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Chapter 35
Secretary.
Of course, she had never once served as anyone’s assistant before, but she was confident.
She already knew that Ha Eun-se’s work was in publicity planning. And she herself had once handled not only the overall operations of Ha Sung Apparel but also its publicity and advertising.
“So, I’m basically a professional.”
She might not know about other tasks, but when it came to publicity, she was sure of herself.
Taking a break from work is only fine for a day or two, but now, after such a long time, she felt out of touch. At a time like this, there could be no better opportunity.
Overflowing with confidence and unusually excited, she stretched out her hands.
“Give me the car keys.”
Yoon-jae, seeing her clear and visible desire, answered sincerely.
“No.”
A clean refusal.
With not even 1% of hesitation, his answer made her face immediately crumple.
“Not even a no, just a straight don’t want to?”
“Don’t want to.”
No matter how good one’s temper, hearing repeated rejections right in her face hurt her pride.
“Couldn’t you at least think about it first…?”
“Why should I.”
Leaving behind his cold refusal, Yoon-jae headed for the entrance.
With long strides, he quickly reached the door and began putting on his shoes. She immediately ran after him, thrusting her face in front of his.
“You’re so stingy!”
Her eyes were narrowed, lips pressed tight.
Her cheeks, faintly tinted with peach as if puffed up with discontent, looked like a pure, unintentional attack—one that was far too effective. Did she even realize that?
“Come on, just think about it one more time…”
Before her face could get any closer, Yoon-jae hurriedly reached out and pushed her back.
Thud.
Pushed back, her chest stung just a little.
“Does he hate it that much?”
It wasn’t painful or dangerous, but the clear rejection stung her inside. Still, when she caught a faint hesitation flicker across Yoon-jae’s expression, her eyes narrowed slightly.
She lowered her head, her gaze falling to the floor, and muttered softly.
“Do you hate it that much?”
“…”
“To this extent?”
Adjusting her crooked glasses, her gloomy face made his head swim. Her drooping, rounded shoulders made her look pitiful—like a drenched puppy in the rain.
“…Pitiful?”
You’ve really gone insane, Ha Yoon-jae.
He harshly scolded himself for letting such thoughts creep in. Still, pushing her away was unavoidable.
That night, he ended up taking cold showers—something he had never done before.
Not once, not twice, but four times throughout the night.
If he hadn’t, he didn’t know what reckless thing he might have done, swept up in the raw, private emotions that hadn’t been welcome even back in his teenage years.
With only a towel around her, when he held her body against his bare skin, the slick warmth of her flesh rubbing against him had driven his instincts wild.
His body and heart had been thrown into such violent chaos that he had run himself ragged the entire night.
Whether it was simply masculine instinct or something else, he didn’t bother to examine. All that mattered was not crossing the line.
But the seed of what drove him to this point… still stood before him, utterly crestfallen.
“I just want to be of help.”
Her voice was weak, like a wilted sprout.
“I’m always stuck at home like a parasite. Even if that’s supposed to be my role… I still want to help, even a little. But if you don’t want it, if you don’t allow it, then I can’t. Of course, I know you don’t really need me.”
The sudden shift in her demeanor was a strangely familiar sight to Yoon-jae.
Joo Ae-jung. This was her true self.
The wife he had once needed and wished for.
Downcast, depressed, endlessly subdued… Yet, oddly enough, now this version of her felt unfamiliar. It didn’t even seem like her anymore.
In the end, standing at the entrance above her, staring only at the floor, he found himself extending concern.
“I never said that much.”
He resisted the urge to lift her face, her hair falling down to cover half of it, and instead spoke evenly.
Still, she continued to spill her gloomy self-doubt.
“No, it’s true. What could I possibly do? It’d be a miracle if I didn’t make a mistake. Even at that last event, I messed up, so I understand why you can’t trust me.”
Her voice sank even lower, as if she might tumble straight into a pit. Without realizing it, he closed the distance he himself had pushed open.
“It’s not a role you’d enjoy.”
“What kind of role? Ah, if it’s somewhere I really can’t go…”
Her head, which had lifted slightly, dropped again.
Not realizing the delicate balance between them, Yoon-jae explained.
“There’s a poster shoot. I’ve got a meeting with the director and a site check.”
“…So it’s not something too heavy, then.”
“Not really.”
“And it’s entirely an external schedule, so nobody there would know me.”
“Right.”
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem if I go, right?”
“Probably not.”
Flinch.
Answering absentmindedly, he immediately realized something had gone wrong.
But the words had already slipped out—and the wilted flower before him instantly lifted her head like a bud that had drunk in water.
“….”
He’d been had.
It was absurd. That he, Ha Yoon-jae, Executive Director of Yeongdo Group, had lost in such a petty tug-of-war.
Shaken, his expression only deepened her smile. She had finally grasped the “true meaning” behind his supposedly cold words.
