I'm The Boss's Secretary?!

Haneul could hear her heartbeat loud and fast from her chest. She hadn't expected the quick hug that came from Min Hyuk. His hands were around her, his breaths hitting close, and she could feel his heartbeat pacing in the same loudness as her. Blood rushes to her cheeks.

Embarrassed that she had been hugged, her hands that were suspended on the sides of his waist didn't know what to do and froze. 

The hug was warm, everything she could wish for and it felt the best hug in the world even though this was her first hug with a male in her entire life.

"I... were you searching for me?" Haneul tried to sound as much natural she could be.

Min Hyuk seemed to have realized his hug that tightened over her slender shoulders and pulled himself away. 

Haneul watched him backing away. The warmth could still be felt over her neck and the back of her head where earlier Min Hyuk had touched her. It made her yearned for the hug that was brief again.

"Everyone had been searching for you. You have gone for more than half an hour," answered Min Hyuk whose eyes then looked all over her body, "Did you get hurt?"

"A..." Haneul noticed her ankle that was scratched by a sharp branch which she identified happened during the time JaeGil had brought her inside the barrier. "A little, I think I hurt my ankle during the walk. The moon was beautiful therefore I thought to take some walk when I slipped a little. Because it stung I took a brief rest."

"Let me see," Min Hyuk said and before Haneul understood his words, he bent down to the ground. His warm hand slipped naturally underneath her dress to hold her ankle.

Haneul's breaths hitched over his touches on her legs. In her entire life there had never been anyone even more a man to touch her leg. She understood how Min Hyuk was worried about her and even though it might not meant a lot to him, it does to her.

Her cheeks were beyond red as she watched Min Hyuk's eyes narrowed, "We should get you treated. Come here," he then said, turning his body.

Haneul noticed Min Hyuk's offer on carrying her on his back, "I can walk on my own..." Her heartbeat was too loud and she was worried with her chest pressed on his back he would notice everything she was trying to hide from embarrassment.

"Don't be silly. If you leave the pain for long it will instead worsen. Come on," Min Hyuk offered his arm again, a smile on his lips that was unfair as seeing it, Haneul felt she couldn't go against his wish.

Carefully Haneul whose face was still red moved forward but before she could take another step forward, Min Hyuk had pulled her close, letting her fall into his arm instead of his back. A gasp escaped from Haneul who still couldn't grasp her surrounding when she saw Min Hyuk's face was close to her.

Min Hyuk carried her body with his arm, "You are taking too long," he reasoned, "Let's get back."

During the entire trip of getting back, Haneul couldn't help but admired Min Hyuk's face throughout the darkness. The little tingling sensation on her stomach caused her nervousness but despite that, she hoped that the road back to the camp was longer.

Haneul didn't know whether Min Hyuk was aware of her ardent gaze on him and she tried being subtle with it but she knew that pureblood had sensitive senses. Her memories of how the night ended wasn't too clear as she fell asleep during the trip of going back.

Seoyeon could step away from Haneul when she fell asleep. Walking away she noted the smile on Min Hyuk's face while looking at Haneul who was asleep and seeing the couple, she couldn't help herself but to smile.

Min Hyuk carried Haneul in silence for he didn't want to wake the lovely girl who had fallen asleep on his arms. When he came back, Yeseul looked panicked but was delighted to see her mistress. The girl was about to run but Min Hyuk placed his finger on his lips to cue the girl.

He made his way toward her bed and placed her using the gentlest movements he had. For a moment, even when his arms were free, Min Hyuk sat on the edge of the bed without moving. He reached out his hand to Haneul's cheeks, softy pushing his fingers and with a subtle frown and a smile he whispered, "You really worry me every day, dummy."

When he had stared enough of the sleeping angel, Min Hyuk told Yeseul, "The physicians will come to tend her ankle."

"The lady got hurt?" Yeseul who was relieved turned worried again. 

