Chapter 10
“I didn’t receive anything separately.”
“Really? That’s strange. A company like Noble Group seems like they’d roll out the full VIP treatment.”
Disappointment flashed across Reporter Jang’s face when he didn’t get the answer he had been hoping for.
Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Seo Bin.
“Seriously? Then what about that car I saw last time? There was a sedan waiting for you. It looked like the same model Kim Sa Hyeok drives.”
Ever since Sa Hyeok had proposed they work together, his personal secretary had come to pick Seo Bin up outside the newspaper office every evening.
No matter how many times she protested that it wasn’t necessary, that it was too much, the answer was always the same.
“Those are Executive Director Kim’s instructions.”
As though Seo Bin’s opinion didn’t matter in the slightest, the secretary stood before her like an immovable wall.
No matter how many times she refused, he had no intention of backing down.
In the end, they compromised by having the car wait a block away from the office.
Reporter Jang had probably seen it one of those times.
“I just stopped by the secretary’s office to pick up interview materials.”
Apparently still unconvinced, Reporter Jang clicked his tongue.
“Come on. Noble isn’t that stingy. Besides, Kim Sa Hyeok’s maternal family owns Hotel Meridian, right? I heard they’re trying to hand that over to him too. Didn’t they at least give you hotel vouchers? Dinner coupons? From what I’ve heard, Kim Sa Hyeok doesn’t even stay at the main family home anymore. His second house—”
Before he could finish, Gong Soo Pyo cut in.
“Hey, Reporter Jang, enough. She already said she didn’t get anything. Rich people are always like that. They won’t give you an inch until you’re practically groveling. They deliberately keep their distance. Then, once you’re desperate enough, they suddenly hand you something huge.”
“The kind of gift that makes everyone else jealous.”
“Once that happens, how could anyone not give in?”
“You end up loyal as a dog.”
Seo Bin’s brow furrowed.
“Then pretend to be my girlfriend.”
“I’ll compensate you generously.”
Even now, his voice echoed through her mind like a hallucination.
A dog that wags its tail in exchange for rewards.
So that’s what I am to Kim Sa Hyeok.
A servant to be trained and used.
Someone he can command as long as he pays enough.
Bastard.
Disappointment clouded Seo Bin’s eyes.
So that was why.
For the past two weeks, Kim Sa Hyeok had been using his business trip as an excuse to stay away.
Yet he kept sending her to his private residence, leaving her there alone for hours.
He had even called his personal physician to treat the injuries Jang Jae Geun had left on her.
They were only light bruises that would naturally fade with time.
There had been no need to go that far.
She had wondered why he was making such a fuss.
Now, after hearing Gong Soo Pyo and Reporter Jang’s conversation, she finally understood the true nature of those burdensome, suspicious acts of kindness.
“Wow… is that how it works? Then I’m already prepared to grovel! I wish someone would make me Noble’s assigned reporter!”
“Oh, please. People like you, who run after money without thinking, are exactly the ones they weed out first. They know you’re risky.”
“Come on, Senior! What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t just chase money!”
Ignoring Reporter Jang’s offended complaint, Gong Soo Pyo grinned at Seo Bin.
“So just keep doing what you’ve been doing, Bae Seo Bin!”
“Don’t lower your pride.”
“Stay aloof.”
“That’s how you land the big prize.”
Keeping her emotions hidden behind a polite smile, Seo Bin’s eyes quietly darkened.
* * *
As soon as Sa Hyeok entered his hotel room, he loosened his tie.
He had just returned from a full day of inspecting the site of the theme park Noble Construction and Dubai Bank were developing together, followed by meeting after meeting with project officials.
A business trip to the Middle East in the middle of summer.
It hadn’t been something he welcomed.
But now that he had officially entered Noble Group, it was simply another responsibility he had to shoulder.
He tossed his loosened tie and suit jacket onto the sofa before heading straight to the minibar.
Pulling out a bottle of beer, he emptied nearly half of it in one long drink.
“Haa…”
Only then did his thirst begin to ease.
He started unbuttoning the sweat-soaked dress shirt clinging to his body.
As each button came undone, his well-defined muscles came into view.
Just then, his phone rang.
[Hyung]
Sa Hyeok glanced at the screen before answering immediately.
Switching the call to speakerphone, he tossed the phone onto the table and waited.
“…Executive Director?”
“I’m listening.”
“Ah, yes. I called regarding your return schedule.”
“Hyung, cut it out. I’m at the hotel.”
“Executive Director, I’m currently working.”
“…Ha.”
