The President's Secret Overtime Proposal
8:50 a.m. The top-tier limousine from Haesung Group doesn't pull up to the gleaming headquarters tower. It stops at a place all too familiar to Siu: the Happy Convenience Store, tucked on the first floor of a rundown brick building near the gates.
"Get out."
Baek Seol, seated beside him, says it coldly, glaring out the window at the store like a general sending her husband into enemy territory.
"Remember. Quitting time is 6 p.m. One minute late, and…"
"I know, I know. You'll blow up the company."
"No. I'll freeze that convenience store you work at—the whole thing—and ship it to Antarctica."
Leaving her chilling send-off that doesn't sound like a joke, Siu steps out of the car.
Ding-a-ling.
The familiar bell chimes as he opens the door and enters.
The unfamiliar part-timer at the counter—actually a Haesung Group dispatched agent—bolts up and bows at a perfect ninety degrees.
"Welcome! Researcher Han Siu!"
"Ah, yeah… thanks for your hard work."
Siu returns the awkward greeting and scans the store. On the surface, it's just a normal convenience shop: triangle kimbap on display, the scent of cup ramen lingering in the air. But behind the counter, on the door that used to be the storage room, hangs a sign reading
[Authorized Personnel Only]
complete with a state-of-the-art iris scanner.
'Put my eye up to it, right?'
Beep.
As Siu presses his eye to it per Seoyun's instructions, the heavy steel door slides open silently. Below it reveals a spiral staircase straight out of a movie, bathed in blue lighting leading to an underground space.
"Whoa…"
An exclamation escapes Siu's lips.
From basement level 1 to 3, a massive open space stretches out, packed floor to ceiling with Haesung Group's cutting-edge magitech equipment—the pride of Korea's second-largest conglomerate. What was a moldy storage room just days ago has transformed overnight into the Over Technology Research Lab.
"You made it to work?"
A familiar voice calls from the railing on basement 1. Shin Seoyun. She's got a lab coat slung over her shoulders, waving leisurely as she looks down.
"Like it? You said you didn't want to quit the convenience store, so I just bought the building and renovated."
"President… your scale is insane."
Siu shakes his head as he approaches her. But Seoyun's gaze lingers not on his face, but his outfit: stretched gray hoodie, knee-ripped sweatpants, and three-stripe slippers. Her brow furrows deeply.
"But what's with that getup?"
"Huh? It's my convenience store uniform. Comfy and practical."
"I can't have my head researcher wandering around in sackcloth. Even if dirt gets in my eyes, I won't stand for it."
Seoyun snaps her fingers sharply.
"Follow me. We need to get you changed first."
"Wait, I've got a mountain of research to—"
"No arguments. Those idiot PhDs on basement 3 are causing trouble. To fix it, we need to start with your look."
Seoyun leads Siu down to basement 3: the High-Risk Artifact Storage. Dozens of elite mages sweat bullets, circling a glowing red orb at the center.
Vreeee—!!
The red sphere—an S-rank artifact, the Fire Dragon's Heart—emits unstable groans, vibrating wildly. Mana levels have surpassed critical, on the verge of explosion.
"H-Head! It's dangerous! We can't control the mana!"
"Cooling spells aren't working! The internal circuits are tangled!"
The researchers scream. Amid the chaos, Seoyun crosses her arms calmly and turns to Siu.
"Fix it."
"Me? That thing?"
"Prove you're my 'first string.' Put those dumb doctorates in their place."
Siu sighs deeply, adjusting his glasses—goggles. Crackle. Data from the rampaging artifact floods his lenses: tangled mana circuits sparking chaotically.
'Not tangled circuits. Blocked flow.'
Siu's eyes narrow. This isn't magical. It's purely physical—electrical. Overloaded conductors from excessive mana, current trapped with nowhere to go.
[Poor Grounding].
"Ha… educated folks make it worse."
Without looking back, Siu dashes up to level 1—the store.
"Huh? Researcher? Where are you—"
"One sec. Need materials."
Siu rummages the shelves, grabbing a roll of aluminum cooking foil and two dead batteries. He tosses 5,000 won on the counter and bolts back down.
"Out of the way! Everyone step back!"
Siu shoves through to the artifact.
"You're crazy! Touch that and it blows!"
"What does an F-rank know?!"
