Chapter 7
“…!”
As if he had no brakes, Do-gyeong moved closer—then, just before their noses could touch, he let Yeo-eun go.
As the lingering scent of sandalwood that had clouded her mind began to fade, Yeo-eun regained her senses. At the same time, heat rushed to her face.
“…Wh-what was that just now…?”
She couldn’t even form a proper sentence. Do-gyeong’s sudden action had clearly shaken her.
“Hmm… Think of it as practice?”
Do-gyeong echoed her words, the corners of his lips lifting lazily.
“I look forward to working with you, Secretary—especially after promising a rendezvous.”
His elegantly curved eyes were captivating. It was the relaxed smile of a victor. Once again, Yeo-eun felt a deep sense of defeat.
After finishing the evening schedule, Yeo-eun headed toward the annex bedroom.
Bzz—. The phone in her pocket vibrated. She took it out.
The new phone still felt unfamiliar. That day, she had changed both her device and her number. The old number was too likely to lead back to her.
It was a necessary step to maintain her new identity. She had given the new number to only two people.
[There are no particular changes or abnormalities.]
The message was from Teacher Kang—one of the two. He was overseeing Yoo-eun’s treatment and sent Yeo-eun daily updates.
Yoo-eun’s condition had improved significantly, but she still hadn’t regained consciousness. According to him, it now depended on her own will.
All that remained was for Yeo-eun to eliminate the one responsible for Yoo-eun’s suffering… and for Yoo-eun to wake up.
But… how long would that take?
With each passing day, impatience grew. She had already received more help than she deserved, so she needed to resolve everything as quickly as possible.
After sending a message of thanks, Yeo-eun looked down at her hand. She could still use her fingers, but the thick bandaging was inconvenient.
She took out a first-aid kit, grabbed ointment and fresh bandages, and removed the old wrapping. The dressing was done quickly and effortlessly.
As expected, dressing a wound wasn’t difficult.
‘Just because you’re good at wrapping doesn’t mean you’re good at tying it off.’
…Damn it.
The voice that surfaced so naturally made her curse under her breath.
Cha Do-gyeong was not an easy opponent. She couldn’t read him—what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
It was the first time she had failed to take control of a conversation.
Yeo-eun was quick-witted, perceptive. She could grasp a person’s tendencies from just a few words.
And she was equally skilled at steering conversations with polished speech tailored to her opponent.
But Cha Do-gyeong was impossible to pin down.
‘Are you hurt somewhere?’
‘Not yet, but I have a feeling I might be soon.’
What kind of answer was that? What did he mean he might get hurt soon?
He was strange. In every way.
The reason Yeo-eun accepted his deal was simple.
Unless she left Cha Seok-jae immediately, she had no other choice.
…And also, it didn’t feel like he was lying.
Cha Do-gyeong was undoubtedly a chaebol—but not like the others. His innate composure and elegance were unmistakably aristocratic, yet in one aspect, he was completely different.
The way he treated people.
Every chaebol Yeo-eun had encountered shared one thing in common—their attitude in conversation. At their core, they looked down on others.
Whether they showed it or not, she could always see it in their eyes.
But not him.
He had an overwhelming presence and a refined way of speaking that could unsettle others, yet she never once felt looked down upon while talking to him.
According to her instincts, Cha Do-gyeong wasn’t a bad person.
Though it was still too early to be certain.
What was certain, however, was that he was strange—and she needed to stay sharp around him.
‘Hmm… Think of it as practice?’
‘I look forward to working with you, Secretary—especially after promising a rendezvous.’
At the same time, his striking face surfaced in her mind again. Her pulse quickened, and warmth spread across her cheeks.
…Was she losing it? At a time like this?
She shook her head, but her racing heart refused to calm down.
No… maybe it was natural.
Wasn’t it human instinct for your heart to race when you saw someone handsome?
Like when you see a good-looking celebrity up close—you get flustered, your heart pounds.
Right. That must be it.
Having neatly rationalized it, a satisfied smile appeared on Yeo-eun’s lips.
The contract was simple. So simple, it barely required careful reading.
Party A and Party B would engage in meetings out of necessity, and Party A would actively provide assistance in consideration of Party B’s circumstances…
‘Why doesn’t the contract period start today?’
‘Come to the study on Saturday evening. You’ll find out.’
She had her suspicions, but several days passed with that question unresolved.
And now, today—
It was the first day she would have a “rendezvous” with Do-gyeong.
‘But… what exactly are you supposed to do in a rendezvous? The contract didn’t say.’
‘You seemed pretty good at it last time.’
‘Just treat the real thing like practice.’
“Ughhh—!”
Easy for him to say. Yeo-eun ruffled her hair and groaned.
She had regretted her actions last time enough already—how was she supposed to do it again?
…Wait. But the goal was to get caught during the rendezvous, right?
Which meant she only needed to act the part when someone was watching.
“…That might actually be easier than I thought.”
Reaching a simple conclusion, Yeo-eun prepared for work.
Today’s tea service went smoothly. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, she paid two or three times more attention than usual.
Chairman Cha sat at the head. To his right were Seong-jin and Madam Jung, and to his left were Seong-jin’s younger brother Kang-hoon and his wife Do-hee—just like before.
Everyone was the same.
Except for one person.
“Good. It’s nice to see your face here like this.”
That one exception was Cha Do-gyeong, seated confidently among them. Through the staff, Yeo-eun had heard that he usually did not attend meals at Cha Seok-jae.
Come to think of it, she had never seen him eat here before.
That’s what she had been told, at least…
“I realized I’ve been rather neglectful.”
“Haha! Who would’ve thought you’d say something so thoughtful, Do-gyeong!”
He smiled gently. Madam Jung bit her lip in frustration but, unlike last time, didn’t join the conversation.
After smoothly serving her latte to Madam Jung, Yeo-eun approached Do-gyeong last.
He slightly raised an eyebrow when he saw her.
Yeo-eun bowed politely and left the main house.
“Phew…”
The summer heat was suffocating. She glanced down at her hand, now covered with a thin bandage.
She should probably return to the studio soon.
But if she tried to paint anything, it would be obvious immediately. Her skills were disastrously bad.
“Hey, Chae Yoo-eun.”
An unfamiliar voice called out.
Yeo-eun turned toward it.
“Are you messing with me?”
A man stood there, his light brown hair swept to one side, black piercings and a flashy necklace catching the light. His face and neck were flushed red with anger.
“What happened to your phone? Running away again? Are you insane? Who is it—hiding a boyfriend or something, huh?”
Instead of answering, Yeo-eun quietly observed him.
“I told you, didn’t I? I don’t care if you have a boyfriend. That’s your business. But running away? That’s not okay.”
His sharp eyes gleamed coldly.
“What’s this?”
The man grabbed her wrist abruptly. When he saw the bandage on her hand, he shouted.
“You’re hurt? Seriously?”
His bloodshot eyes bore into her.
“Damn it. Have you lost your mind? I told you again and again—your hands don’t belong to you.”
“……”
“And yet you go and get hurt without permission?”
His grip tightened painfully around her wrist. But while her wrist ached, Yeo-eun’s mind grew eerily calm.
“Say something. Go on. Tell me—you ran off while I was away on a business trip to shack up with some other bastard. Say it!”
The man shouted, threatening her, his grip growing stronger as if he meant to crush her wrist.
Yeo-eun looked between her captured hand and the enraged man.
Instinctively, she knew.
It was you.
The one who pushed my sister into hell.
