Place: Incheon Highway to Seoul
Time: Night
The heavy doors of the luxury black Mercedes-Maybach S-Class slammed shut, completely blocking out the damp night air of Incheon. The sleek, elongated sedan merged seamlessly into the highway heading toward the city, its dashboard clock lighting up to show exactly 8:06 PM.
Siwon rested her head against the soft leather of the spacious backseat, watching the neon signs of her homeland streak past the tinted window. She had been running on adrenaline for days—Milan to Paris, Paris to Beijing, and now Beijing to Seoul. The constant time-zone hopping and high-stakes corporate warfare were finally taking a physical toll on her.
After staring out the window for a moment, she turned her eyes toward the front seats. Richard was driving, but his massive shoulders were noticeably stiff. Noticing his tension in the chaotic Korean traffic, Siwon cleared her throat, making Richard look up nervously in the rearview mirror.
"Mr. Nam," Siwon spoke up, her voice cool and calculated. "By the way, did you find a new driver?"
Mr. Nam, sitting in the front passenger seat, adjusted his glasses with a hint of pride. "Yes, absolutely, Chairwoman! Before we touched down, I finalized everything. He is one of the top professional drivers in Seoul. He will officially report for duty tomorrow morning."
"Good," Siwon replied, looking through her dark lenses. "Let's see if his skills match your praise." She shifted her gaze back to her giant bodyguard. "Richard, why do you look so tense? You have an international driving permit, don't you? Besides, the new driver takes over tomorrow morning, so relax. I don't want your stress causing a mishap on our way to the estate."
Mr. Nam glanced at Richard and sighed. "Exactly, Richard. I actually requested the agency to send the driver tonight, but due to the short notice, they could only deliver the Maybach to the airport. That is why you have to handle the wheel for just this one evening."
Richard scratched the back of his neck, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. "It's fine, Ma'am. Don't worry... I can handle these streets."
Siwon let out a rare, amused chuckle. But the light mood vanished instantly as Mr. Nam checked his digital tablet. A sudden look of panic crossed his face.
"But... but, Chairwoman! What about the 8:30 PM urgent meeting tonight? The boss explicitly mentioned that this specific weapons market operation carries a massive financial risk. Wouldn't it be better if you attended the briefing tonight instead of delaying it?"
Siwon didn't even flinch; her expression remained totally unbothered.
"Postpone it until I say yes," she said flatly. "I know meeting them is important, but settling in tonight takes absolute priority. They are smart business individuals; they will understand."
"But Ma'am..." Secretary Nam stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat. "They are highly influential syndicates in the international weapons market. If you stand them up at the last minute—"
"So what?" Siwon cut him off, her voice taking on a dangerously smooth, authoritative tone that chilled the air inside the car. "Am I supposed to put my health and my team's safety at risk just to please them? They aren't stupid, Mr. Nam. They understand how international travel works. You don't need to over-explain. They made us wait in Milan last time; now it's their turn. Just give them my name. Tell them Chairwoman Park Siwon has postponed it. Believe me... they will wait."
Secretary Nam swallowed hard, his boss's commanding presence completely smothering any further protests. "Yes, ma'am. I will notify their handlers immediately."
The conversation died down as the heavy Mercedes-Maybach forged through the dense Gangnam traffic. By the time the luxury sedan pulled up before the peaceful, lantern-lit entrance of Bongeunsa Temple—an ancient, serene fortress nestled beautifully among the soaring modern skyscrapers of modern Seoul—the clock showed exactly 9:30 PM.
Mr. Nam quickly stepped out and rushed to open the rear door. Siwon stepped out first, her posture instantly rigid and commanding despite the heavy exhaustion clinging to her shoulders. Mr. Nam scrambled right after her, adjusting his glasses, while Richard stepped out from the driver's seat, letting out a massive breath of relief after surviving the chaotic downtown lanes.
Siwon adjusted her charcoal blazer against the cool night air. She looked around the empty parking lot, her perfect eyebrows knitting into a confused frown.
"Mr. Nam," Siwon said, her voice dropping into a dangerously quiet, low tone. "Where are our bags? You distinctly told me on the flight that they would arrive here before us."
"Uh... Ma'am, please give me just one moment! Let me check with the private transport detail," Mr. Nam stammered, pulling out his phone with trembling hands. Before he could even dial, he looked up and pointed down the street. "Ah! Look, Chairwoman! They just arrived!"
