MIS 10

A secretary ordering her boss around. 

It was a subtle revenge for his harsh words, but Seo-hee was the one who felt embarrassed. There was an awkward silence between them. Tae-jun was born into a life where he had countless employees at his beck and call; he never had to be considerate of others. 

The thought made Seo-hee’s face burn even hotter.

“You’re quite demanding.”

Despite his words, Tae-jun picked up her clothes. When he reached for her bra, Seo-hee quickly snatched it away.

“Ah, I’ll do it.”

Seo-hee hid under the sheet and put on her bra, her ears burning red with embarrassment.

As Seo-hee tried to hide, Tae-jun lifted the sheet and carefully slid her arms into the sleeves of her shirt. Then he buttoned her shirt one button at a time.

Seo-hee stared blankly at his long fingers as they worked. Her heart ached at the unfamiliar tenderness of his touch.

“Shall I put on your skirt for you as well?”

His tone was soft, a slight smile playing on his lips. Seo-hee blushed and shook her head.

“Come out when you’re dressed.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’ll give you a ride home.”

He had offered to pay her taxi fare earlier…

Come to think of it, Tae-jun was always like that. He drew a clear line, but occasionally crossed it. The sweetness of his seemingly random acts of kindness made her fall in love with him.

But she knew it was meaningless kindness.

A bitter smile remained on Seo-hee’s lips.

* * *

It was a sunny afternoon.

While working, Seo-hee felt a shiver run down her spine. Seeing her shiver, Yoon-jung, who was sitting next to her, asked, “Secretary Han, what’s wrong?”

“I thought someone turned on the air conditioning.”

“It’s not on. Are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s a bit cold today.”

Seo-hee put on a cardigan and Yoon-jung tilted her head.

“It’s warm today.”

“Really? I think I’m coming down with a cold.”

“Do you want some warm tea?”

“It’s okay. I’ll get it myself.”

Yoon-jung lowered her voice.

“By the way, have you told Managing Director Kang about your resignation?”

“Ah, about that.”

Since she had to train her replacement, Seo-hee had only told Yoon-jung about her resignation. 

Tae-jun was ruthless when it came to work. He fired employees who were just filling a vacancy, regardless of their seniority. The secretary who assisted him around the clock had to be completely up to the job. Otherwise, it would be difficult for both Tae-jun and Yoon-jung.

Yoon-jung hadn’t even been on the job for three months.

Although she had been gradually taking over Seo-hee’s duties since Tae-jun had gone to Vietnam, it wasn’t enough.

She wanted to leave before his engagement to Cha Ye-rin, so she had to train Yoon-jung diligently.

“I told him. I’ll stay until Yoon-jung-ssi gets used to the work.”

“That’s too bad. I really like you, Secretary Han. My previous company had a terrible working environment, but I’m happy here. Even though Managing Director Kang is a bit cold.”

Seo-hee replied with a smile. Then she remembered that Tae-jun had torn her resignation letter in half.

“Even if I get married, even if I have a child, I will keep you by my side.”

The memory of his cold look sent shivers down her spine again.

‘Why did he say that…’

Lost in thought, the phone on her desk rang.

It was a call from Chairman Kang’s secretary’s office.

She had to coordinate Chairman Kang’s and Tae-jun’s schedules, even for personal meetings. That was why calls were often transferred to the secretary’s office.

“It’s a family dinner at the main house. Saturday at 5pm. The attendees are…”

The smile disappeared from Seo-hee’s face as she checked Tae-jun’s schedule while holding the receiver.

“Yes, I understand.”

After hanging up, Seo-hee’s eyes turned to the tightly closed door of the Managing Director’s office.

One more person had been added to the list of attendees for the family meeting.

“Yoon-woo is really coming back.”

Seo-hee’s voice trembled with longing.

* * *

Meanwhile, in LA.

Loud EDM music pulsed through the club. Model-like women swayed their bodies, intoxicated by the alcohol and the music.

The heated interactions between young men and women were accepted here.

This was a meeting place for the children of politicians and business tycoons, who escaped the watchful eyes of their parents back in Korea.

Amongst them, Yoon-woo stood out.

He exuded an aura of elegance, even though he was wearing only a white shirt.

He was 185cm tall, with a small face and soft brown hair that fell naturally over his forehead.

He had a gentle appearance that belied his well-built physique. His smooth jawline, high bridge of nose and seemingly moist eyes captured the hearts of older women.

“Kang Yoon-woo!”

Yoon-woo, who had been watching a couple kissing passionately with an indifferent expression on his face, turned his eyes to the voice.

“What are you thinking about so deeply? Are you nervous about returning to Korea after so long?”

Yoon-woo took the glass of alcohol Sang-min offered him and replied, “No, I’m excited.”

“You won’t be able to have fun once you’re back in Korea. Enjoy yourself while you’re out of your mother’s reach.”

