Chapter 9

“Good work, everyone!”

Cheers broke out throughout the office.

It was the time of day office workers loved most: quitting time.

Amid the bustle of people packing their things, my desk remained as quiet as an island. The only light came from my monitor, illuminating my face.

“Assistant Manager Lee, this.”

Team Leader Park casually sent me a file through the company messenger.

[Project_Universe_Supplementary_Materials_Request.pptx]

“What is this?”

“Oh, you know how the Executive Director liked my proposal earlier? There isn’t enough data to show at tomorrow’s executive meeting. Polish the graphs so they look nice, and find about five more overseas examples to add.”

I was speechless.

“My proposal”?

Stealing the substance wasn’t enough.

Now he wanted me to polish and package the stolen work for him too.

How was this any different from a thief asking the owner to clean up the things he had stolen?

“Team Leader, you’re the one presenting it.”

“Hey, Lee Da-eun.”

Team Leader Park clicked his tongue as he put on his jacket.

“Did you forget what I said on the rooftop? We’re ‘One Team.’ When the team leader gets the spotlight, some benefits will naturally come down to the team members too. You can’t just try to stand out on your own.”

“……”

“Send it to my email by 9 tomorrow morning. You know the quality I expect, right? I’m leaving first. I have an important appointment.”

Important appointment?

Obviously, he was going out drinking while pretending it was a business entertainment expense on the company card.

“Good luck~.”

He whistled as he left the office.

Ji-eun and Do-jin looked at me sympathetically, but they couldn’t help me either.

This was an order from our team leader.

At 8 p.m., the office lights began turning off one by one.

Soon, only silence remained.

In the middle of the empty office, the sound of my keyboard echoed.

Tap, tap, tap.

Competitor Analysis and Differentiation Strategy.

I clenched my teeth.

This was my project, something I had poured my heart into.

Even if it went out under Team Leader Park’s name, I couldn’t stand by and watch it get ruined.

Fine.

I’ll make it perfect.

Later, when this proposal became a huge success, I could prove that I was the original creator by showing the original file.

For now, I decided to quietly sharpen my blade.

But unlike my mind, my body was honest.

Grrrrr.

I hadn’t eaten lunch, and now I was hungry for dinner too.

My stomach felt like it was shrinking in on itself.

“Ugh… I’m hungry.”

The living room was filled with an unbearable silence.

Kang Seo-jun stared at his blurry reflection on the turned-off TV screen.

The cool feeling of the leather sofa traveled up his back.

…It’s quiet.

Just a week ago, he had believed this perfect silence was essential for relaxation.

But now it felt different.

The sound of chopping from the kitchen.

The bubbling of stew.

Her cheerful voice calling him to eat.

Once those everyday sounds disappeared, the enormous house felt like a desolate cave.

It had been a long time since work had ended, yet she wasn’t home.

She hadn’t even sent him a message.

Could something have happened to her?

Unable to bear it any longer, he picked up his phone.

[Kang Seo-jun: Why aren’t you home?]

Her reply arrived in less than a minute.

[Lee Da-eun: I’m sorry. I’m working late tonight. Please eat first.]

Working late?

Seo-jun’s eyes sharpened.

There was no overtime schedule for the Marketing Team in today’s work log.

Besides, preparations for tomorrow’s executive meeting had already been completed.

[Kang Seo-jun: What are you working on?]

[Lee Da-eun: Ah, well… We need some supplementary materials for tomorrow’s meeting. Team Leader Park gave me the task urgently…]

Team Leader Park.

Supplementary materials.

His grip tightened around the phone.

The tips of his fingers slowly turned white.

He understood the situation almost immediately.

During the day, her superior had stolen her work.

And now, at night, he had dumped the extra work on her and gone home.

“Haa…”

He roughly ran a hand through his hair.

He wanted to rush to the company right away, grab Park Cheol-su by the collar, and drag him back.

But then he remembered that he couldn’t.

Article 10 of their contract.

“No interference in the other party’s private life.”

If he interfered without her asking for help, wouldn’t that mean trampling on her pride and crossing the line?

Seo-jun anxiously paced around the living room.

He could easily imagine her foolishly staying alone in the office, struggling to clean up someone else’s mess.

Had she eaten?

She was probably starving.

He wanted to go.

He wanted to go and check on her.

But he had no excuse.

Then an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

If I don’t have an excuse, I can simply make one.

He could say he happened to be passing by.

Or that there was some unavoidable reason.

As if he had made his decision, he called Secretary Kim.

“Secretary Kim.”

“Yes, Executive Director. What is it this late?”

“I want to ask you something.”

After a brief pause, he asked,

“What do employees usually eat when they work overtime?”

“Pardon? Do you mean… late-night food?”

Seo-jun could practically imagine the confusion on Secretary Kim’s face.

The great Kang Seo-jun was calling at 9:30 at night to ask about employees’ favorite late-night meals.

Secretary Kim probably even checked the screen to make sure he hadn’t received a wrong number.

“Yes. Give me the most popular option.”

“Um… Usually, they prefer something simple, like sandwiches.”

“Sandwiches?”

“Yes. Are you planning to eat one, Executive Director?”

“No. I just need some market research. Goodbye.”

Click.

Seo-jun coldly ended the call and headed toward the dressing room.

