Min Ho ignored the nagging strain in his shoulder and arm muscles. While Shin Hye had been away, he’d been at it with this punching bag nonstop and frankly, he was sore all over. Not that he would ever admit it to her. So he might be overdoing it a little, but he didn’t have many chances of showing off to Shin Hye – just in case she disappears again. Truthfully, he got a little bit cocky when she complimented him earlier, and he found himself wanting to do even better, if only to prove to Shin Hye that he wasn’t a wimp nor was he completely incapable of protecting himself. But you punched her, you idiot. Min Ho snarled at the reminder. If he could, he would hit himself in the face for hurting her. Seeing as he couldn’t do that, he channeled his self-loathing in a fully-powered punch to the hanging bag, so strong that the impact sent an excruciating jolt up his arm.

“Dammit,” he mumbled as he bent down, clutching his right arm. He wondered if his punch to Shin Hye hurt this much, because if it did, then he should take a beating right here, right now. At the thought of looking like an idiot for hurting himself instead of the punching bag, he turned around to check if Shin Hye was watching.

Min Ho was surprised to see the empty bench, with Shin Hye nowhere in sight. For a moment, he was relieved that she hadn’t been there to see his display of idiocy. But when he remembered that she was still hurt, he immediately craned his neck to the open doorway, wondering why she left in the state she was in. Where did she go?

He didn’t waste any more time and quickly made his way out the door, thinking Shin Hye could hurt herself some more if she moves around too much. When he reached the top of the stairs, he caught sight of Shin Hye as she moved down slowly, looking like she was still in pain. Aish, this stubborn girl. Why can’t she just stay put?

He descended to where she was and put a hand on her shoulder. “Ya, where are you go—“

There was no way he could finish his question when Shin Hye turned around to look up at him. What he felt was akin to several boulders hitting him in the face all at once. There were tears b in her usually expressionless, doe eyes. She looked like she was in so much pain as her parted lips trembled. For a second there, she was flustered to see him, and before he could even ask, the tears began trickling down her cheeks. Min Ho literally felt his heart being wrung as he stood there, watching Shin Hye cry. She looked so frail and weak at that moment – and that was something he never thought this strong woman was capable of.

Before he knew it, he was in front of her, cupping her face that looked much smaller between his large hands. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He ran his fingers across her cheeks for the second time that day, but this time, he was wiping away her tears. He was panicking inside, convinced that he would do anything just to make her stop crying. The only thing he could think of was what his Mother used to do when he was little. Whenever he cried, she would kiss his eyelids until he stopped. Min Ho felt an urge to shower Shin Hye with those kisses, but he restrained himself.

“I… I don’t know,” she replied with bated breath. Hearing her voice go weak was hard for him to bear. Her chest was heaving up and down, and Min Ho took another step closer just to make her feel that he was right there, and that everything was okay.

She kept crying, and guilt washed over him. He looked down briefly at her bruise and mentally kicked himself again for causing her pain. “Does it hurt that much?”

When Shin Hye closed her eyes and nodded her head, Min Ho pulled her closer. He found himself sighing as his forehead landed on hers, feeling rueful and helpless. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he croaked. He didn’t know what else to do. He wanted to hug her, but he couldn’t because of her injury. He kept his eyes on her face as she tried to steady her breathing and contain her tears. Shin Hye seemed to be calming down a little, so he stayed there, close to her. He waited silently, matching his breaths with hers.

It took a few more seconds before Shin Hye finally opened her eyes. He pulled back a little, just to get a better look at her face. “How do I make the pain go away?” It was a question to himself, not fully aware that he actually said it out loud. Shin Hye didn’t respond, and she just looked him in the eyes. He couldn’t tell what was on her mind, but he knew that she was struggling.

parted a little, as if she was about to say something. But she didn’t. Instead, she lifted her hand and touched his face. Min Ho’s breath hitched at her gentle . He wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Shin Hye leaned into him, and ever so lightly, pressed her lips on his.

He remembered her lips as if it was seared in his brain. He once gave her an angry kiss at the peak of an intense argument. She once gave him a drunken kiss which she will possibly never remember.

But this kiss – the one they were sharing at the moment – was a kiss that defied them all. He’s never been kissed this way. It was pure, and tender, and innocent. It was a kiss of confession, a kiss of surrender. It was as if everything had been leading up to this point. A million thoughts threatened to enter his mind, but he blocked them all off. He just gave in to the moment and kissed her back. He didn’t push too hard, nor did he try to deepen the kiss. He just matched her rhythm – slow and sweet. But I could kiss her like this for a long, long time. He felt something trickle to their lips from her cheeks, and he knew it was another tear. Min Ho wiped it away with his thumb instantly, and pulled her face even closer.

