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Chapter 6
The lips that once curved like a crescent moon, smiling so brightly.
The boy who once brought her a basket overflowing with peaches she loved.
The boy who taught her to ride a bicycle for the very first time.
None of that remained.
If not for the faint dimples that appeared whenever he smiled, and those unusually deep, jet-black eyes, Suyeon might have mistaken him for someone else entirely. Even the scent he carried now felt foreign.
The gentle voice, the kind words, the warmth in his gaze—
none of these could be found in the thirty-year-old Jeong Yunjae.
“If you’re asking about my motivation for applying, it was the salary Do-won Construction offered.”
Her overly honest answer drew a dry chuckle from Yunjae’s lips.
“For money, huh… Then does that mean you’d do anything for it?”
“What exactly do you mean by anything?”
“Suppose someone offered you more—asked you to dig into my private life, spy on me, or track my every move. Temptations too sweet to refuse. Would you?”
“I take pride in my profession as a secretary. I work hard, and I expect to be compensated fairly for it. When I said salary, I didn’t mean I’d sell myself out for quick gains or compromise my principles.”
Yunjae’s brows twitched ever so slightly.
“How much do you know about me?”
“I’ve looked into what I needed to know, though of course, I still have more to learn as I go.”
“‘As I go’… So, you’re still at the beginning.”
He toyed absently with the handle of the teacup.
“You’ve heard, I’m sure, why none of the previous secretaries lasted more than a few months.”
“Yes. The chief of staff told me.”
“Then you also know who you’ll have to watch out for.”
“You mean Madam Kim So-hye?”
“Quick-witted. But tell me, how can I be sure you have no ties to her?”
“Whether you trust me or not is your choice. But I can promise you one thing—I won’t leave this company in disgrace because of Madam Kim.”
Yunjae’s gaze slid down to the résumé Han-shil had left behind. His eyes moved slowly across the lines of text.
“Your commute isn’t short. Are you sure it won’t be a problem? My hours can be irregular—sometimes early, sometimes well past closing.”
“The transportation is manageable. No need to worry.”
His Adam’s apple moved as he took a sip of tea. A faintly languid look crossed his eyes as he set the cup down and handed her a file.
“A secretary and an executive must function as one. A kind of alliance. I won’t ask you to be my right hand, but knowing me—inside and out—will be in both our interests. Go through this by tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’ll be all. You may go.”
Suyeon rose, but before she could leave—
“Wait.”
She turned back. Yunjae’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying her face with quiet intensity. Her heart began to pound louder in her chest.
“Do you have something else to say?”
“Cha Ha-yoon.”
“Yes?”
“Do you always prefer dark colors?”
“…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Your outfit. Too dark for a face like yours.”
His long fingers gestured lazily as his gaze swept over her. The unexpected remark tugged one corner of Suyeon’s lips upward in wry amusement.
“Maybe it’s because I’m a vampire. I prefer darker shades.”
With a bow, she turned and left. Behind her, Yunjae let out a small, amused laugh.
Outwardly calm just moments ago, her heart now thrashed wildly the second she stepped out of his office.
Thank god. He didn’t seem to recognize me.
Clutching the file tightly to her chest, Suyeon exhaled shakily, her body trembling. From the moment she learned Do-won Construction had ties to her parents’ death, she had only one goal:
Find a way into Do-won Construction.
When she’d discovered the job posting through her senior in the Secretary Department—that they were seeking an executive secretary—she seized the chance. Top of her class every semester, recipient of endless scholarships, she had earned her professors’ recommendation and, with it, an interview.
From that moment, she hadn’t looked back.
But the whispers never left her.
Her fate is too strong. She devoured her own parents.
Those cruel words had haunted her since childhood.
Her parents’ small construction firm had faltered not long after she was born. Debt collectors hounded their house. Then came the inexplicable fire. Misfortune fell upon them like a curse, swallowing her once-happy family whole.
Under her grandmother Yong-sun’s urging, she changed her name to Cha Ha-yoon. She gathered every scrap of information she could find about Do-won Group—every article, every public record.
The official cause of the fire: electrical short-circuit. And yet, everything else had been buried, vanished without a trace.
Even when her grandmother scraped together money to hire a lawyer, he mysteriously disappeared overnight, leaving the case abruptly closed.
It was as if someone had buried the truth deep underground, never to be unearthed.
“Secretary Cha.”
Han-shil’s voice pulled her back. Suyeon steadied her steps, though her heart refused to quiet.
That same morning, Kim So-hye had finished a gallery visit and gone straight to a luxury spa in Cheongdam. Wherever she went, her glamorous looks and elaborate outfits commanded attention. Past fifty now, her style only grew bolder with age.
As befitted a VVIP, the staff rushed to greet her the moment she walked in.
“Madam, welcome!”
“This heat is unbearable. Summer feels endless this year.”
“Oh, but Madam, your skin is radiant as always. Truly dazzling! Of all our clients, you alone manage to keep such flawless skin, even in this weather.”
“Weren’t you my personal esthetician, Director Kang?”
“O-of course, Madam! I only meant that even among my past clients, none compare to you. Now, please—your room is ready. The latest European machine just arrived, waiting for you.”
But as they ushered her inside, another woman entered—the wife of Choi, chairman of Sangwon Group.
“Oh, Madam Choi! We weren’t expecting you today.”
“I dropped by after the museum. My body felt stiff. And what do we have here? Madam Kim of Do-won!”
Suyeon stiffened.
“I should join you today,” Madam Choi added breezily. “They say your skin is the talk of the town. Come on, don’t keep the secret to yourself—share a little youth with me.”
Their families were tied too closely for So-hye to refuse, though her expression stiffened as she was led along.
“So, how’s Vice President Jeong doing these days?”
If So-hye had a talent for needling, Madam Choi’s specialty was slicing with words disguised as casual.
“Oh, as always—busy, busy. He thinks of nothing but work.”
“I heard he dismissed another secretary. Come on, it’s just us here. Be honest—was that you?”
“My goodness, Madam Choi. How could you even suggest such a thing?”
“Don’t act surprised. I know An, the secretary from five years back—she worked for me once. She called me in tears one night, saying she only did what Madam Kim asked—reporting on the Vice President’s private life. Then he found out and threatened to sue. She was terrified.”
I should have silenced her. Should’ve ripped the tongue out, not just filled her hands with money.
A deep frown creased So-hye’s face.
“Careful, Madam. Don’t scowl—you’ll get wrinkles.”
Her temples throbbed, veins standing out, but So-hye forced herself to stay put, lips pressed tightly together.
“Why though? Oh… I get it. Next month, isn’t it? Your son’s return?”
“You really do know everything. Sometimes you know my son’s schedule better than I do.”
“Of course. No matter how brilliant Jeong Yunjae is, he’ll never compare to your own flesh and blood. No wonder you’d be… unsettled.”
“Enough! Kang, what’s wrong with your hands today? Maybe it’s time I found another spa.”
“S-sorry, Madam!”
As she lay there, fury seethed beneath her flawless exterior, her veins pulsing a dangerous blue.
