Realistic or Modern ⇾ 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 // 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙.

[sox]

off the clock //

on your mind.

in-character

// visuals

// cast

// in-character

⇾ chapter one //
re-connect.

#workplace drama

#romance

#1x1

#eunwvie

#sox

⇾ hiring department // 2 active.

you can head up now.

just knock twice if his door is closed.

will do— thanks for all your help!

kai //

hello stranger

sox eunwvie

 

[sox]

na yunseo

president

T

wenty-six hours— that was how long president na yunseo of nok-tek global sat through meeting after endless meeting before the strategic partner they'd been discussing contract terms with finally concluded their interrogation and sent back the signed and sealed copy of their business agreement. twenty-six hours of coddling stuffy executives' bloated egos, of re-hashing base procedures to low-iq, self-proclaimed professionals, and of altogether missing out on an entire night's worth of sleep. twenty-six hours that made themselves extremely apparent in the solid dark circles etched under his eyes as he slumped forward onto his desk at long last, extant signs of fatigue that only remained hidden due to the layers of concealer yuna had carefully dabbed onto his face during his lunch break.

only once the three, sharp, tell-tale knocks on his door that could only belong to jung dohyun rang through the dry office air and tickled his ear drums did he rouse from his exhausted heap, sitting up with a displeased scowl as the cmo burst into the room with a chipper, self-indulgent grin on his stupid face.

"rise and shine, sisyphus!"

he greeted, slamming a cup of coffee from the local cafe on his desk.

"i got you a double americano— no passing out before we celebrate this deal finally being over and done with."

yunseo peeled his eyes open with a pronounced groan and rubbed his temples to soothe the headache that had begun to set in, lazily reaching out to grab the cup and take a long, refreshing sip to reboot his system.

"tastes like shit,"

he grumbled through another sip, not slowing down despite the complaint.

"thanks."

"you're very welcome."

having completed the mission he'd set out to accomplish, dohyun spun on his heel to take his leave, but he turned around just shy of the ajar door to mention one last piece of news.

"oh, by the way, the hiring manager is sending your new personal assistant up any minute now. they supposedly poached her from daehan green tech, so i'm sure she'll be a huge help in taking this load off your shoulders. try not to be an ass to her, yeah?"

"fun, training the new hire,"

yunseo answered dryly, tone deadpan despite the visible relief that settled in his tight shoulders at the prospect of no longer having to do every damn thing himself ever since they sacked the previous assistant for trying to seduce one of their married shareholders.

"can't wait."

weary dramatics aside, the nok-tek ceo sighed and pulled himself together as he always did before anyone could see him in shambles, a prim and perfect picture of professionalism devoid of flaws or weaknesses for anyone to possibly dissect. rather than mulling over the inevitably long work hours, he was well-accustomed to adapting on-the-go by now, and this was just another example of one such typical case.

it wasn't until the door swung open and revealed an extremely familiar face, however, that the tight, forced smile that had taken its place atop yunseo's lips melted away and his signature wide, knowing smirk returned to its rightful position.

well, he'd be damned— his day just took the most delightful turn.

"welcome to nok-tek, miss kim juwon,"

he addressed his old school pal, the same analytical, mischievous glimmer to his irises that once used to be so commonplace yet nowadays rarely made an appearance.

"i trust you've been well, keeping yourself busy and all— it really is my pleasure to see you again."

outfit:

location:

ceo's office

interactions:

dohyun, juwon

 

[eunwvie]

Kim Juwon.

the assistant.

A

rush of emotions overcame Juwon as she stood in front of the place where she'll finally have a fresh start after everything that happened. Glancing at her ID, she still couldn't process that she was about to be a personal secretary for the CEO of at one, if not the most successful companies in seoul currently, taking the first place in this field. Nok-tek Global Co., Ltd. a powerhouse in the tech industry, a conglomerate widely regarded as a pioneer in the renewable energy sector. Not only that, but many employees choose to stay with Nok-tek for years, drawn by the opportunity to work on transformative projects and be part of a mission larger than themselves, and those who aspire to work in field the likes, has always dreamt of working there. But because it's such a prestigious company, it's hard to get in. Everybody knows that. You should count your lucky stars if you're hired or even allowed inside the building. So basically anyone would die to be in Juwon's position; and that's why it truly felt unreal.

Mr.Na. She heard a lot about him. A young lad making a name for himself after taking the company all the way up to the top all by himself, but she never seen his face since she was too caught up with her work at her previous job, but nonetheless she felt proud since she got the chance to assist such successful man—although she deep down felt nervous about his last name since it reminds of certain person from her past.

