Too Close

The room shifts instantly.

Silence falls heavier.

Everyone straightens.

Tension rises.

But he doesn’t look at them.

His eyes scan the room once.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Then—

They stop.

On me.

My chest tightens.

Just slightly.

No.

Stay calm.

He walks forward.

Each step measured.

Controlled.

Then he stops right in front of me.

“Seirin Takahashi.”

Not a question.

A statement.

I stand up slowly.

Meeting his gaze.

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then—

He smiles.

Soft.

Polite.

“You don’t need to wait.”

The room goes still.

Confused murmurs begin to rise.

“I—” one of the applicants starts.

But stops immediately when Ian glances at them.

Authority.

Natural.

Effortless.

He looks back at me.

“Come with me.”

No explanation.

No interview.

Just a decision.

I follow him.

Of course I do.

Inside—

My thoughts are racing.

Why me?

We walk down a long hallway.

Glass walls.

Closed doors.

Eyes watching from behind them.

He doesn’t speak until we reach his office.

He opens the door.

Gestures for me to enter.

I step inside.

The room is… unexpected.

Minimal.

Clean.

Not extravagant.

Nothing like what I imagined for someone called the *King of Hell.*

He walks past me and takes a seat behind his desk.

Calm.

Composed.

Then he looks at me.

Really looks.

“Sit,” he says gently.

I do.

Silence stretches between us.

Then—

“You’re hired.”

Just like that.

No questions.

No background check.

Nothing.

My eyes narrow slightly.

“That’s it?” I ask.

He leans back slightly, studying me.

“You’re observant,” he says.

Not answering.

“That’s useful.”

A pause.

“And you’re calm under pressure.”

Another pause.

“I value that more than anything written on paper.”

I watch him carefully.

Analyzing.

This doesn’t make sense.

He shouldn’t trust me this easily.

Unless—

He doesn’t care.

“Why secretary?” he suddenly asks.

The question catches me off guard for a second.

But I answer smoothly.

“It’s stable work.”

A lie.

He tilts his head slightly.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Silence again.

Then—

A small smile appears on his lips.

“Alright, Miss Takahashi.”

He stands.

“Welcome to my company.”

He walks past me—

Then pauses beside me.

“Try not to follow me too much this time.”

My breath stills.

He remembers.

But when I look at him—

He’s smiling.

Light.

Playful.

Like it means nothing.

Then he walks away.

Leaving me alone in the office.

Hired.

Inside the lion’s den.

Exactly where I need to be.

But something feels wrong.

Because the man I’m supposed to kill…

Just opened the door for me himself.

And I can’t tell

If I’m the hunter…

Or the one walking into a trap.

...Next Day...

My first day starts earlier than everyone else’s.

The office is still quiet when I arrive.

Empty desks.

Dim lights.

A space not yet filled with people pretending to be something they’re not.

I like it better this way.

I walk to my assigned desk right outside his office.

Ian Dior.

Close.

Too close.

Perfect.

Files are already stacked neatly.

Schedules.

Meetings.

Contacts.

Everything a secretary needs.

Everything I need.

I sit down and begin reading.

Memorizing.

Organizing.

Time passes without me noticing.

Until

The door opens.

I look up.

Him.

Ian walks in, adjusting his sleeve slightly, like any normal man starting his day.

Calm.

Composed.

“Good morning,” he says.

I nod slightly.

“Good morning.”

His eyes linger on me for a second.

Not intense.

Not suspicious.

Just… observing.

Then he smiles.

“You’re early.”

“I prefer it that way.”

A small pause.

“Good,” he says. “So do I.”

He walks past me and enters his office, leaving the door slightly open.

Not closed.

Not fully open.

Just enough.

An invitation?

Or control?

I don’t question it.

Minutes later, people begin arriving.

The office fills.

Movement.

Voices.

Energy.

But I stay focused.

A shadow stops in front of my desk.

“Miss Takahashi?”

I look up.

One of the staff members.

Holding a file.

“Mr. Dior needs this signed.”

I take it and nod.

No unnecessary words.

I stand and walk toward his office.

I knock once.

Then enter.

He’s already working.

Eyes on documents.

Pen moving smoothly.

Efficient.

Focused.

I step closer and place the file on his desk.

He doesn’t look up immediately.

“Leave it there,” he says.

I don’t move.

Something in the file catches my attention.

A name.

A location.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

Dangerous.

“You read everything before handing it to me?”

His voice pulls me back.

I meet his gaze.

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then

He smiles again.

“Good habit.”

Not angry.

Not questioning.

Approving.

That’s… unexpected.

He signs the document and hands it back to me.

“From now on,” he says, “you’ll manage my personal schedule directly.”

That’s fast.

Too fast.

“Understood,” I reply.

He leans back slightly, studying me again.

“You don’t ask questions.”

It’s not a compliment.

It’s an observation.

“I do,” I answer calmly.

A slight tilt of his head.

“Just not out loud.”

For a second

Silence.

Then

He laughs.

Soft.

Genuine.

Interesting.

“Careful,” he says. “That kind of thinking can be dangerous.”

If only he knew.

I nod slightly and about to leave.

“Seirin.”

I stop.

“Yes?”

His gaze lingers on me again.

Longer this time.

“You’re adjusting quickly.”

A pause.

“Most people don’t.”

I hold his gaze.

“I’m not most people.”

Another silence.

Then

That same small smile.

“I can see that.”

I leave the office.

Close the door gently behind me.

And finally exhale.

This is it.

I’m inside.

Close enough to study him.

To understand him.

To find his weaknesses.

To kill him.

But something feels… off.

Because the closer I get

The less he feels like a target.

And more like

A mystery I wasn’t prepared for.

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