* * *
He was staring so hard he might as well be trying to burn a hole through him.
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
Wookyung didn’t know where to place his gaze.
He glanced around, wishing this moment would end already.
“I’ll ask again.”
Director Choi finally broke the silence.
“Do you really not remember me?”
Who are you, and why do you look so serious asking that?
If he had known, would they even be sitting there awkwardly like this?
More importantly, in a company where school ties, regional ties, and family connections ruled everything—if he had known the other person was clearly from the owner’s family…
He still would’ve pretended he didn’t.
After all, he was even hiding his connection to Manager Shin.
Blending in and keeping a low profile is key in the workplace.
A long, stable career requires maintaining a moderate distance and a polished, neutral attitude.
“Who… exactly are you?”
He should’ve worded that differently.
For a brief moment, disappointment flickered in Director Choi’s eyes.
Disappointment?
Why? Why would you be?
“…You really don’t remember?”
Again, who the hell are you? And why do you look so betrayed?
‘Please, just let me leave already.’
However, it seems that Director Choi Saheon has no intention of doing so at all.
The way he remains silent yet continues to send that heavy, burdensome gaze speaks volumes.
Can Someone Please Tell Me Why He’s Acting Like This?
Wookyung wasn’t even the protagonist of this story.
So, he really didn’t want to be stuck in such a suffocating situation.
“Sure. If that’s what you want, then go ahead. We have plenty of time.”
Why did Director Choi have to speak so casually, as if everything was perfectly fine?
What kind of “time” did they even have?
All Wookyung wanted was to continue his life as an extra—a regular office worker blending into the background, unnoticed.
“As you may already know, Assistant Manager Wookyung, this project is crucial for HK Furniture’s global expansion.”
Of course, Director Choi remained blissfully unaware of Wookyung’s silent protests.
“Yes,” Wookyung replied, swallowing his frustration and keeping his tone curt.
“However, we’ve run into a rather tricky request from the higher-ups, so I called you here for a special favor.”
Wait a minute—this situation felt oddly familiar.
A sense of déjà vu swept over him.
He really didn’t want to get involved in anything flashy.
“Assistant Manager Wookyung? Are you cold? What’s with that posture? If you’re cold, should I turn on the heater?”
“No. I’ll pass.”
His arms were crossed over his chest, but he slowly lowered them.
Why did Director Choi assume he was cold?
Couldn’t he just interpret the posture as silent refusal?
And why was he smirking?
Was he mocking him?
“I’ve thought this before, but Assistant Manager Wookyung, you’re surprisingly bold and amusing, despite appearances.”
There it was again—another unexpected comment.
Since when were they close enough for Director Choi to speak to him like this?
“Me?” Wookyung asked, incredulous.
“Yes. You don’t realize it yourself, do you?”
Wookyung didn’t know much else, but he was sure they were practically strangers.
Their encounter on the train wasn’t fate—it wasn’t even a fleeting moment worth remembering.
So why did Director Choi look so amused when Wookyung nodded as if to say, ‘Of course, we’re not close?’
“Your face stays neutral, yet your eyes say so much. That’s still fascinating to me.”
Why did it feel like he was being teased?
Was he imagining things?
Or was Director Choi just making no effort to hide his emotions?
Whatever the case, Wookyung wanted to leave.
The problem was, Director Choi didn’t seem done talking.
“I think we got sidetracked for a moment. Anyway, what I wanted to ask is—”
“I refuse.”
“Hmm?”
“Ah… I mean, no. I’m not cold, so there’s no need to turn on the heater or offer me a blanket….”
Damn it.
He had answered too fast.
Now Director Choi probably thought he rejected things on instinct.
Wookyung glanced at him cautiously, but fortunately, he didn’t seem offended.
…But why was he twitching his nose?
Was he about to laugh?
No way, right? Right?
At least be consistent!
The best kind of boss in the workplace was one who was predictable.
Having to deal with higher-ups whose mood swings dictated their attitude toward employees—the struggle of corporate workers dealing with those kinds of bosses was real.
Director Min came to mind.
Wookyung bet his ears were burning right now.
The man had a habit of wandering into the office to bother Manager Shin for no reason.
Did Director Min even get any work done?
Why did he keep showing up uninvited?
If they were going to be like this, they might as well work in the same space.
…Oh, right.
Manager Shin had rejected that idea.
Back when Wookyung first joined the company, the office atmosphere had been oddly tense.
He didn’t understand why until he learned that when Manager Shin got promoted, Director Min had tried to merge their workspaces.
But Manager Shin absolutely refused, which led to serious tension between them.
And that tension had trickled down to the rest of the Planning Team.
“Still, it’s gotten better since Wookyung joined. Back when it was just me and Assistant Manager Kim, Director Min used to flood the office with his pheromones,” Senior Associate Park had once said, dramatically covering his nose.
“—So, Assistant Manager Wookyung, are you listening?”
“Yes,” Wookyung instinctively replied, even though he hadn’t been paying attention.
“Hmm… I see. Then, starting tomorrow, let’s meet from time to time to go over how we’ll handle the workload. The other team members will finish their handovers by next week and join us then.”
“Excuse me?”
That “excuse me?” came out sounding more like, “Excuse meee?!”
It perfectly conveyed his shock—and yet, Director Choi was smirking again.
Did he find Wookyung that amusing?
Was he here just for his entertainment?
“Like I said before, Assistant Manager Wookyung, your role is critical in this project. Of course, the other volunteers from different teams are outstanding too—Assistant Manager Pyeon from Marketing, Assistant Manager Oh from International Business, for instance.”
Thanks to the ever-perceptive Manager Shin, Wookyung’s fate was sealed.
The moment he got back to his desk, he planned to send Manager Shin a message demanding an expensive meal.
This was so unfair.
“What I want is—”
Crap. He had gotten distracted again.
Focus!
Slap. Slap.
“Assistant Manager Wookyung?”
Startled, Wookyung looked up, realizing he had been lightly slapping his cheeks.
Director Choi squinted at him as if he were the one in pain.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Wookyung quickly replied, lowering his hands.
“You really have a knack for surprising people with your deadpan expressions and unexpected remarks.”
“Me?”
Wow.
Now his boss was straight-up insulting him to his face.
Was he picking a fight?
“Ah, my apologies. I meant to keep that thought to myself,” Director Choi admitted nonchalantly.
Whatever.
This was his chance to leave.
Before Director Choi could stop him, Wookyung shot to his feet.
“Director?” he asked cautiously.
Why was Director Choi standing up too?
“Let’s head down. You look tired. I’ll buy you a coffee.”
“No.”
He had zero intention of having coffee with him.
“No need to refuse. I’ll be paying with my own money.”
With a casual snap, Director Choi pulled out a sleek black credit card.
“Oh….”
Okay, Wookyung admitted, that was impressive.
Still, he refused.
Forcing a polite, customer-service-grade smile, he said, “Thank you for the offer.”
Director Choi’s eyes curved pleasantly.
‘Don’t smile. It’s not what you think.’
“Well then, I’ll be on my way!” Wookyung gave a hearty bow, straightened up, and spun around so fast that the wind practically whooshed.
‘Run for it!’
A weird boss was trying to chase him down!
* * *
MC is too funny!
mc is so cute!!!!