Chapter 3.1

“Are you feeling unwell?”

KyungHyun asked EunHa in the car as they left the office. He was still looking straight ahead as he asked her. For a moment, EunHa wasn’t sure if he was talking to her. She shook her head.

“No, sir. I’m fine.”

“Your face looks thinner than usual.”

KyungHyun turned his head and looked at her. He stretched out his large hand and touched her face. Taken aback, EunHa closed her eyes and slightly pulled her head back.

“It’s not my face. It’s because your hands are too big.”

“People are going to think our company starves their employees and forces them to work.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“How?”

KyungHyun put his elbow on the car window and leaned his head on his hand as he asked. Over two weeks had passed since EunHa had become his secretary at KeumOh. After the meeting with Kim MinSuk, EunHa continued to follow KyungHyun around as he moved through his daily schedule. However, after that late night call, he only treated her as a company employee.

“How will you take care of it? Are you going to hand me a report on how you’re going to go on a strict diet to gain some weight?”

EunHa didn’t know how to respond as her mouth opened in confusion.

“Is that what you’d like me to do?”

“I’m joking.”

EunHa’s pretty brows furrowed as she smiled awkwardly. When he saw that she was looking at him pitifully, KyungHyun asked.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m only smiling because of your joke.”

KyungHyun burst out laughing and blurted out.

“Lee HaEun.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you want to share a meal with me?”

It was currently dinnertime, so this wasn’t an unusual question. Eunha tried to figure out the true intentions behind his friendly behavior and cautiously nodded her head.

“Yes, sir.”

“What kinds of food do you like?”

“I like everything. I’m not picky.”

“How does Korean food sound? I like traditional Korean food.”

“Alright.”

KyungHyun ordered his driver to go to the Korean restaurant that he frequented regularly. The driver turned the car around with ease. EunHa stared outside as her mind began to fill with thoughts.

2 weeks had already passed since she entered YongSung. Now, only one month was left before the business trip to Shenzhen, China. Two days ago, General Manager Cha had checked her passport information. This meant that there was a high possibility that she was also going to join them.

Because of this, EunHa was trying not to disturb Shin KyungHyun’s mood until then. EunHa’s mission was to go to Shenzhen and follow KyungHyun to the lab. There, she would gather data and pass it over to SungHo. SungHo would then take that data and produce an even better product from the pharmaceutical company he had bought.

Of course, there was still a huge possibility that foreign companies would refuse to buy them due to the retribution they might receive from YongSung, so stealing the new drug samples was also part of the plan. EunHa tried to glean any information about the new medical company as she worked in KeumOh, but that information was kept strictly confidential even within the company.

Other than the fact that the new medical company was located in Shenzhen, she didn’t know anything else. Having dinner with Shin KyungHyun might be a blessing or a curse. But as she wondered whether she should go through with it, the car stopped.

Tap, tap.

As they parked in the parking lot, raindrops fell onto the car window. They were definitely entering into the rainy season now. In the brief moment EunHa hesitated, the driver got out of the car and opened an umbrella. KyungHyun received the umbrella and went around the car to open the car door for EunHa.

“We’re here.”

“… Thank you.”

EunHa grabbed her purse and exited the car. The raindrops trickled down the black umbrella that KyungHyun was holding. He wasn’t asking her to share his umbrella, was he?

“Let’s go.”

As if he had read her mind, KyungHyun gestured to her with his chin, telling her to get underneath the umbrella.

“Yes, sir.”

EunHa walked carefully to avoid the raindrops, and KyungHyun matched her speed as they walked. Even though the golf umbrella that KyungHyun was holding wasn’t small by any means, it was still a tight fit due to his size. As EunHa tried to keep her distance from him, some rainwater wet her shoulder. A low voice drawled from above her head.

“If Secretary Lee continues to get wet from the rain, don’t you think that I will feel bad as the one holding the umbrella?”

“… No, I’m fine, so…”

His large hand wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. EunHa trembled as she felt the warm hand through her wet blouse. Men seemed to have higher temperatures than women. As he stuck her close to his side, KyungHyun whispered from over her head.

“Much better.”

They walked along the large road and passed through a wide yard. They then turned into a smaller road which was surrounded by acer trees. The short walk from the car to the restaurant felt long. As his hand continued to hold her to him, EunHa had no choice but to walk in his embrace.

EunHa’s heart raced inside her chest. Was this a sign of Shin KyungHyun’s sexual desire for her? Or was he testing her once again? She couldn’t figure him out.

“We received your call and have been waiting for you, sir.”

As soon as they arrived at a traditional Korean-style house, a woman in a hanbok came out and bowed in greeting. Only when they had gotten underneath the eaves did KyungHyun take his hand off her shoulder.

