The launch event for “Sejin” was scheduled to be held at the banquet hall of the Myeongseong Hotel. Just like Seonho Group’s founding anniversary ceremony, the venue was in the Libra Hall, arranged as a private event where only invited guests could attend.

From the invitation design to the venue setup, there wasn’t a single part I hadn’t reviewed. I wasn’t an expert in that area, but I listened to the advice of the design team and marketing team and reflected it as much as possible. Fortunately, there weren’t any major disagreements with the contractor.

“So this is... the invitation?”

On the day before the launch event, I visited Lee Heena’s workshop with Lee Taeseong. The wooden sign outside and the cozy interior always gave off a warm atmosphere. Wearing a flowing skirt down to her calves, Lee Heena looked over the invitation and smiled kindly.

“It’s pretty. Did you choose the design, Sejin-ssi?”

“The design team chose it. I just signed off on it. I don’t really have the eye for that.”

The event invitation was shaped like a postcard, with a simple event introduction inside, along with a translucent scent strip. The strip gave off a neutral fragrance that wouldn’t polarize tastes; it was one of the products meant to become a signature scent of “Sejin.”

“The scent is nice too. You gave this to me because you want me to come, right?”

“Of course.”

As a business partner, she should have received an invitation long ago. But since I also had something personal to say, I came to deliver it myself. I briefly considered giving it through Lee Taeseong but decided against it—our relationship no longer needed such excuses.

“The CEO himself comes to deliver the invitation... I feel like I’ve made it,” she said, expressing her gratitude in her characteristically bright voice. She was pleasant, competent, and from what I’d seen, almost too good for Lee Taeseong. Of course, Taeseong wasn’t lacking either, but he was rather taciturn.

“Heena-ssi.”

She looked at me. I smiled broadly as I spoke.

“I’m finishing my certification this week.”

“Goodness, your perfumer’s certification?”

That was why I had come. She was the one who had pointed me in this direction. Maybe it had been an offhand comment from her, but I had come this far because of it.

“Time already passed so quickly? Congratulations.”

She looked sincerely delighted, as if it were her own achievement. I hadn’t taken the test yet, but since I had completed all the required hours, passing was almost certain. She knew that too, which was why she smiled so softly.

“You’re officially the head of a perfume company now.”

Her tone was playful, but half serious. I smiled back at her and then checked the time. The watch on my wrist told me it was time to move. I could stop by the office briefly and then head home if nothing else came up.

“I should be going now.”

“Get home safe. I’ll see you at the event.”

She waved the invitation lightly. The sweet smell of the workshop mingled faintly with perfume. Among the new line to be released after this event, there were perfumes using raw materials sourced from her.

“Oh, and...”

I tore my eyes from the watch and glanced at Lee Taeseong. Though we had visited the workshop multiple times, he was still standing by the door with his hands behind his back. I used to wonder why he was so stubborn about that, but maybe it was because he didn’t want his feelings for Lee Heena to be noticed.

“Taeseong-ssi, you can finish work here today.”

“...What?”

He blinked, thick brows rising. Glancing discreetly at Heena, he spoke in a reluctant tone.

“Then who’s going to drive...?”

“Someone’s coming to pick me up. Ah, and since I’ll be leaving the car here, feel free to use it as you like.”

I pulled my phone from my inner pocket. Instead of missed calls, there was a single message: I’ve arrived. Of course, right on time. Sent exactly five minutes ago—so very like him.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Leaving Heena’s workshop, I headed into the underground parking lot attached to the building. Since only pre-registered cars were allowed, it was nearly empty. A few well-known foreign brands, Kwon Yido’s car I had arrived in, and then, near the entrance, one very familiar car.

And the man standing in front of it.

“......”

“......”

His plain, well-fitted suit reflected his personality. A two-button jacket neatly fastened, a colorless tie without pattern. I raised my gaze to confirm the thin-framed glasses and spoke quietly.

“It’s been a while.”

“...Yes.”

He answered slowly. Pushing up his glasses as if by habit, he bowed his head politely. His familiar voice followed his courteous manner.

