Late in the afternoon, Yoojin returned to the office with Manager Kim Se-hee.
On the right side of Kim Jang-woo's former desk, Yoon Sun-young was typing quickly, and on the left, Assistant Manager Kang Sun-wook—mid-thirties—was leaning forward, staring intensely at his monitor.
Sensing Yoojin's presence, Kang Sun-wook turned his head and offered an awkward smile.
"Ah, Yoojin. I heard about what happened."
"Yes, Assistant Manager. I'll be in your care. Please teach me a lot."
Yoojin smiled as if everything were fine, but Kang Sun-wook looked at her with a mixture of pity and concern.
Trying to ignore him, Yoojin pulled out her chair and sat down. The PC that Jang-woo had left on was still in sleep mode. When she moved the mouse, the monitor lit up.
"…Oh."
The desktop was filled with unidentifiable documents. At the bottom corner, the Samho Group logo blinked.
She clicked—Samho's internal messenger popped up. Messages from Sales, and pings from other departments looking for him. On the main screen, the final messages made it clear: people were trying to confirm why Kim Jang-woo had disappeared.
She hesitated to check his private messenger, so she opened his mailbox instead.
Unread emails: 89.
Eighty-nine?
A tightness spread across Yoojin's chest.
She skimmed through the bold titles:
Request to Update Fabric Delivery Sheet
Inquiry About Defective Fabric
Request for Sample Shipment Confirmation
Request for SS Season Cost Check…
Then one email caught her eye—the sender was Assistant Manager Oh Myung-joo.
[FW Season Additional Fabric Order Request]
Yoojin clicked it.
[Hello, this is Assistant Manager Oh Myung-joo from Sales.The additional fabric order was omitted, so I submitted the approval again today.The original document will be delivered later once it is approved.The issue is urgent, so I am sending the file first—please proceed immediately.– Oh Myung-joo]
Yoojin opened the attached files.
Fifteen files.
But earlier, Oh had said eight… or nine. So the number had changed.Figures. Probably found more mistakes while checking.
"Seriously…"
A rough mutter almost escaped her mouth.
Sun-young and Kang Sun-wook snapped their heads toward her.
Startled by her own involuntary swear, Yoojin suddenly hiccuped.
"Hic—hic—hic!"
Panicking, she sprang up from her seat and hurried toward the pantry she had seen earlier.
The 5th-floor pantry was tucked near the Executive Director's office.
As Yoojin rushed out, Sun-young stood from her seat and glanced at Jang-woo's monitor.
It was Oh Myung-joo's email.
After skimming it, Sun-young clicked her tongue.
"I knew it…"
*
Inside the small pantry with only a water purifier and instant coffee, Yoojin gulped down cold water.
She had nodded and said "yes" all day, but inside she was boiling over.
People say, if you endure three times, you avoid murder.
But in Yoojin's view, office life required enduring ten or even a hundred times that.
The icy water slid down her throat, easing the suffocation in her chest.
Someone approached from behind. A familiar citrus–woody scent wrapped around her.
Yoojin turned—Dongha was standing there.
"You okay?"
He had followed her out the moment she rushed from the office.
"What? I'm fine."
She forced her frustration down and tried to answer calmly.
"Just asking."
Dongha looked at her with a sagging expression, like a big dog abandoned by its owner. Seeing him so deflated from losing his onboarding partner made Yoojin's anger spike again.
If there hadn't been internal issues, Kim Jang-woo wouldn't have walked out.Then the onboarding program with Dongha wouldn't have fallen apart like this.
Yoojin stepped closer and whispered, full of pent-up irritation:
"Dongha, I got order-placement training this afternoon… something's seriously wrong here."
Dongha's eyes sharpened.
"Yeah? I think so too."
"You too? Isn't it ridiculous? Why do they work like this? Are all companies like this?"
As Yoojin frowned, a faint line formed between her brows.
Dongha clicked his tongue softly and smoothed her frown with his thumb.
"A pretty face shouldn't get wrinkles. It doesn't suit you."