The sharp click of Juwon’s heels echoed through the sleek, modern lobby of Nok-tek Global Co., Ltd as she finally walked inside. right exact on time. Like always.

This was it—her first day at her new job.

She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, her nerves carefully hidden behind her composed expression. The tension in her chest was a mix of excitement and apprehension. After everything she'd been through, this felt like a fresh start—a chance to prove herself once again and forget about the past. As she stepped into the elevator, her reflection caught her eye in the polished steel doors. Her blazer was pristine, her hair tidy tucked behind her hair, and her determination was clear.

"You’ve been through worse, Juwon. This is nothing."

She repeated the words like a mantra, reminding herself why she was here. work hard as always, do her job properly and mind her business. The elevator dinged, and she stepped into the executive floor. A smiling receptionist guided her toward the office of her new boss. She knocked twice on the glass door, took a steadying breath, and walked in. And then, her world froze.

Sitting behind the imposing oak desk was a man she hadn't seen in years since college but could never forget. He looked up at her, a familiar smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

There is no way.

shock and disbelief crossed the woman's face, wiping the composed expression that she had literally a second ago,her mouth dropping open slightly.

"Y-you are Mr.Na?"

She uttered suddenly, her voice tone taking a higher pitch in surprise before she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment. this can't be happening right now...this can't. Juwon kept denying to herself before she put back her calm expression back on her face, her usual professional although it was forced now, wore her lips—she could feel the corner of her lip twitch for a second—

"It's also my...pleasure to see you again, Mr.Na."

she spoke in her formal tone even though, the words were coming out forcefully from her mouth, all while keeping her usual smile on her face but deep down she was having a literal breakdown. Every inch of her wanted to just run away from this situation, yet she forced herself to stand tall, to not let her nerves show.

"As your new assistant, I will do my absolute best to support you in your role here. I’m looking forward to help with anything you and the company need and make sure everything runs smoothly."

outfit:

location:

CEO'S office.

Interactions:

Yunseo.

 

[sox]

na yunseo

president

T

he shocked hues of surprise and horror coloring kim juwon's widened, almond eyes as expected, immediately followed by a high-pitched

"y-you are mr. na?"

before she could think to slap her hand over her mouth in some sort of retroactive censor— yes, not a single detail escaped yunseo's vision as he watched her squirm, all fuel to the fire that had begun brewing in place of his weary, stagnant mood just moments prior. it was obvious she had been looking forward to this meeting for quite a while, if the excited sparkle in her irises that soured upon seeing his visage like a shooting star plummeting to the planet's surface was any indication, and while he hated to be the one to dash her high hopes... well, he didn't much hate it at all, to be honest. quite the opposite, really.

"it's also my... pleasure to see you again, mr. na,"

she greeted begrudgingly in the same formal tone he'd expected her to use, and he had to carefully stifle the amused scoff that threatened to escape his lips so as not to interrupt her introduction.

"as your new assistant, i will do my absolute best to support you in your role here. i’m looking forward to help with anything you and the company need and make sure everything runs smoothly."

ah, how cathartic.

"yes, i'm sure that's true if you say it is,"

he replied in a disingenuous tone, leaning forward to lightly tap the placard on his desk reading 'na yunseo, president' in all capital letters to subtly remind her of his appropriate title. as much as he enjoyed some good, cutting banter, in this environment he was no longer her classmate nor her peer; as not only the ceo of the company she worked for but also her direct supervisor, it was incredibly important that she addressed him by the proper name lest she become caught up in some... unsavory rumors down the line.

semantics aside, the kim juwon of the present standing before his desk seemed familiar yet not at the same time, a far cry from the agitated schoolgirl with high blood pressure he'd once known her to be yet carrying the same, ever-present flames of ambition in her defiant gaze. still, the passage of time had left its mark on her just as it had on him— her cheeks had lost some of their baby fat to make her jawline sharper and more defined; her posture stood taller and prouder, clearly confident in her abilities despite the distressing revelation of who she'd be working for; and her tailored formal attire complimented her slim figure in a way that could only come from years of experimenting to find her personal style.

yunseo's eyes snapped back up to juwon's hostile eyes after his initial assessment of the new executive assistant was complete, a soft hum the only given acknowledgment that he'd approved of her presentation for the time being. now came the best part... for him, at least!

