Chapter 5
Eventually, Han Bom stormed back to her desk, pulled off one of her heels, and shoved it toward Seol Taegun, along with a color chart on her phone.
“Look here. Cherry Red, Chili Red, Vivid Pink, Dusty Rose, Brick Rose, Peach Beige. My shoes aren’t just red. They’re Brick Rose!”
Overwhelmed by her energy, Seol Taegeon quietly rolled his chair backward.
“Look closely. It’s a calm, lonely kind of red, isn’t it?”
“Why is that even—why is that important?”
“Of course it’s important. I can’t believe you don’t even know the Ato Beauty shade chart. I’m honestly shocked.”
The word shocked stung his pride. It wasn’t that he didn’t care—it was just that work had left him no time for trivial things like color names. But being looked down on for calling red red? That was too much.
He shot up from his chair.
“I can memorize that chart in one day! I’ll learn every shade, so from now on, Secretary Han—don’t wear those red shoes again!”
“They’re not red.”
“Fine. B-r-i-c-k R-o-s-e—banned.”
“U-nder-stood.”
Han Bom enunciated every syllable clearly.
Contrary to their argument, she accepted his demand without hesitation.
Caught off guard, Seol Taegeon blinked.
“Then I’ll get going. And please, make sure you memorize that chart. Promise~!”
She bowed, turned, and slammed the door shut.
Outside, gripping the door handle, Han Bom pressed her lips together.
“If it weren’t for this job…”
Her hand trembled on the handle. The idea of being stripped of even her freedom of style made her blood boil.
“Calm down. Maintain your image. Breathe.”
She steadied herself, turned around—and froze.
“H-Han Bom, are you okay?”
Some coworkers, who she’d assumed were out for lunch, stood there with wallets and coats in hand.
“We were waiting for you. You said you’d have lunch with us today.”
“So you and the Vice President… argue too, huh?”
Someone’s tactless remark earned a jab in the ribs from Jung Joo-eun.
Han Bom squeezed her eyes shut. Now that she thought about it, shouting over a shade of red had been ridiculous.
After lunch, the secretarial team gathered at a café. Unsurprisingly, the hot topic was Seol Taegeon.
“The Vice President was too harsh earlier.”
“Seriously. I know he’s picky, but arguing over shoe color? Come on.”
“Only someone like Secretary Han could handle a boss that fussy. I’d quit in a day.”
Everyone nodded in fervent agreement.
“He’s not usually that bad. He’s just been tired lately.”
The others gave her pitying looks.
“You’re still defending him?”
“Unbelievable. You’re way too loyal.”
Han Bom waved her hands.
“No, no, it’s not like that.”
“Oh, please. You’re literally the number one ‘female role model’ in the company polls every year.”
She blinked, dumbfounded.
“You didn’t know?”
She knew the company had an internal forum, but she barely had time to look at her phone, let alone read it. With her secretary duties and the lack of a real off-duty life—not to mention her side job writing web novels—she had no time for such things.
“That’s so you. Always all work, no play.”
Jung Joo-eun took a sip of iced Americano and added teasingly,
“You’re beautiful, you’ve got a great figure, you’re calm but charismatic. What’s not to admire?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“It’s not easy for women to be popular with other women. Maybe your secret is that you don’t even know it.”
Laughter rippled around the table.
Han Bom smiled awkwardly.
“Me? A role model?”
She didn’t think she was anyone’s ideal. Her life was all about survival—supporting her siblings, paying off her father’s debts, and searching for her missing mother.
Her only escape was writing. That was the one time she could breathe.
Fiction was her outlet. Reading and writing stories far from reality gave her both comfort and envy.
As a child, she used to hide in a basement to escape her abusive father. The piles of old books left behind by a previous tenant had been her sanctuary.
Now, she was creating her own.
Writing, especially steamy R-rated scenes, made her feel alive—like electricity racing through her body. The stress of work would melt away.
Maybe that’s why my writing’s gotten better since working for Seol Taegun.
Joo-eun’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts.
“By the way, have you done anything to make the Vice President mad lately?”
Before Han Bom could ask why, others immediately waved it off.
“No way! She’s a saint for putting up with him this long.”
Everyone agreed.
“Still, something feels off.”
Joo-eun’s tone made everyone lean in.
“It’s been about a month since Secretary Han stopped going to the VP’s golf and breakfast meetings, right?”
Han Bom nodded. Normally, she always accompanied him to those private gatherings. But Chief Secretary Choi Moogil had offered to take her place.
“The Vice President said Choi volunteered to go instead…”
Joo-eun shook her head.
“No, I heard it was the other way around. VP Seol insisted on taking Choi, even though he didn’t want to go. And lately, all his late-night calls? They’re to Choi, not you.”
Han Bom frowned. It was true—his calls had stopped abruptly. Something about Seol Taegun had felt off lately.
“Actually, I noticed something strange too.”
Lim Hyeon-ju raised her hand like she was about to tell a ghost story.
“Remember the day of the AI Skin Diagnosis presentation? The VP glared at you the entire time.”
The others gasped in confusion, but Han Bom stayed calm.
“So even back then…”
She knew he didn’t like her. Unlike the other docile employees, she never sugarcoated things. That was her job—to tell him what others wouldn’t.
She could still hear Chairman Seol Gucheon’s voice in her memory:
“Han, you know my son’s stubborn. He’s never lost before, so he doesn’t know how to yield. You’re the only one who can stand up to him. Will you do it?”
“I’m not fit for that, Chairman.”
“You underestimate yourself. You make people around you shine. Use that talent—for him.”
She had never thought of herself as someone who made others shine.
She had only ever been told—
“You worthless brat. You should never have been born.”
Her father’s cruel voice still echoed in her head.
“Secretary Han? Are you okay?”
Hyun-joo’s light touch snapped her back.
“Oh—sorry. I was just lost in thought. What were you saying?”
“I asked if you remember what the VP misplaced that day.”
She thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes. He asked me to get the clinical test data from the research team so he could review it during his business trip.”
She’d gotten the printouts and turned to hand them to him—only to realize he’d disappeared. The elevator doors had closed right before her eyes, and she could’ve sworn they’d made eye contact. But when she asked him later, he denied it flatly.
“Well, I was in that elevator.”
“You were?”
“Yes. He saw you and slammed the ‘close’ button like his life depended on it.”
Han Bom’s expression hardened.
“So he really was avoiding me.”
Her clenched hand trembled under the table.
“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”
Someone teased lightly,
“Maybe you’re too good at your job?”
Another chimed in,
“The Chairman adored you, didn’t he? When I joined, I honestly thought you were his daughter. He bragged about you like a proud dad—even in front of the Vice President!”
Han Bom bit gently on her straw, deep in thought.
Lately, Seol Taegeon had been too obvious about avoiding her. Five years working together—bickering or not, he’d never once avoided her.
“Even picking fights less these days… And walking away like I smell bad? What’s wrong with him?”
She looked down at her feet—the red heels had been replaced by plain slippers.
It had been a while since their last argument, but his behavior was undeniably strange.
And just then—
“Enjoying your tea break, I see?”
All heads turned. The women’s eyes sparkled as they looked past Han Bom’s shoulder.
Still biting her straw, Han Bom turned—and locked eyes with a man whose elegant gaze curved like a crescent moon.
“Secretary Han, it’s been a while.”
His gentle, warm voice melted her tension in an instant—and sent a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
