Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Eyes of Corruption?
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"What the hell? Where have you been hiding until now?!"
I'd come running in a frenzy, and now an ear-splitting shout hit me like a hammer, scrunching up my face.
It felt like my ears were about to flee for their lives.
"Aren't you going to answer me!?"
She'd urgently called for me, so I'd rushed over without a second thought.
My breathing was ragged, making it hard to even open my mouth.
But excuses like that probably meant nothing to the woman in front of me.
I finally caught my breath and replied.
"I was sleeping."
"What? Sleeping? Do you know what time it is?"
"......"
"Isn't this working hours? Does it make any sense that you were sleeping when you should be working?!"
Did she swallow a whale or something?
How could a woman have such a booming voice?
I think she said she used to do pansori back in the day.
The shouting drilled right into my ears—definitely impressive volume.
The woman in front of me, hands on her hips and glaring daggers, was my boss at work: Assistant Manager Lee Eun-ae.
At thirty years old, she was a stunning beauty with a captivating face, a slim yet curvaceous figure that turned heads. If you spotted her on the street or in a bar, any guy would want to shoot his shot.
Her long straight hair gave her a somewhat intimidating vibe, but her flawless skin, small full lips, and perfectly proportioned features made up for it.
A lot of the male staff said just looking at her face was therapeutic.
Even now, her prominent chest, defined waistline, and hips drew my eyes.
Just a purple blouse and simple jeans, yet her body was so damn sexy.
Above all, her plump, firm-looking ass was her standout feature.
I quickly adjusted my gaze before she caught me.
"If you've got a mouth, at least come up with an excuse!"
She was gorgeous, sure, but I wasn't particularly interested.
She had a long-term boyfriend she'd promised to marry. And she was way too intense.
Maybe it was because I only had a high school diploma.
Either way, her tough personality made me want to steer clear. Especially since...
"I was on dispatch yesterday and worked the night shift. I patrolled all night, and I was scheduled for morning sleep today. I reported it yesterday."
"What did you say?"
"You must have heard. This is my scheduled sleep time."
I spoke confidently since I hadn't done anything wrong.
After putting up with her nitpicking me specifically for so long, I wasn't in the mood to hold back today.
At the very least, when I hadn't messed up, I had every right to stand my ground.
And that brought out her other flaw.
"Oh yeah? You reported it yesterday?"
"Yes. I reported it through Staff Supervisor Lee Chan-woo."
"I didn't hear about it."
"He said he definitely reported it. Think about it again."
She paused, lost in thought for a moment.
Then her eyes widened in surprise, pupils shaking.
She remembered.
"Ahem. You should report that stuff directly! How am I supposed to remember everything?!"
"......Last time I reported directly, you told me to go through the staff supervisor."
"Ahem! Fine! Go do whatever—sleep or not, I don't care!"
Same as always.
That was Lee Eun-ae's flaw.
She never admitted her mistakes.
When people screw up, the natural thing is to apologize and ask for forgiveness.
But not her.
Even a 25-year-old like me knew that.
Maybe it was because she'd started working young and endured all sorts of humiliations.
Or perhaps as a senior, she didn't want to look naive in front of her subordinates.
Either way, she'd never apologize to me.
With one last sharp glare, she turned and stormed off.
"Ha. Seriously."
Anger surged at her behavior. It was ridiculous and absurd. Part of me wanted to smack the back of her head.
But damn it, my eyes locked onto her ass instead.
Wow. Really.
Even in a situation like this, why did that ass look so enticing?
It was pretty enough to melt away my rising fury.
The way it strained against her jeans screamed firmness.
I kinda wanted to grab it just once.
"Get a grip."
So what if she had a pretty face and killer body?
A woman that intense wasn't my type.
Like any other guy, I'd just use her for eye candy.
I tore my gaze away and headed back to resume my break.
Summer had arrived before I knew it.
The scorching sun beat down on my face. Looking up at the sky stung my eyes.
In contrast, the sea breeze tickling my skin felt incredibly refreshing.
The calm sea in the distance shimmered under a soft glow, looking even more radiant and beautiful.
