Chapter 1

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Ugly Secretary
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The sharp click of high heels echoed through the lobby.

“Good morning.”

At the gate bustling with countless employees coming and going.

One person among those hurrying along greeted Jeonghwan.

It was Yi Yeon, who worked in the secretary’s office at Woosung Card.

“Hello, Secretary Yu.”

Jeonghwan responded to her greeting with a bright smile.

Woosung Card, a top-tier corporation where entry required overcoming fierce competition.

In a place filled with talented people too busy with their own duties, few employees even bothered to greet Jeonghwan, the gate guard.

And among them, Yi Yeon stood out.

With a pleasant voice, making eye contact, and even a light nod.

Her greetings carried genuine respect and warmth.

At first, he’d been taken aback, but now starting his day with her hello had become part of his routine.

Jeonghwan turned to look at Yi Yeon standing by the elevators beyond the gate.

Seeing her warm respect for others naturally brought a pleased smile to his lips.

She was a rare employee who truly felt human.

But soon, a furrow formed between Jeonghwan’s brows as he watched her.

Yi Yeon, who knew how to respect others, didn’t seem to receive the same in return.

The employees waiting for the elevator with her glanced at her sidelong and whispered among themselves. Jeonghwan knew exactly what they were saying.

‘Secretary Yu Yi Yeon is just so unlikable for some reason…….’

‘How did someone with that face end up as the Vice President’s secretary? It’s a mystery.’

Jeonghwan recalled the gossip about Yi Yeon he’d overheard from passing employees and turned his gaze back to her.

At a glance, Yi Yeon’s outward appearance overshadowed her inner qualities.

Bangs falling to her eyebrows, curly bob haircut. Freckles clustered thickly up to her nose, horn-rimmed glasses in between, a prominent mole by the corner of her mouth, lifeless lips. Half-lidded eyes that made her seem endlessly small, long-sleeved blouse and pants that swallowed her frame whole.

Even Jeonghwan, who had no interest in young people, sometimes thought upon seeing her, ‘This young one doesn’t know how to dress up at all.’

Woosung Card employees mocked her looks as comical.

Unlike the beauty he sensed in her, the so-called ugly secretary Yi Yeon only evoked pity in him.

*

Today, the elevator’s descent felt even slower than a tortoise learning to walk.

She’d woken up later than usual and taken a taxi, but the roads were already jammed.

Thanks to that, Yi Yeon stared blankly at the decreasing numbers on the elevator display.

Whisper whisper.

Lost in a daze, the murmurs around her reached her ears.

Yi Yeon shook her head without thinking.

‘Here we go again.’

Didn’t they ever get tired of badmouthing others?

Without knowing the full story.

Yi Yeon had long grown accustomed to situations like this.

The gossip always started with her looks and dragged on endlessly.

‘Isn’t the secretary supposed to reflect her boss’s face? If she’s that ugly, shouldn’t she at least do something with makeup or disguise?’

‘Her clothes…… Wearing oversized stuff makes her look shabby. Someone should tell her to wear properly fitted outfits.’

Yi Yeon blankly refocused on the display.

It had been years of dealing with this environment. She’d learned long ago that ignoring it was best for her mental health.

There was no reason to cower or let it shake her.

Showing any sign of being affected would only thicken the arrows aimed at her.

Ding.

As the elevator arrived, employees began filing in one by one. Yi Yeon, stepping in first, was pushed to the corner by the crowd.

“Hello, Vice President.”

Just as it was nearly full, a tall man entered, and every employee bowed their head and made space for him.

He was An Do Hyun, grandson of Woosung Group founder Chairman An Gap Su and the group’s sole heir, Woosung Card’s Vice President.

Neatly parted hair, sharp and cold eyes under distinct brows, a straight nose rising prominently at the center of his face, firmly set lips.

This man, who drew eyes wherever he went for reasons entirely different from Yi Yeon, was the rare young executive she served.

As Do Hyun boarded, the elevator’s atmosphere shifted dramatically.

The female employees’ cheeks flushed pink, like peaches applied to their faces, as they gazed at him.

A natural genius from a prestigious New York university, handsome face, perfectly tailored suit hinting at toned muscles, and the ability he’d proven by skyrocketing the brand’s reputation since taking over as Woosung Card’s Vice President.

Do Hyun matched every fantasy of the prince women dreamed of without exception. There were even jokes that the creator must have lost his mind briefly to produce him.

Naturally, his love life was the top concern of every female employee at Woosung Card.

They buzzed with talk like, ‘The woman who lands Vice President An Do Hyun must have saved a country in her past life,’ or ‘It has to be some chaebol heiress worthy of him.’

Everyone except Yi Yeon.

Of course, part of it was her lack of interest in romance, but there was another reason.

Having worked as An Do Hyun’s secretary for three years, Yi Yeon knew the seemingly perfect man had one glaring flaw.

