"I always knew you didn't want me back in the company because you're threatened by me," the man raged, "but to smear my name? Shin Keir, I didn't expect you to be this low!"
Yeri blinked.
Drama? Before breakfast?
She watched in fascination as the man continued his rant.
"I was transferred to customer service! Customer service! Do you know how humiliating that is for someone like me? And not even as the leader—an assistant team leader!"
Shin sipped his coffee. "Didn't you approve the HR file yourself?"
The man spluttered. "You—You—You did it on purpose! That file you sent me was a trapped."
"So it's my fault you don't read what you sign?"
The man's face turned crimson, his chest heaving. He jabbed a finger at Shin, about to launch into another tirade, when his eyes suddenly widened.
He stared past Shin, toward the hallway where Yeri stood.
"AHHHHHHH! GHOST!!!"
The man flailed backwards, slamming his hand on the coffee table. Shin calmly rescued his laptop, but the coffee cup wasn't so lucky—it shattered to the floor with a dramatic crash.
Yeri instinctively ducked behind the wall.
"What ghost?" Shin asked, deadpan.
"That woman! I saw a woman! Right there!" the man shrieked, pointing with trembling hands.
Shin sighed. "Have you finished your performance?"
The man stared wildly at him. "You—You killed someone, didn't you?! Is that her spirit?!"
Shin blinked. "Why are you so sure it was me? You're the one who saw her."
The man paled.
"...I haven't murdered anyone," he muttered defensively.
Footsteps echoed, and a stately old man in a crisp suit appeared—clearly a long-time butler, complete with the air of wisdom and judgment reserved only for historical dramas and high-class scandals.
"Young Master Keir," Butler Hong said with a small bow. "Is there a guest? I heard a lady's scream… and something shatter?"
"Lady?" the man spat, insulted.
"Where is the lady?" Butler Hong glanced toward the hallway. His eyes twinkled. "This is a blessing! I've served both the Master and the Young Master for many years and never seen even a shadow of a woman here."
Hadi choked. "Blessing?! That's a ghost, not a lady!"
Butler Hong gave him a scrutinizing gaze.
Hadi shuddered. Since this bastard Shin Keir is allergic to women it's ridiculous and absolutely impossible for a woman to exist there.
So was it really a ghost?
Screw it. No matter what his reason for going there, he no longer wanted to stay in a place with lingering female ghosts in broad daylight!
"I—I'm leaving!" the man exploded. "You better wait for Grandpa, Shin Keir. This isn't over!"
He stormed out, but not before giving Shin a confused once-over—as if trying to solve the mystery of how this cold, boring man always managed to attract not just women… but now, ghosts.
As soon as the door slammed shut, a robot vacuum slid in and began cleaning up the broken cup like it was just another Tuesday.
Butler Hong turned to Shin with a sly smile. "Young Master, I believe the lady is awake."
Shin said nothing, but his lips twitched just slightly.
The butler's eyes glinted like a matchmaking grandfather's. After all these years, maybe… just maybe, their ice-hearted young master had finally met his match.
---
"Hello, good morning!" Yeri greeted brightly, waving to both Butler Hong and Shin Keir. Acting as if last night's episode never happened.
Shin gave a small nod in reply, his expression as impassive as a marble statue—but his eyes told another story entirely. There was a flicker of something intense: admiration mixed with that typical predator-like dominance. The kind that said, mine—in the most subtle yet alarmingly effective way possible.
Butler Hong, on the other hand, looked as if he'd just witnessed an angel descend from heaven. In his head, trumpets were playing and rose petals were already falling in slow motion.
A goddess! he mentally declared. So that's what it takes to stir the stone-hearted Young Master… Not mortal beauty, but a divine being.
Of course, last night, he hadn't had the chance to see her properly—she'd been wrapped up like a burrito in Shin Keir's coat and half-asleep while being carried upstairs like a princess in a gothic romance.
"Is breakfast ready?" Shin asked with his usual impatience, derailing the old man's inner opera.
"Leave it to me, Young Master!" Butler Hong gave a theatrical thumbs-up and then bowed politely to Yeri before shuffling off with suspiciously happy steps.
