A Madman in Love-Chapter 70

The kiss was short but sweet.

On any other day, Suin might have pushed him away in embarrassment.

But today, she didn’t want to.

Even if just for this brief moment, she wanted to love him.

As Jaehee pulled away, she looked up at him and smiled softly.

"You’re being generous today."

He tilted his head in curiosity, unused to her not scolding him for his antics.

The slight wrinkle in his nose as he frowned cutely, the crescent curve of his eyes—it was all so endearing.

A lump rose in her throat.

Last night, she had been fine.

But now, her vision burned.

"I can't be the same every day."

Suin was a master of keeping a poker face.

No matter what emotions swirled in her chest, she was skilled at concealing them.

So she smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"There have to be days when I give you a reward, too."

Rising on her toes, she pressed her lips to his.

Smack.

Jaehee’s breath hitched slightly, his exhale seeping into her mouth.

His soft lips melded against hers, warm and firm.

The tongue that slipped between her lips was as sweet as honey.

Before he could deepen it further, Suin met him halfway, welcoming him without hesitation.

They tangled together, unashamed.

A deep, indulgent kiss.

The door connecting to the secretary’s office was securely shut.

Jongin was outside, but he wouldn’t barge in.

So, this kiss—this moment—was a bonus.

***

"Thank you!"

"Great work, everyone!"

As the interns exchanged their final greetings at the end of the session, Suin was about to turn off the projector when a voice called out.

"Wait a moment."

The once-enthusiastic interns froze, standing stiffly like machines awaiting further commands.

Smiling, Suin reassured them.

"This isn’t a strict rule, but some executives consider ‘good job’ an inappropriate farewell. Let’s try to avoid using it subconsciously."

"Yes! Understood!"

They responded in unison before filing out of the training room.

From the back of the room, Hyun Jiye, who had been silently evaluating them, stepped forward.

"Chief Secretary."

Her expression suggested she had something to say.

Suin, pretending not to notice, continued organizing the training materials.

"What is it?"

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Go ahead."

"The rumor about you and Deputy Manager Baek Ihyeon was settled as a misunderstanding, right?"

"Yes, and?"

"So… your ‘special someone’ isn’t him, right?"

"That would be correct."

"Then who is it? Intern Kwon seems to know…"

"I never told Intern Kwon anything."

"Still…"

Instead of answering, Suin chuckled under her breath.

She gathered her files, watching as Jiye practically vibrated with curiosity.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

"Chief Secretary, tell me too!"

Jiye pleaded, clinging onto her arm.

"This is a disaster. The Chairwoman’s secretary has no sense of awareness."

Suin sighed dramatically before leaving the room.

Jiye followed close behind, grumbling.

"Intern Kwon said the answer is right under my nose. But no matter how I think about it, the only person constantly around you is the Director. And it can’t be him, so I’m lost!"

Oh, but it is him.

"Manager Oh is married, so it’s not him either."

"Don’t go throwing out random names unless you want to get in trouble."

Suin shot her a look, and Jiye hesitated before muttering sheepishly,

"It’s just… Chief Secretary, you never even looked at men before. And now you suddenly have someone, but even I, your closest colleague, don’t know who? How does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense."

Jiye furrowed her brows, struggling with the puzzle.

Suin found her cluelessness adorable.

She felt a tiny bit guilty about keeping her in the dark, so she playfully patted her on the back.

"Don’t waste your energy on useless things. Go home, Jiye."

"Yes, ma’am."

Jiye pouted as she got into the elevator bound for the 40th floor.

Meanwhile, Suin exited on the 39th floor.

Back at her desk in the Vice Director’s office, she read through a message from Jongin.

“The Director is heading to his dinner meeting now.”

As she typed out a quick response, another corporate message popped up on her screen.

Suin's fingers hovered over her phone as she read the message.

—Hello, Chief Secretary Lee. I’m Team Leader Hwang Kimin from the Development Dispatch Team. We met once before regarding Yoo Ahjin, remember?

After quickly sending Jongin a confirmation—"Got it."—she spun her chair around and placed her hands on the keyboard.

—Yes, hello, Team Leader.

—I have something I’d like to discuss privately. Would you be able to meet me for a moment after work? I’ll be here all night, so any time is fine.

—I was just about to leave. How about in twenty minutes at the break garden?

—Yes, thank you.

Setting the meeting, Suin hurried to wrap up her work.

Since she would be assisting the Chairwoman at a forum event the next morning, she made sure Jaehee’s desk was spotless so he could start his day without hassle.

She tidied up his dressing room and bathroom, neatly arranged pending documents, and placed approved files on Jongin’s desk with meticulous notes.

—Distribute these to the departments first thing in the morning.

Even after double-checking that nothing was missing, she swept her gaze around the office one last time before stepping out.

***

"Chief Secretary, you’re here."

Hwang Kimin was waiting right on time.

The break garden had a handful of late-working employees gathered with coffee, so they took a seat a bit further away.

"As you probably guessed, I wanted to talk to you about Yoo Ahjin."

"Yes."

"You’re aware that Deputy Manager Lee Kyunho has officially pressed charges against her, correct?"

"Yes, the legal team informed me."

"But I heard that you personally chose not to file any charges?"

"That’s right."

Suin had no interest in dragging out a dispute with Ahjin. She had made it clear that she didn’t want legal action.

Curious as to what Hwang Kimin wanted, she asked,

"Were you just checking in?"

"No, as a manager overseeing dispatched employees, I felt I never properly apologized to you for what happened. I wanted to formally say that I’m sorry."

"It’s fine. It wasn’t something you could have prevented."

"Thank you for understanding."

Relieved by her response, he continued.

"Yoo Ahjin has been officially terminated from the company. We also filed a separate lawsuit against her for breach of trust in business operations."

"I see."

"We’ll make sure incidents like this don’t happen again. I sincerely apologize once more."

Suin noted that Yoo Ahjin herself had never apologized.

And yet, Hwang Kimin, who had only been her manager, was bowing repeatedly in her place.

For a brief moment, she had the thought— Should I just sue her too?

But it passed within seconds.

Ahjin’s name theft and identity fraud had already spread through every Hyesung-affiliated company.

Because of that, she was suffering twice the backlash for what she had done.

She had once flaunted herself as the most popular girl from Hyesung High.

Now, she had been humiliated by her own downfall.

That, Suin figured, was the real punishment.

She would be too busy handling the lawsuits to do anything else.

—Did you get off work?

As she exited the break garden and crossed the main entrance, Jaehee’s message arrived.

Her frown softened immediately.

—Yeah…

Just as she was about to reply—

Buzz—

The message screen disappeared as an incoming call took priority.

—Woo Ilhwa, Chairwoman.

Suin didn’t hesitate. She picked up immediately.

***

Woo Ilhwa was someone who never had enough hours in a day.

It wasn’t uncommon for her to return home at 2 a.m., sleep for an hour or two, and begin her day by 4 a.m.

But despite her relentless schedule, she had a hidden retreat—Moon River, a bar with private rooms.

It was where she ended her busiest days with a quiet drink.

It also served as an escape from Kim Myung-rye’s endless nagging at home.

"Chairwoman."

Suin entered the private room just as Ilhwa set down her whiskey glass.

"You’re here?"

"Yes."

Suin’s eyes instinctively flickered to the bottle.

Typically, Ilhwa chose lighter drinks to manage the next day’s schedule.

But tonight, she had chosen a strong whiskey.

That meant she was troubled.

Suin was about to ask—but Ilhwa spoke first.

"Are you dating Jaehee?"

The directness of the question made her heart drop.