Lunch was over just like that.

A card key and a bag of coffee.

As I walked out, feeling the weight of those two words, Manager Kim Jung-joo was waiting.

Chadoha’s afternoon schedule involves fieldwork now.

Throughout the afternoon, she has to attend executive meetings at Hanju Semiconductor and HJ Hotel.

And in the evening, there’s a dinner appointment with the Senior Presidential Secretary of the Ministry of Economy.

“Ms. Seo Ye-eun has free time.”

Chadoha briefly explained the situation with a short remark, suggesting her to take a break, and then walked away.

Free time. Take a break.

The inside of the chest was restless at such a trivial remark.

At that moment, a message came from Chadoha.

His car was still at the traffic light intersection when the message came.

Staring beyond the darkened car window, Ye-eun replied.

This shouldn’t be happening, but the heart throbbed twice as much.

Only after Chadoha’s car completely disappeared from view did Ye-eun start moving.

Card key, 9 p.m., bag of coffee.

With each keyword added, the fluttering in her heart grew insanely.

On top of that, suddenly given free time.

It felt a bit bewildering, as this situation was unfamiliar, but her thoughts were quickly organized, more than she thought.

“Let’s go to the Persona and do some research or something.”

Maybe if Ji-soo sees it, she might regain some sense of reality.

Because right now, it doesn’t feel like reality at all.

With that determination, Ye-eun immediately headed to the nearby subway station.

Throughout the journey, every word that Chadoha had said replayed in her mind.

[Why do you think I told you to come to the main office?]

He threw that remark as he was leaving after the meal.

[I was curious already. Why did you tell me to come? We can do image training sufficiently from outside.]

When she finished speaking, Chadoha, who was stepping down the stairs, stopped.

A faint smile spread on Chadoha’s face as he suddenly turned around to look back.

[Just wanted to watch you.]

Surprised, Ye-eun blinked her eyes slowly, and Chadoha’s smile deepened a bit more.

Uncertain how to interpret his smile and words, Ye-eun hesitated for a moment before Chadoha resumed walking.

Her palm was tingling and itchy.

Even now, recalling that moment, it was the same.

The strange sensation roamed from the throat, where the swallowed saliva went, to just below the navel.

Ye-eun clenched her fist tightly to forget that sensation.

At that moment, a message arrived.

As she had just arrived in Sinsa-dong, Ye-eun immediately called Ji-soo.

“Senior. Why? What’s going on?”

-ST Group’s Director Jin Yu-hee. Even if I die, she insists on consulting only with you. She’s waiting. Can you come? Huh? Director Jin Yu-hee?
Chadoha’s future wife, Jin Yu-hee.

The heat that had been slowly warming the body had cooled down coldly.

A different feeling from earlier scratched at the palm.

It hurt a bit.

“I’ll go right now. 5 minutes.”

Ye-eun hung up the phone and hurried her steps.

The moment she opened the counseling room door, the scent of perfume filled her nose.

About a year ago, it was the same fragrance as the perfume she received as a gift from Cha Hyeon.

It was rumored to be a quite expensive perfume, but Ye-eun hadn’t even tried it once and parted with it.

At that time, she sold everything of value she had because she needed to fill the money.

Selling that perfume, she regretted it a lot, but now, she gets to smell the fragrance like this.

Swallowing a bitter smile, she entered the counseling room, where Jin Yu-hee greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Seo Ye-eun?”

Dressed elegantly in a sophisticated suit, Jin Yu-hee reminded her of a gorgeous cattleya flower.

Even alone, a single blooming cattleya is beautiful enough.

Ye-eun bowed to greet her, feeling a bit out of place, and took her seat.

“I really didn’t expect you to come.”

On the day they coincidentally met at Chairman Cha Jisub’s house, Jin Yu-hee took her business card, saying she wanted image training.

But Ye-eun didn’t think it was a sincere request; it was more like a warning to her, who stood by Chadoha’s side that day.

Even now, she doesn’t think it’s sincere.

“I told you. I want image training.”

“Director Jin Yu-hee wants image training?”

She must have come to give a more stern warning.

That’s how much Ye-eun is displeasing to her.

“Why is that?”

As Ye-eun asked, the smile gradually disappeared from Jin Yu-hee’s face.

“Really, you choose clients while accepting the training?”

“It’s not always like that, but we don’t provide training to those who don’t need it.”

“Do I look like I don’t need training?”

“Yes, you’re still close to perfection. A charming female leader, I’d say.”

Jin Yu-hee is a smart person.

She knows what I need to do to stand in a more advantageous position.

She also established her position within ST Group alone, more firmly than anyone else.