"That Grandpa is really energetic," Yeri muttered, settling into the seat beside Shin. She pulled at the thigh-high hem of the oversized white shirt she was wearing—his shirt—which rode up dangerously thanks to her long, slender legs.
The combination of her pale complexion and his crisp white shirt gave her an ethereal glow, as if she might float away if the wind blew too hard.
The most beautiful ghost… Shin thought to himself, utterly entranced.
Meanwhile, Yeri scanned the space around them with subtle unease. She was clearly on alert for the return of a certain garishly dressed peacock of a man. Gold accessories, yellow suit—an actual walking hazard to the eyes. The man had called her a ghost, so clearly something was wrong with his brain. Or his retinas.
Also, the way he spoke to Shin Keir was baffling—rude, whiny, and clingy. He even brought up Shin's grandpa.
Who was that weirdo?
"Something wrong?" Shin asked, noticing her wandering gaze.
"That guy who called me a ghost—he left? Who is he?"
Shin frowned slightly, the displeasure clear. "Why do you want to know? Just think of him as a passing peacock."
Yeri blinked. "You're not angry at how rude he was to you?"
Shin tilted his head and arched a brow, giving her a look from the side. "Are you upset that he treated me like that?"
'You have an overactive imagination!' Yeri rolled her eyes internally. His face might've been sculpted by divine hands, but that personality?
Why was he always so busy misinterpreting her thoughts?
"Think what you like," she said with a sigh. "By the way, who changed my clothes?"
That hit the brakes on Shin's smugness. His self-satisfied smirk faltered, and he cleared his throat, suddenly finding the company documents on the table very interesting.
"I don't have any female attendants," he said stiffly. "But don't worry, I covered you with a blanket when I...uh, changed your clothes."
'Heh~ Must've been real inconvenient for you, huh?' Yeri sneered inwardly. Split personality much.
Was this the same man who chased her like a fugitive just last night? And now he was acting like a doting boyfriend?
"Did Young Master Keir not mind me sleeping on his bed?" she asked pointedly.
Shin froze again. His mind unhelpfully conjured the memory of her bare shoulders and the delicate curves of her waist. Helping her change had not been easy—especially when the soft glow from the night lamp highlighted every danger zone. His body had betrayed him more than once during the process.
He had run, fled to the study, and slept there instead. He wasn't about to commit a crime of passion because a barely-legal beauty collapsed in his arms like a damsel from a historical drama.
"I don't mind," he said finally, voice husky. "You're my girlfriend."
"Oh? I'm surprised Young Master Keir knows how to look after a woman." Yeri arched a brow, not hiding her sarcasm.
"Not just any woman. Only you." He narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like you've got a really bad impression of me?"
Yeri's lips twitched. You don't know the half of it. Outside, everyone thought of him as an ice-cold misogynist—one who'd rather fight wolves than talk to a woman. And yet here he was, letting her sleep in his bed, wear his clothes, and patting her on the head like they were childhood sweethearts.
What kind of fairy tale villain did that?
Whatever game he was playing, she wasn't biting until she knew the rules.
But before she could respond, Butler Hong reappeared like a magical butler genie.
"Young Master, Young Lady, breakfast is ready."
Yeri leapt up, cheering, "Let's eat! I'm starving. I won't be polite this time!"
"You never were," Shin teased and patted her head again.
The dining table was an elegant battlefield of culinary decadence. Bowls and platters of fresh fruits, garden salad, porridge, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, fried rice, miso soup, quail eggs—more than enough to feed an entire household. Or a small army.
Yeri stared, wide-eyed. "Are we hosting a royal brunch? Or is this just your average breakfast?"
Shin frowned at the excess. "Is there anything specific you want to eat? And tell me if there's anything you're allergic to."
Yeri grabbed a bowl of fried rice with bacon and scrambled eggs. "No allergies. And I plan to sample everything." She beamed.
"Don't overeat," Shin warned as he watched her pile food onto her plate like a champion.
"You're not eating?" she asked, noticing him sipping miso soup while Butler Hong brought over a sleek cup of black coffee.
"I prefer brunch," he said simply.
He eyed her puffed cheeks and let out a rare chuckle. "What do you usually eat in the morning?"