Jeong-o was dumbfounded by the baseless tattletaling from Assistant Manager Jo Si-Nae.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Eun-Bi’s lips curl into the slightest, most subtle smirk.
She was furious, but this wasn’t the time to roll up her sleeves and start a fight. Fixing the problem had to be the priority.
Jeong-o grabbed her laptop. “I’ll head to the IT room and get this sorted right away.”
“Together…”
“Let’s go together.”
Just as Gihun Song stood up from his desk, Ji-Heon cut in. Gihun, who had been about to head to the IT room with Jeong-o, couldn’t even finish his sentence and sank back into his seat.
When Ji-Heon announced he would go himself, Si-Nae shot a look at Eun-Bi.
The faint, triumphant twitch at the corner of Eun-Bi’s lip vanished. She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her skin and retreated to her seat.
Jeong-o walked briskly, with Ji-Heon following in long, measured strides. They matched each other’s pace.
When they stepped into the IT room, several employees recognized Ji-Heon and stood up.
“Director, hello.”
Ji-Heon gave a curt nod and cut straight to the point. “The computer is malfunctioning. I need you to fix it.”
The employee took the laptop and turned it on to assess the damage. “Since when has it been like this?”
“Just a little while ago. It happened while I was away from my desk for about thirty minutes.”
The employee’s expression darkened as they clicked through the screen. “Is there any data that absolutely must be saved?”
“Yes,” Jeong-o replied. “There’s a file I definitely need.”
“It looks like a virus. If you need the files recovered rather than just wiping the drive, it’s going to take some time. I can have it restored by next Wednesday.”
Jeong-o felt her heart drop.
Ji-Heon stepped in. “I need that data urgently. Is there any way to speed that up?”
“It will take at least a full day…”
“I need it resolved today.”
“…I will try my best.” Under Ji-Heon’s intense gaze, the employee nodded, looking troubled.
Seeing the employee’s reaction, Jeong-o felt devastated. She had a sinking feeling the file wouldn’t be recovered by the end of the day.
As she left the IT room, Jeong-o turned to Ji-Heon. “I’ll rewrite it based on memory and submit a report.”
“That would be for the best. Is by six o’clock possible?” Ji-Heon asked, his face a mask of indifference.
“Yes. It’s possible.”
“Then I’ll expect the report at six.”
The unexpected incident threw Jeong-o’s schedule into chaos. No sooner had she returned to her desk than Team Leader Chanseon An came rushing over.
“Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee, what did IT say? Can they recover it immediately?”
“No. It’s going to take some time, so I’m going to rewrite the data.”
“You’re going to rewrite all of that?”
“I have a good grasp of it in my head. I think I can manage.”
At her confident reply, Eun-Bi chimed in. “Copywriting is all about nuance. Do you really think you can capture the original feel just by relying on your memory?” It was phrased as a concern, but it was edged with malice. She seemed certain Jeong-o would fail.
Team Leader Chanseon An encouraged her. “Well, let’s give it a shot. It’s only the first draft, so there will be plenty of work to do later anyway. Let’s focus on the goal of submitting it today. You can do it, Assistant Manager Lee, right?”
“Yes. I’ll try.”
“I have an urgent matter to handle, so I’ll be away for a bit. I’m counting on you. If you get stuck, call me!”
“Yes. Understood.”
Current time: 2:00 PM. Four hours until the 6 PM deadline.
She wouldn’t be able to leave early, but she could probably wrap up by seven. *That’s enough,* she told herself, setting her resolve.
The production team was swamped, so there was no one to help. Eun-Bi was busy working alongside the new copywriter from Production Team 1. Jeong-o couldn’t tell if Eun-Bi was actually working or just putting on a show, but she didn’t bother asking for favors.
By 5:30 PM, Jeong-o had barely managed to finish the proposal. It wasn’t identical to the original—she had filled the gaps with alternatives—but it was complete. She emailed it to the team.
Eun-Bi checked the document, rested her chin on her hand, and asked, “Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee, this is completely different from my original copy. Are you sure you remembered it correctly?”
“Then, Section Chief, would you like to modify the parts that differ from your memory and email it back?”
“I gave you notes a long time ago. What happened to those?”
“They’re somewhere, but I don’t have time to look for them now. For now, please review the data and make adjustments. I’ll verify the accuracy of your memory later when I find the notes.”
When Jeong-o challenged her, Eun-Bi flinched and made an excuse. “I don’t have time, either. I think it’s better for you to handle it as you see fit, Assistant Manager. Since this happened due to your mistake, it’s only right that you take responsibility for the final report. I’ll be rooting for you.”
Eun-Bi effectively ended the conversation by shifting the blame.
Later, Team Leader Chanseon An confirmed that Jeong-o would report directly to Ji-Heon.
At exactly 6 PM, as she waited in the conference room, her phone rang. It was Guk-Sun. Jeong-o stepped out to take the call.
“Hello?”
[Mom!] It was Ye-Na’s voice on Guk-Sun’s phone. Even with the stress of the looming report, a smile bloomed on Jeong-o’s face.
[Mom, are you done with work? When are you coming?]
