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Section Chief Choi whispered as if revealing a monumental secret.
“The Gilded Tyrant.”
A short but heavy silence passed between the two.
“Ah...”
The infamous historical figure, Yonsan-gun, was already terrifying enough—but paired with the word “gilded”? It painted a picture of someone utterly ruthless.
Rumors were often exaggerated, but with no prior information about him, it was hard not to feel tense.
“He’s a perfectionist like no other. If anyone falls even slightly short of his standards, he cuts them off without hesitation.”
Poor Team Leader Gam… What would become of him now?
Joo-eun couldn’t help but worry about her flustered team leader, who seemed on edge.
“Sigh… I just hope the rumors about him being ridiculously handsome are true.”
“Really?”
“For real?”
Heads popped up from all corners of the office, having overheard the conversation.
Slam! Gam brought a document down hard on his desk.
“Enough chit-chat! Tomorrow, when the director arrives, everyone will present their work progress. Song Joo-eun, finalize and review the compiled data and send it via email before you leave today.”
Everyone snapped back to attention, turning toward their monitors in perfect unison. The sight was almost admirable in its precision.
With a faint smile, Joo-eun raised her voice loud enough for the distant Gam to hear.
“Yes, understood!”
---
When a low battery alert popped up on his laptop screen, Jang-wook slammed the lid shut and stretched his arms high above his head.
“Wow, I can’t do this anymore. Let’s take a break.”
“Rest.”
Min-hyuk, seated on the couch reviewing documents, replied indifferently.
Jang-wook let his outstretched arms fall limply to his sides, groaning dramatically.
“Hey, aren’t you exhausted? You haven’t moved an inch in four hours. At this rate, you’ll collapse before your first day even starts.”
“It’s fascinating.”
“What is? Am I the only one looking at different reports here?”
Jang-wook tried to joke around, attempting to lighten the mood, but Min-hyuk didn’t even glance his way.
“It’s fascinating how such a stagnant company still manages to keep running. Feels like watching a zombie movie where nothing dies.”
Comparing the company to zombies—what a vivid metaphor.
Jang-wook smirked wryly.
“Whoa… To me, you’re the zombie. Ruthless thing.”
“There’s no way Father kept this company alive like this. It’s bizarre.”
His father only valued utility—whether it came to people or businesses. If something lost its value, he discarded it, even if it was family. So why was this man, who prided himself on efficiency, dragging along such abysmal performance figures? It made no sense.
“That’s why there were so many talks about shutting down operations. And yet, now, you’re willingly walking into that mess—with me, no less.”
Jang-wook had quit his previous job because of Min-hyuk’s promise to build something great together. He’d envisioned a promising start at DK Electronics.
But DK Media? This was beyond frustrating.
Of course, he firmly believed they could achieve anything together. Still, why choose the thorny path when smoother ones existed?
Jang-wook still couldn’t understand Min-hyuk’s reasoning.
“Don’t worry. Within a year, we’ll move to DK Electronics.”
“Huh?”
“I told you—I won’t enter as Chairman Jung Geun-sik’s son. I’ll go in as an irreplaceable talent.”
DK Media would be his stepping stone.
And above all, it was where Song Joo-eun—the woman he’d searched for so desperately—worked. For Min-hyuk, this was the perfect setup.
“Finally... I’ll see her again...”
Min-hyuk muttered under his breath. From across the room, Jang-wook, who had been writhing in boredom, perked up with wide eyes.
“Huh? Who are you talking about?”
Min-hyuk cleared his throat awkwardly, pretending to have been misunderstood.
“Nothing. Focus on work.”
“But you told me to rest!”
“You’ve rested enough by now.”
Jang-wook was so exasperated he nearly dropped his jaw.
“Bathroom. I’ll just go to the bathroom.”
Of course, on the way, he’d probably check his phone and maybe even catch a quick nap.
Slipping away from his seat, he bypassed the two bathrooms on the first floor and instead sprinted up to the second floor.
Whether he came back or not, Min-hyuk’s lips curled into an increasingly cold smile as he flipped through the documents. Just thinking about Joo-eun made it impossible for the smile to leave his face.
The heart that had once felt like crumbling dust was now pounding again. The sensation was so intoxicating that he spent the next hour completely immersed in the paperwork.
---
A week later.
The marketing team was in a frenzy preparing for the director’s first day at work.
Team Leader Gam, who had never watered the office plants in his life, hastily poured water into a dusty pot while motioning to Kim Min-seok with a flick of his finger.
“Kim Min-seok, wipe down the director’s desk one more time.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Song Joo-eun, double-check that all the documents are printed without missing anything.”
“Yes.”
Joo-eun replied in a voice tight with nerves.
With the big day upon them, over a dozen employees moved in perfect synchronization, preparing to welcome the new director.
