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When working, this is how he treats those beneath him.
Eun-chae realized just how little she truly knew about Seok-kyung.
“Come in.”
Seok-kyung closed the door behind him and stepped inside.
Taking a deep breath, Eun-chae followed him into the CEO’s office.
The large room was entirely furnished in black—a stark reminder of his parents’ house and their wedding suite, which had also been draped in darkness.
So this was his taste—dark, heavy, oppressive.
“Come closer.”
At his command, Eun-chae cautiously moved toward him, each step deliberate.
His cold gaze swept over her, freezing her to the core.
“What did you want to say?”
Leaning casually against the chair in front of his desk, Seok-kyung’s voice was sharp and emotionless.
Eun-chae quickly shook off her wandering thoughts and focused.
“I wanted to discuss something important…”
“Acting like we’re complete strangers now, are we?”
He sneered at her overly formal tone.
“Fine, whatever. Say what you came to say and leave.”
“It’s about the contract worker layoffs. Are you planning to fire me?”
“Yes. It would be awkward for us to work in the same place, don’t you think? One of us has to go.”
As expected.
“But it’s too much to suddenly force me out like this.”
“Less sudden than your divorce request, wouldn’t you say?”
Eun-chae bit down hard on her lip.
So this was revenge for that day. But she hadn’t divorced him willingly—it was Cha Yeo-sa’s manipulation that drove her to it. The injustice burned within her.
“I’ll stay out of your way completely.”
“What?”
“No one here knows about our past. I’ll make sure to never appear before you—I’ll work quietly, like I don’t exist.”
“You’ll work quietly but still take a paycheck?”
“Please, I’m begging you.”
Eun-chae bowed deeply.
With nowhere else to turn, she swallowed her pride.
The debt of 1.6 billion won, reduced as much as possible but still crushing, weighed heavily on her shoulders. And then there was her mother, clinging desperately to the remnants of their family’s former glory. She had no choice but to grovel.
“What about him?”
Him?
Confused by his question, Eun-chae raised her head slightly to look at him.
“Huh?”
“That man. The one you claimed to love.”
“Oh…”
Right. That lie.
When she’d asked for a divorce, following Cha Yeo-sa’s orders, she hadn’t expected him to demand a reason.
Their marriage had been nothing more than a paper contract—an arrangement between families. She assumed he wouldn’t care enough to ask why.
So she gave the most common excuse: another man.
You can keep seeing him. Divorce isn’t an option.
Seok-kyung would never understand how much those words had hurt her. How the idea of him allowing her to continue seeing someone else while refusing to let her go cut deeper than any blade.
“Are you still seeing him?”
His icy glare tightened around her throat.
“That… has nothing to do with you.”
Why bring this up now? What did he want to know?
Straightening her back, Eun-chae swallowed dryly and replied.
“It’s none of your business.”
“No,” he corrected coolly. “But I’m making it my business now.”
She didn’t understand. What did he mean by that? How could such a private matter affect her employment status?
But before she could process further, he smirked and changed the subject.
“If you want to keep working here, are you willing to do anything I ask?”
“Yes, I can do anything.”
Yes, if staying meant keeping this job—if it meant earning the salary no other company would offer her—she’d do whatever it took.
“I’m curious how far you’re willing to go.”
How far?
“Let’s start with something you’ll hate.”
“What do you mean?”
A high-pitched ringing filled her ears.
Casually tossing the words out like a joke, Seok-kyung’s lips curled into a faint smile. His eyes gleamed with curiosity, waiting for her response.
“…What?”
Her already wide eyes grew impossibly larger. She realized instantly that this wasn’t a jest.
“In the year we were married, did we even spend a full week together? Even when we shared a bed, nothing happened.”
He didn’t need to spell it out; she remembered vividly.
Each night, lying beside him, she’d hoped—even prayed—that their bodies might accidentally touch. Maybe, just maybe, he’d see her not as a wife but as a woman.
But every night, he turned his back to her and slept soundly, leaving her alone with her longing.
And now, after three years, he dared to bring this up?
