“Bwaagh!”
Jesus.
I thought I’d gotten used to this world by now, but my heart clearly hadn’t.
A heavy crystal ashtray slamd into the marble wall and shattered into powder, scattering everywhere.
“S-Sorry, I’m so sorry, sir!”
The TF Team Leader had narrowly dodged it—barely missing his head.
Even his oversized suit pants couldn’t hide how violently his legs were shaking, and the color drained from his face almost instantly.
“Turtle...”
“Sir?”
“You want MK Capital to go bankrupt, don’t you.”
Fucking psycho.
Yoon Taeo had nearly called the TF team leader “turtle” again.
I couldn’t tell if it was because he couldn’t rember nas or if he was doing it on purpose.
Why does he rember a nickna he said once but forget actual nas?
Before he made a major mistake, I had to subtly signal him from beside him.
“There’s no way, sir... It’s just, with so many delays in the previous segnts, the tiline’s been slightly pushed back...”
“Slightly? Forget the delay beyond your own plan—the costs went 1.5% over, didn’t they?”
“Slightly” was a hell of a stretch.
That 1.5% translated to several hundred million won in additional expenses.
It wasn’t an impossible number for the company budget, but obviously, there was no way Yoon Taeo would let it slide.
“Still, we did finish Zone A of the hotel rooms a month ahead of schedule, so...”
The TF team leader kept running his mouth, but judging from the back of Yoon Taeo’s head in his chair, he wasn’t listening to a word of it.
Naturally, neither was I.
It was obvious he’d just keep babbling to save his own neck.
Honestly, I was more concerned about how many ashtrays we had left in stock.
He’d thrown so many that we kept a supply of the sa kind in the secretary room storage, along with Italian-imported marble tiles.
Hopefully we’d have ti to swap it during his lunch break.
I just hope the wall isn’t cracked.
Sorry, but to , it’s more important that my workload doesn’t increase than whether the TF team leader survives.
“I’ll be heading down to check it myself soon, so keep that in mind.
If you start spouting excuses like this again, that ashtray’s going straight at your skull.”
Yeah.
He definitely aid it at the wall on purpose.
The TF leader, staring at the shattered ashtray that now looked like crushed gemstones, rushed out of Yoon Taeo’s office like the wind—muttering thank-you’s over and over.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, sir.”
“Not a chance.”
Nah, you’re clearly in a great fucking mood.
If the TF team leader walked out of his office alive, it’s proof enough.
This bastard who doesn’t know rcy gave him two chances—and didn’t even rip his lying mouth open. Yeah, he’s definitely in a good mood.
“But are you really going to Jeju yourself?”
“What are you saying? It’s not even Hawaii—it’s just Jeju. I should’ve gone already.”
“Well... yeah, but...”
“Given how things are going, I think it’d be faster if I went and finished the construction myself.”
So it’s already that ti.
Once Yoon Taeo starts going to Jeju, the main Beta protagonist of the drama Madman is going to make his entrance.
Not that rushing their eting ever worked in the first place—why the hell did I even ask?
“By the way, is the casino permit actually possible?”
“Ah... I told you, just wait and see.”
Our little chick of a new secretary still needs to get a taste of how rough the real world is.
Right now, I’m just laying bait to win him over.
“I can’t just pop in and say, ‘Hey, go ask your dad for a casino license,’ now can I?”
“Why not? I think I could.”
Yoon Taeo had already spun his chair around to face .
Sitting back in his seat, buried in the headrest, he looked lazy—almost bored—but he sounded like he ant it.
Then again, it’s Yoon Taeo.
I could easily imagine him going, “Want to break your neck, or will you approve the resort permit?”
It practically plays like a movie in my head.
“Well... let’s try the polite approach first, and if that doesn’t work, then we can use your thod.”
He crossed his legs and gave what looked like a faint smile.
I’m not 100% confident I can convince the chick secretary, so I’m leaving myself a way out.
If he believes too much and actually thinks we’ll land the casino license, we’re screwed.
In the original story, the Beta protagonist succeeded by charming the chick into it—but that was done with pure intentions.
Unlike , with my pitch-black motives.
“Do well. If you pull it off, I’ll even make you General Secretary.”
This lunatic says the most outrageous shit like it’s gospel.
That was clearly a jab to demoralize ... right?
Like hell I’m going to stay in this job forever.
If he’d just say he’d let quit, I’d do my damnedest to seduce that chick.
Actually, maybe I should sabotage the whole casino plan...
“But if you fail.”
Yoon Taeo, who had been sitting leisurely, stood up.
He walked right up to and stopped just one step away.
I tried to step back, but his hand moved faster, grabbing my tie.
