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8:45 AM — CEO's Office
"You're early."
His voice was calm, low, but edged with something steely. Kang Joon-hyuk leaned back in his chair, tapping the pen lightly against his planner. Hana straightened her spine a little more.
"I was told the CEO values punctuality," she said evenly.
He didn't smile, but there was a flicker of something — amusement? — in his eyes. "Punctuality is expected. Early is unusual."
"I prefer to be prepared."
Joon-hyuk set his pen down and rose slowly to his feet. He was tall — taller than she expected — and as he moved, it was clear he was used to being watched. Power clung to him like an expensive cologne.
Hana held her ground, even as he approached.
"This is not a job for someone who gets flustered easily," he said, stopping a few feet from her.
"I don't fluster," she replied before she could stop herself.
Another flicker in his gaze. The corner of his mouth moved—barely.
"We'll see."
He turned and walked toward a side table where a thick leather folder rested. "Your daily tasks will arrive via calendar notifications. You'll be responsible for internal scheduling, meeting prep, correspondence screening, and personal coordination."
"Yes, sir."
"I don't repeat myself," he added, handing her the folder. "Memorize everything in here by tomorrow."
Hana took it without hesitation. "Understood."
He studied her again, slower this time, like he was trying to decode something.
"You weren't recruited through our usual agency."
"No."
"Why?"
"HR said the position was suddenly vacant. I saw the posting and applied directly."
Joon-hyuk's eyes didn't waver. "Do you often pursue things directly?"
"When it matters."
He paused, then turned away. "You'll sit just outside my office. If you're not at your desk, you'd better be dead or solving a crisis. Questions?"
"One." Hana lifted her chin slightly. "Do I call you CEO Kang or sir?"
"You may use CEO Kang."
"Then I have no further questions."
He walked back behind his desk and sat down again, as if she had just passed a test she didn't know she was taking.
"You may go," he said. "Start memorizing."
Hana gave a polite bow, then turned to leave. As she closed the door behind her, her hand was trembling slightly.
She wasn't flustered. But she was definitely intrigued.
---
9:10 AM — Executive Assistant's Desk
The outer office was spacious, minimalist, and alarmingly quiet. A sleek white desk faced the doors to the CEO's office, flanked by glass shelves with color-coded binders and archived files. A brand-new laptop waited for her, already logged in. A discreet earpiece lay next to it.
Hana set down her folder and sat, trying not to let the silence rattle her. She glanced toward the door at the end of the hallway. Yoo Ji-won's office. She'd closed it behind her after dropping Hana off — not a great sign.
As she began flipping through the thick orientation binder, a soft ping alerted her to a new notification.
> 9:12 AM: "Coffee. No sugar. Dark roast. Fresh."
— CEO Kang
No please. No punctuation.
She stood quickly, grabbing the executive-level ID badge from her bag and heading for the 20th-floor pantry. Every step she took felt watched, even when no one was looking. If this building had a soul, it was made of eyes and whispers.
The pantry was sleek, almost sterile. She brewed a fresh cup and placed it carefully into a double-insulated porcelain mug.
As she stepped back into the hallway, she caught sight of two junior managers leaning toward each other, talking too quietly.
"That's her?"
"Yeah. Heard Ji-won's already sharpening her knives."
"Pretty, though. Wonder how long she'll last."
She kept walking. She'd heard worse in the corridors of other companies — but never with this much calculation. It was almost like… sport.
She set the coffee on the small tray outside the office door and tapped the console.
> Coffee. Delivered.
A second later, a response pinged.
> Bring it in.
---
9:20 AM — Inside the Lion's Den
The office hadn't changed in the fifteen minutes she'd been gone, but something about the air had. Joon-hyuk stood near the window, phone pressed to his ear, watching the traffic below as if it were a chessboard.
"Yes. And the board will wait until I say otherwise."
A pause.
"No. If Chairman Kang wants to overstep again, he can explain it to the shareholders himself."
Hana froze, the tray in her hands suddenly feeling heavier.
Chairman Kang. His father?
She looked away quickly. That wasn't why she was here.
He ended the call and turned.
"Leave it on the side table."
She obeyed. As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.
"Do you know why the last assistant quit?"
She hesitated. "No."
"She cried during a vendor call. The one before her tried to lie about double-booking a flight."
"I won't cry or lie."
"I believe you." He sat back down behind his desk. "But if you're hiding something, I'll find it."
Their eyes met again. Her heart thudded once — loud and hard — but her voice was steady.
"I'm not."
Another test.
"Good." He picked up his tablet again. "Get to work."
---
11:45 AM — Conference Room Five
By midday, Hana had already handled three internal scheduling requests, two unexpected meeting shifts, and responded to eight emails from department heads who all seemed to expect a cold, formal assistant — not a calm, decisive woman who actually read memos before replying.
In Conference Room Five, she prepped the documents for a quarterly strategy session with the finance team. She was double-checking the charts when the door creaked open.
Park Min-joon stepped in, all teeth and polish. The CFO.
"You must be the new assistant," he said, extending a hand with an easy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Lee Hana, right?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you, Director Park."
His gaze lingered a little too long. "We've been going through assistants like disposable cups. Hope you're the reusable kind."
Hana kept her smile cool. "I plan to stay as long as I'm useful."
"That's a dangerous promise in this building." He leaned slightly closer. "You know, we never really got closure on what happened to the last one."
She tilted her head. "I heard she left suddenly."
"That's one way to put it." He chuckled and straightened his tie. "If you ever need help figuring out how things really work here, don't be afraid to come find me."
She nodded politely. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
But as soon as he left, she made a mental note: Don't ever trust Park Min-joon.
---
1:00 PM — Rooftop Terrace
Hana finally escaped to the rooftop terrace for lunch — though "lunch" was generous. She'd only managed half a kimbap roll from the convenience store downstairs. Still, the view of the skyline was worth it.
She pulled out her phone and sent a quick update to Soo-bin.
> Hana: Still alive. No tears. CEO Kang is terrifying.
Soo-bin: That's my girl. Spill tonight. I'll bring soju. 😘
She smiled for the first time that day.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out the old ID card — her brother's. She ran her thumb across the edge.
"I made it inside," she whispered. "I'll find out what happened. I promise."
---
3:45 PM — Internal Archive Room
By mid-afternoon, she had a solid excuse: she needed to retrieve archived quarterly budgets for the next board meeting. And she made sure no one was watching when she keyed in her temporary ID at the archive scanner.
The room was dim, cool, and smelled faintly of old toner.
She found the finance records she was supposed to collect — and then a few others nearby. Her brother's name appeared on several reports from two years ago. A project called "Orion." The pages had been scanned but the hard copies were still here.
She lifted one.
Red stamp: Confidential: C-Level Only.
Her fingers paused on the edge. She was about to scan it when the archive door opened behind her.
"Looking for something, Ms. Lee?"
She turned slowly.
It was Joon-hyuk.
Her heart nearly stopped.
He glanced at the file in her hand, then looked directly into her eyes. "That's not part of your assigned report."
Hana forced herself to stay calm. "It was misfiled in the finance section. I was just setting it aside."
He stepped forward, slowly, like a predator giving prey a head start.
"You touched a confidential document."
"I didn't read it."
"Didn't you?" His voice dropped an octave. "You're a very curious woman, Ms. Lee."
She met his gaze without blinking. "Only when something doesn't make sense."
Another silence. Then:
"You have five minutes to collect the correct documents and return to your desk."
"Yes, CEO Kang."
He lingered a moment longer, then walked out.
She exhaled only when the door closed behind him.
So he was watching her already.
Good.
That meant she was getting close.
---