Chapter 2

“Hey.”

She gave a small smile and pointed at the bottles of oil behind her.

“I finished blending the product line for the ‘Sleep Project.’”

“Judging by your expression, I guess it was a success?”

“Karen Company requested an exclusive contract.”

“Oh! Does that mean this product will be released under your name?”

“That’s what the director said. Probably.”

Ryota clapped his hands in excitement.

“At last, the name of aromatherapist Haruka Suzuki is going to spread across the world!”

Haruka let out a quiet laugh at Ryota’s lively outburst.

His bright smile brought a similar one to her lips.

Ryota, a year older than her, was the head of the Planning Strategy Team at Aromapis and was known as the brain of “Headquarters.”

Headquarters was a secret organization founded by people who had suffered under Jinseong Group Chairman Jin Youngman and his family.

Within that group, Ryota played a vital role.

“Even Yui won’t have anything to say to you this time. She acts all high and mighty, but honestly, I think she’s just jealous.”

“Watch how you talk about your sister.”

Ryota and his twin sister Yui, who was three minutes older, were both key figures in Headquarters.

From basic spy training to physical conditioning, they had personally overseen Haruka’s preparation.

They were the ones who helped turn the betrayed Yoo Haru into Haruka Suzuki, the aromatherapist.

“That one? Is that what you’re taking this time?”

His gaze shifted to a separated violet-colored bottle of oil.

It was the base oil for the sleep fragrance, recently completed after clinical testing.

Haruka, renowned in the field of insomnia treatment and nerve calming, had blended this oil herself.

For the upcoming “operation,” the oil was essential. When combined with a small amount of chemical compound, it could induce confusion and memory disturbance while easing insomnia.

Used properly, it was medicine. Used incorrectly, it became poison.

“That’s right. I’ll be taking it when I go to Korea this time.”

“I think I’ll be going with you to the Korean branch. Yui’s going too.”

“It’s fine. I can handle it alone.”

“I’m your support. That’s the director’s order.”

The director he referred to was Baek Jin-ha.

He was both the head of Aromapis and the leader of Headquarters.

He had covered the full cost of her two years of rehabilitation and surgeries, and all of her education and living expenses afterward as she trained to become an aromatherapist.

He had been the childhood friend of Yoo Un-cheon, the president of Haru Cosmetics. When his friend’s daughter survived the horrific accident, Baek Jin-ha took her in and raised her with care.

What he told her about the accident’s true culprits and her father’s growing unease had been shocking.

Even then, she had held onto hope and called Jin Ihan.

“What, you. You’re not dead?”

“Sigh. Just die already. Wouldn’t it be awkward if you came back? I’m hanging up.”

All she got in return was cruel and merciless rejection.

She couldn’t believe it and called again and again, but the result never changed.

After that, she had tried to let everything go.

Her funeral had already been held, and she thought all she had to do was end her life to make it complete.

“I have to follow the director’s orders.”

He was also the one who stopped her again and again when she tried to end her life.

He was the one who recognized her natural talent for blending scents and pushed her to develop it.

For Yoo Haru, who had nothing left, he had given her the only place to belong.

“I’ll be counting on you, Ryota.”

“Likewise, Haruka.”

Now as Haruka, she was about to begin an “operation” for revenge.

To bring down the Jinseong family that had wiped out her family eight years ago, and had taken everything from Baek Jin-ha thirty years ago.

“But are you really okay with this?”

“With what?”

“Killing someone with scent. You didn’t seem eager about it before.”

The first step of the operation to destroy Jinseong was to deal with the heir, the eldest son of Jin Youngman.

“I have to. That’s why I’m here.”

The corners of her mouth lifted smoothly.

It was a cold, merciless smile, devoid of any warmth.

* * *

The Jinseong family mansion stood in the heart of Gangnam.

True to the reputation of Jinseong Group, the mansion sat at the highest point, surrounded by walls that resembled a fortress.

Beyond the red brick walls, the towering landscape trees caught the eyes of passersby.

It was one of the many ways their wealth showed itself indirectly.

Today, Haruka was there to interview at the mansion’s annex for the position of in-house aromatherapist.

She followed the servant’s lead and entered the center of the living room.

For a brief moment, her gaze wavered. The structure of the building was familiar.

