Chapter 179
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179
The excited fans of The Dawn waited impatiently for the next day to arrive.
However, there were those among them who felt a chill of reality: the office-worker Noeuls.
[I don't want to think about work, but I really want to see Seong Ji-won in a suit]
[Are we actually getting Kim Seong-hyeon in a dress shirt... sigh....]
[LOL I know people like that don't exist in real life... but if they give us this concept, I am going to stan so hard]
Everyone loved the office concept, but they didn't have high expectations for the realism.
Since the broadcast time was awkwardly set for 5:30 PM, the Noeuls—tossing aside overtime, night classes, academies, and work—somehow managed to turn on their TVs or grab their phones.
[Look at that low-budget CG of 'The Dawn Electronics' plastered over the tvK building LMAO]
└ [I guess they couldn't use the crumbling Daepasung building no matter what...]
└└ [LOL true]
Beside the building that claimed to be The Dawn Electronics, a blue sky appeared, and subtitles slowly floated up.
【Part 2 - The Life of Slaves (feat. Newbies)】
[Wait]
[Hey, they're idols]
The screen changed, showing a figure standing at the entrance of the company.
Everyone had assumed Seo Ho-yun, who appeared in the teaser, would be the protagonist, but it was Jeong Da-jun who took center stage.
【Jeong Da-jun, Intern in the Strategic Planning Office (2 Months)
Trait: Passed the interview unanimously after showing off insane personal talents and 'Power Positivity'】
Proudly wearing a clean employee ID around his neck, Jeong Da-jun gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. He looked up at the building and nodded as if making a grand resolution.
"Let's do our best today too! Fighting, Jeong Da-jun!!"
With his hands trembling slightly from nerves, he scanned his key card and entered the building, only to run into Seong Ji-won, who was wearing a gentle smile.
【Seong Ji-won, Team Leader of HR Support
Trait: Uses his soft tone and handsome face to daze new recruits, making them sign their contracts before they even realize they forgot to negotiate their salary】
"Ah, Mr. Jeong Da-jun. Good morning."
"Ah!! Team Leader Seong!!"
Jeong Da-jun started running with a wide grin, only to trip and wipe out over thin air. Seeing this, Seong Ji-won approached with a swift yet elegant stride, grabbed his arm, and helped him up. He then proceeded to dust off Da-jun's clothes.
"Don't be in such a hurry."
"Ahaha, yes sir!"
"It feels like only the day before yesterday that I saw you at the interview, but you already look like a real office worker."
"Really?! Wow, thank you!!"
[Excuse me, Team Leader, did you not just see Da-jun fall? LOL]
└ [And Da-jun-ging doesn't suspect a thing]
└└ [They said he passed the interview with 'Power Positivity,' and they weren't kidding....]
└└ [LMAO]
"How have things been lately?"
"Everyone is so nice to me!"
"Ahaha, even Team Leader Seo?"
Jeong Da-jun’s face instantly turned pale.
"He, he... is nice. For the most part..."
"Is that so?"
"He's a bit scary, though—"
There were no detailed scripts, only simple directions like 'Encounter Seong Ji-won on the way to work.' Jeong Da-jun, who had intended to just give a casual response, gradually became over-immersed in the situation and began pouring his heart out at rapid-fire speed.
"—Still, no matter how busy we are, he strictly observes lunch hours and always buys me delicious food... Even though he's the world's best at nagging and sarcasm during work hours... Oh! But sometimes when I do well, he pats my head... His mood swings so much that I never know what he's thinking!!"
"Aha..."
"But I heard he's popular in the company because of his face. Does that even make sense? If those people worked in the Strategic Planning Office themselves, they wouldn't be saying that!!"
Seong Ji-won, who had been listening to Da-jun’s passionate rant—his cheeks flushed red like ripe persimmons—calmly shifted his gaze and spoke.
"That's what he says. What do you think, Team Leader Seo?"
"?"