Warmth spread where his thumb touched. Yoojin, embarrassed, swatted his hand away while laughing.
"You look better when you smile."
"But I'm still annoyed."
"Must be really stressed then. You should relieve it."
"How?"
"I'm your partner. Tell me. I'll take care of it."
"You? How?"
"Somehow."
Dongha shrugged, and Yoojin couldn't help laughing.
"Okay. Then I guess we're running our own onboarding program now?"
"Yeah. We help each other from behind. Sounds good?"
Dongha offered his hand.
Yoojin stared at his large hand—What is he doing?—then remembered holding hands at the salsa bar.
And countless times in ballet performances.
Holding hands was nothing.
She grabbed his hand to shake it—But he didn't shake back. Their hands simply stayed locked together.
"Huh?"
Dongha gently pulled her closer.
His thumb traced near her wrist—slow, soft.
A shiver ran up her arm, up her spine.
What is he doing?
Yoojin looked up, wide-eyed.
"Do whatever you want. I'll help from beside you. If it gets hard, tell me anytime. Okay?"
"…Mm."
Her cheeks flushed as she nodded.
Too close… isn't this too close?
But when she looked at him, she saw the Dongha from their third year of middle school.
Yes—he was her partner then, and now.
Only the stage had changed—from a theater to an office.
Accepting his support felt natural.
The tight knot in her chest loosened. She smiled brightly.
"Dongha, I think I'm going to work late. Want to eat dinner together later?"
Dongha nodded immediately, strongly.
Her desk had been taken from him—but if they could share dinner, he could endure today.
"Let's eat something good. Tell me everything that happened."
"Okay. See you in a bit."
When Yoojin gently withdrew her hand, Dongha released it with equal gentleness.
He watched her walk away with a dazed expression, then clenched and unclenched the hand that had held hers.
He could still feel her warmth burning in his palm.
His dark eyes deepened until a hidden violet glow flickered faintly.
Then, as if making a decision, he pulled out his phone and typed a message quickly.
After that, he headed back toward the office—following the same path Yoojin had taken.
*
Chairman Yoon Tae-young of Samho Group had just returned from a meeting about the launch of a new home-appliance brand developed by Samho Electronics.
The concept was a bold fusion of tech and design. After multiple prototype runs, they finally had a model he approved.
Now only production, marketing, and promotion remained.
Six months to launch—short but thrilling.
For Tae-young, a born gambler in business, this was the moment he lived for.
He smiled with satisfaction as he sat at his desk—His phone lit up. A message from Dongha.
Samho Apparel was made by three tigers, but there's no tiger inside Apparel.The division is run by rabbits and foxes.And there's no management system. Why?
"…Ha!"
Tae-young had always wanted Dongha to be his right hand someday.
But after only two days as an intern, he was already pointing out internal flaws.
A 21-year-old rookie, sending him a critique message.
And talking about "no tigers."
The looseness in Tae-young's face disappeared instantly.
Dongha had never once initiated contact with him first.
But on the third day of the internship—this message.
Tae-young walked to the window.
The entire wall was made of reflective glass—one-way from inside.
His office overlooked Teheran-ro from the 29th-floor royal suite.
Below his feet was the 7-story building of SH Apparel.
Where Dongha was interning.
He called Dongha—but as expected, no answer.
Dongha… what are you trying to show me?
Every sentence Dongha sent felt like a declaration:
I'll do something. You just watch.
And hadn't Dongha always exceeded expectations?
A quiet anticipation stirred within him.
But this time… I won't just sit and wait.
Tae-young smiled faintly—the same deep-set eyes as Dongha softening.
He walked back to his desk and hit the speaker button.
"Yes, Chairman," his secretary answered.
"Schedule a meeting with Samho Entertainment."
"When would you like it?"
"As soon as they're available. Tell them it's regarding the Samho Group promotional video project. They'll understand."
"Yes, Chairman."
Tae-young ended the call.
For the first time in a long while, he felt a spark of excitement.
Perhaps the most interesting things were happening now—ever since Dongha began working at Samho Group.