* * *

“It’s a shame Assistant Yoo Junhee doesn’t understand that kind of pleasure.”

“I’ll find out eventually, so don’t worry about me.”

“When you do, you’ll change your mind.”

Taeryu spoke absurdities with a straight face, but Junhee was no longer surprised.

The more flustered he got, the more Taeryu pressed on.

Junhee kept his mouth firmly shut, trying not to engage, but Taeryu leaned in and whispered provocatively.

“If you haven’t experienced it, it means you either haven’t done it or haven’t found the right partner. So, which is it?”

His gaze was hot and blatant, like the sun beating down on him in the height of summer.

“Right now, are you suggesting we do that?”

Junhee threw out the same kind of vulgar language he was using, as if holding up a mirror to deflect the glaring light.

It was his way of using a desperate remedy.

“Do I look like someone who’s asking to do it just once?”

“Are you saying you’re not?”

“At least twenty times.”

‘What a crazy bastard.’

The curse swirled in Junhee’s mouth, though he couldn’t spit it out.

Junhee bit his lips hard, glaring at Ki Taeryu, fists clenched.

“Biting like that will hurt your lips, Junhee.”

Ki Taeryu pressed Junhee’s lower lip with his thumb.

The gap between Junhee’s lips opened slightly, revealing tightly clenched white teeth.

The phrase “getting chills to the bone” was probably made for moments like this.

“I’ll get off here.”

“We’re here.”

With a soft screech, the car smoothly came to a stop.

They had arrived at the street corner where Junhee’s villa was.

Feeling like even a polite goodbye was excessive, Junhee grabbed the door handle and made to rush out.

“Secretary Yeo.”

“Yes, Director.”

At the sound of a voice, Junhee belatedly remembered the presence of the chauffeur seated in the driver’s seat.

He had completely forgotten, swept up in Ki Taeryu’s twisted logic.

If there was a puddle around, Junhee would have loved to dunk his head in it.

He quickly closed the car door and strode off, with Yeo Daeyun trailing behind.

“Mr. Yoo Junhee.”

If it had been Ki Taeryu, he would’ve ignored it, but he couldn’t disregard the chauffeur’s words, as the man had done nothing wrong.

Junhee paused, and Yeo Daeyun handed him a paper shopping bag.

“Director said you should make sure to have this.”

The familiar packaging immediately gave away the contents.

Damned dried pollack soup.

---

“…Director, are you alright?”

As the car made its way back on the road after dropping Junhee off, Yeo Daeyun cautiously broke the silence.

Instead of replying, Ki Taeryu stared at Yeo Daeyun through the rearview mirror.

His eyes were chillingly devoid of emotion.

“Should I take you to the hospital?”

“No. To the hotel.”

With an indifferent answer, Yeo Daeyun drove straight to the hotel, without asking twice.

As Ki Taeryu’s dedicated secretary, he was well aware of the Director’s rut cycle.

He knew that during this period, Taeryu usually avoided leaving the house and was more irritable than ever, so provoking him was out of the question.

Yet here he was, not only going out during this time but also meeting outsiders.

What could it mean?

Taeryu himself had ordered all appointments to be canceled for the weekend, knowing the rut would last until then.

It was just Saturday, yet he seemed strangely composed and calm.

Even the amount of pheromones radiating from him was oddly faint.

Only after parking in the hotel’s garage did Taeryu speak again.

“Secretary Yeo.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Look into Yoo Junhee’s past again.”

“I believe I already compiled that for you previously. What more would you like me to investigate?”

It was shortly after learning of a possible link between Taeryu’s older brother, Ki Taesung, and Yoo Junhee.

Yeo Daeyun had already put together a report on Junhee’s background for Taeryu, detailing the events and whereabouts around the time he had crossed paths with Taesung.

Even so, besides that single meeting, no further connections had been found.

“Dig deeper into where Junhee was before he ended up at the orphanage. Include the families that adopted and then gave him up, along with any people who were around him.”

“Understood.”

As soon as Yeo Daeyun confirmed, Taeryu got out of the car.

---

“Assistant Manager Yoo, you’re here early?”

“Yes… I just happened to wake up early.”

The truth was, he’d been dozing fitfully all night before giving up and taking an early shower.

“Wow, you must be surprisingly energetic for someone who looks so exhausted. How do you manage to get up early on a Monday morning…?”

Jiyeon, who’d been speaking, yawned behind her hand and then laughed awkwardly.

Junhee couldn’t quite tell if her words were a compliment or a dig, but he decided to take them positively.

“By the way, did you hear? There’s supposed to be a big reshuffle around the end of this half-year!”

“…That happens every year.”