"She told me she slipped from the ground. In anyway, tending her wound is the number one priority I will tell the physician to address her wound silently. Can I ask you to stay here and watch her. Make sure she doesn't disappear again next time," because by Haneul suddenly disappearing, Min Hyuk could feel his heart slipped away from his chest, the surprise was more than he could tolerate. 

"I will," Yeseul said, thanking the man for saving her mistress again and again.

When it was time for Min Hyuk to leave, his smile fell but not because he had put a fake smile this entire time rather a stern expression quickly came on his face.

"Bom," he called for the vampiress who was clothed in all black attire that helped her to move swiftly. The woman had been hiding in the darkness following Min Hyuk's order to follow Haneul but had failed when the girl went missing in a blink.

"My deepest apologies, milord," Bom started with a frown on her brows. She couldn't understand where did that bratty girl left to?! Now the trust she gained from years of following Min Hyuk's order went to ashes because Haneul had left on her own schedule. Bom gritted her teeth, cursing the girl who was asleep now.

Min Hyuk didn't accept Bom's apologies nor tell her to worry. "Did you see where Haneul disappeared at?"

"No, milord. The lady left the camp and I followed her but all of a sudden she went missing. I think, the lady left with her own power—" Bom noticed how Min Hyuk's frown deepened over her assumption and quickly closed her lips. 

"Haneul didn't leave. Something is inside this forest," answered Min Hyuk. He didn't know what was inside the forest but he could tell it was the key to the missing people. Haneul had found out the secret but she had lied to him.

Knowing that Haneul wouldn't lie unless there was a good reason, Min Hyuk didn't investigate further. 

"What should we report to the Queen, milord?"

Min Hyuk tapped his finger. Putting consideration that the forest held a secret which Haneul tried to protect, he said, "Tell her that the missing people were all myths and the doing of a wild beast. That should put a stop for the old hag to insist on searching the forest."

When Bom left, Min Hyuk stared at the forest. His eyes caught a shadow that flitted between the trees on his left side and his eyes narrowed. Walking over the tree where he sensed a presence, Min Hyuk's red eyes found the small hare that then jumped away.

JaeGil who had reached the top of the tree watched the pureblood vampire before his eyes slowly went to look at the small camp where Haneul was.

"We'll meet again," the man chuckled before disappearing from the place.

Three days passed after the trip to the forest. Haneul's ankle had been tended well without hindering her on her daily activities. Today, she had been called to the royal palace, a trip she often go to on every four or five days of the week to train her power. 

When Haneul thought about the night on the forest where Min Hyuk had carried her on his arm, a constant smile spread all over her lips and the joy couldn't be hidden from her face.

"Be careful of the steps, miss," said Yeseul who had been very protective to the wound on her ankle.

"I am fine, Yeseul. The pain is not there anymore anyway," said Haneul but the moment she stepped on the last staircase, she winced and gasp. Yeseul quickly hold her hand with a frown but noticing the smile on Haneul's lips, the maid noticed she had been played and frowned. 

"That is not fair, milady! I was so startled!" complained Yeseul with a pouting cheeks.

"I should say it must be a very great work to become a maid nowadays, seeing that they could speak back or raise heir voice to their mistress," said the woman who was standing on the same path which Haneul took.

The woman had a beautiful long brown hair that could reach her ankle if not for the braiding that was done to tie her hair in a ponytail. Her beautiful face couldn't be defeated by the brightness of her striking yellow robe.

It was the yellow witch, the only witch whom the Queen regarded highly for her power.

Seeing the woman, Haneul was reminded with Min Hyuk's words to her about not trusting the yellow witch but then in the royal palace she trusted no one. 

"I can help you if you need to teach servants, Haneul. I see you are too kind for your own good."

"I know what is allowed and what's not allowed, your care is not necessary, yellow witch," answered Haneul. While the yellow witch had a name, the woman prefer to be called by her title that had Haneul to question if she was afraid someone knew about her.

