CHAPTER 70……………………………………..
All the employees, including Haroo, were startled by Lee Han’s sudden appearance.
The team leaders rose from their seats to personally greet the CEO who had come to their office.
“How did the CEO end up here…?”
“The response to the recently launched series has been excellent. I came to congratulate and encourage everyone. Lunch has been prepared generously, so enjoy.”
“Thank you!”
Everyone in the office cheered and hurriedly expressed their gratitude to Lee Han.
Lee Han smiled in response, but his gaze lingered on one spot for a long time.
Haroo flinched as their eyes met.
Like a guilty thief, she always found it hard to manage her expression whenever she saw him at work.
“Then, keep up the good work, and enjoy your meal.”
Lee Han left the office after receiving the employees’ greetings.
The employees who opened the lunch boxes he had provided erupted in excitement.
“Wow! Look at the quality of this sushi!”
“Whoa, there’s even lobster. Lobster for office lunch?”
“And desserts too! Today, our taste buds are in for a treat!”
Haroo glanced at the menu from a distance and smiled faintly.
Was it just a coincidence? The lunch contained only her favorite foods.
Even though they had agreed to keep their relationship secret, he was making it obvious in this way.
Fortunately, it seemed no one else noticed. After all, no one could have imagined she was dating him.
The excited staff busily prepared their meals.
The long table in the office was lined with premium lunch boxes.
“Translator, come quickly too!”
Haroo, about to take a step, felt her phone vibrate briefly in her hand.
“After you finish your meal, come to the CEO’s private meeting room. It’s the CEO’s special instruction.”
Haroo quickly set her phone down on the desk, making sure no one was looking.
She then went to the empty seat at the prepared table and sat down.
“Isn’t our CEO amazing? He even pays such close attention to the employees.”
“Yes. He confidently revealed something difficult to share—he really is remarkable.”
“He’s perfect inside and out.”
The employees praised Lee Han without holding back.
Haroo couldn’t believe that such an incredible man was her boyfriend.
Vice Chairman Tae Hyun-mook had married strategically early in life, had two sons with his ex-wife, and later divorced.
After the divorce, he went on a long business trip to Italy and fell into a dreamlike romance with an Italian woman he met by chance.
But unless he gave up his status, their relationship could go no further.
He returned to Korea, leaving his memories of Italy behind.
By the time he learned that she was expecting his child, he was already preparing for another marriage.
Having experienced the failure of a strategic marriage, he again arranged a marriage much like a business transaction.
The woman in Italy, knowing everything, chose to have and raise the child anyway, and Hyun-mook couldn’t oppose her wishes.
However, after remarrying Hwaran, children were slow to come, and accidents involving the two sons from his previous marriage left the heir position suddenly vacant.
After much deliberation, Hyun-mook decided to place Lee Han in that position.
To prepare for any situation, Lee Han completed high school in Korea and continued his management studies, ready to apply his skills when the time came.
Hwaran, though not exactly pleased with Lee Han, deliberately treated him warmly as her son to prove his worth.
The Tae couple had kept Lee Han’s identity completely hidden to prevent any revelation.
– What exactly have you done!
Only after the article was published did Hyun-mook learn of Lee Han’s unilateral actions, and he was furious.
“How long did you intend to keep hiding this?”
Lee Han spent his childhood in Italy without knowing who his father was.
It wasn’t until he was eight that his mother revealed the long-kept story.
“I have no intention of living in hiding anymore.”
Italian-Korean mixed, son of a single mother, only recognized as necessary, never truly acknowledged as a son.
All of this was the Lee Han created by Tae Hyun-mook.
But Lee Han had decided he would no longer live confined to that framework.
After lunch, Haroo went to the private meeting room next to the CEO’s office.
At first, she had thought it wasn’t her place and had laughed off Lee Han’s message.
But he had deliberately created a reason to call her to the CEO’s office.
Guided inside, she saw Lee Han sitting cross-legged on the sofa at the head of the room.
“CEO.”
“Yes, Translator. You’re here?”
Lee Han smiled slightly at her.
Haroo, making sure the door was closed, approached him and said:
“How can you call me here like this during work?”
“I’ve always dreamed of an office romance.”
While Haroo worried if anyone would notice, he acted completely nonchalant.
“Did you enjoy lunch?”
“Yes.”
“I wanted to feed you something delicious, and I wanted to see you again, so I did things I usually don’t… even came to the office.”
Haroo let out a soft sigh.
“Still, calling me here under the excuse of translating documents… does that make sense?”
Lee Han explained there were documents with specialized terms difficult to interpret, so he instructed the translator to come to the CEO’s office.
Even though she knew Lee Han wouldn’t need her for such work, she had no choice but to comply. Refusing would have looked suspicious.
“The document to translate?”
“There isn’t one, of course.”
Seeing Lee Han smile, Haroo forced a smile and lowered her head.
“If there’s nothing to discuss, I’ll be going, CEO.”
“I said there’s no document to translate, not that there’s nothing to discuss.”
When Haroo didn’t intend to sit, Lee Han finally rose and said:
“As you saw when you came in, no one can see inside this meeting room from the outside. Whatever we do in here is completely private.”
The meeting room had special security, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
“It’s also very well soundproofed.”
He finished speaking and stepped closer to Haroo.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.
“Why… what are you trying to do…?”
“In a place where no one can see or hear, what do you think I want to do with you, Haroo?”
The corner of his mouth lifted, and Haroo glanced nervously at the invisible walls beyond.
“This is the office.”
“I know. Office romance has always been my dream.”
“Still… here…”
She couldn’t argue further—the rest of her protest was silenced by Lee Han’s lips.
When their lips met, Haroo opened her eyes wide in surprise.
She lightly pushed his chest in an attempt to stop him.
Unexpectedly, he drew back and asked:
“You saw the article, right? I didn’t mention you out of consideration. Since it’s already revealed, should I let everyone know we’re… involved too?”
“Huh?”
Her eyes trembled with shock.
Seeing her frightened, Lee Han whispered softly:
“I’ll keep it a secret, so cooperate with me.”
He lowered his head and pressed his lips deeply against hers again.
Haroo’s hand, gripping the edge of her suit jacket, gradually lost strength.
As her wide eyes slowly closed, Lee Han tilted his head and mingled their saliva.
The quiet meeting room echoed with the wet friction.
Lee Han held Haroo until, after a long while, he finally let her go.
“Hah… hah…”
Breathing heavily from the intensity, he spoke to Haroo, who looked at him with dazed eyes.
“I want to do more, but I’ll hold back.”
His long fingers gently stroked her hair.
“I’ll let you go now, see you at home.”
Finally, Haroo was able to leave the meeting room.
Feeling like she’d committed some petty theft, she kept nervously adjusting her clothes.
A secret kiss at the office—her heart was pounding, almost unbearable.
She lowered her head and hurried to the elevator, only for someone to block her path.
“Haroo.”
Startled, she froze, then relaxed when she recognized Dain’s face.
“You scared me.”
“Scared? What did you do that was so scary?”
“Well… nothing.”
Dain laughed, amused at her averted gaze.
“It’s all over your face. You can’t hide anything. Anyone would notice just by looking at you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Alright, let’s say nothing happened. The CEO calling you here was just a coincidence.”
Dain seemed to notice everything, as usual.
Haroo decided to play along and pretend she didn’t know.
“My temporary secretary contract ends soon.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. It’s already that time. We’ll have a drink together, right?”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Leaving the office, Haroo’s phone vibrated again. The caller was unknown.
“Hello?”
-Hello, this is Detective Kang Dong-seok from the Southern Seoul Police Station.
