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Episode 26
Junhee waited until everyone had left, then closed the door and approached the Director.
“Yes, Director. What would you like to discuss?”
“Ah, Assistant Yoo. It’s nothing major, but did you see the overall performance report this time? The number of new members is about the same as last month, but the percentage of VVIP clients has increased significantly.”
“…Yes.”
“That’s all thanks to our Director Ki Taeryu. When I attended the local CEO meeting last month, I dropped a few hints, and it seems word spread pretty fast.”
The Director smiled with satisfaction, looking at Junhee with an expression full of delight.
“Of course, it’s also because you, Assistant Yoo, have been managing the members well. That’s why Director Ki is so pleased.”
Junhee blinked slowly a few times and then, wondering if he’d heard correctly, asked again.
“…Pleased?”
“Yes, didn’t you know? Director Ki has been praising you nonstop. He even instructed the team leader not to assign you any new members so you can focus entirely on managing him.”
“….”
Junhee barely managed to swallow the words he wanted to say—that he’d rather take on 100 more members if it meant passing off this one.
“Anyway, since things are going well, let’s make this a big success.”
“What?”
Junhee looked at the Director with wide eyes. A big success?
“Why are you so surprised, Assistant Yoo? After talking to him, it seems like Director Ki is seriously thinking about marriage. At first, I thought he was testing the waters before making a subsidiary, but it looks like he’s genuinely interested. Don’t you think?”
“…Yes.”
The Director wasn’t wrong.
The problem was that Ki Taeryu was increasingly pulling Junhee into a direction that felt off.
“Right, so let’s help Director Ki get married. Let’s make it happen.”
A thought crossed Junhee’s mind—wasn’t this going to be something he’d have to handle alone?
“And the more I think about it, securing even one more VVIP member is far more beneficial in terms of revenue and brand image than bringing in twenty regular members.”
The Director was already lost in a daydream, imagining a future 10 or 20 years ahead, completely ignoring Junhee’s opinion.
“So, Assistant Yoo, you think you can handle it, right?”
“…Of course, I’ll do my best, but I don’t have the power to influence something as significant as someone’s marriage.”
The Director had no idea that Junhee, more than anyone, was fervently hoping for Ki Taeryu’s marriage to go through.
In fact, if possible, Junhee would love to gather all the profiles of eligible Omega candidates from other branches and set up meetings for him.
‘Wait a minute, other branches? Why didn’t I think of that before?’
A sudden thought struck Junhee like a flash of lightning.
Normally, matchmaking was done within the same region, so it hadn’t occurred to him to consider the branches in other areas.
The head office in the metropolitan area, especially being at the center, was strict about member selection, making it difficult for passionate Omegas to join.
‘But what about regions where the membership conditions are more lenient?’
It wasn’t uncommon for passionate Omegas, often excluded from the traditional marriage market, to join matchmaking services after paying large sums of money.
Junhee felt like he had finally found a thread to pull in this seemingly impossible task.
However, each branch managed its members independently, meaning he wouldn’t have access to their databases from here.
“Come on, Assistant Yoo, this isn’t like you. You’ve pulled off near-miracles with the couples you’ve matched, so why are you losing confidence now?”
“Director, may I ask a favor?”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
Junhee lowered his head slightly and began to speak in a confidential tone.
The next morning, Junhee’s steps to work were unusually light.
Instead of heading to the office, he went straight to the business support team to collect a corporate card for his trip.
“Here you go, Assistant Yoo.”
“Thank you.”
After bowing politely, he returned to the Couples Team 4 office.
Jiyeon, standing by the copier, greeted him.
“Oh? Assistant Yoo, aren’t you going on a branch trip today?”
“There’s something I need to finish up this morning, so I’ll head out right after.”
“Ah, I see. But seriously, a ‘Marriage Strategy Seminar’ out of nowhere? What was the Director thinking? You’re already so busy, and now they’re adding that to your plate too?”
Junhee responded with an awkward smile.
“There are so many branches in the provinces. When will you even have time to tour them all? Even idols on concert tours don’t have it this tough.”
Jiyeon clicked her tongue in pity as she looked at Junhee’s slender neck.
In truth, the provincial tour was Junhee’s idea, not the Director’s.
Of course, he suggested the seminar under the pretense of sharing expertise, but his true goal was entirely different.
‘I have to find a passionate Omega who could be a match for Ki Taeryu.’
