Office Work is My True Calling
"Eee~? Why is Mari here? You're even drinking together! No fair! Leaving me out like this!"
"No, it's not like that! What on earth do you think you're doing? You're only wearing underwear!"
The weird one was clearly her.
Akemi sniffled, looking on the verge of tears.
"This is a disaster! I... I accidentally enhanced my underwear!"
"What?"
Come to think of it, the slip she was wearing had a bizarre vibe to it. It was shimmering and rippling, almost like a ghost.
"Ah! Why on earth did you do that?!"
"It didn't work on a human body!"
At those words, Mari realized exactly what Akemi had been trying to do when she ended up enhancing her underwear instead.
"You absolute dummy! Why would you even try that?!"
At Mari's exasperated shout, which was half-stifled by a burst of disbelieving laughter, Akemi cried out with a tragic face.
"Because I was jealous!"
You don't know how this feels!
Under Akemi's intense gaze, Mari felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and instinctively curled her shoulders inward.
"W-Why would you even..."
"Anyway, the more I look at it, the more unique it seems, so maybe it's not all bad! I might have blown ten million dollars, but this is the only enhanced slip in the entire world, right?"
Mari, who had felt a bit of lingering regret over using a ten-million-dollar item to enhance her gun, now stood face-to-face with a girl who had just enhanced her own underwear.
"...You really are something else."
Then, Mari glanced at Yunjae, whose timing had been completely ruined just as he was about to talk about his past again. Sure enough, he looked utterly dejected, his head hanging low...
With his personality, he's definitely going to spiral into self-pity again.
"By the way, what were you guys talking about? I want a drink too!"
"Ah! But Akemi, you're only nineteen!"
"One can of beer is totally fine!"
With that, Akemi coolly grabbed a beer and cracked it open.
"Yunjae, are you okay?"
Akemi had already bounced back since she always marched to the beat of her own drum, but the real problem was this absolute epitome of introverted anxiety. When Mari sent a worried look toward his visibly uncomfortable figure, he flinched and spoke up.
"Ah! My face is only red because of the alcohol! It's absolutely not because of Akemi!"
Mari fumed.
"So you just liked what you saw! You jerk!"
"Are you awake, Mari?"
"...It's only five in the morning."
"But we can't be late on our first day!"
It was the day after they returned from Sumatra.
"They said we start at nine. We still have four hours."
"Ah! No, it's not! They say nine, but in reality, you have to show up by eight and pretend to prepare things so you don't get glared at!"
"We're office assistants. We're just contract workers!"
Having finally purchased his Provence-style bedding the day before, Yunjae—already fully dressed in the suit he bought at a clothing store Akemi had recommended—passionately lectured her on the realities of the Korean corporate environment.
"Of course, as office assistants, we won't have to work overtime, but I think it's important to arrive early and make a good impression! Especially since it's our first day!"
Seeing him look so incredibly serious, Mari, who had just rolled out of bed, ran a hand through her messy hair.
"...Too loud. Don't care. I'm going back to sleep."
With that, Mari pulled the Provence-style duvet Yunjae had bought over her head, clearly wanting none of it.
"Ah! But women have to do their hair and makeup! If you factor in prep time, we might already be running late, Mari!"
At his words, Mari let out a heavy sigh and pulled the duvet back down.
"It doesn't take me that long! Just let me sleep a bit more!"
"Then I'll get breakfast ready! It's five-thirty now, so I'll wake you up again around seven!"
"Yeah, yeah... fine."
As Yunjae stepped out of the room and closed the door, Mari couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle from beneath the covers.
"Why is he so incredibly excited?"
But now that she was trying to fall back asleep, she found herself wide awake. And thinking about Yunjae, who was already bustling around at this ungodly hour, only brought a smile to her face.
"Mmm..."
With a sleepy, disheveled face, she ultimately sat back up.
"Urgh!"
Stretching her limbs thoroughly, Mari stood up and yawned, looking out at the sky which was still a deep, dark blue.
"Fine. It's our first day, after all. I can humor him for at least one day."
Then, her expression turned slightly grave as her eyes fell upon the basic skincare and makeup set she had been practically forced to buy yesterday because of Akemi.
"But do I really have to wear makeup?"
