First Day at Work
Dong-hyun woke around six in the morning. Anticipation and dread over his first day at the office arrived as a single current, and the faint thrill running underneath it was not an entirely unwelcome feeling.
As a boy, the cold stares and relentless abuse he'd endured after being brought into this household had ground his self-worth down to almost nothing. But ever since he'd acquired Emperor's Charisma, something in him had begun to shift.
He rose, washed, and had barely stepped out when a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
No one in this family ever visited Dong-hyun's room — and if they did, they certainly never knocked — so it was almost certainly a maid. Sure enough, an older housekeeper entered, a suit, dress shoes, and accessories gathered in her arms.
Discarded son or not, this was his first day reporting to work under Grandfather's orders. A proper outfit was the least the household could do to keep up appearances.
"Leave them and go."
"Yes, sir."
The maid bowed and withdrew. Dong-hyun put on the clothes and accessories she'd left behind and studied himself in the mirror.
Not bad, actually. Does Emperor's Charisma affect appearance too?
The truth was that everything he had on easily cost six figures. Anyone would have looked expensive in it. It might have been his own imagination, but there was no denying that his self-esteem had climbed.
Dressed, he went downstairs to the sitting room, where Kang Su-yeon was waiting.
"Hey. Catch."
Su-yeon suddenly flung something at him. The object seemed to travel more slowly than it should have, and Dong-hyun plucked it out of the air with almost lazy ease. He opened his hand. A car key.
"What's this?"
"Grandfather told me to drive you to the office. You think I'm insane? Ride with you? It's a family car. Drive yourself."
Kang Su-yeon said her piece and walked straight out of the house.
Well... this works better for me anyway.
He had a license, so driving itself wasn't the issue. He simply hadn't done much of it, and his skill showed it. Still, if he had to get to the office, he might as well start practicing now.
He went down to the garage. Dozens of cars sat in rows. Having no idea which one was his, he pressed the lock button on the key.
Beep. Beep.
Headlights flashed in the distance. He walked closer and found himself looking at a luxury import.
Since when does that sister of mine hand me a car this nice?
In truth, the car Su-yeon had given him was the cheapest one in the household. Dong-hyun, who had no idea, only tilted his head.
He climbed in and turned the key. A deep, throaty rumble filled the cabin as the interior lights came up in a wash of polished glow. Even the cheapest car this family owned was still a six-figure machine — not the kind of thing a twenty-five-year-old had any business driving.
He pulled out of the garage and followed the navigation. His driving was clumsy, so he took it slow, but the luxury sedan compensated for most of his inexperience, and he reached the office without incident.
He arrived and headed up to the lobby. It was his first day, and he had no idea what the procedure was, so he made for the reception desk. The woman stationed there greeted him with a warm, practiced smile — then scanned him from head to toe in a single glance and nearly started.
Whoa... look at those clothes. He's draped in designer brands from head to toe. Who is this guy?
"Hello. How may I help you?"
She spoke with the kindest smile she could manage.
"I'm Kang Dong-hyun. I was assigned to the Industrial Materials Team starting today. Could you point me in the right direction?"
"Ah, of course. I'll call the Industrial Materials Team and have someone come down. Please wait just a moment."
She answered courteously, then picked up the phone.
"Someone from the Industrial Materials Team will be right down. If you could just wait a moment."
"Thank you."
The receptionist smiled lightly at his thanks.
"Is this your first day with the company?"
"Ah... yes. That's right."
"You look so young. Were you scouted? This isn't the season for new hires."
She was right — it wasn't recruiting season. Dong-hyun, who had never worked a corporate job in his life, had no idea.
"Something like that, I guess."
"Then what's your rank?"
"Assistant Manager."
"Assistant Manager...?"
People who got headhunted usually came in at Manager level or above. Hearing Assistant Manager, she tilted her head.
"Yes... is something odd about that?"
"Ah! No, not at all. I'm Cheon So-hee. Let's say hello when we pass each other."
From the clothes to the fact that he'd walked in as an Assistant Manager on day one, Cheon So-hee sensed there was something about this man. She smiled and kept talking, hoping to close a little distance.
"Ah... yes. I'm Kang Dong-hyun. Pleasure to meet you."
While they were talking, an employee came down from the Industrial Materials Team. She was a tall woman with a voluptuous figure that was hard to look away from.
"Assistant Manager Kang Dong-hyun?"
She greeted him with large, striking eyes that matched her height.
"Yes. Kang Dong-hyun."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Assistant Manager Lee Su-jin. I heard you were coming today, but you arrived earlier than I expected."
