IDMPYU 39

39. Until I Need You
“Shin Seungho, are you awake? I brought your favorite—double-shot espresso. Why didn’t you answer yesterday? Did something… huh?”

Minwoo, who had opened the front door while chatting, was startled and took a step back.

The person in the living room wasn’t Seungho. The one looking at him with bed-tousled hair as if just awakened was a familiar face.

That girl who worked at Seungho’s house when we were teens… her name was Jihyun, right?

Yes. Choi Jihyun—Shin Seungho’s butterfly.

An oppressive silence fell between them. Minwoo awkwardly raised a creaky arm to break the tension.

“Ah, hey. Long time no see.”

He regretted it immediately.

Kwon Minwoo, are you out of your mind? You’re not even close friends… What’s with the ‘long time no see’?

It couldn’t have sounded more idiotic. Regret flooded in as Jihyun just gave him a wary nod without a word.

Just then, the bathroom door opened. Both turned their eyes to the man of the house stepping out. Dressed only in a bathrobe and towel-drying his hair, Seungho emerged through the steam. Minwoo’s eyes widened.

“Hey! Shin Seungho, you can’t walk around like that anywhere!”

There’s a woman here, for crying out loud…

But Seungho’s indifferent voice, as he brushed back his wet hair, was as usual.

“This is my house.”

“Well, yeah… sure…”

Still stunned, Minwoo turned to glance at Jihyun. She had moved all the way to the window, staring out at the Han River. Her back was turned, so her expression was unclear, but the flush creeping up her neck made it obvious she was equally flustered.

This guy never even lets anyone into his house, and now there’s a woman—and he was showering?

Minwoo, eyes flicking sharply between the two, swallowed hard as a flash of realization struck.

Wait a second… could it be…

A groggy woman and a freshly showered man. Surely not…

“Did you two…?”

Minwoo cupped a hand over his mouth, whispering as if sharing a secret. Seungho narrowed his eyes but didn’t move.

“You two… slept together?”

“…What?”

Seungho’s cold glare was enough to make Minwoo flinch.

“Say one more word with that loose mouth of yours and see what happens.”

“S-So… no?”

The look in Seungho’s eyes was all the answer he needed. Of course not. If they had, there’s no way Jihyun’s hair would still be a bird’s nest. Her light brown strands were tangled so wildly it looked like a bird could’ve nested in them.

There went that idea. Now all that was left was to beg Seungho for mercy before he got murdered for mouthing off. With a disapproving click of his tongue, Seungho strode into the dressing room.

“Sorry. I just assumed, since you never have anyone over.”

Minwoo, hands folded together, followed him inside. Seungho dropped the towel and robe to the floor, revealing a gleaming, sculpted upper body that showed how seriously he took fitness.

He pulled on a crisply pressed shirt and picked up his onyx-cut cufflinks with practiced ease. Ignoring Minwoo’s desperate look, he calmly browsed through his neatly arranged suits until he chose a deep charcoal one.

As he slicked his hair back, his cold impression grew sharper.

Minwoo, still pale, finally spoke.

“When did it start?”

Seungho glanced sideways as he checked his outfit. Minwoo gestured toward the living room.

“When did Choi Jihyun start coming to your place?”

Even for someone who’d known Seungho for years, this was new. Seungho had lived alone in a London penthouse for one reason only:

He found other people unbearably uncomfortable.

Even Minwoo, his best friend, wasn’t exempt from that rule. He didn’t care who came and went in his mansion, but his personal space was sacred. Yet ironically, this now felt like the real Seungho.

The only reason Minwoo could enter the current apartment was because Seungho’s mother, worried something might happen, had secretly given him a master key.

As Minwoo reflected, his expression darkened.

“Don’t tell me… you came back to Korea because of her?”

“…”

“There are other women, you know.”

Minwoo, who had studied abroad with Seungho, recalled the many women drawn to him—most of them intense, obsessive types. Even Bora, who’d pursued him aggressively in school, didn’t compare to this new girl.