She had never worn makeup in her entire life. She wondered if she could even do it right.
"Ugh, whatever."
Stepping out of her room, she spotted him.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
Yunjae was happily washing rice, wearing a crisp dress shirt tucked into well-fitted suit trousers, with an apron tied around his waist.
"He really has too much energy in the morning."
"Ah! You're awake, Mari!"
As he spun around with a bright, excited face, Mari chuckled softly.
"How could I sleep with you making such a racket since dawn?"
"Ah! But it's our first day! Once we go today and check the commute, we'll know exactly what time we need to wake up tomorrow!"
It was only natural for someone as inherently cautious as him. Mari smiled, thinking how typical of Yunjae this was.
"Anyway, I really don't think office work is for me."
Having lived an incredibly irregular lifestyle as a hunter, Mari was far from an early bird, and she grumbled in a slightly petulant voice.
"I brewed some coffee. Would you like a cup, Mari?"
"Sure, thanks."
Sitting down at the dining table, she watched Yunjae pour the coffee, an involuntary smile tugging at her lips.
This feels just like...
...a newlywed couple.
"Here you go!"
"Thanks."
Of course, Yunjae was playing the role of the blushing bride perfectly.
"Hmm, anyway, we should probably get a sofa. It'd be nice to relax on while drinking coffee."
Slowly but surely, Mari was starting to develop an interest in decorating the house.
"Yes! I want to buy a sofa bed!"
"That sounds good. It's nice to just lie down on the couch sometimes."
"Then should we go look for one together after work?"
This really felt like a newlywed dynamic.
Thump!
At that thought, Mari's face flushed crimson, and she nodded quickly.
"Y-Yeah, sure..."
"Anyway, what should we have for breakfast? Since it's morning, something hearty would be best, right?"
"I'm fine with anything. I'm not a picky eater."
"Ah! Then I'll do my absolute best!"
Yunjae began preparing the meal with the groceries he had bought yesterday. Watching him finely chop green onions and prep the ingredients, he looked incredibly skilled.
"...Did you cook back in Hongdae?"
Mari asked, trying to pry into the past she still knew so little about.
"Oh, n-no! Since I don't sleep, I had nothing else to do, so I studied cooking recipes!"
Yunjae replied, shaking his head.
"Huh?"
"My job proficiency is high, and thanks to Mamon's Grace, my experience points are tripled! So I learn everything almost instantly!"
Mari let out a dumbfounded laugh at the sheer absurdity of a max-level game character who could master culinary arts just by looking at a recipe.
She wanted to ask more about his past, but he was so focused on cooking right now that she didn't want to distract him.
"Right, you... you'd survive anywhere, doing anything."
Still, watching him work made Mari feel like she should be doing something too.
"I should go wash up."
"Sure, Mari! Go ahead! I've already hung up a fresh towel for you, so you can use that!"
No matter how she looked at it, he was the one acting like a housewife. Yet, feeling a strange warmth bloom in her chest, Mari entered the bathroom, washed her face, and shampooed her hair.
"Hmm."
It had been a very long time since she had looked at herself with wet hair. Staring at her reflection, she suddenly found herself worrying about the minor blemishes on her skin.
"Would my skin look better if I actually took care of it?"
Perhaps because he was a game character, Yunjae's skin was flawlessly pale, without a single blemish. He was even paler than her, and she was Caucasian. Suddenly feeling self-conscious about it, she wrapped her wet hair in a towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror again.
"...Well, I guess I don't look too bad."
For the first time in her twenty-seven years of life, she was actually paying attention to her appearance. Feeling incredibly awkward, she blushed all by herself and stepped out of the bathroom.
"Oh my god."
In the meantime, as if proving that his cooking skill was indeed at max level, Yunjae was putting on a spectacular show. Sizzle! He tossed wine into the pan, sending up a brilliant burst of flame to burn off the gamey odor of the meat.
"Ah! Mari! Are you all done washing up?"
"How are you so good at this?!"
Serving up a chef-level meal for breakfast! As she burst into laughter, completely charmed, a voice she hadn't expected to hear cut through the air.
"Mari! How can you walk around dressed so provocatively?!"
"Huh?"
Startled by the unexpected voice, she spun around.
"...Akemi?! When did you get here?!"
"Just now!"
True to her