* * *
After the whirlwind of an introduction with the new director, Wookyung somehow managed to start his work.
But the atmosphere in the Planning Team 1 office was oddly restless.
It was reflected in the group chat too—the notifications kept ringing nonstop.
Unlike earlier, he didn’t even glance at the messages.
He wasn’t interested.
“The TF team recruitment announcement is out!”
That, however, made him instinctively turn his head. Assistant Manager Kim noticed and met his gaze.
“You’re going to apply, right?”
“No.”
He answered immediately. Assistant Manager Kim looked surprised.
“Why not?”
“Not interested.”
Assistant Manager Kim’s expression was hard to read. Was it really that strange for him to refuse?
“This will have a huge impact on your evaluation. Look at the responsibilities! It’s a massive project. If you do well, you might even get sent overseas.”
Kim must really want to apply.
The announcement had just gone up, yet he had already memorized all the key points.
‘Not me, though.’
“I said, not interested.”
He cut Kim off like he was rejecting a bad sales pitch and turned his attention back to his monitor.
But for some reason, his fingers had already clicked on the TF team announcement.
[Recruitment Notice: Seeking employees to join the newly established Business Strategy Division’s TF Team.]
It had barely been a few minutes, yet the post had already racked up over a hundred views.
That showed just how much interest this new team was generating.
He skimmed through the details.
No rank restrictions, but they required at least two years of experience.
[Project duration: up to six months.]
Since it was a business strategy role, the team would handle crucial, high-priority tasks.
Meaning they needed competent people. Meaning overtime and sleepless nights were guaranteed.
Even as he pretended not to care, his eyes kept moving down the page.
[Business Strategy Division Team Leader: Director Choi Saheon]
He had hoped it wouldn’t be him, but of course, it was.
The blinking cursor on his screen annoyed him.
Probably because it was pointing out an undeniable truth.
If he applied, it would do wonders for his career.
The scope of work was impressive—handling the company’s highly anticipated new overseas project.
Even the preferred qualifications listed foreign language proficiency.
It wasn’t hard to see where they were aiming.
Like Assistant Manager Kim said, if things went well, he could be transferred to the Overseas Business Division—or even sent abroad.
“This is huge, Wookyung. You should at least consider it. You really won’t apply? Seriously? This is a golden opportunity.”
Who didn’t know that?
The problem was, he didn’t want to.
The ambition to improve his skills?
The drive to climb the corporate ladder?
He didn’t need that.
He just wanted to live a quiet, ordinary office life.
And that meant avoiding a boss he had a disastrous first encounter with.
“Assistant Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Gil, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Manager Shin, who had been on a call, gestured toward the meeting room.
Now that the TF team announcement was officially out, he was probably checking their interest.
‘Not like I’m planning to apply anyway…’
Wookyung sighed internally as he stood up—only to make direct eye contact with Associate Choi.
What was with that look?
Over 180cm tall, broad-shouldered, sharp features, confident and intense gaze.
But right now, instead of his usual expression, Associate Choi looked like he had something to say.
Wookyung silently mouthed, ‘What?’
But instead of answering, Associate Choi averted his eyes.
‘What the hell?’
What was up with him?
Whenever Associate Choi gave him that look, he got a weird feeling.
It reminded him of when Associate Choi had first joined the company.
Three months ago, a new employee had been hired through special recruitment.
It wasn’t unheard of, but the timing had been… interesting.
It happened right after public hiring had ended.
According to the office rumor mill, the new hire was the Vice President’s son.
That was just how companies worked—nepotism and connections ran everything.
Wookyung had thought, as long as it’s not my department… but of course, Director Min had walked in with a stiff expression, introducing the new hire.
Tall, proud stance.
An air of authority that practically declared, ‘Yes, my last name is Choi. Yes, I’m an Alpha.’
And those bold, defined eyebrows, those sharp eyes—anyone could tell at a glance that he was Vice President Choi’s son.
‘Ah. He’s in our team.’
‘That’s him, right? The VP’s—’
A silent exchange of glances had confirmed their collective despair.
