Chapter 5

It was an unexpected variable.

It wasn’t a common situation for someone from the Sales Team to step up in the PR Team, especially a mere rank-and-file employee trying to stop a manager’s reprimand.

That probably wasn’t solely due to her bold personality. It was something possible precisely because she knew Manager Kang’s weak spot for her.

Before she could even be stopped, Yang Soyoung stepped in front of Kim Ju-shin as if defending him. Because of her glaring eyes and exposed hostility, Kang Jin-sung turned into a crying mess, his ears flushing bright red from rising heat.

It was like injecting a stimulant instead of a tranquilizer. Judging by his complexion changing from red to mottled, the premonition wasn’t good.

“Look here, Kang…”

Oh well, screw it.

“Hey! Manager Kang, solidarity!”

Springing out like a spring, Woojung grabbed Manager Kang’s arm. Then she bent at the waist, angled her head diagonally upward, and delivered a crisp salute. It was the epitome of absolute submission.

A chilly aura swept past for a moment.

“……”

The intern looking down on his mentor with an oblique gaze.

Are you okay? Don’t stress too much about it.

Employee Yang whispering while turning her head slightly.

“Oh, right. Officer Jung Woojung.”

Manager Kang readjusting his posture with one arm still held captive.

“Good work, everyone. Is there some problem with my subordinate…?”

Officer Jung smiling obsequiously and good-naturedly.

Sides evenly split two-on-two. A strange atmosphere drifted around the copy machine where a mixed male-female confrontation line had unintentionally formed.

Before long, there were only four people left in the office.

It was when she felt that the gaze plunging down from above was exceptionally murderous.

“Look at this, Officer Jung.”

Exhaling a wasted breath, Manager Kang handed over the printed materials as if snitching to Woojung.

“Does it make sense for a third-week intern to copy like this? At this point, isn’t he trying to feed me crap?”

“Oh my… goodness…”

Sympathizing with his grievance with a pitiful expression, Woojung threw in supportive interjections like Is that so, You don’t say. The printed materials with their order all scrambled had every single layout broken.

“Even you think it’s serious, right?”

Yes.

Swallowing down her truth, Woojung glanced sideways at Ju-shin. His previously expressionless face seemed a little pouty. Were his feelings hurt?

Well, true. Being a fresh graduate is when you want to do everything well, but getting chewed out publicly made it understandable.

She had been so busy wrapping up the situation that she only catered to Manager Kang’s mood, but she thought it might feel hurtful from the intern’s perspective. So she belatedly added a word of defense.

“Ju-shin-ssi was just trying to do well, so…”

“Covering for him isn’t the solution. Since it’s your first time being a mentor, you might not know, but back in my day. If a subordinate made a mistake, even the senior got chewed out through joint liability. A senior suffered disadvantages because of one lacking subordinate—that’s what I’m saying.”

“Ah haha ha… My, oh my.”

Jung Woojung laughed like a goat. Kim Ju-shin’s eyes remained fixed on one single spot the entire time. On Kang Jin-sung’s arm, which was linked with hers.

“I’m just worried about the future of these young friends.”

Just as the tedious sermon came to an end and she was about to slowly wrap things up,

“You really don’t need to worry about my future.”

An indifferent voice cut right in. A startled Woojung gasped in horror and signaled with her eyes for him to shut up, but it was useless.

“What?”

“I’m an intern?”

“Who is even doing that right now—!”

“Now, now! It’s lunchtime, fellow workers! How about we start with a meal first? Bubbling soft tofu stew, how’s that?”

Screaming internally, Woojung pushed Manager Kang’s back and made a fuss.

Ju-shin, who had tossed the approval clipboard he was holding onto any random desk, nodded in agreement.

“Soft tofu stew sounds good. Bubbling away.”

“……”

Was this an atmosphere where they could share a table?

Deciding to send a glance to Yang Soyoung—who was relatively normal compared to that unpredictable fellow—she caught on to the intent and grabbed Kim Ju-shin’s shirt hem. Ju-shin scanned the person who grabbed him and then raised his gaze again.

