Chapter 4
“I apologize on behalf of the CEO for his rudeness.”
At Chief Jo’s polite apology, Haruka smiled faintly and quickly shook her head.
“It’s alright. But I was told this is where Vice Chairman Jin Seonghan lives alone, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Then the person just now…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say Leehan’s name.
Even without a subject, Chief Jo immediately understood.
“Ah, CEO Jin Leehan is the Vice Chairman’s younger brother. He probably came to see his niece.”
By “niece,” he seemed to be referring to the daughter Seonghan was raising alone after his divorce.
He had married into a prestigious family, but due to irreconcilable differences, they divorced three years ago. Since then, he had been raising his daughter alone. The child’s mother, apparently lacking maternal affection, had given up full custody, only meeting her once or twice a year as a joint guardian. She was said to be a free spirit in relationships, no less involved with men than Seonghan himself.
Perhaps because of this background, while Seonghan could be ruthless toward others, he was undeniably devoted to his daughter.
“Then he doesn’t stay here?”
“No, he usually lives elsewhere, but occasionally visits like this to see his niece. It’s rare, so please just focus on taking care of the Vice Chairman. When can you start working?”
“I can start immediately.”
That was a relief.
At least it meant she would rarely run into Jin Leehan here.
“Then let’s have you begin in earnest this weekend. The Vice Chairman will return from his business trip in three days. Please have your belongings moved into the staff quarters by the following day.”
“Understood.”
Her entry into the mansion went as planned.
Even her reunion with Jin Leehan—the biggest hurdle—had gone smoothly.
Or at least… it seemed that way.
After the interview, Haruka stepped out of the annex.
Unlike earlier when clouds had filled the sky, sunlight now stretched across the neatly arranged garden.
Her feet followed the carefully laid stone path as she organized the report she needed to give headquarters.
After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped.
“……”
Her gaze landed on the trees beside a white marble fountain.
Before she realized it, her steps were already heading toward them.
Standing before the trees, Haruka looked up at the fresh green leaves with an unreadable expression.
She reached out and touched them.
Bathed in the late spring sunlight, the blossoms radiated a vibrant energy.
Clusters of pale purple flowers hung thickly, creating a dazzling, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Standing beneath the flower-covered pergola intensified the feeling.
“…Wisteria.”
The tree Jin Leehan had planted—without even telling her its name—had now grown lush with flowers and leaves.
A memory of their conversation flickered through her mind like tinnitus.
“Won’t you tell me what kind of tree it is?”
“Wait. By next May, it’ll bloom beautifully. When it does, there’s something I want to tell you.”
In the end, she never got to hear those words.
That winter, her family was massacred, and the following year she was writhing in unbearable agony.
Either way, it was a useless memory.
While every moment had been sincere for her, to Jin Leehan, it must have all been nothing but an act.
“It was so easy, Yoo Haru.”
She hadn’t even realized she was being completely deceived.
The hand that had been gently stroking the petals suddenly turned rough.
As if those petals were her 21-year-old self, she crushed them with emotion.
“What are you doing?”
The sudden voice made her freeze.
Before she could even turn around, a rough force grabbed her wrist.
Her hand, stained purple, trembled violently. It happened in an instant.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped as the grip tightened.
The crushed petals fell from her palm to the ground.
“Who are you?”
The voice was low and heavy—unfamiliar.
The face she met when she looked up was also unfamiliar.
The man in a navy classic suit exuded an extraordinary aura at a glance.
Though his features resembled Jin Leehan’s, they were sharper, more defined.
She had only seen him in photos before—this was her first time seeing him in person.
‘Jin Seonghan.’
He was the eldest son cherished by Chairman Jin Youngman.
He was supposed to return in three days—what happened?
Perhaps Chief Jo’s information was wrong. Or maybe, true to his unpredictable nature, he had come back early.
Either way, it wasn’t good news for Haruka.
“I asked who you are.”
Back when she was Yoo Haru, Seonghan had always been stationed overseas.
Because of that, they had never met in person, but she knew well that he was Leehan’s half-brother.
Through Ryota’s network, she had learned that Chairman Jin favored his eldest son over his second son born of a later wife.
With Leehan running a separate business, their relationship had only grown more distant.