Jiyeon, known as the gossip hub of Team 4 Couples, was quick to relay news, but this didn’t seem particularly noteworthy.

“But from what my friend in HR says, it sounds like the President is really serious about cleaning house this time. Team leaders with poor performance might be sent to branch offices, and some teams might be merged…”

If Junhee could only pull off Ki Taeryu’s marriage match, he’d end up on that reshuffle list, just as the President had hinted.

That was the reason he hadn’t been assigned a new client.

If the match failed, all his efforts would be wasted.

His performance would be rated at rock bottom.

All or nothing.

The thought that everything depended on this one marriage match left Junhee feeling suffocated.

“Even if it’s performance-based, as you know, our work isn’t something that succeeds with effort alone. Honestly, I think our job is seventy percent luck and thirty percent effort. Oh, not to downplay your hard work, of course…”

Jiyeon trailed off, checking Junhee’s expression.

“I think so, too. Luck matters more than effort in this job.”

After all, it was sheer luck that he even became a matchmaker and acquired that app.

“Really? I didn’t know you thought the same! Anyway, I’m also up for promotion this time, and I’m so nervous.”

“You’ll be promoted, I’m sure. Even the Team Leader said so.”

“If I get promoted, I’ll treat everyone! Maybe you’ll fast-track to promotion three years from now and become the youngest team leader at HQ.”

Junhee’s heart skipped a beat, as if his ambition had been exposed.

As Jiyeon said, a promotion from assistant manager to manager after four years was already an impressive leap.

But Junhee had his sights set higher: a special promotion to team leader with a department transfer.

Saying that out loud would probably get him run out of the office.

“Oh, and this is just between us…”

Jiyeon glanced around the office, then leaned in to whisper to Junhee.

“Looks like I’ll be assigned a VIP client! Apparently, their mother is a famous makeup artist, you know, Ms. Haetsal? She’s been on TV, doing makeup for top stars and wealthy families, and she even runs an academy.”

As the President mentioned, the increase in VIP clients must have led to Jiyeon being assigned one.

If it went well, it would give her a strong push for promotion.

“That’s great news. I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“Ugh… I heard about it last week from the Team Leader, and I’m a mix of excited and worried.”

“Let me know if you need any help. I’ll assist however I can.”

“You really can’t leave our team, Assistant Yoo. Got it? Ever.”

With Jiyeon looking so solemn, Junhee wrapped up the conversation with a forced smile.

---

“Haah…”

Junhee let out a deep sigh as he stepped into the meeting room alone after finishing his morning tasks.

His right hand was heavily wrapped in bandages, and in his left hand was a phone with a shattered screen. Both hands were far from normal.

[Siwon, call me when you see this message. I’m worried.]

He couldn’t tell if Siwon had actually turned off his phone or just blocked Junhee, which made the frustration even worse.

Ever since meeting Moon Doyoung, Junhee had spent the entire weekend contemplating, but there was only one conclusion he could come to.

‘No matter what Siwon does, he’s still my little brother.’

He just hoped Siwon wasn’t drowning in guilt or self-loathing.

If only Siwon would blame Junhee for dragging him into an unwanted situation and forcing an unwanted meeting, that would be better.

But knowing Siwon, he’d probably be blaming himself, and that worried Junhee even more.

Maybe he still saw Siwon as a child, but, as everyone kept reminding him, Siwon was a fully grown adult now.

Anything could happen.

‘…And besides, Siwon is an Alpha, and Moon Doyoung is an Omega.’

It was at least fortunate that Ki Taeryu had realized that fact immediately, minimizing any potential problems in their future interactions.

Had Junhee arranged a meeting between Ki Taeryu and Siwon knowing Doyoung had slept with Siwon, he would have been wracked with guilt.

Yet the sense of relief from not having done so only added to his unease.

Junhee placed his unresponsive phone on the table and took out a secondary device.

It was the first time he had turned it on since the Friday update.

The app’s new knot-like, entangled icon seemed more rigid and unyielding today.

He wondered if the knot got more complicated with each update, but he dismissed it as the developer’s intention.

While red hearts were usually associated with warmth, today, it only felt ominous.

At least the updated UI looked neater. Junhee skimmed through the update notes, but his eyes inevitably focused on one particular line:

-The powerful recommendation feature is now active once a week.

He was curious about what kind of recommendations they meant, but he hadn’t had a chance to explore it over the hectic weekend.

Junhee searched for Ki Taeryu’s profile and displayed it on his screen.

A new ‘Powerful Recommendation!’ icon had appeared in the top right corner, with a tiny question mark next to it.

When he clicked it, a description popped up.

* * *