~[Chapter 4} The Assistant~
Alex's new office was massive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city. Modern furniture. Expensive art on the walls.
And a desk piled high with files.
"Your responsibilities,"
Mr. Lee said, gesturing to the mountain of paperwork.
"Financial reports. Production schedules. Legal documents. Mr. Max will help you navigate it all."
Alex stared at the pile, feeling overwhelmed.
"I'll leave you to it," his father said. "I have a campaign event this evening. You'll manage things here."
"Wait—" Alex started.
But his father was already gone.
Alex stood alone in the enormous office, the city sprawling below him like a world he no longer recognized.
He sat at the desk and opened the first file.
Lee Pharmaceuticals: Q3 Financial Report
The numbers blurred together.
He opened another.
Pending Litigation: Class Action Lawsuit - Product Liability
Another.
Internal Investigation: Security Breach - Confidential Information
Another.
Employee Incident Report: Park Ji-hoon - RESOLVED
Alex stopped.
Resolved.
The word sat heavy on the page.
He thought of the man on the floor. The blood. The silence.
Resolved.
Alex closed the file and pushed it aside.
He couldn't think about that now. He had work to do.
Even if every file felt like evidence of something terrible.
Alex worked late into the evening. By the time he left the office, the city was dark, rain beginning to fall.
The drive back to the estate was quiet. Mr. Max sat beside him, occasionally glancing over with concern.
"You should eat something, young master."
"I'm not hungry."
"You need to rest."
"I will."
But they both knew it was a lie.
At the mansion, Alex went straight to his room. He showered. Changed into comfortable clothes. Stared at his bed like it was an enemy.
He didn't want to sleep.
But exhaustion won.
The rain was heavy. Too heavy.
Alex was twelve again, small hands pressed against the car window.
"Mom!"
he screamed.
She was driving. It was dark. Her dress soaked. Hair plastered to her face.
"Mom, wait!"
Behind them, headlights. Getting closer. Blinding in the rearview mirror.
She pressed the accelerator. The car lurched forward.
"MOM!"
Another car—out of nowhere—cut across the road ahead. She yanked the wheel hard.
Too hard.
The tires screamed against wet pavement. The world tilted.
Metal screamed.
Glass shattered.
And then—
Blood.
So much blood.
His mother's eyes, wide and empty, staring at him through the rain.
Jihun's small body, still.
Standing in the distance, watching—
Was a figure. It was a male's. He couldn't see his face. He called out for the person to help, but his cries fell on deaf ears. The figure just stood there, watching.
Alex woke up screaming.
His sheets were soaked with sweat. His heart hammered against his ribs.
The room spun.
He stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Gripped the sink. Tried to breathe.
One. Two. Three.
In. Out. In. Out.
It took ten minutes for his hands to stop shaking.
He looked at himself in the mirror. Pale. Hollow-eyed. Broken.
The sleeping pills were in the cabinet. He reached for them, then stopped.
They barely worked anymore anyway.
He went back to bed and lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling until dawn.
The next few days fell into a brutal pattern.
Morning: Wake up exhausted. Pretend to eat breakfast. Avoid his father's eyes.
Day: Endless meetings. Hostile board members. Files that never seemed to end. Questions he didn't know how to answer.
Evening: Work late. Drive home in silence. Try to sleep. Fail.
Night: Nightmares. Always the nightmares.
By the end of the week, Alex could barely think straight.
Mrs. Choi cornered him after a meeting.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly.
"I'm fine."
"You're not." She glanced around, then lowered her voice. "Listen to me carefully. This company is sinking. Your father knows it. And he's making you the captain of a doomed ship."
"What are you talking about?"
"The lawsuits. The investigations. The missing employees." Her eyes bore into his. "When everything comes crashing down, who do you think they'll blame? The probably then senate member, Or the inexperienced new Chairman?"
Alex felt cold.
"You're being set up," she said quietly.
"And if you're smart, you'll get out of here before it's too late."
She walked away before he could respond.
That night, Mr. Max knocked on Alex's bedroom door.
"Young master?"
"Come in."
