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Chapter 24
Café Sweet Dream.
Soo-mang let out a long, drawn-out sigh as she clutched the POS machine.
“Baekso, that was sigh number one hundred and twenty-two.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing my butt. Then why are you here at someone else’s café uninvited, sulking like this?”
Ye-won raised her hand to smack Soo-mang, who was glued to the POS like gum, but froze halfway.
She said she’d settle things with Han-gyul at the mountain workshop… Did they actually get into a fistfight or something?
She smelled strongly of medicated patches—so many that even a small movement released that distinct numbing scent.
“I’m doomed, Ye-won.”
What on earth had possessed her to say something so stupid with such confidence?
<If you like me that much, then try seducing me.>
<If you do, I’ll consider marrying you.>
Soo-mang banged her forehead on the POS.
Throwing a tantrum and begging him to marry her would’ve been less embarrassing than that.
How could she say something so overflowing with self-love while being completely sober—0% alcohol?
The moment in the car when the air froze, and then Han-gyul turned his head and burst into laughter—that sound still assaulted her ears.
“I’m insane. Baek Soo-mang, you’re completely insane.”
“Uh… can I order?”
A customer standing at the register eyed her strangely, hesitating.
“Oh! Yes, of course!”
Ye-won, washing dishes in the back, darted over like lightning and shoved Soo-mang away from the POS.
Receiving the order with unprecedented sweetness, she pushed Soo-mang straight into the bakery prep room.
“You. Go sit inside. If you don’t tell me what happened yesterday, I swear I’ll report you for obstructing business today.”
She slanted her posture and sliced the air across her neck twice in warning.
Just then, Soo-mang’s apron pocket buzzed.
[Sorry, I was out of it yesterday, couldn’t text ㅠㅠ]
[The doctor says it’s just a ligament sprain]
Seeing Da-hee’s message, Soo-mang immediately called her.
“Are you really okay? My brother’s an ENT doctor—he doesn’t know much about feet. Did you go to another hospital?”
—Yeah. He wrote the medical note for me, stayed until the exam was done, then took me home.
“Baek Si-won… did all that?”
Si-won, who seemed incapable of maturing in any other aspect, apparently did behave like a normal human being at work—this reassured her.
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about losing her deposit.
“Hey, Baekso. Spill it.”
Ye-won swooped in the moment the call ended, blocking her path with a delinquent-like stance.
In the end, Soo-mang confessed everything. Ye-won made a grotesque face trying—and failing—not to laugh.
“Just laugh already.”
It would be easier that way. At Soo-mang’s enlightened resignation, Ye-won exploded with laughter exactly as she’d been waiting to.
Grabbing Soo-mang’s shoulders and shaking her as she wheezed, Soo-mang’s body fluttered like a paper doll.
“Can I sleep at your place tonight?”
“Nope~ You wish. You’ve got work tomorrow, Miss Office Worker With Big Dreams.”
Even when she clung to Ye-won’s pant leg, the answer was a firm no.
In the end, she had no choice but to return to the home she shared with Han-gyul.
Monday morning.
Silent. Eerily so—like standing in the eye of a massive storm.
Even last night, Han-gyul behaved no differently than usual. The only noticeable change was that their new robotic vacuum was now roaming around the apartment.
“It’s weird. It’s too peaceful—it’s creepy.”
Perhaps hearing her muttering, Chief Song whispered from across the desk.
“Right? You felt it too, Baek Assistant Manager?”
She complained that the office was so quiet this morning that the sound of typing felt like it was scraping her nerves.
“You know today starts individual report sessions, right?”
It had been exactly three weeks since Han-gyul took the position of TF team leader.
His project proposal had naturally been approved, and mindful of workflow disruption, he had said they’d officially begin work after the workshop.
Even the robotic vacuum, whose launch had been delayed indefinitely, was now being prepared for release.
“I heard Deputy Manager Gam went in for his report earlier this morning… and he still hasn’t come out.”
A glance at the clock—it was already close to 10.
