The moment Minra walked into the office, she was glowing.

  Not in a way that screamed “I got a promotion” or “I won the lottery.”

  No, it was something else.

  Something that Reyne immediately picked up on.

  “Morning.” he greeted, expecting her usual half-asleep response.

  Instead, she turned to him with an actual smile.

  “Good morning, Reyne!”

  Reyne froze.

  Minra? Smiling? First thing in the morning?

  His suspicion grew.

  But then, she said something that completely broke him.

  “Oh, by the way… thank you.”

  Reyne blinked.

  “Huh?”

  For yesterday.” she clarified. “If you hadn’t gotten me scolded, I wouldn’t have been treated so well afterward.”

  Reyne stared.

  Absolutely. Speechless.

  “Wait—“ he held up a hand. “You’re telling me… you’re thanking me… for getting you yelled at?”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Mhm!”

  “…Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because I feel like I should be calling a doctor!”

  Right.. she forgot what kind of person Reyne is.

  “All I’m saying is, it worked out in the end.”

  Reyne ran a hand through his hair, utterly lost.

  “Okay, okay. But just to clarify—are you saying you’d like me to get you scolded more often?”

  Minra finally stared at him like he had lost his mind.

  “What? No!”

  “Then why are you acting like it was a blessing?”

  “Because—“ she huffed, crossing her arms. “I got free food out of it.”

  Reyne squinted.

  “…From your faceless boyfriend?”

  He just randomly guessed.

  But, Minra stiffened.

  And that was all the confirmation he needed.

  “OH MY GOD.” Reyne laughed. “You totally did! You got a care package from him, didn’t you?”

  “Shut up, Reyne.”

  “NO WAY—Minra, this is serious. If I can get you more free food, maybe I should start throwing you under the bus daily!”

  Minra grabbed the nearest stack of documents and smacked him.

  “DON’T YOU DARE!!”

  Reyne just laughed chaotically.

  .

  Just when Reyne thought things couldn’t get weirder—

  They did.

  Because around mid-morning, an email was sent out to the entire office.

  Subject: Coffee Delivery

  From: The CEO’s Office

  “All employees are entitled to a complimentary coffee today. Please proceed to the break room to collect yours.”

  Minra blinked.

  Reyne paused mid-spin in his chair.

  Eunhe, who had been reviewing her reports, slowly looked up.

  The entire office?

  Silent.

  Processing.

  Until someone whispered—

  “…Did our boss get replaced?”

  “No, seriously. Is Mr. Hwa okay?”

  “Is this an HR trap? If we take the coffee, will we be forced to work overtime?”

  “Maybe he finally got possessed by a friendly ghost.”

  Minra, who had just recovered from Reyne’s teasing, suddenly felt a horrible suspicion creeping in.

  Because she remembered grumbling to Shuun that her boss should be a little bit nicer.

  Her stomach twisted.

  Had her prayer really answered?

  Has the universe finally taken her side?

  Yet, why does it feel creepily coincidental at the same time?

  .

  [Minra: My boss is surprisingly kind today. Unlike yesterday.]

  Minra wasn’t expecting a response.

  But then—her phone buzzed.

  [Shuun: Maybe he’s feeling apologetic for scolding you yesterday.]

  Minra blinked.

  Then laughed.

  Out loud.

  Reyne, who had been halfway through his coffee, nearly choked.

  “What now?” he demanded.

  “Nothing.” Minra dismissed, smiling at her screen.

  Then, still giggling, she typed back—

  [Minra: Haha, there’s no way it’s because of that!]

  Shuun, sitting in his office, stared at her reply.

  And for the first time since taking over the company—

  For the first time since becoming CEO—

  He realized something dangerous.

  He wanted to prove her wrong.

  .

  Chapter 13: “The CEO Who Didn’t Understand His Own Employees”