"once you've taken some time to get settled in—"

he picked up a hefty stack of folders sitting at the edge of his desk, at least an inch thick and bursting at the seams with a plethora of wayward files yet to be annotated, and unceremoniously dropped them in the center of the table for juwon to take off of his hands—

"i need these ecological case studies summarized in a way that the idiots in venture capital that i'm meeting tomorrow will understand. get the report to me by 10pm today— if you have any questions, my door is open. until then..."

eyes flickering between juwon and the door to indicate that she should probably get the hell out now, yunseo offered a hollow smile and re-focused his attention on one of his many computer screens without waiting for her to dismiss herself, the grin instantly fading into a grimace at the plethora of emails that had flooded in during the brief time that he'd been distracted. while he would have loved to tease his old, snappy acquaintance for what remained of the long work day if he'd had the freedom to do so, the mountain of work awaiting him determined that such frivolities would unfortunately have to wait.

outfit:

location:

ceo's office

interactions:

juwon.

 

[eunwvie]

Kim Juwon.

the assistant.

I

nternally, Juwon was in full panic mode, but on the outside, she kept a polite smile plastered on her face, standing ramrod straight.

"There is no way yunseo, the same guy from highschool is actually my boss. Should I resign already? Oh my god what should I do?"

Literally. What are the odds that she met her rival back from highschool after all of these years? and not only that. But apparently he's the CEO of one of the biggest companies nowadays that she kept hearing about.It felt like fate itself was mocking her, twisting the knife with perfect timing.

She shook herself out of her spiraling thoughts when she heard his voice, tinged with an almost mocking and disheartened tone, a fake sincerity that almost made her roll her eyes. She then followed his gestures and watched him tap the placard that was in his desk. Ah, right. President Na. She mouthed the words quietly to herself then she quickly had to remind herself to not address him informally or any of the nicknames she used to call him back in school.

Juwon exhaled deeply, already dreading what lay ahead. She knew exactly how Yunseo operated—he would surely notice her discomfort, and now, with the power he held over her, he could do so with ease. Her gaze then wandered around the room, taking in the polished, immaculate decor. But then her attention shifted to his desk, a stark contrast to the tidy office. Piles of papers and thick files covered the surface, stacked high in chaotic heaps. Empty coffee mugs littered the mess, their contents long dried, a quiet sign of endless late nights spent battling deadlines all by himself without an assistant. The hiring managers were practically doing all of their best to find someone to come and help him. And she ended being the one. Gosh, just what is awaiting her?

Then her eyes moved up to his face. The Yunseo sitting before her now was both familiar and foreign, a far cry from the high school rival she'd once known. The sparkle that had once danced in his eyes, full of mischief and ambition, had long since faded, replaced by a weariness that spoke of long nights and burdens too heavy to bear. Gone was the youthful energy, replaced by the sharp, calculating demeanor of a man who had learned to bear the weight of responsibility. His once casual, easygoing air had been replaced by a composed, almost detached presence, as though he were always calculating the next move in a game he could no longer afford to lose.

Once again, his voice jolted her out of her deep, existential analysis, and she blinked in shock as she watched him reach for the massive pile of folders on his desk.

"No, no, no..."

Juwon muttered under her breath, as if willing the pile to disappear. But before she could even finish her mental protest, he spoke.

"I need these ecological case studies summarized in a way that the idiots in venture capital I’m meeting tomorrow will understand. Get the report to me by 10 p.m. today— if you have any questions, my door is open. Until then..."

He actually handed her work. On her first day. Oh, lucky her.

"I see what you're doing her."

she thought to herself, trying very hard not to narrow her eyes at him like some sort of cartoon villain. Was he trying to sabotage her? Set her up to fail and quit? Oh, he was playing dirty—very dirty. But little did he know, he had picked the wrong target. At that moment, Juwon’s inner determination kicked in, fueled by a sudden burst of stubbornness.

“Yes, sir!”

she said with way too much enthusiasm, her tone practically sparkling with confidence.

“I’ll have the report ready before you even know it!”

And with that, she bowed like a ninja who just made a secret promise to herself to not lose before she raised her head and walked over to his desk and took the hefty stack of folders that that it made her groan for a second.

"I'll take my leave then. Please inform me if you need anything else!"

she added as she gave him her most polite smile, the kind she’d perfected over years of dealing with difficult situations, before making her quick exit and walking to her office, which, much to her dismay, was conveniently located right next to his. She dumped all the folders onto her pristine, empty white desk that only had a computer and sat down with a slight groan.