“It’s unfair. My wife, whom I never touched, ended up in another man’s arms.”
Unfair?
Her fists clenched tightly at his words. He had no right to feel wronged.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t—it was that he chose not to.
“I don’t understand…”
“You don’t? We’re talking about sex.”
“I know that.”
“Then why act confused?”
Trapped by his logic, Eun-chae had no answer.
How could she respond to such casual cruelty disguised as humor?
Being held in his arms had been her dream throughout their marriage—but that dream had ended three years ago, shattered brutally.
“Are there no other conditions?”
“Other conditions?”
“Besides… what you just said.”
Please, anything but that.
With desperation etched across her face, Eun-chae looked at him.
“All I want is your body.”
Why?
“Do you refuse?”
His smirk deepened momentarily, but vanished when she hesitated too long.
The warmth faded from his expression, replaced by the same cold indifference he’d worn earlier.
“If you have nothing more to say, you may leave, Ms. Lee Eun-chae.”
Only then did reality crash back down on her. She’d missed her chance.
“…Seok-kyung.”
“The decision regarding your contract renewal will be announced soon.”
His voice was ice-cold, cutting her off mid-protest. Without another glance, he turned away, opening his laptop and resuming work.
Eun-chae stood frozen, watching him type and move his mouse across dual monitors.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
He gestured toward the door—a clear dismissal.
Bowing her head, Eun-chae turned and walked out.
As she opened the door, she heard a derisive snort from behind her.
Coming here uninvited and pleading for leniency must have amused him.
After all, they hadn’t parted on good terms. She’d left him for another man—or so she’d claimed. Why would he harbor any goodwill toward her?
It was her fault for acting recklessly, without considering the consequences.
Pale-faced, Eun-chae passed Secretary Won, who watched her curiously, and ran straight to the restroom.
Clutching the toilet bowl, she retched violently. Her empty stomach produced only bitter bile.
All I want is your body.
The memory of his frigid words sent her head diving back toward the bowl.
---
It felt like a death sentence. All motivation drained from her; she wanted to do nothing.
Though she didn’t know how much longer she’d last at the company, the thought of being forced out soon made her angry.
Instead of brushing off Manager Yang’s usual taunts with a laugh, she responded curtly.
“Why are you mad at me? Did I choose to be a contract worker? Ridiculous.”
His mocking reply stung worse than usual.
On the bus ride home, she stared blankly out the window, missing her transfer stop.
Dragging her exhausted body through the door, she nearly collapsed at the sight of a thick bill sitting outside her tiny studio apartment.
It was the credit card statement Uncle had given her mother—a staggering amount exceeding 3 million won.
Swallowing bile, Eun-chae immediately called her mother.
—”Hello, my daughter.”
“Mom, how could you spend 2 million won on the credit card?”
—”What? Did I really spend that much?”
“I told you to cut back! How are we supposed to pay this off when we barely have any money?”
—”Two million isn’t much. I’ve been trying to save wherever I can!”
Her mother sounded indignant, almost tearful.
—”There was a village banquet at the community center, so I helped prepare some things.”
“Why are you spending money on village banquets?”
—”How could I sit idly by while everyone calls me ‘Madam’? I have to maintain appearances!”
Eun-chae had hoped moving to the countryside would ease their financial strain. Surely expenses would decrease compared to Seoul.
But her mother remained trapped in the past, unable to let go of their family’s former prestige.
Despite warnings, Uncle had given her mother a credit card out of pity.
“Mom, you need to pay this back.”
—”How am I supposed to do that? I don’t have any money.”
“Earn it and pay it back.”
—”You know I’ve never worked a day in my life. What kind of job could I possibly do?”
“Can’t you see how hard I’m struggling? You live rent-free at Uncle’s place, surviving on the allowance I send you. Isn’t that enough?”
—”How can anyone live on just 500,000 won?”
Her mother burst into tears.
Five hundred thousand won was nearly half of what Eun-chae managed to scrape together each month after paying off debts.
Why couldn’t her mother live within her means?
Anger bubbled up inside her.
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