“Am I a child?”

Yoon-woo glared at Sang-min for bringing up his mother when he wasn’t a child.

“You’re a son of a bitch. You’re going back because your mother called you, right?”

“I wanted to go back to Korea anyway.”

“Because of your first love?”

“What? Who is Yoon-woo’s first love?”

Yoon-woo frowned at Ji-ho who appeared noisily.

“Wow, Kang Yoon-woo. Why didn’t you tell me about your first love?”

As Ji-ho grumbled, Sang-min replied, “You know why Yoon-woo only dates girls with long straight hair, right?”

“So you dumped Shin Hye-mi? Because she dyed her hair blonde?”

“I found her even hotter with blonde hair.”

“You dirty bastard.”

His friends laughed and gulped down their drinks.

“Stop it.”

Yoon-woo said coldly, fiddling with his glass. Even though they were friends, he didn’t always appreciate their conversations.

“That Kang Yoon-woo, no matter how beautiful a woman is, he won’t react unless she has long straight hair.”

“Hey, I told you to stop.”

His voice was cold. Startled, Sang-min changed the subject.

“Is the restaurant you want to open in Korea all set?”

“More or less.”

“Oh, right. Tae-jun hyung is doing really well. I heard that families with daughters are going crazy trying to set him up on blind dates.”

Yoon-woo grimaced at the mention of his brother’s name after such a long time.

“I think they’re talking about an engagement with the KM group. I know because their youngest daughter is our age.”

“Hyung is getting engaged?”

“You didn’t know? It’s quite famous.”

It was news to him. Yoon-woo’s mind raced.

“Ask your brother for a job when you go back to Korea.”

“I’m not interested in working for the company.”

“Weren’t you close to your brother before? I remember Tae-jun hyung always having you by his side at parties.”

When Yoon-woo remained silent, Ji-ho interjected.

“That was a long time ago. How can they be close if they have different mothers?”

“Well, his mother was a mistress. She only became a legal wife after Tae-jun hyung’s mother committed suicide.”

“Wait, the death of Tae-jun hyung’s mother was a suicide?”

“Hey!”

Yoon-woo, who had overheard their conversation, stood up and grabbed Sang-min by the collar.

Sang-min’s eyes widened at Yoon-woo’s unexpected strength, which contrasted with his gentle appearance.

They had gotten into a big fight before, even involving the police, when the subject of family came up. So Sang-min hastily apologized.

“S-Sorry.”

“Don’t ever talk about my family stuff again.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.”

Yoon-woo let go of his grip on Sang-min. Roughly running a hand through his hair, Yoon-woo walked towards the bar.

Ji-ho, stunned, whispered to Sang-min as Yoon-woo was usually so gentle, “Is there a secret I don’t know? What’s going on?”

“How can I tell you when that bastard is like that?”

“Just tell me.”

When Ji-ho persisted, Sang-min lowered his voice.

“The day Kang Yoon-woo was born, Tae-jun hyung’s mother killed herself.”

“The day Yoon-woo was born?”

“Yes. Jeya Group is doing well now, but it wasn’t like that back then. It all happened because Tae-jun hyung’s maternal grandfather, the former prime minister, wanted his only daughter to marry the eldest son of the Jeya Group, so he helped them grow their business.” 

Sang-min added details that Ji-ho hadn’t even asked for. It was his revenge for the embarrassing situation Yoon-woo had put him in earlier.

“Imagine how much she loved her husband. But after all the help from her family, he had an affair and fathered a child out of marriage. Can you imagine how hurt she must have been? And to make matters worse, his mistress was a bar girl. That says it all.”

Sang-min’s angry gaze lingered on Yoon-woo, who was standing far away.

“Whiskey.”

Yoon-woo sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. Being surrounded by women always brought back complicated memories.

Yoon-woo emptied his glass without pausing.

“Excuse me.”

Yoon-woo remained silent when a woman’s voice called out to him.

“You’re Korean, right?”

“… .”

“You look young. Are you a student?”

“Unemployed.”

Yoon-woo had recently bought a popular restaurant in the area. But he didn’t care if this stranger thought he was unemployed or not.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to him. Her short skirt barely covered her voluptuous figure.

“I’ve been watching you for a while. Are you drinking alone?”

Yoon-woo continued to ignore her. Then, as he turned to get his drink, his eyes fell on her long, straight hair. In his blurred vision, the woman seemed to overlap with someone else.

“Tie up your hair.”

“Excuse me?”

“Put your hair up in a ponytail.”

The woman made an awkward expression as she gathered her hair with her hands. Her pale skin, big eyes and red lips reminded him of someone.

“Beautiful.”

The woman blushed at his hushed voice. Yoon-woo didn’t care if she was actually beautiful.

“You look like her.”

Like Han Seo-hee.

Yoon-woo lifted his glass languidly, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he took a sip of his drink.