Cold, but not heartless—Ha Yoon-jae.
Maybe it was because of that. A strange pride swelled in her chest, and with a smug little gesture, she beckoned him.
“I’ll get ready quick, so wait for me. If you leave me behind, I’ll run outside naked and scream to everyone that I’m the wife of Yeongdo Group’s Executive Director, Ha Yoon-jae!”
The gloomy look she’d worn just moments earlier had vanished, replaced by a blatant threat, before she disappeared into the bedroom.
“…Ha.”
Left alone, Yoon-jae rubbed his face with his hand and let out a long sigh.
At the wheel, her expression was radiant.
Even while walking through the parking lot, Yoon-jae had been annoyed, but now, her joy made even him feel awkward.
“Amazing.”
Just look at these sleek, beautiful curves—no less elegant than his own car. The strange catharsis of controlling something so large with her own hands and feet filled her with a satisfaction hard to put into words.
“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Like a child with a precious treasure, she checked everything inside the car, then smoothly drove it out of the lot.
From the garage to the street, her confidence rivaled that of a seasoned driver.
Curious, he asked as she executed a flawless left turn,
“When did you learn to drive?”
“As soon as I was old enough to get a license.”
“You mean back in high school?”
“Yes. I registered at a driving school right away and got it in just two weeks.”
“Was there really a need to rush it that much?”
“Well, once I had a license, I didn’t have to rely on a driver—I could go anywhere I wanted.”
“Driver?”
Oops.
She had been too excited behind the wheel and slipped up. Pretending to check the side mirror, she answered calmly.
“Bus drivers. Or taxi drivers, you know.”
Not a bad cover. Relieved, she licked her dry lips.
In truth, she had gotten her license right after turning eighteen because she was sick of having a chauffeur follow her everywhere. And thanks to a very “deep conversation” with Go Kyung-chul, she had gotten her own car before graduation.
That “deep conversation” had raised her father’s blood pressure quite a bit, earning her an earful from her stepmother.
Anyway.
With the car speeding freely along, she was reveling in the thrill of freedom.
Seeing her so openly delighted, Yoon-jae chose not to ruin it.
“Once we’re done, you head straight home.”
But she was more thorough about her role than he expected.
“No way. I might not be as good as Chief Hong, but I can still help. Just let me try.”
“What exactly do you plan on doing?”
“Everything except eating for you and going to the bathroom, Executive Director.”
Her confidence was even greater than he’d imagined.
It didn’t feel baseless either, and he found himself strangely fascinated.
She had joined Yeongdo Group through open recruitment and spent her time as just an ordinary employee. As a contract worker, she hadn’t had much chance to move around or stand out.
Yet her claim of always showing him a “new side” was no lie.
“Fine. Show me, then.”
Her sideways smile made him smirk back despite himself.
“….”
Noticing how often that was starting to happen unsettled him as the car sped toward their destination.
After forty minutes, they arrived at a studio on the outskirts of the city. A massive container-style building had been divided into sections—a place she actually recognized.
“Didn’t expect to come to the set itself.”
Meetings with the director and location checks were important tasks, but not ones for an executive director.
This was clearly Ha Eun-se’s work.
Still following a step behind, she couldn’t resist teasing lightly.
“I’ll serve you well, Executive Director.”
“Behave.”
Tch. She’d even worn a proper suit to play secretary, and he brushed her off like that?
But she did as told, feigning docility, all the while thrilled to be “working” again. For the first time in ages, she felt like part of society again.
Right now, she thought, she’d even hold his spoon for him if he asked.
Ignoring the heat of her eager eyes behind those glasses, Yoon-jae opened the studio door.
Inside, another world unfolded.
“Okay, 45 degrees to the right! Good!”
“Bring that light down a bit!”
“Clear the wires!”
The space was filled with staff and a model in the middle of rehearsal.
“Jun-woo! One more time, please!”
“Yes, got it!”
The air was hectic but brimming with passion. Yoon-jae glanced at her.
“….”
Sure enough, her eyes were wide in awe at the dazzling scene.
It wasn’t something an ordinary person could easily experience, so her wonder was natural.
“…Amazing.”
But her reaction went far beyond his expectations.
Hands covering her mouth, her gaze fixed far ahead, trembling. His brows furrowed.
“What is it?”
Her eyes were shaking violently, as if something huge had just happened.
“Is there a problem?”
“No… It’s just—how is he here…”
“Joo Ae-jung.”
At last, she turned her head toward him, eyes glittering with something new, and whispered,
“Perfect.”
Thump.
His heart sank at that single, simple word.
She gripped his arm tightly, voice low but trembling with emotion.
“He’s seriously the best.”
Another direct strike, another heavy thump against his chest.
“Han Jun-woo!”
But the arrow hadn’t been aimed at him—it flew toward someone else.
“….”
Even as she overflowed with adoration for another, Yoon-jae’s heart burned furiously.
