* * *

His fingers, which had been fidgeting, slowly curled into fists. The thin fists resting on his lap clenched tightly.

The conversation didn’t end there. In fact, they got even more heated.

“People are still talking about it among the secretaries. I heard he only graduated high school? What kind of person brings in someone like that as a secretary? Is Director Tak out of his mind?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started. He dotes on that kid so much. And I heard he’s not even an official employee.”

“Then what is he, a personal secretary? Like a bodyguard or something?”

“Probably. Wow… What’s so special about him that he gets to be a personal secretary? Maybe…”

Assistant Song smirked lewdly, and Assistant Kim crumpled his face in disgust.

“Ugh, you pervert!”

“That guy’s at it again.”

Assistant Park added a comment, and soon they were all laughing amongst themselves.

The sound of their laughter, which he hated to hear, rang sharply in Jingyeom’s ears.

Unable to bear it any longer, he sprang up from his seat.

His heart had started pounding from the moment Jinwoo’s name was mentioned. His heart rate gradually exceeded its usual pace.

Though he knew he shouldn’t get agitated, this was something beyond his control.

Jingyeom deliberately made loud footsteps as he walked forward.

They were still laughing and chatting, unaware of his presence.

“Beige. He’s pretty young too.”

“Have you seen his face?”

“Yeah. I work on the same floor as Director Tak. He came by to make some copies. Our department went wild. His skin’s white, and she’s pretty. At first, I thought he was a celebrity.”

“What? Is he that good-looking? Now I’m curious. Damn, I should’ve gone to the cafeteria. I heard he had lunch there today.”

As the topic of conversation shifted back from Jinwoo to himself, Jingyeom stopped walking. He crossed his arms and glared at the three men’s backs, waiting to see how much more they would say.

They still hadn’t noticed his presence.

One of them crumpled his empty paper cup.

“Damn it. Some of us pay expensive tuition to graduate from a four-year university and even go on training. But a high school graduate gets in through connections. This world is so corrupt.”

“Then why don’t you use your connections too?”

“I would if I had any, idiot!”

“Hahaha.”

“Or try cozying up to Director Tak. Who knows? Maybe you’ll catch his eye like that guy.”

“Ugh, this is annoying.”

“Aren’t the two of them actually involved?”

“How should I know?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Jingyeom looked around.

His eyes caught sight of an abandoned can.

He picked it up, gripped it tightly, and threw it at them with all his might. It struck Assistant Song squarely in the back.

“Ah! What the hell?”

“Who the hell did that?”

They all turned around, shouting, and finally saw Jingyeom glaring at them.

“Beige, huh?”

With his beige suit and pretty face, they recognized her instantly.

Assistant Song, who had been hit by the can, scowled, while Assistant Park, embarrassed at being caught gossiping, averted his eyes and cleared his throat.

Assistant Kim, brushing the brown liquid off his shirt, frowned and spoke.

“If you were here, you could’ve made some noise.”

“Mind your manners.”

“Well, if you’re upset, I can be more polite. But why were you eavesdropping on us? That’s embarrassing.”

Jingyeom let out a laugh in disbelief. He hadn’t expected an apology. He thought they’d at least avoid her if they saw his. It’s rare to encounter someone so brazen after getting caught gossiping.

Jingyeom furrowed his brow and asked, “Embarrassed? Not even a bit sorry?”

“Sorry to you? Why should we be? If anything, you should apologize to us. Look at this! It’s spilled everywhere!”

Assistant Kim shouted, his face twisted in anger. Assistant Song, still annoyed, muttered as he brushed off his clothes.

Throwing the can was clearly wrong. After all, she had thrown an object at someone. But Jingyeom felt no remorse for it.

“We were just complimenting you on how pretty you are. Shouldn’t you be grateful for the praise, instead of throwing a can?”

Jingyeom’s shoulders tensed at Assistant Kim’s outburst. It wasn’t that he was scared of them, but the loud voice made his react instinctively.

‘What awful people are these?’

Jingyeom straightened his shoulders and approached the men. Although they were taller than him, he didn’t feel intimidated.

The fact that they all wore the same company ID cards confirmed they were employees. It made sense given the time and place, but he wanted to be sure.

