Temptation || Jumin Han

2 months ago.

The incident took place at her first day in the office.

Overwhelmed, Eva Rhee was frantically shuffling papers and sorting through them for her initiation meeting. That was where she would be properly introduced to her coworkers.

This was her first job out of university. Everything had to be perfect, she had to succeed if she wanted a future. Eva was grateful that she had landed a job in Han Corporations and she did not want to mess it up. Her colleges were envious, and she had to prove they made the right choice in hiring her.

All was well, and everything was in order. Eva managed to smile even though she was unbelievably stressed.

Then a loud knock made her body immediately stiffen.

Jumin Han, the Chairman's son, entered the room with a blank expression. He held a tablet in his hand.

"Excuse me." He cleared his throat, scrolling through something.  "I'm sorry for interrupting, I know you must be nervous."

"Hello, Mr. Han." She stood up from behind her new desk and bowed, glancing up at his handsome figure with a shy smile. Eva had heard countless rumors about him. None of them fell into the compliment category, but she was determined. 

Her movement caused Jumin to tear his eyes away from the screen. Finally paying attention to his new employee, the man's eyes widened for a moment. His expression bewildered before it faded away. 

He couldn't breathe. She was beautiful.

But of course he couldn't show it, emotions were forbidden in the workplace. Especially in his own.

"No need for formalities." He brushed her politeness aside, somewhat flustered as they locked eyes again. "You must be Eva."

"Yes, I thought we wouldn't meet until the introduction." She breathed deeply, happy that he stopped by. He was incredibly good looking, that part of his reputation was true.

But Eva stopped herself from thinking anything more. She had a boyfriend after all, and she wasn't a cheater. She would never be. It was safe to admire him from a distance, something she assumed all the other female employees did.

Jumin checked his watch and sighed. "It looks like we have enough time to discuss some important matters. I hope you don't take this the wrong way."

Straight to business it seemed.

Eva waited patiently for her superior to speak. Her hands folded respectfully in front of her.

Jumin found this especially attractive, she held herself with a sort of shy confidence and class, something a lot of women who sought after him did not have.

Her hair was pulled in a high ponytail, yet the baby hairs still curled from underneath. A white blouse rested on her torso, complimented by a  black skirt that hugged her hips in all the right ways.

"Mr. Han?" She spoke softly, her head tilted slightly. Her cheeks were dusted pink.

He realized he had been staring inappropriately. Jumin looked away and straightened his tie. "I'm sorry, I was going to say—"

He paused for a moment. What was he going to say?

"I just wanted to warn you.. about the position you are taking on."

Her eyebrows narrowed in defense. "Why?"

"Because you are under me, my secretary. I've had many—probably more than anyone else in this office."

Eva's expression darkened. She had thought for a moment that he would be respectable and kind. Maybe the rumors about his attitude were true.

Junin noticed her bewildered expression, with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm not the problem." He assured. "The other... women in the office are."

Secretly, she was relieved. "How so?"

"They are simply jealous." He said. "That sounds narcissistic, but it's the truth. They will torment you because they can't say anything to me."

"Why can't they say anything to you?" She questioned, trying her best not to scoff.

It turned him on.

Eva noticed a shift in his demeanor. Had she already overstepped her boundaries?

"Fear is an effective strategy for controlling people." Jumin simply said. Yet the comment made him seem significantly bigger in her eyes.

He took a step closer. Eva instinctively backed up in surprise, hoping he would get the hint that she wouldn't be intimidated on her first day. But he kept coming closer, until she had backed up as far as she could. The young woman felt the cold touch of the cement wall. She tried to protest but nothing surfaced, his arm shot out next, trapping the girl against the wall.

Junin leaned in. "They're too afraid to approach me on anything other than business matters. I made it that way on purpose."

Eva couldn't speak, gasping from their inappropriately close proximity. 

"They will take their jealously out on you, probably make your life a living hell. Since you will now be the person who works with me the most."

"What about Jaehee?" Eva squeaked, trying to conjure back her confidence.

The question made Jumin scoff. "It's obvious that Jaehee is a lesbian and has complete disinterest in me. But you, you're..." He faltered, refusing to say anything more. "You're competition."

The way he looked at her sent her senses into a frenzy.

"Say something. "He urged.

Eva thought for a moment, staring defiantly into his eyes. "I don't care what other people think of me."

Jumin let his hand fall away, but he didn't take any steps back. "We are very much alike in that sense."

They were so close, incredibly close, they could kiss if Jumin leaned an inch further. Still, Eva couldn't bring herself to move away, even though she had another man at home. It was sinful.

She was attracted to him, undeniably. And she could tell he was attracted to her too. Why else would he come so close? That thought alone gave her enough confidence to take a step closer.

The woman pulled on her bosses tie, just close enough to whisper in his ear.  "I'm also not afraid of you." She purred in an alluring tone, releasing him as soon as the last word left her lips.

Sensing the temptation, Jumin finally moved away, fixing his tie once more.

Eva could sense no anger in him from her actions. But she was still left breathless and flustered.

The woman was fine as long as her point had come across. She would not be intimidated. By anyone.

Jumin swallowed hard, glancing one last time at his new secretary. "I will see you in 15 minutes Miss Rhee." He said before departing, closing the door gently behind him.

She was left in her office, alone to clear the adulterous thoughts that swirled in her head.

But Eva knew one thing after that day.

She had to keep her distance from Jumin Han.

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Word count: 1,150