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chapter 3
“Gasp… Director?”
Deputy Joo recoiled in fright.
“W-well, Director… I mean, I, uh…”
“One secretary.”
Taeheon turned his body to Eun-se with a look that said it wasn’t even worth listening to.
“Did Deputy Joo do something inappropriate?”
Deputy Joo’s face turned pale.
Despite being a startup, Pars Korea was a company known for strict discipline—especially regarding matters of sexual misconduct.
Part of that was because the KD Group owner family, known for being trouble-free, was involved. But a big part was Taeheon himself, who was notoriously fastidious.
Thanks to this, Pars Korea had a reputation as a safe workplace where sexual harassment issues were practically nonexistent.
Eun-se lowered her head for a moment.
The longer the silence dragged on, the paler Deputy Joo’s face became, eventually taking on a bluish hue.
What would happen if Eun-se exposed his previous words and actions? The Personnel Committee would immediately convene, and he would face severe disciplinary action.
Deputy Joo anxiously watched Eun-se, unable to stay still.
“No, Director.”
Unexpectedly, Eun-se answered calmly.
“I was just greeting you. You may go now, Deputy Joo.”
Taeheon closed his mouth, deciding not to say anything further.
When the person involved neatly wraps things up themselves, even the company president can’t interfere.
Soon, Taeheon’s voice cut through the air, cold and precise.
“Better go now.”
“Yes! Director. I-I’ll go!”
Deputy Joo hurriedly turned on his heels, too scared to even wonder how Taeheon had suddenly appeared.
He had been terrified to the point of nearly shedding tears, so Taeheon’s icy presence was almost a relief.
But Eun-se was different.
A clear question lingered in her upward gaze.
“Director… what are you doing here…?”
The rare expression in Taeheon’s eyes caught the streetlights, making them shine brilliantly.
Silky hair, smooth skin, and a tall, fit body draped in a deep blue cashmere coat.
A man born and raised with precision, who had only ever lived an orderly life, seemed perfectly suited for the cold winter night.
“Then, Secretary Han… you’re heading the opposite way.”
Taeheon was right. Eun-se was standing on a quiet alley, far from the main road, heading the opposite direction from her home.
“Oh, I…”
Suddenly, Eun-se smiled mischievously.
“I just want one more drink.”
“…?”
Taeheon’s eyebrows shot up.
He rarely showed emotion, but he stared at her face, utterly stunned.
Over the past year, Han Eun-se had been more composed than anyone he knew—always calm, almost invisible, like a still figure in a painting.
“I’ll just have one more.”
And not only that—she continued, bold as ever:
“Director… want to come? It’s on me.”
Taeheon could only nod in a daze.
Eun-se’s laughing face was mesmerizing, making him forget all propriety.
But as soon as she started walking, Taeheon realized the situation.
The way she wobbled as she walked.
“…Secretary Han, are you drunk?”
“No? I’m fine.”
Of course. As soon as the words left her mouth, Eun-se began to stagger uncontrollably.
Later, he learned that Eun-se had a habit of becoming stubborn when drunk—although she rarely drank, once she did, she became talkative, laughed a lot, and refused to go home easily.
Seeing Eun-se like this for the first time, warning bells went off in Taeheon’s mind.
He knew he had to get her home safely, as soon as possible.
Not far from the company gathering spot, inside a luxury hotel.
“Haa…”
Taeheon pressed his forehead, looking exasperated.
Eun-se, meanwhile, had suddenly slumped forward, resting her head on the table.
They were seated in a corner of the sky lounge, out of sight.
“Secretary Han. Snap out of it. Secretary Han.”
She didn’t move.
Frustrated, Taeheon tapped the table with his index and middle fingers.
Her delicate shoulders twitched slightly, but Eun-se lifted her arms and laid her head fully on the table.
Taeheon sighed repeatedly, washing his face with a dry hand.
Of course, it all started because Eun-se was drunk.
Perhaps she had exhausted her last bit of composure dealing with Deputy Joo, but afterward, she had been completely floppy.
And stubborn as ever. Even when offered a ride home, she refused, keeping her lips sealed.
Luckily, there was a hotel nearby, so he had brought her in to sober up.
Clack. Two cups of coffee were placed on the table.
Taeheon immediately grabbed his cup, irritation written all over his face.
‘I shouldn’t have drunk it.’
Earlier at the gathering, he had gulped down the cup Manager Oh offered him. If he hadn’t, he could have laid her down comfortably in the car, letting her sober up with a few laps around the area.
Annoyed at himself for not refusing the drink, he downed the coffee and stood up with determination.
A little later, Taeheon returned and carefully sat next to Eun-se.
“Secretary Han. Can you get up?”
“Mmm.”
When he gently nudged her, her small head moved. She lifted her head, and her hair spilled over her face.
Taeheon clumsily brushed her hair back behind her ears.
Her long eyelashes trembled, revealing clear, lake-like eyes.
“I don’t… want to go home.”
Her eyes glistened with moisture, her voice soft and unsteady. Eun-se’s normally large, bright eyes looked unusually sorrowful.
“Everyone… says they’re going to their parents’ homes for the holiday, but I… the orphanage… our teachers aren’t there anymore. Today… I drank a bit… and it just feels… lonely…”
Taeheon managed to understand her murmurs. The year-end holidays were approaching, overlapping with a weekend, making it a long break.
At the gathering, others likely talked about going home. Eun-se, having nowhere to go, felt left out.
“You know? Even if you leave the light on… when you go home, it’s lonely. I don’t want to… go.”
“Secretary Han, let’s get you up first.”
Fortunately, her stubbornness was only verbal. She allowed Taeheon to help her up.
He supported her toward the elevator.
The key card activated the floor just below the lounge.
He realized going home directly would be impossible, so he had booked a room for her to sober up.
As they walked down the hallway, Taeheon’s brow furrowed deeper.
Her legs kept giving out, and she relied entirely on him. Taeheon had to wrap his arms tightly around her slender waist.
Her petite body fit perfectly in his embrace, her soft side pressing against him, and the sweet scent of her lingering.
Because of the situation, Taeheon’s heart pounded painfully with each step.
He exhaled in relief only after reaching the suite.
“Secretary Han. Can you stand alone?”
Her head, which had leaned against his chest, wobbled but steadied.
Taeheon opened the door, creating space.
“Go in and rest.”
He handed her coat and bag with one hand.
“Don’t think about anything today. Just rest…”
“Don’t go.”
“…!”
Her small hand weakly grasped his sleeve.
“Secretary Han…”
His usually sharp eyes faltered.
Which man could refuse a woman who had long adored him, now clutching his coat and begging him not to leave?
Taeheon gritted his teeth, removing her hand as gently as if it were a feather.
“Go inside. Don’t do anything you’ll regret tomorrow.”
The sound of friction echoed, but it was useless.
“…I don’t want to.”
“Are you out of your mind? Do you know who I am?”
Eun-se wrapped her arms around Taeheon’s stiff neck, rising on her tiptoes and whispering softly:
“Don’t go, Director.”