Meanwhile, Jung Woojung was pushing Manager Kang forward and advancing. Suddenly turning her head back, she bared her teeth in a grin. As if telling them not to worry anymore since she would handle the bomb.

Left behind where the two had departed were Kim Ju-shin and Yang Soyoung.

“Shall we go out and eat as well, given the chance?”

Unfazed by the voice cheerfully chattering near his chest, Ju-shin didn’t take his eyes off the door through which Woojung had exited.

Behind his tranquil face, a subtle irritation was welling up. First patting her arm, shoulder, and back wherever her hands could reach, and now going off to eat soft tofu stew just the two of them. All cozy and intimate.

“What does Ju-shin-ssi like?”

That simply wouldn’t do.

“Jung Woojung.”

“Yes…?”

When he abruptly called out his mentor’s name in response to being asked about the menu, Soyoung tilted her head and asked back. Instead of correcting himself, he curved the corners of his eyes into a smile.

“Shall we go eat soft tofu stew too?”

His gaze remained fixed on the door.

Did she eat the soft tofu stew through her nose? Ah, she spat out red pepper flakes when brushing her teeth, so she must have eaten it through her mouth.

Kim Ju-shin and Yang Soyoung, who had chased after them to the end, stubbornly joined the table. Whether they had good personalities or just lacked any awareness, the only one smiling was Kim Ju-shin. Manager Kang paid the bill. No matter what, it seemed his desire to look good to Yang Soyoung remained unchanged.

Staggering into the pantry, Woojung hugged the refrigerator as if collapsing. The scorching heat transferred completely onto the front of her body. She flipped her bothersome employee ID badge behind her shoulder.

Kim Ju-shin. She couldn’t figure that strange fellow out no matter how hard she tried.

It looked as though he was trying hard to adapt to the office, yet he remained as indifferent as someone who couldn’t care less about company life. Even while acting clumsy like a typical intern, at certain moments he would exude the arrogance of a company president’s son.

If she turned her head unexpectedly, nine times out of ten she would lock eyes with him. The problem was that it didn’t look like the gaze of a junior curious about what their senior was doing; it was more like a glare that wanted to murder her.

When she asked if he had something to say, he would smile sweetly and reply as if there could be no such thing. After about three weeks, it was true that she was getting a little tired—to the point where that fatal eye-smile was starting to lose its charm.

Leaning her upper body against the refrigerator, Woojung rolled just her eyes to the side. Having barely eaten her meal, she desperately craved a sweet vanilla latte, but she lacked the energy to venture outside the office. So she was just thinking of instant mix coffee as a meager substitute when—

“Officer Woojung.”

At the affectionate call, Woojung’s spine snapped straight. Her face turned around at the speed of light, instantly glowing with delight.

“Manager Ha! When did you get back?”

“On this morning’s flight. I heard you’ve been working overtime constantly lately.”

Ha Yun-sang, who had been away on a business trip to China, was back. It had been nearly two weeks.

He was Woojung’s mentor and spiritual anchor back during her intern days, and currently served as the protagonist of her eleven-month-long unrequited crush.

“Did you come straight back to the office from the airport? You should have told the team leader and taken a rest…”

“Haha. I pretty much played around the whole time in China anyway. Oh, here.”

Saying he bought them to share with everyone, Yun-sang placed a box of black tea bags on the shelf and held out a take-out cup.

“I was going to leave it at your desk, but there are too many prying eyes. I only bought yours.”

Having received it rather abruptly, Woojung blinked dazedly. The warmth transmitted through her palm and the sweetly blooming aroma of vanilla. Her stomach tickled with a sensation as sweet and warm as that.

Neither a can nor a carton. Isn’t handing a vanilla latte over in secret, telling her to eat it all by herself, basically a foul play?

