* * *
Just as he was about to take a step forward, he hesitated.
He couldn’t bring himself to ignore it.
Turning around in a hurry, he saw that Director Choi was still standing there.
“What’s wrong, Assistant Manager Wookyung?”
For some reason, Wookyung felt like Director Choi had been waiting for him to ask that very question. So he didn’t hesitate.
“Why did you show my proposal to the CEO?”
Of course, the CEO has the final say, so it makes sense.
But why now, of all times?
Why that particular proposal?
And why ask him to bring it?
Now that he’d said it out loud, he was really curious.
He shot Director Choi a look, urging him to speak.
But Director Choi just stared at him in silence.
What the hell? Why was he acting like this, making him even more curious?
Did this have something to do with something he wasn’t aware of?
“The CEO insisted on reviewing it, so I had no choice. Honestly, it’s tiring. I don’t know why he keeps calling me in, asking about this and that. It’s annoying, to be honest. You think so too, right, Assistant Manager Wookyung?”
No. Not at all.
I just want to know why my proposal ended up in the CEO’s office.
“As you know, the CEO tends to take an excessive interest in my work. But he’s not trying to nitpick or anything, so don’t worry about it.”
“Nitpick?”
That didn’t sound reassuring.
If the CEO found out that he was the one who came up with the idea, he’d probably end up nitpicking something that wasn’t even an issue in the first place.
Especially now, when the main couple was going through a rough patch.
This time, he might actually call him in just to say the same kind of thing as before.
“So that’s happened before?”
“Haha… Yeah. You remember that time I was suddenly called in? The day we ended up on the same team. He was acting so concerned, making a fuss about it…”
This was bad.
Really bad.
Did Director Choi not realize where they were standing right now?
The office door had a big sign that said CEO’s Office!
“Uh, Director Choi…”
“I already knew he was a meddlesome guy, but I didn’t expect him to be this hands-on. No wonder Director Min still acts so immature for his age.”
So I’m not the only one who thinks Director Min doesn’t act his age?
That’s actually reassuring to hear.
But does he really have to say that here?
Right now?
Can’t he just keep quiet and go inside the office?
‘Why is he saying things like this where I can hear them? Sure, he can get away with it because he has connections, but I’m just a regular employee with no power. I can’t afford that kind of risk!’
“Anyway, this is just a formality, so there’s no need to worry.”
“But does the CEO know this proposal was rejected before?”
“The CEO?”
Director Choi gave him a questioning look, as if to ask how the CEO could possibly know that.
Wookyung swallowed hard.
If he said it out loud, he’d have to reveal a secret he hadn’t shared with Director Choi until now.
“Director Min was against it.”
“As expected, his judgment is terrible.”
The blunt assessment was merciless.
Thinking back, Director Choi and Director Min hadn’t exactly been on good terms from the moment they first met.
“You don’t get along with Director Min?”
“There’s nothing to get along with.”
“But still—”
“It’s frustrating that he doesn’t know how to separate work from his personal life.”
Wookyung wholeheartedly agreed.
Sometimes, it really seemed like Director Min thought of the office as his personal playground.
“Is he really the main character?”
There were times when he doubted it.
And he often wondered if the CEO could truly entrust the company to someone like Director Min.
Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if the rumors were wrong and the real reason the CEO brought in Director Choi wasn’t as a shock treatment, but for something else entirely.
“Regardless of what Director Min is like or what the CEO expects from him, that’s none of my business. I just do what’s required of me. So don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”
That was exactly what he wanted to know—what handling it actually meant.
But Director Choi just kept talking in riddles.
He sighed.
Well, as long as it didn’t cause him any trouble, then whatever.
“Buy lots of delicious food and wait for me.”
Director Choi smiled as he turned Wookyung around by the shoulders.
Something about this felt suspicious, but there wasn’t much he could say about it.
Wookyung frowned but had no choice but to leave the CEO’s office.
As he stepped out, he glanced back.
Director Choi was still standing there, waving at him.
He looked almost like a mischievous student.
“It doesn’t suit him.”
