Stealth Mode, Saturday Mornings, and an Unwelcome Return

Saturday morning. The moment I opened my eyes, I found myself gazing up at the ceiling out of habit.

It wasn't an unfamiliar ceiling. My home, my building, and a peaceful weekend all to myself.

"Hoo... this is nice."

The past week had been nothing short of a war. I'd been dispatched to the Main Branch Business Department, locked horns with the branch manager, and transformed toxic corporate clients into valued customers. My body was exhausted, but my mind had never been clearer.

I wriggled under the covers and picked up my phone. The moment the screen lit up, a single message was waiting for me. It was from Senior Hae-in.

In the photo, Senior Hae-in was slumped in an outdoor chair wearing a thick padded coat. She'd apparently just heard the word "cut"—her hair was a mess and her expression was glazed over. Even that looked like something out of a photo spread, but the fatigue was plain to see.

I smirked and sent a reply.

A playful emoticon followed. Cheer her on, huh.

I set the phone down for a moment and sank into thought. Was she telling me to show it with actions, not just words?

I sprang out of bed and opened a search window. Celebrity set support, catering trucks, coffee trucks. Dozens of companies popped up, but nearly all of them carried a disclaimer: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reservations required at least three days in advance.

But in a capitalist society, what couldn't be solved? Pay enough money and you could buy time itself.

I called the highest-rated, most luxurious-looking company on the list.

"Hello? Can you send a coffee truck and a snack truck to a set in Paju today?"

"Ah, customer, same-day booking is rather difficult. We'd need to prepare ingredients, and the schedule is..."

"I'll pay twenty percent extra—no, make it thirty. Could you manage it somehow?"

"...One moment, please! I'll contact a team that can go right now!"

The owner's voice brightened audibly through the receiver. Finance really was the answer.

Soon enough I got the confirmation, and I finished the bank transfer. It came to several million won, but considering what sat in my account, it wasn't much of a burden. Besides, I owed her for some things too.

I hadn't forgotten the banner, either.

Theater Lab it would be. If a man's name went up there, a scandal could end up hurting my senior.

Two in the afternoon. I'd finished a slapdash job of cleaning the house and was sitting on the sofa watching TV when—

Zzzzing—

The phone rang noisily. It was Senior Hae-in. The moment I answered, an excited voice hit my eardrum.

"Hey! Kim Dong-su! Are you insane?!"

"Why? What happened?"

"What happened?! What's this coffee truck outside? No, forget the coffee truck—did a whole buffet just show up?!"

"Ah, I guess it arrived. Something warm for the staff, who've been working so hard."

A murmur of voices came through the receiver.

"Whoa, Senior Song! This is absolutely insane!"

"Thank you for the food!"

"Who sent this? Is it your boyfriend?"

The staff's cheers laid down a background soundtrack.

"It's chaos over here. The staff are eating sandwiches with their smiles stretched ear to ear."

"Did I manage to boost morale a little?"

"Boost it? You didn't just boost it. I'm so full I could skip meals on set entirely."

Gratitude dripped from her voice. I didn't need any ability switched on to know it—how happy she was at that very moment.

"Thank you, Dong-su. I'm truly moved. I'll pay this debt back, I swear."

"What debt? Just... hang in there and have a great shoot. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can grab a meal with me."

"You got it. Today I'll push through with zero NGs! Thank you, Kim Dong-su! I love you! Mwah!"

A short, cheerful kiss of a sound carried through the receiver, and the call ended. My face flushed hot. At my age, to feel a flutter like this.

"Hoo..."

I looked out the window. The Starbucks construction in full swing on the first floor, and the building under my own name. The balance in my bank account, and a flirtation with a top star. It was a weekend scene I couldn't have imagined just a few months ago. Those grim days of stamping divorce papers felt like a previous life.

I'm happy...

Monday had come around again. On my way into work, I checked the ability that had unlocked this past Friday.

Stealth Mode. For an office worker, was there any sweeter ability than being invisible to your superiors? The one-hour daily limit was a shame, but if used at the decisive moment, it would be pure gold. Use it after lunch, for instance, and I alone could stretch my lunch break to two hours. The ability to take a nap at the office. A smile crept onto my face before I knew it.

The moment I pushed open the branch door, the air was different.

"Team Leader! You're here!"

