Chapter 45
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: This is How You Greet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, I woke up late and sat down at the table to eat the breakfast Lizetta had prepared.
Moving my hands slowly, I rambled on about last night's chaos and everything that had happened at work.
Tsk tsk. I knew it from the moment you were grinning at that innocent-looking junior of yours.
Child's voice echoing in my head was as grating as ever.
"If you knew it was gonna go down like that, you could've given me a heads-up beforehand."
Where's the fun in that? If you can't even handle a crisis like that, you should quit being a possessor.
Talk about big words.
As usual, Child was busy needling me, while Lizetta...
"So there are people in this world who slander others for their own gain. How intriguing."
For some reason, she was dressed unfamiliarly, spinning a butter knife from the table round and round with an emotionless voice.
What was with that dangerous habit?
"Lizetta, why are you spinning that knife like that? It's dangerous."
"Ah, my apologies. It's a new skill I've been practicing since yesterday. I was just trying to get the hang of it."
"That's not what I mean... Why are you practicing something like knife handling, of all things..."
"From what I researched online, combat skills seem to be an essential quality for a maid as well."
So that's what she'd been looking up on the computer.
I had no idea why every bit of knowledge she picked up skewed toward subculture stuff.
At this rate, she'd probably try learning how to stop time next.
"And through this incident, I realized the need to train my combat abilities to protect you, Master Hyun-seong."
Combat abilities.
The words sounded reliable enough, but I doubted the day would ever come when they'd actually shine.
What I wanted was a messy, sweet sex life—not blood-splattered knife fights.
Anyway, let's skip the knife thing for now.
"So, what's with that outfit?"
I pointed at Lizetta's clothes with my finger.
It was completely different from her usual revealing, figure-hugging functional maid uniform.
A white blouse with delicate lace trim at the collar, paired with a modest navy long skirt that reached her ankles.
Over it, a simple, crisp apron that accentuated her waistline.
"Ah, this?"
Lizetta glanced down at her outfit and hesitated for a moment.
"As you commanded me before, Master Hyun-seong, I picked something from the clothes you bought me last time."
Oh, right. I think I did give that order.
Since the clerk had picked most of them out when we were shopping, I hadn't recognized them at a glance.
"What do you think? Does it look awkward?"
She fiddled with her clothes, looking a bit anxious as she asked.
"No. It suits you perfectly. Seriously."
I wasn't just saying it.
Why else would I have bought her those clothes?
As I'd expected, she pulled off a non-maid style just as flawlessly as a model.
It was frustrating how my limited vocabulary couldn't fully capture that beauty.
"I'm glad you like it, Master Hyun-seong."
"And you, Lizetta? Is it comfortable?"
"It's fine. Though it feels a bit... off, I suppose?"
Unfamiliar with casual clothes outside her maid uniform, she awkwardly toyed with the end of her sleeve.
Even that gesture had a strange charm.
So?
Lost in Lizetta's new look for a moment, Child chimed in again.
So, what's the plan going forward? Some sweet revenge?
Plan.
I glanced at my phone screen on the edge of the table and speared some salad with my fork.
The screen was filled with data on the Japanese market for the stolen project and competitor analyses.
"First things first, I need to steal back the project lead position. It was mine to begin with."
It wouldn't be easy to get involved from my current spot, but using Park Mi-na should make it doable.
"So, sorry to disappoint you, but the next possession might not happen until all this is sorted out."
The hypnosis app was powerful enough on its own, but I still wanted to try other worlds.
It wouldn't take long.
I already had a rough picture in my head of how to set up the board.
Hoo. Getting proactive now, huh? Nice to see.
Lately, I felt more motivated in life, like my thinking had become bolder without hesitation.
"If I just sit back and take it after getting powers like these, I'd be the ultimate pushover."
That's right. That's the kind of attitude that makes choosing you as my possessor worthwhile.
Child's voice somehow sounded satisfied.
Plus, if you use that power without holding back, it'll be even better.
For a split second, something chilling lingered in Child's final words.
At that moment, I thought I saw Lizetta's shoulder twitch slightly across from me.
Her face was still expressionless, but her grip on the knife seemed tighter.
...Was it my imagination?
Anyway, like I said before, as long as you keep things from getting boring, I'm good. Just keep that in mind and act accordingly.
Child slyly changed the subject.
I set aside the odd feeling from Lizetta for the moment and asked what had been on my mind.
"By the way, the hypnosis app suddenly got an upgrade. Does that happen? I was able to plant suggestions without spending points."
Of course it does. Think of it as the game system optimizing for reality. If you were still whimpering over point limits in the real world, it'd be no fun, right?
"So points are useless now? They're still getting handed out, though."
As if. Just stockpile the points. They'll come in very handy later. It's just not time yet.
Child didn't elaborate further. The point usage would unlock eventually, I supposed.
Anyway, that was a problem for later. What mattered now was the reality in front of me.
Today was the day to test if the suggestions I'd planted in Team Leader Kang Joo-young yesterday were working properly, one by one.
Just before the alarm went off, an oppressive weight woke her from sleep.
Forcing her heavy eyelids open, she was greeted by the familiar yet alien ceiling of her bedroom.
This officetel on the outskirts, once a symbol of success, now felt like a suffocating yoke.
"Haa..."
With a shallow sigh, she sat up. The spot beside her was still empty.
Her husband, Park Min-chul, had lately been spending more nights crashing on the living room sofa until the sun was high in the sky.
After his business failure, it was as if his time had frozen in reality.
