Eventually, Lee Jihyun, who had postponed her resignation, sat down and recalled yesterday’s conversa—no, argument—with that lunatic... Seo Hoyun.
“......Mang... Mangmang?”
Instead of saying, “What the hell does that even mean? Explain it so I can understand,” Lee Jihyun simply cursed with her eyes. Seo Hoyun, who perfectly understood the unspoken insult, kindly explained.
“Hmm, there’s nothing much you have to do, Ms. Lee Jihyun. Just don’t quit yet. Wait a bit.”
Don’t quit?
Too tired to ask further, she frowned slightly, and Seo Hoyun tilted his head.
“Feeling anxious?”
Hell yes.
“See, I gave you the secret code earlier. If you get anxious, just shout it.”
“...What?”
“Do you like pineapples?”
Seo Hoyun smiled brightly.
“Like a pineapple pop pop pop.”
...Was he saying they should all just die together?
She stared blankly, but Seo Hoyun disappeared in a flash. Despite everything he’d said, Lee Jihyun couldn’t understand a single damn thing.
Still—
“...Ugh.”
Maybe I should wait a little longer....
‘Since it’s Seo Hoyun saying it, somehow it sounds believable....’
Lee Jihyun, who had been about to resign immediately, decided to leave her resignation letter in her locker for now.
However, contrary to Seo Hoyun’s confident tone— the next day, WH was still an absolute mess.
“This plan won’t work, will it?”
Look at this idiot standing in front of me.
The new team leader, who had been planted in the vacant position after Daepaseong’s previous planning team leader quit last quarter, meddled in everything nonstop.
“A concept where The Dawn members video call each other? It’s better when they’re together. Besides, Kang Ichae’s in the U.S. again, right? The time difference won’t work... and I don’t think someone as free-spirited as him would enjoy chatting with members.”
Kang Ichae is obsessed with The Dawn, you fool.
Who would know better— you, or me, who’s been with them since the days Daepaseong’s ceiling used to leak?
She swallowed the words that rose to her throat. Knowing persuasion didn’t work on such a stubborn and arrogant boss, Lee Jihyun engraved “patience” three times in her heart and replied.
“I think the fans would like it. Especially since Seo Hoyun came back....”
“Ah, I’m not so sure. I’ll review it, but it’s a concept WH has never tried before.”
Daepaseong! You said it was an independent! Label!
Do you people not understand the concept of an independent label??
Silently cursing inside, Lee Jihyun sighed and went back to her desk. Then she typed in her password, “TlqtoRlemf,” trying to calm her boiling frustration.
Second day.
“Ms. Lee Jihyun, did any new proposals come up?”
“Excuse me? I sent them this morning by email.”
“What?”
The team leader looked dumbfounded.
“They were all rejected.”
“...Sorry? I wasn’t told that.”
“I told you yesterday.”
Yesterday? The only thing he talked about yesterday was the video call plan.
Lee Jihyun engraved “patience” twice this time.
“You don’t have a backup plan?”
“......”
That night, Lee Jihyun stayed up all night.
Even sighing felt like a luxury.
All the proposals she’d stayed up designing, her dark circles hanging like ornaments, went straight into the trash.
In the end, the team leader submitted a plan that another label had done four years ago.
She firmly protested, saying other labels might file complaints, but he brushed her off with, “Classic is best,” and sent her away.
‘Gamda-juk, you bastard....’
Third day.
Almost spiritually detached, Lee Jihyun dragged herself to work.
And that afternoon, the team leader completely blew his fuse.
“This was done by Hi-Five! They’re complaining now, what are you going to do about it?!”
“...Excuse me?”
Lee Jihyun looked at the documents he slammed on the desk and squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.
“...But, you said it was fine yesterday.”
“What? I said that? I never said that.”
He smirked, full of mockery.
“Ms. Lee Jihyun, which label are you even from?”
Daepaseong, you idiot...
I’m under your direct supervision!!
“You know these label issues are sensitive, right? We all need to make compromises.”
“......”
“I heard you had good instincts, but you’re not showing it. Just recycling old ideas.”
Twitch.
“Maybe The Dawn’s been spoiling you too much?”
At that moment, Lee Jihyun felt it clearly.
I could kill this man with this pen right now.
Just as she was about to lift the pen in fury—
Riiing—!
