Chapter 5

Her fingertips trembled and my heart pounded violently in her chest at the enormous sum, which was larger than anything she had ever seen before.

“How could you borrow this much money... without my knowledge...?”

“What was I supposed to do? Your brother said he needed money for living expenses. He has to finish his studies somehow, doesn't he?”

“Haa… Mom!”

Even as Dana raised her voice, Hyesuk remained completely unfazed.

“Once your brother graduates, our lives will be settled. Just wait until he becomes an international lawyer. What does a few thousand—or even a few million—matter compared to that?”

Dana pressed a hand against her aching head. She had told her mother countless times that her brother had absolutely no talent for academics, but Hyesuk had never listened.

“Stop talking back and stay at LK Construction no matter what.”

“...”

“I'm not paying that debt back for you. Do you understand me?”

After delivering her threat, Hyesuk left the room. The moment she was gone, Minji, who had been standing there silently the entire time, hurried over to Dana's side.

“Unnie*, so you're staying at the company, right? Then buy me a tablet. I'm the only one in my department who doesn't have an iPad.”

“...”

“Hm? Unnie?”

Dana looked down at the whining Minji with a cold gaze. It was painfully obvious how the document she had carefully tucked inside her jacket had ended up in Hyesuk's hands. Minji must have seen it and immediately ran to tell their mother.

“Leave.”

“Huh?”

“I said leave.”

Dana's tone was icy as she ordered her sister out. Even then, Minji lingered and tried pestering her a few more times before finally leaving when Dana refused to respond. She departed while muttering vulgar curses under her breath.

“Haa...”

Dana, who was finally alone, let out a deep sigh.

“What am I supposed to do...?”

A debt of thirty-eight million won had appeared overnight. The thought of having to repay a sum of money she had never even held in her hands made everything go dark before her eyes.

Her chest tightened, and her steady breathing quickly turned ragged. Out of habit, Dana reached for the back of her neck. The moment her fingers closed around the round medallion hanging from her necklace, she felt her labored breathing gradually begin to subside.

Jihun had given her that medallion a long time ago.

He had told her, with complete sincerity, that it was a sacred item he had bought in the Vatican and that it would protect her no matter what happened.

She had thought it was ridiculous at the time, but strangely enough, her symptoms had improved noticeably after she started carrying it. Several years had passed since she began keeping the medallion with her at all times.

‘Even after being rejected by Senior Jihoon, it still works.’

Swallowing the bitterness in her tongue, Dana finally released the medallion. The small disk slipped from her fingers, and the initials J.H. engraved on its surface reflected a soft glimmer of light.

⋆.𐙚 ̊

After arriving at work, Dana pressed her fingertips against her temples. She massaged various pressure points, but the pain squeezing her head refused to ease. She had been like this for days. Ever since discovering the debt her mother had created, the headaches showed no sign of disappearing.

Since that day, Hyesuk hadn’t shown the slightest trace of remorse. Her attitude was that there was nothing wrong with using a bit of her daughter's money. By now, Dana was no longer surprised by the way her mother endlessly spoiled her son while treating Dana's earnings as though they belonged to her. It had always been that way.

She was the kind of Mother who had given Dana secondhand school uniforms collected from other families while saving up nonexistent money to buy her brother designer winter jackets. Dana had always been the better student despite receiving little support, whereas Hwikyung's grades remained abysmal despite private tutors and cram schools, but her mother's hopes had always rested solely on him. Because he was the eldest son. Because he was the firstborn. Because he was a man.

Man, man, man. What was so special about being male that it justified taking out a loan under her daughter's name?

“Mom is seriously...”

The bitterness slipped out before she could stop it. Just as she let out a long sigh, Department Head Na called for her.

“Assistant Manager Yeon. Are you all packed up?”

“Ah... yes! Department Head. I’m almost done.”

Dana answered in a haste while placing the mini humidifier from her desk into a box. She was packing up the last of her belongings before moving to her new office.

‘Please. I genuinely want to spend the rest of my career in the Business Development Team. Just don't send me to the Future Strategy Division. Please.’

She had pleaded with Department Head Na multiple times not to send her, but he’d only shaken his head. The order had come from above, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Seeing Dana's gloomy expression, Assistant Manager Ha tried to comfort her.

“Look on the bright side. It's the hottest department in the company right now. You’ll have great support and fast promotions. And you'll also get to see Director Ryu Junghyuk every day.”

‘That's exactly the problem.’

Upon seeing Assistant Manager Ha's obviously envious expression, Dana swallowed the words she had been about to say. This transfer was clearly intended to torment her. However, everyone who heard about it somehow kept telling her how lucky she was.

“Take care. Do well over there.”

