Chapter Eighteen

Mr. Nam and I shared glances. And I could tell that he wasn't pleased with what happened. I quickly looked down onto his desk and waited for what he had to say.

"Miss Ryuk, you told me last night that Hyeongu gave you tons of paperwork yesterday," he started with a calm voice, surprisingly. I expected that he would be furious with me because I lied yesterday. "Why didn't you tell me that Minju was making you do something that you shouldn't? Are you afraid of her?"

I sucked in my breath and held it firmly. I didn't know how to phrase what Minju told me yesterday. I didn't know how I could sugarcoat the threat that she told me. Mr. Nam was furious. I didn't want to add more to that.

"As I suspected," Mr. Nam replied after a sigh. I looked back at him and he asked, "What did she threaten you with?"

I froze.

"You don't have to lie to me, Miss Ryuk. I believe I made that specifically clear," he continued.

My legs shook as I prepared myself for what I was about to say. There was no other way out of this. I had to tell Mr. Nam the truth. Or else, he might place his anger on me next.

I let out a few deep breaths and replied, "I'm very sorry if I lied to you, Mr. Nam. After what you told me about being in such a tight spot in regards to Minju, I didn't want to add more to your stress on a daily basis. You've been so kind and understanding of me, I didn't want to be a burden."

"Miss Ryuk, never think, even just for a second, that you're a burden," Mr. Nam immediately opposed my response. "You're my employee. You work under me. Therefore, your well-being is my responsibility. Every single person that works under my name is my responsibility. And as the owner of this company and your employer, it's my obligation to look after you. It is my obligation to look after my employees."

He continued, "I know how it feels to be at the bottom of the food chain. I've been there before and I worked so hard to get to where I am now. And along my journey to success, there were people who looked down on me, stepped on me and abused my kindness for their own benefit. That is something that I didn't tolerate when I first started my business. And I will never tolerate insolent behaviors that will affect the life and progress of my employees. You are not excluded from that.

"I'm thankful that as my employee, you have the initiative to make things less troubling for me. However, in situations such as this, you must never keep your mouth shut," he added. "People like Minju won't stop at nothing to keep themselves on top. And because of their status, they don't care about the people below them. But that's not how I run this company. And as my secretary, you should know that best."

I nodded as I pressed my lips firmly.

"This matter with Minju must come to an end. I will not tolerate bullying in my company. And I will also not tolerate lying. There's a fine line between protecting your officemates and defending their bad behavior. I implore you to use your better judgment and always choose to be fair. Do I make myself clear?" he proceeded.

I nodded without hesitation. I was flattered by how Mr. Nam was dedicated to protecting his employees from people like Minju. I couldn't help but be guilty about what I did.

Here before me was a boss who was ready to fight for his wronged employees. And I chose to protect the person who made things difficult for me. And I saw how concerned Mr. Nam was in regards to me and my current relationship with Minju. I felt bad that I forgot about his shield over me.

"Did she threaten you?" Mr. Nam asked.

I nodded.

"What did she say to you?"

'Well, here goes nothing.' I thought to myself. I took a deep breath in and said, "She said that if I didn't do what she told me to do, she will make my family work for hers."

Mr. Nam's eyes widened, horrified.

I continued, "That is why I couldn't say 'No' to her yesterday. I don't care if she bothers me on a daily basis. I don't care if she degrades me, even to the point where I feel that I'm complete and utter crap. But one thing that I would never accept is for my family to be dragged into something that they shouldn't be dragged into."

"Why didn't you tell me that yesterday? Or even Hyeongu when I told you that you can easily send him a message?" Mr. Nam asked.

"I didn't want to–"

"Yes, I know you didn't want me to be in a position that's worse than where I already am," he interrupted. "However, she threatened not only you, but your family as well. That is one of the major rules in this company that I make sure everyone follows. And that is to never mix your personal life and career life. Everyone's immediate family is protected by me once an employee signs the contract. For her to do that is a breach," he continued.

I was stunned to hear what I just heard. For a boss to care for the well-being of his employees is a big blessing. But for an owner of a company to extend his arms even further to the immediate family of an employee was something to be in awe with. You couldn't find that type of boss anywhere.

Mr. Nam was truly a rare gem in his society.

Suddenly, he stood from his chair and walked around the desk towards me. Then, he knelt before me, held my hands and looked up to me.

My eyes widened as I froze because of his actions.

"Mingyu," my head immediately turned to him as he lovingly called me by my first name. He continued, "Always keep in mind that I have you under my wing. That only means that nobody, both from inside and outside of my company, has the right to threaten you, touch you or bully you. Especially your family. You have to promise me that should these situations happen again, you will tell me right away. Don't be afraid of Miss Chun. You have Hyeongu and me to protect you."

His hold on my hands tightened for a bit as he asked, "Do you understand?"

I stared back at him and his eyes were looking for reassurance. His eyes also expressed immense care and the willingness to protect me. I held my breath in as we remained in this position. I wanted to pull my hands away from him. I wanted to return to being his employee and to treat him with formalities. But there was just something about him that comforted me.

The way his touch felt on my skin. The way his voice spoke to me. The way his eyes returned my stare. It was as if he was trying to talk to my soul.

The aura of familiarity that I felt when I first saw him, it radiated even more at this moment. Something about him just made me want to pull him into my arms and lock him in an embrace. It really felt as if he was very close to me. And I couldn't understand why I felt that way with him.

Slowly, he began to lean towards me. In a panic, I quickly looked down and stared at our intertwined hands. I snapped out from what seemed to be a mist in my mind and retreated my hands from his. But before I could fully pull it back, he held it again.

With his fingers under my chin, he lifted my face up to meet his again. He leaned closer and I couldn't move. I only remained still as I whispered, "Mr. Nam?"

He put his forehead on mine and whispered, "If I couldn't protect you before, I'll do everything to keep you safe now."

My brows furrowed as I moved my face away from him. "What do you mean?"

He opened his mouth to reply. But he was interrupted with a knock on his door. "Mr. Nam?" Mr. Kim spoke from the outside.