Chapter 35
The Secretary
She was now a secretary.
Of course, she had never once in her life served as anyone’s assistant, but she was confident.
She already knew that Ha Eun-se’s job was in publicity planning. And she herself had once handled not only the general operations of Ha Sung Apparel but also marketing and advertising.
So, an expert in the field, she thought with pride.
She might not know everything else, but when it came to promotion, she knew she could handle it.
Resting was fine for a day or two, but after too long, she felt her edge slipping. So this was the perfect opportunity to sharpen herself again.
Filled with confidence and excitement, she stretched out both hands.
“Give me the car keys.”
Yoon-jae’s answer came as swiftly as it was merciless.
“No.”
A clean, crisp refusal.
Her face instantly crumpled in disbelief.
“Not even a ‘that’s not a good idea,’ just no?”
“No.”
Even someone with the best temperament couldn’t help but get irritated after being told “no” to her face twice in a row.
“Couldn’t you at least think about it a little—”
“Why should I.”
Leaving behind his cold refusal, Yoon-jae strode toward the front door.
Long legs carried him there in a few steps, and as he bent to put on his shoes, she hurried after him, pouting.
“You’re so petty!”
Her eyes were narrowed in a sulky glare, her lips pressed tight, and her pale peach-colored cheeks were puffed ever so slightly.
Did she have any idea how devastatingly effective that unintentional display of innocence was?
“Don’t be like that, just think about it one more—”
Before her face could come any closer, Yoon-jae quickly reached out and pushed her away.
Thud.
The light shove sent her a step back—and for some reason, her chest ached.
Does he really hate it that much?
It wasn’t that she was hurt, but the clear rejection stung her pride. Yet, when she caught a flicker of hesitation on Yoon-jae’s face, her eyes narrowed faintly.
She lowered her gaze and murmured softly.
“Do you… really hate it that much?”
“……”
“This much?”
As she adjusted her crooked glasses and looked up with a crestfallen face, his mind went blank.
Her slumped shoulders and downcast head made her look like a drenched puppy.
Pitiful?
You’ve really lost it, Ha Yoon-jae.
He harshly scolded himself for the thought. Still, he couldn’t help but keep his distance from her.
That night, he ended up taking four cold showers.
Not once or twice—four.
Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what he might do under the sway of emotions he hadn’t even welcomed during adolescence.
He hugged himself, only a towel covering his body, and the slippery friction of his own skin made his instincts writhe in agony.
Body and mind alike were in chaos all night long.
He didn’t bother analyzing whether it was mere instinct as a man or something else—he only knew he couldn’t cross the line.
Yet, the cause of all that turmoil was still looking utterly defeated.
“I just… want to be helpful.”
Her tone was weak, like a drooping sprout deprived of sunlight.
“I’m always just sitting at home like some kind of parasite. I know this is technically what I’m supposed to do, but still… I want to help. But if you don’t want that, if you don’t approve, then I can’t. I know I’m not needed by you, anyway.”
The way her tone shifted so suddenly—it was a voice he knew.
Ju Ae-jung. This was the real her.
The wife he once wanted, the woman he thought he needed.
Quiet, melancholy, subdued… yet somehow, now it all felt foreign. Unlike her.
And so, standing by the door as she stared at the floor, Yoon-jae found himself responding.
“I never said that.”
He barely resisted the urge to lift her bowed head, her hair covering half her face, and instead spoke gently.
But she still went on, wallowing in her own gloom.
“No, it’s fine. What could I even do? I’d probably just mess something up. Like at that event last time… I get why you wouldn’t trust me.”
Her voice sank lower, like she might drown at any moment. Without realizing it, Yoon-jae took a step closer to her—the same distance he had just created.
“It’s not the kind of job you’d enjoy.”
“What kind of job is it, then? Ah… somewhere I shouldn’t go?”
Her head dropped again.
Unaware of the delicate balance hanging between them, he answered plainly.
“There’s a poster shoot today. I’m just meeting the director.”
“So it’s not that heavy of a workload, then.”
“Not really.”
“And since it’s an external shoot, no one there would recognize me, right?”
“Right.”
“Then there’s no problem if I go, is there?”
“Probably not.”
He froze.
He realized too late that he had walked into a trap.
The wilted flower suddenly came to life, her face lighting up like a bloom touched by rain.
“……”
He’d been had.
Ha Yoon-jae, executive director of the Yeongdo Group, had just lost to the most trivial of word games.
As he stood there, momentarily stunned, her smile spread like sunlight. She now understood the true meaning behind his supposedly cold words.
Cold—but not heartless. That was Ha Yoon-jae.