Over there was a golf course blanketed in lush green grass.
Next to it sat pensions, a camping site, soccer field, volleyball court, and various other facilities.
A massive water park, hot springs, tennis courts, and glamping site were visible nearby too.
That's right.
This was my workplace.
A massive resort in Gangwon-do.
I was a lowly intern there, patching up all sorts of odd jobs.
A massive resort had opened near Yangyang in Gangwon-do.
Built with sponsorship from Saudi Arabia, it featured a huge hotel, water park, beach, golf course, pensions, camping sites, and more.
Word spread that it was Korea's top resort, and visitors exploded in numbers.
Early morning soccer teams rented out entire fields and stayed over.
Corporate execs frequented the golf course.
The water park, hot springs, and camping drew crowds that made the place bustle nonstop.
Naturally, it needed a ton of staff, and I handled all kinds of miscellaneous tasks there.
To be precise, I did all the grunt work.
"Ah, seriously."
Before I knew it, I'd wandered near the beach.
I liked this spot.
A breath of sea air cleared the stuffiness from my chest when things got stifling.
Plus, you could check out women with great figures.
"Hey! Tae-hu! Give me a hand!"
Chan-woo hyung spotted me from afar and yelled.
Staff Supervisor Lee Chan-woo.
My big bro on the Support Team who always looked out for me.
He was such a good guy that we'd hit it off right away.
He'd been dispatched as a safety officer when one of the regulars went on vacation.
And now that hyung was shouting for me.
"Ah."
I could see a woman flailing in the water offshore.
Damn it.
I didn't hesitate and dove in.
Chan-woo hyung and the other safety officers were nearby, but the waves had suddenly turned rough, dragging her far out.
They seemed hesitant to jump in.
They were scrambling for a boat rescue, but it looked too late.
Any more delay, and she'd be swept away by the waves.
Splash—splash—
I swam hard toward her.
The swimming I'd learned in the military came in clutch.
Thankfully, she held on well.
We were almost out when a rubber tube from Chan-woo hyung landed right in front of us.
I got her on the tube, grabbed the line, and it yanked us strongly. We were saved—or so I thought.
Then a wave crashed over my back.
"Hold on tight!"
Even then, I was worried about her safety.
And as a result...
"Tae-hu!!!"
Chan-woo hyung's voice was the last thing I heard.
My grip gave out, and I blacked out as the waves took me.
"You okay now?"
Thankfully, I hadn't died.
Luckily, another officer's rescue boat had pulled me out.
What a relief.
Though my body was still shivering from the shock.
The other safety officers stared at me with deep concern.
Lee Eun-ae had shown up too, having heard the news somehow.
Unlike her usual scowling nagging self, she looked a bit tense now.
Probably fretting that a team member's incident would come back on her.
Especially since she'd called me in on my scheduled sleep day.
"Tae-hu. Let's get you to the hospital first."
"I'm fine. I'm good as new now."
"Still..."
"I'll be okay after resting at the dorm."
"If he's going to rest, just let him go."
I could tell Lee Eun-ae wanted me gone ASAP too.
"Come on, Tae-hu. I'll take you."
"No, I'll go alone."
"You need to get back to work, Supervisor. Can't have another accident."
"Got it. Then maybe the Assistant Manager could..."
"You expect me to take him? Why should I?"
"He's your subordinate."
"There's a medical team."
Guess she had zero concern for me.
"Ha. Assistant Manager, come on. He's on the same team—can't you show a little care? If you nag him all the time, at least pretend to look after him now."
Chan-woo hyung snapped, but Lee Eun-ae just crossed her arms and shot back.
"That's why I'm here, isn't it?"
"Sigh. Assistant Manager!"
"It's fine, Supervisor. I'll head back alone."
Seeing such a kind guy get mad was a first for me.
I didn't want a pissing contest, so I backed off.
'Huh?'
But before heading to the dorm, as I glanced at the dense thicket...
A space glowing yellow caught my eye.
'What is that?'
Was I hallucinating after nearly dying?
I tried to brush it off as nothing.
But then.
Eyes of Corruption has awakened.