Leaving behind the people waving farewell, Dana picked up the box containing her personal belongings and left the Business Development Team, where she had spent the past several years. By the time she arrived in front of the Future Strategy Division, she was clutching the box tightly against her chest. She tried to steady herself by taking a deep breath.

Due to the debt her mother had taken out without her permission, quitting her job was no longer an option. If she couldn't leave, then she would simply have to endure.

‘What's the worst that could happen? It's not like it'll k*ll me.’

Dana put on a determined expression and pushed open the door to the Future Strategy Division.

“Hello, I'm Yeon Dana, and I've recently been transferred here—”

The cheerful greeting she had delivered so confidently dissolved halfway through the moment she stepped inside.

“Deputy Manager Shin! The attachment isn't here. Please resend the email!”

“Manager Kang, where are the meeting materials? Don’t you realize we're leaving in thirty minutes?”

“The numerical error in the graph on page thirty-seven of the report going to the director has been corrected.”

The Future Strategy Division looked as though an emergency evacuation order had been issued.

There were people speaking foreign languages into two phones at once, one pressed against each ear. Others sprinted through the hallways carrying stacks of documents. There were also those who hammered away at their keyboards like soldiers on a battlefield.

‘Why is everyone acting like this?’

Dana stood frozen in place while her eyes darted around. She had heard that the Future Strategy Division was extremely busy, but this went beyond busy. It felt more like watching people tap dance on top of flowing lava.

After standing there for some time watching everyone run around as though their tails were on fire, someone finally noticed her and approached.

“Who are you?”

“Ah. Hello, I'm Yeon Dana, and I've recently been transferred—”

“Ah! Assistant Manager Yeon?”

Before she could even finish speaking, the man approached with a welcoming smile.

“I'm Deputy Manager Shin Youngseok. We were told you'd be coming today, but... as you can see, things are a little hectic.”

Looking slightly embarrassed, he scratched the back of his neatly short hair.

“Your desk is over there, Assistant Manager Yeon. Get settled first. I heard you used to assist with permits and feasibility reviews, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes, that's right.”

“As soon as your computer's ready, open your inbox first. Check the work instructions.”

Even while speaking, Deputy Manager Shin sounded increasingly rushed. Caught up in his urgency, Dana hurried to the desk he had pointed. Setting her box down on the floor, she powered up the computer. Just as he had instructed, she opened her inbox—and found it already overflowing with emails.

**[Request for Materials]

[Meeting Schedule Report]

[Urgent Instructions / Director]**

Dana, who stared at the screen in disbelief saw at the first glance that there were already more than thirty emails waiting for her.

‘I have to handle all of this? I literally just got here.’

Is it, perhaps, the wrong account? She quickly checked the account information, but the ID displayed in the corner was unquestionably hers.

“Assistant Manager Yeon! The director's briefing is in an hour, so start gathering materials immediately!”

The voice came from somewhere far away, belonging to someone she had never even met.

“Yes! Right away!”

Dana answered on instinct and immediately grabbed the mouse.

Even while she struggled to prepare the requested materials, emails continued pouring in like a torrential downpour. Her phone and messenger notifications rang relentlessly as well, making her head throb. She was already overwhelmed by a workload, which was unlike anything she had experienced before, when the bustling atmosphere of the office suddenly changed.

Dana, who raised her head wondering what was going on, saw Junghyuk entering the office, looking flawless in another perfectly tailored suit. As he took the document from Deputy Manager Shin, he spotted Dana and immediately fixed his gaze on her.

“Assistant Manager Yeon Dana.”

Dana practically stopped breathing when he called her name “Is the briefing material ready?”

“Well... I haven't reviewed everything yet.”

A faint crease appeared on his forehead at her uncertain reply.

“Then we'll review what's already been organized. We need to head into a meeting, so summarize the material and bring it to me within ten minutes. I'll look through the rest while we're traveling.”

Just as he turned to leave, he stopped once more.

“Ah, and one more thing.”

He turned back as if he just remembered something.

“One more thing. Assistant Manager Yeon Dana will be my direct assistant.”

“Excuse me? Your direct... assistant?”

“From now on, she'll accompany me on all schedules. Everyone should be aware of that.”

As he walked away with a faint smile, dozens of gazes turned toward Dana. They were filled with confusion, curiosity, and envy. No one could understand why Junghyuk had suddenly issued such an unprecedented order.

Dana herself didn't understand either. Direct assistant? What kind of position was that supposed to be? However, she instinctively knew one thing. The reason he wanted to keep her by his side had nothing to do with valuing her specially.

He simply intended to lock her inside a prison without bars. He wanted to make her pay for the crime of calling out Jihoon's name that night.

“Am I... really going to survive this...?”

Dana muttered under her breath, her face twisting with despair. It felt as though dark storm clouds were rolling in, casting a long shadow over her future.