“I didn’t even get the chance to organize my stuff nor meet any of my new colleagues,”

she muttered to herself, staring at the bare surface. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she glanced at the clock on her wrist. It was almost 3 pm. Good, she thought. She still had plenty of time to finish this monstrosity of a task so she could have went out and introduced herself to everyone but she wanted to finish her work first.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, took a determined breath, and opened the first folder. The dense language and complex graphs would make anyone’s head spin, but Juwon wasn’t about to be intimidated. She grabbed her notebook and began to simplify. With careful precision, she broke down the information into clear, digestible points. What had been a confusing jumble of data turned into simple, direct explanations that anyone—even a novice—could understand. She cut out the fluff, turning the ecological jargon into something straightforward. As she worked, her method became clearer. After a few pages, the overwhelming complexity faded. What seemed like a mountain of information was now manageable. She paused to review her progress. By the time she finished the first case study, the tension in her shoulders eased. One down, many more to go—but now she knew how to tackle them. With a satisfied nod, she grabbed the next folder, ready to keep going.

Juwon had been reviewing and summarizing for what felt like ages, still sitting in the same position she had when she first started. Finally, she set her pen down with a satisfied thud.

“I did it!”

she exclaimed, raising both arms triumphantly. She quickly organized everything on her computer and printed the report out in papers. Glancing at the clock on the wall, a proud smile crossed her face. It was 6:30 p.m.

"You did it again, Kim Juwon"

After arranging the papers, she walked to Yunseo's office, knocked gently, and entered, bowing her head respectfully.

“Here is the report with the ecological studies all summarized, sir. I did my best to make them as clear as possible. Please let me know if anything needs revision.”

She placed the papers in front of him at the desk, then glanced at his computer screen before taking a step back.

“Do you need help with anything else? If you have other things to take care of, feel free to send me some of those emails—I’ll handle them.”

Her tone was calm and professional as she offered her assistance since she noticed he was still checking emails since earlier.

outfit:

location:

CEO'S office.

Interactions:

Yunseo.

 

[sox]

na yunseo

president

o

nly offering a brief glance from where he sat clacking away at his keyboard, brow set in a perpetual furrow as it usually did once he was deep in the pits of grinding out his most tedious tasks, yunseo finally peeled his attention away from the computer screen altogether when juwon placed the freshly printed report on his desk several hours earlier than he'd expected.

“here is the report with the ecological studies all summarized, sir. i did my best to make them as clear as possible. please let me know if anything needs revision."

yunseo's fingers paused in mid-air as he ceased typing, eyebrow quirked in mild interest while his vigilant eyes gave the document's introduction a cursory skim. her writing style hadn't changed too much from how he remembered it sounding during their school days, albeit more concise and mature given its professional nature, and the formatting was pristine, far closer to perfect than he'd expected.

"mm, timely,"

he hummed, a strange expression crossing his gaze before returning back to indifference. it was splendid, truly— the only problem being that it needed to be written in english, a caveat he'd neglected to specify at the time of assignment and couldn't possibly bring himself to mention now that she'd already completed the task. classic... he'd just have to suck it up and add it to his growing stack of paperwork.

"this'll do."

resigned to hiding behind his wickedness while he spent the next hour translating the report on his own, yunseo didn't feel an ounce of guilt for immediately taking up the offer that came next.

“do you need help with anything else? if you have other things to take care of, feel free to send me some of those emails— i’ll handle them.”

'famous last words, kim juwon.'

asking satan's proxy himself for more work went against one of the most basic tenets of survival at nok-tek, according to the office staff that had stuck around long enough to know their boss' sadistic tendencies like the back of their hands. such was a mistake that his subordinates knew better than to make twice, and the newest addition to the team was about to learn that exact lesson.

"i am so glad you asked,"

yunseo beamed, honeyed smile coming naturally to his lips that only highlighted the nefarious glint to his irises.

"you clearly know what you're doing, but there's no faster way to learn the specifics of how things operate around here than to dive right in."

he paused to print off his digital notes along with two of the emails he'd left open in another tab, the first being a lengthy summary of prospective pain points for the incoming partner proposal deadline, while the second contained an itemized list of imminent venue and catering preparations for the end-of-season charity gala.

"these are potential issues outlined by one of our shareholders that might come up during the meeting tomorrow, all of which i've already addressed in these,"

yunseo began again, sliding the first email towards her after paperclipping it to the relevant notes.

