Chapter 15

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 14

Chapter Title: Morning Regrets and Cracking Pride

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- Vrrr... vrrr... -

"Mmgh..."

Seo Jin-ah opened her eyes to the irritating vibration of her smartphone grating on her nerves.

"Ah!"

Coming to her senses beneath an unfamiliar ceiling, she looked around. Dingy wallpaper and worn-out furniture. Realizing she was in a motel, memories of the previous night flooded back.

"Sniff... sniff... sniff..."

It was partly the booze, but also because she hadn't been able to control her lust and had rolled around in bed with another man. Tears kept flowing from the overwhelming guilt.

"I'm sorry... Byung-joo."

She loathed herself for craving Lee Byung-joo so desperately even after screaming in ecstasy while that other man pounded into her relentlessly.

However, just like the Work System's Psychological Messages, her love for her husband was steadily amplifying not only outside of sex with Yi Hyunwoo, but consistently otherwise as well.

"What do I do, what do I do... Twenty missed calls..."

Seo Jin-ah's heart grew heavy with guilt at the calls from her husband Lee Byung-joo, who had noticed her absence overnight.

"Yeah. Byung-joo. No, I'm fine, nothing happened. I told you, it's been a while since I met up with old classmates. Yeah, yeah. I'll head straight home."

"Phew."

After finishing the call with her worried husband, Seo Jin-ah let out a sigh of relief. But then she looked down at her naked body and gasped in horror. Her once pristine, paper-white skin was now marred with red marks scattered lewdly all over. Especially on her breasts, nape, and thighs—marks that anyone could see were from sloppy, intense lovemaking, bitten and sucked.

"What do I do? What do I doooo?"

Between her thighs, the thick, white remnants of Hyunwoo's cum from last night were crusted all over. Too exhausted to be shocked anymore, she struggled to get up. Her thighs trembled with every step, barely holding her weight. With superhuman effort, she wiped away the traces of last night's Yi Hyunwoo before opening the motel door and stepping out.

"Whoa."

The middle-aged man at the motel counter ogled Jin-ah's departing figure shamelessly. The tight dress she'd worn on Hyunwoo's orders drew his eyes inescapably. Made even more obscene by the wrinkles and stains of cum and her juices from the intense sex the night before, it doubled the slutty allure.

She tugged the skirt hem down, but her ample breasts shortened the dress, exposing most of her thighs. Not to mention the top, which left more than half her breasts bare.

"Whoa, fuck... huff huff."

Judging by how hot last night's sex must have been, her legs were jelly, stumbling with every step. The motel owner rubbed his stiff cock under his pants as he watched.

"Eek."

Sensing something off, Jin-ah hurried out of the motel. The lecherous stares from men continued all the way home. Guilt toward her husband, disappointment in herself. Because of those sticky ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠male gazes, tears of shame streamed down Seo Jin-ah's face the entire way home.

"Oh? Ohhh!!"

After thoroughly ravishing Seo Jin-ah the night before and returning home, Yi Hyunwoo found another gift waiting. With his pent-up lust released, her Satisfaction had hit max. And the previously locked Favorability stat had now unlocked.

"Hmm... Currently, work colleague relationship fits."

He didn't know the exact reason Favorability rose yet, but apparently banging her increased Satisfaction for collecting Employment Contracts, and Favorability went up too.

"Wonder if fuck buddy or slave is possible too."

As he planned the next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Private Gathering to get Seo Jin-ah fully under his thumb, Hyunwoo suddenly remembered Eun Seol, who had screwed him over.

"Right, Eun Seol!"

"Kukuku, serves you right."

The Psychological Message made it obvious she'd broken up with her boyfriend. Hyunwoo lightly tapped to amplify Eun Seol's [Sadness] emotion.

This canceled the amplification on her [Longing] for employee attention, but amplifying [Sadness] would crumble her Mental even faster. Thinking of having two women who previously ignored him now in his grasp, Hyunwoo couldn't hide his smile.

Eun Seol, who had been dating resident doctor Jae-hyun with marriage in mind, had broken up with him over an absurd reason. She was enduring the double blow of breakup grief and isolation from her coworkers.

'All the achievements and reputation I built up.'

She'd sacrificed relationships with female employees, doling out coquettish charm mixed with flattery to superiors and delivering results they liked to climb that far. How hard had she worked to get assigned to the Public Relations Team, the president's direct line and the company's public face? It was all part of her promotion path.

