Chapter 21

Bo Bae watched the two men tensely as the stranger appeared. She thought she heard them mention being cousins earlier, but the atmosphere between them was more than just hostile, it was chilling.

"They say the quiet cat is the first to climb onto the stove... did you really bring a woman home?"

"Stay out of it. Whether I bring a woman or a man home is none of your business."

"I'm just saying because your facade is so thick. You act so well-behaved in front of the Chairman."

At the mention of the 'Chairman,' Bo Bae began to get a sense of why the air between them was so thick with animosity. She had heard that in chaebol families, brothers would draw knives over inheritance, so cousins would likely be no different. Seeing how they were itching to tear each other apart, their relationship clearly fell into that category.

'So this is what a chaebol power struggle looks like!'

While she was speculating about their relationship, Do Yoon shifted his target and directed his attention towards Bo Bae.

"To call you a couple, it's a bit..."

A bit what? What was with that look in his eyes?

Do Yoon scanned Bo Bae from head to toe, tilted his head, and continued.

"Did you pay for a one-night stand? If so, her quality is pretty pathetic."

"Shut your mouth."

"You certainly have... unique taste. I wouldn't take a woman like this even if she were handed to me."

"You son of a..."

As Ho Rang clenched his fist, looking ready to pounce, Bo Bae stepped in to stop him and spoke up instead.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I am President Baek Ho Rang’s secretary."

Secretary?

At the word 'secretary,' not only Do Yoon but Ho Rang as well stared at Bo Bae with wide eyes.

Since when was she a secretary?

Ho Rang wanted to stop Bo Bae and ask why she was claiming to be his secretary, but he didn't have the chance. Do Yoon was already pelting her with questions.

"I know all of Baek Ho Rang’s secretaries, but I’ve never seen your face before."

"That’s because I was hired yesterday."

"Then why are you at his house? On a weekend morning, no less?"

"The President's schedule has been very busy lately, so I am assisting him with his personal matters."

"Fine. Let's say you're his secretary. Then what were you two doing earlier? And don't give me some cliché excuse like 'something got in my eye so he was blowing it out.'"

"That is the truth."

"What? Are you people playing with me!"

"I told you the truth exactly as it happened. I don’t understand why you’re getting angry..."

Do Yoon was flabbergasted, but he had nothing to say to Bo Bae, who was looking at him with feigned innocence. Besides, what he had seen earlier wasn't exactly a 'smoking gun.' If he had witnessed something definitive, he wouldn't be wasting time like this.

As Do Yoon hesitated, unable to offer a rebuttal, Ho Rang took the initiative.

"Secretary Na, you may head outside now."

"Yes, President. Then I will see you at the office."

Bo Bae hurried out as if she had been waiting for that command. Ho Rang watched her pass the container and head outside, letting out a low sigh. If it hadn't been for her quick wit, he would have been caught by this sharp-eyed bastard. Though he knew Do Yoon wouldn't let things end here.

Ho Rang used his broad shoulders to block Do Yoon’s gaze, which remained fixed on Bo Bae as she walked away.

"Why don't you stop staring at someone else's secretary?"

Having diverted Do Yoon’s attention, Ho Rang put on a T-shirt that was lying on the sofa and began tidying up the kitchen. Do Yoon watched him intently and asked.

"So, do secretaries wear tracksuits to their boss's house these days?"

Ho Rang flinched for a moment, remembering what Bo Bae was wearing, but he quickly masked his expression.

"Unlike you, I maintain a horizontal relationship with my employees."

"The excuses are getting long, which isn't like you."

"Since when did you know me so well?"

Ho Rang looked at Do Yoon with cold eyes. Do Yoon met his gaze with a crooked smirk.

Ho Rang had first met Do Yoon at his parents' funeral. He had been happy to learn that he had a cousin his own age, but that feeling lasted only a moment. Do Yoon was a human being worse than a stranger. No, worse than an enemy. Choi Do Yoon was the one person Ho Rang wished he had never met.

As Ho Rang tried to walk past him to the second floor, Do Yoon provoked him again.

"When you're done playing with her, toss her to me. She’s not my type, but she’s not unbearable to look at."

"You bastard!"

Finally losing his temper, Ho Rang grabbed Do Yoon by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Earlier, he had barely managed to suppress his rising rage because Bo Bae had stopped him, but now he exploded.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy now."

Do Yoon wheezed as he struggled for breath, yet he continued to taunt him. In fact, seeing Ho Rang react so violently only made him want to provoke him more. Ho Rang was usually the type who never lost his composure over anything.

"Didn't... didn't anyone teach you that brothers shouldn't fight? Well, I suppose you need parents around to learn that."

"You son of a bitch..."

Just as Ho Rang clenched his fist to strike Do Yoon in the face.

"Ho Rang!"

He turned his head at the sound of someone calling his name and saw Su Yeon looking at him with worried eyes.

"What are you doing? Let Do Yoon go."

Despite Su Yeon’s desperate plea, Ho Rang did not loosen his grip on Do Yoon.

"Ho Rang, please. The Chairman is coming."

At Su Yeon’s mention of the Chairman's arrival, Ho Rang finally released his hold on the collar. Su Yeon let out a sigh of relief, while Do Yoon coughed as if he were about to die, yet still managed to sneer at Ho Rang.

"I see you listen well to 'mother.' Well, I guess you should listen to the mother you actually have."

Despite the insulting words, Ho Rang could not offer a retort. He simply clenched his fists, his hands trembling, as he watched Chairman Baek enter the house.

