* * *
His gaze, which had been following Wookyung as he gradually disappeared into the distance, finally lowered.
In his hand was a cold beverage.
As he brushed his thumb across the condensation forming on the surface, the playful-looking letters came into view.
“Does he know?”
He probably didn’t.
Running his fingernail over the two characters, he almost felt the lingering sensation from when they had briefly touched just moments ago.
It felt both regretful and oddly ticklish, so he rolled the can around in his palm again.
The cool sensation wasn’t bad.
“Cute.”
The corners of his lips curved into a long arc.
It didn’t seem like he would be able to drink this after all.
He tucked it into his pocket and turned around.
His body had felt a little heavy from frequent overtime, but thanks to this unexpected stroke of luck, his fatigue vanished almost instantly.
He might as well go back and finish what he had been working on.
As he got into the car, his eyes drifted again to where Wookyung had disappeared.
“I’ll stop here for today.”
If he approached too suddenly, the other would just skitter away like a wary little animal.
It would be better to move a bit more cautiously.
Sa-heon hesitated over where to place the drink he had received before finally setting it on the dashboard.
As he started the car, his gaze inadvertently landed on the aluminum can.
“Assistant Manager Gil, could you take a look at this?”
Hearing someone call for him, Wookyung turned around.
Senior Associate Sun was waving her hand, signaling him to come over quickly.
She had been tasked with gathering various design references as he had requested, so Wookyung had no choice but to put aside what he was doing and head over.
“What do you think? Anything that stands out?”
At her question, he scanned the screen filled with thumbnails.
These were designs that had been proposed countless times within the company, only to be rejected and buried.
“Hmm… They all look good overall, but I’d go with this one. It fits better with what I’m currently planning.”
“I thought so!”
“Yeah. Since it’s a space meant for call center employees who use phones frequently, it also needs to facilitate smooth communication between staff.”
“So, you’re saying this type of layout would work?”
“It still needs some refining, though.”
At Wookyung’s response, Senior Associate Sun nodded.
“This is why I like your planning, Assistant Manager Gil. It’s neat and intuitive.”
“Haha…”
She was complimenting him even though his proposals had been rejected multiple times.
After much deliberation, Wookyung had decided to completely overhaul his approach, following Director Choi’s advice.
Instead of targeting home furniture, he had shifted to office furniture.
Entering the corporate market seemed like a much easier first step than personal residential spaces.
This meant starting from scratch with data collection and research.
Associate Choi, two designers, and even Assistant Manager Pyeon had pitched in to help.
“Between this one and this one, which do you prefer?”
Senior Associate Sun had been especially proactive.
Since her main responsibility was designing once the plan was finalized, it made sense.
This time, a new set of images appeared on the screen.
They had a similar open layout but incorporated more greenery, making the design feel more eco-friendly.
“Hmm… This one’s better. It creates a café-like atmosphere while still clearly defining personal spaces.”
“This was your design, wasn’t it?”
At her sudden question, Wookyung frowned slightly in discomfort.
He hadn’t worked on this with Senior Associate Sun, and the materials he had submitted didn’t include the planner’s name.
He had assumed no one would know.
“Well, yeah…”
“Why do you look so embarrassed?”
“Because I got chewed out for it back then.”
“Yeah, it was pretty bold.”
As the two continued chatting, Wookyung suddenly felt a gaze on him.
Turning around, he locked eyes with Director Choi.
He wondered if the director had something to say, so he remained still and waited.
However, Associate Choi simply kept looking at him without saying anything.
“I still think this one is a shame. Honestly, just thinking of this kind of layout was impressive. How did you even come up with this…?”
Senior Associate Sun, unaware that Wookyung was no longer focused on her, continued speaking.
“That’s why when you said you were shifting to office spaces, this was the first thing that came to mind.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So, to be honest, I was hoping—”
Hoping?
Just as Wookyung was about to turn back toward her, a voice cut in.
“Which reference are you talking about? Are you referring to the showroom inspired by phone booths?”
Director Choi, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
Senior Associate Sun flinched visibly, startled that he had addressed them.
“Huh? Oh—um, yes?”
“I was just curious about the material you mentioned.”
“Ah…”
She cast Wookyung a pleading look for help.
He was just as bewildered.
Why the sudden interest?
What had prompted this?
When he had sent Director Choi various documents, he had deliberately left out his own proposals.
To be precise, they were proposals that hadn’t been selected.
And among them, the one Senior Associate Sun had called innovative had been brutally shot down by Director Min, who had dismissed it as impractical and inefficient.
“That one caused quite a fight between Manager Shin and Director Min… and I ended up stuck in the middle, walking on eggshells the whole time.”
Manager Shin had originally instructed them to develop home workspaces for remote employees, considering the rise in work-from-home setups.
After months of effort, Wookyung had finally presented his plan, which Shin had praised and admired.
But when they had taken it to Director Min, he had rejected it outright, barely even reviewing it, and criticized it heavily.
This had enraged Shin, sparking a heated argument that nearly led to resignations.
“I’m sorry for the emotional outburst, but realistically, this just won’t work. There’s no demand for something like this.”
Min had been right.
Even Wookyung had acknowledged the lack of practicality while drafting the plan.
But he had wanted to try it at least once—and had been unexpectedly pleased when Manager Shin had praised his idea.
“Well… Even though corporate culture has changed a lot, this would still be difficult in Korea.”
A sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Whipping his head around, he saw Director Choi stroking his chin while staring at the monitor.
It seemed Senior Associate Sun had sent over the old proposal while he had been distracted.
He tensed, waiting for Choi’s next words.
“But considering that our target market this time is overseas clients, this could work. Let’s go with this.”
“What?”
“Why? Do you have an issue with it, Assistant Manager Gil?”
“No… It’s just…”
That was merely an old concept they had pulled up for reference.
It had been a project he had long since forgotten—a plan that had been rejected so decisively even he had admitted it was too ambitious.
And yet, Director Choi had now brought it back to life.
Had he really heard that correctly?
Was he looking at the same thing?
It had to be a misunderstanding, right?
“Which proposal are you referring to, Director?”
In the end, Wookyung voiced his question.
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t seem like something that was said just from seeing that.
Honestly, he just hoped that Senior Associate Sun hadn’t brought up what he had told her.
“You mean the design that looks like a phone booth?”
“Ah…”
Unfortunately, it was a vain hope.
“Assistant Manage Gil, what is it? Let me see too.”
The voice of Senior Associate Lee, who was sitting next to Senior Associate Sun, whispered clearly in his ear.
He could have just used the messenger, but instead, he leaned forward past the monitor, allowing Wookyung to see everything as well.
For some reason, his face felt hot, and his eyelids fluttered slightly.
Of course, on the surface, there wasn’t much change, so no one noticed.
“I’m sure it will generate a good response. So don’t worry and proceed.”
Director Choi sealed it with finality.
Wookyung’s eyes flickered with complexity.
But there was no going back.
Strange. It was definitely an uncomfortable situation.
Yet, he felt a slight thrill.
He bit the inside of his cheek and nodded his head.
He had to admit it.
Honestly, he liked it.
The fact that Director Choi was the one who revived his project, which he had thought would be buried for good.
‘He might be a decent person.’
Even if their first meeting had been closer to a bad encounter.
Even if there had been an unintentional distance created due to unwanted interactions afterward.
At the very least, he was someone who recognized his efforts.
And for the first time, Wookyung felt something close to fondness toward Director Choi.
His steps back to his seat were lighter than usual. Director Choi, who had been quietly watching him, soon turned back to his monitor, refocusing on work.
* * *
