AMOIAS07

Episode 7

From Monday morning, the headquarters of S Group was buzzing with talk about Lee Hyun and Harin.

When employees saw Lee Hyun and Harin arriving at work together, they realized the rumors were true and were visibly shocked.

Harin couldn’t help but lower her head at the stares of her colleagues.

Seeing her walking with her head down, Lee Hyun spoke up.

“Lift your head. Did you do something wrong?”

“You might be used to these stares, Director, but for an ordinary person like me, it’s really uncomfortable.”

In response, Lee Hyun wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

“Director!”

Harin whispered just loud enough for him to hear, but Lee Hyun pulled her even closer, as if to show off.

“Stay like this. It’s an order.”

Some of the female employees nearby let out small squeals.

“Kyaa! It must be real. I should’ve applied to the secretary’s office.”

“Seriously! A Cinderella story. I thought this only happened in dramas.”

As they headed toward the elevator, the voices of the employees echoed clearly in Harin’s ears.

The more she heard, the more Harin’s head drooped like a withering flower.

About halfway there, Ji-hyuk came out to meet them. Unlike his usual calm self, his expression was stiff.

“Director, you should head home today.”

Because Ji-hyuk rarely lost his composure, Lee Hyun sensed something was off just by looking at him.

“What is it? What happened?”

Ji-hyuk leaned in and whispered so only Lee Hyun could hear.

“Your mother is in your office.”

Lee Hyun furrowed his brow momentarily, then relaxed and spoke casually.

“If my mother came, I should greet her. That’s my duty as a son.”

“Judging from her expression, she’s not here for a friendly visit. You have external appointments today, right? Let’s just say you’re not coming in.”

“No. I’m done avoiding things.”

“Sigh… Here we go again.”

Lee Hyun brushed off Ji-hyuk’s concerns and stepped into the elevator.

The three of them headed to the 20th floor where the director’s office was located. When they arrived, they passed through the secretary’s office and stopped in front of the director’s door. Inside, Hwaran was sitting elegantly on the sofa, sipping tea. She looked graceful and composed, not a hair out of place.

But everyone knew that wasn’t the whole story—Lee Hyun, Ji-hyuk, and even Harin.

From the beginning, Hwaran clearly disliked Harin. She may have appeared kind to everyone else, but Harin—having grown up always reading the room—could tell. It was in her gestures, her subtle expressions. Hwaran didn’t like her.

‘This person doesn’t like me.’

Even so, Harin didn’t care much. Hwaran wasn’t her boss, and they didn’t have to interact often, so her dislike wouldn’t affect Harin’s life too deeply.

But the situation had changed. This was a contract marriage, and even if only for a year, Hwaran was going to be her mother-in-law. Harin didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.

As Harin tried to follow Lee Hyun into the office, he stopped her with one arm.

“Secretary Joo, go write up the business trip report. Once you’re done, contact Chief Cha about the wedding press conference—set the date, location, and contact the media. I want the report on my desk by this afternoon.”

“Huh…? Yes, understood.”

His tone was firm, but his gaze was warm. The message in his eyes was clear: Don’t worry.

As soon as Harin responded, the office door closed in front of her, leaving her standing still.

A moment later, Ji-hyuk’s voice came from behind.

“What are you doing standing there blankly? You’ve got work to do. Just focus on the tasks Director Lee gave you. He’ll handle the rest. That’s your role as a secretary.”

“But…”

Harin understood what he meant, but it still made her feel miserable, like she was abandoning someone.

“Just do as you’re told. We’re busy. You take care of scheduling and the venue. I’ll handle contacting the press. If Soo Secretary calls, things might drag out, so I’ll step in this time.”

“Okay… Thank you.”

—

Inside the office, the atmosphere was tense.

Hwaran glared at Lee Hyun, holding her teacup but saying nothing.

“If you have something to say, please get to the point. As you can see, I’m very busy. I have a wedding to plan.”

Hwaran finally opened her mouth, eyes burning.

“You’re still so rude. Just like your mother—always irritating me. And your father, chasing after any woman he fancied. Your mother was just a secretary who shamelessly clung to him. Looks like you have the same taste in women.”

“Talking about the dead like that… Isn’t that a bit beneath you? Let’s stick to the topic at hand.”

Lee Hyun’s eyes turned cold.

“That attitude of yours… This is why you should’ve been educated properly. Just marry Ye-eun already. Why on earth would you marry a mere secretary? It’s not like you two are madly in love or anything. You’d be better off with Ye-eun.”

