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Chapter 2 …
“Who… are you?”
Yeonwoo’s gaze, which had finally landed on the necklace she had been desperately searching for, was drawn to the man’s face as if pulled by a magnet.
He possessed such an overwhelming appearance that he stole her attention in an instant.
Still kneeling on the ground, Yeonwoo looked up at him.
He was tall with a broad, well-built frame. His tailored suit fit him as though it had been measured to perfection. Even in the lightless darkness, his hair gleamed faintly.
His eyes were sharp and cold, yet carried a drop of elegance at their corners, giving him an irresistibly captivating look.
His straight, prominent nose firmly anchored his handsome features.
Beneath it, the shallow groove above his upper lip and his full lips held a gentle smile.
Following the line of his face from his forehead to the tip of his chin, there wasn’t a single flaw to interrupt the smooth, perfect contours.
It naturally drew a sigh of admiration.
“Ah.”
Just like Yeonwoo did now.
The man gently lifted one corner of his lips before speaking.
“Me?”
Then, glancing at the necklace in his hand, he finished his sentence.
“Your savior?”
Those words finally brought Yeonwoo back to her senses. She hurriedly stood up.
Unintentionally, she found herself standing beneath his umbrella beside him.
Now that they were so close, she could feel a strange warmth radiating from him, accompanied by the faint scent of clean soap.
“Ah… That’s… the necklace I’ve been looking for.”
It was indeed Jung Jiyoung’s necklace—the one she had spent so long desperately searching for.
“You’re just going to take it for free?”
Caught completely off guard, Yeonwoo stiffened.
The man alternated his gaze between the necklace and Yeonwoo with an unreadable expression before speaking again.
“If I give this to you, what will you give me in return?”
“I’ll reward you. But…”
“But?”
“…Where did you find it? I searched every inch of this garden for over thirty minutes and couldn’t find it.”
She asked with genuine curiosity.
The man casually glanced toward the garage before answering.
“It was lying over there.”
It seemed he had found it while entering through the front gate, since it was on the path leading directly inside.
“Ah… Why would it be there…? I thought I’d dropped it under the table.”
Yeonwoo muttered with a puzzled expression.
The man motioned toward the front of her knitted sweater.
“I think the necklace got caught on your sweater. Then it probably fell off while you were wandering around looking for it.”
Hearing that, Yeonwoo quickly examined her sweater.
The fabric over her chest had a snag.
Just as he had said, the necklace must have caught on her sweater, and while she wandered around the garden searching for it, it had eventually fallen off near the garage.
“Ah…”
Lightly rubbing the pulled thread, Yeonwoo let out a short sigh.
Then she looked back at the man.
“Anyway… that necklace is incredibly important to me. I’ve been searching for it for over thirty minutes…”
As she awkwardly continued, the man interrupted and finished her sentence for her.
“You want me to give it back already?”
With that, he extended the necklace toward her—the very one that had seemed like he wouldn’t hand over so easily.
“All right.”
“Yes, thank you—Ah.”
“On one condition.”
The man withdrew his hand before she could take it.
“I don’t need a reward. But since I’m your savior, I think it’s only fair that I at least get to ask your name.”
His words made Yeonwoo pause to think.
She didn’t know who he was, but judging by how naturally he entered and exited the mansion, he had to be a guest of Jung Chungho or Go Seunghee.
Besides, she remembered Seunghee mentioning earlier that an important guest would be arriving soon and telling Jiyoung to get ready.
“Are you President and Madam’s guest?”
The man gave a light nod.
Only then did Yeonwoo lower her gaze slightly and answer.
“My name is Chae Yeonwoo.”
After introducing herself, she held out her hand toward him.
The man slowly nodded at the name Chae Yeonwoo before placing the necklace into her open palm.
For a brief moment, his fingertips brushed warmly across her hand.
“Ah, thank you.”
Startled by the warmth of his touch, Yeonwoo quickly curled her fingers around the necklace and bowed her head.
“Why are you standing out here? Come inside, Mugyeol…!”
Just then, Chungho appeared from the direction of the garage and called out the man’s name.
Surprised, Yeonwoo instinctively took a step back, leaving the shelter of his umbrella.
Mugyeol.
So that was his name.
It suited him remarkably well.
A flawless man—without a single imperfection.
“Come on inside. Oh, Yeonwoo, you’re here too?”
Hearing Chungho greet her warmly, Yeonwoo immediately bowed deeply.
“President, you’re back.”
At that moment, Mugyeol, who had been smiling faintly at Chungho, shifted his gaze back to Yeonwoo.
As he watched the top of her head while she bowed politely, an unreadable glimmer flickered in his eyes.
“Yeah. What were you doing out here?”
Chungho asked with his usual kind smile.
