Chapter 82

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 81

Chapter Title: Go Eun's Favorability

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- Tap, tap, tap.

The office was filled only with the frantic clatter of keyboards as employees hammered away at them. Thanks to Yi Hyunwoo stepping in to secure approvals on the reports in Go Eun's place, the Organizational Innovation TF Team's project was sailing along smoothly.

The team members were thrilled with the current state of affairs. Even amid the busyness as the project charged ahead, they could savor a real sense of accomplishment. Getting stuck in endless cycles of review after review because upper management wouldn't sign off was a nightmare they never wanted to relive.

"Team Leader, the materials you mentioned this morning are all ready."

"Ah... good work, Section Chief Jeong. Leave them here, and I'll go over them."

Unlike her enthusiastic team, however, Team Leader Go Eun just couldn't focus on her work. Normally, she would have hounded them to push the project forward faster, but instead, she was letting even the prepared documents pile up unread on her desk.

"Section Chief Jeong, doesn't Team Leader seem a bit off lately?"

Deputy Manager Kwon Yong-chan whispered to Section Chief Jeong, who had just handed over the materials to Go Eun.

"Yeah... She didn't even look at the stuff Assistant Manager Park Hye-su left on her desk earlier."

"She's been like that all week. Is there some problem with the progress?"

"No... We've got full approval from the executives. We just need to keep pushing forward decisively."

As Section Chief Jeong put it, quoting the saying about striking while the iron is hot, the TF Team was at a point where they needed to charge ahead. Yet their leader at the front was sitting there stalled.

"Maybe something personal came up?"

"She never talks about personal stuff at all, so... no idea."

Whispering so Go Eun wouldn't overhear, Deputy Manager Kwon and Section Chief Jeong came up with no sharp solution and returned to their tasks. Even putting their heads together couldn't resolve Go Eun's troubles.

The root of her problem was none other than Yi Hyunwoo.

'How many days has she been like this?'

Yi Hyunwoo was starting to feel frustrated by Go Eun's uncharacteristic passivity. With a deadline to conquer her, he decided he had no choice but to create some alone time again to advance their relationship.

"Assistant Manager Park Hye-su, a moment please."

Yi Hyunwoo quietly called over Park Hye-su, who sat next to him.

"Deputy Manager Yi, what's up?"

"Team Leader and I have a business trip to Seoul today. Could you handle the trip request for us?"

"Pardon? Team Leader didn't mention anything."

Yi Hyunwoo immediately used [Work Cooperation] from the Employment Contracts on her, just like last time.

"Looks like Team Leader's got something on her mind right now. She's probably forgotten about the trip schedule because of it."

"Ah, I see. Got it. I'll process the trip for both of you today."

"Thanks, Assistant Manager Park."

Park Hye-su never let things slide without a fight unless [Work Cooperation] was used—what she really thought of Yi Hyunwoo remained a mystery. In the end, he had to burn one Employment Contract to convince her.

The precious Employment Contract he'd earned at Eun Seol's officetel after doing nothing at Go Eun's vanished.

'Damn, that stings.'

Yi Hyunwoo hated wasting that one Employment Contract on Park Hye-su. But as precious as it was, he couldn't just keep watching Go Eun stew in her troubles forever. Waiting around wasn't going to change anything.

'[Psychological Message] hasn't budged either... What the hell is she thinking?'

After dropping Go Eun off at her officetel with nothing happening, she'd started treating Yi Hyunwoo like he was invisible. He'd hoped her [Psychological Message] would shift somehow, but no matter how many times he checked, her emotions stayed the same.

As the saying goes, if you're thirsty, you dig the well yourself. In the end, the frustrated Yi Hyunwoo had to take the initiative.

- Rumble, rumble, rumble.

With Go Eun in the passenger seat, Yi Hyunwoo started up the company car.

"..."

Go Eun stared straight ahead in the passenger seat, silent. Unlike the last trip, she wasn't reviewing reports or organizing her schedule.

'What the hell's going on with her...'

Yi Hyunwoo felt nothing but frustration at her behavior. And so, the two of them endured hours of heavy silence without a word. That endless moment, which seemed like it would never end,

"Deputy Manager Yi."

Go Eun broke it first.

- Flinch.

"Yes! Team Leader, go ahead. I'm listening."

Startled by her sudden call, Yi Hyunwoo waited for what she'd say next.

"I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I'll be direct. Deputy Manager Yi, you're making me uncomfortable and distracting me right now."

"Pardon?"

A 150 km/h fastball came out of nowhere for Yi Hyunwoo.

"It's messing with my focus and dropping my efficiency. Even for the sake of completing the Organizational Innovation TF project that the CEO and all the executives are counting on, I need to resolve this issue as soon as possible."

"...Does that mean you're kicking me off the team?"

"No, no... that's not what I mean."

- Gulp.

Yi Hyunwoo, who faced dismissal if he failed to conquer her, gripped the steering wheel tightly in tension at her words.

"Then what do you want from me, Team Leader? Is it that my skills are lacking, so I need to step it up?"

