Morning in the Haneul Building moved like machinery.
Employees rushed through the polished lobby, security officers snapped to attention, and smartphones buzzed with early emails. Nothing looked unusual from the outside.
But inside the twelfth-floor executive lounge, a storm was forming behind the glass walls.
Kang Do-yoon stood with one hand braced against the window, jaw tight enough to crack bone. His reflection stared back at him — cold, disciplined, expressionless.
But his eyes were not calm.
Not today.
The bed behind him was empty now.
She had left.
Quietly. Elegantly. Without a word.
Without waking him.
And worst of all —
"As if it meant nothing," he muttered under his breath.
He lifted a hand to his lips — fingertips brushing the place where her breath had trembled against him last night.
It wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to lose control. He wasn't supposed to want.
And she—
She said, "Good. Anyway, forget it."
Forget?
His throat tightened.
He was a man who forgot birthdays, faces, voices, promises.
But not her.
Not last night.
Not the way she said his name. Not the way her fingers tightened around his collar. Not the warmth when her aura broke against him like a second heartbeat.
No.
He wasn't forgetting anything.
A harsh knock dragged him out of his thoughts.
"Enter."
Attorney Han stepped in, flustered.
"C-CEO Kang… Security found something."
Do-yoon turned slowly.
Cold. Controlled.
Deadly.
"What."
"A server… tried to resign this morning."
His eyes darkened. "Name."
"Lee Seobin. He—he served Miss Seo last night."
That was enough.
Do-yoon didn't walk.
He strode — sharp steps echoing through the corridor like gunshots.
He reached the service area behind the lounge in seconds.
Two security guards froze when they saw him.
Inside, a young man sat trembling, hands shaking as he clutched a resignation form.
Do-yoon closed the door behind him.
Silence fell.
Only his voice moved.
"What did you put in her drink?"
The server flinched so violently, the clipboard dropped from his hands.
"S-sir, I—I didn't—"
Do-yoon stepped forward.
One step.
The boy choked on a breath like someone had sliced the air around him.
"You drugged a chaebol heiress in a VIP lounge," Do-yoon said softly, dangerously. "Do you know what that means?"
"I—I didn't— I swear— It wasn't supposed to—"
"Answer."
Each syllable fell sharp and clean.
"What. Did. You. Put."
The boy broke.
"Just—flowers! A concentrate! Mild! It just—it just increases warmth, that's all!"
"And why did you do it?"
The boy's eyes darted toward the hallway.
"Someone… told me to."
"Who."
The boy shook his head violently.
His lips sealed.
That was a mistake.
Do-yoon leaned forward, voice low enough to shake bone.
"Who?"
The server cracked like thin glass.
"It was—it was Miss Chae Rina, s-sir! She said Miss Seo always acts high and mighty and she just wanted to embarrass her! She said it wasn't harmful!"
Do-yoon didn't move.
Didn't blink.
But something inside him snapped so quietly he almost didn't hear it.
"Rina," he repeated, voice devoid of warmth.
The server nodded aggressively.
"I didn't know it would—would make her…"
The boy couldn't finish.
Do-yoon could.
"…lose control," he murmured, voice low and lethal.
The server swallowed helplessly.
"I'm sorry. Please, sir. Don't tell the police. I have—I have siblings—"
Do-yoon straightened.
"Get out."
"W-what—?"
"Out. Now. Before I change my mind."
The boy ran.
Do-yoon stayed still for a long moment.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
Warmth. Vanilla. Her breath.
Her body trembling under his palms.
Her voice whispering his name as if he was the only man in the world.
Someone had done that to her.
On purpose.
He exhaled once, sharply.
Someone would pay.
---
Meanwhile — Seo Mansion
Yeon-hwa sat at her desk, hair tied neatly, eyes focused as she went through a stack of her father's documents. She looked calm. Serene.
Not at all like a woman who had lost control last night.
Not at all like a woman who had been kissed breathless.
Not at all like a woman whose aura had burned enough to make a cold CEO lose composure.
She lifted her cup of tea.
Her hands didn't shake.
Good.
Her phone buzzed.
She expected Attorney Han.
Instead:
"Kang Do-yoon:
Are you free."
She blinked slowly.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then she calmly placed her phone face-down.
"No."
She resumed reading.
She was not running. She was not embarrassed.
She was not going to pretend last night had emotions attached.
It was an accident.
Because of the aphrodisiac.
Not feelings.
Her father was in the hospital.
The company was at risk.
Her uncle was plotting.
She didn't have time for tangled personal chaos.
The system chimed.
[System Update — Emotional Regulation Successful]
Then—
[Mandatory Reward Unlocked: Sex Appeal Level 2 Activated]
[Aura Overload Episode Detected — Calibrating Control]
[New Skills Acquired:]
• Sensual Aura Control (Passive):
You can now turn your attractiveness up or down depending on situation.
• Temperature Regulation (Passive):
Heat surges will no longer overwhelm your composure.
• Controlled Breath (Active):
Intense emotional or physical moments will not break your calm face.
• Attraction Resistance +2:
You will not fall easily into heat or seduction.
• Composure Under Intimacy (Passive):
You will not lose control again.
She stared at the notifications.
"…Good."
Very good.
She turned another page.
But the system wasn't done.
[Hidden Bonus from Night Event:
"Kang Do-yoon's Recognition Flag — Activated."]
Her eyes narrowed.
Recognition flag?
[Do-yoon will no longer treat you as insignificant.]
She blinked.
"…That's inconvenient."
Almost on cue, her phone buzzed again.
"Do-yoon:
We need to talk."
She did not move.
Then—
"Do-yoon:
Now."
She sighed.
Her mother knocked softly on the door.
"Yeon-hwa, darling? Someone is here to see you."
Who—
The door slid open.
And Kang Do-yoon stood there.
Tall.
Sharp.
Cold.
Eyes unreadable.
Except…
Not unreadable.
He was staring at her as if she had become the one crack in his perfect armor.
She lifted her chin calmly.
"CEO Kang."
His jaw flexed once.
"Miss Seo."
Her mother blinked between them, suddenly sensing tension she couldn't place.
"I'll— I'll give you space."
She left quickly.
Silence.
Heavy. Tight. Crackling.
Do-yoon stepped forward.
"What happened last night—"
"Was a mistake," she interrupted smoothly.
He stopped walking.
Her voice stayed steady, calm, polite.
"I'm not interested in making it complicated. I won't cling. You don't need to worry."
His eyes darkened.
"…Is that what you think I'm worried about?"
"Isn't it?" she asked quietly.
He didn't answer.
He simply looked at her —
long, slow, intense.
Then he said:
"Someone tried to hurt you."
"I know."
"You don't care?"
"I care about my company."
"And me?" he asked quietly.
She didn't blink.
"That night will not affect anything."
Something in his expression cracked again —
barely perceptible, but real.
He exhaled once through his nose.
"I can't forget it."
She met his eyes without flinching.
"I already have."
A beat of silence.
Then another.
Then—
His voice, low and dangerously soft:
"Liar."