The Executive Director's Provocation
The Executive Director entered the conference room. He approached Yeong-a and Hwigyeom with his usual slouching gait.
“Director Sa, should you be worrying about your superior instead? She’s so incompetent, it’s ridiculous.”
His tone was mocking, but his posture—hand buried deep in his trouser pocket—looked deliberately provocative.
“As for me, I’m just naturally special. Why should I bother?”
Hwigyeom, grinning at the reply, didn’t bother with the usual politeness. The two stood toe-to-toe like rivals.
“You dare assign a brand-new employee reports?”
If they were rivals, the sparks flying between their eyes proved it. The Executive Director had always been tall and imposing, but with Hwigyeom there, he looked short by comparison.
“Then maybe the Executive Director should give you an assistant instead.”
Assistant? Suddenly?
Yeong-a’s eyes widened in surprise as she darted between the two men, her thoughts spinning.
Hwigyeom chuckled when he noticed her reaction. In that instant, the Executive Director fixed his gaze on him with the same intensity he had shown Yeong-a.
Soon the corners of Sa Doyeong’s mouth twitched upward.
“The special manager will be quite busy, won’t he? Heh.”
Just as he turned away, he seemed to remember something else and kept talking.
“Oh, right. There are complaints from the shareholders about the resort development. You’ll need to handle that first. Stop calling him the Sahan stock sniper.”
Doyeong’s barbs were cutting. He had called Hwigyeom his “dog,” yet here Yeong-a was fuming. Hwigyeom only let out a soft “pfft,” still laughing.
“Take care of yourself, Director Sa.”
“And what about you? You’ve been under the manager this whole time. How did you get promoted so quickly?”
For the first time, Hwigyeom’s eyebrows twitched. That was all it took. Uncontrollable anger surged from Yeong-a’s core.
“I’m not a manager—I’m the team leader!”
“Aigoo, you startled me.”
Doyeong even jumped back, genuinely taken aback.
Yeong-a pushed her glasses up with fierce determination. To her, that was the equivalent of maximum anger.
“Wow, look at you… You look like a Maltese puppy on the outside, but your loyalty is something else altogether.”
Doyeong’s face was a mask of pure shock.
Yeong-a herself was surprised anyone in the company could be so bold with someone so senior. Yet she lifted her chin higher, still defiant.
Watching her with a faint smile, Hwigyeom pulled her shoulder closer.
“Watch your words, Director Sa. Puppy? Our Yu employee is in her mid-twenties now. Yu employee, want to head back to the office? The air here is terrible.”
Back in the manager’s office, Hwigyeom gladly offered the massage chair to his “wonderful subordinate.”
“You must have been exhausted after the meeting. Rest now.”
Yeong-a’s face turned a little gloomy, but she didn’t miss the opportunity.
She sank into the soft chair without hesitation.
“But I don’t know how to operate this…”
Hwigyeom smiled and nodded. He switched the chair to zero-gravity mode and activated every function—4D deep-tissue rollers, heating, all of it.
Hwigyeom’s impossible-to-please temperament extended to his own chair and bed; his mother had never been allowed to touch them. Yet for Yeong-a, he seemed willing to allow anything.
“Haaah…”
A moan slipped from Yeong-a’s lips. Yes… it felt good.
In truth, Doyeong’s words hadn’t irritated him at all. He had simply been playing along, ignoring the provocation, when Yeong-a stepped up for him unexpectedly.
Countless people had tried to butter him up before, but this felt completely different.
A small, brave puppy willing to throw itself at its master to protect him, as Doyeong had said. It was almost amusing.
“Why did you do that? Because of guilt or something?”
Before he could finish, Yeong-a snorted.
“I read the news late. To be honest, the manager and I have almost nothing to do with the breakup.”
Of course, the tabloids had played a role in making the divorce possible. But—
“No matter what happens, the starting point matters.”
“No matter how many times you try to fan the flames, there’s no fuel, it won’t burn.”
Indeed, a brilliant rebuttal. That was why he had spoken so confidently earlier. Still smiling, Hwigyeom looked down at her, but she sighed and spoke again.
“If my only teammate doesn’t stand with me when I’m the team leader, who will?”
Yet her voice suddenly trailed off. She let out a long breath.
“Haa… manager, this…”
“…Hmm?”
Hwigyeom felt a chill. No, his spine went cold.
“It hurts… but it’s so refreshing. Out!”
Yeong-a bit her lower lip hard, stifling a moan. Hwigyeom’s forehead furrowed deeply.
Was the massage chair really that dangerous? The bizarre sensation from that day when he had finally calmed down came rushing back.
Why was this happening now?
Hwigyeom glanced downward and quickly turned away.
It was normal for a man his age to have such reactions after waking up or feeling physical touch. The fire had always been fierce and slow to die down.
But a woman? He had never felt it with any woman who had caught his interest. He had never even seen the usual obscene materials.
All he could think was how dirty and obscene it was. He had considered it another unknown trauma.
Or had it been?
Of course, Yeong-a’s plump lips, flushed red, were mesmerizing to any man. The cause was the massage chair, but the moan that slipped from between them had been strangely erotic.
Moreover, her face—innocent yet mysteriously alluring—held a charm impossible to ignore.
He had never thought of her as a woman because he had no intention of pursuing anyone. Yet watching her hopelessly in love with him felt strangely unsettling.
But…
Leaving all that aside, Hwigyeom still saw Yeong-a as just a child. As his sacred totem, she also carried the duty to protect.
This wasn’t right. His heart was racing wildly. It had started happening occasionally lately—could something really be wrong?
Guilt crashed over him as one thigh trembled.
“!”
Hwigyeom nearly jumped up. Luckily, it wasn’t an abnormal physical response—it was the office director’s call.
“Yes, Director Gu.”
Hwigyeom walked to his desk while answering.
Director Gu reported that his lunch box delivery had been involved in an accident.
Lunch box delivery accident
He had sent it by quick delivery, and the driver’s ankle was badly sprained, making driving difficult for a while. What should he do?
Yeong-a had sworn she would never go to the executive dining hall, so Director Gu had been bringing both lunch boxes to the company lately. After she became his “stand-in,” he had thought she was too cheerful, but now this.
“Be careful. I’ll contact the hospital separately. Don’t worry about anything here. Rest well first.”
Hwigyeom didn’t drive. He still couldn’t endure the cramped, dark space. It felt like he was choking on his own strength. He couldn’t force himself to keep going.
That was why he slept with the lights on. Naturally, he hadn’t slept well and had become overly obsessed with his health.
The car was the only space that fit both needs. Driving required careful attention. The open-top car had been tolerable at times, but even that had stopped.
Instead of driving himself and risking it, he had to hire someone for the tiring task. The guilt of being unable to do it himself weighed on him.
“Is there something wrong with Director Gu?”
Hearing the phone call, Yeong-a poked her head out. They had grown close exchanging lunch boxes.
“You know how to drive, don’t you?”
Hwigyeom opened a secure folder, found one file, and printed it before asking.
“Yes, sir.”
“I know. Good.”
He didn’t need an answer. Hwigyeom picked up the printed document. It was the employment papers for Yeong-a that Jae-young had reviewed before sending when he recruited her to the team.
“From now on, every lie you tell will add one year to your contract. Remember that.”
At the top of her license list sat her 1st-class driver’s license, proudly displayed.
“Yes? Isn’t this too long?”
“You won’t be lying, will you? Starting today, drive to and from work. Your house isn’t far from the company. You can use this car for your commute too.”
Hwigyeom’s narrowed eyes softened slightly as he glanced at the back of her neck.