Chapter 29

“Cha Heeyoung seems to be involved in embezzling slush funds, so they’re telling you to report on this and that, right?”  

“Yeah, that’s right.”  

“But these days, the reports you’re making are just about the people Cha Heeyoung meets and her movements, right?”  

“Exactly.”  

“Then it’s obvious.”  

Leeyeon widened her eyes as if asking for an explanation she could understand.  

“Ji Dokyeom doesn’t seem to trust you yet.”  

“Ah…”  

A wave of emptiness surged over her, clearing her mind at the same time.  

Nahyun’s analysis seemed to be spot on.  

“So, this process of reporting on Cha Heeyoung might just be a kind of test.”  

Leeyeon bit her lips nervously.  

“It’s like he’s gauging whether he can really trust you and how much he can open up to you.”  

Nahyun’s words made a lot of sense.  

Dokyeom must have a clear plan about what kind of materials he wanted Leeyeon to retrieve.  

But the fact that he wasn’t asking her to do that and was only listening to meaningless reports about schedules and relationships meant that he still didn’t trust her 100%.  

“Why didn’t I think of that?”  

She had been thinking too shallowly.  

Up until now, she had been so focused on keeping her distance from Dokyeom.  

The man Ji Dokyeom was such a dangerous and dizzying figure that she had been afraid of getting closer to him.  

But to drag Cha Heeyoung down to ruin, she had no choice but to close that gap.  

At the same time, she needed to make Dokyeom trust her completely.  

Only then would Dokyeom share with her which of Cha Heeyoung’s weaknesses to target.  

To make things easier, she absolutely needed Dokyeom’s power.  

Yes, instead of pushing Dokyeom away, she needed to pull him closer.  

“Actually, isn’t this fake relationship between you two a really good thing for you?”  

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s an easy way to go about this.”  

The only reason she hadn’t been able to use it was simple.  

She was afraid that pretending to like Dokyeom would turn into genuinely liking him.  

And because Dokyeom also seemed to show interest in her, she had been even more cautious.

The moment she let her guard down, it felt like she would end up in an unintended relationship.  

Nahyun held Leeyeon’s hand and whispered softly.  

“Leeyeon, you need to act like you’re keeping that person in your heart and win his favor first. He’s already a suspicious person. That’s why you need to divert his attention and scatter his focus even more.”  

What Nahyun was talking about was essentially using the smokescreen of a romantic relationship well.  

“And honestly, the sooner you find Cha Heeyoung’s weakness, the better it is for you. That way, you won’t have to stay by that woman’s side even one day longer.”  

“You’re right.”  

Why hadn’t I thought of that?  

Now it was time to change her approach to dealing with Dokyeom.  

She felt unnecessarily anxious.  

A few days ago, when they were having dinner at Dokyeom’s house, she wondered if she had answered too honestly when he asked if she was uncomfortable.  

‘There were opportunities to get closer.’  

When Dokyeom had stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them, as if he couldn’t believe the floral scent coming from Leeyeon was just from her shampoo.  

Should I have been braver at that moment and tried to seduce him or something?  

Her head was a mess.  

At that moment, Leeyeon’s phone vibrated briefly.  

[It seems difficult to meet today as I drank a lot at the evening meeting. Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow.]

For some reason, that single message made her heart sink.  

She didn’t doubt that it was true that it would be hard to meet today due to the late meeting.

But after hearing Nahyun’s words, her mind became a bit restless.  

Late at night, and with alcohol involved, it was a perfect condition for someone’s guard to drop.

So Leeyeon asked a question she wouldn’t normally ask.  

[Did you drink a lot? How are you feeling?]  

Soon, the message showed as read.  

Once she made up her mind, nothing seemed difficult anymore.  

Just as Nahyun said, she would make Dokyeom trust her completely and feel affection, then quickly find out Cha Heeyoung’s weaknesses to hand over.

She wanted to end all of this with her own hands as soon as possible.  

Leeyeon quickly sent another message.  

