Chapter 361: Chicken and Chicken Radish
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 361: Chicken and Chicken Radish
The atmosphere in the Digital Marketing Team today was solemn and heavy.
It was the day of the decisive battle.
Everyone was reviewing documents with the mindset of soldiers facing a battlefield. However, their eyes were actually wandering elsewhere.
What is up with him today?
Did he not go home yesterday?
Looking at his clothes, it looks like he came straight back to the office after the department gathering.
Even the team members, who had come in determined, were busy walking on eggshells around Kim Woo-jin.
He was already on his third can of energy drink.
His drooping eyes held a madness born of sheer lethargy, and he looked dissatisfied with everything in the world.
"Hello, I'm Lee Cheol-woo from Sales Team 1—Eek!?"
Since Kim Woo-jin’s desk was right by the entrance, he ended up startling people from other departments every time they stopped by for today's meeting.
"Yes, thank you."
Employee Kim, Lee Cheol-woo’s colleague, accepted the documents with a smile. Since everyone in the company already knew about Kim Woo-jin, he wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but...
"……."
"Hmm? Is there something else you need to give me?"
Faced with Kim’s question, the colleague only glanced around nervously and left without asking a thing.
Click.
The door closed, and Assistant Manager Oh stretched, clicking his tongue.
"How many teams have come by already? Your colleagues are busy today, huh?"
"Haha, the workers have to do the scouting, after all."
It was just as Employee Kim said.
There was a reason they were personally delivering materials that could have easily been sent via email or fax. It was to scout out the atmosphere of the Digital Marketing Team in advance.
This was the Digital Marketing Team’s first request for mandatory collaboration.
Section Chief Yoon had sent the junior employees to get a feel for how they were preparing, but what those employees encountered was a member of the owner family who looked to be in a foul mood.
His red suit, which stood out even more than usual today, seemed to represent his fury.
The employees who scouted the Digital Marketing Team had no choice but to report back about Kim Woo-jin’s ominous aura.
* * *
"Understood."
"It’s possible."
"That shouldn't be difficult."
"Give us a little time, and we’ll make it happen."
"Don't you worry."
These were the responses the Digital Marketing Team received during today's meeting.
Normally, they would have had to coordinate opinions, engage in psychological warfare, or clash with their respective logics. However, like a castle with its gates flung wide open, the other teams all responded positively to the Digital Marketing Team’s demands.
The Digital Marketing Team’s logic was solid to begin with, but every answer was given while nervously glancing at the young man in the red suit sitting at the very end of the table.
He’s wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
According to the punch-in records, he arrived incredibly early.
Is he putting that much weight behind Section Chief Yoon?
Why is he working so hard?!
Office workers don't express everything in words. One had to have tact, and the basics of tact involved inferring things from a person's minor actions or attire.
The same red suit as yesterday.
The empty energy drink cans scattered on his desk.
His slumped shoulders and the way he snapped documents over whenever Section Chief Yoon requested them.
To the other team leaders, it looked like Kim Woo-jin had come in early and was working himself to the bone for the sake of today.
In reality...
Fuck, my dick hurts so much.
Kim Woo-jin closed his eyes tight and let out a sigh, venting a completely different grievance.
His dick really hurt.
It wasn't just stinging; it was throbbing to the point where he wanted to apply some kind of ointment. It was especially difficult when he had to use the restroom.
Kim Woo-jin was currently experiencing, at least somewhat, the plight of the women who used to say they couldn't walk because their legs and waists hurt because of him.
"That ended way too easily."
After the other teams left, the Digital Marketing Team, having achieved great results today, began tidying up the conference room.
"Hahaha! Isn't that a good thing?! We can finally get to work!"
At Assistant Manager Oh’s excited shout, Section Chief Yoon nodded, looking quite pleased himself.
"But we have to do a good job this time. This really is our last chance, isn't it, Section Chief?"
"Assistant Manager Choi is right. If we mess this up, we really won't have any more opportunities."
The calm words of the second-in-command, Assistant Manager Choi, reined in the overly excited team, but even he had a smile playing on his lips.
That was how much the Digital Marketing Team had been struggling, and they were full of anticipation for this quarter's work.
"……."
Watching them, Kim Woo-jin felt the thick layer of fatigue that had been weighing on him start to lift.
It didn't feel bad to see them so happy just because he, someone with no real talent, had lent them his name.
"So, are we having another department gathering today?"
"Haha! Shall we go for a quick drink?"
Section Chief Yoon nodded with a laugh, but Kim Woo-jin’s expression instantly crumbled as he shook his head.
"I'll pass."
* * *
"Ugh, I'm dying... haaa."
Having left work right on the dot, I threw myself onto my dormitory bed.
I hadn't eaten a thing all day because I’d spent my lunch break napping, but relieving my fatigue was a higher priority than hunger.
I want to wash up.
I want to eat.
I want to sleep.
Why can't I do all three at once?
Grumbling to myself, I wriggled around on the bed to change my clothes.
Fine, let's just sleep first and think later.
For two whole days, I’d suffered through a cycle of sex, work, drinking, more sex, and more work without proper sleep.
Thinking about it like that, I really sound like a total piece of shit.
As I continued to lightly berate myself, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
"Mmm..."
When I opened my eyes again, a sense of helplessness rather than refreshment dominated my body.
The room was so dark I couldn't see a thing, making it impossible to tell how long I’d been out.