Her boss was extremely picky. And he despised anyone else touching his body.

She’d seen his face contort like he’d spotted a bug more than once or twice just from a brush.

It was as if he couldn’t tolerate even a bug grazing his precious body.

Ah, he sees everyone but himself as bugs. There’s something wrong with his personality. That’s the conclusion anyone working closely with him would reach.

On particularly grueling days, she wanted to shout his true nature to the female employees who praised his looks and background alone.

While Yi Yeon was lost in thought, employees got off at their floors one by one.

Looking around, only Do Hyun and Yi Yeon remained in the elevator.

Ding.

‘I should at least say good morning.’

Thinking she ought to greet him now that they were alone in the tight space, the elevator stopped just as she pondered.

“Vi…….”

Before Yi Yeon could even say the “Vi” of Vice President, Do Hyun strode off without a backward glance to his office.

He was consistently indifferent to everyone but himself. Not that she expected any attention.

Yi Yeon watched Do Hyun’s broad shoulders recede into the distance.

Right, people probably couldn’t even imagine it.

They’d never suspect.

That An Do Hyun, the man who could lull Cinderella into eternal slumber, was already a married man.

That he’d entered a contract marriage with Woosung Card’s infamous ugly secretary, Yi Yeon.

***

This absurd marriage had begun four months ago on an ordinary day.

As the harsh winter passed and gentle spring arrived.

Around that time, Yi Yeon’s stress levels were at an all-time high.

It stemmed from her mother’s growing impatience ever since the tens digit of her age had changed to ‘3’.

How many blind dates had she been pushed into by her nagging mom?

She’d once gone radio silent in brief rebellion, but it was futile.

The next time she visited her parents’ home, the blind date guy was sitting in their shop—a heartbreaking story, made worse by the fact that the shop was a tray jajangmyeon joint.

Better to obediently go on dates, get rejected, and come home than face that again.

“It’s gotten worse lately.”

Her mother Hwa Yeon’s obsession intensified with each passing day.

She seemed to believe Yi Yeon could change if she met a good man. Yi Yeon couldn’t bring herself to tell her she never planned to marry.

Along with the thought of soon asking her younger brother Yi Hwan for help, Yi Yeon headed to work.

Despite an exhausting weekend, her steps felt lighter than usual.

Upon arriving at the office, she turned on the air purifier in the executive suite, did some quick tidying, watered the plants, sat in her chair to start the day, and stretched.

Pushing up her glasses that had slid down her nose bridge, Yi Yeon checked her reflection.

The black freckles on her cheekbones remained firmly in place, unyielding.

With the day going so smoothly without a hitch, she was even humming a tune.

“Secretary Yu.”

“Hello, Vice President.”

Do Hyun’s deep voice calling her upon arrival rang as clear and refreshing as a glass chime.

At his glance beckoning her in, Yi Yeon rose and followed him into the office.

Do Hyun, who had signaled her to enter, silently hung his coat on the rack.

Did he really mean for me to come in……?

As silence stretched and she wondered if she should step out and return later, she felt his gaze.

Somehow already seated at his desk, Do Hyun stared straight at her.

Then, his voice dropped even lower.

“Let’s live together. You and me.”

The ordinary happiness of a particularly good Monday shattered with that one line from Do Hyun.

What was this? A proposal out of nowhere?

No, she must have misheard.

“Pardon? I didn’t catch that.”

“You heard right. Let’s live together, you and me.”

His expression was deadly serious, ruling out any joke. And he’d specified “you and me.”

But if it wasn’t a joke, there was no explanation.

Do Hyun and Yi Yeon had maintained a strictly professional relationship for nearly three years.

Was her boss the type to toss out lines like that to just anyone……? Yi Yeon barely restrained her rude glare and replied.

“I don’t know why you’re saying this all of a sudden, but no thank you. I have no interest in marriage. I don’t know why you’re proposing…….”

At the word “proposing,” Do Hyun’s eyes narrowed.

“Watch your words. I’m suggesting we share a living space.”

If “let’s live together” didn’t mean “propose,” didn’t that make the situation even weirder? Yi Yeon’s pupils shook violently.

“…….”

“Even if it means the same, the context is different.”

Do Hyun straightened from his chair, took a few steps, and perched on the desk.

“Same here. No interest in marriage. Or in you, Secretary Yu.”

“Then why propose to me out of nowhere?”

At the grating word again, Do Hyun’s brow twitched.

“You’re suitable, Secretary Yu.”

“In what way?”

“The conditions I want: unappealing looks, someone who understands each other’s views on marriage.”

Unappealing…… looks?

Yi Yeon turned to examine her reflection in the glass door closely.

It was as absurd a reason as the proposal itself. No matter how she looked, she seemed far from “desirable.” Straightening her crooked glasses, Yi Yeon asked.

“So, really, my looks…….”

“So, let’s live together. With me.”

It was the first tantrum she’d ever seen from him since meeting.