"i need you to add graphics to the presentation slides for each one of these pain points— just a few friendly-looking charts or something to make them seem less intimidating than they are."

without giving juwon even a brief chance to acknowledge her new workload, he barreled right on the second email, sliding the print-out across the desk next to the first one.

"once you're done with that, this is a list of preparations for our yearly charity gala, which takes place in a few weeks. it's a traditional fundraising auction for seoul's elite, so the decor has to be flawless in every sense. call each vendor on that list and make sure everything is on track to be ready by the friday after next."

before he could prattle on and dump yet another pending task onto juwon's growing itinerary, a sharp knock on the door to his suite came to her rescue to signal that the food delivery he'd ordered in anticipation of being stuck at the office for dinner had finally arrived. rather than the usual single serving of bibimbap, however, today's courier came bearing two piping hot bowls, sealed and stacked atop one another as though he'd planned on holding her back this late all along.

well, he didn't quite care to confirm that statement, but he certainly couldn't deny it either— not that anyone ever had the gall to ask him point blank.

"thanks, hajoon,"

the president nodded in thanks as the delivery driver set his order down on the desk, a well-acquainted regular visitor at nok-tek by this point in his career, before shifting his focus back to his impressive new hire with a blank look of expectation.

"you're dismissed. take one of these on your way out. there's a vending machine down the hall for drinks."

with that final tendril of generosity in the wake of the tyrannical blow he'd just dealt the poor assistant delivered and out of the way, yunseo stifled a smirk and stopped paying attention to juwon entirely, hardly letting his eyes stray from the screen to glance at his bowl while he peeled it open and settled into his arm chair for another several hours of tedious labor.

while he couldn't lie and say that he wasn't enjoying this pseudo-hazing ritual of sorts (though she did ask for it herself— no external pressure necessary), his own looming workload likely to stretch late into the night put a damper on the mental festivities and drained whatever glee might have usually awaited him after willfully getting on kim juwon's nerves.

sigh... what a pity. he'd drive her up the wall for sure next time.

outfit:

location:

ceo's office

interactions:

juwon.

 

[eunwvie]

Kim Juwon.

the assistant.

J

uwon felt a chill crawl up her spine the moment Yunseo’s honeyed smile spread across his face, the glint in his eyes practically screaming, you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life. Her expression didn’t falter at first—neutral, professional, quietly confident. But as he spoke, her confidence began to unravel thread by thread.

"i am so glad you asked,"

"Uh oh."

"you clearly know what you're doing, but there's no faster way to learn the specifics of how things operate around here than to dive right in."

"I messed up, didn't i?"

she thought to herself, already regretting that she offered her help. Why did she even do that? Of course he's going to take the chance right away to torment her.

"these are potential issues outlined by one of our shareholders that might come up during the meeting tomorrow, all of which i've already addressed in these,"

When Yunseo slid the first stack of papers across the desk, Juwon’s polite, neutral expression didn’t falter. Her lips stayed pressed in a thin line, and her posture remained composed.

"once you're done with that, this is a list of preparations for our yearly charity gala, which takes place in a few weeks. it's a traditional fundraising auction for seoul's elite, so the decor has to be flawless in every sense. call each vendor on that list and make sure everything is on track to be ready by the friday after next."

But as he continued—talking about charts, vendor calls, flawless decor, and timelines—the tiniest crack formed in her facade.

Her eyes widened, just a fraction, and one brow twitched ever so slightly, as if it couldn’t believe the audacity of the workload being dumped on her... on her first day at work. By the time he finished with the second stack of papers, she took both of them in her hands and clutched them to her chest. Her jaw was tightened the whole time, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and her mouth twitched as though she wanted to speak but knew better.

"Of course, sir. I'll make sure to get everything ready by tonight."

she spoke, her tone even and professional with a thin smile wearing her lips.

" stay calm, juwon, stay calm. Don't let him get to you already."

she kept repeating to her herself, reminding herself to not blow up on him already.

Just as Juwon was on the verge of panicking at the thought of him piling on even more work, a sharp knock made her snap her head toward the door, her savior stepping in at just the right moment. No, not just a man—a hero, a legend, a divine intervention in human form. As the man strolled in with the food delivery, he might as well have been moving in slow motion, golden light practically radiating around him like the lead in a melodramatic show. Juwon could almost hear triumphant orchestral music swelling in the background as he set the bowls on Yunseo’s desk.

