Chapter 6

Haruka entered the mansion.

She pulled along a modest suitcase that barely qualified as luggage and climbed the garden steps, where Chief Cho was waiting for her.

“I’ve been expecting you, Ms. Haruka.”

As she led Haruka toward the servants’ quarters, Chief Cho gave her various instructions.

Most of it was about how to behave and speak in front of Jin Seonghan.

Apparently, many employees had quit because of his fiery temper.

New hires were so intimidated that they avoided the hallways entirely when Seonghan was around.

“He can be strict and difficult with the staff, but he’s very devoted to his daughter, Miss Seo Woo. His paternal instincts are exceptional. So you’ll need to be just as careful with your behavior and words around her as well.”

“Yes, I’ll be cautious.”

Even through this brief conversation, Haruka could clearly tell just how much the five-year-old girl, Jin Seo Woo, was treated like a princess.

She also understood who her first target needed to be.

‘Your goal is to blend in naturally. Like a drizzle soaking clothes, slowly and imperceptibly. By the time the job is done, no one should suspect you. Earn their trust first.’

She remembered Baek Jin-ha’s words as she continued walking.

“This will be your room, Ms. Haruka.”

Chief Cho stopped in front of the largest room among the servants’ quarters.

One side was equipped with a small workstation where she could blend oils. The ventilation system was excellent.

It wasn’t suited for oil extraction or precise compound testing, but it was perfect for experimenting with the three fragrance notes (top, middle, base) or basic essential oil blending.

“If you need anything, just let me know.”

“This is perfect. I can restock oils once a week at Aromapis.”

That was even better.

It would give her an easy excuse to visit Headquarters if needed.

The room suited her purposes well.

“The Vice Chairman will be home after eight tonight. Until you’re summoned, you can relax.”

“Would it be alright if I walked around the area to get familiar with the layout?”

“Of course. Just avoid the main house. The Chairman may not be in residence, but he doesn’t like people from the annex wandering around.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Jin Youngman was clearly a man with a lot to hide, given his heightened caution.

Even the household staff were tightly controlled.

She decided it would be best to avoid crossing paths with him altogether.

‘I’ll start with the people in the annex first.’

* * *

Haruka was summoned to the annex a little after eleven.

Carrying a tray with basic aromatherapy tools, she followed Chief Cho into Jin Seonghan’s quarters.

“The Vice Chairman’s bedroom is the master room on the first floor. It’s connected to a bathroom and dressing room. Knock three times and only enter when instructed.”

“Yes.”

Knock knock knock.

She knocked evenly three times.

“Come in.”

The curt response came from inside.

Chief Cho met Haruka’s eyes and nodded, signaling her to go in alone.

Haruka calmly grasped the doorknob and opened the door.

“This is Haruka Suzuki.”

She tried to keep her voice steady, but the room’s owner was nowhere in sight.

She glanced around the spacious interior filled with shades of gray and white.

It had to be at least 165 square meters, spotless and uncluttered, yet oppressively cold.

The room clearly reflected its owner.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Seonghan emerged from the dressing room wearing only training pants, his upper body bare.

Water droplets slid down the defined lines of his muscles, trailing from his damp hair.

He had just taken a shower.

He was, in a word, stunning.

His face was handsome too.

Most women would have fallen for him at first sight.

‘They said he was quite the womanizer, didn’t they.’

During his short-lived marriage he had been quiet, but after the divorce, his escapades became a favorite topic among gossipmongers.

They said he never spent the night with the same woman twice.

That had everything to do with his daughter, Jin Seo Woo.

He didn’t want any one-night stand trying to take the role of her stepmother.

‘He enjoys women, but hates the hassle.’

He treated women like gum to be chewed and discarded, yet he adored his daughter.

Pretty trash. The description fit him perfectly.

He dropped down onto the bed.

A faint whiff of alcohol told her he’d been drinking.

Haruka swallowed the hostility rising inside her and placed the tray on the bedside table.

She calmly organized her tools, recalling the blend ratios she would use.

Seonghan watched her lazily through half-lidded eyes.

“So, where do we start. Should I lie down?”

He had switched to formal speech, though there was no respect in his tone.

Haruka showed no reaction and answered smoothly.

“You can relax.”

He let out a soft laugh that sounded like a sigh, then leaned against the headboard.

Haruka carefully selected the oils.

For the top note, she chose lemon oil to help with his hangover.

For the middle note, which was most important, she picked juniper berry.

The base carrier oil was lavender, known for calming nerves and aiding sleep.

The carrier oil she’d given him the day before had been lavender as well.

If it had worked for him then, it would work again now.

“How did you find the oil’s scent?”

“Scent? What scent?”

He asked like he had no idea what she was talking about.

“The aroma oil I gave you…”

“Oh, that. Sure, let’s say it was nice.”

A vague answer.

When she looked at him quizzically, Seonghan gave a crooked smile.

“I didn’t even get to use it. My brother took it.”

“I see.”

Her response lagged by a beat at the mention of his brother.

Her hands moved mechanically, but her mind was filled with questions.

Why had the oil ended up with Ihan?

Did he suspect something?

No. That wasn’t it.

He’d been unsettled yesterday, but not because of his sense of smell.

‘But he took the oil without using it and had me brought in?’

Something didn’t add up.

While she traced through her doubts, he rubbed his chin lazily and stared at her.

“To be honest, I think this kind of stuff is nonsense. But he sniffed the oil and said I should hire you.”

“…”

“He doesn’t like this kind of thing either, so he must have liked you. Or the oil, more likely.”

Her hand froze around the dropper.

Jin Ihan had told him to bring me in?

“Make sure you thank him later. You’re here because of my brother. Oh, you haven’t met him, have you?”

She pressed her thumb down hard on the rubber top.

By the time the blood returned to her whitened nails, she managed to open her mouth.

“I briefly met him during the interview.”

“Oh, so you have.”

Feeling his gaze, Haruka quietly dropped the blended oil onto the warm compress.

A single drop of transparent yellow oil fell, releasing a soft fragrance that spread through the warm air.

Her measured precision stood in stark contrast to her tangled thoughts.

“Please lie down.”

“That’s the most polite way anyone’s ever said something suggestive to me.”

Even as he made a crude joke, Seonghan obediently followed her instructions.

Whatever mood he was in, it wasn’t hostile.

She placed the warm compress infused with the oil over his eyes.

Once she was out of his line of sight, she finally felt like she could breathe.

“Please stay like this for about fifteen minutes. I’ll turn on the lamp now.”

She moved while he lay silently on the bed.

She opened the window slightly and set up the lamp.

But she knew.

He was watching her.

‘He’s wary of me.’

Even with his eyes covered, she could feel his sharpened senses fixed on her.

Just being in the same space with him was suffocating.

It was not easy to maintain composure in front of someone she was destined to kill.

Baek Jin-ha had warned her about this too.

‘Don’t act prematurely. Let them be the ones to lower their guard first. Make them trust you.’

How could she make this man lower his defenses?

How could she crack that solid wall of distrust?

To do that…

As she pondered, the key appeared.

“Daddy…”

It was his daughter, Jin Seo Woo.