Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Viral Jungle Grill
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"Long time no see~."
I bowed my head in greeting as I stepped into the office, and all eyes turned to me. Most faces were familiar, though there were a few new hires I hadn't seen before.
The newcomers stared at me wide-eyed, like they were spotting a celebrity from TV.
Talk about embarrassing.
I'd just come back from the jungle, so my hair was a mess. Should've at least used some shampoo or conditioner there.
"You're back."
Jo Yi-ruk was the first to greet me. One by one, others followed his lead.
"Good morning."
No Se-hee, sipping her morning coffee,
"Wow, President! Good to see you!"
Yang Ji-ah, beaming brightly,
"Oh, President, you're here~."
Park Sang-won, bowing good-naturedly,
"You're late."
Baek Jae-ha, teasing playfully. And,
"Gasp. You're here!"
Even Hyun Ye-won, who had been scribbling busily in her little notepad.
A flurry of smaller greetings followed, so I waved back in response. Whew, what a commotion. With the team growing, memorizing all these names and faces is getting tough.
Still, they're my employees—I need to know them all. I made eye contact with each one, committing their faces to memory.
Then Jo Yi-ruk planted himself squarely in front of me like he'd been waiting. His gaze seemed a bit sharp as he looked me over.
His eyes flicked briefly over my arm before meeting mine again.
"Glad to see you back safe and healthy."
There was a lot packed into those words. On the surface, just a wellness check, but to me it sounded like:
'You pushed yourself with that injured arm and went anyway—feeling satisfied now... or am I reading too much into it?'
Hmm. That look in his eyes wasn't casual. I flashed a grin and replied.
"You bet. I'm fine. Just a little tired from the long flight."
"That's a relief, then."
After a quick exchange with Jo Yi-ruk, I sensed someone behind me and turned to find No Se-hee standing there.
"Hmm."
Her gaze wasn't ordinary either. Right—she'd heard about my injury too.
'Out of everyone here, only Team Leader Jo and Team Leader No know about the injury.'
That seemed appropriate enough. Still, it was better for the managers to be in the loop.
I gave No Se-hee a reassuring smile and swung my arm around to show I was fine. It had healed up nicely—no pain at all anymore.
'See? All good.'
At my expression, she shook her head like she couldn't believe it.
"President, you went to the jungle, right?"
Other employees chimed in one by one. Park Sang-won handed me a fresh cup of mixed coffee he'd brewed and continued.
"I was shocked. I only heard it was a business trip! Didn't expect you'd head straight out on an overseas assignment."
"Haha... things just lined up that way."
It really started as a local errand. Then the hospital stay led right into the jungle trip.
But no need to spill the whole saga now. I laughed it off vaguely, and Park Sang-won tossed out a new topic.
"How was the jungle?! Where'd you go? Wait, am I not supposed to ask?"
"Yeah, NDA and all."
"Aw, man. Bummer. But if there's anything you can share...? It's kinda my dream! You know, surviving on a deserted island and stuff!"
No wonder she seemed extra interested.
"Well... how was it?"
I paused, reminiscing about those few days in the jungle.
Just a short stint, but so much had happened. Every hardship imaginable.
'Luckily, my arm made it through intact.'
The minor scratches had mostly healed too. Anderik had been sharp enough to help out, letting me wrap it up without overdoing it. I should treat him to a meal later as thanks.
"It was tough, but kinda fun in its own way. Cooking tasty meals with limited ingredients felt a bit like [Cool Survival]."
"I see...!"
"P-President. What about Do-kyung?"
Yang Ji-ah jumped in eagerly, eyes sparkling.
"Did Do-kyung go to the jungle too?!"
Ugh. Even the cast is supposed to be hush-hush. I fumbled for a response, and that alone seemed to confirm it—her eyes went wide.
"I'm so jealous~! How was he? What's Do-kyung like in person?!"
"?
Yang Ji-ah usually treated me casually, but not like this. What's up with her?
As I tilted my head, Park Sang-won blurted out from the side.
"Yang Deputy's a fan. Do-kyung fan."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Huge fangirl. Check out her desk—wallpaper's Do-kyung, stickers all around are Do-kyung."
