Chapter 2

Jaeyang Food PR Team. PR Officer Jung Woojung.

“Ah!”

Over the past four years, her career life had sailed along fairly smoothly.

“What is this?!”

That was until three weeks ago, when intern Kim Ju-shin was out of nowhere selected and she became his mentor.

“Who was the last one to save the proposal!”

At the department head’s roar, everyone’s glances drifted in unison to a single spot, with the look that the culprit was already decided.

Woojung stealthily rolled her chair. The armrests of her desk and the adjacent intern’s chair bumped together with a small, sharp noise.

Though there was plenty of room to budge, the fellow didn’t budge even an inch. Feeling the obvious gaze lingering on her profile, Woojung checked the monitor.

“……”

It’s you again today.

The shared folder left wide open on the clean desktop and the proposal title visible on the taskbar: ver.3, indicating the third revision. Judging by the circumstances, it looked like the final version had been overwritten with an older file. Seeing Department Head Go—usually such a mild-mannered soul—blow her top like that, it seemed there wasn’t even a backup copy.

Ugh. Swallowing a groan, Woojung’s shoulders drooped.

Why on earth did you do that? She wanted to ask, but it didn’t seem like a third-week intern would have a profound reason.

Leaning back casually with a placid look, the intern tilted his head at his pale-faced mentor. His innocently blinking eyes seemed to ask what he had done wrong.

Right. That face was the problem. That magnificent face that made one forgive anything.

Single-lidded, long eyes and a straight bridge of a nose. Smooth skin without a single trace of stubble. His shoulders, broadly flared as if he had exercised quite a bit in his youth, were enough to catch one’s eye even with just a slight roll of the pupils from a seated position. The expensive-looking suit, ill-suited for a fresh graduate, only aided his handsome appearance.

He was hardly a common-looking figure, and when she wondered why he looked familiar, she realized it was a face she had bumped into when she went to headquarters. Since he joined the company about a week after that, she figured that must have been when his interview took place.

Looking blankly at the monitor, Woojung smiled benevolently and nodded resolutely, as if saying she could handle it all.

Jung Woojung, a PR officer in her third year at the company, decided to regard Kim Ju-shin—the third-week intern assigned to her—as the karma of her past days and a quest she had to clear. Because she felt that if she managed to care for this fellow, she could get through anything.

Above all, the heavy sense of responsibility that she had to guide her very first subordinate and mentee onto the right path was the biggest reason she volunteered to be his shield. Since she had benefited immensely from her own mentor back when she was an clueless intern, she also wanted to pass down the precedent.

“Um… Department Head.”

Cutting through the ominous atmosphere, Woojung stepped in front of Department Head Go and brought her hands together as if clasping them in prayer.

“The culprit has come to confess! I’m sorry! I will back up day and night, I won’t hesitate to work overtime, just tell me to do anything!”

Silence fell after her spirited voice. Team members who had been glancing this way tactfully pressed themselves close to their own desks.

With a heavy sigh, Department Head Go crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head crookedly.

“PR Officer Jung Woojung. You’re in your what year, and you’re still making rookie mistakes?”

“I’m sorr—”

“You entered in your third year, which makes it your fourth year counting the calendar. Isn’t that right, Officer Jung?”

A bright voice cutting off the apology. The owner of the voice that suddenly cut in was Kim Ju-shin. Raising one arm high up looked like an action to get speaking privileges in a quiz show.

She sent a signal with her eyes begging him to please shut that mouth, but he only folded the corners of his eyes and smiled.

“Will you be alright?”

“What do you take Officer Jung for? It’s bulky, but not heavy at all.”

Hugging a large box, Woojung laughed heartily. The contents were supplies requested by the PR team, and having visited the general affairs department due to a server issue, she had volunteered herself as a shuttle.

Assistant Manager Yang of the general affairs department smiled good-naturedly. With new hires resigning left and right, he was short-handed.

“Thank you, Officer. I’ll treat you to coffee later.”

“I have a good memory.”

“I’ll treat you to the biggest and most expensive one. Victory.”

Assistant Manager Yang, who had chased her all the way to the hallway, planted his feet and gave a full salute. Instead of using her two bound hands, Woojung put strength into her eyebrows and shouted, “Solidarity!”¹

You might call it meddlesome, but things like this were Jung Woojung’s source of vitality.

