* * *
“If you need any help, please feel free to ask.”
“I brought all the materials I need, so I’ll be fine.”
While the monitor flickered to life, Junhee anxiously glanced at the clock.
He had only sat briefly at the café and taken a quick look around the office, but time had flown by.
“Oh, is this desktop already logged in with an admin account?”
“One moment. I’ll log in with my ID.”
Junwoo stepped up to the desktop Junhee had been fiddling with.
Though Junhee tried to step aside, Junwoo’s hand was already hovering over the keyboard.
Junhee found himself trapped between Junwoo’s long arms, blinking rapidly in surprise.
What is this situation?
Even though he was certain Junwoo hadn’t done this on purpose, he stood awkwardly, waiting for the login to finish.
The clattering of keys was the only sound that broke the silence between them.
Soon, an error message appeared on the screen.
‼Invalid ID or password‼
[Error Code: 45315]
“…Team Leader Cha Junwoo?”
“Oh, I guess I got confused because it’s usually set to log in automatically.”
‼Invalid ID or password‼
[Error Code: 45315]
“Team Leader.”
“Sorry about that. It seems the lock button was on.”
[Login successful. ID: Cha Junwoo (151918)]
On the third try, the login finally succeeded.
With a faint smile, Junwoo stepped away, and his scent faded from the air.
Pretending to be busy, Junhee quickly moved the seminar materials, his eyes glued to the monitor.
There were thirty minutes left before the seminar started.
He needed to transfer profiles to his spare phone, but Junwoo kept hovering nearby, making it impossible for him to focus.
Finally, with less than fifteen minutes remaining, Junhee took the initiative.
“Team Leader Cha, if I need any help, I’ll ask. I’m fine on my own. You must be busy, so you should go take care of your work.”
Junwoo stepped back two paces with an unreadable smile, then sat in the front row, directly across from Junhee.
“I cleared my schedule when I heard you were coming, Assistant Yoo Junhee. No need to worry. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Despite his neat appearance, his behavior reminded Junhee of something sticky, like melted jelly.
Unable to shake his suspicious gaze, Junhee heard him add another comment.
“I know this might sound overwhelming, but… I wanted to get to know you better.”
“…What?”
Looking into Junhee’s eyes for a moment, Junwoo spoke again.
“Most successful matchmaker in the nation, highest success rate per meeting, two-time employee of the year in just two years since joining. You’ve broken every record at Eum. How could I not be curious?”
As Junwoo rattled off the facts, Junhee’s lips pressed tightly together.
“And all the top leaders in the industry are after you. How could I not want to know more?”
Staring at Junwoo’s twisted smile, Junhee frowned slightly.
“You don’t have to praise me. It was mostly luck…”
“If you chalk it all up to luck,”
Junwoo cut him off with a light smile.
“…the odds would have to be ridiculously high.”
There was something thorny hidden in Junwoo’s seemingly casual words, and it made Junhee feel uneasy.
Of course, it was true that the matching app had helped, but since the app limited the number of matches, it didn’t apply to every user.
Moreover, even with a nearly 90% matching rate, there were still cases where relationships didn’t materialize.
But if there was one thing Junhee had realized from using the app, it was this:
“…Just because someone fits your ideal type doesn’t mean the relationship will work.”
Even with different religions, lower incomes, or even different traits, relationships could work out.
That’s why someone who hadn’t appeared in the company’s matching program had shown up with such a high percentage on Junhee’s app.
Because of this, Junhee no longer trusted the company’s matching system or the ideal type surveys printed out on paper.
Through multiple meetings with his assigned members, he conducted in-depth analyses and actively exchanged opinions to select his meeting partner.
In other words, he broadened his perspective by discarding any preconceived notions.
Of course, he knew very well that the app’s power was what brought Junhee to where he was now.
He had no intention of denying that.
“So, I was curious about what kind of person you were. I had been wondering for a while, so it was a real pleasure to finally meet you like this.”
Cha Junwoo’s previously sharp gaze had softened, now resembling the crisp autumn sky.
Junhee had neither anything to say nor felt the need to respond, so he remained silent.
“Do you know what the most viewed post on our company’s website is?”
“…No.”
“It’s the photo of Assistant Yoo Junhee receiving his award.”
Junhee had never even accessed the company website, let alone known this fact.
It seemed absurd, or perhaps there was a technical glitch, given how few posts there likely were.
“Anyway, my initial intentions weren’t entirely pure, but now, I sincerely want to get to know you better, Assistant Yoo.”
Not knowing what to say in response, Junhee absentmindedly scrolled the mouse wheel.
“I noticed you paid for the coffee earlier.”
“…If that upset you, I apologize.”
Was that what bothered him?
Junhee regretted his decision to pay, thinking he should have just left it alone.
“Instead of an apology, allow me to treat you to dinner after the seminar. I also have several questions regarding headquarters’ operations.”
Junhee hesitated for a moment.
Though they worked at different locations, they were still part of the same company.
There was no guarantee they wouldn’t see each other again.
Since he had already revealed that he had no personal ties to the area, it felt awkward to claim he had prior plans to refuse dinner.
Despite being dispatched from headquarters, the gap between his rank as a deputy and Cha Junwoo’s as a general manager was vast.
‘…He seems older than me, and his position is higher.’
To refuse a polite request from someone senior in age and rank, especially as a young man raised in a country that values respect, would be unthinkable.
After a brief internal struggle, Junhee eventually nodded, and Cha Junwoo smiled gently.
The word “End” appeared on the white screen.
“That concludes my presentation. Thank you.”
Contrary to his worries that yawns or jeers might erupt, the presentation ended with applause.
Though Junhee had organized the event partly for his own personal interests, he couldn’t just waste everyone’s time to serve his selfish desires.
He had cut back on sleep to prepare the materials, hoping they would be helpful to others.
Thankfully, the response wasn’t bad.
“If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.”
Though attendance was supposed to be optional due to the last-minute nature of the event, the seminar room was so crowded that extra chairs had to be brought in.
Of course, the person clapping the most enthusiastically was seated in the front row—none other than Team Leader Cha Junwoo.
‘…They said attendance was optional, but in reality, it might have been forced.’
Having worked at the company for several years, Junhee could guess the situation.
Employees under such a passionate manager would likely have felt pressured to attend, whether they wanted to or not.
A few scattered hands were raised, and questions were directed toward Junhee.
“How do you handle difficult clients?”
“What do you think is the accuracy rate of the company’s matching program?”
“Do you get a bonus when you win the top employee award?”
The questions ranged from serious to lighthearted.
Regardless of their nature, Junhee responded earnestly to each one.
Seeing him answer every question sincerely, without brushing off or ignoring any, more and more employees began asking questions.
Eventually…
“Assistant Yoo, do you have a significant other?”
The questions became personal.
Instead of answering, Junhee glanced at his phone screen.
It was 7:29… Thirty minutes had already passed just in the Q&A session.
As the clock shifted from 29 to 30…
Bzzzz—
[Director Ki Taeryu: Photo]
Junhee tore his eyes away from his phone and began packing up his presentation materials.
“I’ll refrain from answering the last question. This concludes the seminar. Thank you.”
As the lights in the seminar room brightened, the employees began filing out one by one.
Some came up to greet Junhee personally, but his mind was elsewhere.
‘…A photo? All of a sudden?’
The thought of the photo Ki Taeryu had sent him consumed his thoughts.
What could it possibly be?
His curiosity was piqued, but he knew that if he opened the message, a read receipt would be sent.
However, ignoring it would gnaw at him.
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