Having finished unbuttoning his shirt, Sa Hyeok sighed as he pulled it off.
Wook Jin had met him during their years studying in America.
He was both his closest friend and trusted colleague—practically an older brother.
But after Sa Hyeok joined Noble Group and Wook Jin became his personal secretary, he had insisted on treating him formally whenever they were working.
No one disliked that change more than Sa Hyeok himself.
“Enough already.”
“Alright, alright. You’re so prickly.”
“Well, Executive Director, you’ve had a pretty brutal schedule today.”
Realizing how exhausted Sa Hyeok sounded, Wook Jin immediately dropped the formal act.
His uncanny ability to read the room was the greatest survival skill he had developed through years of working life.
“So I pulled a few strings today.”
“I managed to move your return flight up by one day.”
“Not as much as you’d like, but you’ll be back a day earlier than planned.”
This business trip had originally been Chairman Kim Hu Yong’s idea.
While Sa Hyeok was receiving successor training in Noble Group’s Strategic Planning Office, his father had deliberately pushed him into this overseas construction assignment.
Chairman Kim hoped to groom him in the construction division—a field he personally cared deeply about—even though Sa Hyeok hadn’t actually needed to attend.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard today.”
“So hang in there just a little longer.”
“Okay.”
Answering quietly, Sa Hyeok retrieved another bottle of beer from the minibar.
He dropped heavily into one of the lounge chairs in the sitting area.
“And don’t feel too cheated.”
“Seoul’s just as unbearably hot.”
“I swear, I can’t even tell if I’m in Southeast Asia or Seoul anymore.”
Leaning farther back into the chair, Sa Hyeok chuckled softly before taking another drink.
Tilting his head toward the ceiling, he slowly closed his eyes.
“I feel a little better.”
“…And Reporter Bae…”
The bottle stopped halfway to his lips.
“Dr. Jung has already finished treating her injuries.”
“Fortunately, they’re only minor bruises around her neck and collarbone, so there shouldn’t be any lasting complications.”
“The real problem is something else.”
Sa Hyeok drew a slow, deep breath.
The sigh that followed carried unmistakable irritation.
When no response came, Wook Jin called out again.
“Hello? Sa Hyeok? Are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Go on.”
“Apparently her basic health is terrible.”
“She’s underweight.”
“She’s severely fatigued.”
“Sleep-deprived.”
“She constantly suffers from gastritis.”
“She’s showing signs of insomnia.”
“Her daily routine is a mess.”
“And she doesn’t even eat properly, so she’s malnourished.”
“…”
“The injuries aren’t the biggest concern.”
“The doctor said she needs to start taking care of her health.”
“Do reporters really work without eating or sleeping?”
“The ones I know don’t seem that bad.”
By now, Sa Hyeok had sat upright.
Pressing two long fingers against his closed eyes, he spoke quietly.
“Keep Bae Seo Bin there.”
“Don’t let her go home.”
“You know that’s impossible.”
“I know.”
He knew it better than anyone.
But…
Unable to hide his frustration any longer, Sa Hyeok rubbed his face.
“I’ll deal with it myself after I get back to Korea.”
“You just keep picking her up every day.”
“And continue tracking Yoo In Ha.”
“Leave it to me.”
“I’ll handle it, Executive Director!”
Wook Jin answered in an exaggeratedly cheerful voice.
Sa Hyeok simply nodded.
He was about to end the call when Wook Jin hurriedly added,
“Oh, Sa Hyeok!”
“Reporter Bae had a request.”
“…”
“She said she’d like to discuss a few conditions regarding the project you proposed.”
“I told her we’d schedule something after you returned.”
“What project are you talking about this time?”
A quiet sigh escaped Sa Hyeok.
“I’ll handle it…”
“…when I get back to Korea.”
“Got—”
Wook Jin continued with a lengthy farewell, telling him to finish the rest of his schedule safely and not to sit alone drinking in his hotel room.
By then, however, Sa Hyeok had already tossed his phone onto the sofa across from him.
Leaning back lazily, he stared at the ceiling in silence.
A faint, bitter smile slowly formed on his lips.
So she’s trying to turn this into a business deal with me.
Bae Seo Bin… you’re relentless.
He had been the one to provoke her first.
Yet somehow…
He was the one who felt as though he had been blindsided.
At that moment—
An unexpected visitor arrived.
The hotel room’s doorbell rang loudly.
Again.
And again.
With impatient, irregular bursts.
Then a woman’s voice called out from the other side of the door.
“Oppa!”
“Sa Hyeok oppa!”
“Kim Sa Hyeok!!”
