* * *
[Associate Choi: Assistant Manager Gil, how late did you stay last night?]
While Wookyung was busy organizing reports, a message came from Associate Choi.
He figured Associate Choi felt guilty for leaving him alone the previous day, so he replied that he had gone home before midnight.
The response came back with a crying emoji and an apology.
‘Why is he crying?’
There was no need for Associate Choi to stay any longer once he finished his assigned tasks.
[Associate Choi: Then were you in the office alone the whole time? If I had known, I would have at least bought you a sandwich before leaving.]
[Assistant Manager Gil: No. Director Choi brought tuna sushi, so we ate together while working.]
It seemed like Associate Choi felt bad for leaving first.
To ease his guilt, Wookyung mentioned that he had been with Director Choi, but after that, the conversation ended.
He let it go and refocused on his work.
If he wanted to have lunch in peace, he had to finish at least a year’s worth of reports by noon.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Assistant Manager Gil!]
[Assistant Manager Kim: Assistant Manager Gil, respond! Over!]
The office messenger was unusually chaotic that day.
Wookyung wanted to ignore it, but Assistant Manager Kim was annoyingly persistent.
If he didn’t reply, the messages would only continue.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Assistant Manager Gil, say something! Are you alive?]
[Assistant Manager Gil: What?]
[Assistant Manager Kim: Finally, a reply! Did you know?]
[Assistant Manager Gil: Know what?]
[Assistant Manager Kim: Director Choi. Apparently, the CEO was the one who brought him here from the U.S.]
So what?
Wookyung didn’t know and didn’t care to know.
Wasting time on gossip felt pointless.
It was far more productive to review another document or draft a new proposal.
Unfortunately, Assistant Manager Kim didn’t share that mindset.
The messages kept coming.
[Assistant Manager Kim: But because of that, Director Min is in a tough spot.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: He thought he was going to inherit the company, but now he sees Director Choi as a threat to his position.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: So lately, Director Min’s expression hasn’t been great.]
[Assistant Manager Gil: Oh. Okay.]
That was probably not the real reason.
If Director Min was in a bad mood, it was more likely because of Manager Shin.
‘If the CEO really is using Director Choi to pressure Director Min, then it’s probably because she wants to force him into marriage with an Omega she approves of.’
Not that it concerned him.
Whether the main characters had a love story for the ages or not didn’t matter, as long as it didn’t interfere with work.
Still, if he ignored Assistant Manager Kim completely, there would be complaints about not giving him any attention.
So, he replied half-heartedly while going through some documents.
A sudden realization struck him—he had sent the documents that Associate Choi submitted yesterday to Director Choi without properly organizing them.
‘Did he end up working late because of that?’
If so, Wookyung might feel 0.000001% guilty.
Those files had been a mess.
Since he needed to review them anyway, he had asked Associate Choi to attach everything he found, regardless of the date or title.
He sent that straight to Director Choi, meaning the sorting alone must have taken a while.
“Everyone, gather for a moment.”
Just as Wookyung was thinking about Director Choi, he appeared.
He looked up in surprise to see Director Choi already heading toward the conference table.
‘Sigh…’
Why did interruptions pile up when he was the busiest?
He stared at his monitor with lingering regret before reluctantly getting up.
As he walked over, his eyes scanned the room to find a seat.
When his gaze met Director Choi’s, the director gestured for him to sit beside him.
Without a word, Wookyung obeyed.
Just as he was about to sit, the chair next to him scraped back.
He turned to see Associate Choi, his face full of discontent.
When Wookyung made eye contact, Associate Choi quickly looked away.
‘What’s up with him?’
He had no idea. But if Associate Choi had something to say, he’d say it eventually.
“You all reviewed the documents I sent yesterday, correct?”
Director Choi scanned the room, his gaze pausing briefly on Wookyung before landing on Associate Choi.
For a moment, Associate Choi’s eyes flashed with something unreadable—was Wookyung imagining things?
There was no way he actually glared at his superior.
No matter their blood relation, this was still a workplace.
