Want to Rack Up Some Promotion Points? (1)

She wants to be alone with me.

Building on the strong fondness she feels whenever we're alone together, she freely confides even her most private frustrations.

When it's just the two of us, she finds her life with her husband unsatisfying.

As a result, Han Minah comes to see me as a "close little brother" — someone she's so comfortable with that she can say absolutely anything.

Thanks to that.

"What's there to be unsatisfied about? It's just that we don't do it much. My husband too — we're both so busy. That just means we're exhausted, right?"

"You've only been married a few months. Aren't you still newlyweds?"

"Technically, yes. We're newlyweds, but it doesn't really feel like it means much. Of course I still like seeing him. I do… but when it comes down to it, the stamina just isn't…"

"Ah…"

She brought it up that naturally.

So then.

"What about you, Team Leader?"

"Me?"

"Yes. If your husband's just too tired… what about you? Are you thinking the same way — too tired, not really in the mood?"

"No, that's not it at all. I'm actually incredibly frustrated right now."

"Because you keep not getting any?"

"Of course. I want to, but I can't… how much do you think that builds up?"

Talking with Han Minah like this, it stopped feeling like a conversation between a team leader and an assistant manager. It felt more like a close noona and her dongsaeng chatting without any filter.

And when a man and a woman who can create this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of atmosphere start talking about things like this…

"If it ever gets really bad — like, Team Leader, I'm going to lose my mind — just say the word. I'll help you out."

Far from being offended by that thickly joking nonsense, Han Minah burst into delighted giggles.

After laughing for quite a while, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"…Would that really be okay?"

"Of course. If I can help you, Team Leader, I'd consider it an honor. Honestly, I'd get down on my knees right now and beg you to let me help."

"Why… why would you want to help me? I'm completely… I mean, if I were still in my twenties maybe, but I've put on a lot of weight and everything."

Come on. What was she talking about.

"No way. Team Leader, where? Not at all."

"Really?"

"Yes, seriously."

"Hmmm…"

Han Minah put on a serious face, trying to shift the lighthearted mood into something more earnest.

Naturally, I matched her.

"Not at all. Your face is genuinely beautiful, you haven't gained any weight, and if anything…"

"…If anything?"

"It's a really… from a guy's perspective, a really great body. That kind of… ah, this is embarrassing to say in detail. You can see my face turning red, right?"

Whether it actually had or not, Han Minah dissolved into giggles again.

Then she narrowed her eyes once more.

"…Later, if I really, truly need your help, Woojin-ssi… I'll be sure to tell you then."

In the parlance of people Han Minah's age, she'd just put her claim on me.

Having said something to that effect, she stood as if to wrap up the conversation.

But since I had no idea when her words might become reality…

"If I do end up helping you, Team Leader, I guarantee you won't regret it."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Uh…"

I stepped closer to Han Minah, who had paused mid-motion.

She stood still and looked up at my face as I approached.

Had I ever seen Han Minah from this close before…? Now that we were near enough that I could pull her into my arms if I just reached out, she looked startlingly different.

A face far prettier than I'd imagined.

Breasts far larger than I'd imagined.

A waist far slimmer than I'd imagined.

And.

"…Team Leader. Mind if I hold your wrist for a second?"

"My wrist? Sure, here."

Sex appeal far stronger than I'd imagined.

Unlike Lim Jiwoo or Chae Dayeon, she was hard to pin to a specific animal — but if I had to, it would be a puppy face.

That bright golden-retriever energy of hers had completely thrown me; I never expected Han Minah's sensuality to be this potent.

Even the way she offered her hand, and the way one corner of her mouth curved up as she did it…

"Why my wrist?"

"Mm…"

"…Mm?"

And the soft, nasal little sound she let slip when I took hold of her wrist.

But.

"…Your wrist is really slender. Much thinner than mine, it seems."

"Is it? Well, of course it'd be thinner than a man's."

"I wasn't comparing it to my wrist, though."

"Huh?"

If not my wrist, then what was I comparing it to?

The face Han Minah made as she tilted her head to puzzle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that out was a world away from the thick sensuality I'd just felt.

It was that rich, concentrated cuteness you get watching a golden retriever tilt its head at something it doesn't understand.

However.

"Ah…"

"You got it, right?"

"…Yes. Woojin-ssi… you're quite the man, aren't you?"

The sensuality Han Minah reclaimed was devastatingly strong.

"…I'll be in touch soon, Woojin-ssi."

She gave me a sweet little smile and left the small conference room first.

And I pulled out the HR Management App and made a few adjustments to Han Minah's remarks.

First…

That one stayed as is.

I deleted the original Remark 2 and lightly revised what became Remark 3.

And with that third remark in place…

She'd want to be alone with me.

Once we were alone, she'd try to take out on me the sexual desire her husband couldn't satisfy.

And she'd think it was great — getting to relieve her own lust while racking up promotion points at the same time.

With that perfect logic locked in, I returned to the office — and my eyes met Han Minah's for a brief moment.

Han Minah was…

"……"

"……"

…smiling with an expression less like an angel and more like a devil.