His lack of competence was hardly a secret, but no one pointed it out openly.
He treated higher-ups with excessive respect, and he had an influential senior from high school working in HR.
Just then, the team leader’s office door opened, and Deputy Manager Gam stepped out—his balding crown red all the way to the top.
“Th-that brat… ugh…”
He looked furious enough to explode, yet too scared to complain outright in case Han-gyul ended up promoted to an executive.
“Looks like he got shredded.”
Chief Song tucked her report neatly between a clipboard and some documents.
“You’ll be done quickly. Deputy Manager Gam is… well, you know.”
It was predictable.
He’d had a report due, yet he’d spent all his time obsessing over Park Min-chan again.
Yesterday, for example—no one knew how he found Min-chan’s address—he delivered piles of restorative soup and fatigue supplements to his house.
He should’ve spent that energy writing his report.
Ring ring. Riiing.
The internal phone rang; Chief Song went into the team leader’s office. Reports continued in order, from top down.
“Whew, thank goodness.”
When she returned, she looked visibly relieved.
“Baek Assistant Manager, let’s go eat lunch. I’m so nervous today I’m starving.”
“What about the team leader?”
“He’s not eating.”
The office door remained firmly shut.
“I’ll skip too. I’m up right after lunch.”
“Alright, good luck.”
Skipping lunch as well, Soo-mang continued reviewing her report until the very end.
When lunch ended, her internal line rang.
You can do this. You do this all the time.
She took a breath deep enough to move her ribs, then opened the door. The office smelled faintly of coffee and a heavy diffuser scent.
The dignified atmosphere already cut her confidence in half.
“Sit.”
Han-gyul, seated at the head of the large conference table, gestured to the seat on his right.
“Yes.”
“You’re overseeing the small-appliance factory operations, correct?”
“Yes.”
She handed him the meticulously prepared report.
With the AI monitoring system, the entire production line paused whenever even a single defect was detected. Though output decreased, the system drastically caught defective products.
In reality, 80% of home-appliance explosions were caused by user negligence. Recently, the investigation of a microwave explosion revealed that an overheated plastic toy hidden in a blind spot had ignited.
Still, reducing a single-digit defect rate closer to zero was a meaningful accomplishment.
“This is the defect trend at the Chungbuk factory, where we first implemented the system. Output decreased slightly, but compared to the other factories, the drop is negligible. Expanding the system to other products should yield positive results.”
This time, she didn’t stutter—her report was perfect.
Han-gyul nodded slowly, seemingly finding no faults.
“I’ll consider it positively.”
His words caused warmth to bubble deep inside her chest.
“Thank you.”
She rose to leave, but he spoke again immediately.
“We’re done with work matters. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Yes?”
Han-gyul flipped her report over and clasped his hands on the table. The cold-eyed, intimidating Team Leader Yoo Han-gyul vanished instantly—replaced by a different atmosphere altogether.
His lips curled lazily as he raised his head.
“I’ve been thinking about how to seduce someone whose limit is just a kiss.”
Han-gyul, radiating a dangerous aura, grabbed her hand and gently pulled her closer.
Her balance gave way; the place she landed—
—was on his lap.
“Maybe I should skip all the earlier steps.”
His hand reached up, tucking her loose hair behind her ear—so intimate it made her shiver.
“Earlier steps meaning…?”
“You know. Stuff like… mere kisses.”
He wrapped an arm tight around her waist.
“Soo-mang, do you think you can handle it?”
“Wait—hold on. I need some time to think about this.”
Leaning close, he whispered against the rim of her ear, voice low and smooth.
“I’ll make sure to seduce you properly—so I’ll expect a positive answer about marriage.”
The desire in his voice crawled down her spine, raising goosebumps.
Soo-mang hunched her shoulders, but Han-gyul buried his face against her neck and pressed small kisses from beneath her ear down to her nape.
“Mm—!”
The hand around her waist felt like it could slide higher at any moment; she couldn’t move a single finger or toe.
Unable to endure the heated kisses, Soo-mang squeezed her eyes shut.
