Chapter 6
Because of her injured hand, Ye-eun was exempted from weekend duties. She had been advised to go to the hospital, but she didn’t bother.
She had quickly treated it herself with compresses and ointment, so it didn’t hurt much.
Still, Ye-eun wrapped her hand in bandages more thickly than necessary. The reason was simple: the injured hand was her right one.
It gave her a perfectly legitimate excuse to avoid entering Yoo-eun’s studio.
Ye-eun clenched the heavily bandaged hand. Since the injury was on the back of her hand, her fingers were unharmed.
Which meant, in practice, there was no real problem with performing everyday tasks.
The overly thick bandage had its drawbacks, however.
“Yoo-eun! I told you, no kitchen work. What are you trying to do with that hand?”
Yeong-sook sharply scolded her as she entered the kitchen.
“That’s right, Yoo-eun. This time, your sister is correct.”
Jung-won, standing beside her, chimed in.
“And anyway, kitchen duties aren’t really your job, are they?”
Unlike the busy staff preparing breakfast, Ye-eun only needed to make a cup of coffee, leaving her with plenty of free time. She had stopped by the kitchen to greet them.
“Get out, quickly! Before I end up doing your work too.”
She was promptly sent out.
Recalling the morning’s commotion, Ye-eun knocked on the study door.
As soon as she opened it with permission, she nearly dropped the tray she was holding.
Do-kyung was standing right in front of her.
No wonder his voice had sounded so close… Ye-eun steadied her racing heart and spoke.
“…Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Do-kyung responded briefly and took the tray from Ye-eun’s hand.
“Did you go to the hospital?”
Ye-eun hadn’t, but explaining the truth would have required too many words.
“Yes.”
Her firm answer made Do-kyung lift the corners of his mouth slightly.
“I’ve noticed before, but Secretary Chae, you seem to have a habit of lying. I’ll have to filter what you say to some extent.”
He placed the tray on the table, then looked at Ye-eun’s bandaged hand.
“Do you get injured often?”
“No.”
“See? Another lie. That’s not a first-timer’s bandaging.”
Do-kyung mimicked the motion of wrapping a bandage.
Ye-eun felt unfairly accused. This time, she really wasn’t lying. She hadn’t been injured frequently, nor had she needed bandages much recently—it was all in the past.
“Can you do this for me?”
“This?”
Ye-eun lifted her injured hand, and Do-kyung nodded shortly.
“…Where did you hurt yourself?”
“No… it’s not that.”
Why wrap a bandage when she wasn’t even hurt…?
Seeing Ye-eun’s oddly contorted expression, Do-kyung smiled slightly.
“Not yet, but it seems like it might happen soon.”
A question flickered across Ye-eun’s face. Do-kyung picked up a file from the table.
“You’ve thought this through, I assume?”
Ye-eun opened the file.
[Secret Rendezvous Contract]
Her brow furrowed at the complex terms on the very first line.
“So, what’s your answer?”
“…You already said the answer was predetermined.”
“It wasn’t a threat.”
Do-kyung tilted his head slightly, exuding shameless confidence.
“To me, it felt like a threat anyway.”
Ye-eun said boldly. Do-kyung read through the document carefully, leaving her with instructions to sign it before starting his preparations for work.
His crisp white shirt accentuated his broad shoulders. The muscles underneath the fabric were clearly defined.
Do-kyung picked up a dark blue tie and, with fluid, practiced movements, expertly tied it.
The sequence of movements looked like a scene from a fashion shoot. Ye-eun watched, almost hypnotized, forgetting that she herself was there.
“I wasn’t trying to make you stare.”
If Do-kyung hadn’t commented, she might have kept watching him endlessly. Flustered, she quickly lowered her gaze.
“…I didn’t look, sir.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, because I’m cross-eyed.”
Though she could have boldly admitted to looking, for some reason, she couldn’t in front of Do-kyung. Ye-eun felt childish for it.
“Ah, so Secretary Chae lies skillfully, often gets injured, and is cross-eyed.”
Clearly sarcastic. Ye-eun responded by staring at the file instead.
After a few minutes, she suddenly lifted her head.
“…But I’m also Chae.”
Do-kyung tilted his head slightly, as if to ask what she meant.
“Technically, I’m also Secretary Chae. You kept calling me ‘Secretary Chae, little sister.’”
Do-kyung laughed, clearly not expecting that.
“But Secretary Chae, little sister, isn’t my secretary.”
“That’s right. She isn’t.”
Ye-eun picked up the file and stood, approaching Do-kyung.
“Until just now.”
She opened the file wide.
“But now, I’m effectively your secretary. And I’ve even agreed to the secret rendezvous.”
Tapping the signature line with her finger, Ye-eun smiled, her eyes curved like crescents and her lips spread freely.
Her hair swayed with her movements, carrying a subtle, sweet citrus scent.
Though her eyes were round, they didn’t appear gentle. The gaze within them carried firmness and boldness.
Her smile had a unique charm. A gentle breeze seemed to drift past.
Seeing the lively, bouncing signature on the line, Do-kyung felt a tightening in his throat. The signature resembled Ye-eun herself.
“…What are you doing?”
While Do-kyung momentarily lost focus, Ye-eun had already reached him and ruthlessly untied his neatly tied tie.
“Uh… just practicing,” Ye-eun said.
She attempted to retie the loosened tie, seemingly unaware of how close they were.
Do-kyung, briefly flustered in an uncharacteristic way, soon let out a small laugh.
“Huh.”
Was that a hit?
Chae Ye-eun was unpredictable, the most unpredictable person Do-kyung had ever dealt with. Bold, confident, shameless…
She could be easily flustered yet pretend not to be—it was strangely entertaining.
Her idea to stay here on behalf of her sister was completely outside his expectations.
Perhaps backed by her confidence, Ye-eun imitated Yoo-eun exceptionally well. Her situational awareness was high, she blended in with the staff, and no one suspected her—not even the servants.
Seeing her two days ago, helpless before Mrs. Jung, was unpleasant.
Even though it made sense as part of her Yoo-eun act, Ye-eun remaining passive wasn’t particularly pleasing.
He just wished she would act like herself. Though he’d only seen her for a few days, it was amusing—her behavior was entertaining.
Look now: she boldly untied the tie, assuming she could easily tie it again…
Her hands were clumsy. It wasn’t as easy as she thought, and she frowned in concentration. Her slightly pursed lips betrayed her focus.
Do-kyung considered watching her longer but needed to leave for work.
He lightly took her hands, aligning them with his, and began tying the tie together.
The previously clumsy movements became skillful instantly.
“…Wow.”
Ye-eun couldn’t hide her admiration at the neatly tied tie.
“How can it be so easy…!”
Excited, she looked up sharply, only to realize Do-kyung’s face was directly in front of hers. She hadn’t noticed how close they were, or that her hands were in his.
Untying his tie had been a childish impulse. She wanted to see his flustered expression.
Seeing him retie it so easily, she had assumed she could do the same.
This situation was completely unexpected.
“You may be good at wrapping, but apparently not at tying.”
A low voice landed directly over Ye-eun’s head. She flinched and tried to step back.
Do-kyung, however, pulled her closer. Her lashes trembled, and a playful glint appeared in his eyes.
He leaned toward her, closer and closer, with no intention of stopping.
“…!”
