A heavy silence settled over the plush office, broken only by Soojin's icy voice as he posed a sudden, piercing question: "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Emma froze completely, lifting her gaze toward him with a look of pure bewilderment, as if she couldn't believe her own ears. "Pardon me... what did you say?"
Soojin didn't flicker from his usual coldness. Instead, he fixed her with a sharp stare that sliced through the stillness of the room, speaking in an authoritative tone that brooked no argument. "I asked a question. Just answer it."
She swallowed hard and replied in a low, steadying voice, "No, I don't."
"Good," he muttered, as if closing a formal file. Emma couldn't suppress her indignant curiosity; the words escaped her lips with cautious hesitation: "Forgive me, sir... but why do you ask?"
Soojin leaned back in his leather chair, interlocking his fingers with a condescending chill. "Don't let your imagination run wild. Quite simply, I don't want my employees to be in relationships, preoccupied with their lovers more than their work. So, strike the idea of commitment from your mind entirely as long as you are working here."
Emma lowered her gaze, a tightness rising in her chest as she whispered, "Understood."
"What is today's schedule?" he asked suddenly in a dry tone. When Emma hesitated for a few seconds, fumbling through her notebook for the lines, the room shook with his sudden outburst: "Why are you so slow?! This is something you should have memorized by heart!"
Emma flinched, her blood boiling beneath a mask of false calm, while her mind screamed fiercely: «Don't shout at me, you arrogant prick, or I might just shatter that skull of yours in a moment of rage!» Yet, she merely bowed slightly, saying aloud, "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
"Quickly!" he snapped rudely. She began reading from the report with shallow breaths: "In an hour, you have a meeting with Director Shin at a restaurant. After that, you must prepare for tonight's party."
Soojin exhaled with boredom and annoyance, rising from his seat. "Since it's your first day, I'll let it slide. Fetch the contract and follow me immediately."
Soojin left the company with confident strides, followed by Daewon who headed for the driver's seat, while Emma hurried after them. With total innocence, she opened the back door and settled into the luxurious seat beside Soojin.
Daewon's features froze as he watched the scene through the rearview mirror, whispering to himself in muffled dread: «Emma... my God, what have you just done?»
Soojin turned toward her, fury flashing in his eyes like smoldering sparks. "What do you think you're doing here?"
Emma blinked, entirely ignorant of the unspoken laws of his world. "You told me to follow you, and so I have."
He shouted, nearly losing his temper, "And why are you sitting here beside me as if you are my equal?!"
Daewon quickly intervened, trying to diffuse the charged atmosphere: "Hyuna-shi... the rules dictate that you sit in the front seat next to me."
Embarrassed, Emma immediately got out, apologizing with genuine distress. "I'm sorry... I truly didn't mean to."
Soojin didn't deign to reply; he simply turned his face toward the window, ignoring her existence entirely. Emma climbed into the front seat, clenching her fist so hard her knuckles turned white, muttering to herself in muffled rage: «Why do I have to endure this biting criticism from him? I want to punch that arrogant face of his so badly!»
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Emma sat beside him in absolute silence, her eyes never leaving her instruction book, reading every detail meticulously so as not to give him another chance to scold her. Soojin broke her silence with a question wrapped in irritation: "Are you sure the time is correct?"
She replied seriously, trying to remain firm, "Yes, sir, I am sure. Perhaps they are on their way now." She paused for a second before saying bashfully, "Sir... I apologize... I..."
"What is it?" he asked without looking at her.
"I need to go to the restroom."
Suddenly, a mocking laugh escaped Soojin, softening his sharp features slightly. "Why are you asking permission for something so trivial? Heh, go on!"
"I won't be long," she said stiffly and left, while he watched her departure with a mysterious smile, murmuring: "A strange girl, truly."
Inside, Emma pulled out her phone and called Daewon in a worried tone: "There is someone in the restaurant; I think he's watching me."
Daewon reassured her calmly, "Emma, no one will come near us. Don't worry, we are safe. All of our enemies are in Japan right now; I made sure of it myself."
"Fine, I'll hang up then."
She adjusted her appearance in front of the mirror and returned to the table, only to be hit by a shock... the table was empty, and Soojin had vanished completely! She looked at the spot where the suspicious man had been sitting and found no trace of him either. Fear crept into her heart as she thought: «Daewon is right, perhaps I am just tense and imagining things... but where is he? Could it be that man was following him, not me?!»
