* * *
“Saheon… no, I mean, did the director offer you a position?”
“Yeah. Well, not directly from him. Someone from their company called me yesterday. Said they thought I’d be a good fit and asked if I’d like to work with them.”
“That’s great.”
Even in Wookyung’s eyes, it seemed like a solid opportunity.
But Manager Shin looked visibly conflicted.
“You think I can pull it off?”
“Of course. With your skills, you’ll do well anywhere. What’s there to worry about?”
Until now, he hadn’t been able to get proper recognition at the company, largely thanks to Director Min.
He’d often get dragged out of meetings by Director Min, and rumors spread that he was slacking off because he was earmarked for a cushy position.
It was far from the truth, but the gossip stuck.
That’s why Wookyung genuinely hoped he could finally settle in a place where he’d be appreciated.
“Thanks for saying that.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“No, I do. You’ve done a lot for me, Wookyung. I think it’s because of you that this opportunity even came along.”
This time, Wookyung didn’t say anything further—he just nodded.
Honestly, after all the things they’d been through, it felt like this much was more than fair.
“But you already knew, didn’t you? That Director Choi only joined KH Furniture in order to lead this project.”
He’d heard about that from Saheon.
It had come up during a conversation about Director Min.
From the start, Saheon had joined the company because of him.
He even admitted that putting all his effort into the project wasn’t for his own career gain, but for Wookyung.
“So it’s true. Then I guess you also knew Director Choi has some big business going on in the U.S.?”
Judging by Wookyung’s expression, Manager Shin must have sensed the answer and nodded calmly.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
“This is… really just something I’m personally curious about, okay? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“What is it?”
Why’s he hesitating like that?
It only makes me more curious.
Wookyung showed that he was willing to listen, but Manager Shin still struggled to find the right words, as if choosing them carefully.
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like it was about Director Min.
Maybe something about Saheon’s company?
But even he didn’t know much about that.
‘Or is he about to ask if I’m going too?’
That felt more plausible.
‘Saheon will probably leave once the project’s done. If Manager Shin leaves too… what am I supposed to do?’
Wookyung had never seriously thought about that part, but the thought was starting to dig deep—until Manager Shin finally asked:
“Do you plan to marry Director Choi?”
That… was unexpected.
Wookyung blinked, then slowly nodded.
“Yes.”
“Really? Did Director Choi propose first?”
“No. I did.”
“Ah…”
Wookyung didn’t miss the fleeting look of regret that passed across Manager Shin’s face.
The shift in his gaze made it clear—he had misunderstood.
“You’ve probably heard the rumors already, but Saheon joined this company because of me. He came just to meet me.”
“That’s really true? That he knew you from before, had a long-time unrequited crush, couldn’t forget you and came back to confess?”
Wookyung briefly looked dumbfounded.
Barely a few hours had passed, and already the story had grown legs.
All he’d said was that Saheon had liked him first and confessed.
How did that balloon into a whole tragic saga of long-standing one-sided love?
‘Assistant Manager Kim, that blabbermouth.’
If he asked, Assistant Manager Kim would probably say he just “added a little spice for fun.”
“It wasn’t an unrequited love.”
“Was too. I heard you saved Director Choi when he was being bullied, and ever since, he’s followed you around. Then he went off to study in the States just to impress you.”
“That’s not how it went. I just happened to see some jerks harassing him, reported it, gave him some water and a handkerchief when he was left alone, and told him not to live like that.”
If he let this continue, the next version of the story would probably claim they’d promised marriage as children.
Seeing Wookyung shake his head, Manager Shin gave a wry smile.
“Anyway, the part where he liked you first and came back for you is true, huh.”
Something about how he said that felt like he was reflecting on his own situation.
Wookyung kept quiet.
After a moment, Manager Shin sighed and stood up.
“Looking back, it’s all so clear now. What I had wasn’t even real love. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it at the time.”
“You’ll meet someone better in the States. Someone who’ll make Min Kyowon burn with envy all the way from Indonesia.”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure of it.”
His smile looked much lighter than before.
The two headed back to the office.
The conversation had gone on longer than expected, and lunchtime was nearly over.
Not that anyone would scold them for being late—but still, being under so much scrutiny lately, Wookyung didn’t want to show any cracks.
But that hope shattered the moment they stepped into the lobby.
“Choi Saheon! This is your doing, isn’t it? You threatened my mom into this!”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. But Director Min, this is a shared space where other employees pass through. Let’s move somewhere else.”
Saheon was facing off with Director Min, who was clearly losing it.
More precisely, Director Min had tried to grab Saheon by the collar and failed, and was now just glaring at him with clenched fists and barely restrained rage.
“Don’t give me that crap. You think I care about appearances right now? Damn it, what the hell did you say to my mom?! What did you tell her to make her send me to that godforsaken place?!”
This was right around the end of lunch, so a lot of employees were filtering back into the lobby.
The commotion was bound to attract attention.
It was one thing for Director Min, who was always shameless—but for Saheon to get dragged in too?
Wookyung’s expression hardened.
“Min Kyowon! Have you lost your mind?”
But before Wookyung could step in, Manager Shin—who had been trembling beside him—suddenly shouted and stormed forward.
And it didn’t end there.
SMACK.
A sharp, satisfying slap echoed across the lobby.
The entire place fell silent.
Wookyung wasn’t the only one who felt the shift.
Director Min’s cheek flushed red in an instant.
A clear mark of Manager Shin’s unforgiving hand.
“Jae, Jae… Jaehyun…?”
Director Min, stunned speechless with his mouth hanging open, finally managed to croak out Manager Shin’s name.
“You dumbass. You’re still the same spoiled brat. Just when the hell are you going to grow the fuck up?!”
Clenching his fists, Manager Shin started pounding on Director Min—his chest, shoulders, stomach—anywhere he could reach.
He hit with such precision and fury that none of the onlookers dared to intervene.
“Hyung, Jaehyun hyung—no, I mean, Manager. Please. Just hold on. Calm down. Please calm down.”
Wookyung was the first to move.
His instincts screamed that this was getting out of hand.
Saheon grabbed Min’s arm from the other side.
Each man took charge of one, and their eyes met across the gap.
They both nodded.
Then, without hesitation, they began walking out of the building.
With the director accompanying them, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem to return to work a little late.
‘Or, well, maybe I’ll just quit too.’
‘I don’t know.
Whether this is right or wrong. My thoughts had taken a pretty extreme turn, but that was something to deal with later. For now, I just needed to get out of here.’
Thankfully, Manager Shin followed without a word.
He could hear =Director Min huffing angrily behind, but even he followed without protest.
The place the four of them ended up was the same neighborhood park where Wookyung and Manager Shin had spoken earlier.
“Here, Wookyung.”
Wookyung pulled his gaze away from the standoff between Manager Shin and Director Min.
In Saheon’s hand was a paper cup, steam still rising from it.
It looked like it came from the vending machine where Wookyung had earlier picked a job’s worth of yulmucha.
The warm, nutty-sweet smell was unmistakable.
Inside was a citron tea, rich in golden color.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
He accepted the tea that was clearly chosen with him in mind.
He quietly watched as the hand offering the cup brushed his wrist, the back of his hand, and then slowly trailed up his arm.
When the cup finally touched his lips, he frowned.
“Are you really joking around in this situation?”
“So what? Let them be as serious as they want. It’s not our problem.”
“Oh, come on.”
Well, he had a point.
After pulling Saheon away from Deputy Min and getting out of the office, Wookyung had already half-lost interest in the whole thing.
All that remained was figuring out how to wrap this up.
* * *
