Chapter : 01
Don’t Do It at the Office
On a silent night, with pitch-black darkness hanging thickly over the city, the only sound echoing through the solitary illuminated office was the rustling of papers being turned.
After turning over the last page of the press conference Q&A sheet, Hyunjoon raised his wrist and checked the time. It was well past eleven at night. He sank deeply into his chair and slowly closed his eyes.
Fatigue weighed heavily upon his entire body. During his grueling two-week business trip to the United States, he had endured a literally murderous schedule. Then, immediately after returning to Korea at dawn, he had gone straight back to the company and spent the day rushing from one task to another.
The results of his business trip to the United States had exceeded expectations. Dowonsoft had successfully secured a software quality-assurance contract worth tens of billions of won with HBC, an American broadcasting network, after spending the past year working tirelessly to win the deal.
“Hyunjoon, there’s a press conference scheduled for tomorrow. You know the industry is buzzing about this contract, right?”
“Yes. The PR team is preparing for it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you handled it personally?”
Dowonwon-seok, chairman of Dowonsoft, liked putting his second son in front of cameras. After all, he had given him a tall, handsome appearance, and naturally expected him to make good use of it.
The PR team had also requested it, believing that combining the image of a young IT company with Executive Director Doh Hyunjoon’s eye-catching looks—and adding the results of his recent American business trip—would maximize the publicity effect.
Scheduling the press conference for the day after Hyunjoon returned from his exhausting business trip was also in line with Chairman Dowonseok’s philosophy: when the tide comes in, you should row several boats at once.
Hyunjoon rubbed the stiffness at the back of his neck and stood up.
Should I have a cigarette?
He immediately headed to the rooftop garden one floor above. When he opened the door, the cool autumn night breeze seeped gently into his skin.
It was a breeze that seemed to melt away his fatigue.
The rooftop garden had been landscaped around the theme of a garden in the middle of the city. It was furnished as beautifully as any park, allowing employees to relax comfortably.
The lush green space contained chairs and tables arranged with plenty of room between them. Long benches had also been installed along the railing so people could sit and enjoy the view.
Hyunjoon lifted his eyes and gazed at the endless nightscape.
Buildings with all their lights turned off. Occasional lights moving between them. Streets buried beneath pitch-black darkness.
Everything was immersed in the night, creating a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Hyunjoon took a deep breath and pulled out a cigarette. He walked several steps toward the spot with the best view—the place where he usually smoked.
That was when he thought he heard a faint breath scattering somewhere nearby.
There also seemed to be a soft tapping sound.
What is that?
With the cigarette held between his fingers, Hyunjoon narrowed his brows. He glanced around before turning toward the direction of the sound.
It was almost midnight. There shouldn’t be anyone here at this hour.
As he walked forward, wondering if something strange was going on, he noticed a small silhouette huddled against the wall a few steps ahead.
A woman was crouching on the ground in the pitch-black shadow, covering her mouth with both hands.
Hyunjoon slowly approached and bent down to see who it was.
“Who…”
Before he could finish, the crouching woman grabbed the hem of his pants.
Then she gave a tiny, feeble shake of her head.
Hyunjoon felt her hand trembling as she slowly released his pants, and he closed his mouth.
The sounds that had been scattered behind the wall began to grow clearer.
They sounded like rough breathing, perhaps gasping breaths—strange, rhythmic noises.
Hyunjoon straightened from his crouched position.
He slowly walked toward the corner where the wall turned, then turned his body toward the source of the sound.
Far away, beyond a table in one corner, he saw a man and woman tangled together.
The woman was gripping the table while the man stood behind her, moving against her.
The faint panting occasionally grew louder, while animalistic cries of pleasure rang out like screams.
He could even see someone shaking their head as though overwhelmed.
Hyunjoon watched them with narrowed eyes before tilting his head back.
Stars densely scattered across the pitch-black night sky glittered unpleasantly above him.
Hyunjoon unconsciously frowned and let out a hollow chuckle.
He slowly scratched his forehead with one finger before turning his head toward the woman crouching on the ground.
Forget about those horny idiots. What the hell are you doing secretly hiding here and watching them?
Hyunjoon walked back toward the woman.
Every time a moan came from beyond the wall, he silently swallowed a sigh while muttering curses under his breath.
He stopped in front of her and looked more closely.
Her shoulders were trembling violently.
It was strange enough that Assistant Manager Lee Seoyoon from the PR team was still at the company at this hour.
But it was even stranger that she was hiding in the rooftop garden and secretly watching a man and woman entangled in such an indecent act.
Hyunjoon leaned one shoulder against the wall and called out to her.
“Assistant Manager Lee Seoyoon.”
When the woman raised her head, Hyunjoon casually flicked the cigarette between two fingers, as if asking whether he could smoke.
Seeing her give a small nod, Hyunjoon put the cigarette between his lips.
They were far enough away from the couple that the smell shouldn’t reach them.
I can’t help it.
He flicked his lighter.
A thin stream of white smoke rose from the glowing tip of the cigarette.
After drawing in a long breath and slowly exhaling, Hyunjoon spoke.