‘This place…’

This was where Jin Ihan had lived when he was twenty-one.

It was the annex where he had stayed.

The furniture and decor had changed, but it wasn’t unfamiliar.

The images were etched clearly in Yoo Haru’s memory.

The carpeted central staircase, and at the top, his bedroom and study.

She had gone up and down that staircase many times back when she was Yoo Haru, sometimes holding his hand, sometimes in his arms.

‘…Was the atmosphere always like this?’

The annex had a much warmer feel back then. Now it felt cold and lifeless, as if no emotion lingered within.

The woman sitting before her was the same.

“Ms. Haruka Suzuki.”

The woman in a black two-piece suit was Chief Cho, her interviewer.

She was in charge of the family’s health care and the mansion’s overall household affairs.

“I see you recently collaborated with Karen Company?”

She tapped her tablet screen upward and asked in a businesslike tone.

“What project was it?”

“I developed a line of sleep candles and oil mists to improve sleep quality.”

When Haruka answered calmly, Cho’s eyes filled with curiosity.

Her expressionless face and rimmed glasses made her look like an interrogator.

“Your Korean is quite good. Your pronunciation is excellent.”

“One of my adoptive parents was Korean.”

“Oh, right, you mentioned you were adopted.”

“Yes. Both of them have passed away.”

“I see. My apologies.”

“It’s alright.”

Haruka delivered the prepared answers steadily.

Cho removed her glasses and pressed her brow, looking fatigued after long hours of interviews.

Seeing this, Haruka took a small glass bottle from her handbag.

It was the size of a finger joint, containing an aroma oil that helped relieve stress. She always carried it as a temporary remedy.

“What is this?”

“It’s a relaxing oil with lavender as its base.”

“…”

“You seemed a bit tired. This might help with fatigue.”

Cho opened the bottle and held it to her nose.

The scent spread instantly, and the tension in her brow eased noticeably.

Haruka’s tactic worked.

“This is nice. Did you blend this oil yourself?”

“Yes. All the scents are made by me.”

Cho let out a short laugh and closed the tablet screen she was holding.

“…Originally, we had a few more interviews after you, but I think we can stop here.”

She put her glasses back on and looked at Haruka.

“Do you think you can handle this?”

“Of course. That’s why I came here.”

“He’s a difficult person. Five people have already quit. Becoming Vice Chairman Jin Seonghan’s personal aromatherapist will take serious resolve.”

There was no way she wouldn’t be ready. She had waited seven long years for this.

She smiled faintly.

“Yes. I’m fully prepared.”

Jin Seonghan was Chairman Jin Youngman’s eldest son and Achilles’ heel.

Handsome and brilliant, he was said to be sensitive and violent.

Part of it came from his long struggle with insomnia, but mostly it was because he had inherited his temper from his paternal grandfather.

His grandfather had been the infamous boss of the Jinsoo gang, which had dominated Gyeonggi Province in the 60s and 70s.

Seonghan had inherited his blood more strongly than even his father.

Like his grandfather, he had employed a personal aromatherapist for a long time.

It had taken three years of behind-the-scenes work to soften Jin Youngman’s suspicion, as he was notoriously wary of everything.

No one would ever suspect that the aromatherapist hired for the eldest son was the one who would bring death.

She had spent years perfecting her craft for this moment.

“All the others said the same thing, but none lasted more than a month. Some didn’t even make it a day.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“And you still think you can do it? Why? With your career and the collaboration with Karen Company, you must have had plenty of other offers.”

Because this was why she had become Haruka the aromatherapist.

To kill the eldest son without drawing suspicion and then make Jin Youngman suffer slowly as his guard weakened.

A quiet and perfect collapse.

That was the ultimate goal of Baek Jin-ha’s plan.

It was also her only goal now.

“The Jinseong name carries weight on a résumé.”

Haruka gave an appropriately smooth answer.

Cho responded with a faint smile.

Just as the steam from the teacups before them had thinned, they heard movement.

Cho’s expression hardened as she rose from her seat.

“You’re here.”

As Cho bowed deeply, Haruka stood as well.

Just as she turned around.

“Who is she.”

The sound of that voice made her fingertips tremble.

It was the first time she had heard it since that cruel phone call seven years ago.