Back at her desk after leaving the small conference room, Han Minah replayed what Woojin had said a moment ago.

"Bigger than my wrist…"

Her husband wasn't exactly small, but still. Even so, compared to her wrist… it wasn't that much, was it?

Honestly, she was curious.

If she saw something like that — if she did it with something like that — what would it feel like?

She was a married woman.

She didn't particularly object to the idea of having sex itself, so the curiosity that had taken root in Han Minah opened up an entirely different train of thought.

"I have to get promoted eventually anyway…"

Promotion.

Of course, she'd already made team leader — manager-level by KP Corporation Planning Department standards — so she wasn't under any illusion that the next step up to senior manager would come quickly.

Still.

She had to keep working at promotion either way. And if "relations" with Woojin were part of the HR evaluation for advancement…

"…Mm."

Wasn't that actually a good thing?

She had to do it anyway.

Might as well enjoy it while she was at it.

Quitting time.

Maybe because I'd left a little late yesterday, today I was able to clock out right on schedule.

I glanced around carefully…

"…I'll be heading out first."

I declared my sharp exit and slipped out of the office before anyone could stop me.

Today was a dinner day with Chae Dayeon.

While I waited for her to come down, I opened Chae Dayeon's page in the HR Management App and made a few light edits to her remarks.

Right around the time I finished, a small figure came toddling out from far down the hall.

Late February cold.

Pantyhose.

A thick suit skirt.

A long padded coat.

And a scarf wrapped twice around her neck — so thoroughly that you couldn't even see anything below Chae Dayeon's nose.

Fully geared up, Chae Dayeon said,

"Let's go."

Flatly. Without a single change in expression, she tossed out that one word and started walking toward the building entrance first.

I fell into step beside her right away.

"Dayeon, we said samgyeopsal, right?"

"We did, but… can we get something else?"

"What do you want?"

"I want hamburger steak. There's supposed to be a decent place just up ahead."

"Ah, fine by me. Let's go."

We headed toward the place Dayeon had looked up.

"How long to get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there?"

"Like… a ten-minute walk, apparently."

"Ten minutes…"

It really was cold.

A glance to the side showed Dayeon still shivering even with the scarf wrapped tight.

"Dayeon, you freezing?"

"A bit…"

"Want me to hold your hand?"

"……"

I tried a casual little flirt — and got a deadpan stare for my trouble.

However.

"…Later. Too many people from work around."

She didn't dislike it.

Unlike the other women I'd registered as Intensive Management Targets, there hadn't been any particular friction between us. She wasn't a difficult person to deal with the way Han Minah was, and as a fellow new-hire from orientation, she was easy to be around.

On top of that, she'd probably been thinking about me a lot lately.

"This it?"

"Yeah. Here."

"Let's get inside — your nose is ridiculously red."

"Let's go…"

If I'd waited a few more days before seeing Chae Dayeon, she might already have been making little catlike purrrr sounds.

Anyway.

Only after we'd gone into the restaurant and placed our orders did Dayeon start peeling off her gear, piece by piece.

Scarf.

Long padded coat.

Jacket.

Disarmed.

In just a white blouse and suit skirt, Chae Dayeon looked somehow even smaller than usual — maybe because of everything she'd just been wearing.

I stared at her openly, and…

"…What?"

"Nothing."

"……"

Dayeon stared right back at me with a nearly expressionless face.

It was the look of a baby kitten taking an interest in something, so I ended up staring right back without meaning to.

Then Dayeon spoke first.

"You busy these days?"

"Me? We're always busy. Even when we're not, we have to act like we are."

"But you got off really early today. Normally it seems like you're always working overtime."

"Today I had to eat with you. Dropped everything and got out as fast as I could."

"Mmmuuuh…"

If that drawn-out little sound started sounding like a cat's purr, we might have a problem on our hands.

"What about you? Busy right now?"

"Dunno. I'm not really… it doesn't feel that busy at the moment."

"Isn't this usually a busy season?"

"It is, but. I don't know — weirdly, things are a little slow."

Having said she was free, Dayeon went on.

"…So like, if you're free and bored and have nothing to do, message me more. We used to hang out and grab food all the time, but starting last year you kind of went quiet."

She was sulking about me not playing with her enough.

"I was busy, that's all. Busy."

"Because of Assistant Manager Lim?"

"Assistant Manager Lim is…"

Apparently she still remembered me whining about getting dumped with work by Lim Jiwoo, because Dayeon brought up the name without any hesitation.

I couldn't help laughing.

"…Nah. She doesn't do that anymore."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She doesn't dump her work on people the way she used to. She knows she's got to start handling her own stuff."

Of course, just last week — the entire orientation period — Lim Jiwoo had dumped every scrap of work she could on me.

The fact that she was now doing her own job wasn't because she'd turned over a new leaf. It was simply because she'd been registered in the HR Management App.

And not just registered — as an Intensive Management Target, someone whose desire for promotion I could control.

Which, speaking of the HR Management App…

"Dayeon. How interested are you in… getting promoted?"