The Role I Assign

A vast shadow fell over her, and suddenly a man's grip closed hard around her arm.

"I don't need the help, so stop."

Do Kang-hyun looked down at Ye-seo with sharp eyes as she stood there startled, her arm caught, her mouth working soundlessly.

With the tall man so close, petite Ye-seo had to tip her head far back until it felt as if her neck might snap. Up close, his keen eyes glittered even more fiercely.

"Who told you to do something like this, Jin Ye-seo?"

She couldn't make sense of the words he spat out. Something like this? Was helping wrong?

She wasn't a guest—she was collateral. Helping ought to have been the natural thing to do.

"…Why? Are you afraid I'll poison your food or something?"

The injustice of it drove her to speak up despite her fear, but no answer came. He released her arm at once and pulled out one of the chairs at the table for her.

"Sit."

Ye-seo gave up any further struggle and sat down obediently. Do Kang-hyun rounded the table and took his own seat.

After that, only silence hung over the table. Do Kang-hyun simply stared at Ye-seo's face with those razor-edged eyes.

Mrs. Ahn alone scurried between them, reading the atmosphere as she carried out the food. Steam rose thickly from the soup, the stew, and the braised short ribs as each dish was set down in turn.

"Eat."

Do Kang-hyun ordered in a blunt tone. The air said he would kill her if she refused.

Only after watching Ye-seo fumble for her chopsticks did he pick up his own spoon.

She had no appetite at all, so she absently picked up the nearest dish—stir-fried perilla stems—and put it in her mouth. She could feel Do Kang-hyun watching her the whole time. When she deliberately avoided his gaze, his low voice reached her.

"Jin Ye-seo only needs to perform Jin Ye-seo's role. Do not do anything that is not your work."

If even setting out the rice I'm supposed to eat isn't my work, then how am I supposed to tell what is? Uncomfortable as it was beyond measure, from the outside it might have looked as if a mere piece of collateral was living in luxury in a fine house.

"What… is my work, then?"

Ye-seo lifted anxious eyes to the man.

"Whatever I order you to do from now on."

His distinction was simple and clear. What that work might be was impossible to guess.

"May I ask what kind of work you'll have me do?"

Ye-seo could not hold back the question. She had to force down the anxiety that kept surging up inside her.

At that, the man who had been about to lift his water glass merely flicked his eyes upward. His features were already severe; every time he looked at her with that gaze she had no idea where to put her own.

He watched her with those piercing eyes and still did not answer at once. The unpleasant eye contact stretched on. The time felt far slower than it actually was.

It grew so stifling she nearly gave up on waiting for a reply. But just before she did, she saw the faint smile touch his mouth.

That strange smile again. It was worse than anger—far more dreadful—and never looked like goodwill.

Unable to smile along with him, Ye-seo instinctively jerked her gaze away. She was poking at grains of rice, pretending to eat, when the man finally spoke.

"What do you think it will be?"

Ye-seo had no choice but to raise her head again. The face of a man saying such things while smiling looked even more suspicious. She answered honestly.

"I don't know."

"You'll be doing it soon enough. It won't take long."

"……."

Doing what?

Once more, only Do Kang-hyun seemed to be enjoying himself. Feeling increasingly short of breath, Ye-seo gulped down cold water.

"For now, the task I am giving you this instant is to finish your dinner properly."

Ye-seo obeyed as if submitting, scooping up rice and eating. Watching her compliant behavior, Do Kang-hyun added,

"And the task for tomorrow morning is to go to work with me."

"What?"

"You'll stay in my secretary's office."

"The secretary's office…."

"It's convenient to keep you where I can see you. And since Chief of Staff Jin Jae-hwan is gone from the office, I can fill the vacancy at the same time."

Ye-seo chewed the rice in her mouth without thinking. Burdensome and unpleasant as it was, at least for the moment it sounded like ordinary work—so maybe that was something to be grateful for.

