* * *

“I’ll have lunch with Jinwoo.”

“I know. I’m saying let me join you.”

“That’s fine.”

Jingyeom nodded in agreement.

They only had to turn the corner, but Soohyuk insisted on walking with them.

“Aren’t you busy, Director? Jinwoo was carrying a stack of documents for his morning report.”

“I am busy. I’ve already received the morning report. You know, I keep hearing nags from you that even my secretary doesn’t give me.”

“Oh… I didn’t mean to. Did that upset you?”

“No, I like it because it shows you care. You’re saying it because you’re interested in me.”

Soohyuk’s expression softened. His usual smile was there, but it was calmer. To Jingyeom, this side of him seemed more natural.

Wonbeom was a sharp-looking handsome man, so Soohyuk, as the secondary lead, was likely designed with a more friendly appearance.

It was probably to create a contrast, and it suited him well.

“Director Sun.”

Secretary Yang stood up when he spotted him.

“Is Secretary Baek still inside?”

“Yes, there’s a lot to report. Should I inform them you’re here?”

“No, that’s okay. I just came by while dropping off someone. I’ll be back at lunch.”

The last part was directed at Jingyeom.

Secretary Yang watched Soohyuk walk away before sitting down.

“How did you two come in together?”

“I was making copies, and the director came by. Here you go.”

“Oh, thank you. What did he mean by coming back at lunch?”

“He asked if we could have lunch together. We’re eating at the cafeteria… Do you think the director will eat there too?”

On the bus this morning, Jingyeom had asked Jinwoo if there was a cafeteria. As soon as Jinwoo said yes, he insisted they had to eat there today.

Eating out was nice, but he wanted to experience the cafeteria. He was curious about what it would be like to receive food on a tray and eat in that bustling atmosphere, regardless of the taste.

When Jingyeom asked in concern, Secretary Yang raised an eyebrow and smiled. His lips were full of amusement.

“He’s definitely going to eat there today. The cafeteria is going to be very noisy.”

Secretary Yang’s face bloomed with laughter.

“Jingyeom, could you please put the copies into this file, two pages at a time like this? It’s easier to read when the content continues on the next page. Do that, and then take a short break.”

“Okay!”

With the task in hand, Secretary Yang hummed as he organized the meeting materials.

Jingyeom, not knowing why Secretary Yang was in such a good mood, found his own spirits lifted as he worked, humming along.

When Wonbeom and Secretary Yang left for the meeting, only Jinwoo and Jingyeom remained.

Despite his busy schedule, Jinwoo gave Jingyeom simple tasks to keep him from getting bored, such as organizing prints and documents, as there wasn’t much else he could do.

While diligently organizing the documents, Jingyeom suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

“Are we having lunch with Secretary Yang?”

“No. One of us has to stay here, so we eat separately.”

If Wonbeom was away or on a business trip, they sometimes ate together, but usually, one of them stayed behind to keep track of visitors.

“Today, I’ll eat first, so you can go out with me later.”

“You eat separately. What about the director?”

“He eats when he wants.”

Most of Wonbeom’s meals were managed by Secretary Yang, and if there were no lunch appointments, they usually reserved a nearby restaurant.

Jinwoo had joined him since he started working there.

But today, he was determined to have lunch with just Jingyeom.

He hadn’t even considered anyone else.

However, when he heard that Director Sun would be joining them for lunch, Jinwoo had to pause what he was doing.

“With Director Sun?”

“Yeah. I met him while making copies earlier, and he asked to join us for lunch.”

Jinwoo’s lips twitched.

“Director Sun doesn’t usually eat at the cafeteria. It’s fine if we eat by ourselves.”

“But he said he’d come for lunch. Is that okay?”

“…He’s coming? Here?”

When Jingyeom nodded, Jinwoo closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.

He gripped the mouse in his hand tightly, feeling its shape clearly.

He had braced himself for this.

Working in the same company, in the same building, meant they would inevitably run into each other more often.

Especially since Director Tak was right in front of them, it was only natural they’d meet more frequently.

At least Director Sun worked on a different floor, and with the embezzlement issue at the overseas branch, he was busy enough that Jinwoo had felt somewhat at ease… for a while.

Last time, Soohyuk had gone to the overseas branch himself to assess the situation, but since it wasn’t fully resolved, he was supposed to go again soon.

With his departure date approaching, Jinwoo had thought he could ignore it for a little while longer, but it seemed the director had sought him out on the first day.

It wasn’t even surprising anymore.

Jinwoo smiled brightly as he watched Jingyeom quietly organizing the documents beside him.

He’d noticed it yesterday when Jingyeom wore a suit—it suited him very well.

