Episode 5
“Huaaah—”
I stretched out with a big yawn.
“We finally finished.”
“Good work, Assistant Manager Song.”
“No, sir. You worked harder.”
I had to come back to the office just two hours after going home. My whole body was sore from the intense work.
My eyes felt hollow, and my head was spinning.
“What time is it now?”
“A little past 11.”
“All the urgent stuff is done… We’ll check the reactions to the article tomorrow and respond again if needed.”
“Got it.”
“You can go home now.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stood up, feeling drained.
As I grabbed my coat and bag, I noticed that Manager Ma was still sitting at his desk, just clicking his mouse.
“You’re not going home?”
“Uh, I’m gonna stay a bit longer.”
“Still have work left?”
I lowered my bag and grabbed my coat, ready to take it off again.
“I can help. You should go home too.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“Let’s finish it quickly and leave together. The last train will be gone soon.”
“Assistant Manager Song… it’s not that.”
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’m waiting for my wife to fall asleep before I go home.”
“Did you two fight?”
I paused putting on my coat.
“Not exactly… She found out I secretly bought a fishing rod the other day. She got really mad.”
“Ah…”
He’d been bragging about that fishing rod being made of some steel alloy and a luxury foreign brand.
Now that very rod got him in trouble.
“You’ll have to time it just right with the last train.”
“Yeah… Hopefully, she didn’t change the door lock password.”
He waved his hand with a sheepish grin.
“You go on ahead.”
“Alright, I’ll get going. See you tomorrow.”
I left Manager Ma behind and rushed to the subway.
Luckily, it was late, so I found a seat right away.
I sat next to the door, too tired to even take out my phone.
Click clack click clack…
As the train moved, I just stared blankly into space.
Suddenly, I remembered the conversation with Manager Ma.
‘That fishing rod didn’t even seem that expensive.’
Was it 440,000 won? (about $330)
Not exactly pocket change for regular folks like us, but not impossible for a personal hobby either.
Especially since he seemed so happy when I gave it to him after accepting the package at work.
Considering his salary as a department manager at a big company, I bet he gives enough for household expenses too.
But just for buying one fishing rod, he’s scared to go home?
‘If you marry the wrong person, that’s what happens.’
I don’t like Manager Ma that much, but as a fellow man… I felt bad for him.
‘I have to marry someone kind and good…’
I promised myself again as I headed home.
A little after midnight
“Huaaaam—”
I turned off the TV and collapsed onto my bed.
Today was exhausting.
‘I need to sleep.’
I closed my eyes, but…
‘I can’t sleep.’
Even though my body was tired, my mind wouldn’t rest.
You know that weird feeling—your body is dead tired, but you just can’t sleep.
‘Damn it.’
No matter how I turned, sleep wouldn’t come.
There was one reason.
‘I keep thinking about Yusia.’
‘Maybe I was too harsh today.’
I should’ve been more subtle, but I talked about vanity and pride too directly.
‘It’s really bothering me now…’
I could tell she was shocked when I said those things.
‘Was I too mean?’
I only wanted to end things clearly… but I ended up lecturing her like some old man.
‘Yeah, maybe I was too hard on someone who just started working…’
I remember being like that too. When I got my first paycheck, I spent like crazy for a few months.
‘Maybe I should buy her a coffee tomorrow to say sorry?’
Ding!
Just then, my phone buzzed.
[Yusia followed you.]
“…Huh?”
She followed me on social media.
‘Guess she’s still awake…’
I decided to message her right away.
[Jinseong: Yusia, you’re still up?]
[Jinseong: Sorry about today.]
[Jinseong: I’ll buy you a coffee tomorrow to make up for it.]
A few seconds later…
[Seen]
Then a reply:
[Yusia: Not coffee. Dinner.]
[Jinseong: Huh?]
[Yusia: Or drinks would be fine too.]
“Ha… here we go again.”
We split the bill earlier, but now she wants me to buy dinner?
