# Chapter 6
But Taerim was beginning to think that perhaps he had misjudged. If the man in front of him had truly approached him to find his weakness, he wouldn’t have reacted like this.
The flushed cheeks on that fair face, the large eyes wet as if about to burst into tears at any moment. To be honest… anyone would see this as nothing but the reaction of an unjustly insulted victim. Taerim was even feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt because of that expression.
Wonyoung didn’t realize—even though he was cursing inside rather than feeling like crying—that the expression on Narae’s innocently pure face, unlike his usual self, was more devastating than he thought.
In the end, even Taerim, notorious for his mercilessness toward others, waved the white flag with a brief click of his tongue.
“Well, forget it. It’s a waste of time anyway.”
“…”
“Just go tell whoever paid you. Tell them to bring a more original approach next time.”
With those final words, Taerim stepped out of the elevator and left.
Only then did Wonyoung breathe a sigh of relief. Misunderstanding or not, he was just thankful to be free now.
Just then, Wonyoung’s phone rang. Realizing that he too needed to get off here, he quickly exited the elevator and answered the call.
“He-hello?”
“Rae-ssi, where on earth are you?”
Hurried by the caller, Wonyoung answered while walking quickly.
“I’m sorry, I’m coming now! I just got off the elevator!”
For a moment, Taerim’s gaze pierced Wonyoung’s back as he brushed past, but Wonyoung, unaware of this, hurried along thinking only about being late for his appointment.
When Wonyoung urgently opened the door to the grand ballroom, his destination, the eyes of the staff preparing for the event all turned to him at once. As Wonyoung stood there awkwardly under their gaze, a man approached him familiarly.
“Rae-ssi, why are you so late?”
“I’m sorryyy… Something came up briefly…”
Can this guy not speak without drawing out the end of his sentences? Wonyoung examined the person addressing him while inwardly complaining about his forcibly corrected speech pattern.
Neatly combed-back hair and silver-rimmed glasses. He looked like someone who would work as a butler or at a hotel. Glancing at his name tag, Wonyoung saw he had the title of assistant manager.
The assistant manager urged Wonyoung, who was still standing still trying to assess the situation.
“Alright, just hurry and get ready. The event starts at 7.”
At those words, Wonyoung realized there was an event here and that he had come to help with the preparations. Judging from the fact that he was only helping with the event preparations, he probably wasn’t a full-time employee, but Wonyoung had reasonable doubts about the hotel that would employ such an unreliable worker.
Eventually, Wonyoung went to the changing room to change his clothes and sighed deeply as he put on the uniform that had been placed on the table, presumably prepared in advance. Though the day was far from over, he felt an immense fatigue that he hadn’t experienced even during consecutive nights of overtime work.
Still, there was no time to rest. Whether this was a dream or reality, he had to prevent the situation from worsening any further.
Checking the time on his phone, he saw there were still 40 minutes left until the forced correction would end.
‘First, I need to get through this forced correction. At the very least, let’s not get angry.’
Who knows what kind of creepy nasal voice might come out if he did. Wonyoung checked the loose-fitting uniform and tightly fastened the belt at his waist. Then, one long deep breath.
Just as he was about to dramatically open the changing room door…
Swish.
With an ominous premonition, he looked down to see his pants had fallen down. And his heart sank as well.
‘F*ck.’
He quickly pulled his pants up. This cursed game was clearly playing tricks on him again. Fortunately, since it happened before he opened the door, he had avoided the worst-case scenario. He had thought the waist was suspiciously loose when he was putting them on…
‘I have a bad feeling about this.’
As Wonyoung, who had already come to understand the principles of this game through consecutive hardships, was thinking this, someone suddenly knocked on the door from outside. Startled, Wonyoung looked up as the assistant manager opened the door and peeked in.
“Rae-ssi, what are you doing in there? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, yes! The uniform is too big… Do you happen to have a smaller size?”
The assistant manager frowned slightly as if annoyed, then quickly looked Wonyoung up and down and said dismissively:
“Come on, Rae-ssi can solve anything with that cute face. Hurry up and come out. We need to set the tablecloths.”
