episode_0010

In the office, or more precisely, in our department, it’s the first time no one has been around since the intern. I must have come too early.

As a rule of thumb, the higher your position, the more appropriately you should arrive at work slightly later so as not to burden your subordinates. The boss’s arrival time determines the arrival time for the subordinates.

Still, since it’s been a while since I came early, I opened the windows and turned on the air conditioning. Every time I look at Suhyun’s seat, I can’t help but think about last night’s incident, inadvertently glancing elsewhere.

After finishing organizing and reading a light book stuck in the office bookshelf, people started trickling in one by one.

“Oh? Boss, you’re here really early today?”

“Well… my eyes woke up early.”

“That’s a sign of aging, isn’t it? As you get older, you tend to sleep less.”

“Quiet, will you?”

If what Jihee said is true… it’s terrifying just to imagine. It’s a scary thought that I’m becoming aware of my body aging…

“Boss, you’re here early?”

“Well… my eyes woke up early…”

“That’s a sign of aging──”

“Jihee already said that. Are you not going to another department today?”

“Well, I might go in the afternoon.”

“You’ve been working hard.”

Watching Chief Choi being pushed around like this, I feel sorry for him. Someday he’ll have to receive compensation for all this.

“Hello, Boss~”

“Hello~”

“Come on in.”

The interns who had received traditional education also arrived, and finally, Suhyun came in.

“Boss, hello.”

“…Hello.”

Every time I see Suhyun, I feel embarrassed as if her purity is transparent. Moreover, she even wore a fake rabbit ear headband.

No, this is not the right time. I had something to say to Suhyun.

“Suhyun, wait a moment.”

I took Suhyun to the emergency staircase where there were no people around. Suhyun seemed to have caught on to what I was trying to say.

“Suhyun, we shouldn’t─ ugh,”

“Boss.”

As if trying to stop me, Suhyun hugged me. I couldn’t resist her embrace and the warmth touching my heart.

“Surely you’re not going to say something like ‘let’s stop this’…?”

“…!”

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to date you, Boss.”

“Suhyun, I think you’re misunderstanding─”

“Misunderstanding…?”

Suhyun quietly handed me a USB. It seemed like a personal USB she brought from home.

“No room for misunderstandings.”

Leaving those words behind, Suhyun returned to her seat, seeming confident that things would go her way, with a slight smile.

I had no choice but to return to my seat and plug in the USB, and an uncertain video appeared.

‘This is….’

And in that video, Suhyun dressed in a bunny girl cosplay and me half undressed overlapped each other.

~~~

First experience in middle school, a mop in high school, a fox in college… That was my life.

I didn’t choose to have my first experience. I was swept away by the atmosphere with that guy, and ended up doing it somehow. Turns out, he was trash, and rumors spread throughout the school that I gave myself to everyone.

If that was going to happen, I should have gone to a different high school. Even in high school, the rumors continued to spread, and I acted the same way. I found efficient ways to deal with those guys.

-100.

Otherwise, go to a juvenile detention center. I gave them a choice. In reality, no one went to the detention center, they all just paid me money.

When I reported it to the teacher, if I shed tears first, I always won. It was a reward for using my body. I wasn’t tempted at all; they just judged and blamed me as they pleased.

Even those who opened their hearts eventually realized that my body was the goal, and I decided not to engage in relationships.

-End-

After graduating from college, broadcasting provided me with solace. We didn’t have to see each other’s faces, and they paid me well. There was no reason to quit. Occasionally, I would receive threatening emails via DM, but I just reported them all, so they didn’t affect me.

*Sigh…*

Initially, I started broadcasting purely to relieve stress, but as time went on, I grew tired of myself pushing the boundaries for donations. I decided to retire after just another month or two and joined a company.

And then, I met that person.

“I’m Kang Suhyun, who will be working with you starting today. Nice to meet you.”

Director Kim Chanhee. At first, I thought he was just a typical brown-noser director based on his appearance. I even had unkind thoughts like ‘parachuter.’ Even though it might have been my biased perception, he seemed too young to be a director. I was a bit surprised when I heard he was turning 40 tomorrow.

─It’s okay, Suhyun.

Contrary to my expectations, he wasn’t the typical old-fashioned director. He had no outdated ideas and was knowledgeable about computers. Even when I accidentally displayed a red screen on the computer, he didn’t get mad but kindly showed me how to fix it.

Because of that, I wanted to get closer to him. It wasn’t someone forcing themselves to agree with my tastes but someone whose preferences genuinely aligned with mine for the first time.

─How about graphic cards these days?

Usually, when such topics came up, I would abruptly change the subject or pretend not to hear, but Director Kim actually listened to what I had to say. Our hobbies matched, and we got along really well.

I couldn’t keep such a good person to myself. So, I brought him onto the broadcast. I wanted to show the viewers that there are good people even in the geeky line.

─Please, Suhyun.

Those words shook me to the core.

With no wife and a pure heart, the thought ‘this is the person I should marry’ firmly took root in a corner of my mind.

‘It’s reckless, but…’

No guardrails. In other words, a gamble. Just like I did with previous men, I reluctantly blackmailed the director.

“You saw the video…”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Date me.”

“…Alright, I understand for now. Just delete the video, please.”

That was the only way I could date this perfect director.

—

Lunchtime. Thankfully, Suhyun didn’t act awkward or anything during work. If anything, we were even more comfortable, like a real office couple.

After lunch, I went upstairs with Manager Choi for a smoke break. Usually, I just watched Manager Choi smoke, but he seemed a bit surprised when I took out a cigarette from my pocket.

*Tsk tsk.*

“Why are you suddenly smoking when you never used to?”

“There’s an art to smoking…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just a little something.”

“Is it because of Suhyun?”

“….”

He’s still quick on the uptake.

“What are you talking about?”

“You kept staring at Suhyun.”

“Did I make it that obvious?”

“Are you perhaps falling for him?”

Startled, I coughed reflexively and dropped the cigarette I was holding. I extinguished the lit end and put it back in the pack. I don’t think I have a smoker’s constitution.

“That’s not it. You know I have a daughter.”

“That’s unrelated. Your daughter is already grown up. It wouldn’t be bad for your dad to have a partner regardless of a stepmom, right?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Even that doesn’t seem simple, you know…”

“…You’re right. Well said. Manager Choi, don’t you have a girlfriend?”

Despite being divorced, he’s thirty-four, just one year older than Jihee. He’s still physically fit and earns well. It’s the age where he can choose and marry anyone he wants.

“Well, I need to find a good person, but I haven’t found one yet…”

“Is that so? Surprising.”

“And now I’m scared. I start suspecting everyone I meet.”

“Ah… I see.”

Chief Choi got married shortly before joining the company, but ended up divorcing not long after. The reason was that his wife was stolen away, apparently having had ulterior motives from the start. He had been thoroughly taken advantage of from the beginning.

Now, she supposedly has a child and lives somewhere else (of course, not Chief Choi’s son), but the exact details are unknown. It’s enough to make one feel sorry for the child.

“Be careful, Chief.”

“Huh? About what?”

“There’s something fishy about Soo-hyun.”

Despite the strange relationship having already run its course by now, as Chief Choi mentioned, there’s still a lingering sense of suspicion. I don’t understand why they insist on maintaining this relationship, but since I’m in the dark, I can only do as instructed.

“Alright. I’ll be cautious.”

I silently hoped that Yu-hee wouldn’t get hurt because of this relationship.