“Our goal is the upcoming furniture expo in the U.S. next year.”
Director Choi’s statement brought Wookyung back to reality.
“Which location are you referring to? New York? North Carolina? Or Chicago?”
“That depends on our focus.”
When Wookyung mentioned locations, Director Choi seemed to grasp the underlying meaning instantly.
A smirk tugged at the director’s lips.
“What do you think, Assistant Manager Gil?”
“Well…”
What was he getting at?
HK Furniture had always specialized in home interiors.
Naturally, they would focus on residential furniture again.
“Give it some thought. It’s our first time entering this market, so all possibilities are open.”
“…Are you saying anything is fine?”
“If it’s what Assistant Manager Gil wants, then anything.”
…What the hell?
That didn’t sound like something meant for a workplace.
Instinctively, Wookyung checked the reactions of the other employees.
Sure enough, they all had strange expressions.
Assistant Manager Oh, in particular, was giving him a bewildered look, as if asking, ‘What the hell is going on?’
He didn’t know either. Someone else could ask instead.
“…Alright. I’ll think about it.”
Wookyung rubbed his temple, frustration creeping in.
Director Choi’s lips curled slightly before returning to their usual neutral position.
“Alright, let’s get to work.”
After another sweep of the room, he began assigning tasks efficiently.
By the time the meeting ended, lunchtime was approaching.
Wookyung checked the time anxiously, waiting for the right moment to leave.
The problem was that the design team’s meeting hadn’t ended yet.
“We’ll support Assistant Manager Gil from the planning stage so that things go smoothly. Let us know if you need anything,” Senior Associate Sun said with a bright smile.
“Thank you. I’ll try to deliver results as quickly as possible.”
Right now, he needed to get out of there.
His phone had been lighting up for a while.
It was probably the Omega’s father trying to contact him.
But with his boss right next to him, he couldn’t check it.
“Let’s have an early lunch today. We need the energy for the afternoon.”
For once, Director Choi was being reasonable.
Wookyung wasted no time standing up.
“I have plans, so I’ll be eating separately.”
“Enjoy your meal, Assistant Manager Gil.”
“See you later.”
“Where are you going?”
Amid the casual farewells, Associate Choi’s sudden question made Wookyung freeze, phone in hand.
“Hm?”
“Who are you eating with?”
Director Choi’s gaze was sharp, demanding an answer.
‘What’s with him today?’
“…My father said he’d be coming to the office today.”
“Oh…”
The tension clouding Director Choi’s expression dissolved almost instantly, his eyes losing focus.
Wookyung had no idea what was wrong with him.
He tilted his head slightly in confusion before picking up his phone.
As expected, there was a message from Han Seokyung, saying he was waiting in front of the company.
“Yes, Dad. It’s me. I’m coming out now. Just wait a moment,” he said, making the call as he hurriedly left the office.
As Wookyung walked toward the elevator, he listened to his father reassuring him to take his time.
But even as he focused on the conversation, he couldn’t shake off the subtle awareness of someone behind him.
When he turned around, Director Choi was there.
“Enjoy your meal,” Wookyung offered, assuming the man was heading off to eat separately.
His tone was polite, distant. Director Choi merely smiled in response.
“You too, Assistant Manager Wookyung.”
He stepped into the arriving elevator first, leaving Wookyung no choice but to follow.
Making an effort to establish as much distance as possible, Wookyung moved to the farthest corner, hoping to avoid further interaction.
He worried that Director Choi might start a conversation, but before he could, the elevator stopped on the next floor, and other employees entered, creating a natural barrier.
When they reached the lobby, Director Choi exited first without a backward glance.
Relieved, Wookyung quickened his pace.
As he stepped outside, his gaze swept across the entrance until it landed on a familiar figure sitting on the flowerbed.
He instinctively raised his hand to wave but froze mid-motion.
“Huh?”
Something about the person speaking to his Omega father felt oddly familiar.
His brows furrowed slightly as he tilted his head in confusion.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the man turned around.
It was Director Choi.
* * *