While he would look good in anything, there was something different about the suit.

Plus, being in the office with Jingyeom next to him gave Jinwoo a strange feeling.

“Working together like this isn’t so bad.”

“Hmm?”

Jingyeom, concentrating so as not to make a mistake, hadn’t heard him and asked again.

“I said I like it. Being with you.”

“I like it too. Being with you.”

Jingyeom replied with a bright smile.

As lunchtime approached, rumors about Jingyeom had spread throughout the office.

The most popular rumor was that he was a “new parachute secretary.”

The source was the HR department.

A staff member there had spoken with Secretary Yang while making an employee ID for Jingyeom.

Secretary Yang had only given them a basic resume, stating that Jingyeom was a temporary worker for about two weeks.

The HR staff didn’t think much of it at the time, but since it wasn’t a hiring season and they were making an ID for a temporary worker without a proper resume, it stuck in their memory.

Although Secretary Yang had asked them to keep it quiet to avoid stirring up trouble, the rumor had spread anyway.

When Jinwoo first started, the company had also been abuzz with rumors.

Most employees had gone through a competitive hiring process, while Jinwoo had joined through connections, so there had been plenty of gossip.

Even now, many employees didn’t look favorably upon him. Some still glared or muttered as he passed by.

Jinwoo himself didn’t pay attention to it, so there hadn’t been any major issues so far.

Secretary Yang chuckled at the constant notifications from the secretaries’ group chat under his monitor.

“Rumors spread fast.”

It had only been three hours since Jingyeom started, but with everyone having access to messaging apps, word spread quickly.

Most of the chatter was about the “beige suit guy.” T

he only thing they knew for sure was that he was connected to Director Tak and Director Sun.

Seeing him arrive with Secretary Baek and the way Director Tak had been so friendly, it wasn’t hard to guess they knew each other.

In fact, only Secretary Yang had seen it, but another employee had witnessed Director Tak ruffling Jingyeom’s hair. That likely added fuel to the rumor.

After seeing Jingyeom and Director Sun talking by the copier and then walking together towards Director Tak’s office, it was almost certain they knew each other.

But that didn’t stop other rumors from flying.

Some speculated that he was the chairman’s hidden son, while others thought he was the grandson.

Some said he was a client.

Others claimed he was Director Tak’s guest.

Some even suggested he was a foreign buyer.

The most absurd rumor was that Jingyeom and Director Tak were in some kind of relationship.

As Secretary Yang read through the document, he let out a wry chuckle without realizing it.

It was a reaction eerily similar to when Jinwoo first arrived.

Taking advantage of Jingyeom’s absence as he went to the restroom, Secretary Yang nudged Jinwoo.

“You said you’re eating at the cafeteria today, right?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

Secretary Yang, who had been scrolling down the mouse wheel, lowered his voice and warned him.

“If possible, eat outside. There are more eyes on you than you’d think.”

“…Is that so?”

“I know Secretary Baek doesn’t care about things like that, but I’m not sure about Jingyeom, so I can’t say for certain.”

The last time Secretary Yang saw Jingyeom, he was clutching his chest and collapsing.

He had temporarily forgotten that Jingyeom was sick because he seemed so happy and cheerful while walking around Wolmido.

He didn’t appear sick at all. In fact, his bright demeanor made it even less obvious.

“We wouldn’t want him to get stressed out for no reason.”

“Has the rumor already spread?”

“It’s causing quite a stir. It’s chaos. With the current embezzlement scandal, the company’s atmosphere is already bad, so they’re jumping on anything they can. Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about Jingyeom coming at this time.”

“Secretary Yang…”

As Jinwoo’s voice dropped, Secretary Yang lightly tapped his arm.

“Don’t take it the wrong way. That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried that this chaotic atmosphere might have a bad influence. It’s frustrating to be scrutinized for something you didn’t do wrong.”

It was hard to argue with that.

The company atmosphere is indeed bad right now. Even though the incident happened at a foreign branch, there’s a strong possibility that there are accomplices domestically, so there are rumors of a major audit taking place.

As a result, Wonbeom also had a lot on his plate. Today’s meeting was about that too.

Jinwoo rubbed his forehead with his fingers and forced a smile. He knew that Secretary Yang wasn’t speaking out of ill intent but out of concern.

“You know that two weeks is enough time for him to end up on the chopping block, right?”

“…I know.”

“Keep an eye on him. I think the impact might be stronger than expected.”

While Jinwoo had anticipated some commotion, the reaction was much more intense, likely because Jingyeom stood out so much. He regretted recommending him for the job.

“Well, he’ll manage somehow.”

* * *