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Chapter 4
I couldn’t even remember how I managed to get through the afternoon.
Friday evening. Past six o’clock, most of the employees had already left work.
“Ms. Im Yu-jin, before you leave, come see me for a moment.”
With just that single, curt command and his hardened expression, the office atmosphere froze into a sheet of ice.
Since the day she first met Kang Hee-jae, Yu-jin had never seen him wear such a face before.
It was sharp, cold, and intimidating enough to feel frightening.
Naturally, the others pretended they had nothing to do with it, and the moment the clock struck quitting time, they rushed out without a second thought.
“Do you know why I called you in here?”
Inside the team leader’s office, his low, composed baritone cut through the silence.
An awkward tension clung to the air between them.
Even with her head bowed, she could feel it—that blatant, merciless stare burning into her left cheek. The kind of stare that stripped her bare from head to toe. Fingers twisting together nervously, Yu-jin finally dared to lift her gaze.
Their eyes met at once.
“…!”
Her shoulders flinched at the sudden contact. Hee-jae, seeing her startled, let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Ms. Im Yu-jin, how long do you intend to sit there like that? Explain yourself.”
He tapped his finger against the firm watch strap on his wrist.
Ah, god. Where was she even supposed to start?
Her face clouded with embarrassment as her mind went utterly blank.
“I’m a very busy man, you know. Do I have to wait much longer?”
“Team leader, I… I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding, you say.”
He repeated the word smoothly, almost amused, rolling it on his tongue before the corners of his lips curved upward.
“Apparently, the word ‘misunderstanding’ means something different to you than it does to me.”
Reclining lazily in his chair, his cold retort made goosebumps race down her skin.
“Yes, well… the thing is, um…”
Before she could gather her thoughts, he suddenly leaned in closer. Yu-jin’s eyes widened.
“Go on then. Tell me. What exactly happened? Let’s hear it.”
Hee-jae’s lips curled into a sly smile.
The space between them had shrunk to barely fifty centimeters. The nearness scattered her breath and sent her heartbeat spiraling.
Yu-jin drew in a shaky gulp of air, her mind scrambling back to the moment that had started all this:
‘Maybe I said… I can’t quite remember… That he wasn’t good at kissing?’
God. I must’ve been insane.
It had all begun when more and more female employees started showing interest in him.
She had fought tooth and nail to get into this company, and the thought of competitors circling Kang Hee-jae like sharks had nearly driven her mad with anxiety.
In the end, she crossed a line she could never uncross.
Because when a man was flawless in every way, perfect and untouchable… she couldn’t think of any other way to protect him.
Of course, she had planned to eventually deny it, to laugh it off, maybe even say she’d confirm the truth… but before she could, she got caught.
And she would never forget the look on his face then—that mix of shock and disbelief still seared into her memory.
“So… I wasn’t any good at kissing, was I?”
The words shattered her thoughts.
“Plenty of women find me attractive, and yet, according to you, I’m useless in bed.”
His gaze slid slowly down the line of her neck. Each spot where it lingered burned hot under the weight of his eyes.
She instinctively tried to lean away, but his hand reached out—
“Ah—”
Her breath hitched when his fingers brushed across her collarbone, only to gently untangle the cord of her employee badge.
“Was I already that famous since high school?”
Meeting her eyes, he smiled leisurely. That smile sent her stomach plummeting.
“I… I’m sorry.”
It was all she could manage. At this point, the only option left was apology.
It wouldn’t fix anything, but at least it was something.
“What are you sorry for? If you really were my friend, shouldn’t you have defended me when you heard such ridiculous rumors?”
“I—I’m the one who feels wronged here!”
Her face twisted, pleading her case.
“Wronged? More than me? Let’s see—apparently, I can’t kiss, I can’t sleep with women, and on top of that, I lead some kind of filthy private life. So tell me, Ms. Im Yu-jin… what now?”
In a flash, his large hand caught her chin, tilting her head up. Their eyes locked at a distance so close she could feel his scent surrounding her, fresh and familiar.
Her lips pressed tightly together as her heart stopped in her chest.
“All this trouble I’m in… Whose fault do you think it is, hmm?”
His voice sent tremors down her spine.
And suddenly—memories from more than a decade ago clawed their way to the surface.
The terrible thing she had once done to Kang Hee-jae.
No, it can’t be…
Her voice quivered with panic.
“Oppa, is it true? Honestly? Is this all because of me? You… you can’t even get it up anymore?”
Her face drained white as chalk.
“…What?”
For a moment, he froze at her unexpected words. Then, laughter burst out of him.
“Are you seriously suggesting it’s because of you? That you broke me?”
“Didn’t I? I mean—back then, I… I messed with your… you know—”
“You really are unbelievable.”
He chuckled, watching her expression twist in mortification.
“Im Yu-jin.”
His thumb brushed lightly across her lips. The casual touch sent a rush of heat all the way up to her crown.
“Since this situation is partly your fault…”
“T-team leader, I mean… oppa—”
Her awkward slip only made his eyes crinkle in amusement.
“That’s right. Your ‘team leader oppa.’ And you’ll be the one to take responsibility.”
His low voice whispered straight into her ears.
Responsibility. The word felt like a noose tightening around her.
“How… how am I supposed to take responsibility?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You spread those rumors. You turned me into some kind of impotent joke. So you’ll make up for it.”
“I didn’t spread any rumors!”
But his eyes were unrelenting, sharp as obsidian.
“Still, you’ll make it right. By kissing me. By sleeping with me. Let me see for myself just how you do it. Then, maybe, I’ll consider it.”
“Wh-what? Oppa!”
Her lips parted in shock. Her expression was so adorably flustered that he couldn’t help but smile again.
“Unless, of course, you’d rather I call in the entire team, line them up, and hand out disciplinary notices for spreading baseless gossip around the company.”
The sudden chill in his face made it clear he wasn’t bluffing.
“So you see, Yu-jin… the only option left is for you to take responsibility. With me.”
“Pack your things and meet me in the parking lot.”
It was more of an order than a request.
And because she was guilty, Yu-jin had no choice but to obey.
By the time she arrived, the passenger-side window was already sliding down.
Behind the wheel sat Kang Hee-jae—looking unfairly perfect, as always—leaning against the steering wheel with a faint, devastating smile.
That smile. God, it was dangerous. Yu-jin let out a small sigh.
Every time he smiled like that, her heart melted to nothing—soft and gooey, like a marshmallow roasted over fire.
That smile had hooked her ten years ago, when she first fell for him. And it still did now.
But ever since the other women in the office had begun eyeing him, her own fear had driven her into foolish mistakes—rumors she should’ve denied but didn’t.
If there was a culprit, it was Kang Hee-jae himself, for being so damned flawless.
Even now, all she could do was stare at him in awe.
Pull yourself together, Im Yu-jin.
“What are you doing? Not getting in?”
His voice snapped her back, teasing and light. With a small nod, she carefully slid into the passenger seat.
Still flustered, she kept her gaze locked straight ahead, stiff as stone.
From beside her, his mischievous voice teased again—
“What’s wrong, my little Bean? You can’t even look at oppa today?”