Maybe that was why her chest filled with a strange pride and satisfaction as she straightened her shoulders and declared:
“I’ll be ready in a minute, so wait for me. If you go without me, I’ll run outside naked and scream that I’m the wife of Yeongdo Group’s Executive Director Ha Yoon-jae!”
And with that outrageous threat, the gloom of a moment ago vanished completely as she darted off toward the bedroom.
“……Ha.”
Left alone, Yoon-jae could only cover his face and sigh deeply.
Behind the wheel, she was beaming.
Even Yoon-jae, who had been sulking all the way to the parking lot, couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward at how happy she looked.
Amazing.
Her eyes sparkled as she admired the sleek, elegant curves of the car—almost as beautiful as herself, she thought. The thrill of commanding such a powerful machine with her own hands and feet was indescribable.
“Perfect. Just perfect.”
Like handling a precious treasure, she carefully inspected the interior before smoothly pulling out of the parking lot.
By the time they reached the main road, her calm and skillful driving was that of a seasoned driver.
Impressed despite himself, Yoon-jae asked, “When did you learn to drive?”
“As soon as I was old enough to get a license.”
“You mean, in high school?”
“Yes. I enrolled in an academy right away and got it in two weeks.”
“Was there any reason to get it that fast?”
“Well, once I had a license, I wouldn’t have to depend on a driver. I could go wherever I wanted.”
“Driver?”
Oops.
She’d been too excited behind the wheel and slipped up. Pretending to check the side mirror, she answered casually,
“I mean… bus driver. Or taxi driver.”
A decent save. She felt relieved—though her lips pressed together nervously.
In truth, she had gotten her license right after her 18th birthday because she hated having a chauffeur follow her everywhere.
She had even convinced her father to buy her a car before graduation—after a long, deep conversation that had ended with his blood pressure rising and her stepmother scolding her.
Anyway.
The wind rushing past the car felt exhilarating. She was basking in freedom.
Her happiness was so obvious that Yoon-jae didn’t have the heart to ruin it.
“When we’re done, just go straight home,” he said.
But she was more determined than he expected.
“No way. I might not be as good as Chief Hong, but I can help with plenty of things. Just let me try.”
“And what exactly are you going to do?”
“Other than eating and going to the bathroom, I’ll devote myself entirely to assisting you, Executive Director.”
Her confidence was disarming. It wasn’t empty bravado, either—he found her strangely intriguing.
She’d joined Yeongdo Group through blind recruitment and had never stood out in particular. As a contract worker, she hadn’t even had the chance to move departments.
Yet she truly lived up to her own words: always showing a new side.
“Just leave it to me,” she said again, smiling.
And despite himself, Yoon-jae chuckled.
“……”
The frequency of those smiles was increasing lately, he noticed, as the car sped toward their destination.
About forty minutes later, they arrived at a studio on the outskirts of the city—a vast complex of container-like buildings sectioned into filming zones.
Didn’t think he’d actually come to the shoot himself, she mused.
Meeting the director and checking the set was important, sure—but not really the job of an executive director. Clearly, this was Ha Eun-se’s work.
Still, she followed him eagerly, teasing, “I’ll do my best to serve you, sir.”
“Behave yourself.”
Tch. She’d even worn formal clothes for the part of “secretary,” and he was ruining the mood.
Still, she obediently pretended to be quiet, secretly thrilled to be “working” again. It felt nice to belong to the world again.
At that moment, she felt she could even hold his spoon for him if needed.
Ignoring the gleam of excitement behind her glasses, Yoon-jae opened the door to the studio.
Inside was another world.
“Okay, turn 45 degrees to the right! Perfect!”
“Lower that light a bit more!”
“Get that wire out of the shot!”
The place buzzed with energy—staff rushing about, a model rehearsing under the lights.
“Jun-woo, one more take, please!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Amid the bustling, passionate atmosphere, Yoon-jae turned to check on her.
And of course—she was staring, wide-eyed, utterly mesmerized.
It was understandable; not everyone got to see such a glamorous scene up close.
“……Wow.”
But her reaction went beyond mere awe.
Her hands flew to cover her mouth as she stared into the distance, eyes trembling.
“What’s wrong?”
He frowned. “Something the matter?”
“N-no… it’s just… how is he here…”
“Ju Ae-jung.”
When he called her name, she finally turned her head. Her eyes gleamed with a new kind of light he’d never seen before.
And she whispered—
“Perfect.”
Thud.
His heart dropped.
Then she gripped his arm tightly and whispered again, voice low but trembling with excitement—
“He’s amazing. Absolutely amazing.”
His pulse thundered in his chest.
But the name she called next was not his.
“Han Jun-woo!”
Her gaze—and her admiration—were aimed elsewhere.
“……”
And in that moment, as her voice overflowed with admiration for another man, Ha Yoon-jae’s heart began to burn.