Mr. Max entered, carrying a tray with tea and light food.
"You barely ate today."
"I'm not—"
"Hungry. I know."
Mr. Max set the tray down and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Alexander. Talk to me."
Alex looked away.
"There's nothing to talk about."
"The nightmares are back."
It wasn't a question.
Alex didn't deny it.
"I hear you at night," Mr. Max said gently.
"The same sounds from when you were younger. After the accident."
"I can handle it."
"Can you?" Mr. Max's voice was soft but firm. "You're barely sleeping. Barely eating. You look like you did back then"
Silence.
"If you want, I can send for your therapist, or arrange for another one here."
"No."
Alex's voice was flat. Final.
Mr. Max studied him for a long moment.
"Alexander—"
"I said no." Alex snapped, turning to face him, jaw tight.
"I don't need someone poking around in my head. I don't need to talk about it. I just need—" He stopped himself.
"What do you need?" Mr Max asked, eyes wide open in hope.
Alex's hands clenched into fists on his lap.
"I need them to stop dying every time I close my eyes."
The words came out quieter than he intended. More raw.
Mr. Max's expression softened. He reached out, hesitated, then gently placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"They're gone, Alex. What happened that night—it wasn't your fault."
"You don't know that." Alex's voice was hollow.
"I do. And so would they, if they could tell you."
Alex pulled away slightly, building his walls back up. His face went cold again. Distant.
"I'm fine, Just... tired. That's all."
Mr. Max watched him for another moment, knowing he was being shut out but understanding it was all Alex could manage right now.
"Alright." He stood, slowly walking to the door.
He turned to take one last look at Alex.
"The tea will get cold." He said.
And then walked out without saying anything else.
One week later.
Alex was reviewing contracts when Mr. Max knocked.
"Young master, your new personal assistant is here."
Alex looked up, confused.
"I didn't request an assistant."
"Your father arranged it. He felt you needed support."
Alex was silent for a moment.
"Who is it?" He finally asked
"Kim Moony. Highly recommended. Your father personally approved him."
Alex felt uneasy but nodded.
"Send him in."
The door opened.
And Alex's world stopped.
Standing in the doorway, in a perfectly tailored suit, was the guy from graduation.
The one who stopped his panic attack.
The one who grabbed his wrist in the bathroom.
Their eyes met.
Recognition flashed between them—instant, electric, undeniable.
Then Moon smiled professionally and bowed.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lee. My name is Kim Moony. I'm your new personal assistant."
Alex couldn't breathe.
This can't be a coincidence.
Moon straightened, that polite smile never wavering.
"I look forward to working with you."
Alex forced himself to speak.
"We've met before."
"Have we?" Moon tilted his head slightly, perfectly innocent.
"My graduation. You were there."
"Ah, yes." Moon's smile widened just a fraction. "A friend of mine graduated that same day. Small world."
A lie.
Alex knew it.
But why?
"Small world," Alex repeated slowly.
They stared at each other across the office.
The air felt charged. Dangerous.
"Well then," Alex said finally, voice carefully controlled. "Welcome to Lee Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Kim."
"Please," Moon said, eyes never leaving his. "Call me Moon."
____
Days went by quickly, every day almost the same. Though with Moon around, the work load had reduced.
Alex arrives at work early one morning. A woman sits at the entrance of the building, rain-soaked, holding a poster.
MISSING PERSON: PARK JI-HOON
Alex stops. Stares.
The face on the poster—
It's him.
The man from that night.
The woman looks up, tears streaming down her face.
"Please," she says. "Have you seen him? He worked here. He's been missing for three weeks. Please, he's my husband. We have a little girl—"
Alex can't speak.
Can't breathe.
Resolved, the file had said.
Resolved.
Security approaches. Tells the woman she needs to leave.
She's escorted away, still crying, still holding the poster.
Alex stands frozen on the steps.
Moon appears beside him.
"Mr. Lee? Are you alright?"
Alex turns to look at him, it was starting to dawn on him, the danger he's in.
"I'm fine," he lies.
But he's not fine.
Nothing is fine.