"Sigh... no. You're doing great right now, Deputy Manager Yi."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I... I don't know either. I'm not some all-knowing fix-it person, you know?"

'Why am I acting like this?'

She'd always despised people who let emotions cloud their rational judgment. The same went for those who just complained without trying to solve problems.

Whining like a child at Yi Hyunwoo, who hadn't done anything wrong, left her feeling deeply disappointed in herself.

"For now... let's pull over."

Sensing something was seriously off with Go Eun, Yi Hyunwoo pulled onto the shoulder and turned to look at her face.

- Gulp.

"First things first... yeah. I should apologize to you, Deputy Manager Yi. At the start, I couldn't understand why you had such a good reputation among the staff. I ended up judging you through colored glasses without realizing it. That was my clear mistake—prejudging you without even experiencing your work firsthand."

After hours of agonizing, had she finally found her own answer? Go Eun calmly laid bare the truth in her heart.

"You cleared the logjam in our stalled project, shrugging off my negative bias like it was nothing. Truth be told, even I hadn't found a proper way forward. From that moment, I started thinking I could trust you as a real team member."

"And..."

Go Eun, who had never once shared personal details with her staff, looked a bit tense and awkward.

"Embarrassingly, I'm truly grateful that you took care of me all the way to the end when I was so drunk I could barely stand."

At that moment

A new emotion toward Yi Hyunwoo emerged.

[Guilt], [Trust], and now [Gratitude]. Those were the feelings Go Eun harbored for him. Thanks to Yi ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hyunwoo amplifying the first two via the work system, she had no choice but to helplessly ride the massive wave of emotions crashing over her.

It created enormous ripples in Go Eun's heart, which had always been as steady as a calm lake. The amplification of these unfamiliar feelings was what had plagued her with doubt.

Having poured it all out to him brought some relief, but those emotions still swirled relentlessly inside her.

'What the hell am I supposed to do with these feelings?'

"So... is that it? Everything you wanted to say?"

"Yes, that's all I wanted to tell you."

Go Eun, who had never shown interest in men her whole life, felt her heart flutter faintly at the utterly ordinary face of Yi Hyunwoo gazing at her.

- Swish.

Yi Hyunwoo unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward her. Normally sharp and quick to react, Go Eun found her body frozen now, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.

- Smack.

A moist, lukewarm sensation spread. Only then did Go Eun realize what Yi Hyunwoo's approach had meant.

"Ah..."

Mission accomplished, Yi Hyunwoo's body slowly pulled away from hers. And then

Go Eun's Psychological Message updated anew.

There was one thing Yi Hyunwoo had overlooked in his conquest of Go Eun: she'd never once felt [Favorability] toward the opposite sex in her life.

He couldn't know exactly what kind of life she'd led. But one thing was certain—you have to taste good meat to know its flavor, and you need interest in the opposite sex to feel favorability.

Perhaps her ruthless ambition had caused her to miss out on emotions any woman would naturally feel. He'd confirmed as much in her officetel.

'Hahaha...'

Realizing this left Yi Hyunwoo feeling deflated. Come to think of it, wasn't [Favorability] toward someone a composite of countless other emotions?

Trust, reliance, gratitude, guilt, excitement, and more—all blending to form the concept of [Favorability].

In Go Eun's unique case, she'd never experienced it before, so her self-awareness had lagged behind.

Any normal woman would have felt [Favorability] right away from the [Guilt], [Trust], and [Gratitude] Yi Hyunwoo had amplified.

'Is she pure... or just clueless...'

And Yi Hyunwoo was convinced: the +1 charm bonus on Go Eun meant she was a virgin.

'A stone-cold woman who's never felt [Favorability] for a man—obviously a virgin.'

He could buy a twenty-year-old like Kim Hye-ri being one, but a 33-year-old Go Eun? Especially with that violently perfect body.

"Heh heh heh..."

What man hated the idea of a virgin? Yi Hyunwoo unconsciously grinned, imagining Go Eun's untouched body, never touched by another man's hands.

"Deputy Manager Yi, why are you suddenly grinning like an idiot? Focus on driving. We almost had a close ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠call last time."

"Kh... Ah, yep..."

As the various emotions of [Trust], [Guilt], and [Gratitude] coalesced into [Favorability] through his kiss, Go Eun's mind cleared, and she reverted to her usual self.

Her piercing gaze that could bore holes through anyone, her signature poker face. Not a hint of disarray, chin up, back straight in commanding posture.

'Team Leader Go Eun is back.'

Even though she clearly felt [Favorability] toward him now, she'd returned to how she'd been when they first met. Uneasy, Yi Hyunwoo checked her status again, but sure enough

Go Eun was now in a state of favorability toward him.

As Yi Hyunwoo panicked at her perfectly restored demeanor,

'Hee hee...'

She smiled inwardly without showing a hint on the outside. Even she couldn't explain the feeling, but Go Eun didn't dislike it one bit.

With less ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than three weeks left to complete the Task Directive, Yi Hyunwoo had finally secured Go Eun's [Favorability].