Chapter 1: part 1.The Man Everyone Feared

"Don't make eye contact with him."

That was the first thing I heard on my first day at Kang Group.

I glanced at the employee beside me.

"What?"

"The CEO."

The woman lowered her voice.

"If you value your job, stay out of his way."

A nervous laugh spread through the elevator.

Nobody looked amused.

Everyone looked terrified.

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

And suddenly, the entire floor fell silent.

Employees who had been chatting moments ago lowered their heads.

A few even stepped aside.

As if a king had arrived.

Or a monster.

I looked up.

A tall man walked through the hallway.

Black suit.

Sharp features.

Cold eyes.

His expression was unreadable.

Noah Kang.

The CEO.

The man I had spent three years trying to get close to.

The man connected to my brother's death.

My hands clenched.

Three years ago, my brother had worked for him.

Three years ago, my brother was found dead.

The case was closed within weeks.

Suicide.

At least that's what they called it.

I never believed it.

And today, I was finally inside the company.

One step closer to the truth.

Noah walked past the employees without a single glance.

His presence alone was enough to silence an entire room.

Then it happened.

He stopped.

My heart skipped.

Slowly, he turned his head.

His eyes landed on me.

For a second, nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

The CEO stared directly at me.

The air felt heavy.

Dangerous.

Then something impossible happened.

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But I saw it.

Recognition.

As if he already knew who I was.

The woman beside me looked ready to faint.

Noah held my gaze for a few seconds.

Then he spoke.

"Come to my office."

The entire floor froze.

Including me.

No explanation.

No greeting.

Just a command.

And before I could respond, he walked away.

Leaving behind complete silence.

"What the hell?" someone whispered.

I was wondering the exact same thing.

Because this was my first day.

And I had never met Noah Kang before.

At least...

Chapter 1: part 2. You're Finally Here

The walk to the CEO's office felt endless.

Every employee I passed looked at me with pity.

Or shock.

Or both.

I heard whispers behind me.

"Why did the CEO call him?"

"Did he make a mistake already?"

"Poor guy."

None of that mattered.

My heart was racing for a different reason.

I had spent three years trying to get close to Noah Kang.

And now he had summoned me on my first day.

Something wasn't right.

The secretary opened the office door.

"Mr. Kang is waiting."

The office was enormous.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.

Dark furniture.

Minimal decoration.

Cold.

Just like its owner.

Noah sat behind his desk, reading a document.

Without looking up, he spoke.

"Close the door."

I obeyed.

The click echoed through the room.

Only then did Noah lift his eyes.

Those cold, unreadable eyes settled on me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he said something that made my blood run cold.

"You look just like him."

My body froze.

Him?

My brother?

Noah's gaze didn't leave my face.

As if he were comparing me to a memory.

"You knew my brother."

It wasn't a question.

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.

Gone before I could identify it.

"Sit."

"I'll stand."

The corner of Noah's mouth twitched.

Almost a smile.

Almost.

"You don't follow orders very well."

"I learned from the best."

A dangerous silence filled the room.

Then, unexpectedly, Noah laughed.

A low, quiet laugh.

My eyes widened.

The terrifying CEO was laughing?

Apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised.

The secretary outside dropped something.

Noah's expression immediately returned to normal.

Cold.

Untouchable.

As if that moment had never happened.

"Why did you join this company?"

I met his gaze.

"Because I needed a job."

"Lie."

The answer came instantly.

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Lie.

My stomach tightened.

How much did he know?

Noah leaned back in his chair.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You came here looking for answers."

The room became silent.

I felt my pulse pounding.

He knew.

Somehow, he knew.

Before I could respond, a sharp knock interrupted us.

The office door opened.

A handsome young man entered without permission.

"Hyung, are you free for lunch—"

The man stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes landed on me.

Then widened.

"Oh."

A grin slowly appeared on his face.

The kind of grin that immediately caused problems.

"Who's this?"

Noah's expression darkened.

"Leave."

The newcomer ignored him.

Instead, he walked straight toward me.

Far too close.

"New employee?"

I stepped back.

He stepped forward.

Still smiling.

"I'm Ethan."

Before I could answer, Noah's voice turned ice-cold.

"Ethan."

For the first time, the cheerful man paused.

Even he seemed wary of Noah's tone.

Then Noah looked directly at me.

"Stay away from him."

The office fell silent.

My eyes widened.

Ethan blinked.

Then burst out laughing.

"Too late."

And for the first time since entering the company...

I saw genuine irritation in Noah Kang's eyes.

I thought I hadn't.

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