Chapter 02
Episode 2
4 months ago.
It was 6 months after Seo-hee had joined the Taesung Group’s Information Strategy Headquarters as the youngest secretary under a temporary contract.
“Seo-hee, congratulations.”
Park Soo-jin, the head of the secretarial office, entered the pantry and handed her a piece of paper.
Seo-hee quickly skimmed through the document after glancing at the title.
“A conversion from… temporary to permanent?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“You filled in for six months while I was on maternity leave for three months, and then Deputy Manager An So-hee was on maternity leave for another three. You proved yourself during that time, and now that An So-hee is going on childcare leave, you’ve been converted to a permanent position.”
Soo-jin quickly explained the background of the personnel order.
“The Director himself got approval from the HR team.”
“The Director?”
Seo-hee’s gaze shifted toward the Director’s office, visible beyond the pantry partition.
An hour ago, Team Leader Jung Seung-ho from the Legal Department had entered the office, and the door had remained shut since.
Something must have happened again. Lately, the Legal Department had been visiting the Director’s office quite frequently, making everyone in the secretarial office uneasy.
“Today at 6:30 p.m., Taerimjeong.”
Caught in her thoughts, Seo-hee looked back at Soo-jin, startled.
“Sorry?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“I’m sorry. I must have been too excited about the sudden announcement…”
Blushing, Seo-hee bowed her head apologetically. Soo-jin nodded in understanding.
“Your celebration dinner for becoming a permanent employee is at Taerimjeong at 6:30.”
A celebration dinner?
“Attendance is mandatory. You’re the main character today.”
Seo-hee felt her palms grow clammy as her hands clasped in front of her nervously.
“The Director will also be attending, so be punctual.”
Soo-jin lightly tapped her shoulder before leaving the pantry.
Her heart fluttered.
Becoming a permanent employee was exciting, but it also made her uneasy.
Seo-hee hadn’t joined Taesung Group for promotions or the typical dream of job security. She had a clear purpose—something she had to achieve.
“Director.”
Hearing Soo-jin’s voice beyond the partition, Seo-hee clenched her fists and stepped out.
The Director stood in front of his wide-open office door.
Kang Jae-shin.
The Director of Taesung Group’s Information Strategy Headquarters.
Her boss.
And the “stepping stone” she had chosen.
“Are you heading out?” Soo-jin asked.
Glancing at his left wrist to check the time, Kang Jae-shin replied with his usual unreadable expression.
“Yes, no escort is needed. I’ll meet with the prosecutor, and Team Leader Jung Seung-ho will accompany me.”
Then his gaze suddenly fell on Seo-hee.
At that moment, his otherwise indifferent black eyes showed a flicker of intensity.
A tingling sensation shot up her spine to her scalp. Her fingers curled involuntarily.
It was always like this. Whenever their eyes met, even in a crowded room, it felt like the world around them disappeared.
It was as if only the two of them existed in a silent, still world.
It had been that way since their first meeting—her interview six months ago.
His gaze had felt like it was dissecting her, peeling away her layers piece by piece. It was unnerving and yet, oddly exhilarating.
Her mouth went dry, yet her tongue felt flooded with saliva.
Her fingers curled involuntarily, and her chest felt like it was swelling tightly from within.
She wasn’t naive. She knew what this sensation meant. But she couldn’t acknowledge it—not when the subject was Kang Jae-shin, the “guard dog” of Taesung Group.
Avoiding his gaze, Seo-hee bowed her head—a silent greeting and a plea for him to move on.
But he didn’t. He tilted his chin slightly, a faint smile forming.
“Secretary Hyun.”
His voice, indifferent yet commanding, called out to her.
‘Why can’t he just leave?’
Clenching her lips briefly, Seo-hee slowly lifted her head.
“…Yes, Director.”
Forcing a calm expression, she met his overpowering gaze.
“You’ve skipped every dinner gathering so far, but today you don’t need to stay back at the office. Join the dinner.”
It was an order.
“….”
Without waiting for a response, Jae-shin walked off. Team Leader Jung Seung-ho followed behind, and the other secretaries, including Soo-jin, bowed deeply.
Seo-hee was the only one frozen in place.
Before the dinner, Seo-hee was instructed to organize her desk. Her duties had been reassigned following her promotion.
Her new desk, positioned right outside the Director’s office, meant she would now be his secretary.
“Me? As the Director’s secretary?”
When she asked, baffled, Soo-jin explained the situation.
“As you know, I’ve been the only one handling the Director’s tasks. He’s so particular about things that he won’t entrust them to anyone.”
With five secretaries in the office, they weren’t understaffed. Yet Jae-shin had trusted only Soo-jin for his work.
“And now he’s chosen you to take over.”
Which made the reassignment even more puzzling.
Why entrust such a critical role to someone with only six months of experience?
Still, there was no room for objections. Soo-jin had cut her off.
“Do you know why it’s called a ‘command’ after a personnel order? It means you follow it without question. If you can’t, you leave the company. So follow it—it’s the Director’s order.”
Leaving wasn’t an option for Seo-hee.
Her eyes drifted to the archive room next to the pantry.
Over the past six months, she’d frequented it under the guise of organizing files, searching for something specific.
She’d only scratched the surface and hadn’t pieced everything together yet.
Now, her new desk was far from the archive room, and she regretted it.
But she consoled herself.
If this reassignment gave her better access to the Director’s office, she might uncover even more valuable information.
Or so she thought.
She had no idea that this personnel change would take her down a path far different from what she’d planned.
And it all started with the dinner.
