Chapter 11

The moment Kim Do-hee took Team Leader Park down, she immediately applied a triangle choke and shouted triumphantly.

“I told you not to underestimate someone who’s certified in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

“You work out, yet you can’t even fight fair! Argh, my whole body aches.”

When Park Jae-man smacked the training mat repeatedly with his thick palm, Kim Do-hee finally released the hold. She snorted and said,

“This isn’t a sport. When it’s a matter of you dying or me surviving, what’s the point of fighting fair? Keep that up and you’ll end up dead first.”

Just then, Do-hee’s smartwatch began buzzing insistently.

“I wonder what the CEO wants this early in the morning. Team Leader, you lost, so please clean everything up!”

With that, Kim Do-hee happily ran off.

Watching her retreating figure, Park Jae-man shook his head from side to side.

“That girl’s going to live alone for the rest of her life. She’s hopeless when it comes to getting married.”

Her rough-and-tumble personality was one thing, but the real problem was that there was only one man in the world who could possibly meet Kim Do-hee’s sky-high standards.

And all of it was the fault of his sinful boss.

Standing in front of the CEO’s office, Kim Do-hee cleared her throat before knocking.

The moment she received permission to enter, she strode inside.

“You called for me?”

“What happened to you this early in the morning?”

At Junhyuk’s reproach, Kim Do-hee scratched her cheek awkwardly as she explained.

“I had a little sparring session with Team Leader Park.”

She answered with an embarrassed smile.

Junhyuk shook his head and said,

“You seem bored. Looks like you can stop taking a break now.”

“Huh? Did a new project come up for me?”

“There’s an unofficial job.”

The word ‘unofficial’ could be interpreted in two ways.

It could mean a job that hadn’t come through the company.

Or it could mean the kind of job that absolutely must never become known to outsiders.

Honestly, whether it was the former or the latter, Kim Do-hee was ready to follow Junhyuk’s orders at any time.

To her, Han Junhyuk was both the lifeline that kept her going and the compass that guided her through life.

Her admiration for him had steadily grown until it had reached the point of outright adoration, which was becoming quite troublesome.

“I was getting restless anyway.”

At Do-hee’s hearty reply, Junhyuk let out a small chuckle.

Kim Do-hee thought it was a blessing that she got to spend her days looking at that handsome face with her own eyes, and raised her voice.

“Just tell me what you need!”

A file was then held out toward her.

“It’s a personal matter. Everything you need to know about the person, as well as the things you need to be careful about, is in that file. Familiarize yourself with it quickly.”

“Yes, sir!”

“She is publicly known, both inside and outside the company, as being visually impaired. Keep that in mind when you provide support.”

For a moment, a question mark appeared in Kim Do-hee’s mind.

When it came to work, CEO Han Junhyuk was the type of person who absolutely hated unnecessary words.

If the woman was visually impaired, then she was simply visually impaired. Why had he specifically added the words ‘publicly known, both inside and outside the company’?

There had to be a reason for that.

While Kim Do-hee was turning the matter over in her head, Han Junhyuk casually dropped another bombshell.

“She’s also the person I’m going to marry soon.”

Kim Do-hee doubted her own ears.

It had been such a long time since she had been alone with Han Junhyuk that she wondered if she had somehow misheard him.

“I’m counting on you.”

His lips barely moved, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Do-hee knew exactly what that expression meant.

Han Junhyuk was serious.

Seoha’s phone vibrated, breaking the silence as they had been driving for quite some time.

She raised her fingertip and traced the smooth surface of the screen until she found the spot where the vibration was coming from.

[Incoming call. Mother. Answer button.]

At the familiar mechanical voice, Seoha tapped the screen twice with her finger and answered the call.

“Where are you right now?”

Cha Mi-yeon’s voice was sharp with irritation.

Leaving without saying anything had been Seoha’s own quiet form of resistance. But given the circumstances, it wasn’t something that would cause much trouble.

After all, she had the perfect excuse at the moment.

“Mr. Han Junhyuk sent someone to pick me up. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

“Oh, is that what it was? I was wondering what had happened when you suddenly disappeared. He said he was going to send someone, and he really did act quickly.”

“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand.”

“That family must really not want to let you go. What could you possibly do if they came and took you away like they were kidnapping you? Since things have turned out this way, just enjoy yourself and come back.”

Cha Mi-yeon’s attitude had become remarkably generous, as though she had flipped her hand over.

After ending the call, Seoha muttered inwardly,

I don’t even know if I’ll be able to go back.

