re doing whenever they see me. Even Seon Woo-oppa asked about you recently.”
Jae Heon paused, his brows tensing as he lifted his glass.
“You mean Jeong Seon Woo?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
His expression twisted subtly as Ra Jin nodded.
“Did you always call him that?”
Ra Jin blinked in surprise and asked without thinking,
“Seon Woo-oppa?”
Strange. Why did it feel so odd every time she called Seon Woo “oppa”?
Was it because he’d never heard her use that term before?
Yes, it must just feel awkward. That’s all—just awkward.
But… why did it feel so strangely unsettling?
“…Right, Jeong Seon Woo. I thought he used to call me ‘senior-nim.’”
“He started taking good care of me, so it just naturally changed.”
Naturally? How exactly does “Senior Jeong Seon Woo” naturally become “Seon Woo-oppa”?
Jae Heon frowned.
‘Why do I even care about this?’
He wasn’t the type to lose control over alcohol. He’d never once lost his senses or willpower because of it.
Yet today felt oddly different. He hadn’t drunk much, yet his mood was so unsteady.
Was it just because it felt awkward? Yes, that had to be it—just awkwardness.
After four years of working closely together, he’d never seen her use such a familiar term for another man.
Back in college, Ra Jin always called anyone even a year older “senior-nim.” He’d grown so accustomed to that—so of course this felt unbearably strange.
Jae Heon decided to change the subject. Hearing that awkward term from her lips again was making his head spin.
“Why the look?”
“Never mind. Enough about Jeong Seon Woo. I want to hear about you.”
“About… me?”
His gaze lowered slightly.
“Why you want to leave my side.”
His eyes conveyed such firm resolve—there was no way he’d let her go—that Ra Jin bit her lip hard. Her heartbeat pounded so loudly in her ears, she worried he might hear it too.
“Tell me what you want. I’ll grant anything.”
She pressed her palm firmly against her chest. Her heart raced like a runaway train.
Was she really allowed to say what she truly wanted?
As if reading her hesitation, he spoke again.
“It’s okay. Be honest. I’ll do anything.”
Ra Jin forced herself to appear calm as she opened her mouth.
“Why do you say things like that so carelessly? How do you even know what I want?”
“I already told you—I’ll grant anything. Have you ever seen me make empty promises?”
Yet she remained silent, fidgeting nervously with her hands.
Jae Heon’s brow furrowed.
What could she possibly want that made her hesitate so much?
Maybe it was something he couldn’t handle.
‘I’d better prepare myself.’
He made a firm resolution.
Whatever Ra Jin wished for, he would make it happen.
“First…”
His eyes fixed on her lips.
“Can I order another cocktail?”
For a brief moment, he was taken aback by her anticlimactic reply.
‘Is it so huge she needs alcohol to say it?’
Feeling tense himself, he ordered another martini.
Before getting to the main point, Jae Heon tried to ease the mood by starting a conversation.
“Secretary Sa—no, Ra Jin, how’s your alcohol tolerance?”
“I drink moderately.”
“You seem confident.”
“I’ve never caused trouble for others.”
It was true—she’d never drunk to the point of intoxication.
“Good to know.”
They lifted their glasses.
And, as if by unspoken agreement, avoided the main topic for a while, chatting casually about people around them.
They filled the silences between conversations with quiet sips of their drinks.
Jae Heon watched Ra Jin intently.
“You drink well.”
She dabbed the corner of her mouth with her long fingers.
“I told you I wouldn’t cause trouble.”
“Right. Secretary Sa—no, Ra Jin isn’t the type to trouble anyone.”
She was the only person with whom he felt completely at ease, even when alone.
“You’ve been treating me very well.”
“…”
“And I hope you’ll keep doing that by my side.”
For some reason, Jae Heon’s gaze and smile toward her felt unusually kind.
His familiar warmth—something she’d never seen before—made Ra Jin’s heart melt like soft butter.
She tightened her grip on her cocktail glass.
She feared her emotions might spill over like liquid if she wasn’t careful.
Pretending nonchalance, she took another sip of the red liquid.
The sweet-bitter taste slid down her throat, warming her from within.
“So now, tell me.”
Ra Jin fell silent, her eyes fixed somewhere on the table as she gathered her thoughts.
“…”
She wasn’t in the right mood to speak easily.
After a brief pause, Jae Heon spoke first.
“I have a chronic condition.”
Ra Jin’s eyes widened in shock, her lips parting slightly as she stared at him.
For some reason, Jae Heon couldn’t look away from her damp, parted lips.
“Director?”
“…Ah, sorry.”
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
It was unimaginable. Jae Heon, with his massive frame, ironclad health, and monstrous stamina—how could he have a chronic illness?
‘That’s strange. All his health check-ups came back fine.’
Was it something serious? Seeing the worry in Ra Jin’s eyes, Jae Heon felt a dull ache in his chest.
‘Why is this happening?’
He pressed his palm firmly against his left chest.
“Director, we should leave now.”
Ra Jin set down her glass. This wasn’t the time for drinks.
“I’ll take you home. If I call Dr. Jung right now, they’ll be here within thirty minutes…”
“No.”
Jae Heon’s large hand gently covered her slender, pale one as she tried to stand.
“I’m fine.”
This time, Ra Jin lost her words. Her gaze was fixed on his hand over hers.
It was warm. No—too warm, almost hot.
She couldn’t tell if it was the heat from his hand or from her own heart.
It was the first time they’d ever held hands.
The first time their bodies had touched so intimately.
“And I’d like you to correct your address again. It’s still personal time.”
She felt as if her heart was pressed right against her palm beneath his grip.
His touch burned as if he were holding her heart in his hand.
“And the chronic condition I suffer from…”
Still holding her hand, unaware of her inner turmoil, he continued,
“…isn’t something Dr. Jung can cure.”
Ra Jin slowly pulled her gaze from his hand and looked into his eyes.
“Then what kind of…”
Her eyes, even more glistening than before, momentarily stole his words.
Had Ra Jin’s eyes always been this moist?
It must have been his imagination—but for some reason, they seemed filled with affection and longing.
His dark pupils drifted slowly from her eyes down to her red lips, which had held his gaze captive all along.
They were lush and captivating—like a solitary camellia blooming red in deep winter, or a summer rose releasing a powerful fragrance.
He’d always known her neck was long, and the line from her neck to her shoulders was beautiful.
And sometimes… she had a side so endearing he wanted to stroke her head.
“Director.”
At the sound of her voice calling him, Jae Heon’s gaze slowly rose back to her face.
Then, slowly, he reached out and cupped her cheek.
“I told you not to call me that.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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