Hi my pookies 🎀,thank you for reading my story.
Lee Sunoo stood near the elevator doors, gripping his phone while the morning crowd moved around him in practiced haste. He watched his reflection in the polished glass panels, noting the tightness in his jaw he couldn't seem to ease. The message from Mr. Han remained on the screen, as stark as a threat: One month. No mistakes, all he had to do was to seduce Kang Sunghoon and bring him down to his knees before crushing him and turning him into a nobody.
He forced a slow breath into his lungs, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and stepped forward when the security guard called his name. Without looking up, he handed over his freshly printed ID badge.
The elevator carried him up toward the executive floor, each number that lit seeming to measure out a final chance to reconsider. When the doors opened with a muted chime, he stepped into a corridor flooded with pale morning light. A woman in a tblack dress glanced up from her tablet, her expression composed. "You must be Lee Sunoo," she said, her tone formal but not unkind.
"If you'll follow me, Director Kang has requested that you meet with him before you settle in." He fell into step behind her, his heart thudding a little too loudly in the quiet. He wondered, with a pang he couldn't explain, whether everyone here could already tell he was an intruder.
They stopped in front of a set of tall double doors carved with the company emblem. The woman turned to face him, studying him for a heartbeat before she spoke again.
"Before you enter, I should remind you that you will need to sign the confidentiality forms included in this folder," she said, offering the thick file into his hands. "And it would be wise not to speak unless you are addressed directly. The CEO prefers his introductions to be brief."
He had barely nodded when the door swung open from within, revealing a man standing behind an immaculate desk, his gaze so steady it made Sunoo's pulse stutter. Kang Sunghoon didn't move to greet him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Sunghoon gestured for him to step inside, and took his own seat as if the matter was already decided. "I understand you are the new assistant Mr. Han recommended," he said, his voice calm and almost disinterested.
"I assume you have read the employment contract in its entirety." Sunoo swallowed, then inclined his head carefully. "Yes, sir, I've read it several times." Sunghoon's eyes moved over his face, unblinking. "Good. You will find that every clause is there for a reason. If you fail to uphold any part of this arrangement, you will discover that regret can be a very efficient teacher."
His tone remained mild, though Sunoo could feel the threat curling beneath the words like smoke.
The stillness stretched until Sunoo felt he had to fill it with something, anything that would prove he wasn't as uncertain as he felt. "I understand the expectations," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to meet them." Sunghoon closed the file he had been perusing, the motion precise, and looked up again. "That remains to be seen," he replied, the faintest suggestion of a smile at the corner of his mouth, though it never reached his eyes. "For the present, you will oversee my schedule, organize internal reports, and screen any correspondence I do not wish to handle myself. Should any questions arise, you will bring them to Manager Choi." He paused, his gaze unwavering. "Do you have anything you wish to clarify?"
Sunoo felt his throat tighten, but he shook his head. "No, sir. Everything is clear." Sunghoon regarded him in silence, as if weighing some invisible scale, then finally inclined his head once. "Then we will begin immediately," he said, his attention already shifting back to the stack of documents on his desk. "You may go."
Sunoo bowed slightly and stepped back out into the corridor, where the woman—Manager Choi was waiting with her tablet pressed to her chest. She gave him a look he could not quite decipher. "Consider yourself fortunate," she said in a voice low enough that no one else would hear. "Most people never receive a personal introduction at all."
Sunoo had no answer to that, so he simply followed her down the gleaming hall. As he passed the office again, he felt Sunghoon's gaze lingering on his back, cool and assessing, and he wondered if the man already sensed the secret that had brought him here.
Manager Choi led him into a smaller office lined with glass partitions, well furnished . She gestured for him to take a seat by the window. "You'll work here for the time being. The files you'll need are already loaded onto the system, but you'll also receive hard copies by the end of the day." She set her tablet on the desk with a soft click. "S.K Group doesn't tolerate delays, so if you fall behind even once, it will be difficult to recover your standing."
"I understand," Sunoo said quietly. His gaze drifted over the skyline outside, the pale morning giving way to a glare of summer heat that already pressed against the glass. For a moment, he wondered what his mother would say if she knew he had walked straight into the jaws of the same corporation she'd once called a necessary evil.
Manager Choi seemed to sense his distraction. She raised an eyebrow, her expression cool but not unkind. "You'll be reporting directly to me for most administrative tasks. The CEO's directives are relayed through this office, and you will handle them precisely as instructed. If something is unclear, you will come to me before you approach him. He does not appreciate interruptions that could have been prevented."