A massive, heavy-duty loading van pulled up right behind their Maybach with a loud screech of brakes. An overworked airport handler stepped out, holding a digital clipboard and looking completely stressed. In fast Korean, he blurted, "Here, sign right here!" He looked entirely unfazed by the expensive security detail standing in front of him.
Siwon stared at the giant commercial van in pure confusion. "What on earth is this, Mr. Nam?"
The handler rolled open the back doors, pulled out a single, large blue suitcase, dropped it onto the asphalt road, and immediately turned on his heel; he was ready to get back into his seat.
"Wait!" Mr. Nam shouted, completely tensed. "Is that only one bag? Where is the rest of our luggage?"
The handler stopped, glaring at Mr. Nam from head to toe. "How should I know? The airline only handed over this much, so I delivered this much to you! Anyway, sign the screen so I can leave!"
Mr. Nam quickly scribbles his signature on the clipboard just to expedite things. The delivery boy snatched the digital device back from his hands aggressively, completely done with their drama.
"But wait, what about the airline operators—" Mr. Nam started to protest, but the boy simply jumped back into his van, slammed the door, and drove off into the night.
"Hey! What about the rest of the bags?!" Mr. Nam yelled after the van, but it was already gone.
Watching this chaotic argument, Siwon got deeply frustrated. "Shut up!"
"Ma'am, wait, let me check the suitcase," Mr. Nam said, sweating profusely as he kneeled down and quickly unzipped the large high-security bag right there on the road.
But the moment the zipper slid open, Mr. Nam froze like a statue. Inside the high-security parcel... there was nothing but layers of neatly folded luxury suits, shirts, and casual wear belonging entirely to him.
"Ma'am... this... this is..." Mr. Nam whispered, his voice cracking.
Siwon took a slow, deliberate step forward, peering down at the contents. Her eyes widened in absolute disbelief.
"What is happening?" Siwon asked, her voice dangerously calm. "Where is my mother's box? Mr. Nam... are you seriously doing this right now? This is ridiculous! These are just your regular clothes! You rented an entire, massive loading van just to transport your own wardrobe ahead of us?!"
She glared at her secretary, crossing her arms over her waist. "And tell me, Mr. Nam, what on earth was all this? We explicitly arranged for our entire shipment to be cleared and shifted through the VIP airline cargo service, didn't we?"
Mr. Nam hung his head in pure shame, avoiding her gaze. "Well, Ma'am... back in Italy, severe weather forced the airline to temporarily halt the primary cargo flights. Because of that unexpected delay, I decided to bypass the regular queue and ordered five of our most essential bags to be dispatched ahead via this express service without bothering you with the details. But... it seems there was a severe error in the detailing. Lily must have made a mistake on the manifest, which is why they only listed this single bag for transit..."
"Unbelievable," Siwon cut him off, her jaw tightening. "You actually let Lily handle a high-priority cargo routing? If that's the case, why did we even bother stopping here at the temple?"
She took a sharp breath, her eyes burning with authority. "Right now, I only care about the red box. If it isn't here, it needs to be completely secure back at the airport. Call them immediately. Verify right now whether the red velvet box is locked safely in the secure terminal vault or not. Call them this instant!"
Siwon gestured sharply with her hand, her commanding glare fixed entirely on Mr. Nam.
"M-Ma'am, please don't stress yourself," Mr. Nam stammered, frantically pulling out his personal phone to dial the airport VIP hotline. "I will call them later, Ma'am, and confirm everything. Please don't worry."
Siwon let out a sharp sigh, her face clouded with anger, though she forced herself to maintain a cold, calm exterior.
"How nice..." Siwon said, her tone dripping with heavy sarcasm as she looked back at the mountain of suits. "And out of all the essential cargo, the only bag that successfully cleared happened to contain your clothes?"
Richard, standing in the background, let out a rare, muffled cough to hide his laughter, while poor Mr. Nam looked like he wanted the ground of the ancient temple to open up and swallow him whole.
"Now," Siwon snapped, her eyes narrowing behind her dark sunglasses. "Take your clothes right now and store them in the car's trunk. When we reach the estate, you can put them in your quarters' wardrobe. Understood?"
"M-Ma'am..." Mr. Nam squeaked out, completely trapped, his face turning red. He dropped his head in defeat, muttering under his breath, "Wait, Ma'am... was that sarcasm?"