The tallest of the three, Assistant Kim, leaned in closer as if to intimidate him, looking down at him.

“What are you going to do about this? My shirt and pants are ruined, and your drink splashed on my shirt too.”

“I’ll pay for the cleaning. How much? 5,000 won? 10,000 won?”

“Hah!”

Glaring at Assistant Kim, who was clearly taken aback, Jingyeom continued.

“You can clean the stains, but how will you take back the words you said?”

“What words?”

“Words can’t be taken back once spoken.”

“Oh, come on.”

Assistant Kim looked at Jingyeom with a mix of disbelief and contempt. Someone who looked like they could be blown over by a light breeze was standing firm, making demands.

“I’ll pay for the cleaning. Now apologize!”

“Apologize?”

“For insulting Secretary Baek Jinwoo for being a high school graduate, for calling him a nepotism hire, and for badmouthing Directors Tak and Director Sun! Everything!”

Jingyeom lifted his chin, his eyes wide with determination. But to the men, he was no threat. They just sneered.

Annoyed, Assistant Song shoved Jingyeom hard, causing him to stumble back, pain shooting through his shoulder. He winced involuntarily.

“Seriously, is there something going on?”

“Right? Director Tak? Director Sun? Or is it Secretary Baek? Which one?”

“……”

Jingyeom pressed his lips together, continuing to glare at them. Assistant Park, who had remained quiet until then, tried to intervene.

“Hey, hey. Enough. What’s the point of messing with a kid? We were talking too openly in a public place. Let’s just call it even and stop here.”

“But you haven’t apologized yet.”

“Sigh… I’m saying let’s not make this a bigger deal. What, are you going to report us?”

“I can if I want to.”

Assistant Park had intended to mediate, but things weren’t going as planned.

Jingyeom let out a heavy breath and picked up his phone. The screen showed a missed call from Jinwoo, probably worried since he hadn’t returned from the bathroom.

“Should I call now? Should I gather everyone mentioned here?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m not your ‘hell’. Apologize, and I won’t escalate this.”

“This isn’t the time for you to be so cocky. You got in here through connections. We’re just talking about rumors going around the company. Why are you getting so worked up? Right?”

At Assistant Kim’s words, Jingyeom turned on his phone screen. Assistant Park signaled for them to just apologize and get it over with.

In truth, the three men flinched the moment Jingyeom picked up his phone. They thought they could handle Secretary Baek, but the directors were another story.

“You spoke about rumors as if they were facts! There’s nothing going on between our Jinwoo and Director Tak!”

“……Our Jinwoo?” (TL: Using our (uri) before a name usually means a family.)

Startled, Jingyeom quickly covered his mouth with both hands, but the words were already out.

Her slip reignited the dying flames of conflict.

The men saw their chance and moved in more aggressively. With the difference in size, Jingyeom seemed like easy prey.

“Wow, look at that! Something’s definitely going on. You got in through connections, and now you’re bringing someone else in?”

“…….”

“Come on, say it again. Our Jinwoo.”

“Shouldn’t we post this on the company bulletin board? This is what corruption in hiring looks like.”

Jingyeom racked his brain, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. But nothing came to mind. He was terrified that what he had said might harm Jinwoo.

If he stayed silent, they seemed ready to post it on the company bulletin board, so he had to do something to stop them.

“Then I’ll post on the bulletin board too. Saying you badmouthed the directors in the rooftop garden!”

“Go ahead. Worst case, we get scolded by our boss. But if your connection to Director Tak gets out, it’ll be a much bigger problem.”

Jingyeom hesitated, pondering the potential impact on Director Tak rather than Jinwoo. Suddenly, his phone vibrated, startling his. It was Jinwoo calling.

‘What should I do?’

‘It seemed like I’d made a mess by stepping in, but there was no way I could actually call Jinwoo here. It felt like I’d caused a big incident on my first day at work.’

But Jingyeom’s worry didn’t last long. The rooftop door burst open, and Jinwoo rushed in, panting heavily with his phone in hand.

When he saw Jingyeom, Jinwoo gripped his phone tightly and approached him with a fierce intensity.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

* * *