That kind of playful behavior didn’t match his physique and looks at all.
If anything, someone like Director Choi should have been the model student—the class president who had all the teachers’ attention and admiration.
Had he been this tall back then too?
Well, considering he was an Alpha, probably. He must have been popular. He looked athletic too.
“Come to think of it… he did say he moved to the U.S. when he was fifteen.”
That detail from his past, which he’d brushed off before, suddenly came to mind.
So that meant he wasn’t here since childhood.
Though it wasn’t uncommon for chaebol families to send their kids abroad around that age.
For a moment, he wondered—if they’d been the same age, could they have attended the same school?
But he quickly shook the thought away.
“Why would I care? Shoo, forget it, forget it.”
He glanced down at the card in his hand before slipping it into his pocket.
Then he pulled out his phone to check if Senior Associate Sun had changed their order.
Since he’d been given a card with no spending limit, he figured it was an invitation to order something more expensive.
[Senior Associate Sun: Thinking about it, maybe eating a hot dog this late isn’t a good idea.
Senior Associate Sun: Please remove that from the order~]
Instead, the total cost went down.
He shouldn’t have asked.
He needed to spend money, not save it.
Feeling a little disappointed, he absentmindedly fiddled with the card in his pocket as he headed toward the snack shop in the basement.
He placed the order and was waiting when he sensed someone approaching from behind.
Probably another office worker grabbing a late-night meal.
Since the place was tiny, with only four tables in a space barely three pyeong wide, he stepped aside to let them pass.
“Did you get everything?”
The voice was familiar.
He turned around.
Of course.
It was Director Choi.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I saw the elevator coming up from the basement and took a guess.”
“…Your intuition is sharp.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Wookyung stared at him, slightly dumbfounded, when the shop owner appeared with a bag full of food.
“Here you go!”
A long arm reached past Wookyung’s shoulder to take it.
“Thank you.”
The low voice resonated right next to his ear, making him flinch.
He wasn’t sure why, but it suddenly reminded him of their first meeting on the subway.
“Let’s go.”
Apparently, he was the only one overthinking things.
Director Choi simply turned and walked out.
Wookyung scratched his ear awkwardly before following behind.
He glanced at the bag in Director Choi’s hand, debating whether to ask for it back.
But he had a feeling Director Choi wouldn’t return it even if he asked.
Then again, making his superior carry their food all the way to the office felt wrong too.
“By the way, why did you pick the pine scent drink?”
The unexpected question made him blink.
“Huh?”
“The drink you gave me that day.”
Why was he asking that now? It had been well over a week.
“I just suddenly got curious. Will you tell me?”
“It just caught my eye.”
That was it.
Nothing more.
It just had that bittersweet, refreshing scent that reminded him of the hangover cure Choi had given him… or maybe, just for a moment, his scent.
“What am I even thinking?”
But now that Wookyung think about it again, even he have to admit that it was an absurd assumption.
If he told Director Choi something like this, Wookyung can’t even imagine what kind of look he’d give him.
“Hmm… I see.”
“Why were you curious about that in the first place?”
“Just because.”
‘What the heck. That’s exactly what I said earlier.’
Feeling like he was getting a taste of his own medicine, Wookyung pouted again—only to catch sight of himself in the mirror and quickly stop.
For a moment, he wondered if Director Choi had noticed, but thankfully, he was looking elsewhere.
Then again, why was the corner of his lips slightly raised like that?
Curious as he was, Wookyung had a guilty conscience, so he kept sneaking glances, watching for any reaction.
Unbeknownst to him, his cautious behavior was reflected in the elevator’s metallic doors for anyone to see.
It wasn’t until they were nearly at the office that he realized he had become the clueless subordinate who had just handed food to his superior and scurried away.
‘This is what I get for asking something like that!’
It was too late for regrets.
The destination was right in front of them.
Wookyung shot an annoyed look at Director Choi, but the moment their eyes met, he quickly pretended to open the door.
“Go in first!”
As Director Choi passed by, a quiet chuckle seemed to escape him.
But Wookyung decided he must have heard wrong.
* * *
