Victory! End of Part 1
I won! Part 1 end! …………… Needless to say, the owner of the voice from behind was, of course, Senior Seori.
She didn't spare Lee Seo-ah so much as a glance. Completely ignoring her existence, she directed her gaze solely at me.
"Let's go up."
"Ah, yes."
"Hello, CEO! I'm Lee Seo-ah, the new hire in the marketing team!"
But of all things, Lee Seo-ah pulled off something astonishingly tone-deaf. She greeted Senior Seori with a beaming, innocent smile.
'Ugh, uwaaa...'
What in the world was about to happen? I swallowed hard, praying nothing would.
Fortunately, Senior Seori didn't react dramatically. She merely scanned Lee Seo-ah up and down.
"...Yeah. Work hard."
Just those two short words to Lee Seo-ah, then she turned to me.
"Minseo, let's go. It's time for the meeting."
"Now? But the schedule—"
"It's a last-minute thing. Hurry."
Her tone brooked no argument.
I gave Lee Seo-ah a quick nod by way of goodbye and followed Senior Seori out. As we walked down the hallway, she asked,
"Who was that woman?"
"Ah, nothing much. We just bumped into each other on the way."
"If anything like that happens again, tell me first."
('How am I supposed to report a random street bump in advance?')
It was an absurd demand, but the mood wasn't right for pushing back. I just nodded helplessly.
Glancing back, I saw Lee Seo-ah still standing in the hallway, staring after us. Her face was full of bewilderment—clearly baffled by the CEO's sudden appearance and the way she was dragging me off.
'Yeah. Better off not knowing. About stuff like this.'
With that thought, I kept walking. We arrived at Senior Seori's office. Naturally, there was no meeting.
The moment she shut the door, she said, "That woman—interested in you? Or do you know her?"
"No, first time seeing her."
"Yeah?"
Senior Seori stared straight through me, as if checking for lies.
"Really. She said she was a new hire, so I just exchanged greetings."
"Okay. Got it. But—"
The light faded from Senior Seori's eyes.
"That woman asked if you're single, didn't she?"
My heart nearly stopped. The emptiness in her gaze as she stared at me was suffocating.
('How did she know? CCTV? Wiretap? Or was she just listening from behind?')
"Ah, haha... Probably just small talk."
My on-the-spot excuse in defense of Lee Seo-ah fell flat.
Senior Seori stared at me for a long moment before slowly speaking.
"It's okay."
An unexpected response. Choi Seori placed a hand calmly on my shoulder.
"Girls like that would be interested in you, Minseo. That's true. But you don't need to reciprocate. Got it?"
"Ah, yes..."
"Good. Back to work."
……………
A week passed since that ominous first encounter with Lee Seo-ah. Surprisingly, Senior Seori hadn't directly messed with her. Lee Seo-ah was still doing well in the marketing team. A huge relief.
I hoped it wouldn't prove temporary.
('Did she really let it go?')
Yeah. She'd been jealous of Park Seo-yeon before, but rather than doing anything nasty, she'd just pried her away from me.
('Breaking up a perfectly flirty couple is kinda bad, but... she didn't cross any real lines.')
Right. Senior Seori didn't cross lines. Picking on Lee Seo-ah now would be irrational. And aside from both working at her company, Lee Seo-ah and I had zero real connection.
No reason for Senior Seori to bother her.
('As long as I don't actively pursue anything.')
Days flowed by, more or less peacefully. Hard to believe, but true.
...Or so I thought back then.
Knock knock.
Afternoon, just after lunch. A knock at the door of my private office. Through the full-glass wall, I saw Lee Seo-ah standing there.
"Senior, may I come in?"
"Lee Seo-ah? What's up?"
"Yes! Want some coffee? I brewed way too much..."
She flashed a bright grin, as if last week's awkwardness had never happened.
('If she's not deliberately ignoring it, she's got disastrously bad situational awareness.')
"Ah, thanks... but I'm good."
"Aw, come on, take it. Americano, right?"
Without waiting for my reply, she set the coffee on my desk.
"Actually, I had something to ask. About a project."
"Project?"
"Yes! Marketing's prepping a new campaign, and I need some tech advice on..."
