Something Definitely Happened!
Lunchtime at the KJ Group company cafeteria.
"There's a spot over here."
Lee Juhee sat down first with her tray, and Park Soyeong and Choi Yuri took the seats across from her.
Though they worked in different departments, the three of them almost always ate lunch together whenever they could.
"Ugh, I seriously thought I was going to die today."
Lee Juhee sighed as she scooped up a spoonful of soup.
"Why?"
Park Soyeong looked up.
"Our team leader started up again."
"What is it this time?"
"Revising the proposal. I'm so sick of it. So sick."
"How many times now?"
"Nine."
"...That's insane."
Park Soyeong let out a hollow laugh.
"I know, right!"
Lee Juhee waved her chopsticks as if she'd been waiting for exactly that response.
"Yesterday he said it was fine, and then today he waltzes in saying it lacks emotion."
"Lacks emotion? What emotion does an advertising proposal need?"
"Exactly!"
As the two of them bantered back and forth, Choi Yuri, who had been quietly eating beside them, let out a soft laugh.
"At least your team leader actually tells you something, Juhee unnie. Our team just says to bring it back again."
"That's even worse."
"Right?"
All three of them burst into laughter.
An ordinary lunch hour, no different from usual. It was almost always like this. Chatty Lee Juhee would start a story, Park Soyeong would play along just enough, and the youngest, Choi Yuri, would laugh and chime in.
"Oh, right."
Then Lee Juhee's eyes suddenly sparkled as if something had just occurred to her.
"Did you guys hear about that?"
"About what?"
At Park Soyeong's question, Lee Juhee opened her mouth—
"The president—"
"..."
Her words cut off abruptly.
Ah.
She remembered too late. What had happened at lunch last time. When Kang Taeseong's name had come up, Park Soyeong had shown an uncharacteristically blatant hostility.
I shouldn't have brought it up. Ugh… damn it.
Lee Juhee bit her lip for a moment. Choi Yuri also subtly gauged the mood.
Sensing the atmosphere, Park Soyeong spoke first.
"It's fine. You can talk about the president."
Both of them looked at her at the same time. Park Soyeong calmly picked up a side dish with her chopsticks as she spoke.
"...Looking at him, he doesn't seem like that bad of a person."
"Huh?"
Lee Juhee's eyes went wide. Park Soyeong quietly continued.
"What you said before, Juhee. That people can change."
"...Yeah."
"Thinking about it, I realized that might actually be true."
"..."
A brief silence settled over the table. Lee Juhee and Choi Yuri exchanged a glance. They were thinking the same thing.
That's unexpected.
No—unexpected wasn't nearly enough. Ever since joining the company, Park Soyeong had always kept a certain distance from male employees. Of course, it wasn't that she didn't have a boyfriend. Lee Junho from the Materials Team at the same company. Because of him, there was no reason to get unnecessarily close to other men.
Even at company dinners, she maintained appropriate boundaries, and if a male employee tried to act friendly, she naturally cut the conversation short. She never brought up other men first, and she almost never praised other men either.
My Junho oppa is the best—
That had been her habitual refrain. And now that same Park Soyeong was speaking positively about Kang Taeseong?
"Hold on, hold on."
Lee Juhee leaned forward, catching a whiff of something.
"Why the sudden change… in your opinion of the president?"
Choi Yuri nodded as well.
"Yeah, it's really surprising to hear you say that, Soyeong unnie. Did something happen with the president?"
"...!"
In that instant, that night flashed through Park Soyeong's mind. The late walk home from work. The dark alley. The thugs surrounding her. The massive back that had wordlessly stepped in front of her.
I'll walk you home.
Ever since that day, whenever she worked late and their leaving times happened to match, Kang Taeseong would naturally ride the elevator with her and walk out of the company building together.
You're working late again today. Let's go.
And then, without another word, he would walk her all the way to her front door. At first, it had been burdensome and uncomfortable. Maybe he had some other agenda. She'd suspected him more than a few times. But nothing ever happened. When they arrived at her door—
Good work today. See you tomorrow.
Just those words, and he would turn and leave. Almost like an old office couple walking home from work together.
W-wh…what!
As her thoughts reached that point, Park Soyeong's face flushed red in an instant.
"N-nothing happened!"
At her sudden reaction, both of them blinked.
"Just!"
Park Soyeong raised her voice for no reason.
"Just… he works hard, you know."
She scrambled for an excuse and continued.
"The company has changed a lot too. That's all I meant."
"...Really?"
Lee Juhee wore a knowing smile.
"Well, he does seem to be working really hard these days."
Choi Yuri nodded.
"That's true. Everyone in Management Support says so. The president reviews approvals super carefully now, and he takes care of people who perform well right away."
"Same with our team. People say he's changed. Everyone's motivation is through the roof thanks to him."
Park Soyeong gave a small nod of agreement. That much was true. When the president at the top of the company changed, the atmosphere inside the company changed with him. Not just Kang Taeseong as president, but Kang Taeseong as a person… felt different from before.