“Chaerin won’t take this lying down…”

At the mention of Chaerin, Seungho scowled like he’d heard something vile.

“What does she have to do with anything?”

“Well, she’s…”

She’s obsessed with you…

Minwoo, seeing Seungho’s clear hostility toward Chaerin, swallowed the rest of his sentence and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway… are you going to keep living like this with her? This is your house.”

Seungho tilted his head slightly at the direction of the conversation.

“I told you this place doubles as an office.”

“Did you? Haha. Then… you two really did sl— No, no. You didn’t. Sorry. My mouth has a mind of its own.”

Noticing the sharp pin in Seungho’s hand, Minwoo backed away in alarm. He didn’t want to get stabbed for a few careless words.

“She’s working as my temporary secretary. Contract basis, for now.”

“Until when?”

Fixing his collar pin with a steady hand, Seungho didn’t look away from the mirror.

“…Until I need her.”

*

“Whew…”

The morning sunlight on the river sparkled like scattered jewels—but Jihyun couldn’t appreciate it. All her nerves were focused behind her, tense and alert.

She had spent the night in Shin Seungho’s house and had been caught by Kwon Minwoo too. To make matters worse, she was completely misunderstood.

Jihyun clutched her head in frustration.

Ugh, this is insane.

Hearing someone approach, she quickly composed herself and turned. Seungho, now clean and sharply dressed, was standing there.

“I’m heading out now.”

“Huh? Then…”

I should go too.

Jihyun got up awkwardly, but his next words were unexpected.

“Not you.”

“What?”

“You worked late last night. Go home and rest today.”

Guessing how exhausting the secretary job must be for someone like her, Seungho generously gave her the day off. Even if he’d wanted to take her along, she looked too disheveled to bring anywhere.

From barely-there makeup to her messy hair, she clearly had no idea how she looked right now. Seungho’s lips curled slightly as he glanced her over.

“If you want to shower, feel free to use the bathroom.”

Face drained of color, Jihyun shook her hands vigorously.

“No, I’m good. I’ll just go.”

“All right, then.”

As Seungho left with Minwoo, the latter glanced back. Jihyun stood there, unsure of what to say, blankly watching them go.

In the elevator, Seungho turned toward Minwoo, who had pressed the button for the underground garage.

“Now, tell me why you came.”

Minwoo coming all the way to his house meant it was serious.

“I couldn’t say this over the phone, so I came in person…”

“Cut to it.”

Grumbling, Minwoo handed over a tablet and the espresso cup.

“There’s something weird going on with ShinYang ES stock. Nothing obvious yet, but prices keep dropping.”

Seungho studied the jagged graph as Minwoo explained.

“There’s no major fluctuation, but it used to be pretty stable.”

“When did the dip start?”

“As you probably guessed…”

Minwoo trailed off.

“Looks like someone’s mismanaging it.”

Seungho took a sip of bitter espresso and smirked.

ES was one of ShinYang Group’s key affiliates—one his older brother Myungho had practically begged for.

“I don’t think it’s just poor management.”

Minwoo sighed before continuing heavily.

“I think Myungho-hyung is manipulating the stock.”

“That would be a relief, actually.”

Myungho, increasingly anxious about being passed over as heir, had suddenly started acting like he wanted to learn management—just to undermine Seungho.

“If it’s just a prank, fine. But if it’s more than that, we’ll need to act.”

“Got it. I’ll alert you if anything suspicious turns up.”

Ding—the elevator doors opened. As they reached the garage, Seungho stopped.

“Oh, and don’t just enter my place uninvited again.”

“…What?”

Minwoo’s jaw dropped. That wasn’t a request—it was a warning.

A warning that no one but Jihyun would be allowed into his space from now on.

Without waiting for a reply, Seungho strode away. Watching him disappear, Minwoo shook his head in disbelief.

He said he’d throw her away when he was done, but now he’s acting like she’s royalty.

Author’s Note:
Same name, different positions.
To Minwoo, she’s nobility.
To Jihyun, she’s a servant.