Unlike the swift snatch, his next move was gentle—fixing the knot of my tie as he continued speaking.
“I think I’ll be very disappointed.
Very.”
Yoon Taeo said “very” twice.
All he was touching was my tie, but it felt like he had his hand wrapped around my throat.
I felt saliva pool in my mouth and swallowed hard.
Once again... I think my damn mouth got into trouble.
“I-I’ll secure the license no matter what!”
“I didn’t know I had such a dedicated employee working so hard for .”
You psycho.
Humans develop superhuman strength when their life is in danger.
Now I have to bully that chick into getting the casino license.
“Do your best. I’ll be watching.”
Yoon Taeo finally let go of my tie.
Maybe it was the short-lived death threat, but I moved like a broken machine, bowed chanically, and escaped into the secretary’s office.
The mont I entered, all eyes turned toward .
So of them even whispered to each other behind their hands.
“...What is it now?”
I hurried to my desk, worried my face was red again, and asked.
But all I saw in their eyes was... sothing unreadable.
Like... amusent?
And then I saw it in the mirror.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding —!”
The fear vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer irritation.
When I looked at my reflection in the small mirror, there was no avoiding it.
He’d been fiddling with my tie for so damn long...
And he’d tied it like a fucking gift ribbon.
A black tie, knotted into a perfectly neat little bow like it was for wrapping a present.
And the worst part was—it was pretty.
I hadn’t noticed at the ti, but now that I think about it, there had been a hint of a smile in Yoon Taeo’s voice when he spoke in front of .
How the hell do I get back at that bastard?
I want to quit.
Isn’t this workplace harassnt?
❖ ❖ ❖
That bastard is so stupidly strong that the marble wall where he threw the ashtray got completely wrecked.
Well, it was kind of expected, so I just called the facilities team while he was out and had them fix it.
It was a routine job by now, so it was done in no ti.
“Team Leader, we’re going to lunch now.”
“Ah... sure, go ahead.”
Lunchti.
Our secretary team never eats all at once.
Soone always has to stay behind to handle the endless calls from every departnt, and while Yoon Taeo is out, we also need to tidy up his office—so that everything is exactly where it belongs.
“Gyuil, aren’t you going to eat?”
But the little chick, who wasn’t even on standby duty, didn’t budge from his seat.
He wasn’t even trustworthy enough to assign standby duty.
The other team mbers didn’t bother checking on him, either.
“? Oh... I don’t really feel like it...”
One look at his face, and I could tell.
He’d definitely gotten chewed out by soone again today.
Sotis I wondered if it was my fault for pulling him into the secretary team and making him suffer needlessly, but honestly, that’s just the kind of character he was.
Even if he were in another team, he’d be getting scolded and beaten down by workplace politics.
He’s the embodint of a painfully realistic new hire.
“Let’s go. Eat with .”
“But I don’t think I should leave my post...”
“Who’s the team leader here again?”
Yeah, that’s how corporate life works.
Your imdiate supervisor is always way more of a pain in the ass than the big boss up top.
“It’s fine, co on. The cafeteria’s serving samgyetang today.”
It’s not because I’m being cheap—I swear.
Thanks to Yoon Taeo’s ridiculously high standards, our company cafeteria is better than most restaurants.
The food is solid, the portions are generous, and most importantly... no one complains if you go back for seconds.
“But, Team Leader, why do you always speak formally to everyone...?”
Wonk Gyuil.
Seeing his na on the badge again reminded —he really was the Vice Minister of Culture’s son.
I already knew that, but the unusual surna confird it once again.
As we headed toward the cafeteria, the chick finally initiated conversation.
“Well... I just prefer it that way.”
Baek Sieon’s character was like that in the original, and frankly, I do feel more comfortable that way.
I don’t want to speak informally and grow close to people who could vanish from my life at any mont.
Maybe that’s why the other team mbers always feel so distance from , but I don’t really care.
It’s not like I plan to spend my whole life with them.
As long as they don’t cause trouble, I’m grateful.
“You’re kind of...”
“Kind of what?”
It was just past peak lunch hour, so the elevator was empty.
I looked up at the chick who had «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» trailed off midsentence.
This bastard... he’s pretty tall now that I actually look.
Wait a minute. Don’t tell he’s...!
“Unusual.”
At that mont, I felt sothing weird and instinctively took a step back from the chick.
I hadn’t noticed before, simply because I hadn’t paid attention.
“...Shall we go?”
Wonk Gyuil’s eyes bore straight into .
And then, once again, his mouth opened.
A bad feeling always turns out to be right.
“...You really seem like an Oga, Team Leader.”
The very words I never wanted to hear just ca out of that damn chick’s mouth.
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