Standing before the bathroom mirror, Kang Joo-young confronted her face, dulled by a night of accumulated fatigue and stress.
Dark circles under her eyes and faint wrinkles between her brows.
Thirty-five.
She'd prided herself on still being in her prime, but the weight she felt wasn't just from age.
She began her makeup with practiced, mechanical motions.
Foundation to cover skin imperfections, eyeliner to sharpen her gaze.
Red lipstick to color her lips.
Like donning a mask, she methodically assembled the cold, flawless face of Team Leader Kang Joo-young.
There was no hesitation in the way she neatly combed back her black hair cascading past her shoulders.
Finishing her makeup, Joo-young returned to her room and opened the closet door.
A perfectly tailored office suit and H-line skirt that accentuated her figure while exuding authority.
And, as habit dictated, she picked up her pantyhose.
The moment she put on these clothes, she could momentarily forget the burdens of home and become solely Travel Wiz MD Team Leader Kang Joo-young.
It was armor, plain and simple.
"...You're up?"
Emerging into the living room, her husband's faint voice came from where he was buried in the sofa.
His hollow eyes lacked even focus.
He used to shine brighter than anyone.
She'd fallen for his confident, dream-chasing self.
But now, his shoulders slumped like the ruins of his failed business.
"...Breakfast?"
Joo-young asked coldly.
"Nah, not really hungry."
"..."
Again. That listless response.
Irritation welled up inside her, but she bit her lip and held it back.
Blowing up here wouldn't change anything.
It would only deepen their wounds.
'How long are you going to keep this up?'
Try as she might to look away, his image kept nagging at her.
The massive debt from his business failure.
They were in personal bankruptcy proceedings, but there was no sign of improvement.
Under the crushing pressure of loan repayments, she had no choice but to throw herself into work.
'Still... I love him.'
Amid the disappointment and resentment from seeing her broken husband, her affection clung stubbornly.
Once the debt was paid off, everything would go back to normal.
That single hope was the only thing keeping her going.
But as time passed, even that hope was fading.
Their relationship had grown distant long ago, and avoiding each other at night had become routine.
Her mounting frustrations only sharpened the hysteria within her.
She wasn't even sure how much longer she could cling to that thin thread of hope.
'Get it together, Kang Joo-young.'
Muttering to herself inwardly, she grabbed her handbag.
"I'm off."
Just before stepping out the front door, she couldn't bring herself to look back.
Entering the company lobby, the familiar morning bustle washed over her.
Commuting employees, the scent of coffee, the blank faces waiting for the elevator.
Joo-young composed her expression habitually as she headed to the elevator hall.
That was when it happened.
"Good morning, Team Leader."
A voice that had been grating on her nerves lately.
Turning her head, sure enough, Assistant Manager Lee Hyun-seong was bowing his head toward her from a short distance away.
Honestly, when the proposal he'd submitted got good reviews from upper management, she'd started looking at him differently again.
But not long after, an unseemly scandal sent her opinion of him plummeting once more.
The matter had been settled as a misunderstanding by Park Mi-na.
Still, she couldn't feel kindly toward someone who'd caused such confusion in the team in the first place.
"...Yeah. Good morning..."
Normally, she'd have brushed it off lightly and moved on.
But something felt off.
The moment she received his greeting, an inexplicable discomfort and strong sense of wrongness surged from within.
As if something that should have been there was missing.
Was that soulless head bob all there was to it?
For a split second, her husband's listless form on the sofa overlaid his face.
Lifeless, emotionless, like it was just obligatory duty.
Even on ordinary days, that attitude bothered her.
Joo-young unconsciously furrowed her brow.
'An assistant manager who can't even show basic courtesy?'
She couldn't let it slide.
A subordinate's attitude reflected directly on her as the superior.
Joo-young opened her mouth, then glanced around at the onlookers.
She couldn't have this conversation in the busy lobby or elevator.
"Assistant Manager Lee."
She called out lowly to Hyun-seong, who was about to press the elevator button.
"Yes?"
"Come with me over there for a sec. I have something to say."
She nodded toward the stairwell, and a flicker of puzzlement crossed Hyun-seong's face.
"Got it."
But it was brief; he nodded obediently soon after.
With a stiff expression, Joo-young pushed open the heavy metal stairwell door ahead of him.
As the door closed with a creak, the outside noise cut off, revealing a cool, quiet space enclosed by concrete walls.
An empty landing where footsteps echoed unusually loudly.
Joo-young stopped midway down the stairs to the floor below and turned to Hyun-seong.
"About that greeting earlier."
Arms crossed, she glared at his face with sharp eyes.
Under the dim lighting, his features looked somehow different.
Come to think of it, she vaguely remembered talking to this man in the conference room yesterday...
Her memory was hazy.
"What was that? Do you think that's how you greet a superior? So devoid of soul?"
"Pardon? I greeted you like always..."
"If that's how you always do it, that's an even bigger problem. Greetings are basic courtesy. You need to put some effort into it."
She couldn't understand why she was getting so worked up over something so trivial.
Yet the reprimand, once started, wouldn't stop.
'Do I have to teach him even this?'
An inexplicable impulse kept bubbling up inside, egging her on.
"Look properly. Show respect and sincerity to your superior."
Without realizing it, Joo-young stepped right up to him.
Then she roughly grabbed his collar.
Hyun-seong's eyes widened at the sudden action.
"Like this. Looking into their eyes and conveying it properly."
The next instant, as if entranced, Joo-young pressed her lips straight against his.