“Let’s go inside.”

The woman received the umbrella and quickly guided them to a room inside. As the door closed shut, EunHa heard traditional Korean music flow in from outside. She could only imagine the kind of customers that were inside the other rooms.

Even though they were in the middle of Seoul, it felt as if they were hidden in the mountains. This was a perfect place to have secret conversations.

“We need something to clean ourselves.”

As soon as KyungHyun spoke, the employee quickly brought in some towels. EunHa smelt an aromatic fragrance coming off of the towel as she carefully dried her damp hair and shoulders.

“You’re quite wet.”

“You’re right. I got wet even though I shared an umbrella with you, Director.”

“Next time, you don’t have to be so awkward and stay so far away. Other people may think that I kidnapped you and was threatening you with gun.”

EunHa blankly gazed at him and laughed. KyungHyun stared at her and asked.

“Why are you laughing?”

“If I answer honestly, will you not fire me?”

“Go ahead. We’re officially done with work anyway.”

“I laughed because I felt that you’ve carried out plenty of kidnappings before, Director.”

“Are you talking about human trafficking?”

KyungHyun asked apathetically. EunHa shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Those Serim bastards are the only ones who make money by selling women.”

KyungHyun answered as he threw back a shot of liquor. EunHa couldn’t help but flinch when she heard the familiar name come out of his lips.

“And only poor, third-rate organizations make money off of things like organ trafficking.”

As KyungHyun continued speaking, EunHa tried her best to hide her surprise.

“I didn’t know there was a ranking system in this world.”

KyungHyun understood the meaning behind her words. She was saying that he was a pot calling the kettle black.

“It seems that Secretary Lee doesn’t have much loyalty to our company.”

“Since you told me it was okay to be honest, I’ll say this. I don’t really have a sense of belonging wherever I go.”

“Then why did you come work for our company? Gangsters are people that value affiliations more than anyone.”

“Is that so?”

“Ah, and another group values it as well.”

“Who?”

“Cops.”

“Haha.”

EunHa laughed when she heard his curt reply. KyungHyun chuckled as well.

“If I had to chose between the two, I’d choose the capable thugs over the incompetent police.”

“That’s pretty harsh.”

“Isn’t it pleasing to hear, though?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad.”

KyungHyun emptied his second cup of liquor as he nodded. His complexion didn’t change at all, but he strangely felt comfortable today. Usually, he seemed like a man who wouldn’t bleed even if you pierced his skin.

“If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call.”

After placing all the dishes onto the table, the waitress closed the sliding door.

“Eat.”

EunHa picked up her chopsticks. She was suddenly thrust back into reality, and the room felt suffocating once again. This restaurant was basically buried at the foot of a mountain, and the rooms were so far apart that no one would know if someone was being killed inside one of them.

However, she also felt that it might be a bit easier to get closer to Shin KyungHyun here since there were no eyes watching them.

“… The reason why I came to KeumOh is because I wanted to take care of a personal matter.”

“You said that last time.”

Bracing herself for KyungHyun’s further questioning, EunHa had prepared a cliché and commonplace answer. However, he didn’t ask her for specifics and changed the subject instead.

“Whatever the reason is, it’s good to have a goal.”

His words sounded strangely pessimistic. EunHa stared at him before asking.

“Don’t you also have a goal, Director? Isn’t that why you work?”

Whether it was money or something else, there must be a reason why he was working at a company like YongSung. But for some reason, his expression seemed to say the opposite.

“No.”

KyungHyun stared at EunHa as she looked back at him with questioning eyes.

“I work because of my affiliation with the organization. The opposite of you.”

“Hmm, that sounds preposterous.”

EunHa murmured softly. She picked off a piece of the perfectly-cooked Korean pancake and put it in her mouth. Then she stretched out her hand towards the colorful and neatly prepared dishes. KyungHyun merely watched her eat and only drank the liquor. He was definitely a heavy drinker.

“This place is delicious.”

“I felt that it didn’t suit the tastes of the young people these days, so I was worried. I’m glad you like it.”

“Director, do you know that you sometimes speak like an old man?”

“I do?”

“Yes. Let me pour you a glass of liquor.”

KyungHyun had been drinking the liquor all by himself this whole time. She cautiously took the white gourd-shaped bottle and filled his cup.

“You speak completely different from the way you look.”

KyungHyun downed the entire cup before chuckling at her words.

“I’m nine years older than you. It wouldn’t be completely wrong for you to call me an old man.”

“Wow. You were so proud of your older age not that long ago. I’m quite experienced for a twenty-six-year-old, you know.”