Junhee planned to visit each branch in person under the guise of the seminar and secretly enter Omega profiles into an unused phone.
He couldn’t rely solely on his hopeful encounter with Moon Doyoung—there was too much at risk if that didn’t work out.
If he didn’t want to let his life be taken over by that wretched dominant Alpha, he couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned.
Three months.
The short time frame ticked away like a countdown, threatening Junhee’s very existence with every passing moment.
After finishing a meeting with a member, Junhee left the consultation room.
It was 11:40 AM. The train schedule he had memorized flashed in his mind, and his heart grew anxious.
Hurrying back to his desk, Junhee packed his things and shoved a pile of documents into his bag.
He unlocked his drawer and took out his extra phone.
Above all else, this was the most important.
Without even having time to put on his coat, he grabbed it and was about to leave the office when his team members called out to him.
“Assistant Yoo, have a safe trip!”
“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh! There’s a famous bakery there. If you have time—”
“If I have time, I’ll definitely stop by. But the train schedule’s tight, so….”
The team waved as Junhee hurried out of the office, almost sprinting.
The youngest member of Couples Team 4 pouted as they watched him go.
“Assistant Yoo must be so exhausted. He’s been working late these past few nights because of the seminar.”
“Poor thing. He’s always so tidy, and now his desk is a mess. Wait, what’s this card?”
Jiyeon picked up a black card from Junhee’s desk.
“Isn’t that the corporate card? He’ll need it for the trip, right?”
“If it’s not the corporate card, he’ll have to submit all his receipts later for reimbursement, which will be a hassle.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried I’d have to run it to him right away.”
The youngest sighed in relief, their face turning shy, and Jiyeon narrowed her eyes at them.
“What’s this, huh? Do you… have a thing for our Assistant Yoo?”
“No! Absolutely not! I just respect him as a senior! That’s all I mean.”
“Sure, sure. No one should be eyeing Assistant Yoo. He belongs to everyone! He doesn’t realize it, but people everywhere are vying for his attention.”
“Vying for him…?”
“I heard whispers about it. Apparently, there have been tons of scout offers for him, but the Director has been blocking them. Even the provincial branches are begging to have him for at least half a year, but he’s ignoring them all because he wants him to stay at headquarters.”
“Wow…”
“Anyway, you can tell just by seeing how that wild horse, Moon Doyoung, was turned into a well-behaved puppy, right?”
The youngest member nodded eagerly, clasping their hands together like a devout follower listening to a sermon.
Junhee’s phone rang as he quickly got into a taxi. Without even catching his breath, he answered the call.
“Yes, this is Yoo Junhee.”
— You’re sounding out of breath in broad daylight.
Ki Taeryu’s irritating voice pierced through, as Junhee tried to steady his breathing.
“…What can I do for you, Director?”
— The schedule I mentioned before, it seems you’ll need to accompany me.
“I’m afraid that’s difficult today, as I’m on a business trip.”
— Business trip? When? Today?
“Yes.”
Junhee briefly pulled the phone away from his ear, covered the speaker with his hand, and asked the driver, “Sir, I’m in a bit of a rush to catch the train. Could you get there as quickly as possible, please?”
— What was that?
“Nothing. Anyway, it’s a trip out of town, so it’ll be hard to make time until tomorrow. I apologize.”
— Deputy Yoo Junhee, this seems a little different from what we agreed on, doesn’t it?
Taeryu’s voice sounded unusually low, as if he was displeased that Junhee couldn’t be easily manipulated.
Junhee steadied his breath again before responding.
“Our agreement hasn’t changed. I accompanied you once, Director, and attended one meeting. I participate according to the schedule, but just because you call doesn’t mean I must follow you around at any time.”
In fact, Junhee’s trip would be over by the morning, and he’d be back by early evening.
However, he deliberately drew a hard line.
His relationship with Taeryu was strictly business, based on a contract and mutual transactions.
It was important to make it clear that he was not some subordinate trailing behind Taeryu at the snap of his fingers, using a credit card handed to him like a kept pet.
— Deputy Yoo Junhee.
“I’m busy, so I’ll have to end this call, Director.”
Junhee’s hand trembled slightly as he pressed the button to hang up.
For the first time, Junhee had been the one to end the call first.
There was a strange satisfaction that spread from his fingertips, as he returned the gesture Taeryu usually used to hang up on him.
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