As Seong Ji-won pointed behind him, Jeong Da-jun blinked in confusion before turning around. His body jolted. A familiar, chilling face was staring back at him.
"Hmm..."
[LOLOLOLOL]
[Oh]
[Da-jun-ah]
[Oh, you're so dead]
It was Seo Ho-yun, stroking his chin with one hand while scanning Jeong Da-jun from head to toe.
"You've barely been at the company, so your work is clumsy at best, yet you're remarkably well-informed about such rumors?"
"...T-T-Team Leader."
"The world's best sarcastic man is here."
"I heard you're popular, too?"
"Aha. I see."
At Seong Ji-won’s support, Seo Ho-yun let out a smirk.
"Does it really make that little sense to you, Mr. Jeong Da-jun?"
[Oh]
As if asking 'Can't you tell just by looking at my face?', Seo Ho-yun’s confident expression with one corner of his mouth curled up filled the screen in a close-up.
The Noeuls clutched their heads in delight.
[KYAAAAAA]
[Ughhhhh you crazy bastard~~~~]
When Jeong Da-jun kept his mouth shut and just rolled his eyes nervously, Seo Ho-yun gave him one last cold look before brushing past him. Seong Ji-won followed after him.
"Ho-yun, Seong-hyeon was avoiding you."
[What's their deal? Are they in the same year???]
【※ The three oldest members are set as colleagues from the same year ※】
Behind them, the faces of Kim Seong-hyeon (Team Leader of Management Support), Seo Ho-yun (Team Leader of Strategic Planning), and Seong Ji-won (Team Leader of HR Support) were superimposed onto Mount Rushmore.
[The CG is truly lawless...]
While the Noeuls marveled at the crude CG, Seo Ho-yun asked back.
"Why? Because he's bad at acting?"
"He says he hates it when you call him 'baby.'"
"But I can't help it. I love it when he gets annoyed."
[Wow, Seo Ho-yun's personality is actually trash....]
[This guy................ but I also love it when you're annoyed....]
'The Dawn Electronics' was a reality plot devised by Lee Ji-hyeon, who knew all too well that fan-service is most attractive when it's grounded in reality but impossible in real life. It was based on countless meetings and discussions (or rather, Seo Ho-yun’s one-sided nagging) with Ho-yun and the planning team.
This was guaranteed to be a hit.
Lee Ji-hyeon bet her bias on it.
[Wait, Seo Ho-yun hasn't touched the mouse once so far;;;; He's doing everything with shortcuts]
[No way, this has to be a lie]
[Why does an idol know PPT and Excel shortcuts...]
And as Seo Ho-yun entered the Strategic Planning Office and began working, that prediction hit the mark perfectly.
Back in his PD days, Seo Ho-yun had been on the verge of being buried alive by work, but it hadn't been that way from the start. Because he was desperate to save every second to have dinner with Seo Ho-jin, he had learned to work as efficiently as possible.
[The PPT is insanely clean though LMAO but the content XDDDD]
Seo Ho-yun was typing away with intense focus.
【Proposal Regarding the Prevention of Jeong Da-jun’s Cavities】
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Are you a paycheck thief? LMAO]
Following the 5W1H format, he relentlessly listed Jeong Da-jun’s current dental status, problem identification, causes, and countermeasures. However, most of it was cut or blurred out in editing, with only a few lines flashing by.
Even though it was a split second, the Noeuls managed to take incredible screenshots and buzzed with excitement.
[Wait... it actually looks super professional? No, it's only a few lines, but it looks legit]
[I can smell the competence through the screen. The planning team must have prepared this for him, right?]
No.
Seo Ho-yun, who really had nothing to do, had made it in 30 minutes just to show it to Jeong Da-jun.
Beside him, Jeong Da-jun—unaware of his fate—had turned on PowerPoint and was just staring at 3D designs when the door burst open.
It was Kang Yi-chae, wearing a white dress shirt and gray slacks.
[Is that Thom B-rowne???? Ah, seriously, why are they doing this to us????]