"Fine," the woman smiled kindly but the smile didn't reach her eyes, "We should go to train now. I assume you can already control your power and shifting them?"

"It had been easier, I noticed that to control the power is the most difficult thing to attempt," answered Haneul politely, and Seoyeon who was inside Haneul brightened her eyes, on the edge of her seat to find out the method to control her power.

"Have you found any other power manifest from you? Catalyst's main strength is that they could use magic that only a type of colored witch could use. Except you no one in this world have expandable skills and the enormous strength." 

Haneul saw the woman turned her face as she had been walking two steps behind her, "Not that I am aware of."

The yellow witch stared at her for a long of time before nodding in approval. "Seems like even though you are a catalyst a person's talent is still measured by themselves. Two years have passed and yet there is still no trace of power from you. I start to wonder if it is actually not your power unable to manifest but because you lack the ability of manifesting them."

Haneul was well aware of the woman's mock but she didn't deterred. Her manner was calm without a raise of her tone. "I can only hope that the power can manifest soon and I would be able to help the kingdom."

The yellow witch humphed. Once they arrived on the training ground, the woman said, "Today let's learn how to control your power. The last thing you did were to use a crystal attack and now I want you to harden the floor at your will and shapes. When I say done, you have to undo your magic as quickly as you could."

Haneul bowed slightly. She left Yeseul's side and stood at the ground where everything was empty and only her was standing there.

She closed her eyes, doing as what the witches had told her. The yellow witch was in no where near the word kind upon her teaching. She ordered Haneul in the method that was too harsh for her, and when she did a single mistake, the yellow witch never runs out of words to berate Haneul as if expecting her to become angry.

Seoyeon noticed how Haneul was calm and the calmness was the strongest weapon for her to control the catalyst's power.

No matter of the terrible teaching that the yellow witch used by not explaining her how to organize her power, Haneul was talented to know what she should do by her instinct. 

In the moment Haneul was closing her eyes to take a momentarily rest, a sudden sharp noise plunge toward her face. 

Before the dangerous tip of the golden hairpin could come to her face, Haneul's eyes flew open. A lotus crystal bloomed on the air, catching the golden hairpin. From the sharp tip of the hairpin the crystal from the lotus grew forward, consuming the hairpin, turning the entire object to be layered by the transparent crystal.

When the crystal fell on the ground, the hairpin that was inside the crystal broke into pieces. 

Haneul calmly lifted her chin to meet the Yellow Witch's eyes that widened but then the woman pulled her smile, acting as though she had expected it.

"Not quite impressive. You can do more but with how untalented you are, I can only praise you now."

But Seoyeon who was inside Haneul could tell the woman had said nothing but bullshits. What Haneul had done was not an easy thing and the yellow witch had threw the golden hairpin with the intention to kill Haneul.

Haneul also noticed that the yellow witch's intention to kill her and her eyes narrowed. Although the yellow witch hadn't been kind to her with her teaching this was the first time she had almost tried to kill her.

Was it the Queen's order?

Haneul looked around to see the Queen finding no one around. 

The yellow witch smiled instead. Spending her time in the Royal palace, Haneul had learned how to read a person's true expression hidden underneath their fake smile and this time, she could see it was the anger on Yellow Witch's eyes who was disappointed for unable to hurt her.

"Please be careful of your hairpin, yellow witch," said Haneul, her eyes narrowing while her lips smiling, "My power is lethal, if you are not careful not only will your hairpin be turned to shards but I am afraid your butter fingers as well."

"I will believe your threat if you prove to have more power, Haneul. By what I can see it is only a small puppy barking."

Instead of being offended, Haneul smiled which had the yellow witch frown. "Fair enough. Remember however, that even the calmest puppy when they are starved and hurt they could rip and tear their master to pieces. I think today's training is until here?" Haneul questioned. She and the yellow witch looked at each other for a few seconds without looking away.

"Very well.." The yellow witch said, her voice hardened and her hands that were resting on her golden chair tightened.