"Um, but if I report to the secretary's office…. does that make me a secretary too?"

"In name, yes."

From middle school on she had lived a life centered on painting. She had done a little serving work part-time, but she had never done anything remotely like office work.

"I don't really know anything about secretarial work…. I'm not sure I can do it well."

"I'm not expecting you to do that sort of work well, Jin Ye-seo."

Do Kang-hyun spoke as if it were of no importance. This man's way of talking left a person endlessly bewildered.

The situation was hardly convincing, yet Ye-seo simply carried out the first "task" he had given her in silence. And through it all, Do Kang-hyun watched her.

His eyes landed on her face far more often than on the food. Because of that, even the excellent dishes began to turn her stomach. Her throat scraped as if she were swallowing dirt.

The moment dinner ended, Ye-seo went straight up to her room. It was a relief she hadn't gotten indigestion.

Do Kang-hyun did not stop her when she left first. Perhaps because he already had her locked inside his space anyway.

"Hah…."

Ye-seo shook her head hard, trying to hold on to her sanity. Then she sat at the desk, opened the laptop first, and dealt with only the most urgent matters.

This was the first year after graduation. In a period of confusion over her future path, she had been so happy to land a decent commission for once. Now that she had been dragged into this bizarre situation, the work would naturally fall behind schedule.

Once she had sent an email asking whether the promised deadline could be postponed, there was no one left to contact. She had been told not to get in touch even with her acquaintances.

Closing the laptop, Ye-seo picked up the new phone that still felt unfamiliar in her hand. It was the latest model, but it wasn't hers, so it made her uneasy.

Quite a few apps were already installed, yet there was no messenger. She naturally opened the store app—and then nearly choked.

It was password-locked; she couldn't install anything she wanted. Nothing more could be added at all….

"…This is too much. How can a person…."

She had only meant to leave a note on her profile since she wouldn't be able to contact her friends for a while.

Defeated, Ye-seo opened the laptop again and changed her profile and status message from the PC.

"Hah…."

One nerve-racking thing after another. Was it even possible to keep a firm grip on her mind in a situation like this?

With a blank face she stood and went into the bathroom connected to the room.

Even after a hot shower the trembling in her body would not stop. Wanting at least to dry her cold, wet hair, she opened the vanity drawer to look for a dryer.

In one of the drawers she discovered all sorts of cosmetics. Everywhere she looked she was freshly reminded of the instruction not to pack much luggage.

After drying her hair she went to the dressing room and found several sets of sleepwear as well. Among them was even a long, princess-style dress nightgown.

Did he pick out every kind because he doesn't know my taste? It felt as if he were playing with dolls using her, and that only made her feel stranger.

She chose the softest fabric among them, put it on, came into the bedroom, and turned off the light. If she stayed awake for no reason he might summon her….

If I'm asleep, will that man leave me alone?

With that thought she lay down on the bed. The bedding was soft and smelled wonderful.

If this had been a guesthouse she had found while traveling, it would have been a thoroughly pleasant place to sleep. Right now it felt as uncomfortable as a bed made of thorns.

Ye-seo pulled the covers up high so that no one could see her and squeezed her eyes shut.

What on earth is this situation…. What happens now?

She missed her mother so much. When would she be able to see her again? Her health was already poor—where in the world was she?

Dad…. Dad, what have you done? Aren't you even afraid of Do Kang-hyun's money? Come to your senses even now and come back. And hurry up and get me out of this strange prison….

"Mm…."

As if the bed were uncomfortable, Ye-seo tossed and turned. Her white brow furrowed and her lashes fluttered now and then; she seemed on the verge of waking and not quite waking—until at some point her eyes opened halfway.

In Ye-seo's hazy vision a large, pitch-black figure wavered. Blinking sleepy eyes, she looked up carefully at that face.

The terrifying man…. Do Kang-hyun?

Hands in his pockets, the man stood ramrod straight before the bed like a statue, looking down at her out of the darkness.