Impossible Romance - Chapter 1

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

1.

Soft lighting bathed the Corridor.
“I’ve confirmed which Guest Room he’s in and I’m heading there now to handle it.”
Jun-hee walked quietly with the phone pressed to her ear, her free hand carrying a shopping bag filled with clothes.
The person on the other end was Jung Myung-hee, the wife of former congressman Kim Hyun-sung, and Jun-hee was now on her way to wake up her son Kim Sung-woo. More precisely, to dress him properly so he could appear presentable to the public.
Kim Sung-woo, who loved women, absolutely despised having men touch his body. He deliberately hired only exceptionally beautiful women as his personal secretaries.
Countless female secretaries had come and gone, but Jun-hee was the only one who had endured.
That was why Jun-hee was the first one called to pick up Kim Sung-woo.
―All the reporters are gathered now. It’s starting soon, so bring him right away.
“Madam, I apologize, but his attendance at the book launch ceremony on time may be difficult…,”
Before Jun-hee could finish speaking, Jung Myung-hee’s sharp voice erupted from the receiver.
―Hey! Are you trying to watch our family fall apart? Have you lost your mind?
Jung Myung-hee’s curses and nagging continued like an endless song’s refrain. Only after the ear-splitting profanities finally ceased did Jun-hee open her mouth.
“Yes. I’ll resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
Jun-hee hung up and slipped the phone into her pocket. Even though she had done nothing wrong, hearing such abuse was routine—her expression remained unchanged.
With an impassive face, I headed toward the Guest Room where Kim Sung-woo was staying. He frequently indulged in such escapades, relying on his father’s status as a former congressman and the backing of Daegwang Corporation.
It was my primary duty as a contract secretary to prevent these transgressions with all my might. If I could just get through this crisis, I might even become a permanent employee.
As I turned the corner and walked to the end of the Corridor, Kim Sung-woo’s Guest Room came into view. A Hotel staff member stood outside, having been called due to the disturbance, and the door was already open.
“I’ll handle this.”
As I gave a light nod, the staff member’s face brightened as if he’d met a savior. Knowing what kind of person Kim Sung-woo was, this employee had been helpless and could only watch.
Stepping into the Guest Room and turning my head, I saw Kim Sung-woo sitting on the large sofa in the Living Room with his back against it. Before I could even approach, the acrid stench of alcohol assaulted my senses, and I frowned.
Kim Sung-woo stared at me with a flushed face, his words slurred. His loosened robe left his body completely exposed.
“Get up.”
I deliberately avoided looking at him, pulled clothes from the shopping bag, draped them over my arm, and approached.
“Hey, come here. Let’s roll around together.”
Like a wild boar waiting for prey, Kim Sung-woo suddenly grabbed my arm forcefully.
“Take a shower first, then change into the clothes I’ve prepared.”
But I had anticipated this. I smoothly pulled my arm away and extracted it from his grip. I was well-practiced at handling such situations.
Kim Sung-woo, who had inadvertently grabbed the jacket draped over my arm instead, pulled it toward himself and hugged it, letting out a hollow laugh.
“Hey! You!”
“My name is Ahn Joon-hee.”
I pointed this out to him, though it was futile, because I wanted to correct him somehow.
“You find this fun, don’t you? Resisting over nothing.”
Kim Sung-woo chuckled, clearly amused by teasing me.
“Now shower first,”
I was ignoring his words when Kim Sung-woo, whom I thought was drunk, suddenly sprang to his feet and lunged toward me.
“Director?”
Everything happened so suddenly that my eyes widened and I stepped back.
“Do you know? I’ve been wanting to try you out once. I’m curious what an arrogant woman like you tastes like.”
Kim Sung-woo grinned with a twisted mouth, his laughter hollow and unsettling. In truth, he had always been watching for an opening in Jun-hee’s defenses. But she was as meticulous in her personal life as she was flawless in her work.
“Please don’t do this.”
Jun-hee backed toward the door that opened onto the Corridor.
“Please don’t do this~. Haha.”
Kim Sung-woo mimicked Jun-hee’s voice while advancing toward her with long, deliberate strides.
Watching the wild, alcohol-soaked gleam in his eyes, I fled into the Corridor. The more I retreated, the more exhilarated he became, pursuing me like a hunter chasing prey.