“Yes... thank you, Hajoon,”

she thought to herself,her eyes practically sparkling as she gazed at him in silent reverence. She snapped out from her thoughts, as they were shattered by the sharp, all-too-familiar sound of an annoying voice cutting through her thoughts.

"you're dismissed. take one of these on your way out. there's a vending machine down the hall for drinks."

As Yunseo dismissed her with the grace of a tyrant tossing scraps of mercy, her eyes flicked to the second bowl of bibimbap.

"Thanks... for the dinner,sir."

she added the same  forced thin smile wearing her lips, scooping the bowl up with her free hand then she quickly took the chance and narrowed her eyes at him as he totally ignored her existence as he returned his attention back to work. 'Asshole.'

"I'll take my leave then... "

The woman bowed her head before her heels clicked against the polished office floor as she exited, and the moment the door closed behind her, the groan she’d been suppressing finally slipped free.

“This asshole didn't change in the slightest bit. Why did i even ask to help him? Ugh this is so annoying!"

she hissed under her breath, smacking her forehead with the stack of papers in her hand before ruffling hair in annoyance, giving his door one last glare.

Juwon’s big desk, situated just outside next his office like some cruel cosmic joke, came into view. The space was still neat, and empty. The growing mountain of assignments she’d foolishly acquired already felt like it would swallow her whole. She slammed the papers down onto the desk and stared at the bibimbap in her other hand befor setting it aside on the desk. For a brief, petty moment, she considered tossing the bowl into the trash but she didn't want to waste food like that. Juwon then sat at her desk, her posture straight and composed, betraying none of the internal regret simmering beneath the surface. The neatly arranged papers and open computer in front of her reflected her disciplined nature—a trait she prided herself on. If she was going to survive this trial by fire, she’d do it right, no matter how much she wanted to throttle Yunseo with the vendor list in her hand.

She started with the presentation. She read carefully the pain points yunseo had already prepared before her fingers flew over the keyboard, her face calm but focused—though her mind was busy silently cursing Yunseo with every keystroke. The bullet points detailing shareholder concerns were dense, technical, and impossible to sugarcoat. But Juwon didn’t waste time complaining. Instead, she analyzed each point and began crafting visuals that balanced clarity and tact. Pie charts were recolored in muted, professional tones, and bar graphs were labeled carefully to soften the blow of grim statistics. After fine-tuning the slides, she moved on to proofreading the notes Yunseo had printed. She circled a few phrases with a red pen and jotted down concise revisions in the margins, her handwriting neat and efficient. The red ink against the paper felt oddly satisfying, a small way to impose some order on the chaos she’d been handed.

Next, she turned to the gala preparations. She flipped open her notebook, which she divided into sections by vendor type, and began dialing the first number.

“Hello, this is Kim Juwon, President's Na new assistant from Nok-Tek.”

she said, her voice calm but authoritative.

“I’m confirming the timeline for the catering services for our upcoming gala. Yes, the one scheduled in three weeks. Have you finalized the dessert options? We need allergen-free alternatives confirmed by the end of this week.”

She paused, pen poised over her notebook.

“Understood. I’ll follow up on Friday.”

She moved swiftly through the rest of the list. Florists, decorators, and AV specialists—all received the same level-headed, professional treatment, though her patience thinned as each call dragged on longer than expected. When one vendor hesitated about their readiness, she didn’t snap, but her tone sharpened, cool and unwavering.

“We’re on a tight schedule, and this isn’t negotiable. Please confirm that your team is on track by tomorrow morning. If adjustments need to be made, I need to know immediately.”

By the time she finished the calls, her notebook was filled with detailed updates and next steps for each vendor. The tasks had been grueling, but there was a quiet satisfaction in knowing she’d handled them thoroughly—or at least that's what she hopes. Glancing at the time on her monitor, she noted with a sigh that it was past 9 p.m. Her untouched bowl of bibimbap sat at the corner of her desk, and her stomach finally protested loud enough to demand attention. She pulled it closer, picking up her chopsticks and eating mechanically, her mind still focused on the remaining tasks.

A flicker of frustration crossed her face, as she looked over at the door of the devil's office but she pushed it aside. This wasn’t the time for resentment. There was work to be done, and she’d finish it, no matter what.

After finishing the meal her boss had so 'generously' provided, Juwon tidied up her desk before diving back into her work. She flipped open her laptop and reviewed the graphics—which took her longer than she intended since there were many pain points, that she added to the presentations and then began drafting an email to finalize her notes. As she typed, she muttered under her breath,

“If he comes out of that office with one more task for me, I swear...”

