A Madman in Love

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jaehee asked, noticing the sharp triangle forming in Suin’s eyes.

His expression was so harmless it left her speechless.

“Are you seriously asking me that?”

“I am.”

“Do you think you're normal, Executive Director?”

“Of course, I’m perfectly normal.”

Despite her sarcasm, he smiled lazily, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Then, with a casual tilt of his chin, he motioned toward Baek Ihyeon inside the cafeteria.

“As long as you don’t go to that guy.”

A smirk followed, sharp and poisonous.

“If you want to provoke me, go ahead.”

Wow.

This was outright blackmail.

It’s best not to mess with a rabid dog, especially one that Socrates himself couldn’t reason with.

Not to mention, there was no leash to hold him back.

“This is a workplace, Executive Director.”

Suin offered him a tight-lipped smile, the kind that silently conveyed, people shouldn’t bite others, and turned her back on the cafeteria.

With a polite gesture, she beckoned him to follow.

“Please, let’s go upstairs.”

“You’re quite sensible, Lee Suin.”

Jaehee turned around without resistance.

How fortunate that he wasn’t completely irrational.

Suin felt relieved as she escorted him to the elevator, glad to have resolved the situation without incident.

“Excited, aren’t you?”

Jaehee matched her pace effortlessly. His long strides were now leisurely, yet there was no hint of impatience.

“Excited about what?”

“That someone as perfect as me only has eyes for you, Lee Suin.”

It wasn’t worth responding to, so Suin changed the subject.

“You’re in early today. There wasn’t even a meeting scheduled for this morning.”

“It’s because of you. This is the only time I can have a one-on-one conversation with you. You’re my secretary, yet it’s so hard to even see your face.”

“…”

Her silence drew a frown of reproach from him.

“You’re neglecting your duties.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You dumped me on that assistant and left me to fend for myself.”

“Kwon Jongin is not an assistant. And he’s certainly not a ‘burden.’”

Unbelievable.

Lee Suin, accused of dereliction of duty? It was true that she had piled up mountains of work as Chief Secretary and delegated most of it to Jongin, but she refused to admit it.

“I’m just doing my job.”

She pressed the elevator button firmly, staring straight ahead.

Employees climbing the stairs to the second floor greeted them with respectful nods. Jaehee responded with a polite nod of his own before speaking again.

“Your only job should be focusing on me.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Is it really that hard to only pay attention to me?”

“It is.”

From an outsider’s perspective, they were just a director and his secretary.

But their conversation treaded dangerously close to crossing the line between professional and personal.

Suin stood her ground.

“Executive Director, as I’ve told you before, I am the Chief Secretary of Hyesung Group. You should have taken that into account before choosing me for this role.”

“So, you’re going to keep neglecting me?”

“I wouldn’t say I’ve been neglecting you.”

“You did when you kissed me.”

“...!”

His sudden remark shattered her defenses.

Horrified, Suin glanced up at the elevator hall’s CCTV.

What if someone heard that?

Did the cameras have audio?

“They don’t.”

Jaehee teased, having caught on to her worry. Suin shot him a glare.

“Please be mindful of what you say.”

“Is ‘kiss’ a forbidden word now?”

“Don’t forget that we’re at work. Please.”

“Does that mean it’s allowed outside of work? Should we leave now? I’ve got an hour to spare.”

Her quiet rebuke didn’t faze him in the slightest. He nonchalantly checked his wristwatch, the gold crown detail gleaming under the light.

It stoked Suin’s urge to slap that smug face of his.@@novelbin@@

Ding—

Just then, the elevator arrived.

Suppressing her irritation, she escorted him inside.

Jaehee deliberately brushed his arm against hers as he stepped into the elevator with a relaxed demeanor.

“...”

Should I just kick him?

Dragging her reluctant feet, Suin entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 39th floor.

Having Jaehee behind her made her uneasy, but she had no choice.

The elevator doors began to close slowly.

“Wait a second!”

Someone hit the button just in time. It was Baek Ihyeon.

Of all people.

“Suin-ah.”

Ihyeon’s friendly voice rang out as he stepped in, completely oblivious to Jaehee’s presence.

In an instant, Jaehee sprang forward like a coiled spring.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, Executive Director…”

"When he finally noticed Jaehee, Ihyeon’s eyes widened in shock, but he quickly bowed his head.

‘Good morning, Executive Director.’

‘Come on in, Assistant Manager.’

Suin, realizing it was already too late to stop the situation, stepped aside with a small nod, signaling Ihyeon to avoid provoking Jaehee.

