DYEH 17

Vice President Han Tae-gyu sat at the desk marked with his nameplate, his expression dark.

It was all because of Seo-hee’s sudden announcement the night before that she wanted to learn business management. He had thought it was a passing remark, but the look in his niece’s eyes had been deadly serious — and there was something subtly different about her, too.

Why is she bothering me so much?

It was too unsettling to ignore. His father, Chairman Han, had always doted on Seo-hee, pitying the granddaughter who had lost her parents so young. She was the cherished daughter of his favorite eldest son — the chairman had even declared that he would pass his own shares to her one day.

Even so, Seo-hee had never shown the slightest interest in the company. Every time the chairman encouraged her to learn management, she would say she only wanted to build a family. He never imagined her change of heart could become a real threat.

When she wasn’t a potential rival, she had simply been an adorable niece. But now… now she was a competitor — one who might someday take his position and the entire group from him.

Even the chairman himself wasn’t the type to hand over authority just because of bloodlines or seniority. If he had told Seo-hee to study management, it must have been because he saw potential in her.

And she was bright. Unlike his other nieces and nephews, she always maintained top grades without private tutors, and she’d earned admission to Korea University on her own. She was nothing like Lee-soo, who lacked ability but got into school through her family’s influence.

“I can’t let it be taken from me so easily. Do you know what it took to get here?”

If he wanted to pass Shinsung Electronics on to his eldest son, Jun-young, he had to protect his current position at all costs. And being overthrown by a niece young enough to be his daughter would be too humiliating to endure.

Better to stop a fire when it’s still a spark. A little precaution never hurt.

Tae-gyu called for his secretary, Chief Kim.

“Did you find out what I asked you to?”

He’d ordered his people to dig into Seo-hee’s recent activities — every detail, no matter how small.

“There wasn’t anything unusual,” Kim replied, handing over a few documents.
“She only goes between home and school. But it does seem, as Miss Lee-soo mentioned, that she has a student she likes. Rumor has it, the whole department knows.”

“Really? Then why come to the company all of a sudden instead of just getting married?”

Tae-gyu rubbed his chin, muttering. He opened the file Kim had given him and scanned the brief report.

“So, did you find out who he is?”

“He’s a law student, it seems.”

“Law? What else?”

“His personal details are on the next page…”

Tae-gyu quickly flipped the paper and studied Jae-min’s information. A slow smile spread across his lips.

“So that’s why.”

He remembered Lee-soo mentioning Jae-min over dinner yesterday — and Seo-hee’s strong denial. No wonder; her father would never approve of someone like that.

“A family of educators, huh? Not bad, but not nearly good enough for her father’s taste. And he’s already failed the bar exam three times? Tsk, tsk.”

“His older brothers have already passed and work at law firms,” Kim added.

“I didn’t know Seo-hee liked that type of man.”

Tae-gyu’s expression relaxed; the pieces were coming together.

So that’s it. She wants to learn management to win her father’s approval — the one thing he values most.

If it was just for show, to get permission for a relationship, then there was no real problem. As long as she didn’t cross the line, he could simply watch.

“Still, I should look into this a bit more carefully.”

“Sir?”

“Nothing. You can go now.”

As Kim turned to leave, he hesitated.
“Um… Vice President.”

“What?”

“I didn’t include this in the report, but…”

“Get to the point.”

“Miss Lee-soo seems to be meeting Park Jae-min separately.”

Tae-gyu’s brows furrowed sharply.
“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. That’ll be all.”

It would be faster to confirm it himself. His expression darkened as he picked up his phone and called his daughter.

“—Yes, Dad?”
“You at school?”
“I just left.”
“Let’s have dinner together today. Come to the office.”

Woo-hyuk had texted that he’d be there soon. Since he was only dropping off a book, there was no need for him to come all the way into the reading room.

Seo-hee waited for him in front of the study room. She had only been standing there for a moment when someone called out to her — a voice she recognized immediately.

“Um, excuse me…”

Just hearing that one phrase made goosebumps rise along her arms. Her instincts sensed danger before her mind did.

Keeping her face emotionless, Seo-hee turned around.

“You’re Han Seo-hee, right?”

Park Jae-min was standing there, pretending to be shy and harmless. The sight of him made her stomach turn.

What did Lee-soo tell him to make him approach me? she wondered. What did he want?

“Yes. And you are?”

“You don’t know me?”

She didn’t care to find out. All she wanted was to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Her voice came out flat and cold.
“Should I?”

That seemed to throw him off. He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile — the same bashful smile that had once seemed pure and charming.

“I heard about you from Lee-soo.”
“What about?”
“Uh… it feels weird to bring it up first, but…”

Then don’t bring it up at all, she thought, biting her tongue. Her brows twitched despite herself.

Let’s just see where this nonsense goes.

“I heard… you like me.”

How insane could someone be? She was too stunned to even laugh.

“No,” Seo-hee replied curtly, her tone icy. The unexpected answer made Jae-min’s face flush with confusion.

His neck, face, and ears turned red as he scratched the back of his head, eyes darting nervously.

Just go away already.
But if he’d endured a fake marriage with Lee-soo out of obsession, he probably didn’t know how to back off.

“Uh… maybe there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”

She drew a clear line, ready to end the conversation. When she turned to leave, Jae-min hurriedly reached out.

“Wait—!”
“…”
“If you’re not busy, maybe a coffee—”
“I am busy. And I already have plans.”

She cut him off without hesitation. Surely that was clear enough?

“I just wanted to apologize properly. It’ll only take a minute—”

“You should’ve understood by now.”

A new, unfamiliar voice interrupted them. Both Seo-hee and Jae-min turned toward the source.

Woo-hyuk was standing there.

“Sorry I’m late. I came as fast as I could,” he said, still slightly out of breath — he must have run.

“I didn’t wait long,” Seo-hee replied, her gaze fixed only on him, completely ignoring Jae-min. Woo-hyuk’s eyes met hers in the same way.

Between them, Jae-min’s expression wavered. Things weren’t going at all like Lee-soo had promised.

[Didn’t I tell you Seo-hee likes you?] Lee-soo had whispered last night while moaning beneath him. [I don’t know what changed, but feelings don’t disappear overnight. Maybe she’s just playing hard to get. Try a little — she’ll give in easily.]

He’d expected a simple encounter on campus, maybe a chance to chat and grab coffee. But the situation had gone sideways.

She’s supposed to be pretending, but… is she?

Her face was unreadable, her eyes cold enough to chill him. That wasn’t indifference — it was hostility.
And who was that man who’d just appeared?

Jae-min quickly decided it was best to retreat and confirm with Lee-soo later.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” he said. “I must’ve misunderstood something. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Seo-hee gave a brief nod, signaling she’d heard. Jae-min nodded back and left.

Now only two people remained.

“Thanks,” Seo-hee said first. “That was awkward — you saved me.”

“You know him?” Woo-hyuk asked lightly. Normally, he wasn’t the type to interfere in others’ business. He didn’t even know why he’d stepped in this time.

If it had been anyone else, would he have done the same? Probably not.

“I’ve seen him in class before. I think there was some misunderstanding.”

“I see.” Woo-hyuk nodded.

Silence settled briefly between them. Feeling the awkwardness, Seo-hee held out the book she’d brought — the reason they were meeting in the first place.

“Here.”
“Thanks. But you already finished it? You didn’t seem to have much time after visiting the police station earlier.”

“It was enough time,” she replied. “Just return it by the due date.”

As she spoke, she tried to wrap up the conversation.

“Actually,” Woo-hyuk began, “there’s something I wanted to ask—”