“Twenty-six, huh…”

He watched her eyes sparkle playfully before speaking again.

“I’ve killed someone at your age.”

EunHa had been busily moving her chopsticks when she heard those indifferent words. She froze momentarily.

“And not just a couple people.”

EunHa met his blank eyes. Her heart began to race.

“Sometimes I feel as if the people I’ve killed have come for my neck. If each person could pierce me one time, I’d definitely be a beehive by the end of it.”

KyungHyun laughed a little. EunHa replied softly.

“… Are you afraid of that? Being punished for all the bad things you’ve done?”

“If that were the case, then I wouldn’t have done all this up till now. I’m quite a shameless man. I’m good at finding an excuse for my behavior.”

“Then why did you say all that just now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m drunk.”

“To be honest, you don’t seem drunk at all.”

KyungHyun slightly frowned at EunHa’s observation.

He hadn’t gotten drunk for many years now. Even now, KyungHyun’s mind was on edge as it imagined a mob of men suddenly infiltrate the room with knives. He couldn’t help himself. It came naturally to him.

“Director.”

He focused his gaze on EunHa.

“Are you still thinking about firing me?”

“… Why are you asking? How could you ask that to someone who is buying you a meal?”

“It’s just… You look frustrated about something.”

“How funny.”

KyungHyun held the liquor in his mouth as he stared at her. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman who was sitting in front of him. Her posture was upright while her words were brazen. Maybe he was a bit drunk.

“You want to fire me, and you want to keep me by your side. Isn’t that how you feel right now?”

She might be right. KyungHyun was hoping that she would just give up on her mission and leave him right now. If she stayed by his side, she would inevitably run into some danger, so it was only right for her to avoid it while she still could. That was also a reason why he never got close to a woman.

While this was all true, for the past 2 weeks, he was hesitant to let her go. Why was that? Was it because he had saved her as a girl back then? Was there some kind of special meaning behind this feeling? KyungHyun was never this emotional, so he felt a bit strange.

“Why do I want to keep you by my side?”

EunHa’s lips stretched into a smile. Her smiling face didn’t have any wrinkles, as if she were still a young child. This was why he was so curious about how she had grown up.

“How would I know what’s in your heart?”

KyungHyun couldn’t take his eyes off her. She watched him and crinkled her nose playfully.

“Well, I think I can take a guess.”

As EunHa raised her cup, KyungHyun quickly grabbed the liquor bottle and filled it. The liquor gave off a fragrant aroma.

“Alright. What do you think is the reason?”

The woman who had led a hard life answered back as if she had lived an easy life.

“Isn’t it because I’m a magical woman…?”

EunHa’s face contorted as she took a sip of liquor. The liquor burned her throat. She now realized that the liquor that KyungHyun had been drinking like water was an incredibly strong Chinese liquor.

“Cough!“

EunHa began to cough as the lethal sip of liquor went down her throat. She covered her mouth with a napkin and coughed a few more times. She couldn’t understand the sick, twisted people that actually enjoyed such strong liquor like this.

“Aaah… I almost died…”

EunHa took the napkin and wiped her eyes which had filled with tears. KyungHyun watched her, his elbow on the table and his head in his hand. He began to rub his face with his large hand. Even though his mouth was hidden, she could tell that he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking. EunHa fanned her flushed face, and his laughter became louder.

“Here. Drink some water, magical woman.”

“It’s because it got caught in my throat.”

“Did I say anything?”

KyungHyun’s expression returned to normal. He had planned on asking her in an indifferent voice, but he couldn’t keep the trace of humor from his voice. Seeing EunHa make a fool of herself while they were having such a serious conversation made him chuckle.

After that, KyungHyun kept his mouth shut, so EunHa could only focus on eating for the rest of the meal. EunHa sipped the Omija Tea that was brought in for dessert. She felt as if her stomach was full to the brim. She couldn’t eat anymore.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“General Manager Cha will be here soon with the car.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thinking that it wasn’t as late as he thought, he nodded his head and hesitated before asking EunHa a question.

“If it’s alright with you, do you want to walk around a little while we wait?”

It was no longer raining. After walking out to the back of the parking lot, they saw a quiet path that was too narrow for cars to access. Streetlights stood along the path, so it was brightly lit. After looking around and deciding that it wouldn’t be too dangerous, EunHa nodded. This was a chance to ease the tension between them. She had no reason to turn down this opportunity.

“Sounds good. I ate too much, so it’s perfect timing.”

She slowly followed KyungHyun. They walked in silence for a while when KyungHyun suddenly spoke.

“How long have you lived in the United States?”