Dong-hyun had come a little early. Lee Su-jin, however, had already been told he was coming and had arrived even earlier herself — which was how she could come down to meet him. She was the only person on the team who knew Dong-hyun's true identity. As Kang Su-yeon's closest aide, she'd been given a heads-up in advance.
"Yes. Hello. Kang Dong-hyun. It's a pleasure."
Unaware of any of this, Dong-hyun simply found Lee Su-jin's kindness welcome.
"If you'll follow me, I'll help you with your company registration first."
Lee Su-jin said it with a bright smile. Watching this, Cheon So-hee felt her mood sour. Seeing Lee Su-jin treat Kang Dong-hyun so warmly, she decided the woman was making a play for him. As Dong-hyun followed Lee Su-jin away, Cheon So-hee called out.
"Dong-hyun-ssi. When you finish today, would you like to grab a meal?"
The sudden voice made Dong-hyun turn around — and he was stunned. A woman as beautiful as Cheon So-hee had never approached him first in the real world.
"Ah... yes... I'd like that. I'll contact you when I'm done."
"Hehe. You have my number, I assume?"
"Ah... well... then..."
As Dong-hyun fumbled, Cheon So-hee pulled out her business card and pressed it into his hand.
"Make sure you call, okay?"
"Yes. I will."
Then he hurried after Lee Su-jin, who was waiting for him. In the time she'd come down to escort him, she'd essentially been out-hunted — and he had accepted. He worried Lee Su-jin might take it poorly.
Ah... I can't have things get messy on my first day...
But Lee Su-jin's thoughts were running in an entirely different direction.
How does that little girl know who this man is and start wagging her tail? Has word gotten out?
Cheon So-hee had no idea who Dong-hyun really was. Su-jin assumed otherwise — after all, Dong-hyun's looks weren't particularly outstanding. Lee Su-jin glanced back and shot Cheon So-hee a look. Cheon So-hee simply dipped her head in a small greeting, and Lee Su-jin was left with the distinct feeling that she had somehow lost.
They rode the elevator up in silence. Su-jin said nothing, lost in thought. Seeing this, Dong-hyun assumed she was upset and felt as though he were sitting on a cushion of thorns.
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the fifth floor.
"This is the fifth floor — HR is here."
Contrary to Dong-hyun's assumption, her foul mood had nothing to do with him, so she smiled brightly again as she spoke.
Women are impossible to read. Compared to them, Yuria was an angel.
Suddenly, Dong-hyun found himself missing Yuria.
After receiving his employee ID from HR, he followed Lee Su-jin to the Industrial Materials Team.
"This is your desk, Assistant Manager Kang."
Dong-hyun's seat had been prepared by the window — a prime spot.
"Nice spot."
"Of course~ I've been prepping this since last week. It had better be nice."
"Huh? You set this up yourself?"
"Yes. I heard a new Assistant Manager was coming, so I decorated it with care. Pretty decent, right?"
Lee Su-jin seemed rather proud of her work. But her reaction made Kang Dong-hyun tilt his head.
They go this far for a single Assistant Manager? Does this woman know who I am?
"Did my sister ask you to do this?"
He tossed it out just in case. Su-jin's reaction was exactly what he'd expected.
"Hah! The Team Leader told me to keep it a secret — how did you know?"
"You don't prepare a desk like this for some random Assistant Manager. Especially not when you're an Assistant Manager yourself."
Living in this world, Dong-hyun had learned one thing: use whatever you can use. His status? Pretty impressive, actually. Inside the family he was treated like discarded trash, but outside, it was a pedigree worth showing off. Though having everyone at the office find out might make work uncomfortable.
"Could you keep this a secret from Team Leader Kang Su-yeon? She told me absolutely no one should know."
Lee Su-jin asked with a slightly uneasy expression.
"She said that? Well... I was going to ask you for a favor anyway. Fine. I'll keep quiet. But I have a request too — don't let anyone else find out about me. Got it?"
"Yes... I absolutely won't let it slip."
Su-jin nodded as she spoke. She was nearly as tall as Dong-hyun, but her face and mannerisms had a rather cute quality.
"And one more thing. If Su-yeon trusted you enough to ask this, you two must be close. Later, when I ask, I want you to tell me some things about her."
"Pardon?"
"Just... simple stuff is fine. Understood?"
"Yes... okay."
And with that, he'd planted one spy in Kang Su-yeon's camp. Their bond wasn't deep yet, so he wouldn't get good information right away. But if he steadily built rapport, that would take care of itself.