Sunoo inclined his head. "Thank you for explaining. I'd rather not make an impression for the wrong reasons."
A fleeting smile crossed her face before she composed herself again. "Most people say that," she murmured. "But most people forget it the moment they see him in person." She tapped her tablet, then extended it so he could review the day's itinerary.
"These are your initial assignments. You'll be arranging the agenda for this afternoon's strategic committee, drafting summary notes, and preparing tomorrow's briefing materials. You'll also be expected to observe any interactions the CEO has with external partners. If you're lucky, you'll have time to breathe between meetings."
He scanned the list. Each entry was more complex than the last, dense with acronyms and financial terms he'd only started to master in his training. The realization that he was in far deeper than he'd imagined sent a slow chill down his spine. But he couldn't afford to let her see that.
"I'll get started right away," he said, setting the tablet carefully on the desk.
"See that you do." She regarded him another moment, then turned to leave. Just before she stepped into the hall, she paused. "Mr. Lee," she added without looking back, "whatever brought you here, I suggest you keep it to yourself and focus on your job.
When the door clicked shut behind her, Sunoo finally let out the breath he'd been holding. He rubbed his palm over the smooth edge of the desk, grounding himself in the sensation, and then turned his focus to the glowing screen.
For hours, he worked without looking up. By the time noon approached, his shoulders were locked tight and his eyes felt raw. He had just saved the final draft of the briefing memo when the intercom on the desk crackled to life.
"To Mr. Lee , this is Kang Sunghoon." The CEO's voice was low, measured, with that same disconcerting calm. "Bring the agenda and the finalized reports to my office now."
Sunoo swallowed. "Yes, sir. Right away."
He rose, smoothing his shirt with hands that felt clumsy despite the hours of training drilled into him. Gathering the files, he crossed the open floor and paused outside the familiar double doors. He knocked once, heart drumming hard against his ribs and when he heard Sunghoon's approval, he entered the office.
He stepped inside, trying not to let his gaze linger on the man behind the desk. Sunghoon didn't look up immediately, instead signing a document with neat, precise strokes. When he finally did lift his eyes, there was no warmth in them, only an unreadable appraisal.
"Set them here," Sunghoon instructed, gesturing to the corner of the desk.
Sunoo placed the files exactly where indicated and straightened again. Silence settled around them like a heavy curtain.
"Tell me, Mr. Lee," Sunghoon said after a moment, his tone almost idle. "Did you find your first morning here illuminating?"
Sunoo hesitated, carefully considering how much honesty was safe. "I would say it was... instructive, sir. There's a great deal to learn, but I believe I'm up to the task."
A faint curve touched Sunghoon's mouth, though it was not quite a smile. "That remains to be seen," he replied. He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "And tell me—do you believe loyalty can be manufactured, or is it merely purchased like any other commodity?"
The question caught him so off guard he nearly forgot to breathe. He searched Sunghoon's face for any hint of irony but found none. "I suppose that depends on who is doing the buying," he said carefully.
Sunghoon regarded him in silence, as though he were a puzzle he might someday be inclined to solve. "An interesting answer," he murmured at last. "Perhaps you will prove more useful than you appear."
Sunoo lowered his eyes. "I hope to exceed your expectations, sir."
There was no reply, only the soft rustle of papers as Sunghoon turned back to his work, dismissing him without another word. Sunoo stepped out into the corridor, heart still hammering in his chest. He knew then, with a certainty that felt almost like prophecy, that nothing about this job would ever be simple.
As the door shut quietly behind him, he pressed a palm over his throat, willing his pulse to steady. He had trained himself to lie, but standing there in that hallway, he felt something close to panic rising in his chest. One slip, one careless word, and the man he'd just left would not hesitate to ruin his life.
He drew a slow breath, trying to calm the dread coiling in his gut. Because for all Sunghoon's courtesy, for all his composure, there was no question what would happen if Sunoo's real purpose here ever came to light. And no matter how careful he was, some part of him couldn't help but feel the clock had already started counting down even though he had just started the day before.
He turned away, forcing his expression blank, and walked toward the elevator. But as he reached to press the button, he couldn't shake the thought that this was how it began— and with a man who didn't yet know he was the target.
And if he failed, there would be no second chances.