“Just come inside with me!”
Finally, Kim Sung-woo grabbed my arm and tried to drag me forcibly into the Guest Room.
“Let go of my arm first, then we can talk.”
I spoke, acutely aware of someone passing through the Corridor. The situation could not escalate further. If a complaint were filed, it would be I who would be blamed for mishandling the matter.
“That’s what makes you attractive. That rigid composure! But listen, you’ve handled all my messes so far—shouldn’t you take care of my needs too?”
Kim Sung-woo’s eyes glittered with madness, whether he had regained his senses or not.
‘Sigh…’
A small fury began to simmer in my chest. But I immediately reminded myself that suppressing it was the only way to keep this job. A few meager paychecks mattered more than my dignity right now.
Yet I could not let this happen here. I despised being toyed with in his grasp. Eventually, under Jung Myung-hee’s pressure, I would resign anyway.
‘Focus on the work.’
Above all, I had to get Kim Sung-woo presentable and deliver him to the book launch event on time. But today, he seemed determined—his oily gaze never wavering.
“Director, please shower first.”
“Shower sounds good! Want to join me?”
Kim Sung-woo exposed his thick forearms and reached out to grab my hair.
“Ah!”
A cry escaped me at the threatening gesture. Even as it did, I closed my eyes, unwilling to look at the repulsive body exposed between the folds of his open robe.
A moment of silence.
Had Kim Sung-woo come to his senses? My hair, which I thought would be torn out, remained intact. I opened my eyes cautiously to find a new hand—a larger, more powerful one—gripping Kim Sung-woo’s wrist.
‘What is happening?’
I stepped back, collecting myself, my eyes widening in shock.
“Aaaagh! Who—who are you? Who are you?!”
Kim Sung-woo’s wrist bent at a sickening angle as he shrieked belatedly. His face contorted in agony—the alcohol had apparently worn off instantly from the pain of a single twisted wrist.
“Be quiet.”
The man’s deep voice silenced Kim Sung-woo as he hurled him into the Guest Room like discarded trash. Kim Sung-woo’s alcohol-heavy body could not brace itself; he staggered and crashed onto the Living Room floor with a resounding thud.
I stared at the man’s raw strength, then quickly entered the Guest Room. My only thought was that this commotion must not spread beyond these walls.
“Ugh! Do you know who I am?”
Kim Sung-woo, sprawled pathetically on the floor, trembled as he glared at the man. Combining physical pain with the humiliation of being overpowered, he seemed even more unhinged than before.
“Does it matter?”
The man placed one leg on the polished table with deliberate casualness. The slight forward lean of his torso made the wild gleam in his eyes all the more visible.
“What—what?”
Kim Sung-woo tried to sound defiant, but he swallowed hard as he stared at the man’s gleaming shoe tips.
The man before him looked ready to hurl the table itself. Having tasted his strength moments ago, Kim Sung-woo found him genuinely terrifying. A chill ran down my spine at the thought that this man was utterly unhinged.
Finally, he looked at me—a silent, degrading command to handle this myself.
Watching my superior’s shameful display, Jun-hee looked up at the man. Truth be told, she was so startled that her mind reeled, struggling to comprehend what was unfolding before her.
With trembling lips, she barely managed to call out to him.
“…Team Lead.”
The man she had always tried to forget but never quite managed to shake from her thoughts—Kwon Seok-ha.
“I’m an executive now. Quite the rapid promotion, isn’t it?”
Kwon Seok-ha, as always, had turned chaos into even greater chaos, yet remained utterly composed.
“This gentleman is the headquarters director of Daekwang Group.”
Jun-hee whispered softly, hoping to make him grasp the gravity of the situation.
No matter how reckless Kim Sung-woo was, he was the son of a former congressman and the grandson of Daekwang Group—meaning it would be wise to back down now.
Of course, given the scale and influence of his own enterprise, everything here might seem trivial to Kwon Seok-ha. But as a businessman himself, he should at least understand that brutally assaulting a rival company’s director was inadvisable.
The message was simple: don’t escalate this further and leave quietly. She had assumed that someone as sharp and perceptive as Kwon Seok-ha would grasp her intent immediately. And yet—
“So you’re living like this?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————