Women Can Be Hit, But Men Can't?
Busy workdays make time crawl at a snail's pace. But on a light day like today, the hours fly right by.
"Already five. You held up well today too, Sihyun."
"You too, Assistant Manager Seonghyeon. Heading straight to 2580 Hof after work?"
"Yeah, Dongcheol said he's coming straight to 2580 after he clocks out. Let's go together."
"Got it. Loyalty~!"
Quitting time was six, so only one more hour to go. Days when we actually left on the dot were rare. On top of that, today was Friday. One more hour and I could rest all the way through the weekend. Two whole days without having to look at those crazy bitches. My mood was soaring.
"Sihyun, something good happen? You look happy."
Short red miniskirt, black fishnet stockings. It was Deputy General Manager Choi Dajeong.
"No, ma'am. I thought you were out on a business trip."
"I was. Just got back."
"Ah, right."
Choi Dajeong bent at the waist. Her full C-cup breasts swayed inside her white blouse.
"Sihyun, working on the report? Anything you don't get, just ask me."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."
She ruffled my hair like I was a puppy.
"Aww, so cute. Good work."
The sharp reek of hard liquor hit my nose.
Ugh, that fucking bitch Choi Dajeong. Fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice? Not a chance!
Choi Dajeong was the object of every male employee's fantasies. Her face already looked slutty, and she dressed like a ten-pro hostess, pure sex appeal. Her body was voluptuous as hell. She handled the men well, too—or rather, she played with them.
Even I used to get my heart racing every time I saw Team Leader Choi Dajeong. Until I learned what she really was.
In a word, Choi Dajeong was a bat of a woman. She dug information out of the men and fed it straight to the women.
Early after I joined, there was a drinking session with just the two of us. I actually thought that bitch was interested in me. Looking back, I must have been out of my mind. At that table I trusted her and spilled every complaint I had about the other female staff.
"Company life's hard, right? It's okay, Sihyun. You can tell me everything."
The next day I got roasted alive by the other women. They cursed me out. That bitch Choi Dajeong had taken everything I said, seasoned it with extra spice, and painted me as the absolute worst piece of shit alive.
Fucking bitch.
Honestly, the ones who were hostile from the start were better than a bat like her. Ever since then, I went on high alert the second I saw Choi Dajeong.
Time rolled on to 6:20. I hurried to pack up and leave. Assistant Manager Miyoung and Senior Mihui had already clocked out at 5:50. As the new guy I felt the pressure, so I planned to leave the moment Assistant Manager Seonghyeon did.
"Sihyun, let's go."
Seonghyeon glanced around and spoke quietly.
"Yes, sir."
I straightened my desk and stood.
"Oh my, Sihyun, heading out? Help me with just one thing first."
Choi Dajeong again. Perfect fucking timing, as always.
Sigh. Still, what choice did I have? It was early enough; I might as well do what she asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
I looked at Seonghyeon.
"You go on ahead to 2580, sir. I'll just help the deputy with this and be right there."
Seonghyeon muttered under his breath.
"Crazy bitch. Always pulls this shit right when we're trying to leave."
"Yeah, and she might grab you too if you stick around. Get out of here quick."
"Alright, sorry, Sihyun. Dongcheol's waiting too. I'll go first."
"Yes, sir. Loyalty~!"
I sent Seonghyeon off and walked over to Choi Dajeong.
"Sihyun, change the water cooler jug for me~ It's all empty~"
Crazy bitch. Even when she tries to act cute now, it just looks disgusting instead of sexy.
"Yes, ma'am."
Does this really have to be done before we leave? It could wait until Monday morning. Fucking bitch.
From the look of her, she'd gotten hammered on the business trip and was just picking a fight. I lifted the full jug and swapped it with the empty one on top of the cooler. Doing it alone was heavy. Moving flower pots, hauling water jugs—my poor back. All that effort wasted on the wrong places. Pathetic.
"Sihyun, you work out? Those little arm muscles are totally my type."
I haven't been giving her any attention lately, so the crazy bitch is fishing again. She can't stand not being the center of male attention. Attention whore. And the second a guy falls for it, she cold-shoulders him and pretends he doesn't exist. More than a few male employees have been burned.
"No, ma'am. No working out. I'll be heading out now."
Build a wall. Do not get involved.
"Baby, help me with just one more thing, okay?"
Fuck!!!!!
I knew it. This is exactly how she always operates. I'd pissed her off by not paying attention.
"It's just gluing these envelopes shut. Super simple. Ten minutes tops? Let's do it together."
Ten minutes? You fucking bitch!!!!!
Looking at the pile, it was easily an hour's work.
"Baby, you're not saying no, are you?"
The envelopes were marked for next Thursday. Plenty of time to do them next week.
"Ma'am, I have dinner plans. Could we maybe do this next week?"
"What are you talking about, Sihyun? Leaving already? The team leader hasn't even gone yet."
Crazy bitch. Team Leader Ayeong is staying because the team leaders have a dinner at seven.
I glanced around. Only the team leader and the two of us deputies were left.