“Manageeeer…”

A nasal-toned voice dragged out long. How could she not fall for such meticulous attention that even remembered a subordinate’s coffee preference? Looking at his warmly smiling face, she felt her fatigue melting away on its own.

Round eyes, a round nose, and a round-ish face—an impression as benign as they could be without a single sharp feature. A promising talent of the PR team equipped with a gentle disposition and outstanding work capability.

If intern Kim Ju-shin, who had risen to super rookie status in just three weeks, was the type universally and overtly popular, Assistant Manager Ha Yun-sang of her sixth year at the company was the style who steadily received secret courtships beneath the surface.

Therefore, she couldn’t even dare dream of a confession. She merely took comfort in the fact that, having been his mentee, they were closer than other people.

“I heard Manager Kang threw a fit this morning.”

As if the news had already spread, Yun-sang asked with a worried expression. Woojung put down her cup and clenched her fists tightly.

“It’s an everyday occurrence. But weeds named Jung Woojung never lose.”

“Haha. I’ll have to put up a fence or something, so Officer Woojung doesn’t get trampled.”

Hehe. A shy laugh slipped past her tucked-in lips. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she tapped the innocent floor with her foot, and as if even that wasn’t enough, she twisted her body bashfully.

It was also then that she felt a gaze piercing her cheek.

“Wow. It’s Officer Jung’s junior.”

Assistant Manager Ha’s playful greeting was buried in the intern’s grumbling. Kim Ju-shin, whose height matched the pantry entrance and who knew how long he’d been standing there, approached in just two steps. The cramped space felt noticeably more confined due to his appearance.

“Me? Why… Don’t tell me Manager Kang bullied you again?!”

Woojung jumped in surprise and furiously wrinkled her small brow. It was a very satisfying reaction. Watching that face intently, Ju-shin merely lowered his gaze at an angle to scan Yun-sang’s employee ID card.

PR Team, Ha Yun-sang.

“No.”

What is this bastard up to again?

“Then?”

“Ah, I forgot.”

Ju-shin folded the corners of his eyes into a fresh smile. Then he left the pantry without a shred of lingering attachment. Once again, there was no greeting meant for Ha Yun-sang.

Feeling even more embarrassed herself, Woojung steered the topic of conversation back to team dinners. The conversation, continuing without anything particularly profound, was thoroughly enjoyable. Wasn’t it a blessing to be able to feel this fluttery while talking about work? Truly, entering Jaeyang had been a wonderful choice.

Having returned to the office, Ju-shin stood in front of Woojung’s desk.

A ballpoint pen with an animal head attached. Labeled files. Character memo pads. Amidst the desk lacking any uniformity, what undoubtedly caught his attention was the cookie box placed right on the edge.

[For Officer Woojung who loves chocolate. Eat it secretly instead of giving it to anyone. -Yun-sang-]

“……”

Eat it secretly, my foot.

A large hand abruptly reached out, crumpled the sticky note, and shoved it into a pocket. The cookie box was pitched straight into the trash can. There hadn’t been an ounce of hesitation in that series of actions.

“I can’t just stand by and let Jung Woojung be made a rat.”

Only then did Ju-shin sit down at his desk, burying himself deeply into the backrest. A low humming sound escaped from him as he looked at the work schedule clipped to his clipboard.

The complex emotions were plainly evident on Yang Soyoung’s face as she glanced at his back from over the partition.

Someone who had witnessed something they shouldn’t have was troubled in more ways than one. Blinking her eyes slowly, she rested her chin on her desk.

She had often suspected that since he was stealthily following only Officer Jung Woojung around, perhaps he harbored some personal feelings. Other employees had naturally joked about it the same way, too.

Yet she felt she had just learned that wasn’t the case at all. When the thought occurred to her that perhaps all those absurd mistakes Kim Ju-shin had committed were actually self-directed schemes intended to make things difficult for his mentor, the conclusion narrowed down to a single point.

Kim Ju-shin simply—

“—despised Jung Woojung to death.”

A smile of pure relief spread across Yang Soyoung’s entire face.