Normally, Ho Rang wasn't one to fall for Do Yoon’s provocations. He was so rational that Do Yoon often called him an 'emotionless bastard.' He couldn't understand why his anger had flared up so uncontrollably this time.

Do Yoon had provoked him as usual, and he should have ignored it as usual. So why? He couldn't figure out what had made him so furious.

"The elders have arrived, and you don't even greet them? What do you think you're doing?"

Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, a sharp voice rang through the house. It was Mi Kyung, Ho Rang’s aunt and Do Yoon’s mother.

"You've arrived."

Ho Rang bowed toward Chairman Baek and Mi Kyung. Mi Kyung looked Ho Rang up and down and clicked her tongue.

"You knew perfectly well we were coming, yet look at the state of you. Tsk."

"Please excuse me for a moment."

Ho Rang asked for the Chairman’s understanding and went up to the second floor to check the calendar. He had been so preoccupied lately that he had completely forgotten.

"Dammit."

Today was Ho Rang’s birthday.

~~~~

Ho Rang went up to the second floor while Su Yeon and the helper were busy preparing food, and Mi Kyung was nagging them.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Do Yoon slipped outside. He noticed a container in the yard, but he didn't have time to worry about that. He had a feeling that the woman who claimed to be the secretary earlier would be lingering somewhere near the house.

Do Yoon, who had come out of the house and was looking around, suddenly paused.

"Bingo."

Just as he expected, Bo Bae was nearby. Seeing her sipping coffee in front of a convenience store not far from the house, Do Yoon curled his lips into a smirk.

Her hair wasn't even fully dry, and she was wearing sweatpants with baggy knees and a T-shirt with a stretched-out neckline. Who would look at her and think she was a secretary visiting her boss's home?

"If you're going to make an excuse, at least put some effort into it. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Do Yoon chuckled and approached Bo Bae.

Drinking her coffee, Bo Bae looked up when a shadow fell over her.

"Oh? That idiot from earlier..."

"What?"

As Do Yoon's expression turned fierce at her unintentional slip of the tongue, Bo Bae quickly began to improvise, pointing at a life-size celebrity advertisement standing in front of the convenience store.

"Oh my, this life-size cutout! Wow! This actor is so handsome. I want to take him home. Life-size cutouts are the best."

She was a woman who had managed to slip away earlier and was now making him speechless again.

Do Yoon scanned her from head to toe. With exceptionally fair skin, large monolids, a straight nose, and small, cute lips, she was pretty, but not an extraordinary beauty. Her height and figure were just average.

As far as Do Yoon knew, Ho Rang had never dated a woman. In fact, he never even kept women by his side. So, his curiosity was naturally piqued by a woman being at his house.

"Baek Ho Rang’s taste is really..."

Bo Bae was extremely displeased with this man who kept disparaging her looks and commenting on Ho Rang’s taste. She wondered if being a "jerk" ran in this family's blood, as they were all so consistently rude.

"Whose daughter are you?"

"Are you talking to me?"

"Who else is here besides you?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know. My family isn't that famous..."

"Fine. It must be a family not even worth looking into."

It was a talent in its own right, the ability to piss someone off with a single sentence. However, Bo Bae didn't lose her temper. She had introduced herself as Ho Rang’s secretary, so she couldn't treat him too poorly.

"Tell me the truth. You're not a secretary, are you?"

"I am, though."

"Oh, come on, quit lying. What kind of secretary goes to their boss's house looking like that? You two slept together, didn't you?"

"!!!"

"Did you have an early birthday party for Ho Rang?"

'Birthday? Is today Baek Ho Rang’s birthday?'

"Your eyes are shaking, I guess I'm right. Where do you work? Give me a business card."

"Why do you want a business card?"

"So I can call you when I'm bored. I'm pretty good at 'night shifts' too."

'This crazy bastard!' She had intended to treat him like family since he was Baek Ho Rang’s relative, but he was lower than a box of eighteen-colored crayons. He was a son of a bitch who deserved to be sent to Siberia to peel watermelon seeds.

All sorts of curses were rising up her throat, but Bo Bae held them back. She had to. She had signed a confidentiality agreement and started a three-month secret relationship on the condition of keeping it hidden. She couldn't let herself be shaken by this.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I really am his secretary."

When Bo Bae persisted until the end, Do Yoon gave a smirk and turned around.

"Fine. Let's see how long you can keep that up."

Though he hadn't gained much information about the woman, the fact that he had found something to dig into regarding Ho Rang’s private life was a great harvest.

"Excuse me."

As Do Yoon turned around at Bo Bae's call, he saw her holding out her hand.

"What?"

"I don't have a card, but since meeting like this is fate, I thought maybe we could shake hands."

When Bo Bae offered a handshake with a bright smile, Do Yoon gripped her hand with a look that said, 'I knew it.'

"Sure. If you ever need some pocket money, just ask me....AAAAAGGHH!"

As soon as he took Bo Bae’s hand, Do Yoon began to tremble violently as if he had been struck by electricity. He was in so much pain he couldn't even finish his sentence, and eventually, his eyes even began to roll back.

Only then did Bo Bae release his hand.

"Haa, haa... What... what was that?"

"What was what?"

"That static electricity just now! What was that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Do you have something in your hand?"

As Do Yoon looked at her hand with suspicious eyes, Bo Bae raised both hands and waved them at him.

"Well then, I'll be going. See you next time."

Bo Bae turned away with a bright smile, and Do Yoon stared intently at the hand he had used to shake hers.

He felt like he could smell something burning, like burnt squid.