That was how much Han Junhyuk was like a bouncing ball to her—someone who could suddenly shoot off in any direction without warning.

She didn’t know for certain, but there was a high chance that things wouldn’t go the way her adoptive mother wanted today either.

And Seoha intended to do her part to increase those odds.

“The traffic is especially bad today.”

Perhaps she had been waiting for the call to end, because Kim Do-hee spoke up after asking for Seoha’s understanding.

“It’s nothing urgent, so don’t worry about it.”

Even as she said that, Seoha found herself wondering whether something like a ‘marriage registration’ would really be considered urgent for her.

If she thought about it carefully, it was certainly more urgent for her than it was for Han Junhyuk.

I don’t have time to be this relaxed. What will I do if that man really is as unpredictable as he seems?

Judging from the sudden proposal alone, there was no doubt that Han Junhyuk was an impulsive man.

And when it came to a man like that, Seoha couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of card she represented to him.

I just hope I’m a card he plans to use lightly and throw away.

That way, she would be able to carry out the plan she had been hiding without the slightest bit of guilt holding her back.

When the time came to end this meaningless marriage, the two of them would both be able to escape the shadows of their families and gain complete freedom.

The fact that Han Junhyuk was rushing into this arranged marriage without much resistance suggested that he might be thinking the same way she was.

That, at least, was reassuring.

“Are you uncomfortable in any way?”

At Kim Do-hee’s question, Seoha gave an awkward smile.

Perhaps she had been thinking too seriously for too long, because her expression must have looked rather gloomy.

“No, I’m fine.”

It wasn’t an empty answer.

The car was a large sedan, so there was plenty of space, and the ride was comfortable as well.

Seoha deliberately relaxed her body.

The moment she met Han Junhyuk again, she would inevitably become tense, and her body would stiffen all over.

Just as she was trying to break the chain of her thoughts, something Kim Do-hee had said suddenly came back to her.

‘CEO Han Junhyuk…’

That meant Kim Do-hee’s employer was Junhyuk.

But there was something about the relationship between the two of them that didn’t feel like a simple employer-and-employee relationship, and it bothered Seoha a little.

The mere fact that Junhyuk called Kim Do-hee by her first name was enough to reveal how close the two were.

In truth, there were many things Seoha was curious about regarding the two of them.

But she couldn’t exactly interrogate Do-hee outright, which left her feeling frustrated.

After hesitating for a moment, Seoha finally asked Kim Do-hee a question.

“Excuse me, if you don’t mind me asking, could you tell me what kind of work Mr. Han Junhyuk does?”

At Seoha’s question, Kim Do-hee let out a short breath that sounded almost like a sigh before answering coldly.

“You don’t even know what the CEO does?”

Even though Seoha could be rather insensitive at times, there was no way she could miss the thorn hidden in Do-hee’s words.

Perhaps the reason Kim Do-hee’s words sounded like criticism was because Seoha herself already felt insecure about the situation.

Even though they were discussing marriage, the only things they knew about each other were details they had heard indirectly.

What a ridiculous situation.

Since there was no reason to deliberately create awkwardness with someone she would have to keep seeing, Seoha quickly chose to apologize.

“I only heard in passing that he works in security. Honestly, I don’t know much more than that. I’m sorry if my question made you uncomfortable.”

Perhaps realizing that she had been a little too sensitive, Kim Do-hee reluctantly added a brief explanation.

“He runs a private security and protection company called Shield One Secure. Their goal is to provide high-end private security services. I work there as well.”

“Oh, I see.”

When Seoha pictured the security company alongside Han Junhyuk, the two seemed to fit together quite naturally.

Her curiosity remained unsatisfied, but sensing the subtle hostility emanating from Kim Do-hee, Seoha decided not to ask anything more.

Perhaps Do-hee had already heard about Seoha’s relationship with Junhyuk from him.

If that was the case, her attitude suddenly made more sense.

If someone you knew suddenly told you that he intended to marry a blind woman, it was only natural to be displeased.

Even if he added that it was because of a family matter, it probably wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to understand.

Just as an awkward silence settled over the car, Kim Do-hee received a phone call from somewhere and asked for Seoha’s understanding.

“This is Kim Do-hee. Yes, Senior Park. We’re near Hakdong Intersection. We’re almost there. We’ll arrive shortly.”

It was probably someone from the company.

But as the conversation continued, Kim Do-hee’s voice gradually became more serious.

“What do you mean by that?! All right, I understand. If you give me the address, I’ll head there immediately, so please send it to me.”

Judging only from Kim Do-hee’s words, it was difficult for Seoha to understand what had happened.