Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Flex Time (1)
It was truly a blazing Friday.
Tap-tap. Tat-ta. Tap-tap-tap.
My fingers flew relentlessly across the keyboard, eyes glued to the monitor, refusing to leave.
“Assistant Manager Kang, take a break and work a bit slower.”
“Yes.”
If even Team Leader Kim was telling me to take a break, that says a lot.
But I didn’t even think about moving my butt—just nodded. That’s when Kim Team Leader took a drastic step.
“Junior Jin, is there anything you want to eat? Go out with Assistant Manager Kang and grab some snacks. Kang, at this rate, you’ll overheat and collapse. You’re not a robot.”
“Yes!”
Kim Team Leader handed Jin Junior her card with a pointed look, so I had no choice but to get up.
When Jin Junior placed our orders at the café counter and offered Kim Team Leader’s card, I quickly snatched it and put my own card forward.
“I’ll pay.”
“Huh? You spent a lot yesterday too.”
“It’s only the first time in three years. I can afford it now.”
Jin Junior muttered with a bright smile.
“Divorce does have its perks, huh.”
“What?”
“You look much better than before, Assistant Manager!”
I wasn’t upset by her cheeky remark. I felt relaxed enough not to be. And it was true.
While waiting for the drinks to be prepared, Jin Junior looked at me intently and asked,
“Assistant Manager, something good happen today?”
“Me? No… why?”
“Hmm~ you seem especially combative today.”
“Oh…”
It couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t work tomorrow. Most of today’s tasks had to be finished by tonight.
“I actually have an important appointment tomorrow.”
“An important appointment?”
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t a lie. I was meeting my sister at Noblesse Department Store right when it opened. In the afternoon, I was to meet a wine seller introduced by Lawyer Jung.
“A blind date… perhaps?”
“Ah…”
As I hesitated on how to respond, I felt a piercing gaze from somewhere.
Glancing sideways, Han Se-a, who had perfectly restored her composure, was staring straight at me.
‘She’s going to flip when she hears I’m seeing a woman.’
By now, she must be squirming in the cage she built for herself. That’s why she came down to the café to slack off.
I didn’t care about the aftermath. I wanted a little bit of payback. So, with a calm expression, I revealed the truth.
“Yeah.”
“Oh~ really a blind date?”
“Yeah. My sister’s a flight attendant, and she said she could introduce a junior.”
“Wow! A flight attendant must be really pretty.”
“She’s the prettiest at Korean Air. Probably a face that could rival an actress.”
“Whoa!”
“We’re just having a meal, so it’s a secret from others.”
Jin Junior nodded enthusiastically. Just then, the vibrating bell went off.
“Let’s go. Looks like the order’s ready.”
“Yes!”
Until I completely left the café, Han Se-a’s gaze didn’t leave me.
Of course. Me meeting another woman was something she could neither allow nor accept.
Competitiveness and possessiveness. Take that away, and she’s not Han Se-a.
‘Too bad. I want to see how much she’s boiling inside.’
But the opportunity wasn’t limited to today. I decided to ignore it for now.
Having spent all day buried in unfamiliar paperwork, Han Se-a had come down to the café for coffee to clear her head. That’s when she spotted Kang Min-hyuk entering with a female coworker.
‘Not doing your work during office hours, but giggling at a café with a female employee? Hah! Do you want to get fired?!’
She was fuming inside. She pretended not to care and turned her gaze elsewhere, eavesdropping on our conversation. The café was large, so it was hard to hear. She quietly moved closer to catch every word. That’s when she heard about Kang Min-hyuk’s blind date.
‘Meeting another woman? How long has it been since we broke up?!’
Han Se-a was furious. Even if she had left first, this wasn’t right.
Watching Kang Min-hyuk leave with his coffee, she smirked internally.
‘Pathetic. Acting like someone will like you just because you got a little handsome. I’m the only one who ever went out with you.’
But her unchecked inferiority complex got the better of her.
Trembling. Snap!
The drink in her hand spilled everywhere, soaking her hands and expensive coat.
O Seung-won, returning after a phone call, jumped over in shock.
“Director, are you okay?”
“Can’t you see? I’m not okay!”
“Ah…”
Flustered, he hurried to the counter, grabbed towels and tissues, and knelt to carefully clean her coat. Only then did Han Se-a feel a little better. She grabbed the tissues from him, wiped her hands, and instructed:
“Research & Development Team 1, you know Assistant Manager Kang Min-hyuk, right?”
“Yes. He’s the employee who reported to Team 1 last time, isn’t he?”
“Find out his schedule for tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you pretending not to understand? Find out where he’s going tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow’s Saturday. Saturdays are off…”
Han Se-a chuckled.
“Oh, Secretary Oh. I didn’t think you were this dumb.”
“Pardon?”
“Follow him. Don’t you get it?”
“Oh, yes. Understood.”
Why he had to follow a mere assistant manager was unclear, but orders from the owner’s family were like divine will. O Seung-won bowed quickly and left.
“Where are you going?”
“To follow him, as instructed.”
“Hah! It’s still work hours. He’ll stay at the company until then!”
Han Se-a shook her head, frustrated.
“Fine. Just check his home address.”
“Yes, understood.”
She brushed the coffee stains off her coat and muttered:
“Ugh~ gross. Tell the car to wait in the lobby. I’m going to the department store.”