Since Kang Yi-chae usually insisted on hoodies or comfortable casual looks unless he was on stage or at a scheduled event, this was the first time fans had seen him in such an outfit, even if it was semi-formal.
【Kang Yi-chae, New Employee in the Strategic Planning Office】
[Ah, a new employee, my heart is fluttering]
But everyone burst out laughing at the introduction that followed.
【Trait: Parachute (Nepotism Hire).】
"Hey guys~."
A clock zoomed in beside Kang Yi-chae as he opened the office door with a sly grin.
11:20 AM.
Seo Ho-yun didn't even look up as he asked.
"Did you come here just to eat the company lunch?"
"Ahaha, I wanted to eat the lunch the Team Leader buys. Right, Mr. Da-jun?"
"Umm..."
As Jeong Da-jun trailed off while checking Ho-yun's reaction, Kang Yi-chae took an Americano out of a drink carrier and pressed it against the back of Da-jun’s neck.
Chuckling at Da-jun’s scream, Kang Yi-chae approached Seo Ho-yun.
"Ah~, have this while you work, Team Leader."
"What is it?"
"A Java Chip Frappuccino with whole chips, chocolate drizzle, 5 pumps of mocha syrup, and 4 pumps of hazelnut syrup."
"……."
"Isn't this exactly your taste?"
As Kang Yi-chae thrust the drink forward with a smirk, Seo Ho-yun finally took his eyes off the monitor, took the cup, and took a sip through the straw.
"Mr. Kang Yi-chae."
"Yes!"
"I was thinking about why you might be late, Yi-chae."
Biting the straw slightly with his front teeth, Seo Ho-yun looked directly at Kang Yi-chae over his glasses.
"Did you happen to hit a sudden gust of wind while paragliding this morning?"
"……Pardon??"
"I just assumed you'd made a crash landing."
Kang Yi-chae’s mouth hung open as he belatedly caught the joke. Ho-yun was mocking him for being a 'parachute' hire by asking if he'd been paragliding.
Seo Ho-yun didn't miss the moment Kang Yi-chae was flustered.
"While you were at it, you should've just found love and had lunch in North Korea before coming back."
A skull icon exploded next to Kang Yi-chae as a caption appeared.
【Parachute: 1 Loss.】
[LOLOLOL Hey XDDDD]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
However, Kang Yi-chae was not the type to just take it and stay down.
Quickly regaining his composure, he grabbed a bunch of tissues and started dabbing at his eyes.
"Sigh, you have no idea how hard it was to leave my love behind and return... I flew here in a hurry just to have lunch with my Team Leader and our intern."
"Whaaaat?!?! You came to eat with us?!"
Jeong Da-jun, who had been clicking his mouse aimlessly on a blank PowerPoint screen just to look like he was doing something, jumped to his feet.
"Of course, Mr. Da-jun. If I don't take care of our intern, who will?"
"Whoa..."
Giving a warm smile to the moved Jeong Da-jun, who was covering his mouth with both hands, Kang Yi-chae tapped Seo Ho-yun’s watch and pulled his lips into a wide grin.
"Since we're at it, how about Pyongyang Naengmyeon?"
"……."
This time, a skull exploded next to Seo Ho-yun’s face with a caption.
【Team Leader Seo also takes 1 Loss.】
Seo Ho-yun glared at him while pushing up his glasses.
However, there would be plenty of opportunities to pay him back later. For now, he decided to take one step back to move two steps forward.
With peaceful BGM, the screen transitioned to a restaurant selling Pyongyang Naengmyeon.
[The power struggle between the Team Leader and the Parachute is legendary, but they're fighting over water vs. spicy cold noodles]
[They're even arguing about adding sauce and mustard, bringing up 'connections' and 'lineage'......
└ Ho-u... he's really a kkondae manager. I'm getting slight office PTSD. LOL]
"Order over here!!"
Just then, Kim Seong-hyeon appeared, wearing a red apron over a clearly expensive, form-fitting dress shirt.
"Yes, I'll take your order."
"……?"