Three days before the engagement...
The atmosphere in the office today was tenser than usual. The air felt so heavy it was hard to breathe.
Not because Ren was frustrated with work.
But because of an 'important guest' no one dared to turn away.
A slender woman in a fiery red designer dress sat with her legs crossed on the leather guest sofa.
Her beautiful, meticulously made-up face was tilted upward in sheer arrogance. Her sharp eyes, lined fiercely with eyeliner, swept across the room in a calculating gaze.
Before stopping on me.
Standing quietly in the corner like a piece of decorative furniture.
'Hana'.
The heiress to a prominent family, dubbed the 'Queen of High Society', and Ren's fiancée.
"Ren, when will you be finished with work?"
She asked with a bored tone disguised as sickeningly sweet. She tapped her red acrylic nails against the armrest in a rhythmic, irritating Tap... Tap...
"Soon." Ren answered curtly, not lifting his eyes from the documents.
"If you are in a hurry, you can leave. I didn't ask you to wait."
"My, how distant you sound, future husband."
Hana laughed, a high-pitched, grating sound. She stood up and sauntered over to Ren's desk. She boldly sat on the edge of the desk, leaning in until her chest nearly brushed his face.
"I just wanted to check if the alterations to your engagement suit were finished." "And..."
She shot another glance in my direction. This time, her eyes overflowed with undisguised disgust.
"I wanted to get a clear look at the infamous 'favorite secretary' everyone is whispering about."
I flinched, immediately lowering my eyes.
"Yurin."
Hana snapped my name coldly, completely stripping away any polite titles.
"Y-Yes, Ms. Hana."
"Go fetch me some water."
She ordered me as if I were a servant in her own home.
"Ice-cold mineral water. Don't make me wait. I am parched."
"Right away." I complied reluctantly.
I walked over to the minibar in the corner. I pulled out a bottle of mineral water and carefully poured it into a crystal glass, my hands shaking slightly from tension. I walked over and served it to her at the desk.
"Your water..."
Hana took the glass. She looked at the condensation gathering on the crystal, then back up at my face.
The corner of her lips twitched into a wicked smile that sent chills down my spine.
Splash!
Without warning, she hurled the freezing water directly onto my chest!
"Ah!" I cried out, stumbling backward in shock.
The ice-cold water instantly soaked through my thin white shirt, plastering it against my skin. A freezing chill shot across my chest.
The translucent, clinging fabric completely exposed the faint red marks on my chest and the leather choker bound tightly around my throat.
"Oh my! My hand slipped."
Hana feigned shock, covering her mouth with her hand, but her eyes sparkled with the malicious satisfaction of a child who just broke a toy.
"I am so sorry. The glass was slippery."
Ren snapped his head up from the documents instantly.
His eyes widened as he registered my state. Standing there shivering, soaking wet like a drowned dog.
"Hana!"
He roared. He shot up so fast his chair crashed backward.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"It was just an accident, Ren..."
Hana shrugged, completely unfazed by his shouting.
"Besides, it's just dirty clothes. It will wash right out."
"And if it doesn't, he can just buy a new one. Cheap things are so easy to replace, aren't they?"
I knew. Her words weren't just about the shirt. She was insulting me. Calling me a cheap object that could be replaced at any moment.
I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood. Rage surged into my chest, choking me. I wanted to scream back at her.
But I had to suppress it.
I had to endure. Only 3 more days... endure it, Yurin... for your freedom.
I silently grabbed some tissues to dab at my shirt, fighting back the tears.
"Excuse me, I will go clean up..."
"Wait." Ren's stern voice halted me.
He walked around the desk, standing directly between me and Hana.
A murderous aura radiated from him, dropping the temperature in the room below freezing. All the color drained from Hana's face.
"Apologize to him right now," Ren spoke with glacial coldness.
"Excuse me?" Hana scoffed in disbelief. "Are you crazy, Ren? You want me to apologize to a servant?"
"I said. Apolo-gize."
Ren grabbed Hana's wrist, squeezing so brutally her face contorted in pain.
"Ouch! Ren! That hurts!"
"Good... so you'll remember."
Ren used the exact phrase he always used to punish me. But this time... it was to protect me.
"Yurin is not a servant. He is my secretary, and he is my person.No one has the right to lay a finger on him. Except me."
The room went dead silent. The hum of the AC was the only sound.
I stared at Ren in absolute shock.
He... protected me? Protected me right in front of his fiancée?
Hana wrenched her wrist free. She glared at Ren with a volatile mix of fury and disbelief.
"Oh, I see."
She began to laugh hysterically, her eyes gleaming with a vile, cunning realization.
"The rumors said he got the job through 'connections'. But they aren't normal connections, are they? It's a connection 'in bed'."
She looked me up and down with utter revulsion, as if examining human waste.
"You are truly pathetic, Ren."
"You are getting married, yet you still keep dirty toys around."
"Get out."
Before Hana could finish her sentence, Ren pointed at the door, his hand shaking with rage.
"Before I cancel this engagement and pull all my shares out of your father's company."
The threat worked instantly.
Hana ground her teeth, her face flushed red with humiliation. She snatched her designer bag.
"Fine. I will leave."
She stomped toward the door, her heels striking the floor aggressively. But before walking out, she turned to look at me one last time.
"Watch your back, pretty boy. Did you really think leeching off a man would guarantee you a comfortable life?"
"When the owner gets bored of a toy, it gets thrown in the trash anyway!"
Bang! The door slammed shut.
Silence reclaimed the room. Ren stood panting heavily, fighting to suppress his volatile temper.
I stood trembling, staring blankly at the puddle of water on the floor.
"Yurin." Ren turned to me.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
He reached out to touch my soaked shirt. But instinct took over, and I flinched, stepping backward.
Ren's hand froze mid-air.
A flicker of profound pain crossed his eyes, but it vanished in a fraction of a second. Replaced immediately by his cold, authoritarian facade.
"Go change your clothes."
He ordered flatly, turning his back and returning to his desk.
"And don't ever let anyone do that to you again. Having such a weak secretary is a stain on my reputation."
I stared at his broad back. A wave of confusion rose in my chest.
He protected me. He kicked his own fiancée out for me. But it wasn't love. It was just the possessiveness of a man guarding his property. He was just territorial.
He wasn't afraid I was hurt. He was just furious someone else dared to damage what belonged to him.
"Thank you, Mr. President."
I bowed my head and walked to the restroom to change into my spare shirt.
In the mirror. I saw myself smiling. Not out of joy that he protected me. But because the incident just confirmed my resolve a hundred times over.
That woman was right.
A toy... is destined to be thrown away someday. But before that day arrives, this toy will abandon its master first.
Three more days. Only three more days.