She pulled out a tablet and showed me the screen. It was legit work stuff.
('Really here for work?')
No way. Plenty of other people to ask—why seek me out specifically? The work was probably just a convenient excuse.
But she'd come all this way, and it was an easy question, so I answered.
"This API integration part needs some tweaks."
"How so?"
Lee Seo-ah scooted right up beside me. A faint whiff of perfume wafted over.
('Too close...')
I shifted away a bit, but she closed the gap just as quickly.
"See here..."
As I explained, she took diligent notes and nodded along. Her occasional questions were surprisingly sharp.
"Wow, as expected of the senior. You explain it so clearly."
"No big deal."
"No, seriously impressed. Here..."
She fished something from her pocket. Chocolate.
"A gift. I made it myself."
"No, really, you don't have to—"
"Just take it—it's from the heart!"
She forced it into my hand and left with a smile.
"This is..."
Alone in the office, I stared at the chocolate in my palm.
It had been so long. Someone approaching with pure goodwill. Kindness with no strings. Healthy interest.
To me, accustomed to my relationship with Senior Seori, it felt unfamiliar... yet nostalgic.
"This... must be what normal human relationships are like."
I unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth. Sweetness mingled with bitterness on my tongue.
……………
After that, Lee Seo-ah's approaches were steady. She'd drop by my office once or twice a week. We'd have "coincidental" run-ins at the cafeteria, conversations flowing under the guise of work inquiries.
At first, it felt burdensome, but I gradually got used to it. Amid Senior Seori's suffocating surveillance, these normal chats became a small comfort.
('Just normal conversations with a normal person... right?')
Let's be honest. A little comfort like this—isn't it fine? Not cheating or anything, just talking.
That Friday, 6 p.m. The elevator reached the first-floor lobby.
As the doors opened, I heard the murmur of employees heading home. I started toward the revolving doors when a now-familiar voice called my name.
"Han Minseo Senior, heading out?"
It was Lee Seo-ah. She'd been leaning against a wall in the corner of the lobby and approached with a bright smile upon spotting me.
No doubt about it—she'd been waiting.
"Perfect timing!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Something felt off. Senior Seori was probably waiting at home.
"Got plans this weekend?"
Wildly out of left field.
"Uh...?"
I felt eyes on us. A few departing employees were glancing our way.
"Um..."
This weekend? Obviously already spoken for. Saturday and Sunday, as always, with Senior Seori.
Lee Seo-ah didn't wait for my silence to break.
"No plans, huh? Date with me then!"
"What!?"
She'd misinterpreted my hesitation.
This was fatal.
She smirked at my expression and stepped even closer.
"Saturday, 2 p.m., Gangnam Station! Movie, dinner. Skip going home—hang out till Sunday. Sound good?!"
A straight fastball, zero hesitation. She spoke as if rejection wasn't even on the table.
('No... this is seriously dangerous.')
Nuclear missile sirens blared in my head.
What if Senior Seori found out? She might already know. She hadn't spelled it out, but she was definitely monitoring me somehow. Company CCTV? My corporate phone?
If Senior Seori was watching this conversation right now—this date invite—Lee Seo-ah could be in real danger.
Lee Seo-ah didn't know what kind of person Senior Seori was. Didn't know the depth of her dark obsession, or the illegal lengths she'd gone to pry other women away from me.
I'd miss the everyday pleasure of our chats, but for her sake, I had to draw a firm line now.
Before it was too late.
Putting on my most apologetic face, I said, "I really appreciate it, but sorry. I'm seeing someone."
The bright smile on Lee Seo-ah's face froze solid. Her eyes widened in surprise, twisting into an awkward grin I'd never seen before.
"Ah, I see... Well, see you next week, Senior!"
She bolted like she was fleeing. Only after her figure vanished from sight did I let out the breath I'd been holding.
"Phew... dodged it."
For now, I'd managed to turn her down. Gently, in a short exchange.
('If she's not eavesdropping on every word, it's just a few lines... Senior Seori probably won't know.')
Relief washed over me. But bubbling up from beneath it was something sticky and ominous.
In the end, that nagging unease clung to me all the way home.