But right then, the team leader’s phone rang.
“...What the hell?”
“......”
He checked the caller ID, frowned slightly, and stormed out.
Lee Jihyun, who had just lost the perfect chance for murder, glared for a moment, then blew a breath at her bangs.
‘That call just saved your life.’
If not, you’d be on the news with me right now.
Calming herself just a little, she strode toward her locker. Then she took out the resignation letter she had left inside.
‘I can’t stand this.’
Mr. Seo Hoyun, I’m sorry, but I’m not that patient.
‘I’ll escape from these lunatics.’
Glaring at the empty office, she clicked her pen.
Well, WH does have top-tier benefits. If you just drift along, the office is gorgeous, and the connections are nice, but...
“...Ha.”
...It was unbearable.
‘Mr. Seo Hoyun, I’m really sorry.’
She silently apologized to Seo Hoyun and was just about to sign.
Click.
She assumed it was the team leader and turned around like a baseball pitcher ready to hurl her resignation letter straight at his smug face—
“...Huh?”
“Hm?”
What she faced instead was another team leader, from a different WH planning team.
Blinking in confusion, Lee Jihyun stared blankly as the woman spoke.
“Hmm, Ms. Lee Jihyun... right?”
“...Yes?”
“Perfect. I was looking for you.”
The woman, famous for being highly competent despite her tired face, called out to her.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Uh, yes... yes.”
Lee Jihyun stuffed the resignation letter into her pocket and followed her, completely clueless.
‘Wh-what is this? Did she find out I was planning to quit?’
But she was wrong about being called to another team leader’s office. The woman yawned wearily and pressed the top floor button in the elevator.
Only the WH CEO and executive directors ever went up there.
‘...Huh?’
Am I in big trouble?
While she mentally retraced every possible mistake, the elevator doors opened.
“Alright, let’s build a good team togethe— oh my!”
The WH executive, the Daepaseong CEO, and the middle-aged man who had been talking the most energetically appeared.
When the man peeked into the elevator, he smiled brightly.
“Oh, what’s this? Team Leader Kang, have you already started the meeting?”
She immediately remembered where she’d seen him.
At the previous WH workshop—he’d introduced himself as “Manager Jang, even spelled backward I’m still Manager Jang,” and had won first place by dancing to Joo Woosung’s solo song “Myth.”
“Yes, Representative Jang. We’re proceeding one by one.”
“As expected of Team Leader Kang, you’re fast at your work.”
...Representative?
Too stunned to follow the conversation, Lee Jihyun just stood there blankly as the man smiled kindly and held the elevator door open for her.
“This is Daepaseong, everyone! Hahaha! Am I right?”
“Haha! That’s right!”
“Absolutely right!”
She quickly stepped out, bowed, and walked down the corridor. Team Leader Kang glanced back at the closing elevator, scratched his head, and muttered,
“Looks like the traffic’s already been cleared up.”
“...Excuse me?”
‘What is this?’
The combination of people she’d just seen didn’t make any sense.
But Team Leader Kang waved it off, opened a door for her, and went inside a meeting room filled with messy piles of documents.
“The situation’s a bit complicated, so let me explain first. Oh, and feel free to have some snacks.”
Following his gesture, Lee Jihyun’s gaze moved to the center of the table.
Amid the candies and other sweets, there was a peculiar snack.
The moment she saw it, she doubted her eyes.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
...it was dried mango.
***
Team Leader Kang flipped through a few documents and pulled some out. “I’ll explain quickly,” he said, raising one finger.
“First, the current WH CEO is resigning due to health issues.”
Excuse me?
Then his middle finger went up.
“Manager Jang from the strategic planning team—the one you saw earlier—was the strongest candidate for WH’s next CEO, but he declined. Instead, he requested to serve as a co-CEO of Daepaseong.”
Excuse me, what?
And then, the ring finger.
“So, this morning the WH board of directors, along with Daepaseong’s CEO, held a meeting and officially appointed him. From now on, Daepaseong will undergo a complete personnel restructuring.”
Ehhhhh???
Triple combo.
“So... any questions so far?”
I don’t understand a single thing!
Though she had planned to quit, the shocking company drama forced her to ask,
“Um... why did Manager Jang...?”
She bit her tongue before saying “get promoted,” but Team Leader Kang caught on immediately and answered.
