00. HEART TO A HEART.

In an unassuming building located in the far corner of Seoul's Yeouido district, a young man in a long black coat holds the elevator door open for a pretty young woman. He looks to be in his late twenties, with a tall build and clear black eyes, his raven hair slightly wet from the rain. The woman beside him is dressed in a taupe blazer and matching slacks, her blonde hair strewn with raindrops as her red lips curve slightly upward.

They keep ample distance between each other as the elevator doors close and the red number displayed above the buttons begins to flicker—it's a strange sight for the two coffee-toting office workers behind them, one of which has a sharp eye.

The man in the coat is immediately recognized as the chairman's third son, Jeon Jungkook. As for the woman—

"Kim Yerim." Jeon Jungkook says at that very moment, his voice piercing through the settled silence like a stone thrown in the water.

The woman glances up from the small hands of the leather-bound watch on her wrist, eyes wide. "Ne?" she says.

Which is when Analyst Byun, the sharp-eyed office worker, quickly puts two and two together.

Golden Closet Pharmaceuticals was a relatively medium-sized company with high profit margins, occupying levels 10 through 12 in a conventional office building. The oldest son of the Jeon family, Jeon Junghyun, was highly involved in its corporate interests, but the real factor behind its recent successes have been the Jeon family's youngest, Jeon Jungkook—who was very recently married to the hospitality industry's valuable heiress, Kim Yerim.

"You didn't eat much this morning." Jeon Jungkook says to Kim Yerim, who seems preoccupied with her own thoughts.

It was said to be a marriage of interest.

No one is really too sure with their speculations, however. Not even Park Sohyun, the all-knowing desk secretary from the Level 10 lobby.

After all, plain office workers like Analyst Byun and Secretary Park are from another world.

"Ah, I wasn't hungry." Kim Yerim answers, sounding frazzled as she taps the edge of her heel.

"Eat more for lunch. My brother will offer to treat us." Jeon Jungkook opts to say. Despite such attentive words, his tone only seems as distant as a stranger.

There is a lull of silence until a small "oh" is uttered on Kim Yerim's end, resolving the conversation.

To this exchange, Analyst Byun meets the shrug of his coworker, Programmer Lee, with a puzzled expression of his own.

Indeed, who really knows what goes on in the lives of the rich?

—

Such was the paradox:

The very first thing that Jeon Jungkook's head secretary, Lee Yeona, understands about her boss's new wife is that—indeed—Kim Yerim is very hard to understand.

"Here is your I.D. card, Mrs.—"

"Call me Yerim." Kim Yerim breaks off Yeona's words both crisply and warmly. A polite smile is given before the card is taken from Yeona's hands, who waits expectantly for a satisfied reaction.

You see, not even the President, Mr. Jeon Junghyun, nor the Chairman himself, had ever given their wives access to the company like this...

But the newly crowned Mrs. Jeon only raises the card to the light before frowning, turning to Mr. Jeon with an unreadable expression. "My picture isn't on it." she says, at which Yeona nearly jumps back a little.

Kim Yerim's voice was clearly so pleasant and gentle—so why did her words seem to land so sharply? Much less to her newly-wedded husband, who is the Vice President of this successful company?

And yet, Mr. Jeon only smiles.

Jeon Jungkook rarely ever smiled in front of Yeona like this. A smile that wasn't completely happy...yet still so alluring.

"Yerim, your picture will appear if scanned, but only if scanned into our systems. This is to protect you." he explains.

Yeona is swooning internally at the romantic gesture in Mr. Jeon's words—surely Mrs. Jeon will also be flattered...

"Your picture is on your I.D. card." Kim Yerim counters, to Yeona's surprise.

"There's no reason to hide my identity." Jeon Jungkook shakes his head.

Kim Yerim raises her brow. "There is reason to hide mine?"

Yeona is quite shocked. She cannot tell if Mrs. Jeon is pleased or upset, but this is not what troubles her. Kim Yerim is no Cinderella—whether it be looks, manner, or background, Kim Yerim matches Jeon Jungkook in every which way. It is not surprising that Kim Yerim will want things done her way.

What truly troubles Yeona is indeed far more alarming: why is it that her boss does not seem the least bit annoyed or angry? When Yeona first started her job at G.C.Ph., she remembers the impatience of her young boss whenever she asked too many questions. As far as she knew, not even the Chairman himself could inquire the intent of Jeon Jungkook's actions like so.

"Then, I'll have them make a new one."

Neither has Yeona seen Mr. Jeon relent so easily. It puzzles her even further, however, that Kim Yerim does not seem smug or victorious at Jeon Jungkook's conceding. In fact, she seems a bit tired, and even defeated.

"No, it's okay." Kim Yerim says, putting the card in her purse. Then, reading the name engraved on Yeona's pin, she nods towards Yeona. "Thank you, Secretary Lee."

Yeona bows back, retreating carefully out the door as Mr. Jeon excuses her.

As she leaves, Yeona watches as Kim Yerim lies down on the office couch, and catches a glimpse of her boss carefully laying his coat over Kim Yerim's shoulders.

"Quickly, tell us what you think of her!" Yeona's coworkers downstairs are quick to gather at the coffee station in curiosity.

"Is she ugly? Does she have a stutter? What's the boss like around her?" A bold intern demands.

"If it was an arranged marriage, I bet the boss is cold to her, no?" A brave invoice processor, Im Sodam suggests.

"Actually, she's pretty, and quite qualified." Yeona discloses with a sigh, leading everyone to become even more interested in her next words.

"As for the boss...well, he's quite different."