“Uh, Director. Since your card limit isn’t replenished yet, maybe go to Jinju Department Store instead…”
Han Se-a whipped her head and glared at him.
“I know! Stop nagging me!”
“Understood. I’ll prepare it.”
Turning away, O Seung-won contacted the driver. He sighed internally as he followed her.
‘If not for that incident, I wouldn’t be stuck with such an ignorant woman… sigh.’
He had once been the ace secretary in Han Seung-woo’s office but had his own reasons for becoming Han Se-a’s assistant.
He silently chanted like a mantra:
Just endure for one year. One year.
Despite being busy, I scheduled the blind date because of a surprise mission.
— Surprise Mission: Flex Time! One day only, Saturday! Meet 3 people of the opposite sex, spend over 500 million KRW.
Reward: Winning bid for a New York building.
“Flex Time?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Spend 500 million KRW? Sure. But meet three people of the opposite sex?
“Does my sister count as the opposite sex?”
[Family does not count as ‘opposite sex’.]
“Hmm…”
A challenge right from the start. Three people of the opposite sex, not family. Whatever can’t be solved right away, I’ll put aside for now. Who knows when the TV will turn off.
“500 million… Can I buy real estate?”
I asked thinking maybe I could purchase an officetel in my sister’s name.
[Real estate included in property value is excluded from the total amount.]
“Then, cars? Cars probably count as property too, right?”
[Cars for display purposes are allowed.]
“So, trucks aren’t allowed, but sports cars are?”
[Correct! Would you like to check your phone screen now?]
Following the TV’s instructions, I checked my phone. On the black screen, 500,000,000 KRW was displayed.
[From midnight Saturday, the phone will deduct the amount used for Flex Time.]
“Huh!”
Now the phone too, in addition to the TV. Wait… when did it start responding?
Like an AI assistant, the TV understood and responded to my commands. But the message disappeared from the screen as suddenly as it appeared.
‘Maybe it’s telling me not to dig too deep.’
I hated complexity. Just thinking about the mission was already overwhelming.
‘Three people of the opposite sex…’
Meeting Lawyer Jung Ji-hyun in the afternoon fulfilled one. Another would be the junior my sister introduced for lunch.
Then what about the third? I hoped Lawyer Jung’s introduction would be a woman—50% chance.
‘Awkward to ask gender in advance.’
I contacted my sister first.
“Yeah. You said you’d set it up before.”
“Saturday’s the only day. Can’t be helped if it’s difficult.”
“Okay.”
Fortunately, Saturday lunch worked. She had a flight in the afternoon.
Good. Time was tight anyway. I could have lunch and part ways. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask to be driven to the airport. If she did, she’d be cut off immediately. I was done with women who treated me like a servant.
I decided to unify the meeting place at Noblesse Hotel, where I had the afternoon appointment.
I’d never spent 500 million KRW in a day, so I didn’t know how long it would take.
‘I need a spending schedule.’
I planned it out. Apparently, I was good at executing it. Half of it was luck, but I had claimed the opportunity.
After finishing work, I stayed at the office for an hour to finalize the schedule.
“Hmm. This should do.”
First, buy a foreign car for my sister. Then, buy my parents’ gifts in Busan. Skip my father’s car for now; he’ll pick his own.
Get a luxury watch, buy some winter coats in good colors. Cover blind date meal, Lawyer Jung’s gift—should be enough.
“The problem is time.”
Since the total will start counting from midnight, I needed to hurry.
I called Noblesse Hotel.
“What’s the most expensive room? Ah, the President Room. Can I book it tonight? Yes. Please book under Kang Min-hyuk.”
The lounge bar at Noblesse Hotel, with its stunning chandeliers, was impressive.
Sitting opposite me, Woo Jung-hwan looked around curiously. Nearly 200 pyeong of space, with elegantly dressed women straight out of a chaebol drama, throwing glances at our two-man table.
“What’s this, Kang Min-hyuk? You brought all this?”
I leaned back on my single sofa, sipping whiskey.
“Sometimes you have to enjoy yourself. Life’s boring if it’s just the same grind every day.”
“True, but…”
Woo Jung-hwan looked at me worriedly.
“When people change suddenly…”
“I’ve realized something about life. Nothing else.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
I sometimes thought back.
The day Yang Mi-jung left me… if the TV hadn’t messaged me…
Would I have died drinking all that alcohol? Or stopped midway and waited for the future?
Either way, I’d have chosen the latter. I would have cleared my debts and started over in a one-room apartment.
After saving a decent amount, I would have started a business. Slowly, but steadily toward success. And I would have achieved it.
The wealth and fame Yang Mi-jung wanted so badly—I would have claimed it in front of her.
I was someone who grew stronger every time I hit a limit. I had never failed to achieve my goals.
Yang Mi-jung was one of those goals. The first mirage-like goal I couldn’t achieve, so I clung and obsessed even more. Marriage came, but the fruit was just bitter.
As I stared cynically at my drink, Woo Jung-hwan tried to lift the mood with trivial jokes.
Complaining about a woman’s large hips, or another woman flirting with us.
I ignored it, but I noticed it too.
At 11 o’clock, a woman with long wavy hair and matte deep red lipstick had been staring at me intensely for some time.