“Why did he have to request a room behind the marketing team? I’m dying… truly dying…”
Gam groaned yet again.
Though the director oversaw the entire Strategic Planning Division, the decision to place his office behind the marketing team created an atmosphere as if their direct superior was arriving.
“Team Leader...?”
“What!”
Gam’s eyes widened in alarm, fearing something had gone wrong.
“Oh… He’s here already.”
“Already?”
Gasping in shock, Gam quickly covered his mouth and bowed his head. There were still thirty minutes until the scheduled arrival.
Startled, Joo-eun froze mid-action and turned her gaze toward the entrance.
But something seemed off—as if she were seeing things. Blinking repeatedly, she rubbed her eyelids with the back of her hand.
“...!”
The more she rubbed, the clearer the face imprinted itself in her vision.
There was no need to search her memory—it was unmistakably Jeong Min-hyuk.
‘Th-this can’t be…’
As she stared in disbelief, Min-hyuk, guided by what appeared to be his secretary, slowly turned his head.
Their gazes met head-on before she could look away.
His icy eyes clashed with her wildly trembling ones, tangling fiercely in the air—just like that night when they had become so deeply entangled.
‘How could this happen…?’
She had thought she’d weathered every storm to get here. But this—this was a whole new kind of trial.
She had no idea how to navigate it.
‘Is… Is he the new director?’
Joo-eun couldn’t close her gaping mouth.
If he was the director, that meant he was Chairman Jeong’s only son.
Behind her, whispers of admiration buzzed incessantly.
“Wow, jackpot. The rumors were right. He looks like a movie star!”
“Chief, I’ve never seen someone that handsome before.”
“Even if he had a gun in his mouth instead of a sword, I’d fall for him.”
“Goodness… Even his secretary is attractive. Suddenly my vision feels sharper.”
“I second that.”
Amidst the chatter, Ju-eon couldn’t bring herself to agree. Her heart felt like it would explode, and her body remained frozen, unable to move.
Guided by senior staff, he stepped inside—one step, two steps—approaching just as he had that night.
Her mind went blank, struggling to comprehend how this could be happening. All she could manage was to lower her head slightly.
The polished dress shoes stopped right in front of her.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jeong Min-hyuk.”
She could feel him extending his hand, offering a handshake.
“Do you really want to shake hands with me?”
“I’d rather use this hand for something else.”
Yes, that hand—she remembered it all too well. It had done everything but shake hands with her.
The memory of his seductive touch sent a flush of heat rushing to her cheeks.
‘What do I do? How should I handle this…?’
Not responding at all would only make things more awkward!
Trying her best to greet him naturally, Joo-eun’s trembling fingertips reached out hesitantly.
“A-ah, hello—”
“Hello. I’m Gam Seong-joon, the marketing team leader. It is a great honor to have Jeong Min-hyuk as our new director of the Strategic Planning Division.”
Her voice was drowned out by Team Leader Gam’s stiff, robotic greeting.
‘Wasn’t that introduction meant for me?’
Joo-eun lifted her head, which had been bowed deeply. Her eyes locked onto his profile as he conversed with the team leader.
Behind that perfectly tailored suit and neatly combed hair hid the irresistibly sexy, solid body and sultry breath she knew so well. The thought made her heart race even faster.
This was insane. What on earth was she thinking right now…?
Joo-eun bit down hard on her lip, her face contorted in distress.
“We’ve prepared your office behind the marketing team, just as you requested. We worked hard to build a new room in just a few days. Heh heh…”
The team leader gestured toward the inner room and chuckled.
The hastily constructed director’s office looked surprisingly decent, resembling one of the existing rooms.
“It’s fine. Good work.”
“At 9 a.m., the teams under the Strategic Planning Division—marketing, PR, IT, and IR—will each give a 30-minute progress report.”
The team leader’s voice grew increasingly excited after receiving praise.
“With everyone busy, is it really necessary to meet with all of them?”
Min-hyuk’s cold response immediately deflated the team leader.
“Eh? Well… Since it’s the first day, we thought introductions—”
“There’s no point introducing everyone if I won’t remember their names anyway. Let’s handle introductions gradually.”
“Y-yes…”
“I’ll meet with one representative from each team. From the marketing team, who sent me the report?”
The startled gazes of the team members turned toward Joo-eun.
Slowly, she raised her right hand.
“I sent it…”
“And your name?”
His expressionless face gave no sign of recognizing her.
‘Does he really not remember me?’
Even if he did remember, it would be embarrassing—but being treated like a complete stranger left an inexplicable void in her chest.
Her eyes wavered slightly.
“Song… Joo-eun.”
He responded with an icy demeanor.
“Come in. Only Song Joo-eun.”
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