The cold of the early morning had barely lifted when Taehyun bolted upright in bed. His phone had vibrated against the nightstand, dragging him from the fog of restless sleep. Groggily, he answered the unknown number with a drowsy, "Hello?"
A voice crackled through the speaker—weak, pained, and unmistakable.
"Mr. Park..."
Taehyun sat up straight, the sleep vanishing instantly. "Mr. Volkov? What happened? Your voice... Are you okay?"
Volkov coughed violently. "We made a big mistake. I found your friend—Lee Jeasoo. They're torturing him. Every day, they're asking him where he hid their things. He wasn't—"
Static interrupted the sentence, followed by gunshots that echoed chillingly through the speaker.
"Mr. Volkov!" Taehyun shouted.
"They're coming. Run—"
A loud boom.
The call disconnected.
"MR. VOLKOV!" Taehyun shouted, frantically redialing, only to be met with a dead tone. His grip tightened around the phone until he hurled it against the wall, shattering it.
Taeho, Baek Hyun, and Eun-Kyung rushed into the room, startled by the sound.
"What happened?" Baek Hyun asked, stepping forward as Taehyun grabbed Haru's contact on his tablet.
"Track the last number that called me. Now," he instructed Haru.
"What's going on?" Eun-Kyung demanded.
Breathing heavily, Taehyun explained everything—Mr. Volkov, Jeasoo, the gunshots, the explosion.
"Vasilliy," Taeho muttered, jaw tight. "It has to be him."
"He's the only one capable of setting this kind of trap," Taehyun agreed, eyes burning with frustration.
---
Soon, Taehyun and Haru were speeding toward the company's underground tech lab. Inside the secure room, a high-level hacking team worked quickly.
"Looks like a Russian line," one of them said, fingers flying over the keyboard, "but the call came from... Italy."
"Italy?" Taehyun frowned. "Why would Volkov be there? I left him in Russia."
Haru leaned over. "Maybe they realized you were investigating in Russia, so they moved Jeasoo."
"That would explain it." Taehyun sighed and gave more instructions. "Keep monitoring. I want full surveillance up."
---
Of course, Taehyun wasn't just any businessman. He was South Korea's number one, with countless enemies constantly scheming to harm the Park family. As a result, he had secretly built his own private security force—experts trained to handle dangerous threats. Despite their existence, Taehyun rarely used them for himself.
Haru, who didn't appear tough at first glance, was an ex-army officer. The two met during Taehyun's mandatory two-year military service, where they became close. After discharge, Taehyun offered Haru the role of his secretary—a job Haru had accepted thinking it would be an easy ride. He had never been more wrong.
---
For the next three days, Taehyun buried himself in work. Sleepless, he lived in the office, chasing leads and data. Eun-Kyung called multiple times each day.
"You haven't come home in three days! Your wedding is in four days! Come home and rest!"
"I'm busy, Mom. I promise I'll rest soon."
The next morning, the office buzzed with hushed murmurs.
"Is that... Mrs. Park?!"
"It's over. CEO Park is done for."
Eun-Kyung marched into the building, dragging Moon Doyun along. Her eyes were sharp, her lips a straight line. Employees scurried out of her path like startled deer.
Inside the CEO's office, Taehyun sat hunched over paperwork. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, dark circles etched beneath his eyes. Across the room, Haru snored softly, buried under a pile of files on the couch.
The door slammed open.
Taehyun jumped. "Mom—"
"So THIS is what you've been doing instead of resting?! Look at yourself! Look at HARU! He's about to collapse!"
Doyun poked his head in, mischievous eyes darting around. "Oh no, Taehyun hyung is dead meat."
Eun-Kyung stormed over and grabbed Taehyun by the ear, dragging him out as he winced in pain.
"Haru! You too! Go home and sleep! I'm giving you both sick leave, effective immediately. Jinhwan! Take Haru home before he passes out!"
Moon Jinhwan blinked. "Me? Uh, sure. Yeah, I can do that."
Still half-asleep, Haru looked confused. "What's happening? Am I fired?"
"You're being rescued," Jinhwan said, chuckling as he threw an arm around Haru's shoulder and walked him out.
"You're warm," Haru mumbled. "You smell like... soap and frustration."
"Thanks? I think?"
"Don't think too hard. Your brain might overheat."
Jinhwan laughed, amused by Haru's sleepy sass. "Do you flirt when you're exhausted?"
"Only with attractive men who carry me."
"I'm walking you out, not carrying you."
"Opportunity missed."
Back at the mansion, Eun-Kyung forced Taehyun into bed and closed the curtains. "You're not lifting a finger until tomorrow. Not even for a pen."
Within seconds, he was out cold.
---
Preparations for the wedding continued. Doyun danced around the house humming cheesy love songs, much to Taeho's annoyance. Eun-Kyung kept the house staff on their toes. Baek Hyun managed logistics with military precision.
Meanwhile, Haru slept like the dead at Jinhwan's place. When he finally woke, he found breakfast, neatly arranged with a note:
"I didn't carry you, but I made you food. That counts, right? — Jinhwan"
Haru chuckled to himself. Maybe this job wasn't so bad after all.
---
To be continued...