“You have an unusual hobby.”
“……”
“Voyeurism?”
The woman’s eyes widened.
Even in the darkness, he could clearly see her watery eyes trembling.
“…What?”
“I was wondering if you have a thing for secretly watching people.”
The flustered woman blinked, and the tears that had pooled in her eyes rolled down her cheeks.
She pressed the back of her hand against her wet eyes but couldn’t easily answer. She hesitated.
As he watched her pale cheeks flush red, Hyunjoon took another drag from his cigarette.
The woman moved her lips several times before finally parting her trembling lips.
“Please…”
Hyunjoon waited for her next words with the cigarette still between his lips.
“Please pretend you didn’t see anything.”
Her faint, trembling voice drifted from her lips.
Hyunjoon looked down at her through half-lowered eyes and tried to assess the situation.
It was certainly shocking to see Assistant Manager Jo Dongmin and married Department Manager Oh Chohui fooling around together.
Even so, was it really enough to make someone cry and tremble this badly?
For it to be such a devastating shock that she became completely frozen and unable to move, like Assistant Manager Lee Seoyoon…
Hyunjoon thought for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.
What the hell are they doing at the office? They certainly know how to make their work lives interesting.
He stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette against the long silver ashtray beside him.
Then he let out a long breath and casually turned around, leaving the rooftop garden.
The next morning, Seoyoon arrived at work early and sat down at her desk.
She took a sip of hot coffee while staring blankly at the numerous files displayed on her monitor.
She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, trying to push away the thoughts filling her head.
No matter how hard she tried, the shocking images refused to disappear.
Whether her eyes were closed or open, the vivid memories continued to haunt her.
At least there was one thing she could be grateful for: she was going to be extremely busy preparing for the press conference that afternoon.
After reviewing the press release and checking the materials to be distributed to reporters, the image of her boyfriend engaging in an indecent act with her married female superior inevitably returned to her mind.
Her shoulders would tremble, and the fine hairs on her body would stand on end.
Seoyoon quickly shook her head.
She took another deep breath and steadied herself.
This is the workplace. Leave personal feelings out of it.
She placed her hands on the keyboard and checked her inbox.
The press conference would be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Korea Hotel, from three to four in the afternoon.
They would operate a booth in front of the banquet hall and demonstrate the newly released software…
She was trying to focus on work by going through everything she had to do that day, one task at a time, when—
“Assistant Manager Lee Seoyoon, you’re here early?”
Department Manager Oh Chohui, who had just arrived at work, stood beside Seoyoon with a tumbler in one hand and smiled at her.
She brought the tumbler to her lips, took a sip, and sat down in the seat beside Seoyoon.
“Good morning, Manager.”
Seoyoon forced a smile as she greeted her.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been working late so much lately, but my whole body feels stiff.”
Oh Chohui patted both thighs with her hands before gently massaging them.
“My thighs hurt so much. I think it must be muscle soreness.”
Seoyoon’s fingers stopped over the keyboard.
“Assistant Manager Lee, could you pat my lower back for me? We’re going to be standing all day at the press conference today, and it already hurts. This is a problem.”
Manager Oh spun her chair around and shifted her hips slightly as she sat down.
She positioned herself so that it would be easier for Seoyoon to pat her back.
But seeing her neatly dressed figure, the scene from the previous night flashed through Seoyoon’s mind like a lingering afterimage.
“What are you doing?”
At Manager Oh’s urging, Seoyoon reluctantly reached out.
Keeping her gaze lowered, she began lightly patting her lower back.
“Ahh, that’s good. Ah—yes, right there. Pat it a little more.”
Every time Manager Oh made a sound of pleasure, Seoyoon’s shoulders flinched.
The obscene scene stubbornly overlapped with what she was seeing now, sending chills all over her body.
The hand patting Manager Oh’s back began to tremble.
“A little harder.”
Seoyoon tried to pat her back more firmly with a hand that was trembling so badly she could barely clench it.
Eventually, her arm dropped limply to her side.
“…Manager, I’m going to the restroom for a moment.”
“Hm? Okay. The meeting is about to start, so come back quickly.”
“Yes.”
Seoyoon abruptly stood up and left the office.
She rushed to the restroom, entered the first stall, and locked the door.
Leaning her back against the wall, she wrapped her trembling body in her arms.
Her heart was pounding violently.
She had spent the entire night thinking about what she should do.
Since this was an office romance, she wanted to end it as quietly as possible.
If she suddenly told him they should break up, he might suspect that she had noticed his cheating.
And if that happened, things could become awkward with her direct superior, Department Manager Oh Chohui.
She had thought it might be better to gradually reduce contact and then break up after about a week…
But—
Seoyoon shook her head.
I can’t even endure one day. A week is impossible.
What she needed right now was a period.
A complete ending.
She hadn’t been caught dating someone at work yet, and she wanted to get out of this disastrous drama as quickly as possible.
Seoyoon took out her phone.
With trembling hands, she slowly typed one character at a time.
[Assistant Manager Jo Dongmin, let’s break up.]