Insults fly, but Siu ignores them. He tears off a long sheet of foil and flips open his notebook, scrawling rough equations on it with a marker.
Electric Grounding
Material: Aluminum Foil (Conductor) + Dead Battery (Resistor)
Command: Bypass & Discharge
"Dead batteries make perfect resistors. Aluminum foil's the best conductor for dispersing mana."
Siu wraps the batteries in the equation-scribbled foil and binds them tightly around the artifact's overheating joints—like roughly packaging leftover kimbap.
"Now, discharge."
Snap.
Crackle—! Hiss…
A miracle unfolds. The artifact, glowing red-hot on the brink of detonation, spits blue sparks through the foil and calms instantly. Stray mana spreads across the foil's surface area, safely dissipating into the air.
"…Huh?"
The researchers' jaws drop. An S-rank mana surge that billion-won gear couldn't handle, tamed with convenience store foil.
"It… worked?"
"Poor grounding. Basic stuff—you all overthought it."
Siu brushes dust from his hands nonchalantly. Watching, Seoyun's lips curve seductively.
"Pass."
She approaches, tugging his hoodie drawstring.
"Great work, but the outfit's a no. Come on."
Seoyun drags Siu to the back of her private office: the secretive VIP Dress Room. Walls lined with luxury suits and shirts.
"Strip."
"…Pardon?"
"Need your measurements. Down to underwear."
Seoyun advances with a tape measure. Siu hesitates, peeling off the hoodie to reveal lean, toned muscles—not the scrawny frame she expected. Her eyes gleam as they trace his body.
"Surprising. No wonder Seol likes you at night."
"Don't say stuff like that…"
Seoyun measures his shoulders and chest. The cool tape and her warm fingertips brush his skin, making him flinch. Especially risky when she goes for pants—inseam.
"Hold still. No margin for error on my property."
Seoyun slides the tape deep into his inner thigh. Her hand grazes his most sensitive spot.
"Ngh…!"
"I said don't move. Keep it up, and I might measure something else."
Seoyun looks up at him, playful yet predatory. She's enjoying his flustered state.
After the commotion, Siu stands before the mirror in Seoyun's picks: a fitted deep navy Italian suit, hair swept back exposing his forehead, and intellectual semi-rimless glasses she placed on him.
"Whoa…"
Even Siu's stunned. The man in the mirror isn't the pathetic store clerk. He's a cool, sexy elite strategist hunter.
"See? My eye never lies."
Seoyun hugs his shoulders from behind, smiling satisfied. She ties his tie herself, whispering low in his ear.
"Wear this during work hours from now on. It's my taste."
Siu's heart thuds. The air feels too thick for mere boss-employee.
"Um… President. This is uncomfortable. Can't I just wear sweats?"
"Denied. Behave, or I'll rip them."
Then, breaking news blares from the wall-mounted TV.
On screen, the blonde beauty saintess gives an interview amid crowds. She clutches a crumpled paper like precious treasure.
"This is proof of the oracle. Only the one who made this formula can stop the coming catastrophe."
The camera zooms in: ramen broth-stained, torn notebook scrap, scribbled with messy equations.
"…Huh?"
Siu's eyes widen. Isn't that the failed scroll blueprint he tore off last week as a ramen bowl substitute?
"What. Han Siu, isn't that your handwriting?"
Seoyun points sharply. Siu pales.
"N-No! Never seen it!"
"Liar. That's your scrawl. Huh… So the lofty saintess is looking for you?"
Seoyun's eyes sparkle with intrigue. After Seol and Yeonhwa, now Europe's saintess? This man's value is skyrocketing beyond measure.
"President, please keep it secret. If she latches on too, I'll die of overwork."
"Hmm? I welcome my employee's rising value."
As Seoyun smirks mischievously, Siu's smartphone alarm blares.
6:00 p.m. — Strict Quitting Time
"Gah! Quitting time!"
Siu grabs his bag without waiting for her reply. Delay a minute here, and Seol might turn the tower into a glacier.
"See you tomorrow! Don't forget overtime pay!"
Seoyun rests her chin on her hand, chuckling at his fleeing back.
"Run all you want. I hold your leash anyway."
She glances between the saintess on TV and Siu's retreating figure, murmuring.
"This'll be fun. Time to play global?"
As Siu heads out, the sunset casts omens of a new storm behind him.