[If you’re not too drunk, I’ll come to where you are, Director. I’d like to see you, even if only briefly.]

Even after reading the message, there was no reply for a while.  

‘Ah… Was I too forward?’  

She wondered what if he thought it was strange.  

Then, a call came from Dokyeom.  

Leeyeon pressed the call button with a tense face.  

“Yes, Director.”  

• Is there something urgent you need to report today?

Of course, there wasn’t.  

But she didn’t want to let the day slip by.  

If she didn’t do it today, she felt tomorrow and the day after would also drag on, so she gathered her courage.

“I have something to say in person.”  

A light laugh came from Dokyeom over the phone.  

• Alright. Can you come to my house instead?  

His house?  

That was actually better.  

Leeyeon spoke, hiding her nervous voice.  

“Yes, I’ll come to your place, Director.”

***

With a determined face, Leeyeon pressed the doorbell.  

Ding-dong— Ding-dong—  

As the sound of the doorbell faded, the door opened.  

Dokyeom’s hair was still wet, as if he hadn’t finished his shower when Leeyeon arrived.  

His solid, bronze skin was faintly visible through the hastily fastened robe.  

Leeyeon quickly averted her eyes.  

Dokyeom gestured for her to come in and stepped back slightly.  

“Wait a moment. I’ll change clothes and be right back.”  

“Yes, alright.”  

After Dokyeom disappeared towards the dressing room, Leeyeon headed to the living room sofa.  

Sitting on the sofa, she took in the view through the wide window.  

Come to think of it, she had been to this house several times, but the living room sofa and the kitchen were all she had seen.  

‘It seems like he really doesn’t trust me yet, just as Nahyun said.’  

That might be why he only opened up this much of the house.  

Even just seeing the living room and kitchen, it was incredibly spacious. What were the other areas like?

Could this house be similar in structure to Cha Heeyoung’s family home?  

Various thoughts filled her mind.  

‘It’s already been a month since we started working together.’  

If time just passed like this, even after a year, the distance between them would remain vast.  

Perhaps because she resolved not to waste time, she strangely felt courageous.

Hearing the sound of slippers approaching from afar, Leeyeon straightened her posture.  

The disheveled appearance from a moment ago was completely gone, replaced by her usual composed demeanor.  

The only difference was the faint scent of alcohol coming from Dokyeom as he approached.  

It proved that his earlier claim of drinking a lot wasn’t a lie.  

Leeyeon disliked the awkward silence that had settled in, so she stood up from her seat.  

“Where are you going?”  

“You seem to have had quite a bit to drink. Should I make you some honey water?”  

Perhaps surprised by her unexpected words, Dokyeom didn’t respond and simply stared at her intently.  

A fleeting moment passed like that.  

It felt as though his gaze alone was smoothing over her, making her cheeks flush red.  

Leeyeon pressed her cheeks firmly with the back of her hand.  

Even though all she was doing was receiving Dokyeom’s gaze, her heart felt strangely ticklish.  

She was fully clothed, yet for some reason, she felt as though she were exposed.  

Dokyeom asked,  

“Why are you being so kind today?”  

Leeyeon gave a soft smile.  

On the surface, she was smiling, but inside, she was extremely nervous.  

Pretending to be calm, Leeyeon spoke.  

“Is offering to make you honey water really something to call kind?”  

Standing still under Dokyeom’s gaze was unbearable.  

It seemed better to move around.

“Would you like a glass?”  

“Yes. Make me one.”  

Leeyeon moved toward the kitchen, and Dokyeom threw a low, deep voice at her back.  

“There should be honey in the lower cabinet you see as soon as you walk in.”  

“Alright.”  

Before long, Leeyeon returned with honey water at an appropriate temperature, served in a pretty teacup.  

There were two teacups on the tray.  

One was honey water for Dokyeom, and the other was chamomile tea for Leeyeon.  

“There are two cups of tea.”  

As if intrigued, Dokyeom’s eyes grew even darker.