Impossible Romance - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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14.

I found my assigned seat in the Secretary’s Office and settled in. My colleagues were beginning to prepare for the day’s work.
Just before work commenced, the door opened and Kwon Seok-ha entered.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning, Executive Director.”
The employees, who had been relaxed moments before, immediately rose from their desks and bowed respectfully. Kwon Seok-ha merely nodded lightly and headed toward his Executive Office. Then he stopped at my desk.
“Junior secretary, bring me coffee.”
Kwon Seok-ha looked directly at me as he spoke.
“Yes, sir.”
Since he had essentially given me an order, I had no excuse to offer and replied curtly.
Shortly after, I prepared coffee and entered the Executive Office.
Kwon Seok-ha stood gazing out the window, his jacket draped over a coat rack.
I set the coffee down on his desk.
“If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll take my leave.”
“Stay right there.”
Kwon Seok-ha stopped me as I turned to leave.
“Is there something else you need?”
I stood in place, watching him. Kwon Seok-ha approached me slowly, one step at a time. My heart began to race.
“How does it feel? Your new leash?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Kwon Seok-ha drew closer to me, my eyes widening, and gently traced my collar with his fingertips. His fingers slowly moved across my jacket.
“The company, I mean. Now I can see my collateral both at home and at work. It puts my mind at ease.”
“Collateral?”
I was so taken aback that I lost my words.
When Kwon Seok-ha was like this, he was exactly the mischievous boy from ten years ago—the one who would obtain anything I desired.
“With surveillance day and night, you won’t be running away, will you?”
He looked down at me with a satisfied expression. He was quite pleased with what I had done.
“Mrs. Kwon would disapprove if she found out.”
I needed to point out his behavior whenever he acted so arbitrarily.
“Didn’t I tell you not to turn me into a mama’s boy?”
Kwon Seok-ha’s brow furrowed slightly as he tilted his head. It was more of a provocation than genuine displeasure.
“If you don’t want to be a mama’s boy, then stop treating me this way.”
I deliberately spoke in a clipped tone to avoid falling for his provocation.
“You always said you were afraid of me, yet you treat me so casually?”
He immediately caught the shift in my gaze and made his point.
“When did I ever say that? And please use proper titles at work. The other employees might misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what? Fine. Ahn Joon-hee.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s quite a lot to be grateful for. But why did you come in so early today? When I woke up, you were already gone.”
“I can’t commute with you, Executive Director. And I won’t be doing so in the future either.”
“Why?”
It was such an obvious answer, yet Kwon Seok-ha asked for a reason. Jun-hee stared at him intently before speaking.
“Even if you don’t care, Executive Director, I need to manage my own image.”
A secretary who commutes with her company superior—what a sight that would be.
Did he really need everything spelled out so explicitly to understand?
“Hmm. Ahn Joon-hee’s image, is it?”
“Yes. Please respect my privacy as well. Someday I’ll want to date or marry, and I don’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.”
Jun-hee spoke clearly, her expression unyielding.
“For a mere collateral, you certainly have grand future plans.”
Kwon Seok-ha’s eyebrows twitched, and now he made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll take my leave.”
Jun-hee bowed respectfully and turned to go.
“Ahn Joon-hee, I’m assigning you as my personal secretary effective today. So pay close attention to my every move and word. Make sure I’m comfortable.”
His deep voice fell heavily, clinging sweetly to her ears before fading away. On the surface, it was a work-related directive, but it sounded like something else entirely.
Jun-hee turned back to face him.
“Isn’t that Hwang Manager’s responsibility? I can’t be the junior who steals her superior’s work right after joining. Please reconsider.”
“Hwang Manager has a lot on her plate. I’m sure she’ll be pleased.”
Kwon Seok-ha answered with a sly smile as he watched her expression. He still looked pleased with himself.
“So you still want to treat me like some young master to order around, Executive Director?”
Finally, Jun-hee’s true feelings spilled out, and her eyes glistened with moisture. She barely held back the tears that welled up unbidden, a sorrowful ache in her chest.
She hated him for tormenting her from the moment morning came. It wasn’t enough that he’d bound her between home and the workplace like shackles around her limbs—now he was demanding she be at his beck and call twenty-four hours a day. The thought felt unbearably cruel.
“Young master? What an outdated phrase for the twenty-first century.”
Only then did Kwon Seok-ha’s lips curl into a crooked smile, as if his emotions had been scratched by her words.
“If you understand, then stop tormenting me.”
Jun-hee spoke with finality, driving her point home like a wedge, and glared at him.
Kwon Seok-ha, who had been staring at her intently, let his crooked smile soften into something gentler.
“Let me clear up the misunderstanding. I’m not tormenting you. I’m protecting you.”
“Pardon?”
His words were so absurd that she couldn’t even laugh. If he knew full well how difficult this was for her and still called it protection, then Kwon Seok-ha needed to go back to Korean language school.
“You’re my collateral. I don’t like anyone else touching what’s mine.”
He smiled brightly and shrugged his shoulders.
‘Of course.’
He was guarding her the way one guards their possessions.
Just as he said, Jun-hee was nothing but collateral for the debt her brother had borrowed.
Jun-hee glared at him once more, then left the Executive Office without another word.
Even as she departed, Kwon Seok-ha’s smile remained fixed on his face.

