Sunday morning.
For most people, it was a time to catch up on sleep, grab a lazy brunch, maybe go out in the afternoon—shopping, a walk, or meeting friends.
But Yoojin was still at the office. Not a single team member had come in today.
Her monitor displayed an Excel sheet listing order statuses by order number. Print outs for garment-factory schedules cluttered her entire desk.
It had started with one order where the sales deadline didn't match the factory's production timeline.
Before she knew it, she was reviewing things sales should have monitored, one by one.
She had finished checking sixteen out of thirty-five orders.
There was no way she could memorize each issue, so her Word file had already exceeded ten pages.
She hadn't even reached the halfway point.
The workload felt suffocating, but she focused on organizing what she could.
Her neck stiffened, her eyes burned—and at that moment, Seryun called.
— Yoojin!
The energetic voice snapped Yoojin out of her haze.
"Hey, Seryun."
— You didn't come to salsa yesterday. You coming today?
She must've been looking forward to going with Yoojin.
"I don't think so. I'm at the office again."
— What? You're working today too? You didn't finish everything yesterday?
"No… not even close."
— Unbelievable! Are you the only one working there? This is labor exploitation! I should report this!
Her tone mixed worry and anger.
"You know how it is. I'm doing my senior's work now. And… I actually want to get this done."
Seryun quieted down at Yoojin's firm tone.
— So… you're not coming?
"Yeah. Sorry. I really can't. Please understand."
— I waited for you, you know. How are you busier now than when you were in school?
"I'm sorry. Once work feels less chaotic, let's go together."
— Ugh, fine.
"How was yesterday?"
— I met someone. I think it might be real this time. I think he likes me too.
Her cheerful voice bubbled with excitement.
Yoojin perked up.
"Who? What does he look like? What's his name?"
— Don't know his name. But he's cute. And manly. Which is why—look, Yoojin, I wanted to go with you today. I'll feel shy if I go alone.
Classic Seryun—falling for someone within hours.
"I'm sorry…"
— Fine. But you HAVE to come next week. Deal?
"Deal. I want to see him too."
— No! What if YOU fall for him?
After the call, the pressure in Yoojin's head and shoulders eased slightly.
And she remembered the salsa class from last Monday—the warm yellow lights, the heat of Latin music, the laughter and the thrill of dancing.
It hadn't even been a full week. Yet it felt so far away.
Dongha wanted her to stop by the studio.
She stared at the orders spread in front of her.
There was no way she could finish today.
Four more orders to go for Men and Women.
After that, fifteen orders from Deputy Manager Oh Myung-ju—boys', girls', toddler lines.
She had submitted additional orders recently, yes—but reviewing history, specs, and current issues was another matter entirely.
Should I have started with Oh's orders first?
But reviewing her list of sixteen orders, she felt no regret.
Still—would this list actually prove her ability?
Her eyes dimmed.
She had entered a top university, then a major corporation.
Yet here she was—just another employee performing a role inside a massive system.
In a company, every position is a role assigned based on capability—like a ballerina auditioning for parts.
And Yoojin desperately wanted an important role.
Which was why she couldn't treat Jang-woo's work lightly.
This, too, could prove her worth.
But the workload was far heavier than she'd imagined.
Sales, fabric mills, sewing factories—all orbiting around the Overseas Procurement Team.Every material-related issue funneled into procurement… and procurement had to redistribute and resolve them all.
Sales wanted deadline adjustments, fabric prices, samples. Mills needed minimum dye quantities checked, L/C openings, color confirmations. Factories demanded schedule checks, adjustments, defect handling.
How can everything go wrong at once?How is anyone supposed to survive this workload?
Only now did she truly understand why Senior Yoon worked like someone constantly being chased.
Yoojin bit her lower lip as she reviewed orders—bit it so much the skin reddened, almost ready to bleed.
*
Hours slipped by.
Sunday afternoon turned into night.
It was already past nine.
People were settling into bed, ready for Monday morning—but Yoojin's chest grew heavier.
She had just begun reviewing Oh Myung-ju's orders.
Unlike everything she'd reviewed so far, nothing matched—not the system, not the status reports, not the purchase orders themselves.
Why had Oh entered different usage numbers than development's?Why had she split orders using different buyer quantities?Why had Jang-woo made yet another separate set of POs?
None of it made sense.
Yoojin checked every email, every system entry—but these orders had been handled solo.
There was no authoritative source of truth.
She had filled sixteen pages with twenty orders.
And now she couldn't even fill one page for Oh's.
It felt like an unseen time-bomb was sitting beneath the desk.
Why am I doing all this?For what?There's no answer.
With no progress in the remaining fifteen orders, she felt trapped in a sealed room. Oh Myung-ju's smirking face flashed before her. Lee Hyuk's insults. Manager Jang Se-hee's weary sighs.
She needed their approval—but she couldn't earn it with this mess.
Unable to stand it, she slammed the folder shut—papers, schedules, swatches, everything scattering in the air.
Her expression crumbled. Her hands trembled.
She had reached her breaking point.
If she stayed here any longer, she might collapse under the weight of it all.
Yoojin grabbed her coat and bag and fled the office. Cold air wrapped around her as she stepped outside.
When she lifted her head, Teheran-ro's towering buildings filled her view.
They loomed above her like giants, laughing at her.
Even if you go home, tomorrow morning will come.And you'll return here.Day after day.Soon you won't even understand where your weekends went.
Congratulations on your new job, Yoojin.
*
Meanwhile, Dongha was also trapped in the Hongdae studio.
He spent the entire weekend reviewing choreography with Uni-X, Inox, Henry, and the agency staff.
After hours of work, Henry finally adapted to the tight precision of Korean idol choreography, and the agency accepted parts of his global-style routine into the project.
For the agency, Henry's fame was a massive PR advantage. Even if it meant Dongha stepping back, it was a trade-off they welcomed.
But the Inox members were different.
They openly resented the idea of Dongha not coaching them directly.
From late afternoon onward, they pleaded for his help until he finally escaped past 7 p.m.
[Coach, you're leaving already?]
[I have to. Practice well with Henry.]
He rushed out. Sunday evening traffic would paralyze the whole city soon.
The members stared resentfully as he left.Usually 7:30 p.m. was peak rehearsal time.
Especially Jae-hee—her sharp catlike eyes glared at the door long after he disappeared.
*
Sunday night.
A black sedan glided up onto the sidewalk and toward the building entrance.It parked in a space reserved for only one person: the building owner.
The guard in the grey uniform stepped out and bowed slightly.
Dongha got out of the car—wearing Thom Browne sweats and a dark parka, hair slightly tousled.
He looked irritated. Traffic had delayed him far longer than he wanted.
It had taken two full hours to reach Gangnam.
As he headed toward the stairs down to the underground mall, a few familiar faces waved at him—What's he doing here? their expressions seemed to ask.
On Sundays, the salsa club rented the entire studio, so Dongha rarely came unless something major was happening.
He ignored the greetings while scanning the crowd sharply—just in case Yoojin was among them.
At the bottom of the stairs, food smells drifted through the hallway—grilled fish, stews.A few restaurants were still open.
Because the salsa bar filled the studio all weekend, the underground eateries stayed open until nearly 10 p.m.
After that, dancers moved to the Gangnam salsa bar to continue dancing with other groups.