She liked the energy she got from interacting with people. A cup of coffee or a greeting exchanged in place of leaving work on time was the driving force behind her company life and the secret to her longevity at the job. At the same time, she couldn’t say a harsh word to anyone. Because of this personality, she was often misunderstood as pretending to be nice, but she wasn’t the type to care about her reputation, so she just shrugged it off.

Passing the general affairs hallway brought one to the common lounge. Utilizing the leftover space in front of the elevators, the lounge featured vending machines selling Jaeyang Food snacks and beverages, making it a frequent hangout for Woojung, who loved snacks.

She would have loved to grab some chocolate snacks while she was here. But since she couldn’t dump her load, she decided to abandon her lingering attachments and was readjusting the box in her arms when she locked eyes with a uniquely striking presence standing far off. Accompanied by the sound of laughter spreading like a burst of spring energy.

“How do you commute? I have to transfer three times on the subway. The hellish subway of terror.”

“Are you twenty-seven, did you join right after graduation?”

Kim Ju-shin, the intern of Jung Woojung, was receiving a full-on barrage of interest-filled questions.

The fellow was still staring this way. Perhaps because of his long eyes, it almost looked like he was glaring. Wondering if he might be trying to help, Woojung offered a subtle smile. Imbuing it with the intent for him to go finish playing with those flower-like women.

However, it was a useless consideration. Having unhesitatingly pulled away their carelessly entangled gazes, the fellow gave a look that was practically pathetic. As if wondering why she was grinning.

Of course, feeling that way was just her imagination. Logically, there was no reason for him to.

Even while waiting for the elevator, their interview continued. The distance was quite close, and because the surroundings were quiet, the conversation could be heard clearly.

“The PR team doesn’t have overtime… I’m so jealous.”

Woojung let out a timid scoff. It was a hollow laugh that slipped out on its own.

Day and night for nearly three days. Up until just yesterday, she had been cleaning up the mess Kim Ju-shin created. The miserable reflection on the elevator’s copper panel spoke volumes of her recent labor.

Bloodshot whites of her eyes, long shadows drooping beneath them, and skin as dry and crumbly as sand.

Seemingly quite pleased with the restored final result, Department Head Go had recovered her benevolent smile.

While she struggled alone, the intern kept his leaving time strictly on the dot. Even if she had pestered him to help, it would have been troublesome, but skipping off without an ounce of guilt was annoying in its own way.

Anyway, she had successfully finished the work, so wasn’t that enough? Forcing a mental victory, Woojung smiled bitterly.

“So what do you do after you get off work? Are you doing any hobbies?”

“Where does the PR team have company dinners? It’d be nice if we did it together with the support team.”

The questions kept coming, but no answering voice could be heard.

Stepping into the elevator that soon arrived, Woojung pressed the floor button with her elbow. As she hoisted up the slipping box from her embrace and took her place in the corner, Kim Ju-shin squeezed in, pushing open the half-closed door. With both hands shoved into his pockets, the fellow spun around and stared straight ahead.

Before long, a time of silence arrived.

The only sound in the enclosed space was the hum of the machinery. Thinking that as the senior she should probably break the ice first, Woojung was pondering a topic of conversation to refresh the atmosphere when—

“Shall I help you?”

The intern tilted his head and asked indifferently. His hands remained tucked in his pockets. It was a posture with no intention of actually helping, but giving significance to the fact that he bothered to ask, Woojung smiled weakly.

“I can manage this much easily.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kindness was not repeated.

Wondering if he might feel awkward after having his favor rejected, Woojung broached the subject tentatively.

“Um, if you have anything difficult, let me know anytime. I’m just an officer so I don’t have much power, but I’m confident in listening.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Ha ha… ha.”

The laughter that had awkwardly dragged out soon vanished without a trace. Ju-shin gazed intently at Jung Woojung reflected in the copper panel.

Her hastily tied-up hair and lips pursing to hide her awkwardness. The white cheeks that moved right along with them every time she did.

Everything was just the same. Even that idiotic nature of smiling regardless of her actual feelings.

“……Ugh-heave.”

“……”

Is she lacking something upstairs? She could’ve just set it down on the floor, yet she’s clutching it as if it were some great treasure.

When their eyes met, she grinned hehe again. It was pathetic to see her acting so spunky even with a complexion that looked like she might collapse if someone tapped her. Would this twisted state of mind of his only end when he finally watched her break down and sob her eyes out?

Hah. Ju-shin, sweeping the inside of his cheek with his tongue, let out an irritated sigh.

“By the way, Team Leader.”

“Yes?”

Indifferently lowered eyes looked at the woman below his gaze.

“Why did you change your number?”