“It has been a while, young master.”

'I’d like you to bring Mr. Kim back to my side.'

That was one of the two requests I had made. To have Mr. Kim reinstated as my secretary. The busier I became, the more I felt the absence of a capable secretary. And, of course, I wanted to test how Kwon Yido would respond.

'Hiring a new secretary would be bothersome, and asking Lee Taeseong to keep doing secretarial work doesn’t seem fair for his role.'

If Taeseong was Yido’s man, then Mr. Kim was Haesin’s. Well, not anymore—his position was ambiguous now. But if Yido truly intended to make me independent, then he needed to replace those around me first.

'Anyway, Haesin... no, ex-Haesin Group, couldn’t really keep a secretary accused of leaking internal information.'

I knew it was just an excuse, and that I’d made the request in spite. I had thought I’d never extend my hand to him again, and yet here I was, calling him back so easily—it was embarrassing.

'This is the first decision I’ve made entirely on my own.'

But the lingering resentment was enough to wipe away that self-consciousness. If he hadn’t wanted me to put down roots, then he shouldn’t have uprooted me in the first place. The ground might have been fragile enough to wash away in the rain, but he was the one who had brought that rain.

'Will you grant this request?'

Provoked, Kwon Yido had remained silent for a long time. Since he had once been wary of Mr. Kim, he might not have been happy to bring him back. Still, his words had been calm.

'...If that’s what Jung Sejin wants, it’s not my place to object.'

Why he went so far, I didn’t know. Whether his reaction was humility or resignation, there was no way to tell. Either way, he nodded and wore his usual indifferent expression.

'It will take some time, but I’ll have him assigned to you. The handover will delay things—longer than a sleeping pill would, at least.'

And now, here was Mr. Kim before me. Driving the car I used back at Haesin, looking exactly as he had when he was my secretary. Casually opening the back door for me, his voice strictly business.

“I’ll take you to the office.”

Instead of small talk, I got into the car. Mr. Kim shut the door and walked around to the driver’s seat. Buckling in and starting the engine, he said nothing, and neither did I.

The car left the underground lot and followed the familiar road toward the office. We wouldn’t take long to get there, and I doubted the silence would break before then. Perhaps he felt it too—he didn’t even give his usual “If you’re tired, close your eyes.”

“......”

His figure behind the wheel felt strangely unfamiliar. Maybe I had gotten used to Taeseong in the meantime. Unlike broad-shouldered Taeseong, Mr. Kim didn’t fill the seat from behind.

“This car still exists, huh.”

I fixed my gaze on him and spoke lightly. Since we would be working together again, I couldn’t just go back in silence. And there were a few questions I wanted to ask.

“I thought it would’ve been sold off...”

The car he’d brought was the one I had left at the main house. Since I’d received Yido’s car, I hadn’t bothered retrieving it. It hadn’t been at the officetel either, so I assumed it was gone. Yet Mr. Kim answered smoothly.

“It was arranged that your assets not be touched.”

My assets meant a few cars and the officetel. Of course the cash couldn’t be touched, but I hadn’t expected even the belongings to remain. As if reading my thoughts, Mr. Kim added calmly.

“Executive Director Kwon took care of it.”

“......”

How thorough he had been—it was almost overwhelming. Even if legally we were strangers, I should have realized sooner, when nothing had ever blown back on me.

I considered asking about the household staff. I wanted to know how Butler Moon was doing, but in the end, I stayed silent. I didn’t need to concern myself with them anymore. It wasn’t my place.

“Young master.”

Mr. Kim spoke softly. I didn’t answer, but I shook my head faintly.

“No... I’ll call you President now.”

No one separated public and private as strictly as Mr. Kim. Sometimes he felt like an AI. He always changed titles punctually with each promotion, and never lost composure in any situation. Well, unlike an AI, he had once betrayed someone.

“I have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

Instead of looking at him, I turned my eyes out the window. Meeting his in the mirror would only feel strange. Besides, I already knew what he would ask.

“May I ask why you called me back?”