***

Compared to the anxiety and tension I’d felt all morning, the afternoon unfolded with surprising ease. Kwon Seok-ha had an external meeting scheduled until evening, so he’d left with Hwang Manager.
I’d worried about my first day, but learning the job wasn’t difficult. My previous experience working in the Secretary’s Office had proven invaluable.
Moreover, Lee Soo-chul and Park Hyun-sik were both talents personally selected by Kwon Seok-ha. These veteran employees not only taught me the work well but were especially kind to me.
Kim Seok-ho was also grateful to finally escape his position as the youngest staff member, treating me with genuine warmth. I’d worried about being ostracized since I was hired through special recruitment rather than the regular hiring process, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“Did you know? Ahn Joon-hee is the first female employee in our Secretary’s Office.”
“That’s why we need to treat her well so she doesn’t run away.”

So she wouldn’t run away.
I knew it was a common joke people made when new employees joined the company. But hearing it from Kwon Seok-ha—his warning not to run away—made my chest ache anew.
‘Can I really endure here?’
Vague fear and distant hope drummed against my heart.

***

“Let’s leave early if there’s nothing urgent. The manager said to go home on your own.”
“Let’s do that. Days like this are rare. Usually, we have quite a bit of overtime.”
As Park Hyun-sik made the suggestion and Lee Soo-chul agreed, they subtly conveyed to me that Secretary’s Office work was demanding and exhausting.
The Secretary’s Office staff left early for once, and thanks to that, I managed to avoid overtime on my first day.
“I’ll be going. See you tomorrow.”
I bowed respectfully to my senior colleagues and boarded the bus.
Having left early in the morning and remained tense all day, I was more exhausted than usual. I thought I should get home quickly and fall asleep before Kwon Seok-ha arrived.
‘Surely he wouldn’t wake a sleeping person.’
With Kwon Seok-ha, anything was possible, but I planned to lock my room door.
The commute to Kwon Seok-ha’s house still felt unfamiliar. Living with him felt even more so.
The fortunate part was that Kwon Seok-ha would be returning late tonight. Since he’d gone to an external meeting with Hwang Manager, it was likely company business, and if they had dinner afterward, he probably wouldn’t arrive until midnight.
It was a perfectly convenient window to avoid running into him.
‘I need to eat quickly and get to bed.’
To keep dinner simple, I bought cup ramen and a few convenience foods at the convenience store. I purchased a few extra, thinking ahead.
As the officetel came into view, I headed toward the underground parking garage. I didn’t want to go through the lobby where people were coming and going—I’d be flustered if I ran into anyone, especially if they were company-related.
The passage leading underground was well-lit, suggesting others used it too. It seemed some housekeeping staff moved about this way as well.
I swiped my card at the entrance first, passed through, then found the private elevator and swiped again. It was the access card Kwon Seok-ha had given me beforehand.
When the elevator doors opened, the entrance door was immediately visible. I used the same card to unlock it and stepped inside; the house was quiet as expected.
I planned to shower before Kwon Seok-ha returned home. Thinking I could eat comfortably afterward, I set the convenience store food on the kitchen table.
The spacious apartment felt even more pleasant knowing Kwon Seok-ha wasn’t here, and my steps felt lighter. I went to my room, gathered my undergarments, then headed to the bathroom and opened the door.
“!?”
Standing before me was Kwon Seok-ha, completely naked, drying himself with a towel.

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