When Shin Hye broke off contact, it was as if a weight dropped on his shoulders. Min Ho kept his eyes shut and leaned his head on Shin Hye’s. He was terrified that when he opens them, he would see her walls up again. And he didn’t know if he could take another of that. Especially not after that kiss. So instead, he lifted his hand and brushed her cheek again.

“Shin Hye,” he whispered, still refusing to open his eyes. He could hear his own fear in his voice.

Before he could say anything else, he felt Shin Hye withdraw from his hold. When he finally opened his eyes, Shin Hye’s back was turned to him after having taken another step down the stairs. Min Ho was rooted on that spot – not knowing how to feel. He continued to watch as she walked all the way to her room, her hand covering her bruise.

When he heard the click of her door as she closed it behind her, Min Ho dropped down and sat on the stair. He ran a hand through his hair, not sure if he was mad or depressed or just plain confused. It took him a long time of mulling things over before he stood up and followed Shin Hye to her room. Without bothering to knock, he tore her door open, only to see Shin Hye by her closet. She turned around with creased brows, giving him a dazed look. Her eyes and nose were still a little red, and he felt guilt creeping up on him again as he laid eyes on the bruise on her stomach.

“Ya, Shin Hye,” he muttered, his voice sounding weaker than he intended. He was caught between demanding for an explanation and feeling ashamed that he was being needy. But people didn’t just go around kissing people and expecting them to take it in stride, most especially if the other party has been fraught with unsettled feelings. He already forgave her the first time she took advantage of his lips, but he wasn’t going to let this one slip.

He hesitated, but told himself he deserved to let this out. “Why would you accuse me of toying with you and then do what you did back there?” He asked, his voice still unsteady. He wanted to add more. Why did you kiss me? And why did you walk away? But all of the questions he could think of just sounded childish so he left it at that.

Shin Hye was silent and gave him an unreadable look. For a moment, Min Ho regretted opening his mouth, but there was no denying he wasn’t at fault here. On more than one occasion, Shin Hye had made him feel small and weak, but those didn’t even compare to how she was making him feel right now. He was feeling cast off. And very confused. “Look. You probably don’t think it’s a big deal, but it is to me. You just cried in front of me and then you ki—“

He stopped short when he saw Shin Hye barreling towards him with an angry glare. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he took a step back on reflex, preparing for a slap or a punch. But he was more than stunned when instead, Shin Hye grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanked him down and captured his lips for another kiss. He was too taken aback to respond that when he grasped what was happening and was about to pull her in, she pulled away. Min Ho almost protested.

Shin Hye sighed as she looked up at him. “Now can you please get out of my room? I don’t want to have this discussion looking sweaty and banged up,” she glanced down at herself. “Particularly not when I’m wearing just a bra.”

Min Ho gave her a once over before his eyes landed on Shin Hye’s face. Her lips twitched in an almost scowl, catching him checking her out openly. When realization hit him, he looked at her in embarrassment. “Oh.” Min Ho rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like an idiot. He gave her a sheepish smile. “I’ll leave you to yourself then.”

“Ga,” she added coldly and pushed him out the door.

“By the way, forget what I said about you toying with—“

The door slammed in his face before he could even finish. Min Ho ran his tongue over his lower lip and smiled.

Han Chae Ah looked down at the unconscious figure and let out a deep sigh. “It’s been three days. Why hasn’t he woken up?”

Jang Hyun Sung shook his head, his face growing darker. “The doctors don’t really know. They found nothing wrong with him, and they assured me that there’s no reason for Chairman Lee to remain unconscious. They say we just need to wait.”

Chae Ah looked at Secretary Jang’s worried face, to Chairman Lee, and kept her impatient rage to herself. Don’t tell me this old fart is going to die on me? She couldn’t have that, especially not when all of her plans could be foiled with his death. “It’s such a shame that he has to be in this condition, with his grandson still missing and Wang Gwan in a state of panic.”

She kept her eyes on the seemingly lifeless old man when Secretary Jang turned to her. “Why are you here again, Secretary Han?” Chae Ah noticed a suspicious hint in his voice, but that was something he always had whenever he talked to her. The man has worked for Chairman Lee for almost twenty years, a decade as his Chief Secretary. She always felt uncomfortable in his presence, but then again, the man was never pleasant to begin with.

She smiled. “Isn’t it customary to visit patients at the hospital? I was worried so I came by.”