Yet her hard-earned position had crumbled overnight. S University grad, attractive figure, outstanding skills. Eun Seol's usual confidence couldn't tolerate her plummeting status at the company.

Pulling all-nighters to handle the work she'd dumped on other departments before, but things couldn't return to normal. The male employees' gazes had turned icy without regard for hierarchy. The colder their stares, the hungrier she grew for the attention she'd once had.

Normally, she might have let it go and focused more on her boyfriend Jae-hyun. But Hyunwoo had amplified via the Work System:

[Desire] to get promoted within the company

[Craving] to appear attractive to opposite sex at work

These two psychological states were ultimately the biggest reasons for her breakup with the doctor.

"Haa... What's the problem?"

'Is someone badmouthing me behind my back?'

Unknowing the cause, Eun Seol suspiciously eyed every female employee. In this unbearable personal and professional hell, her [Mental] was crumbling bit by bit.

"Yes! Take off your panties and scream!!!"

Eun Seol's Mental, as sturdy as her pride, had finally broken. Her crumbling position at work and the breakup grief—no distinction between personal and professional had hit her hard. Her face when they passed in the hallway recently was quite the sight.

'She was forcing a calm, confident expression, holding back.'

Her Mental was in tatters, but pride kept her poker face up. Thinking of crushing that immense pride made his crotch stiffen. Hyunwoo felt a twinge of conscience for twisting Eun Seol's life with a few taps on the Work System, but quickly dismissed it.

'Right, think about what that bitch usually does.'

Recalling how she'd tormented other departments for promotions, he shook off the guilt. With her [Mental] at minimum, he changed one Psychological Message:

[Craving] to appear attractive to opposite sex at work → [Craving] to appear attractive to Yi Hyunwoo

He targeted the [Craving] on himself. He couldn't target others yet, but guessed higher admin rank would unlock it. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also canceled amplification on [Sadness] over breakup—it no longer served to lower her Mental.

"Wonder how Eun Seol will act now that her pride is stripped away—she's nothing but a corpse underneath."

Imagining the coquettishness from the woman who usually treated him like air made Hyunwoo eager to head to work.

'I must be crazy. Dying to go to the office.'

Thrilled with anticipation, he tossed and turned in bed until dawn before finally falling asleep.

But contrary to Yi Hyunwoo's expectations, Eun Seol showed no particular reaction. He deliberately passed by the Public Relations Team hallway to brush past her, but her transparent-invisible treatment remained the same.

For the first time since gaining admin privileges in the Work System, Hyunwoo seriously doubted the system. It took two weeks before he could believe it was functioning normally.

- Ding -

During work hours, a message from Eun Seol popped up in the company messenger.

- Hello, Deputy Manager Lee. This is Eun Seol from Public Relations. I heard you helped with the last PR event. As a thank you, I'd like to treat you to lunch. Does your schedule allow?

"Oh ho."

Treating a cooperating colleague to lunch was a standard gesture of thanks. Just unusual that it was from Eun Seol.

Hyunwoo had never heard of her buying lunch for anyone as thanks for work support. With her sky-high pride, she had no reason to suggest eating first—male employees lined up to buy her meals anyway.

- Yes. Hello, Deputy Manager Eun. I'm sorry, but I have a prior engagement today. My apologies.

Hyunwoo had no plans but tested the waters by rejecting once. Though she'd bruised her pride to suggest it first, he had no need to accept eagerly. With her [Craving] to impress him amplified via the Work System, he held the initiative.

'She needs to taste rejection sometimes.'

"What?"

Eun Seol wasn't angry at Yi Hyunwoo the Deputy Manager's reply—she was dumbfounded. She'd never initiated a meal invite before, yet her polite request was flatly refused. Her pride took a hit.

'What the hell, doesn't know his place.'

Lee Hyunwoo, Management Support Team Deputy Manager. One year her junior. Average face, average build. From what she knew, average family too. Decent at his job. The kind of guy she'd never glance at normally. The company overflowed with better-looking, better-connected men.

Yet ridiculously, she'd been thinking of him lately. Outwardly cold enough to deliberately avoid eye contact, but...

- Ah, I see. How about tomorrow then?

Suppressing fury and irritation, she hammered the keyboard to send the message. She didn't know why, but she wanted to look good to him as a woman, to talk with him. Eun Seol, who'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never cared for his type her whole life, was the one clinging first.

- Sure.

His curt reply came much later. Eun Seol felt irritation and relief simultaneously.