As expected, he asked the very question I anticipated, even adding his reasoning.

“Forgive me, but I thought you would never contact me again.”

He wasn’t wrong. I’d never intended to. I didn’t have the strength or space to change things on my own initiative.

“That was my intention. At first.”

I answered honestly, and he fell silent. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat.

“But I need a secretary ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ now.”

No need to explain further. Though he was serving me again, I had no plans to entrust him with personal matters as before. That was why I’d handled the sleeping pills myself, trying to keep things as separate as possible.

“That’s all.”

“......”

He didn’t reply. The silence that followed wasn’t awkward—it felt hollow. Neither of us could find the right words.

“...I know you must be disappointed in me.”

At last, Mr. Kim spoke. I turned to look at him, though since he was driving, we didn’t make eye contact.

“As I said before, I’m sorry for acting on my own. If you... no, if the young master felt disappointed or betrayed, I have no excuse.”

His apology sounded dry, but it carried sincerity. The restraint in his voice made it hit even harder. I hadn’t felt betrayed or disappointed in him, yet his words carried weight. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“But young master...”

He paused. At the same time, the car stopped at a red light. He looked at me in the rearview mirror.

“My wife and I cannot have children, so from the start of our marriage we seriously considered adoption.”

It was sudden, but I couldn’t object. I’d known he didn’t have children, but not why. I had assumed he was too busy for it.

“...This is the first I’ve heard.”

“Yes, because it’s the first time I’ve told you.”

He nodded and smiled faintly. His eyes crinkled slightly, though to others it might have looked the same.

“On our days off we even volunteered together a few times. But taking responsibility for a child is no easy matter, so we’ve remained just the two of us.”

With his cautious nature, of course he hadn’t rushed such a decision. He deliberated even over purchases—bringing a life into the family was another matter entirely.

“But then Haesin adopted you, young master.”

When my father took me in, Mr. Kim had been his chauffeur. I was nine, so he couldn’t have been thirty yet.

“I know it’s presumptuous, but sometimes I feel as though you were my child.”

That made me laugh, involuntarily. Not because it was absurd, but because I had always known it on some level. His gaze at me had often been like a parent’s.

“I hope you won’t push me away completely.”

For some reason, those words made something flare in me. My calmness buckled like a wave crashing down. My chest ached with a queasy churn.

“I didn’t keep things from you because I thought of you as a stranger. It’s because you felt like my child that I wanted only to show you good things.”

So I had been hurt, after all. Just as with Kwon Yido, over and over. Excluded from events, left uninformed. And I had never even tried to ask.

“I was flustered last time, so I couldn’t explain properly. So I’ve said a few words now... but think of it as an excuse and ignore it if you wish.”

The light turned green. Mr. Kim tore his gaze away and shifted gears. “And...” His voice carried a heavy weight.

“Thank you for calling me back.”

“......”

So strict with public and private matters. I must have misjudged him. If I’d known he carried such personal feelings, I would never have thought otherwise.

“...Mr. Kim, why did you come back to me?”

I asked, caught in a tangle of emotions. I didn’t try to label them. Realizing that I had felt hurt was enough for today.

“Was it because I felt like your child?”

“No, not at all.”

His reply was sharp, almost indignant. When he pointed out that I’d be thirty soon, even I let out a dry laugh. To say I was like his child, and then insist I was too old to be taken care of—what was that supposed to mean?

“I just got a good offer.”

It was a clean answer, more reliable than anything else. As he’d once said about paying in benefits, Kwon Yido must have made him a compelling offer. Which meant that if another better offer came, he might leave again. As I thought this, Mr. Kim continued.

“You once said, didn’t you—that since I was no longer your secretary, I had no right to scold you.”

That was what I’d told him in the car after seeing my family. I remembered clearly the emptiness of realizing that we had no ties left.

“Relationships don’t need excuses.”

“......”

His words cut into me. I stared blankly, lips parting. He didn’t even blink as he went on.

“Just because I quit being your secretary doesn’t mean we’ve become complete strangers.”