Chapter 5: A Dangerous Admiration
The following week at Lee Financial Corporation was a whirlwind.
Deadlines. Meetings. Reports.
Seo-Ah barely had time to breathe, let alone think about Lee Min-Jun.
And yet, somehow, he slipped into her thoughts anyway — a ghost she couldn't banish.
She caught herself stealing glances when she shouldn't:
Across the lobby when he swept through in his sharp tailored suits, flanked by his top executives.
At the elevator, when she glimpsed his reflection in the gleaming metal doors.
Through the glass of conference rooms, when his low voice resonated with effortless command.
Every time, her heart fluttered — a treacherous, reckless rhythm.
She hated herself for it.
She barely knew him.
He was a cold, distant CEO — untouchable, unreachable.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't erase the memory of him crouching beside her that night — sleeves rolled up slightly, cold eyes softening for just a moment.
A moment meant for no one else but her.
---
Meanwhile...
Min-Jun, too, felt the disturbance — though he would never admit it.
He buried himself deeper into work:
International mergers.
Stock acquisitions.
Property investments.
Logic. Numbers. Facts.
All neat, all safe.
But every so often, during brief moments of quiet, his mind betrayed him.
That foolish girl.
Seo-Ah.
The one who had thrown his pristine world into disarray with a clumsy accident and a pair of tearful, drunken eyes.
He had checked — discreetly, through his assistant — to ensure she wasn't incompetent.
To his irritation, she was... competent.
Efficient.
Detail-oriented.
A little clumsy, yes — but thorough, stubborn, quietly impressive.
Annoying, he thought, frowning at his laptop.
She was annoying.
Because once in a while, when she walked past, the faintest scent of soap and vanilla drifted after her — and it took every ounce of control not to look up.
---
The Upcoming Party
It was an annual tradition:
Lee Financial Corporation's grand investor gala.
Executives, stockholders, politicians, celebrities — all gathering at one of Seoul's most luxurious hotels to celebrate another successful year.
Min-Jun loathed these events.
Fake smiles. Useless chatter.
But appearances mattered.
As the CEO, he had no choice but to attend.
This year, however, there was a small change:
Junior employees — including administrative assistants — were invited to help manage the event behind the scenes.
Seo-Ah's name was on the list.
When she first heard, her heart jumped into her throat.
He'll be there.
The man she was foolishly trying not to admire.
The man who could fire her with a glance.
She wanted to decline — to bury herself in paperwork and pretend he didn't exist.
But pride stopped her.
She needed to show she belonged here.
That she wasn't just some charity case employee hired out of pity.
So she accepted the assignment, head held high, hands trembling slightly behind her back.
---
The Night of the Gala
The Grand Seoul Hotel shimmered under a thousand golden lights.
Limousines lined the street.
Reporters crowded the entrance.
Guests floated in and out of the marble lobby in designer suits and glittering gowns.
Seo-Ah arrived early, wearing the standard staff uniform — a simple, elegant black dress with a silver badge identifying her as Event Coordinator.
She smoothed her skirt nervously and checked the seating chart for the fiftieth time.
Professional, she reminded herself.
Calm. Invisible.
No one would even notice her.
But when Lee Min-Jun walked through the grand doors — tall, powerful, devastating in a black tuxedo — it felt like every atom in the room shifted.
Conversations dipped.
Heads turned.
Seo-Ah froze behind her clipboard, heart hammering painfully against her ribs.
He looked...
Unreal.
His dark hair was slicked back perfectly.
His tux fit like it had been sewn onto him by the gods themselves.
His cold, unreadable face was more breathtaking than any movie star's.
Seo-Ah dragged her eyes away, cheeks burning.
You're nothing to him, she scolded herself. You're just staff.
She forced her legs to move, slipping into the crowd, keeping her head down.
But she could still feel him — like a storm cloud crackling just over her shoulder.
---
An Unexpected Encounter
Hours later, after countless minor disasters (missing name tags, spilled champagne, confused guests), Seo-Ah finally snuck onto the outdoor terrace for a moment of air.
The night was cool and crisp, the city skyline blazing with life.
She leaned on the railing, sighing, allowing herself one minute — just one — to breathe.
"You look exhausted."
The voice — low, smooth, unmistakable — made her whip around in terror.
Lee Min-Jun stood behind her, hands tucked into his pockets, watching her with an unreadable expression.
Seo-Ah's mind blanked completely.
"I—I'm sorry, sir," she stammered, bowing instinctively. "I—I'll return to my duties—"
"Relax," he said, voice dry.
"I'm not here to scold you."
She blinked, confused.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The sounds of the party — music, laughter, clinking glasses — drifted faintly through the doors.
Min-Jun's gaze lingered on her — not harsh, not cold.
Curious.
Quiet.
Seo-Ah swallowed nervously.
"I—I hope the event is to your liking, sir," she whispered.
He tilted his head slightly.
"You're working harder than half my executive team," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Maybe harder than they deserve."
Seo-Ah's eyes widened.
Was that... a compliment?
From him?
She bowed again, unsure what else to do.
Min-Jun watched her, feeling — to his disgust — the faintest flicker of something warm stirring in his chest.
The girl from the bar.
The girl who had ruined his suit.
And now, somehow, standing here under the stars, looking small and determined and impossibly real — she was wrecking his defenses all over again.
He hated it.
He hated how interesting she was.
How different she was from the polished, calculating women who usually threw themselves at him.
Without thinking, he took a step closer.
Seo-Ah froze — the heat of his body dangerously close.
Her heart raced.
Her knees trembled.
She stared up at him, wide-eyed — and in that instant, she saw it:
A crack in the ice.
A glimmer of something raw, something human behind those cold, perfect eyes.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
For one suspended, impossible moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped spinning.
Seo-Ah's breath caught in her throat.
Was she imagining it?
The slight softening of his jaw?
The way his eyes — normally cold and sharp — lingered on her lips for a fraction of a second too long?
But then — in a blink — it was gone.
The wall slammed back into place.
Lee Min-Jun straightened, his face hardening into the icy mask she knew too well.
"This conversation never happened," he said coldly.
"And neither did the incident at the bar."
Seo-Ah opened her mouth to respond — but he was already gone, disappearing into the shadows of the gala like he had never been there at all.
Leaving her standing alone under the cold stars, her heart a mess of confusion and foolish hope.
She had promised herself not to fall.
But it was already too late.