"..."
Talking about Kang Taeseong, she suddenly remembered those solid forearms. The large hands that had wrapped around her. Those reliable, warm hands—
...Crazy. What am I thinking.
Park Soyeong quickly lowered her head and scooped up a spoonful of rice. Seeing this, Lee Juhee shot a glance at Choi Yuri. Choi Yuri met her eyes ever so slightly. Neither of them said a word. But something passed between them.
Would you look at that?
Something definitely happened!
If it were the usual Park Soyeong, she would never have defended Kang Taeseong like that. And that blushing reaction earlier… They didn't press further. They didn't want to dig into something their friend didn't want to talk about. But their curiosity had grown far greater than before.
"Hello, President!"
The info desk employee beamed and bowed.
"Welcome!"
I returned the greeting with a light smile.
"Thank you for your hard work today as well."
"Haha, not at all! Have a great workout!"
It was a scene that would have been unimaginable before. The original Kang Taeseong would have taken an employee's greeting for granted, or simply ignored it if he wasn't in the mood. But things were different now. What was so hard about saying a simple hello?
I swiped my membership card and entered the company gym.
"It's been a while."
Evening workouts had become truly rare. Right after the possession, I had worked out twice a day—before the morning commute, and after work. Without fail, two sessions a day. It was a kind of obsession: I needed to lose the weight as fast as possible. Thanks to that, my body had changed noticeably. The bulging belly fat had gone down a lot, and my stamina, which used to leave me gasping for air, had improved considerably.
The problem was that things had gotten far too busy after that.
"There was just too much company work."
In the process of normalizing the company, work had poured in. Reviewing reports, meetings, approvals, and so on. Days would pass without me even noticing. With overtime stretching on for weeks, evening workouts had naturally fallen by the wayside. I'd barely managed to keep up the morning sessions. Today, for the first time in a long while, I had an evening to myself.
Finally, leaving on time.
Recently, the workload had started to stabilize little by little. There was still a long way to go. But at least I had enough breathing room to free up an evening like tonight.
Coming out of the locker room, I stretched as I walked toward the equipment. Suddenly, Assistant Manager Park Soyeong came to mind.
She seemed to be working late again today.
These days, when our leaving times matched, walking out of the company together had become a natural routine. At first, it was just because I was worried. This was the world of an eroge, after all. If my precious labor resource got into trouble walking home late at night, that would be both upsetting and a massive loss. So on days when the timing worked out, walking her to her front door had become the norm.
She'll be fine today.
I'd made preparations so she'd be okay even walking home alone. I'd signed an additional contract with a security company. Installed streetlights too. It should be much safer than before. And more than anything—
Today, I want to rest too.
I wanted to work up a good sweat for the first time in a while, go home, shower, and sleep soundly. That alone would make for a perfectly happy day.
I was heading toward the treadmill when—
"Yuri, I'll teach you properly, okay?"
A man's voice, somehow slimy.
"You can get hurt if you work out alone when you're just starting, you know?"
"Um, well…"
"You can't just ride the treadmill every day. I'll show you how to use each machine one by one."
My gaze drifted over without thinking.
"...."
A familiar face. Long straight hair and neat workout clothes. A beauty wearing an awkward smile.
Choi Yuri, was it.
The employee who always ate lunch with Assistant Manager Park Soyeong. She was known around the company as quite pretty, so I at least remembered her name. The man stuck to her side, on the other hand, was a face I'd never seen. I didn't know which department he was from, but he looked fairly old. And more than anything, his rank seemed higher than Choi Yuri's.
"...Ahaha."
Choi Yuri laughed awkwardly.
"Then… would you teach me?"
She said the words, but her expression wasn't bright at all. The discomfort was written all over her face. Whether the man was oblivious or simply ignoring it, he continued enthusiastically.
"That's right. Everyone learns as they go at first. I'll check your form one by one too."
"...."
I watched the scene for a moment. Somehow, it didn't seem like he was approaching with good intentions. The evidence was in the man's gaze. Throughout the conversation, he spent far more time scanning Choi Yuri's body than looking at her face. It was less the look of someone offering to teach exercise, and more the eyes of a predator sizing up prey.
"Ahaha…"
Choi Yuri was smiling. But to me, it looked forced.
The type who can't say no, huh.
That was entirely possible. Age difference, rank difference. And even though it was a gym, it was still company grounds. The pressure of making things awkward by firmly refusing. It was a situation common for new or junior employees.
With that type, you need to draw a firm line.
I found myself bothered by it. I was the only one who knew what kind of world this was. On the surface, it was an ordinary everyday scene that could happen at any gym. But the moment a crack appeared, this was a world where eroge-style events could unfold at any time.
This feels gross for no reason.
Even as I stepped onto the treadmill, one corner of my gaze remained fixed on Choi Yuri's direction.