.
The secretary hurried out and barely noticed that someone was standing by the door.
Kim Dong-hae was there.
"Jun-seo, why the hell don't you answer my calls? Did you forget that I still call the shots ?"
Before working for Eun-ji as her secretary, Jun-seo had already collaborated on some projects with Dong-hae; they didn't have a good relationship. But Dong-hae had a sense of entitlement within that company.
Dong-hae was tall and strong, his athleticism enviable, but along with his temperament, it made for a dangerous mix. The secretary was being pinned by the collar of his clothes and had to try very hard not to start screaming for help... But who in their right mind would help him?
"Mister Kim..."
Dong-hae smirked and pushed Jun-seo away. That room was his, and he still had his belongings to collect. He wouldn't leave until he had gathered everything. "Get out of the way, I'm going into my room..."
Before he could even grab the handle, the door finally opened, and what Dong-hae saw made him completely lose his temper. He could feel his blood boiling.
"What noise is that?"
Eun-ji emerged like a phoenix. Strong and powerful in her full radiance and authority , Jun-seo for a moment felt like someone was finally coming to his rescue , but Eun-ji was far from anyone's salvation.
"Eun-ji?!"
Dong-hae knew of his sister's return, but not that she was back to replace him. He felt extremely irritated... How could they substitute him for a child ?
Eun-ji found the situation both intriguing and amusing .
The young woman just pointed inside, gesturing for her brother to finally enter. "Come in..."
Jun-seo, who was still recovering from the rough shove , noticed his boss staring at him. "Go do as I instructed."
The secretary barely had time to straighten his tie and just nodded, soon quickly striding off to fetch coffee. "Yes, ma'am."
Dong-hae was finally inside the room, and Eun-ji barely had time to close the door before he could hear the man yelling next to his ear. So unpleasant.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
That insufferable temper hadn't improved at all after so many years. "Sit down."
Dong-hae sat on the big sofa and sighed.
Eun-ji's footsteps echoed through the room as if set to a melody; she approached him as she unbuttoned the top button of her shirt to get more comfortable.
"Dong-hae..."
The female voice seemed to reverberate through the entire room as if they were standing on the edge of a precipice.
Dong-hae heard his name being called and made no effort to move to see who was speaking; he really hated Eun-ji.
He raised his index finger and snobbishly corrected the woman's call with a voice filled with the utmost disdain. "To you, I am Ms. Kim ."
The young woman was elegant and commanding. The empty room seemed to be filled with Eun-ji , her firm and heavy footsteps made it seem like she was multiplying and condensing in the air.
Kim Eun-ji leaned on the arm of the sofa. She braced herself while silently observing the view from the immense glass wall, her brother doing the same.
Dong-hae still ignored Eun-ji's presence and this arrogant attitude seemed like a joke to her ears. "You're Dong-hae to me... But maybe I should call you a mutt ."
She laughed contemptuously.
She placed her hand on her brother's broad shoulders and quietly whispered, "I really wonder how Dad was so unlucky to adopt someone like you."
Eun-ji had serious issues with Dong-hae; they had always disdained each other , and despite their parents' efforts, they never managed to live peacefully and just ignored each other's existence.
The Kim family didn't seem to have any luck with their adopted children, as everyone was mired in scandal or disinterest in the family business. Now they were making a final effort to keep the company under the leadership of a Kim , whether it was Eun-ji or no one else.
Dong-hae finally looked at her, and her eyes had a faint trace of red. She was fuming with rage , and Eun-ji was completely satisfied.
"Did you really think Dad would let you do whatever you wanted?"
"Eun-ji..." she tried to grab her sister's wrist but was pushed back, leaving her with both hands around her neck, digging her nails in enough to make her understand that she would hurt her if necessary .
"I'll take over from now on, and I hope it doesn't interfere with my work , sister."
They were a family, but that didn't mean they had any affection for each other.
"You were the vice president, and I'm the new president. Even if I came back to work today, you'd still have to follow my orders... Looks like the spoiled brat is ready to send you to hell."
Dong-hae could see the smile plastered on her sister's face and felt a surge of bitterness . So bitter that it made her wish she could make Eun-ji disappear.
"Pick up that pile of junk you left, and if you have a complaint, go to HR and file a report. After all, you've only been with this company for less than 24 hours. You have one minute to leave my office, or I will call security."
Dong-hae noticed a cardboard box left in the corner of the room and saw that her belongings were all neatly packed there.
She clumsily picked up the box from the floor and silently left the room.
Eun-ji would definitely pay for this .
Jun-seo finally returned with the coffee, and what he saw was a completely disgruntled Dong-hae holding a box while waiting for the elevator. He felt a chill run down his spine.
Kim looked at Jun-seo and silently entered the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.
Truly terrifying.
Lee Jun-seo quickened his steps towards the president's office, and at the first knock on the door, he received permission to enter.
"I brought the coffee."
Eun-ji smiled, pleased . "Fine, leave my coffee here on the table and bring me the most urgent documents... Let's get to work."
Meanwhile, in a bar.
Dong-hae had already drunk half of the freshly opened bottle of whiskey, and the intoxication was far from taking effect. She could feel her head throbbing with anger. She wouldn't accept being humiliated by Eun-ji.
It was clear that she would seek revenge . After all, there was nothing that money couldn't buy.
She was interrupted from her thoughts when she saw that the seat in front of her had been occupied by a woman.
"What is your name?"
The woman had delicate, mature features , but was as young as a flower that had just bloomed.
Her black hair fell over her shoulders, bestowing a natural and dazzling charm.
It was clear that she didn't intend to stay there long, nor did she even take off her coat.
"Hye-jin. That's all you need to know... What's the job?"
Dong-hae laughed at the woman's audacity and even found it appealing , but she wasn't there for that. They were in a Japanese restaurant, and the pleasure of having money offered certain privileges . It wasn't too difficult to secure a reserved place to conduct her business . She fumbled briefly with her coat, took a photo from her pocket, and handed it over.
"I want you to eliminate her in three months. If you get it done sooner, I'll give you a bonus."
Hye-jin nodded in agreement regarding the bonus.
"Seems fair. Any tips?"
She took the photo for herself and stared at the delicate lines of the face captured in the image. That woman was really beautiful; too bad she had to die, Hye-jin thought.
"If you torture her, I'll be pleased." Dong-hae sneered .
Hye-jin even felt a twinge of sympathy for the miserable woman in the photo. She'd heard the rumors, and she was just a fool who couldn't handle her parents' no... But business is business .
"I don't create chaos. If you want a mess, call one of your henchmen." She said, placing the photograph on the table in a motion to hand it back.
"Do you know what happens to traitors, Hye-jin?" Dong-hae grinned widely and continued without waiting for the woman to respond. "They first lose their fingers one by one, and then we rip out their throats. Do you think any henchman would have the courage to face this?"
She wasn't interested in hearing stories about how she or anyone else handled her problems. Without further ado, Dong-hae cut her off ; the less she knew, the better. "Your thoughts don't interest me. You'll receive half now and the other half after the job is completed ."
"Fine with me, but if you don't deliver what I want, you will be hunted down. Do you understand that ?"
"We're already in hell; you won't have to go that far." She took the photo for herself again and stuffed it into her coat pocket.