With that, she refocused, determined to finish everything as fast as humanly possible so she could finally go home and collapse into her warm bed.

outfit:

location:

Juwon's office.

Interactions:

Yunseo.

 

[sox]

na yunseo

president

b

y the time yunseo got around to translating the report juwon had drafted for him from korean to english, the clock had already struck eight and the vast majority of the office had long left for the day. at some point, the hallway lights on the executive floor had flickered off, leaving only the area around his office illuminated as he worked into the nighttime hours yet again. this was no matter of huge consequence to him, however; he had neither anyone to return home to, nor social plans with friends to look forward to. true, honest relationships were rare finds for him lately, anyways, more often than not revealing themselves to bear ulterior motives rather than caring about him as a fellow human.

the report took far less time to translate than he'd imagined thanks to juwon's excellent summarizing, a trait she'd been renowned for back during grade school as well as far as he'd remembered. a small, fond smile tugged at his lips before he could school his expression back into its usual stern indifference, and he made a mental note to welcome her properly with something nice later when their operations weren't swamped with busy work.

personal history with juwon aside, yunseo couldn't deny that having her around for even just one day was already an unexpected change of pace, though he had yet to test her in all the ways he'd need to if he was to properly trust her as a worthwhile assistant. she'd always been second best whenever they'd competed over trivial assignments back in school, but it was imperative that she was unmatched in her role at nok-tek, outranked by absolutely no one else, not even her boss.

still, it was thanks to her taking a huge load off of his hands that the ceo was able to wrap up his tasks by 11pm for once instead of spending another long night at the office, the appreciative glimmer returning to his irises as his gaze lingered on the glowing light from her quaint workspace. had she already spruced up her office with some tacky decorations? no, she'd probably been too overwhelmed to even think about such things after encountering her cyclone of a boss...

'wait— why the hell is she still here?'

two sharp knocks resounded from yunseo's knuckles as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and one eyebrow cocked in curiosity at the sight of her button-like nose buried in the pages of his notes that she was currently copyediting for some reason.

"you didn't go home,"

he commented dryly, his unwavering stare boring into her with an unreadable expression that vaguely leaned more towards incredulity than concern.

"i thought you would've left after sending the slides back over. those other things didn't need to be finished by tonight."

a scoff, lightly dripping in disdain as he slipped back into the same leering tone she'd once been all-too-familiar with.

"ha, classic. you really haven't changed one bit, kim juwon— ever the overachiever."

yunseo stood up straight from where he was lounging against the wall and jerked his chin towards the exit, finally through with the taunting as the visible signs of exhaustion overtook whatever enjoyment he was gleaning from being a nuisance.

"that's enough for today. i'll drop you off."

before she could refuse with some bullshit excuse that she'd undoubtedly hurl his way to avoid spending any more time with him, he barreled right on, denying her the opportunity.

"it's downpouring, and the buses stopped running five minutes ago— unless you plan on swimming home. don't forget your badge and access card."

with that, he spun on his heel and began walking down the hall towards the elevators without giving her a chance to gather her things before leaving her behind, though he did linger impatiently with his foot wedged in the door to keep it from shutting until she caught up. today had been hectic and not at all relaxing, but tomorrow would hopefully be a different story once this damn insufferable investor meeting had finally wrapped up— after that, he'd really get to have his fun.

a conspiratorial smile tried to tug on the corners of yunseo's lips, one that he forced back down before juwon could recognize the telltale symptoms of sadistic enjoyment she'd once known all-too-well on his otherwise neutral, professional face.

outfit:

location:

executive floor

interactions:

juwon.

 

[eunwvie]

Kim Juwon.

the assistant.

J

uwon had completely lost track of time. Her head dipped forward, exhaustion creeping up on her like a debt collector she had been skillfully dodging. Last night’s sleep had been a joke—she’d spent way too long obsessively dissecting the hiring manager’s email, trying to squeeze every bit of information from it like it was some ancient scroll of wisdom. Now, her eyelids fluttered rebelliously, and the near-empty office’s quiet hum wasn’t exactly helping her battle against sleep. She meant to leave earlier. She really did. But one thing led to another, and before she knew it, she had worked herself straight into an unpaid overtime horror story.

A sharp knock on the door sent her jolting upright so violently that her papers nearly took flight.

“You didn’t go home.”