"Ah, whatever."
I was still tired.
I closed my eyes to go back to sleep, but then I felt a strange sensation in my arms.
What is this?
I slowly opened my eyes.
It was so dark I couldn't even see what was right in front of me. I fumbled with my hands and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
It was soft, cozy, and warm.
Even with my groggy mind, I could naturally guess who it was.
"Ye-rin, I'm really tired today. Let's just cuddle and sle—"
I thought Seo Ye-rin, who had watched the sex livestream on her phone yesterday, hadn't been able to help herself and had come running to my room again today, but...
The smell is different.
It wasn't Seo Ye-rin’s scent. Furthermore, the voluptuousness that usually pressed against my chest was somewhat lacking.
The scent was familiar, though. However, it wasn't exactly a welcome one.
It was a scent that had once been a kind of trauma for me.
A subtle rose fragrance that you could only get from high-end shampoos.
As my eyes grew accustomed to the dark, I saw Oh Yun-ji staring blankly up at me while being held in my arms.
"Why are you here?"
When I asked politely, Oh Yun-ji replied casually without much thought.
"I was late because of an assignment. I didn't feel like going home, so I figured I'd sleep over."
"Do you think that makes any sense?"
"Whatever, let's just sleep. I'm exhausted."
"I'm tired too. I just woke up because of you."
I lifted the blanket and sat up.
I must have been holding her while I slept because I was a bit hot and had broken out in a light sweat.
"You shouldn't just hug people while they're sleeping."
I warned her, but Oh Yun-ji just snorted and retorted.
"I was just sitting on the bed, and you were the one who suddenly hugged me."
"...Stop lying."
"It's the truth."
Looking at Oh Yun-ji, who was still lying on the bed, I felt a slight chill. Knowing her personality, she usually wasn't lying when she acted that confident.
"Ahem, well, I couldn't help it since I was asleep."
It's not like I did it on purpose.
I grabbed some underwear and a change of clothes. I’d wanted to wash up ever since I left the office, and now I really couldn't stand it.
"You better be gone by the time I'm done."
When I gave her a firm warning, Oh Yun-ji sat up on the bed with her legs crossed and said, "Can't you wear something other than those panties? The color is so dull, I don't like it."
"What does it matter to you what color my panties are?"
"You never know. I might end up taking them off."
"……."
"Or, I'll close my eyes, so go pick out something else. That way I can look forward to seeing what you're wearing when I strip you."
"Get lost, ex-girlfriend."
"The two words that tug at a man's heartstrings the most: first love and ex-girlfriend."
I flinched, my body trembling slightly. Oh Yun-ji grinned and rested her chin on her hand.
"Unintentionally, I've become both to you, haven't I?"
"No, you haven't. My first love was Uehara A-."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure she was. Hurry up and go wash."
"Dammit."
I grumbled as I headed into the bathroom. It was humid inside; it seemed Oh Yun-ji had already showered.
"Sigh."
I didn't know how long it had been since the two of us were in a room like this. I told her to leave, but judging by the look of things, she wasn't going anywhere.
What am I supposed to do about this?
But trying to force her out now seemed too late. It was hard for me to be firm when it came to Oh Yun-ji.
Just as she said.
She was my first love and my ex-girlfriend.
Of course, I'm not going to do anything.
In the first place, the strength hadn't even returned to my lower half yet. It had recovered, but it didn't feel like it was back to 100%. In this state, I didn't have to worry about losing to my libido.
When I finished washing and stepped out, Oh Yun-ji was still lying on my bed. Seeing her looking at her phone wearing only red lingerie suddenly made me think of the summer break of our freshman year.
She used to lie on my mattress like that all the time.
Well, that was then.
"Why haven't you left?"
I asked while drying my hair with a towel. Oh Yun-ji smirked and replied.
"What am I supposed to do if I go out now? It could be dangerous."
"Our country has great public safety."
"It's the middle of the night. Are you really going to just send me away?"
"……."
" I won't touch you. Don't worry so much and just rest. You look exhausted."
"Huh?"
How did she know? She knew I was working, but she shouldn't know what I’d been up to since the day before yesterday.
"You talk in your sleep when you're really tired. I could tell you were pretty spent from that."
"Ahem."
"I figured you'd be hungry, so I'm going to order some food. Is there anything you want to eat?"
I’d become something of an expert on late-night snacks, but...
This is still a bit problematic.
Even if nothing happened, spending the night in the same room as Oh Yun-ji wouldn't look good to the other girls.
While I was debating what to do...
Knock, knock.
"Woo-jin-ssiiii."
I heard Choi Jin-ah’s voice from outside the door. A startled Oh Yun-ji looked at me, but I was already opening the door.
"Why are you here again?"
"Please, let me hide in here for a second."
"Pardon?"
I saw she was holding a black plastic bag, and a savory aroma was wafting from it.
Ah, this is perfect.
I stepped aside to let her in, and Choi Jin-ah hurried inside.
"Hello?"
"Oh..."
She had come in all excited, but when she saw Oh Yun-ji, she hesitated for a moment before offering me some advice.
"Stop eating so many late-night snacks."
"……."
"I-I'll go. I shouldn't be here."
Choi Jin-ah said she’d rather go out and eat alone. But I blocked the entrance and shook my head.
"No. You have to stay here today."
"...What?"
The black bag slipped from Choi Jin-ah’s hand as her eyes began to tremble.