The moonlight shimmered on the lake, rippling until dawn's dew frosted over.
Pressing the doorbell and hearing no response, Yoon Hye-na returned home, dejected.
Was he out, or was that woman there again?
As a neighbor, she knew Lee Jin-woo had other women.
But facing that reality didn't feel great.
Until it was time for work, no sound came from his door.
All day, she was distracted.
After work, Yoon Hye-na hurriedly packed, eager to get home.
"Hye-na-ssi, heading out? I'll give you a ride."
"No, thanks, I'll take the bus."
"It's fine, we're colleagues. I'm heading that way anyway."
Despite her refusals, she rushed into the elevator.
But he followed, still pestering, his intentions obvious.
As her team leader, Park Eun-joon had been eyeing her for a while.
Cautious, he feared crossing a powerful figure.
A woman like her either married rich or worked in nightlife—she didn't belong in an ordinary world.
Park Eun-joon was waiting to see which she was.
But even now, he couldn't tell if she was a rich man's woman or a hostess.
Her demeanor screamed well-bred, pampered elegance.
Yet her job, behavior, and attire didn't match.
Aish, he was going crazy.
So, he decided to test her with relentless pursuit.
If he overstepped, he could back off without truly offending.
If he was wrong and she was just a regular beauty, he'd hit the jackpot.
"No, really, Team Leader Park…"
In the company's ground-level parking lot, his persistence wore her down.
He hadn't crossed any lines or used his authority—just clung like a leech.
Yoon Hye-na didn't know how to shake him.
Then, a Land Rover roared straight at them, showing no sign of slowing.
Her eyes widened, pointing in panic.
"What?" Park Eun-joon, savoring his near-victory, glanced back.
His smug eyes filled with terror.
Screech~
Tires left a two-meter skid mark. The Land Rover's square nose stopped inches from his thighs.
The abrupt halt made the car lurch forward like a tiger.
The heated bumper grazed his legs, and his knees buckled, collapsing him to the ground.
The door opened. A chiseled figure in a black suit stepped out, the eagle tattoo on his neck vivid under the sun.
Its yellow eyes seemed alive, glaring at Park Eun-joon like he was already dead.
The tattoo's owner strode forward, stopping beside Yoon Hye-na as Park watched in dread.
Bowing 90 degrees, Lee Jin-woo, in sunglasses, boomed, "Madam, my apologies for frightening you."
"…Hm, huh? Oh!" Yoon Hye-na's emotions rode a rollercoaster.
Why, after the shock and confusion, did joy flood her heart?
Then, Lee Jin-woo's gaze turned to Park Eun-joon.
Despite the sunglasses, Park felt a chilling menace. "Madam, shall I dispose of him?"
Park shuddered, losing all strength, collapsing sideways onto the ground.
"Don't, Hye-na… no, Madam, please forgive me, I beg you!" he wailed. "My seventy-year-old mother, my wife who just had our second child—they need me. I'm sorry, so sorry."
Prostrating, he kowtowed, drawing curious stares.
Seeing someone filming, Yoon Hye-na just wanted to leave.
"Jin… Driver Lee, take me home."
"Yes."
He opened the backseat door, letting "Madam" in first.
Instead of entering the driver's seat, he strode toward the left-side crowd.
"Can I have your phone?" His hand extended to a woman, who clutched her device tightly.
"What? I'm a Seoul National University student."
Her trembling body betrayed her, only her defiant mouth holding firm.
Reaching into his jacket, she flinched, turning away.
Next second, her phone was gone.
Something light replaced it in her hand.
"Thank you for cooperating."
When his voice faded, Kim Tae-hee dared open her eyes, seeing cash in her hand.
"What, thinks he can do anything?" Stamping her foot, she cursed Korea's darkness.
But who were they? A chaebol's woman?
Wow~
The scene was straight out of a movie.
And that cold, sunglassed driver—so brazen.
Were they from the Seoul Lee Clan?
Sliding into the still-running Land Rover, Lee Jin-woo glanced ahead.
Park Eun-joon, once kneeling, was gone, leaving only a wet stain as proof of what happened.
Stepping on the gas, the tinted Land Rover vanished from onlookers' sight.
A few busybodies snapped the license plate.
Too scared to spread it, they'd at least have bragging rights.
Today's drama was a lifetime's worth of gossip!
Wow~
The chaebol's aura was unreal.
Ordinary folks despised the chaebols' grip on wealth and class yet yearned to join their corporate empires.
Proud to be part of their vast assets.
Even as a dog, you had to pick the right master.
Not far off, Yoon Hye-na, in the backseat, burst out laughing. "Jin-woo, how'd you come up with that?"
"Does it need planning?" He replied calmly.
He'd seen this play out before in his memories.
Just swap the lead and rerun the script—no challenge.
After her joy, Yoon Hye-na's face turned wistful.
"Thank you."
She was grateful for escaping Park's harassment, but her job was likely over.
Time to hunt for a new one.
She wasn't too upset—it wasn't her first rodeo.
But the thought of adapting to a new place, with no guaranteed income, replaced her joy with worry.
"Who said you're unemployed? From today, you're the personal assistant to Zy Plus's president."
Catching her stunned reflection in the rearview mirror, he smiled. "Hye-na, it's time to prove yourself.
Come up front, and I'll explain how to handle your new role."
(End of Chapter)