Though her words tested his patience, Lee Hyun remained composed and responded calmly.

“Not the same at all. My feelings are completely different. I love Joo Harin deeply. That’s why I’m marrying her. So please give up on your political matchmaking. I don’t want to keep fighting with you. And don’t ever call her ‘just a secretary’ or ‘uneducated’ again—unless you want me to treat you without courtesy. I’m not as patient as my mother.”

Hwaran bit her lip, suppressing her rage.

“What… What? I raised you like my own son, and this is how you repay me…?”

Lee Hyun slammed the table and stood up, striding to the door.

“Chief Cha, escort my mother out. All the way to the front gate. Make sure she leaves.”

He turned to Hwaran.

“Please leave. This is my limit—and the last bit of respect I’ll show. Take care.”

His anger now felt deadly.

Hwaran stood up, pretending to remain calm. She put down her teacup and grabbed her designer handbag.

As she stepped out, she spotted Harin standing outside. She whispered, just loud enough for Harin to hear:

“You’re not going to make it, girl.”

Hwaran’s cold voice carried an undeniable certainty—You will never be my daughter-in-law. Harin shivered.

Just then, another woman appeared in front of the secretary’s office.

With perfectly styled wavy hair and a pink tweed jacket and skirt, she exuded elegance.

“Oh my, Director Ji. You came to see Lee Hyun? You look lovely as always. He’s inside. Go on in.”

It was Ye-eun.

“Ah… Yes. Please go in.”

After exchanging greetings, Ye-eun was about to enter the office when she stopped, having noticed Harin.

As soon as Harin saw her face, memories from high school came rushing back.

“You… No way, are you really Joo Harin?”

“I saw the article and wasn’t sure, but it is you.”

Ye-eun’s expression subtly shifted.

The rumors. The torment. For Harin, school had been a living hell. And at the center of it all was Ye-eun.

Harin had been a quiet, introverted student, but Ye-eun had made it her mission to torment her—bumping into her on purpose, spreading rumors, “accidentally” spilling lunch on her.

And then, always acting innocent:

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Harin. I’m just so clumsy.”

Other students may not have known better, but Harin knew—Ye-eun was doing it on purpose. Her eyes, voice, body language—it was all there.

In their second year of high school, bad things kept happening. Harin nearly got into serious trouble because of someone she met then.

And around that time, ugly rumors about her started circulating—

“She can’t live without guys,”

“She flirts with every man,”

“She sleeps around.”

It was obvious who started them.

She tried to defend herself, but no one listened.

Then, one day in the winter of their second year, Ye-eun stopped coming to school. Rumor had it she had married into a chaebol family and gone off to study in Paris.

Harin had been relieved, thinking the bullying was finally over.

But even after Ye-eun left, her group remained—and the harassment continued until graduation. Only then did Harin finally escape that nightmare.

Since then, she’d tried hard to forget it all.

But now, with Ye-eun standing before her again, that darkness came rushing back.

“So the secretary Lee Hyun is marrying… is really you? That makes the whole story even juicier.”

Just then, Harin felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

Ye-eun’s smile returned—the same one she wore while tormenting Harin back then.

It was Lee Hyun. When Harin felt like the last person standing alone in the world, he was there again.

She remembered what he’d said on Friday night:

“This is your home now. This is where you belong.”

With Lee Hyun beside her, Harin felt safe behind strong walls.

Ye-eun found the sight of them together utterly distasteful.

“I heard from your father, but I didn’t expect you to arrive this early. I apologize for last weekend. I had something more important to protect. I’m sure you saw the article. Now that you know it’s true, I don’t think there’s anything more to say. Please leave.”

Lee Hyun smiled politely, trying to remain cordial.

“No, I could’ve let the first time slide, but the second? I can’t ignore it. If the adults want us to talk, then we should sit down and talk—just the two of us.”

His expression darkened.

“But we’re not getting married, so I don’t see the point in talking.”

Ignoring his words, Ye-eun raised her chin and responded with a commanding tone.

“I came all this way. Can’t you spare even a few minutes? Secretary Joo? Bring us some tea, please.”

Without waiting for approval, Ye-eun walked into the office.

Lee Hyun pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and said to Harin:

“Forget the tea. Just do your assigned tasks. You don’t need to do anything else.”

“Yes, Director.”