Oh. Now that he mentioned it, totally obvious. I'd only glimpsed it in passing before.
"I just like his music!"
"Pfft. You went nuts over that concert last time. Music's for your ears—why front row? I don't get it...."
"Hoo."
As Park Sang-won and Yang Ji-ah bickered, I couldn't help letting out a snort.
And for good reason...
"Deputy Park, you know an awful lot about this."
Gotcha.
I narrowed my eyes at them, and they both clamped their mouths shut like clams.
"......Gulp."
"......"
They exchanged glances, breaking into cold sweats, before Yang Ji-ah desperately started explaining.
"I-It was 'cause Deputy Park's little sister is a Do-kyung fan too! Sh-She was stressing over a birthday gift, so I was just advising her...."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Y-Yes! Totally!"
Park Sang-won nodded vigorously a beat late. Trying hard, aren't you.
I pretended to buy the flimsy excuse.
"Looks like you and your sister are close, Deputy Park. Worrying over her birthday gift like that."
Hiding an office romance right under the copy machine, no less. In this tiny office.
How long has this been going on? Since Hyunmu days? No, there wasn't that vibe back then.
As I mulled it over, Yang Ji-ah quickly changed the subject.
"A-Anyway! Did Do-kyung have a hard time in the jungle? He's picky with food and all, so I was worried. Can't you tell me just that much?!"
At her question, I pictured Do-kyung. We hadn't talked much, but being the same age, he seemed the most comfortable around me.
'I don't care much about age gaps myself. But it probably feels different to him.'
He acted like he was leaning on me a bit, the only peer there. Another thing that stuck out...
'...Starting day two, he got shy around me all of a sudden and kept trying to do stuff for me?'
No idea why. That morning, he'd jump if our eyes met, super cautious.
Separate from that, he got more proactive, I guess. Probably snagged more screen time than day one.
I thought it odd, but since it meant I didn't have to use my arm, I let it slide. Could've just been manners.
"Nothing special comes to mind... I handled most of the cooking with one other guy, so we made sure to eat well each time. No need to worry."
"Phew...!"
Yang Ji-ah let out a big sigh of relief and bowed her head.
"Thank you!"
"No problem."
First, I need to sort out her very pissed-off boyfriend glaring from behind.
Not wanting to get dragged into drama, I backed away quickly.
As I entered the president's office, Jo Yi-ruk followed. I cut straight to the chase without preamble.
"They know?"
"Yeah."
"As expected. Got it."
"They think it's a secret romance, so we're playing along."
"......"
Sweet, or cruel? Hard to say.
I pondered briefly, then dropped it.
"Any risky bits in the [Law of the Jungle] footage? Thinking we should prep a company response."
"Hmm. Nothing jumps out. Won't be much of a stir."
That's how I saw it. Overall, too tame.
"No dangerous animals or anything. Didn't swim for fish or meet indigenous tribes. Just hunting ingredients and cooking all day."
Entertaining? Who knows how it'll edit. Seemed pretty vanilla to me.
With an idol, a hot actress these days, and Anderik's fanbase from [Cool Survival], ratings should be decent.
"...Is that so?"
Jo Yi-ruk eyed me skeptically. But I was confident this time.
"Yeah. It'll probably just pass by quietly."
"Understood for now."
That 'for now' nagged a bit. Whatever—once it airs, he'll relax too.
'I really did nothing noteworthy this time.'
Or so I thought.
But after [Law of the Jungle] aired...
I learned firsthand how wrong I was.
Ring ring!
Ring!
"......"
"......"
The phones blaring everywhere left me speechless.
The other employees beside me looked equally soul-crushed.
"...President. Should we answer?"
"Nah. Let 'em ring."
Answering that flood would paralyze our actual work. Even considered cutting the lines.
"What the hell is going on?"
Jo Yi-ruk muttered in a low, grim voice. Tell me about it—that's exactly what I wanted to know.
Answering Jo Yi-ruk was Hyun Ye-won, who'd been fielding calls non-stop moments ago.
"Everyone's calling to ask where they can buy the grill pan from [Law of the Jungle]......?"
What?