Misinterpreting her subtle cue, Ihyeon’s clear eyes sparkled, and he smiled in return.

‘Thank you.’

Twitch.

Jaehee’s brow quirked, catching the subtle yet perplexing tension between the two.

The temperature in the elevator seemed to rise suddenly.

Though it was a mild spring day, it felt like the middle of a scorching summer.

The reason? None other than Seo Jaehee, radiating magma-like heat.

‘Assistant Manager Baek Ihyeon.’

‘Yes.’

Ihyeon responded crisply to Jaehee’s cold call, maintaining the posture of an exemplary employee.

Jaehee, however, sharply admonished him.

‘Please refrain from using informal titles in professional spaces.’

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

Classic hypocrisy.

He ignored Suin’s comments but was quick to enforce rules on others.

‘Assistant Manager, heading to the 15th floor?’

Hoping to cool the suffocating atmosphere in the enclosed space, Suin pressed the button for the 15th floor.

As she did, Ihyeon glanced at her and offered a warm, appreciative smile.

The moment she caught sight of his gleaming, glossy eyes, an inexplicable chill ran down Suin’s spine.

‘But, Executive Director.’

Huh?

‘I don’t want to act like I’m putting on a show just because I’m in front of you. That, to me, feels even more insincere.’

Oh.

A woman’s intuition rarely misses.

Despite her efforts to keep the situation from escalating, things were heading south fast.

Don’t.

It’s okay. Don’t worry.

Suin blinked rapidly, sending frantic signals to Ihyeon, but he responded with a bold look, as if brushing off her concerns.

‘As you know, Executive Director, Suin and I share a special relationship.’

‘Special? In what way?’

Ihyeon’s steady gaze and deliberate words carried an air of determination, as though he had resolved himself to something.

What exactly drove him, Suin couldn’t guess, but it was enough to fan the flames of Jaehee’s temper.

‘Do I really need to explain?’

‘Yes. Clearly.’

The elevator now felt like a furnace, the air growing stiflingly hot with the rising tension.

Suin wanted nothing more than to escape.

There was no room to mediate.

‘Let’s avoid informal speech.’

‘Then you use it, too, Assistant Manager Baek.’

‘I will maintain my decorum, Executive Director.’

Neither of them allowed any space for Suin to intervene.

They were even getting childish.

‘I said, do it.’

‘I refuse.’

‘I’m your junior.’

‘You’re my boss, Executive Director.’

Ding—

The elevator stopped at the 15th floor.

Suin pressed and held the door-open button, gesturing for Ihyeon to exit.

But the two men, locked in their intense standoff, stood rooted to the floor like ancient oaks.

‘Shall we have a little chat, Assistant Manager Baek?’

‘I think we should.’

‘Assistant Manager, this is the 15th floor.’

‘Let go of the button, Suin. We’re going to my office.’

‘Yes, Suin. I’ll join the Executive Director in his office.’

Ignoring Suin’s attempts to urge them out, Jaehee and Ihyeon spoke in unison as if they had rehearsed it.

Watching the two in sync, Suin cursed silently with her eyes.

What are you going to do in there? Fight it out?

‘Please, just step out—’

Before things could explode any further, a voice interrupted.

‘Good morning, Assistant Manager!’

A female employee from the adjacent elevator stepped out and greeted Ihyeon as she passed the open doors of the third elevator.

Spotting Jaehee as well, she quickly bowed, flustered.

‘Oh, good morning, Executive Director!’

‘Yes,’ Jaehee responded, offering a curt nod.

Maintaining her usual composed demeanor, Suin acknowledged the greeting with a polite glance.

‘Good morning, Yeonhong,’ Ihyeon replied with a pleasant smile, stepping out of the elevator at last.

But he didn’t leave quietly.

Before departing, he intentionally pressed his coffee cup into Suin’s hand, his expression warm and affectionate.

‘Take care, Suin.’

Why?

Why couldn’t people resist making her life difficult?

‘…’

Suin couldn’t bring herself to smile.

She couldn’t even let go of the elevator’s open button, knowing full well that the moment she did, she’d be left alone with Seo Jaehee.

While Ihyeon had intended to help her by challenging Jaehee, there was one critical thing he failed to consider.

Jaehee didn’t care about the CCTV.

Slowly, Jaehee’s hand moved.

It slipped under hers, softly wrapping around her fingers, and gently pried them away from the button as though her hand weighed nothing.

Her hand, now floating in midair, rested lightly in his.

Suin stared at it, utterly bewildered.

‘Executive Director.’

That was all she could manage to say.

‘This is a workplace.’