Chapter 5

“You sure do answer well for someone who’s trembling.”

“And if you keep giving me such expensive gifts like today… even if you don’t intend it that way, Director, I can’t help but feel a sense of responsibility. So next time, please don’t put gifts in my bag—”

“Wrong. Spend all day today thinking about me.”

“…Sorry?”

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t want it’?”

Seungjo wrapped an arm around Haejoo’s waist and pulled him close. The three steps of distance—symbolic of the space Haejoo always tried to maintain—disappeared in an instant.

“I’m giving it to you so that you take responsibility for our relationship, Seon Haejoo.”

“D-Director…!”

Haejoo’s voice trembled. Seungjo’s face was dangerously close, and their lower bodies were pressed together. At some point, Seungjo had grown noticeably hard, as if ready to take Haejoo right then and there.

“People like to work for what they’re given. And when they’re rewarded for doing well, it excites them even more.”

With a calm smile, Seungjo cupped Haejoo in his arms and brushed his lips against him.

“You’re doing great, Seon Haejoo. That’s why I keep rewarding you. And I’ll keep doing it—as long as you stay this pretty.”

“I never said I’d sleep with you for money!”

“Why not enjoy the best of both worlds? Wouldn’t it be great to have a man who fills both your stomach and your wallet?”

Seungjo lightly bit and sucked on Haejoo’s lower lip. His charming smile invaded Haejoo’s mouth. When his skilled tongue pressed against Haejoo’s sensitive spots, Haejoo’s body flushed with heat and involuntarily clung to him.

In one smooth motion, Seungjo lifted Haejoo with an arm and walked over to the office window, drawing the blinds. Haejoo, breathing hot and fast, gently traced the blue veins on Seungjo’s forearm. He couldn’t deny it—Director Tae Seungjo was dangerously sexy and impossible to resist.

Buzz—

A phone vibrated somewhere. Realizing again that they were in the executive office, Haejoo blushed. He was lying on the office desk, and as he tried to sit up, Seungjo gently grabbed his ankle and slid between his legs.

“Director!”

With nowhere to run, Haejoo looked up at him, startled.

“Shh. Don’t want someone else hearing that pretty voice of yours.”

Seungjo gently kissed Haejoo’s cheek, then answered his phone.

“Chairman. Your nephew is currently in the middle of… an intense moment with a woman. I’m afraid he’s too distracted to respond. He can’t see anything beyond the woman in front of him right now…”

“Hngh…”

“Before you see something you’ll regret, I’m hanging up.”

He ended the call and tossed the phone aside. Then, he pressed his lips to the red marks on Haejoo’s collarbone, already littered with signs of their long night together.

Two Days Later — Taehwa Group’s Foundation Anniversary Banquet

“That drunken fool! Someone drag him out immediately!”

It was the foundation anniversary of the Taehwa Group, scheduled to match Seungjo’s return from a business trip. As the banquet was underway, the voice of Madam Hong Na-ae thundered through the hall, filling the air with tension.

“Our company’s AI integrated tech initiative—hiccup—was led by our precious Taehwa…!”

Everyone tensed—except one man, oblivious to the mood.

“How dare you show up drunk on such an important day for the company?”

“He looks just like his usual self, actually. And honestly, Grandma, you’re the only one surprised.”

Seungjo responded lazily, his tone light. The man drawing all the attention—President Sangyoon, Seungjo’s cousin—had mistaken the microphone for ice cream and was now licking it like a dog.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief. Everyone except Seungjo, who simply crossed his legs and watched with a calm expression.

Even as the security team prepared to rush the stage to preserve the president’s dignity, Seungjo only gave a slight signal for them to wait.

“He’s humiliating us! He was never fit for that role! Strip him of the presidency immediately!”

Madam Na-ae fumed, waving her hand furiously. Trying to calm her down, her daughter-in-law Heeyoung quickly interjected.

“M-Mother! Sangyoon has had a lot of drinking engagements lately because of work. He’s been staying up night and day thinking about how to make Taehwa shine…”

“Yes, the North American business license situation has been stressing him,” added Chairman Jaewoong, Sangyoon’s father. He looked disappointed but too proud to openly admit it.

“Chairman Tae, you’re saying the right thing! The North America deal may have started with Sangyoon, but who finished it?”

“That’s in the past now—”

“Who almost lost us billions by signing a contract without checking it properly? Who saved the company from losing its investors?”

“……”

“It was Director Tae Seungjo! And he didn’t just fix it—he brought in astronomical profits!”

“……”

“He should’ve been president from the start! I gave Sangyoon the chance out of pity, and look what he’s done—dragged Taehwa through the mud!”

Chairman Jaewoong’s neck flushed red with anger.

That damn Seungjo! Director Tae Seungjo!

His fists clenched as he looked at his nephew. While the banquet hall had descended into chaos, Seungjo remained the only one composed—checking his watch, massaging his neck, and flipping through a sales report on his tablet.

He’s always so damn calm.

Jaewoong, the eldest of the Tae family, had once lost the company to his more competent younger brother. And now, even his brother’s son was eclipsing his own.

His only son couldn’t handle anything, while Director Seungjo continued to gain loyalty and admiration from the company’s executives. Some even mistakenly called Seungjo “President” at work dinners.

Grinding his teeth, Jaewoong tried to mask his humiliation.

“S-Sir, you can’t do that here!”

“What, can’t I take a piss now? Should I do it on your ugly face instead?”

Now Sangyoon was holding himself and trying to relieve himself in public. The staff were scrambling.

Just as Jaewoong was about to signal the security team, Seungjo gave a casual nod. Only then did the guards step in, dragging Sangyoon out of the hall.

It was a clear sign: Seungjo had intentionally delayed their intervention to let the humiliation play out.

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll make sure the president is escorted safely to his hotel room.”

Unfazed by Jaewoong’s furious glare, Seungjo met his eyes, his words polite but his smile smug and his tapping foot arrogant.

“Whatever mess he makes in that hotel room—whether it’s piss in the bed or shit on the walls—will stay there. You have my word.”

Pretending to take care of Sangyoon, Seungjo’s gaze made it clear he looked down on him.

Jaewoong’s jaw tightened.

Even to another man, Seungjo was breathtakingly handsome—sharp, composed, calculating. He exuded power and charisma that commanded attention wherever he went.

Though he never said it aloud, Jaewoong always had to stay sharp just to avoid being swept away by someone like Seungjo.

“Secretary Kang, skip the speech. Proceed straight to the Outstanding Employee Awards. And make sure we have the attending reporters’ list.”

Seungjo gave concise instructions to his secretary, who ran to the emcee. The chaotic hall calmed in seconds, reporters’ lips effectively sealed—just as he intended.

As the banquet resumed, everyone took note of Seungjo’s influence, and Jaewoong’s pride took another crushing blow.

That sly fox of a man!

Heeyoung, sitting nearby, glared at Seungjo just as fiercely.

“Mother! How could you keep comparing our Sangyoon to that actor’s son? That boy may have half Taehwa blood, but the other half is from a sly woman who seduced her husband with her pretty face! A stage-acting fox, that’s what he is!”