* * *
The company messenger has been buzzing since morning.
It keeps lighting up, making it impossible to ignore.
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: I just saw him, lol. Super tall, broad-shouldered, and that mask? Absolutely killer, hahaha.]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: An Alpha?]
[Overseas Business Team 1 – Associate Lee: Of course, he must be an Alpha. All executives are Alphas.]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: Come on, the CEO isn’t.]
[Overseas Business Team 1 – Associate Lee: That’s an exception~~~ The CEO is the chairman’s daughter~~~]
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: Ugh, if you’re not gonna listen, I’m going back to work.]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: No, no, keep talking! Why are you being so stingy?]
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: Tsk tsk!!! I brought some premium info, and this is how you treat me?]
This group chat consists only of assistant managers.
Since they’re the ones who do most of the work and keep an eye on everything happening in the company, news spreads fastest here.
As expected, the conversation was already heating up over the new division director.
And of course, Assistant Manager Kim wouldn’t miss out on that.
A quick glance at him showed he was typing furiously, looking as if he were doing something important.
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: Where else would we get this kind of info if not from you, Park? Hm?]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: So, spill? Hm?]
His coaxing skills were top-notch, as always.
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: Well, since you insist… LOL. I took a peek at his resume earlier, and his specs are insane. You better not leak this anywhere, got it?]
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: This stays between us.]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: Of course! You trust me, right? Just tell us—don’t worry!]
[Overseas Business Team 1 – Associate Lee: I’ll make sure Kim keeps his mouth shut.]
Assistant Manage Kim’s loose lips were infamous not just in their department but across the entire company.
He sent a dramatic emoji, protesting the accusation, but no one even acknowledged it.
This was one of those times when people needed to do some self-reflection.
But clearly, Assistant Manage Kim had yet to take that advice to heart.
‘There are over ten people in this group chat…’
Did they really think this wouldn’t spread?
If so, HR had done a terrible job hiring.
And Assistant Manager Park?
He loved gossip just as much as Assistant Manage Kim did.
There was no way he’d keep quiet after reading that resume.
Someone should’ve stopped him sooner.
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: Thirty years old. Head of Overseas Sales, HK Group Finance. The rest? See for yourself!]
Then, he casually dropped a cropped screenshot of the resume.
‘I knew it.’
The numbers next to his message—the unread count—started disappearing rapidly.
The chat went silent for a moment.
Everyone was probably too busy analyzing the file.
Curiosity was universal, and people were weak against temptation.
Without thinking, he glanced at the image.
Graduated high school early.
Harvard—early graduation.
Ph.D. holder.
A long list of awards, certifications, and an outstanding career track record, even after joining the company.
‘Is this guy even human?’
That thought slipped out unconsciously.
He was the same age as this guy, yet this was his résumé?
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: This has to be fake.]
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: LOL, I know, right? But it’s real, hahaha.]
[Planning Team 1 – Assistant Manager Kim: What the hell? Where did this freak even come from? Is he a top-tier Alpha? Or some hidden weapon of the HK family?]
[HR Team – Assistant Manager Park: There’s a rumor he’s directly related to the chairman, lol. His last name is Choi, after all, haha.]
If they were linking people by last names alone, then every Choi in the company must have at least a drop of HK blood in them.
And just because he was competent, did that automatically make him an Alpha?
The conversation quickly shifted to secret lineage theories and genetic speculation.
He lost interest.
At some point, the screenshot had disappeared from the chat.
‘They should add a mute feature for this.’
A certain major conglomerate had developed a messaging app that allowed users to disable notifications for personal or non-work-related messages.
But their company’s version had no such function.
‘It’d be nice if I didn’t have to see this kind of stuff during work hours.’
He grumbled and tried to refocus—until another disturbance arrived.
“Everyone, please pause your work for a moment.”
Manager Shin clapped his hands a couple of times, grabbing everyone’s attention.
When all eyes were on him, he smiled and announced,
“Director Choi Saheon just got on the elevator. He should be here soon, so let’s take a moment to welcome him properly.”
The very person that had set the group chat ablaze was finally making his appearance.
With a sigh, he pulled his hands away from the keyboard and looked toward the office entrance.
Murmurs spread as expected, and soon, two people stepped inside.
The first was Executive Director Choi, a man in his early sixties.
As his last name suggested, he was part of the owner family.
And next to him—
“…Oh?”
Without realizing it, Wookyung half-rose from his seat. In the now-silent office, his reaction stood out like a sore thumb.
“Assistant Manager Gil?”
“What’s wrong?”
He barely registered the questioning looks from his coworkers.
His eyes were locked onto the man walking beside Executive Director Choi.
Because—
“…Subway pervert?”
The moment their eyes met, the other man’s eyes widened in recognition as well.
“Alright, everyone, attention, please.”
But neither had the chance to acknowledge the other.
Executive Director Choi beamed as he glanced around before turning to the younger man beside him with even more warmth.
“This here is Director Choi Saheon, who will be heading our Business Strategy Division from today onward.”
He even gave the man a few friendly pats on the shoulder, showing their close relationship.
No wonder the group chat had speculated about his ties to the owner family—this only made it more plausible.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Saheon. The team structure isn’t finalized yet, but I expect to work closely with the Planning Team. I look forward to it.”
He was polite yet clearly carried himself like a superior, which left a good impression.
The mood in Planning Team 1 became noticeably more positive.
“Welcome, Director. I’m Manager Shin Jaehyun from Planning Team 1.”
Manager Shin stepped forward to introduce himself on behalf of the team.
“Ah, Manager Shin. I’ve heard about you from Manager Min.”
At the mention of ‘Manager Min,’ Shin’s brows twitched slightly but quickly returned to normal.
He maintained a professional smile while continuing the introductions.
“This is Assistant Manager Kim, this is Assistant Manager Park, and this here is—”
When Shin’s hand gestured toward him, Wookyung tensed.
Director Choi—no, the subway pervert—was staring at him like he was about to devour him.
“Assistant Manager Gil Wookyung.”
Before Shin could say his name, Wookyung blurted it out himself.
For a split second, those deep, dark brown eyes flashed with something intense.
‘A killing aura?’
No. It felt more like… a predator eyeing its prey.
‘Damn it. I’m screwed, aren’t I?’
At this point, he had to admit it—whatever was happening, his situation was looking pretty bad.
The only relief? He probably wouldn’t have to interact much with the new director.
“…Assistant Manager Gil Wookyung, is it?”
Director Choi’s gaze slowly traveled upward from below.
As if he was confirming my existence all over again.
It wasn’t just my imagination that his expression looked like he was staring at prey he was about to devour.
I tensed the muscles in my face, but I made sure not to forget to smile.
Even if it felt like my lips were twitching.
What else could I do?
“Yes, Director. My name is Gil Wookyung. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
What happened earlier on my way to work?
Let’s just call that an unfortunate accident.
We’re officially meeting for the first time here, right? Right?
I silently prayed that Director Choi would catch the meaning in my gaze.
To emphasize my intent, I even extended my hand first—not in surrender, but in a show of goodwill.
Or flattery.
“Hm… I see. Assistant Manager Gil Wookyung. Nice to meet you.”
Thank god.
He didn’t reject my handshake.
‘Ugh.’
Just when I was about to relax, I realized I had made a terrible mistake.
His grip was ruthless.
When I looked up in shock, his lips were curved into a polite smile, but his eyes…
They were gleaming with the hunger of a predator.
“We’ll be seeing each other often.”
His firm voice only drove the truth deeper into me.
‘Ah, I’m screwed.’
* * *
