- Episode 12
Even now, Lee Hon was still clinging tightly to his waist.
So she couldn’t see Myung Jae-hyun’s face, but she felt like she could hear a soft, low chuckle.
“Didn’t you say being with me was worse than dying?”
“Wh-when did I ever say that?! If you really jump… then I, I…”
“Whether I die or not, it doesn’t matter to you.”
“Why wouldn’t it matter? If you die, I’d be so…”
…sad, you idiot.
But Lee Hon couldn’t finish her sentence. A cool breeze gently blew through the open window.
It overlapped with the memory from five years ago, when they’d sat side by side at a desk, facing the breeze together. Her eyes grew red.
Maybe that really was the happiest time of her life.
“If you’re going to say something, finish it.”
“Of course I’d be sad if you were gone.”
“Then… did you miss me?”
At his question, Lee Hon’s eyes trembled like ripples across water.
‘He’ll only be held back because of you.’
Suddenly, someone’s words from the past echoed in her mind. She firmly shut her lips. For a brief moment, her reason kicked back in.
Seeing her silent once again, Jae-hyun harshly slammed the window shut.
“I missed you.”
“Every single day, I thought of your face. I was terrified I’d forget it, so I kept remembering. Your eyes, nose, lips — I clung to every detail. I never forgot you for even a moment. But you… you seemed to live just fine without me.”
That wasn’t true.
She hadn’t lived well. She’d been miserable these five years too.
But she didn’t say anything — no matter what she said, it would sound like an excuse to him. So Lee Hon just bit her lip.
“Why did you leave me? Why did you abandon me…?”
That word — abandon — hit like a rock. Her heart sank with a thud. Jae-hyun didn’t hold back his words.
He was still the same, never able to rest until he got answers.
As she remained silent, his brow twitched. He slowly took one step after another toward her, and she backed away just as slowly.
But behind her was a wall — she couldn’t retreat any further.
“Please move.”
Jae-hyun didn’t budge. She tried to escape, but he blocked her in, placing his arms on either side of the wall. Lee Hon was trapped between him and the wall.
“Director Myung Jae-hyun…”
“Don’t draw a line now, Lee Hon. I’ll ask again — why did you leave me? Was it really that hard to wait for me? What did I do that was so wrong?”
He remembered every word she had spoken during their breakup five years ago — even those said over the phone.
“Or… was it because of another man?”
Ah… he really thought that.
His voice came out in a low, self-deprecating tone. As she stayed silent, the smile on his face completely vanished.
“You were my first love. My first everything. Even after five years, I remember everything like it was yesterday.”
Lee Hon felt the same. Every moment they’d spent together was still vividly clear.
“If you won’t answer that, then answer this — what’s your relationship with Manager Kang Ki-seop? Is he your boyfriend?”
What kind of nonsense…?
“W-what?”
“Are you dating Kang Ki-seop?”
She nearly snapped, but held it in. If he misunderstood, maybe that was better.
“I don’t see why I need to answer that, Director.”
“That’s cold. I lost my virginity because of you, remember? Because I begged.”
Her jaw dropped.
‘When did you beg?! You seduced me first! You said you’d help me forget Byung Yoon-jo! And now you’re blaming me?!’
“Do you remember the Lee Hon Agreement?”
She shut her mouth tightly.
“You remember, right? You wanted to get into that college, and I got you in. Even got it notarized.”
Five years ago, it had been a heartfelt gesture, but Jae-hyun had added penalties and consequences for not following through and even got her signature.
Now, it seemed like he had predicted today all along.
“I don’t care who you’re dating now. I just can’t let go. So if you want to run from me, try it. I’ll chase you to the ends of the universe and make you fulfill every single item on that agreement.”
Persistent wasn’t even the word — he was a bulldozer.
Lee Hon’s lips parted slightly in disbelief.
Jae-hyun hadn’t changed one bit. He was still that same man obsessed with her.
“…Why are you doing all this?”
“Because a man’s first love follows him to the grave.”
Her eyes wavered.
“So you’ll never escape me, Lee Hon.”
—
After taking a shower, Lee Hon plopped down on the sofa.
She pressed a soft towel to her damp hair. Her skin was still glowing from the heat of the water.