She stood in the middle of the restaurant and began searching for him in visible panic, calling his name: "Sir! Mr. Kim Soojin!"
She wrung her hands, thinking desperately: «Where did he go? I don't even have his phone number to call him!» She turned to one of the employees and asked urgently, "The person who was sitting there, did you notice where he went?"
The employee replied coldly, "No, sorry, I didn't notice."
Meanwhile, Soojin was standing behind the restaurant talking on the phone when he spotted Emma running and shouting his name like a madwoman. A provocative voice on the other end of the line was saying to him: "Why? Are you afraid I'll ask if you found a girl? It's fine, everyone knows you're a failure."
Soojin replied sharply, watching her confusion, "I'll see you later," then hung up and headed toward her.
"What are you doing?" he asked coldly. She turned to him with labored breaths: "Oh, you're here! I've been looking for you frantically!"
He gave her a look of disdain. "Stop acting like a fool and call Director Shin immediately."
Emma was stunned by his words. "A fool? I was worried about you and looking for you, and you call that foolishness? Isn't that a bit much?"
He replied with a biting sarcasm that pierced her pride: "Oh, I'm sorry... did I hurt your delicate feelings? Is that what you want to hear? Hyuna-shi, do I have to tell you every single step I take? Just do as I told you!"
She returned to the table, seething with rage. After making the call, she said in a voice as dry as a desert, "Director Shin was in an accident and is in the hospital. The meeting is canceled."
"An accident?!" Soojin questioned with sudden interest.
"It's not serious; he's fine."
"Fine, let's go," he said, walking away without giving her a second thought.
"Go?! What about the food?" she asked in disbelief, but he ignored her completely and continued on his way. She muttered in anger: «Fine, you don't eat, but I won't stay hungry!» She called the waiter quickly: "Please, pack the food; I'll take it with me. Just for one person."
Emma entered the car without a word, while Daewon watched her with puzzled looks, as if asking: «What are you doing with those bags of food?»
Soojin ordered curtly, "Daewon, head to my house."
In front of Soojin's luxurious house, Emma stood beside Han and Daewon. She asked curiously, "Why doesn't he live with his parents?"
Han replied, watching the house, "He's been independent of them for a long time. He is quiet by nature, but he has been annoyed and short-tempered lately. This always happens whenever the annual family gathering approaches."
Daewon asked, "Why?"
Han replied with a mysterious and unsettling smile, "You'll discover everything soon. You two were just unlucky to arrive during this tense period."
Emma sighed in distress, "Truly unlucky... all day long he's been pouring his rage out on me and shouting in my face."
Han reassured her kindly, "Miss Hyuna, you'll get used to his temperament in time. When we meet at the company, I'll explain all the details to make it easier for you to deal with him."
"Thank you, Mr. Park."
"Just call me Han. I don't like formal titles."
"Alright, thank you, Han-shi."
Daewon turned to her, saying goodbye, "See you later."
Emma smiled with a slight mischievousness, "What, have you two suddenly become friends?"
Daewon laughed softly, "You could say that. We talked about a few things... why, are you jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous?! You're truly crazy," she replied with a mocking laugh.
Suddenly, the mansion door opened and Soojin stepped out, dressed in breathtakingly luxurious clothes. He headed straight for the driver's seat. "I'll take over the driving now."
"Yes, sir," Daewon replied.
Soojin turned to Emma and ordered, "You, get in."
"Me?!" she asked in bewilderment.
"Is there any other girl here for me to take?"
The car took off in absolute silence. Soojin was lost in thought, the echoes of that phone call still ringing in his ears: «Are you ready for tonight? Did you call me just to talk about trifles? No, I'm looking forward to seeing you... Everyone knows you're a failure.»
Emma broke the silence with a cautious question, "Am I really going with you?"
He didn't deign to reply. She remained staring out the window, lost in the shadows of her past, until his voice suddenly pierced her thoughts: "You are to stay completely away from me. Do not speak to me unless I ask you to."
"Then why am I going with you?"
"What did I tell you about the nature of your job? I might need you at any moment."
"Understood, sir," she said stiffly, returning her gaze to the road.