My arms stretched as I yawned in exhaustion. Perhaps I shouldn't have woken up so early. Glancing at the time on my phone screen made me sigh. My office was slightly opposite Mr. Lee's, so I could faintly tell if his lights were on through the sidelights.

What was taking him so long? Getting up, I left my office and walked up to his.

Yep, he was still inside.

As I drew closer, the sound of a pen clicking grew louder and louder. Everyone else had already left, leaving just the two of us alone in the building. The silence made every snap of the pen echo down the hallway.

Stepping closer, I peered through the window to see what he was doing.

I clicked my tongue and mumbled to myself, "He's not even working."

As I watched, my focus shifted to his face. He was completely zoned out, mindlessly clicking his pen. The echoes almost sounded melodic as they bounced off the walls. His expression was intense, his sharp eyes piercing through the space. This version of him was a complete three-sixty compared to how he had acted earlier.

Was it because he was finally alone?

"What was he thinking about?" I whispered, taking another step closer.

Suddenly, he glanced down at his watch with clenched jaws, the sharp angle of his facial structure made me gulp.

He was incredibly handsome.

At that moment, my phone's notification sound shattered the quiet building. His sharp eyes narrowed, snapping instantly in my direction. I threw myself back, quickly stepping away from his line of sight.

My heart pounded against my chest as I winced in embarrassment. Pressing my hand over my chest, I squeezed my eyes shut.

What do I do?! I couldn't even bring myself to look at my phone screen.

Stupid phone.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the walls of his office as he made steady, deliberate strides toward the office door.

Panicking, I decided to make a run for it.

If anyone asks why I ran, honestly, I didn't have a logical answer. He already clearly disliked me, so getting caught eavesdropping on him would probably be the nail in the coffin for my career.

Sure, it might seem ridiculous to think he would fire me just for eavesdropping, but I had never worked this closely with a literal chaebol heir before. I had absolutely no idea what he was capable of, and I wasn't about to risk finding out.

I only managed to make it halfway down the stairs before hearing him call my name.

"Ms. Kim," he called out.

His voice was deep and stern, echoing through the showroom with a fierce, commanding authority. Hearing him say my name like that sent a sudden chill running down my spine. In that exact moment, I finally understood why everyone called him the Ice King.

Having no other choice but to stop, I turned and locked my eyes with him while catching my breath.

"Why are you still here?"

I gulped, "I didn't want to be behind with work, sir."

He narrowed his already sharp gaze.

"Are you done, sir? I would like to close up the store."

I said, trying not to let the silence linger for too long.

He almost let out a scoff as he cocked his head to the side, "So the reason why you were eavesdropping on me was that you were in a hurry to close?"

I bit my lower lip. When he put it that way, it made everything sound way worse.

As I tried to find the right words to defend myself, the roaring sound of a car engine grabbed both of our attention. As I stared out the window, a car pulled over in front of the store.

Oh no.

My heart sank the instant I recognized Juwon’s car.

Of all the moments for him to show up, it had to be right now.

The driver's door swung open, and he stepped out, heading straight towards the store.

With a warm smile that made my stomach churn, he approached me, "Wow, it looks like I came just in time," he said.

A feeling of panic washed over me, and I instinctively walked down the stairs. "What are you doing here?!" I whisper shouted.

He walked up to me and pecked my cheek. It caught me so off guard that I immediately stepped back, but he didn't notice.

"Are you done with work?" Juwon asked.

I glanced back at Mr. Lee. The heavy reminder that he knew Juwon was a cheating bastard made my stomach churn with humiliation. I couldn't bear the thought of causing a scene, or worse, letting Mr. Lee see right through me. I didn't want him to see how pathetic I felt for lacking the courage to confront the adultery. Desperate to mask the shame, I forced a smile and nodded.

Mr. Lee narrowed his gaze as he locked his gaze onto mine. His focus shifted deliberately from my eyes, down to my lips, and finally to my hands. Realizing my fists were tightly clenched, I quickly averted my gaze.

I braced myself for him to say something-anything-but he merely glanced down at his watch, his expression darkening.

Just like earlier.

"Don't forget to close up," he said coldly.  He walked down the stairs, brushing past us. My eyes tracked his movement as he took slow, deliberate, and confident strides out of the store.

What was on his mind?

And where was he heading with an expression so sullen? It certainly wasn't home.

"What's wrong?" Juwon asked, his voice snapping my attention back to the present.

"Why are you here?"

He narrowed his gaze, "What do you mean? Am I not allowed to pick up my own girlfriend from work? I even sent you a text a few minutes ago telling you that I'd fetch you."

So he was the reason Mr. Lee caught me eavesdropping.

"I'm talking to you. Why do you keep staring at him?" Juwon demanded.

Realizing I had been staring after Mr. Lee too intently, I forced myself to look back at Juwon.

"Is he your boss?" he asked.

I sighed, the heavy weight of my reality dawning on me again.

"Wait in the car. I have to close up." I said flatly. Juwon shrugged and turned to leave while I began switching off the lights.

As he drove, my eyes stayed glued to the passing buildings outside the passenger window. My mind was running a marathon as the events of the last few days came flooding back in waves. I felt entirely stranded, like I had been completely ditched in the middle of nowhere in life.

I felt lost.

Breaking up with Juwon wasn't a simple option, either. My parents already knew about our relationship and fully expected us to get married soon. Ironically, my mom had never been fond of him, which meant I had spent the majority of our relationship arguing with her to defend him.

Now, I finally understood why she doubted him. But if I went to her crying and admitted what he had done, she would certainly have my head for not listening to her in the first place.

Juwon cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him.

"How was work? Many famous people love that brand. Did you meet anyone interesting?" he asked cheerfully as I just glanced at him and nodded flatly.

His brows furrowed at my reaction, "Is something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Everything is fine. I'm just...tired."

My answer didn't convince him.

"Then why are you being so cold? Was it because I didn't answer your call on Saturday?" His voice rose slightly, hinting at irritation. "I'm sorry, I was busy. I know you're mad at me for not celebrating with you."

Noticing my anger, he quickly flashed a smiled to defuse the situation, "I'll make it up to you. I booked a reservation at L'Amour de la Cuisine for Friday. You've always wanted to go there, right?" he asked.

I glanced at him, my lip curling in immediate distaste.

"L'Amour de la Cuisine? " I echoed.

I didn't repeat it because I hadn't heard him. I repeated it because the sheer realization of how deceitful he truly was finally sank in. I was finally realizing just how truly guileful he was.

He actually dared to take me to the same restaurant where he had taken Nari? At a place we had planned to go to together?!