“He’s the cousin of the resigning WH CEO.”
“......!”
“They basically grew up like brothers.”
Understood.
Lee Jihyun nodded blankly, feeling the rotted nepotism of Korea sink into her bones.
Now she understood why the WH executive and the Daepaseong CEO had bowed so deeply before Manager—no, Representative Jang.
“He may be a parachute hire, but he’s both powerful and capable. I’ve worked here fifteen years, and he’s one of the only ones with real skills and character.”
He added that Jang should’ve been promoted long ago but had chosen to stay at the site as a manager because he wanted to be close to the field.
Lee Jihyun only grew more confused.
“Then... why would someone like that refuse WH’s CEO position and ask to be Daepaseong’s co-CEO?”
“That’s obviously—”
Team Leader Kang brushed back his hair and grinned.
“How should I know?”
“......”
“You start poking into higher-ups’ business, you’ll bleed.”
And in that moment, Lee Jihyun got the feeling.
‘This... this is a trashy morning soap opera.’
The more she tried to understand, the worse her headache got.
She didn’t know why he wanted to become Daepaseong’s CEO, but as she looked at the dried mango, she thought,
‘I can’t tell if this is good news or bad news for me.’
While she hesitated, Team Leader Kang clicked his pen and spoke.
“Well, now that the background’s covered, let’s talk about you, Ms. Lee Jihyun.”
Sliding a document toward her, he continued.
“Representative Jang said he has high expectations for you, Ms. Lee. Called you an excellent talent.”
“...What?”
“We’d like you to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» continue working for Daepaseong.”
Thirty minutes ago, she would’ve said “Yeah, right,” without hesitation—but not now.
Because the document laid before her showed the newly reorganized structure.
Apparently seeing no reason to hide it, Team Leader Kang shrugged.
“A few people will be reassigned.”
...It wasn’t “a few.”
Half the people who had tormented her were gone.
The parachutes WH had dropped in, the dead weight that had rotted in Daepaseong—every one of her tormentors was being transferred.
“It might take some time to adjust, but it’s a necessary move for an independent label. The new recruits are already decided. All of them are competent people. Including me.”
As she blinked, he pulled out another paper and showed it to her.
“However, the vacant positions at Daepaseong need to be filled. Assistant Manager Lee Jihyun is set to be promoted to Manager next quarter.”
“Whaaat???”
“Congratulations. It’s quite exceptional.”
Team Leader Kang glanced at her pocket, smiling.
“By the way, the average salary and bonus for a Manager are...”
The amount was impossible to refuse.
He smiled warmly.
“So, what do you say?”
What do I say?
After the short meeting, Lee Jihyun left the conference room feeling like her very soul had been shaken out of her.
‘What... what was that?’
She accepted the offer.
Her awful coworkers were being removed, and her pay was going up.
When a fantasy like “killing those bastards and getting paid more” actually becomes reality, what sane employee would turn it down?
‘What the hell just happened?’
To summarize, Daepaseong now had two CEOs.
One of them was a powerful parachute so high-ranking WH couldn’t touch him.
And her tormenting superiors and colleagues were gone.
‘This makes no sense.’
It was all too sudden.
‘Unless someone intervened....’
But who could possibly do that?
Someone capable of persuading a powerful figure to become Daepaseong’s CEO, selectively removing only the corrupt ones, someone who knew every corner of Daepaseong, someone who could track down a recluse from his orchard and push an entire board to a decision...
Lee Jihyun looked down at the dried mango in her hand and blinked slowly.
“Don’t you miss those days? When everything was chaos, every day was a spectacle, and life was full of drama....”
A face vividly surfaced in her mind.
“Shall we give it a try?”
That radiant face, that strangely calm presence, those mischievous eyes.
The most famous celebrity in the entire company—
‘...No way.’
Surely not.
Even if it’s Seo Hoyun, he’s only twenty-seven....
“Manager.”
At that moment, a familiar voice brushed her ear.
Like someone who’d just heard something forbidden, she turned her head slowly, stunned.
“Manager. You haven’t quit yet?”
“......”
“Oh, wait, not Manager yet? Still Assistant Manager?”
Seo Hoyun was looking at her warmly—wearing the expression of someone saying, “Did my little minion come back?”