"Welcome, Team Leader!"

The employees' greetings boomed. After resolving three major crises last week, the way they looked at me had completely changed.

The same went for Branch Manager Park Tae-jin. Even this Monday morning, he was shooting me an uncomfortable look.

"Oh, Team Leader Kim, you're here? Come here a minute."

A summons to the manager's office first thing in the morning. I could guess how it would go—another lecture about last week's results, segueing into "do even better this week." Wasn't this exactly what the ability was made for?

I sat down at my desk and shouted inwardly. 'Stealth Mode.'

For an instant, my vision seemed to ripple slightly, and I had the strange sensation that my body was fading away. Just in case, I leaned back deep into my chair.

"Team Leader Kim? Where'd he go? Did he go to the restroom?"

Branch Manager Park Tae-jin had emerged from his office and was staring intently at my desk.

"Huh? I definitely saw him come in just now..."

The manager tilted his head, then asked Assistant Manager Choi beside me.

"Assistant Manager Choi, hasn't Team Leader Kim shown up?"

Assistant Manager Choi turned to look at my desk. He tilted his head.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Huh? He was here a minute ago. His jacket's here too... Maybe he stepped into the restroom."

Even though I was sitting right beside him, breathing, Assistant Manager Choi couldn't perceive me at all. Perfect concealment.

"Honestly. Tell him to come to my office when he shows up."

Grumbling, the manager slipped back into his office.

I barely held back a snicker. This was incredible. It didn't just hide me from superiors—even Assistant Manager Choi couldn't see me. Used well, this was going to be a serious jackpot.

That was when it happened. The automatic door at the branch entrance slid open, and a man walked in.

"Is Branch Manager Park in?"

I turned my head. A man in a slick, well-pressed suit was coming in with a bright smile plastered across his face.

"Oh! Team Leader Lee! What brings you here?"

Judging by Assistant Manager Choi's reaction, it was Lee Seok-woo, the former team leader on parental leave. After spouting nonsense over the phone last week, he'd finally shown up at the branch in person. In his hands, he even carried a box of vitamin drinks.

"Oh? Isn't that Team Leader Lee? What a surprise."

The manager's office door opened, and Branch Manager Park came out beaming. The man was still one of his own people, after all, and it seemed the reunion was genuinely welcome.

"Haha, Branch Manager. Have you been well? My wife's recovered quite a bit, so I stopped by to pay my respects. It felt wrong to come empty-handed, so I brought the staff something to drink."

Lee Seok-woo grinned slyly and set the box of drinks on Assistant Manager Choi's desk. Then he made a show of glancing around.

"By the way, where's Assistant Manager Kim... sorry, Team Leader Kim? I meant to say hello, but I don't see him."

Me?

I'm right here?

"Ah, Team Leader Kim? He must have stepped out for a moment."

At Branch Manager Park's words, Lee Seok-woo's expression brightened in a peculiar way. He seemed quite pleased that I wasn't around.

"Well, that works out... ah, no, I mean, what a shame. There was something I wanted to discuss face to face."

"What is it?"

"Branch Manager, could you spare ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me a moment? There's something I need to tell you."

Lee Seok-woo narrowed his eyes and gestured toward the manager's office. Branch Manager Park deliberated briefly, then nodded.

"All right, come on in. Let's have some tea."

The two men went into the manager's office. A strange disquiet settled over me. I rose from my seat without hesitation. Not a sound.

Just before the door closed, I slipped through the narrowing gap.

"Have a seat. So, how's the wife doing?"

"Much improved, thank you. Which brings me to what I wanted to say..."

I plopped down on the single sofa directly across from theirs. The branch manager was mere feet in front of me, yet he only fiddled with his teacup, entirely unaware of my existence. I might as well have been seated in the seat of honor, watching their secret parley like theater.

"I'll be returning to work starting next week."

Just as I thought...

Exactly the move I'd expected. Branch Manager Park paused mid-lift with his teacup.

"Returning? Already? It hasn't even been a month since you went on leave."

"My wife's fine now, and more than anything, I can't rest easy with the branch in this state. There's the mess I left behind, after all—the Seoul Systems and Mirae Construction accounts. Surely someone has to see those through to the end, wouldn't you say?"

His shamelessness reached for the sky. This bastard...

My face hardened despite myself.