As always, the sole heir to Jinseong Group would remain Seonghan.
“In the plan to massacre your family, the one with the biggest share was Jin Seonghan.”
That was also why he had become a target of headquarters.
He was the first person she needed to win over—and eliminate.
“Chairman Jin Youngman gave the order, eldest son Jin Seonghan designed it, and second son Jin Leehan handled the groundwork. The three of them worked together to commit that atrocity.”
Director Baek Jinha’s words echoed in her ears.
The murderous intent she had accumulated over time began to surface.
But as Haruka twisted her wrist free from Seonghan’s grip, she suppressed her emotions.
Even face-to-face with the man who ruined her life, she managed to smile calmly.
That was the result of relentless effort.
“Nice to meet you. I am Haruka Suzuki, the aroma therapist who will be in charge of the Vice Chairman.”
“Aroma therapist? I thought they quit.”
“I was hired after today’s interview.”
“Ha…”
A short sigh carried a hint of displeasure.
Seonghan clearly didn’t welcome the presence of an aroma therapist.
Given that five had already quit, Chief Jo’s warning hadn’t been for nothing.
“Another pointless stunt.”
His brows furrowed.
With bloodshot eyes betraying his insomnia, he looked even more intimidating.
“If medication doesn’t work, what makes you think this kind of crap will, damn it.”
Despite the obvious disdain directed at her, Haruka didn’t even blink.
Instead, she took out a small bottle of oil from her bag.
It was a darker shade than the one she had given Chief Jo.
“What are you up to?”
“It will help you sleep. Try using it, and then decide whether to keep me. If you still doubt aromatherapy after that, I will accept your decision without question.”
“What?”
“Then I’ll hear your answer tomorrow.”
After bowing to the bewildered Seonghan, she walked past him.
Though his suspicious gaze clung to her back, Haruka continued forward calmly.
As she left the shade of the pergola, the spring sunlight struck her like an attack.
She instinctively frowned.
Even after leaving the wisteria-covered space, the scent lingered around her.
The purple stain on her palm seemed to be the cause.
She scratched at it with her nails, trying to erase it, but the color had already seeped into her skin.
“Disgusting.”
The fragrance of the flowers was sweet—
but just as suffocating.
Like the feelings Yoo Haru once had for someone.
Leehan paused as he was about to enter the guest room.
His gaze fell on a room at the end of the hallway.
It was the room he had once stayed in when he lived in the annex.
It was also the place where he had first attempted to take his own life after Yoo Haru died.
After that day, he had never entered it again.
“……”
Was it because of the woman he had just met?
An inexplicable force seemed to be drawing him toward that room.
Slowly, Leehan walked toward it.
Click—creak.
The stiff metallic sound made it clear no one had entered for a long time.
In this annex, the one room no one was allowed to enter had remained frozen in time for eight years.
The unchanged curtains, the remnants of decayed flowers, the heavy bedding out of season, and even the darkened bloodstains on the rug—everything was exactly as it had been that day.
The unchanged scene painfully filled his vision.
“It’s the same… except you’re not here, Yoo Haru.”
A sliver of light slipped through the curtains, illuminating the space.
Dust particles shimmered like gold in the beam.
Suddenly, her face seemed to appear within that light—her radiant beauty.
“Leehan, I love you.”
She was smiling in that brilliant memory.
The wrinkled bedding, the cluttered desk with textbooks, the dust-covered fabric sofa—everything was filled with traces of Yoo Haru.
In truth, everything in this space was.
For a moment, he thought he caught her scent.
His breathing grew uneven, and the wrist wearing his watch began to throb.
The symptoms that had been dormant for years seemed ready to return.
‘Am I not fully healed yet?’
Well, it made sense—he had stepped into this place.
He strode forward roughly.
As if trying to erase the memories embedded everywhere, he yanked the curtains open.
Blinding sunlight poured over him.
He frowned, closing and reopening his eyes.
In his strained vision, a woman suddenly came into view.
“…Haruka Suzuki.”
She was leaving the mansion after her interview.
His steady gaze wavered the moment she turned toward the wisteria by the fountain.
“……!”
He spun around and started running.
At the sight of her back—so similar to Yoo Haru—his body instinctively moved before he could think.
