Minra took a deep breath.
A very deep breath.
She had one mission today.
Act normal.
Not weird.
Not awkward.
Not like a woman who had slept with her boss and was now pretending everything was fine.
Because everything was fine.
Totally.
Completely.
Absolutely fine.
So she walked into the office with her head high, shoulders back, smile in place.
And immediately tripped over the carpet.
In front of everyone.
Including HyunSeong.
Who caught her.
And just like that—
Her entire soul left her body.
.
"You should be more careful, Miss Seo."
HyunSeong’s voice was calm, even, unreadable.
His hands, still firm on her arms, helped her steady herself.
And she should have let go.
Should have moved away.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Should have acted normal.
But no.
Instead, she stared at him like a malfunctioning robot, internally screaming.
Because.
Because.
Because.
Why was he so close?!
Why did he smell so good?!
Why did her pulse jump at the sound of his voice?!
"Miss Seo?"
Oh, right.
He was waiting for a response.
So she cleared her throat.
Stepped back.
And ran away.
Like a total, absolute, undeniable coward.
.
"You ran."
Reyne grinned.
Minra, still recovering from her near-death embarrassment, groaned.
"I did not run."
"You fled."
"I WALKED QUICKLY."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Reyne leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"You know, the more you act weird, the more you prove my point."
Minra glared.
"There is no point to prove, Reyne."
"Oh?" He smirked. "Then you wouldn’t mind if I brought Mr. Hwa up in casual conversation, right?"
Minra’s stomach dropped.
"You wouldn’t."
"I absolutely would."
"Reyne, don’t you dare—!"
Too late.
Reyne, with a devilish grin, casually leaned over to Eunhe and announced—
"Hey, Noona. Did you notice how weird Minra is acting around Mr. Hwa?"
.
Eunhe sighed deeply.
"I told you to stop bothering her."
Minra exhaled in relief.
"See? THANK YOU—"
"But," Eunhe continued, "he’s not wrong."
Minra froze.
"What?"
Eunhe looked at her knowingly.
"You are acting weird, Minra."
Minra’s soul shattered.
"Not you too, Unnie—!"
"I’m just saying," Eunhe shrugged, "I’ve never seen you so flustered before."
"I AM NOT FLUSTERED!"
"You’re yelling."
"BECAUSE THIS IS A COORDINATED ATTACK!"
Reyne snickered.
Eunhe sipped her coffee.
And Minra?
Minra wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
.
"You know, I’ve been wondering the same thing."
Minra’s head snapped up.
Because that voice—
That smooth, dangerous voice—
Belonged to Suan.
Who was now sitting across from her.
"Oh my god," Minra whispered. "Not you too."
Suan smirked.
"Relax, Minra-ssi. I’m just curious."
“YOU ARE ALL TOO CURIOUS.”
"To be fair," Suan mused, "HyunSeong has been acting different lately. More tolerant. Less strict. Almost… dare I say, in a good mood?"
Reyne gasped dramatically.
"WAIT. ARE YOU SAYING MINRA SOFTENED THE DEVIL CEO?!"
Minra wanted to scream.
"I AM SAYING NOTHING HAPPENED!"
"But something did happen."
"IT DIDN’T!"
"Then why are you screaming?"
Minra froze.
Suan smirked.
Eunhe sighed.
And Reyne?
Reyne looked like he was having the best day of his life.
.
Across the office—
HyunSeong leaned back in his chair.
He didn’t need to hear the conversation to know exactly what was happening.
He had seen it.
The way Minra panicked.
The way she ran away.
The way Reyne and Suan were grinning like they had uncovered a secret.
And.
And, honestly?
He was amused.
Because she was struggling.
Because she was flustered.
Because, for the first time—
She was starting to realize something she hadn’t before.
And he?
He was just waiting for her to catch up.
Because when she did?
When she finally, finally admitted it?
There would be no running anymore.
And this time—
He’d make sure of it.
.
Chapter 40: "The Dinner Party That Confirmed Everything"