“You’ll never escape me, Lee Hon.”
She covered her face with her hands.
Sigh.
Her face felt like it was on fire. Her chest was pounding, her stomach in knots. She thumped her chest with her fist.
“Ugh, stop it. Why’s he so over-the-top?”
Anyone would think she’d just gotten a confession.
‘Since I fulfilled everything you asked… now it’s your turn.’
‘Clause 9 of the Lee Hon Agreement: From now on, you’ll have a one-sided crush on me.’
She furrowed her brow in disbelief.
“W-what did you say?”
‘That’s your only ticket to redemption.’
Flashes of memories from the reference room rushed through her mind.
As he said those words, he slowly leaned in, closing his eyes. Lee Hon’s heart nearly exploded.
But then—
The door burst open, and Manager Choi Ki-hyung walked in.
If the door hadn’t opened, she might’ve really fallen for him again.
Manager Choi, hoping for praise, walked in cheerfully, but the atmosphere was completely ruined. Jae-hyun’s expression twisted with frustration.
Lee Hon grabbed a pillow and buried her red face in it.
“Whew… I almost fell for him again.”
Honestly, Myung Jae-hyun was like a sly fox with forty-nine tails — constantly finding ways to tempt her.
Her phone buzzed softly on the table. She reached for it and blinked in surprise.
“How did he get my number…? Oh, right. That’s easy for him.”
> [From tomorrow, you’ll officially start as my secretary. See you then, Secretary Lee Hon.]
She murmured as she read his message:
“Looks like I’m officially trapped as Myung Jae-hyun’s secretary now…”
Knock knock.
At the sound of a knock, she quickly hid her phone under the pillow and smiled brightly.
“Come in!”
—
Unable to sleep all night, Lee Hon woke up earlier than usual and got ready for work.
She wore a crisp white blouse, a knee-length pencil skirt, and tied her hair into a neat ponytail.
Now officially his secretary, she had even browsed the internet to research what a proper secretary should wear. She paid special attention to every detail.
Stepping into the living room perfectly dressed, she found Jin-gang munching on toast at the dining table.
His cheeks puffed up with bread, making his round face even cuter. Seeing he’d even made his own breakfast, she patted his head proudly.
“Our Jin-gang is all grown up already.”
He gulped down his toast.
“Of course! I’m a big kid now. This is nothing.”
Missing a bottom tooth, he giggled adorably. Then, scanning her from head to toe, he covered his eyes dramatically.
“Ahh! Too dazzling! I can’t even look at you!”
Lee Hon burst out laughing.
“Really?”
“Yeah! You look super pretty — like an angel from heaven.”
She reached out and hugged him tight. He also gently patted her back.
Jin-gang was the younger brother she suddenly gained.
After their grandmother passed, their mother had abandoned Jin-gang at a neighbor’s house and vanished.
Later, they heard she’d died in a hit-and-run.
Lee Hon hadn’t cried — all she could do was laugh bitterly.
‘It’s my fault for not stopping her. I just wanted to scare her a little…’
Five years ago, her mother had nearly run over her daughter. Now, she’d died in the same kind of accident.
When she first met Jin-gang, she saw him as a precious gift from the heavens — a reason to keep going.
“I’ll do great on my first day, okay? If you need me, call right away. Got it?”
“Got it!”
“At six sharp, I’ll come running like Cinderella. Until then, wait at your English class. I already told Aunt Sumin everything.”
“Don’t worry! I’m a first grader now!”
Only eight years old, still needing lots of care, but Jin-gang was so brave and cheerful. She couldn’t help but smile.
“The way you talk, you sound more like eighteen than eight.”
He giggled and hugged her tightly again, as if giving her strength.
Held in her little brother’s arms, she soaked in that happiness for a moment.
Her beloved baby brother.
Today, she was officially starting her job as Myung Jae-hyun’s secretary. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
She placed a hand over her chest and took a deep breath.
“Lee Hon, you’ve got this. Just like always.”
Beeeeep—!
A loud honk startled her. She turned her head toward the sound.
A sleek black luxury car was parked right outside her house.
“Huh?”
She approached, puzzled. The backseat window slowly rolled down.
“Late on your first day. That’s serious.”
