* * *
“What was that just now?”
What did he just hear?
He stared blankly ahead, his cup of instant coffee growing lukewarm in his hands.
The breeze was cool, the midday air crisp—the perfect conditions to clear his mind.
“…Huh?”
But his thoughts only tangled further.
‘Let’s go over that situation again.’
Two men had appeared.
Without even checking if anyone else was around, they were too absorbed in their conversation.
And the subject of their talk? Incredibly intriguing. One of them seemed like someone who shouldn’t have returned, while the other was on edge, as if his position was now threatened.
“…We just wrapped up an Alpha and Omega romance, and now we’re doing corporate intrigue?”
What kind of novel was this? No, more importantly, why were they trying to drag a finished story into some weird new direction?
‘Wait… is this part of a side story he never got to read?’
Or was this a completely new development that had veered off from the original plot?
That aside, what he just witnessed—
“Ugh…!”
“Whoa! What the hell?!”
A sudden scream startled him. He wasn’t the only one caught off guard.
The person who had rushed over to him stopped short, looking at him suspiciously.
“Assistant Manager Gil, was anyone near you just now?”
There was no doubt the scream had come from him.
“No. What’s the matter, Manager Yoo?”
“…Really? Just now…”
Manager Yoo hesitated, as if debating whether he should even ask.
“Eh, never mind. No way that weird noise came from you, right? Your face is as stiff as a concrete wall, as always.”
Excuse him? What was wrong with his face?
He glared at him, but Manager Yoo took it as something else and kept rambling.
“Anyway, don’t be so cold all the time. If someone around you is sick or needs help, try to be a little more considerate. Not that I need to tell you that—you’re probably already good at it.”
What was he even talking about?
Typical Manager Yoo. Just like in every joint planning meeting, he had a knack for going in circles and dragging out conversations unnecessarily.
“But seriously, that talk about the CEO position just now—that wasn’t you, right, Assistant Manager Gil?”
Ah, that.
“No.”
Of course not.
Even if he knew who it was, he had no intention of saying anything. He simply nodded.
“Then, I’ll get going first.”
“Ah, sure. Oh, wait, Gil.”
He had just stood up to leave when Manager Yoo stopped him again.
Why was everyone blocking his way today?
“Yes?”
“The new Chief Director stopped by Planning Team 1 yesterday, didn’t he?”
“So?”
“You don’t suppose the new TF team appointee is from your team, do you?”
There were three planning teams in total. Manager Yoo was in Planning Team 3, which meant he was fishing for information.
“Nope.”
“Really?”
He didn’t look convinced.
‘Well, he wouldn’t be either.’
Sure enough, he tried another approach.
“You didn’t hear anything from Manager Shin either?”
“No, nothing.”
“Ah… Manager Shin reports directly to Director Min, so…”
“I don’t know anything about their conversation, either.”
He cut him off firmly, and Manager Yoo clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“You really don’t leave any openings, huh? Fine, fine. Go ahead. I’ve kept you from your work long enough.”
He waved him away, finally letting him leave.
‘Look who’s talking.’
He kept his expression neutral, but his eyes said everything.
Who was he to lecture him? He spent more time wandering around than actually sitting at his desk working.
‘Ugh, what a pain.’
If even a manager from another planning team was asking about this, then the rumors were already spreading through the company.
‘If someone from our team really gets picked, people are going to start complaining that only Director Jeon’s faction gets all the good opportunities.’
What a headache.
Office politics were the last thing he wanted to get involved in.
Yet somehow, he’d found himself right in the middle of the storm.
And all because of—
If he traced everything back, it all started three years ago.
With one phone call.
Back then, he was in the thick of job hunting, preparing for graduation, when his phone rang.
A number starting with 02.
Which usually meant one of three things:
Spam, telemarketing, or a wrong number.
But these days, there was a fourth possibility—
A call from the HR department of a company where he had recently interviewed.
“Hello?”
He answered, half-hoping for the best.
—Is this Gil Wookyung?
“Yes, this is Gil Wookyung. Who’s calling?”
—My name is Shin Jaehyun, from the Planning Team 1 at HK Furniture.
Huh?
His tone was formal, but his name sounded oddly familiar.
Now that he thought about it, his voice, too, seemed like one he’d heard before.
And if he was a deputy manager at HK Furniture’s Planning Team 1, then there was only one person he knew who fit that description.
“Jaehyun hyung?”
—Haha… Yeah, Wookyung. Been a while. How’ve you been?
As soon as he recognized him, his tone relaxed into something friendlier.
Even as he asked warmly how he was doing, he still couldn’t fully grasp the situation.
“Uh… good. But, this number… are you calling from work?”
—Yeah. You applied to one of HK Group’s subsidiaries recently, didn’t you?
“Yeah, I did.”
—That’s why I called. Would you be interested in joining the planning team?
“The planning team?”
—Yeah. Given your major and skills, I think you’d be a perfect fit. I’ve known you for a while, and I really think this job would suit you.
Then, he started explaining exactly what the planning team did, what his role would be, and how it could shape his career.
‘Since when was he this good at sales?’
He sounded like a seasoned salesman.
Of course, back in school, he was always great at presentations—so much so that both professors and employers constantly praised him.
“Me?”
“Yeah. Thinking about all the help I’ve received from you, I figured it’d be great to have you working by my side. Of course, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s really because I think you’d be a good fit for the job!”
That statement made his face involuntarily scrunch up.
No matter how he tried to convince him now, he wasn’t falling for it.
He already knew the real reason—they just wanted someone to clean up their mess.
He had no reason to stick around the main couple anymore.
Their story was already over, and from firsthand experience, he knew that staying close to them would only bring him headaches.
“I heard you said this in your interview. That you applied to our company because it allows you to showcase your abilities properly and offers good benefits.”
He was about to refuse when Shin Jaehyun spoke again, his voice tinged with amusement.
How the hell did the head of a different department hear about what he said in his interview?
“This is exactly why nepotism, school ties, and regional connections are a problem!”
As he grumbled internally, Shin Jaehyun delivered the final blow.
“Our company is really great. There’s hardly any overtime, work is well distributed among teams, and, most importantly, the starting salary is 5 million won higher than where you originally applied.”
Right… they were offering more money…
“I should’ve refused, no matter how tempting it was back then.”
I ended up in this mess because I fell for Shin Jaehyun’s sweet-talking.
Gazing at his monitor, Wookyung regretted his decision from years ago.
But no matter how much he regretted it, nothing would change.
“Oh… I knew this would happen.”
At the sudden voice from behind, he quickly covered his monitor.
But they both knew it was useless.
“What are you hiding? Come on, I already had a feeling.”
Assistant Manager Kim chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Haah…”
He wished he’d just take his hand off. Instead of saying anything, Wookyung simply got up from his seat, knowing that action spoke louder than words.
As expected, Assistant Manager Kim was grinning at him.
But that grin wasn’t just a simple smile—it gleamed with envy and jealousy.
“Congratulations, Assistant Manager Gil.”
“Wow! Assistant Manager Gil, is it official? Congratulations!”
“Congrats, Assistant Manager Gil.”
Starting with Assistant Manager Kim, applause and congratulations erupted from all directions, as if everyone had been waiting for this moment.
It wasn’t welcome at all.
But no matter how much he wanted to deny it, the reality before him wasn’t changing.
That’s right.
The damn thing he had wanted to avoid so desperately…
“Assistant Manager Gil, looks like you’ll be busy with the TF team instead of Planning Team 1 for a while.”
His fate—working under Director Choi—had drawn near.
* * *