"Everyone else already left, ma'am."
I wanted out of this company as fast as humanly possible. Choi Dajeong looked around, then said,
"I don't care. You're finishing everything with me before you go. Got it? When I was a new hire I never left before ten, but these days newbies treat the office like a vacation. Seriously."
The second she confirmed no one else was around, she flipped back to her real personality and activated the "Back in my day~" skill.
Sigh. Fighting her any more just makes my life harder.
"Ah, yes. Understood."
Choi Dajeong smiled in satisfaction. It was the smile of someone thinking, See? You should've played along with my cute act, you idiot. Why go looking for trouble?
Ring-ring! Ring-ring!
Her phone went off.
"Hello?"
"$%$#%#$%"
"Oh right, we were supposed to get our nails done today. Yeah, okay. Completely slipped my mind. Be right there~"
She hung up, hastily grabbed her handbag, and stood.
"Sihyun, you heard that? I totally forgot I had an urgent appointment. Sorry. I'm heading out first. Hang in there~"
Crazy bitch. Of course you did. Doesn't even surprise me anymore.
I watched that bitch Choi Dajeong dump the work and bolt, swallowing the rage boiling up inside me.
Fuck. It's not the first or second time. Just tell yourself you stepped in shit, Yu Sihyun.
It was 6:50. Thinking of Assistant Manager Seonghyeon and Manager Kim Dongcheol waiting for me, I put on speed and finished faster than expected.
"Sihyun, still working?"
Team Leader Ayeong.
"Ah, yes. The deputy left me some work."
"Ah, right. Good job staying late."
"It's nothing, ma'am."
"Alright, I'm off to the team-leader dinner. Turn the lights off when you leave."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ayeong started to go, then turned back as if something had occurred to her.
"Oh, Sihyun. While you're at it, organize the materials for Monday morning's meeting and leave them on my desk. Thanks."
Ah..........
My head felt like it was on fire. That crazy bitch, piling more work on an employee already stuck late.
Sigh.......
-Click!
I turned off every light and finally left the hellish office. By the time I finished the meeting materials too, I was the last person out. Seonghyeon and Dongcheol were probably waiting. I hurried as fast as I could to 2580 Hof.
"Hey~ What took you so long! You little punk, seriously. Hahaha!"
"Private Yu Sihyun! Late, sir! Sorry! Loyalty!"
Manager Kim Dongcheol greeted me warmly.
"Ah, Dongcheol. Don't even start. Our Sihyun got worked like a dog by the team today. We've got more than one or two crazy bitches on our team."
"Yeah, your team's a feminist paradise. Sihyun must be having a rough time."
"I'm dying, sir."
Dongcheol had been my father-number senior back in the barracks at the 56th Division. The second I saw him, military speech just spilled out on its own.
"Kid, still talking army? How long have you been out?"
"I don't usually, Corporal. I mean, Manager Dongcheol."
"Yeah, well. Looking back, the times we got worked to death together in the army are what stick with me most."
"For me it's the times I snuck Matstar and instant noodles at the PX behind your back, Corporal!"
"You slippery little bastard. No wonder they called you the slackest number. How long's it been since you got extra duty? Feeling like a refresher tonight?"
"Corporal, keep harassing a civilian like this and I'll file a formal grievance, sir."
"Aigoo, this slippery punk. Fine, I lose. I lose."
Joking around with my old military senior after so long made the time fly. Of course, if someone told me to go back to the army I'd refuse flat-out. It's only nostalgia that makes it feel fond.
"I gave you a killer pass that day, Corporal. But you were so soft you'd lost all discipline and shanked it, so we got wrecked by those 31st Division bastards, sir."
"Dongcheol, seriously? And then you whined every single time we didn't put you in the starting lineup for morning soccer? Our Dongcheol's hopeless~"
"Hey, Yu Sihyun, you slippery little shit. Get your facts straight. That wasn't a killer pass. Your shot just bounced off and came to me. This is so unfair."
"You'd gone soft near discharge, Corporal. I definitely made a killer pass, sir."
Anyone who's done their service gets fired up talking about army soccer. Seonghyeon, Dongcheol, and I spent a long time spitting and gesturing, completely into it.
Then—
"Ugh, seriously. These old fogeys and their army stories are so fucking loud. Did they rent the whole place?"
A husky female voice carried from a table a good distance away. It was obviously aimed at us.
Seonghyeon lowered his voice.
"Guess we were talking too loud."
"Yeah? This slippery little bastard got me all worked up."
Dongcheol stood and apologized.
"Aigoo, sorry about that. We'll keep it down."
"Yeah. Keep it quiet, okay? Other people are here too."
"Yes, yes. Sorry."
After that we drank quietly, talking army and work. But then a loud voice rose from the same table that had told us to shut up.
"For real? You told them to be quiet and those old-fogey bastards actually shut up?"
"Hey, they're right next to us. What if they hear?"
"Let them hear. What are they gonna do? They can't do shit. They're pathetic."
Another woman I hadn't seen before had joined them. Short-cropped hair, skinny.