“That’s kind of too much…”
[Yusia: The wine’s already opened. I can’t get a refund.]
“…Ah.”
Damn it.
That expensive wine—over 100,000 won.
I had no argument after that.
[Yusia: Don’t think you can get away with just coffee.]
[Jinseong: Alright…]
[Yusia: Let’s meet Saturday night.]
“Ugh…”
I ended up making another plan with her.
‘Well… spending a bit of money is better than causing a scandal at work.’
‘But her personal SNS is so different from her work image.’
At the office, her profile and speech are all stiff.
But here, she had bold photos, even sexy ones.
‘She’s really pretty…’
Even when I was a baseball player, I knew lots of cheerleaders. And now I work with celebrities in advertising.
Even so, Yusia could stand next to them and still look great.
‘With her looks, I’m sure rich guys try to date her all the time…’
She’s definitely attractive.
Her SNS is full of comments from men clearly interested in her.
Even when she joined our company, guys from other departments came over just to see her.
My finger naturally scrolled deeper into her account.
‘She followed me first, so it’s fine to look around.’
It’s not spying if we follow each other, right?
There were a few photos.
One in Paris with the Eiffel Tower.
Another at a fancy hotel pool.
Very Instagram influencer-like pictures.
Most people might just feel envy looking at them.
But I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“All the backgrounds are from overseas…”
She must’ve spent a fortune traveling.
‘Dating someone like this would cost a lot…’
While I’m working hard at the office, she’s eating brunch.
Maybe secretly sending money to her parents.
Spending the rest on herself.
I’d end up being some “provider” boyfriend in no time.
“What am I even thinking?”
Just because we slept together doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship.
“Snap out of it.”
I slapped my cheeks and put my phone down.
“I really need to sleep. I have work tomorrow.”
I forced my eyes shut.
The Next Day
When I arrived at work, a strange piece of paper was on my desk.
[Work Environment Survey]
“What’s this?”
“No idea. HQ says everyone has to do it. They want to check how things are going internally.”
“Just our department?”
“No, the whole company.”
“Oh…”
The survey had some usual stuff—satisfaction with the company, the workplace, managers, and coworkers.
But the last page was weird.
Questions like:
- Who are you close to?
- Who do you have problems with?
- Who do you want to keep working with?
- Who do you like or want to do a project with?
“Feels like a school crush survey…”
“And it’s not even anonymous. Why are we doing this?”
“Apparently the chairman ordered it. All HR Group companies are doing it.”
“…Really?”
Meanwhile, in other HR Group companies:
HR Electronics
“Fill it out properly!”
“Just be honest. Don’t try to hide anything.”
HR Insurance
“The chairman ordered this himself. Take it seriously.”
“It might affect your evaluation!”
HR Entertainment
“We have to do this? Is something going on?”
“Not sure, but it’s serious. The chairman’s office is behind it.”
HR Construction
“With all the issues in material prices, why this now?”
“If they say do it, we do it. No funny business this time.”
Even HR Securities, HR Energy, HR Bio, etc.
All 53 companies under HR Group were doing the same survey.
“This feels serious…”
“Something big must be happening.”
But the truth was much simpler.
Chairman Yoo Jin-gap only wanted one thing.
“Mr. Choi. Any update?”
He glared.
“Did you find the bastard who touched my precious granddaughter?”
That’s all it was.
He was trying to find out who his granddaughter, Yusia, liked.
In secret, so she wouldn’t find out.
As expected of a chairman, he just did things on a bigger scale.
“Yes, sir. We checked everything. There doesn’t seem to be anything inappropriate.”
“That’s a relief… So, any candidates?”
“We narrowed it down. With the survey, messenger logs, and HR Securities analysts, we found two close coworkers.”
“From Planning Team 2?”
“Yes. One junior and one mid-level.”
“Names?”
“Assistant Manager Song Jinseong and Staff Member Park Hyungwook.”
“Can I see their profiles?”
“I’ll bring their HR records right away.”
The chairman’s power was closing in fast.