“I haven’t finished yet.”
[Why? Why aren’t you done?] Jeong-o’s heart ached at the disappointment in Ye-Na’s voice.
She stood near the conference room, terrified that Ji-Heon might walk by and recognize her. “I have a lot of work. But I’ll be done soon. I’ll call you when I leave.”
[Okay. Come home fast, Mom! You promised, remember?]
“Of course. I’ll be there soon.”
She hung up, heart heavy, and caught sight of Ji-Heon in the distance. He seemed to be staring straight at her. She gave a polite bow and ducked into the conference room.
Ji-Heon followed, joined by the Production Team 1 members, who apparently felt the need to make an appearance. The AE handed a printed copy of the proposal to Ji-Heon.
“Shall I begin the presentation?”
“I’ll look through it myself.” Ji-Heon turned the first page.
The room went silent. Every time the sound of turning pages stopped or Ji-Heon tilted his head, the staff members seemed to shrink into their seats.
Ji-Heon finished the last page and set the proposal down. “The planning is concise and neat. The problem is the production.”
The staff swallowed hard.
“It would be too much to ask for better opinions here, wouldn’t it? If this meeting drags on, it will be even harder to reach a consensus.”
He threw out a rhetorical question that left everyone speechless. With both team leaders absent, there was no one to lead or challenge him.
“Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee.”
“Yes.”
“Please recreate this and show it to me today. The rest of you may return to your tasks.”
The blood drained from Jeong-o’s face.
“Director, what you just said is…”
“It needs a complete overhaul.”
“…”
“I need you to start from scratch.” Ji-Heon stood up.
The others let out silent sighs of relief at being dismissed. Gihun, who had dealt with Ji-Heon’s temper before, looked at Jeong-o with a grim expression.
Jeong-o chased after Ji-Heon as he exited. “Director, which parts specifically need to be touched up…?”
“Why don’t you speak first?”
“The copy feels strange. There isn’t a shred of sincerity in it.”
“Which part, specifically, lacks sincerity?”
“All of it.”
“…….”
“Redo it all.”
*No way…*
At Ji-Heon’s cold words, Jeong-o felt both wronged and desperate.
She followed him into the hallway. When they were finally alone, she tried again. “Director, wouldn’t it be alright if I went home to work today? I’ll revise it as quickly as possible and email it by the end of the day.”
“Is there an emergency at home?”
“Yes. I have family matters to attend to.”
“What kind of family matters?”
Jeong-o hesitated. She knew how viciously he had treated Jo Si-Nae the last time she’d asked for leave. If she mentioned it was a memorial service, he’d want a death certificate; if she said someone was sick, he’d demand medical records.
“……Just some personal matters.”
“Matters you can’t speak of?”
“…….”
“If you have such pressing family matters, do you think you can even work properly? I know for a fact that once Assistant Manager Lee goes home, she doesn’t even look at her phone.”
“No. This time, I’ll really—”
“Instead of begging, wouldn’t it be better to just start working and get it over with?”
As Ji-Heon turned to leave, she caught his sleeve. “Director, can’t I go for three hours? Two hours? I’ll definitely return. Please…”
“Are you asking me to wait here for two hours while you settle your family matters?”
Ji-Heon remained unmoved. “You have to take full responsibility for the work you volunteered for. Do you agree?”
Jeong-o had no choice but to bite her tongue.
“I’m giving you these instructions because I believe you are the one in charge of this project. If it’s absolutely impossible, call Team Leader Chanseon An. You can work with him.”
He pulled his sleeve from her grip and walked into his office.
Jeong-o tried calling Chanseon An, but he didn’t answer. She returned to her desk, catching Eun-Bi’s cold, watchful gaze. She didn’t care about pride anymore; she ran over to her.
“Manager, I’m sorry, but could I ask for a huge favor? I have something urgent. Could you take over the revision of this proposal? Please, I’m begging you.”
It was a request she would never have made under normal circumstances, but she was desperate. She swore that if Eun-Bi helped her, she would stop fighting her altogether.
“What? Hah. This is absurd.”
Eun-Bi raised her voice, making sure everyone could hear. “Assistant Manager Lee is the one who caused this mess, so why are you asking me to clean it up? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Jeong-o realized immediately. *Right. I was a fool.*
Eun-Bi wasn’t the type to grant such a favor. She had been reaching for a rotting straw.
Jeong-o returned to her seat. Gihun, who knew the situation, was busy trying to reach Mi-Ran for help.
“If the Team Leader returned, this would be resolved much faster…” Gihun muttered. Seeing him trying so hard made Jeong-o’s eyes well up.
“Assistant Manager, I’m so sorry I couldn’t be of help. I wish I were a copywriter.”
“No, it’s okay. Thank you for worrying about me.”
Suddenly, she heard Ji-Heon’s voice from the hallway.
“Assistant Manager Jeong-o Lee.”
“Yes.”
Jeong-o stood up.
“Bring your laptop and come to the conference room. We’ll look at it and work together.”
At his instruction, Eun-Bi’s eyes widened in shock.
*…He’s going to be alone with her in the conference room?*