Secretary Jang gave her a hard look before turning away. “Secretaries don’t just visit the Chairman of Wang Gwan.” He pushed the door open to let himself out, although Chae Ah had a feeling the open door was for her. Not even a minute inside Chairman Lee’s hospital room and Secretary Jang couldn’t wait to get rid of her. She followed him outside with a smirk.

“Well then you should know I’m no ordinary secretary,” she replied, her expression stoic once they were face to face. “I’ve been living with the Lee family for more than ten years. Lee Min Ho is not just my boss, I care for him like a younger brother. And Chairman Lee is more than just Wang Gwan’s Chairman to me. He’s my provider. Look down on me all you want, but I’m not just some employee whose concern for them is purely work-related.”

Secretary Jang cleared his throat. “I apologize if I offended you, Secretary Han. You have to understand my apprehension and doubts, seeing as you were the last person in Chairman Lee’s office before we found him in that state. Which raises the question of why you were even in his office in the first place when he specifically instructed that no one is allowed inside.”

Chae Ah clenched her fists but made an effort to look collected. This man didn't know who he was dealing with. “Is that an accusation, Secretary Jang?”

The man pursed his lips and squinted his eyes before giving her a crooked smile. “Not at all. I was just explaining myself.”

“Good to know,” Chae Ah replied. “Because I don’t take too kindly to baseless accusations. I’m simply not the type to back down when I’m being treated unfairly.”

Secretary Jang raised an eyebrow. “Is that a thinly-veiled threat?”

“Aniyo,” she smirked. “Like you, I was simply explaining myself. Just so you understand who you’re trying to belittle.” She noticed the flicker of anger in the man’s eyes and felt vindicated somehow. With that, she bowed. “I’ll take my leave. Please call me as soon as Chairman Lee wakes up.”

Without waiting for a reply, Chae Ah headed off to the elevator, still mumbling curses under her breath. As it was going down, she made a mental note of what she plans to do with Secretary Jang once she reaches her goal. He’ll regret ever talking to me that way. When the elevator doors opened, she stalked off to the lobby where a man in a suit was waiting for her. She’d been expecting him to call instead of showing up unannounced, but there was never a time when he kept his end of the deal anyway.

He got up from one of the benches and caught up with Chae Ah, who hasn’t stopped walking.

“Well?”

“The son of a is still asleep,” she grumbled, hurrying her steps to the exit just in case Secretary Jang had her followed by one of the bodyguards. She quickly put on her sunglasses as she marched out. “Any updates on Lee Min Ho’s whereabouts yet?”

Truthfully, Lee Min Ho’s disappearance had been a blessing in disguise. She figured it would be easier to blackmail Chairman Lee with the threat of his grandson’s life than get him to do their bidding once he’s dead. She was still eager in finding the missing chaebol, but only because she needed him to stay missing until she completed what she needed to do.

The man smiled. “I do. But I’ll give it to you only if you’re nice.”

They’d gotten as far as the parking lot, before Chae Ah stopped and turned to him, noticing the devilish spark in his eyes. “How nice?”

The man came closer and circled his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. Chae Ah obliged, gasping when his hand travelled down to her rear. She tugged the collar of his blazer, lugging him closer to her that her body bounced at the impact with his hard torso. When he pulled away, he his lower lip and gave her a mischievous look.

“Okay, you deserve this.”

Chae Ah tried not to roll her eyes and waited as he swiped his phone screen and turned it so she could watch the clip playing.

“They hijacked the cameras but they didn’t know we had one of our own set up. It was too risky to have it in the 11th floor, but this was good enough,” he said. “We knew it was only a matter of time ‘til he makes an appearance.”

She leaned closer and realized it was a video of the hospital lobby. She pressed her lips together in anticipation, when after the 1 minute mark, her eyes widened. The elevator doors opened, a woman came out, followed by a man who looked incredibly familiar. She was about to grab the phone for a closer look when he paused the video to a frame where the tall man turned so he was facing the camera.

He was wearing a mask, but there was no mistaking who it was. Chae Ah knew him all too well.

“Lee Min Ho,” she muttered.

He grinned. “And Lady.”

Shin Hye looked at herself in the mirror and took deep breaths. She knew what she had done, but for the most part, she didn’t understand why she’d done it. One moment, she was swearing Lee Min Ho off, convincing herself nothing would come out of getting swayed by her feelings, and then the next, he was in front of her, and she was feeling tortured by his proximity.

She hasn’t cried in five years, not since her Mother died. Nothing has ever moved her to tears – not her Father’s death – granted, she was the one who killed him, but he was still her Father. Not even Ahjussi’s death. So why did the idea of staying away from Lee Min Ho reduce her to a puddle of tears? It was