"Yes, Mr. Nam, it was," Siwon added smoothly. As Mr. Nam opened his mouth to explain, she raised a single finger to silence him. "Now quiet. Richard, get the car ready for our place. I want to take a deep nap. I am completely exhausted from all this traveling and stress."
"Right away, Ma'am," Richard replied instantly. His professional, stoic face returned in a split second as he stepped forward.
Mr. Nam tried to scramble forward to open the Maybach's door for Siwon to make up for his blunder, but before he can even reach the handle, Siwon slammed the passenger door shut herself. Mr. Nam pulled a defeated, sour face. Siwon slid into the plush leather backseat, completely blocking out the chaotic night, while Richard started the powerful engine to drive their exhausted chairperson straight to their resting destination.
The luxury Mercedes-Maybach finally slowed down as it climbed a private, winding road, stopping smoothly right in front of a pair of massive, heavily fortified main gates.
As Siwon got out of the car, the cool, night mountain air brushed against her face. She looked up at the grand stone archway and read the name engraved into the black marble. It wasn't just a regular house; it was a massive, breathtaking estate.
"The Onyx Mansion," Siwon murmured, a smirk playing on her lips. "Well, this is impressive."
Even Richard stood there, completely stunned and starstruck by the sheer luxury and tactical scale of the place. But standing tall despite her immense fatigue, Siwon suddenly realized something, her eyes blinking in slight worry. "Wait... but what do I wear tonight?"
Mr. Nam stepped a little forward, a proud, reassuring smile instantly returning to his face. "No worries, Ma'am! I already instructed the new maid to prepare plenty of premium casual wear and comfortable nightgowns for you beforehand. You will see them all beautifully arranged inside your wardrobe right now."
Siwon's eyes widened in genuine surprise, looking at her secretary. "Is this true?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Mr. Nam replied warmly, adjusting his glasses. "I know that flights often get delayed and cargo issues happen, so I made sure to keep everything ready for your comfort."
Siwon turned fully toward him, a soft, genuinely grateful expression breaking through her cold exterior. "This is actually wonderful, Mr. Nam. You did a very good job here. Thank you." She looked at both of her men and delivered her final commands for the night. "Go now. Both of you need to go and take some proper rest. We will handle all the official work tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Chairwoman," Mr. Nam said, bowing respectfully alongside Richard.
"Now, I am going inside," Siwon said, turning on her heel and walking through the grand entrance of the main villa to finally take her deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Richard immediately turned to follow her inside to secure the perimeter, but Mr. Nam quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
"Where do you think you're going? Our quarters are right over here," Mr. Nam said, pointing toward a beautiful, independent guesthouse built seamlessly right beside the main gate's boundary wall.
Richard looked over and saw the modern, small house. It looked less like a cold security post and more like a premium, cozy cottage designed for the estate's top staff. It was compact but incredibly elegant, with warm lights glowing from the windows and reinforced walls for safety.
Richard blinked in confusion. "What? But I am her primary bodyguard, right? I should be staying inside the main house with Ma'am."
Mr. Nam tightened his grip on Richard's arm and rolled his eyes as they walked toward their new home. "Please. Ma'am is more than capable of handling herself if any trouble arises, and the main villa is on a biometric lockdown grid. This was her own explicit decision to stay completely alone in the main house tonight. From this house, we have a direct link to the perimeter sensors, so we can easily monitor who enters or exits the main mansion's gates while maintaining a professional distance and having our own space."
The two exhausted men stepped inside their quarters, the front door locking safely behind them. Inside, it felt just like a comfortable home—complete with a cozy living area and plush sofas.
"Let's just check the perimeter feeds and get to bed, Richard," Mr. Nam sighed, throwing his jacket onto a nearby armchair.
Mr. Nam made a tired, miserable face, his shoulders slumping under the weight of the day's stress. "We have to do the basic checks, Richard... but honestly, I think we should just run a quick diagnostic on the system here and start fresh tomorrow morning."
Richard thought about it for a second, feeling the crushing weight of his own exhaustion from driving through the downtown grid. He looked at the inviting couch and nodded. "Yeah... if you say so..."
Mr. Nam and Richard looked at each other's tired, pale faces, a shared, weary smile breaking out between them as they finally settled into their new quarters.
"GOOD NIGHT!"