Unlike Seunghee, who was always cold and distant toward her, Chungho had always treated Yeonwoo with warmth and kindness.
“Ah… I was looking for something. I’ll be going inside now.”
She bowed once more before quickly turning away.
“Your father just got here. Go in together, Yeonwoo.”
Chungho’s words stopped her in her tracks.
Almost immediately afterward, Gyeongseok—Yeonwoo’s father—walked over from the garage.
“Yeonwoo!”
He called out happily.
“Mm… Dad.”
Yeonwoo smiled brightly as she looked at him.
All the while, Mugyeol continued watching the two of them with that same peculiar expression.
“Then we’ll head inside, President.”
“All right. Good work, Driver Chae.”
Chungho gestured for the two of them to go inside.
Opening his umbrella over Yeonwoo, Gyeongseok gently took her hand.
“My daughter, were you waiting for your dad?”
“Hm? Ah… y-yeah.”
As they walked away, Yeonwoo couldn’t help glancing back.
Mugyeol’s intense gaze was still fixed on her.
Together, father and daughter headed into the semi-basement located directly beneath the grand mansion.
Unlike the brilliantly illuminated house above, the basement was filled with a dim, gloomy atmosphere.
As Mugyeol continued staring at the backs of the two disappearing into the basement, Chungho let out an awkward laugh.
“That’s my driver and his daughter. They’ve lived with us for over twenty years now.”
“I see.”
“Driver Chae has worked for me for nearly thirty years. We’ve shared a long history together.”
A deep sense of nostalgia spread across Chungho’s face.
With moist eyes, he looked toward the front gate.
“President… would you be willing to rent out the semi-basement to me?”
Gyeongseok had originally said he was taking only a few days off.
But he didn’t return until more than two months later—far later than expected.
And when he finally did, it was in the dead of winter, carrying a newborn baby in his arms.
“Driver Chae… whose… child is that?”
At the time, Gyeongseok had been newly married.
A fire had claimed both his wife and his infant daughter, who had only just turned one year old.
The shock had driven him back to his hometown for a while.
“I… kept thinking about Minjeong. I didn’t think I could survive another day… Then, by chance… I visited an orphanage back home… and met this child…”
Minjeong was the name of the daughter Gyeongseok had lost in the fire.
“This child… is such a pitiful child as well. So I’ve decided to raise her, President.”
Looking down at the baby whose cheeks had turned bright red from the freezing wind, Gyeongseok had spoken through tears.
Even now, Chungho could vividly remember those affectionate and desperate eyes as they looked at the child.
After losing everyone he loved and living like a broken man, Gyeongseok had adopted Yeonwoo and raised her as his own daughter, gradually finding the strength to move forward.
From that day on, he and Yeonwoo lived together in the semi-basement.
Along with his elderly mother, who helped care for Yeonwoo until her passing.
Of course, only Chungho and Seunghee knew that Yeonwoo was not Gyeongseok’s biological daughter, but his adopted child.
Not even Jiyoung knew the truth.
“He’s an excellent worker and an outstanding man. And his daughter is incredibly smart and kind.”
Coming out of his thoughts, Chungho looked back at Mugyeol.
“When she was in school, she was brilliant. At Yeowoon Middle and High School, which belongs to my wife’s foundation, she never once lost first place in the entire school. She received the foundation scholarship every single year. She even entered Seoul National University as the top-ranked student.”
Chungho smiled proudly as he spoke.
“She struggled a lot growing up with just her father and no mother, but she’s such a devoted daughter.”
“I see.”
Lowering his chin slightly, Mugyeol looked toward the semi-basement window, where the fluorescent light had just come on.
“Oh, right. Yeonwoo was accepted into the Roydi headquarters this time. As a new employee.”
At the mention of Roydi headquarters, Mugyeol’s eyes widened slightly.
“Our company?”
“Yes. Didn’t you say you’re starting work next week, Mugyeol? Yeonwoo said she’ll be starting next week too.”
“That’s right. Next week.”
The two continued their conversation as they slowly crossed the garden.
“Chairman Kang told me you insisted on joining as an entry-level employee. Keeping your identity a secret from the staff.”
Mugyeol answered with a faint smile.
“I’ve spent so many years overseas that I thought the proper way to learn Korean corporate culture was to experience it from the very bottom—as a new employee.”
Then he suddenly stopped walking and looked at Chungho.
“Will Ms. Chae Yeonwoo be joining the Management Planning Team?”
A strange light flashed in Mugyeol’s eyes as he asked.
“Hm? That’s right. That’ll be her department.”
Then Chungho looked at him with sudden realization.
“Wait… don’t tell me you’re also—”
A mysterious smile slowly spread across Mugyeol’s lips.
“Yes.”
“That’s correct.”