Only Assistant Manager Lee, clueless as ever, had cheerfully greeted the new employee.
To be fair, Associate Choi wasn’t the type to flaunt his father’s influence.
He was competent, hardworking, and eerily good at picking things up.
It wasn’t just nepotism—he genuinely excelled.
That had made training him easy.
He didn’t rely on his family name, he did more than what was asked, and he appreciated praise.
In a company, reading the room was everything.
You didn’t have to suck up to someone, but it was wise to recognize who would eventually hold power.
Sure, in the future, Min Kyowon would become the CEO.
But Associate Choi?
He was bound to be one of the executives supporting him.
‘Assistant Manager Gil, you’re sharper than you look.’
That had been unexpected.
Wookyung had just been nice, but Associate Choi’s words had stuck with him.
What had he meant by that?
“Hey, Assistant Manager Gil.”
Wookyung must have zoned out for too long.
He quickly followed Assistant Manager Kim.
Manager Shin gestured for them to sit across from him in the meeting room.
“You can probably guess why I called you.”
“Yes.”
“It’s about the recruitment, right?”
Manager Shin nodded at their brief responses.
“That’s right. But there was a special request for our team. They specifically asked for you two to apply. Since our team is closely tied to the new division, they’d like both of you to join.”
The Planning Team was deeply involved in company operations.
It made sense that the new director would want to secure people from here.
Assistant Manager Kim turned to Wookyung, clearly remembering his earlier refusal.
“I…”
As expected, Kim spoke right away, and the words were all too predictable.
“Understood, Manager. Both Assistant Manager Gil and I will apply. Of course, we should—after all, we’re the ace members of the Planning Department.”
“Good. Then I’ll take it that both of you are in. We still have our regular work to do, so not everyone can get selected, but at least one of you will make it, so don’t worry about that part.”
Unlike Manager Shin, who smiled warmly, Assistant Manager Kim looked nervous.
He was worried that Wookyung might actually refuse outright.
“Aren’t you going to apply, Manager?”
Wookyung asked while glancing at Assistant Manager Kim.
Why? What?
If this is an important task force for the company, even a manager can participate, right?
Or do you think I’m just trying to suck up like him?
It was just a question to change the subject, but why did Assistant Manager Kim look so restless, as if something was being taken from him?
Of course, Manager Shin was incredibly capable, so if he applied, he would have a high chance of getting in.
But I knew he wouldn’t.
That’s why he asked.
“Ah… Well… I have to take care of our team first.”
Of course.
Right now, the one truly responsible for Planning Team 1 wasn’t Director Min—it was Manager Shin.
He had no reason to take on other work.
More than that, he had a reason not to obsess over achievements.
“Understood.”
Min Kyowon, the golden spoon heir, would eventually inherit this company, and when that happened, Manager Shin would naturally rise to a position fitting that status.
That’s just how a novel centered around the protagonist works.
‘Well, not that it matters to me anymore.’
When Wookyung realized that they were no longer a way for him to return to his original world, he decided to stay out of the protagonist couple’s affairs.
“Okay, that’s all from me. Any other questions?”
“No.”
“Alright then, let’s wrap up here.”
As soon as they returned to their desks from the meeting room, Assistant Manager Kim began typing furiously.
He was probably applying right away.
Since the manager had essentially given them a heads-up, the chances of being selected were high, so he probably saw no reason to hesitate.
But Wookyung didn’t even check the posting again—not for the rest of the morning, not through lunch, not even when the afternoon work started.
He only submitted the application at the last possible minute—one minute before the deadline.
‘Please, fail. Just let the application get lost somehow.’
He stared at the successful submission message with deep resentment.
The Next Day*
As soon as he got to work, he saw a new email in his inbox.
[Subject: Individual Interview for Business Strategy Task Force Applicants
Dear Deputy Gil Wookyung,
Thank you for your application. Below are the details for your interview.
Date & Time: 00/00, 4:00 PM
Location: 19th Floor Meeting Room
Please confirm by replying to this email. ]
The second meeting with someone he’d hoped to avoid had been set.
* * *