Yunseo’s voice made the girl jump, startling her as she looked up at him. He stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The dim hallway lighting cast dramatic shadows across his already sharp features, making him look like a villain who was about to fire her—or ask her to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Juwon straightened her back immediately, pretending she hadn’t just been on the verge of dozing off at her desk.

“I was just finishing up,”

she muttered, frantically stacking her papers as if that somehow proved her productivity.

"I thought you would’ve left after sending the slides back over. Those other things didn’t need to be finished tonight."

He scoffed lightly, shaking his head.

"Ha, classic. You really haven’t changed, Kim Juwon—ever the overachiever."

Once upon a time, she would’ve snapped back with something witty. But, unfortunately, this wasn’t high school, and even more unfortunately, he was now her boss. So, instead of biting back, she just focused on packing up.

“That’s enough for today. I’ll drop you off.”

Juwon stiffened.

“That’s not necessary, I—”

“It’s pouring outside, and the buses stopped running five minutes ago,”

he cut in flatly not even giving her the chance to say a word, already turning to leave.

“Unless you’re planning on swimming home.Don’t forget your badge and access card.”

And just like that, he was gone, striding toward the elevators as if this was all her idea. Juwon blinked at the empty doorway for a second before scrambling to grab her things. The last thing she needed was to be stranded at the office—or, even worse, be indebted to Yunseo of all people.

"Seriously, does he ever listen to anyone but himself?"

By the time she reached the elevator, he was already inside, one foot keeping the doors open. She hesitated for half a second before stepping in, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor like it was displaying the most riveting content she’d ever seen.

Then, her phone buzzed.

Juwon startled so hard she nearly dropped it, fumbling to check the screen. The moment she saw her brother’s name, she knew she was doomed. Bracing herself, she picked up. “Juwon—where the hell have you been?!” The elevator walls practically shook with the force of Junho’s voice. Juwon winced, yanking the phone an inch away from her ear as she cast a desperate glance at Yunseo, praying he did not hear this. “I’ve been calling you for hours! Do you even check your phone?! What if something happened to you?!” Juwon sighed, dramatically pressing a hand to her face.

“I was working,”

she muttered through gritted teeth, as if that would somehow appease him.

“working?! It’s almost midnight! Why didn’t you text me? Why do I have to call you five times—”

“Okay, okay!”

she interrupted quickly, throwing a nervous glance at Yunseo, who was—unfortunately—standing right there.

“I lost track of time.”

Junho inhaled sharply. Oh no. That was the inhale of a man about to deliver a full-blown lecture.

“Where are you now? How are you getting home?” Juwon hesitated. Long enough for Junho to sniff out the hesitation like a bloodhound. “Wait. Are you alone?” Her grip tightened around her phone.

“…Um. No?”

Silence. A very dangerous silence. “who are you with? Don't tell me—are you with a guy?!who is he?!—” Juwon nearly facepalmed.

“Stop talking nonsense!”

she whisper-hissed, slapping a hand over her mouth so Yunseo wouldn’t hear, then desperately forced out an awkward laugh hoping to downplay thesituation.

“You’re so funny! Don’t worry about me, I’ll call you when I get home—bye!”

And before Junho could switch to full interrogator mode, she hung up with full speed.

Clearing her throat, she acted like nothing happened as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear then she stole a glance at Yunseo,

“You really don’t have to drop me off—”

she started, but before she could finish, the elevator dinged. Main floor. Finally.
Juwon squared her shoulders and marched forward, trying her best to catch up with him.

“I really don’t need a ride. Look I’ll just call a taxi!”

Determined to prove she was an independent, capable adult, she stepped outside—And immediately came face-to-face with what could only be described as a biblical-level downpour. The rain was merciless, hammering against the pavement so violently that even the streetlights looked blurred. Juwon stood there, gripping her bag, watching as Mother Nature personally mocked her.

She quickly took out her phone from her bag and pulled up the taxi app…No cars available. She searched and searched but nothing.

"Oh no..."

Juwon stared at her screen. Then at the rain. Then at her screen again. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She could tough it out. She could. But then she imagined standing there, soaked, freezing, sneezing her lungs out the next morning, and—oh god. That would mean missing work. A nightmare.

With a deep inhale, she squeezed her eyes shut for a second before exhaling sharply through her nose. Then, without wasting another moment, she hurried forward, stopping Yunseo before he could actually leave her alone stranded in the storm.

“…Or maybe… just this once...since it's raining a lot...”

outfit:

location:

executive floor.

Interactions:

Yunseo.