“… Since 5th grade up until I graduated college.”

She answered him naturally, leaving out the unsavory details in between.

“Then you must feel more comfortable over there than Korea.”

“Not at all. I’ve always wanted to come back to Korea. I was only unable to return because of family issues.”

He didn’t ask any further. EunHa took advantage of the silence and asked her own question.

“Director, what did you… No, that’s not it. How did you first come to work at KeumOh?”

“Why, do I not fit in?”

“No, you look like you were made to enter KeumOh.”

EunHa looked up at him and grinned. Even though she had only been observing him for a short amount of time, compared to all the other people she’d seen, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that KyungHyun was the person most suited for this kind of world.

He was different from SungHo, who seemed like he was born wicked and nasty. EunHa could never read KyungHyun’s mind.

That’s right. This was a world where two men could be brothers on one day and enemies the next. It was a world where people lived as they hid the darkest part of themselves from others.

“I was just curious about how you reached the position you’re at right now.”

“As I tried to live…”

EunHa slowly stopped walking. Small knats flew around the dim light of the streetlamps. Maybe because they were in the mountains, EunHa also heard the faint cry of a bird. Thanks to the recent bout of rain, she could smell the damp dirt underneath her feet and the fresh scent of the trees.

“By the time I realized it, I was already here.”

KyungHyun came one step closer to her. Nobody was around. Even though they were still in the middle of the city, their surroundings were silent. Just as his large hand was about to touch her face, it suddenly whipped away. It was such a sudden movement that EunHa was unable to react. Her heart was racing furiously.

“… The mosquitos are out already.”

The faint, high-pitched buzzing noise next to her ear disappeared. KyungHyun brushed his hand, and a small, black bug fell out like dust. Possibly because of the way the light of the streetlamp was hitting his face, EunHa thought KyungHyun looked a bit different.

“Did I surprise you?”

“… Because one would normally think that something different would happen in this situation.”

EunHa’s trembling lips stretched into a smile. KyungHyun’s bent finger gently brushed against the spot on her face where the bug had touched. He came one step closer. They were so close that their chests were almost touching.

“What did you think would happen?”

“… I thought that you looked handsome.”

“From the look on your face, I don’t think that was it.”

“I’m serious. A man who can catch and kill a bug is just my type.”

KyungHyun’s face came closer to hers. He carefully rubbed her pink cheeks, almost as if he were touching a small animal. She could smell his cologne mixed with his natural body scent.

“Does Secretary Lee have a habit of saying whatever is on her mind when she’s nervous?”

“If I tell you what I really think, I’m afraid you’ll get mad, so I’m holding it back, Director.”

“I won’t get mad, so tell me.”

EunHa looked up at him and slightly opened her moist lips. With her finishing move, she gazed at him with bewitching eyes.

“…Really?”

“Really.”

“I want to kiss you.”

EunHa whispered softly. He merely smiled dangerously and didn’t say a word, but EunHa didn’t miss the way his eyebrow twitched. After gazing at his face, she turned her face to the side. The finger that had been grazing her cheek now brushed up against her lips. As her breaths fell on his finger, she looked at him and whispered slowly.

“I was thinking that I wanted to kiss you.”

KyungHyun’s eyes darkened. His arm firmly wound around her hips. Suppressed desire burst out through the fingertip grazing against her cheek. His warm hand grabbed her face, his arousal dripped out of his every movement.

“Stop joking around.”

EunHa didn’t do much. KyungHyun had already been looking at her with eyes that revealed his intense desire to embrace her. She merely fanned the flames.

“I’ll stop if you give me a kiss.”

“I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Because I’m so pretty?”

KyungHyun frowned and let out a laugh. Even though he looked angry, EunHa had a hunch that he was just incredibly aroused. EunHa’s long eyelashes lowered as she tilted her face up to him. Her eyes slowly closed. She knew that he would kiss her. His hand buried into her hair and firmly pulled her head towards his. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise and saw a bright light appear in front of their eyes. As the bright light pierced her eyes, EunHa reflexively turned her head.

Vrooom!

A motorcycle suddenly appeared out of nowhere, its engine letting out a loud groan. KyungHyun covered EunHa’s body with his as the motorcycle charged at her. He hugged her to his chest and threw both their bodies onto the ground.

“Agh!”

The motorcycle roughly turned around at the curb. EunHa suddenly got up, completely dazed. With her eyes wide open, she was just about to run away when KyungHyun pulled her back to his hard body and embraced her so that she couldn’t move.

Vrooooom!”

The motorcycle engine groaned again as it began to charge at them. The wheels roughly scraped the ground as it spun around. The wet mud splattered.\n