The helplessness that had filled his expression moments ago was gone.

In its place was the sharp energy of a predator preparing to hunt.

I’m simply a model boss going to encourage an employee who is working overtime.

I’m absolutely not going because I’m bored being alone at home.

He repeated that to himself as he picked up his car keys and left the house with a determined expression.

The office was silent as a grave.

“Almost done…”

All I had to do was save the file and send the email.

Suppressing a yawn, I was adjusting the table on the final PowerPoint slide when I heard the sound of the door lock opening near the office entrance.

Who is that? The security guard?

Before I could even turn my head, I heard heavy footsteps.

The dark office suddenly became bright.

Before I could even squint against the sudden light, I clearly saw the silhouette of the man standing at the entrance.

My breath caught.

The man standing there was Executive Director Kang Seo-jun.

Why is he here at this hour?

Under the fluorescent lights, his presence was overwhelmingly unreal.

But what he was holding in one hand was completely out of place.

A sandwich bag with the logo of a famous franchise printed on it.

He silently stared at me.

Perhaps the sight of me crouched alone in the huge office, relying on nothing but the glow of my monitor, looked ridiculous.

I instinctively straightened my back.

But he said nothing.

He simply walked toward my desk.

His brows were deeply furrowed in the light of the monitor.

Is he angry?

I couldn’t read his expression at all.

Was he going to scold me for wasting electricity by working overtime without overtime pay?

Or did he think I was secretly stealing company supplies?

All kinds of ominous possibilities raced through my head.

It was the instinct of a powerless subordinate.

When even a single wrinkle between the brows of the person holding your 300 million won and apartment could immediately make you imagine words like “contract cancellation” or “repayment demand.”

“E-Executive Director?”

His gaze landed on my computer screen.

[Project_Universe_Supplementary_Materials_v2.pptx]

“…Haa.”

I couldn’t tell whether that short sound was a scoff or irritation.

But one thing was certain.

He was extremely displeased.

Maybe I’m working too slowly?

Or does he simply find my existence annoying?

While I was thinking that, he put the paper bag he was carrying down on my desk.

“Eat first.”

“Huh?”

“You said you wanted to earn your keep.”

He pointed toward the sandwich bag with his chin.

“If you work while hungry, your efficiency drops. Eat, then continue.”

The smell of spicy jalapeños and fresh vegetables drifted out of the bag.

It was the sandwich, the beloved companion of every office worker doing overtime.

Seo-jun loosened his tie with a deeply irritated expression.

“There were more than ten options just to order one sandwich. It was more complicated than last year’s hotel acquisition negotiations. I’m never going back.”

“……”

I could imagine this perfectionist chaebol executive standing in front of a part-time worker, sweating while being asked questions like:

“Ranch or sweet onion sauce?”

The image was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help laughing.

“Ah… thank you. I’ll eat well.”

I opened the bag and took a big bite of the generously filled sandwich.

As soon as the hunger began to fade, something hot rose up my throat.

“Executive Director… aren’t you leaving?”

I asked while chewing the sandwich.

He stood with his arms crossed, staring intensely at my monitor.

“Assistant Manager Lee. Move.”

“What?”

“It’s frustrating to look at this. That font. That layout. My eyes hurt just looking at it.”

Without even waiting for my answer, he pushed my chair aside.

“Whoa?”

I awkwardly moved aside while still holding my sandwich.

He took my place.

He removed his jacket and hung it over the back of the nearby chair.

Then he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt.

The veins on his exposed forearms stood out.

“Just watch while you eat. I hate crumbs getting into the keyboard, so don’t drop any.”

“Executive Director…? Are you actually going to do this yourself?”

“I can’t stand watching my employee waste time because of an incompetent superior. That’s a waste of money too.”

Tap-tap-tap. Tap.

The rapid, precise sound of his typing tore through the silent office like machine-gun fire.

His long fingers flew across the keyboard.

Blue veins stood out on the back of his hand as he held the mouse.

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation.

The crude, brightly colored graphs were instantly reorganized into a sophisticated design.

The clumsy wording was transformed into sharp business language.

He wasn’t simply pressing shortcut keys.

He looked like a conductor performing a magnificent piano solo.

I forgot to even chew the sandwich in my mouth as I stared at him.

Wow… he’s seriously good.

He’s annoying, but he’s sexy.

No, correction.

He’s sexy because he’s unbelievably good at his job.

His eyes, which were usually cold, looked even sharper under the glow of the monitor.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, he pressed the Enter key one final time.

Tap.

On the screen was a flawless result, on an entirely different level from the presentation I had been struggling with just moments ago.

“Team Leader Park made you work overtime for something this simple?”

He stepped away from the desk and lowered his rolled-up sleeves.

Then he looked down at me.

“Send it to Team Leader Park’s email.”

“Oh, yes! Thank you!”

“Forget the thanks. Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

He turned away without waiting for my answer.

I stared at his broad back for a moment before suddenly coming to my senses.

“W-Wait!”

I hurriedly wrapped the half-eaten sandwich back in its wrapper.

I didn’t even have time to worry about the sauce leaking everywhere.

I carefully grabbed the remaining half of my sandwich, slung my bag over my shoulder, and hurried toward the elevator doors that were already closing.

“Executive Director! W-Wait for me!”

For some reason, his back looked especially reassuring today.