“But… wait… this is embarrassing…”
The assistant manager dragged Wonyoung out forcibly. Wonyoung protested that he might end up working with his pants down, but his objections once again merely became cute whining.
With no choice, he bit his lip and tightened the belt as much as he possibly could. Even with the belt, the pants hung precariously somewhere between his hips and waist due to the loose fit. Wonyoung vowed that when he got back, he would either gain weight or build muscle to destroy this ant-like waist.
As he came out to the banquet hall, Wonyoung’s face scrunched up when he made eye contact with a figure standing on one side talking to someone.
It was that guy from earlier. The handsome rich man. Kyung Taerim.
Taerim was showing off his excessively well-defined jawline while exchanging words with a man who appeared to be the manager. Honestly, Wonyoung wasn’t pleased, but given that they had gotten off on the same floor, a reunion between the two was already inevitable.
Perhaps the event itself was related to Kyung Taerim’s chaebol group.
‘It doesn’t matter to me. I just need to do my job quietly. Don’t get involved.’
Fortunately, there was little chance for a mere employee and a company director to interact. Forty minutes, no, now 35 minutes after changing clothes. If he just worked obediently for 35 minutes, the risk of an incident would be low.
But at that very moment, he made direct eye contact with Taerim.
“…”
Upon spotting Wonyoung, Taerim narrowed his eyes, then smirked. The people around Taerim looked surprised at his sudden smile, but Wonyoung looked away as if to say “What are you going to do about it?” There was no need to be flustered since he would have been discovered sooner or later while working here anyway.
That’s what Wonyoung thought, but the problem was the newly appeared mission.
[※Mission Alert※]
Goal: Get Taerim’s personal contact information.
Reward: Clock out and return home
Wonyoung frowned at the reward. Clock out and return home? Were they saying he couldn’t go home unless he succeeded in the mission?
‘What the… This is grounds for reporting to the labor board!’
Wonyoung swore in his soul that when the beta test of this trashy game ended, he would definitely give it a zero-star rating.
But to give it zero stars, he first had to complete the mission. He needed to find out the contact information of that obnoxious rich man. He had received a business card earlier, but the contact information on it seemed to be for the secretary’s office or company main line. The goal was “personal contact,” so it probably meant getting his cell phone number.
‘I don’t know how I’m supposed to find that out… but I should probably look for a way after the forced correction ends.’
Without the end of the forced correction, which was similar to a sort of infantile regression, normal conversation would be impossible. Working would make the 35 minutes pass quickly enough. Wonyoung wasn’t too worried.
After that, Wonyoung was completely absorbed in laying tablecloths, arranging tableware, and moving flower decorations. During this time, he almost had a couple of pants-falling crises.
But what really bothered Wonyoung was something else.
“Ex… excuse me.”
“Yes?”
While Wonyoung was struggling to adjust the distance between tables, an employee approached him and quietly spoke.
“Um… by any chance, do you know Director Kyung Taerim?”
“What?”
“He’s been staring this way since earlier… I mean, specifically at you. Intensely.”
“…”
As Wonyoung was trying his best not to look in the direction where Taerim was standing, another employee quietly approached and added:
“I mean, it’s still a long time before the event starts, so why isn’t he leaving and why is he watching like that? It’s making me so nervous. Did you do something wrong to the Director?”
“Hmm…”
Instead of opening his mouth carelessly, Wonyoung only managed an awkward smile.
‘What is that guy trying to pick a fight about now?’
Wonyoung had also noticed Taerim’s gaze long ago. How could he not when the man was glaring at him like he wanted to kill him?
Between the constantly falling pants and the persistent character to pursue, Wonyoung felt like just running away from there if he could.
But the assistant manager, alone in not noticing this ominous atmosphere, came with two cups of coffee and said to Wonyoung:
“Rae-ssi, take these to Director Kyung over there. Also give one to the secretary beside him. Geez, I understand he’s sensitive because today is the foundation anniversary, but to think he’d personally pay attention to every detail like this. It’s making me so nervous.”
“Um… Assistant Manager?”
“What? Hurry and take them over. I’m busy with the protocol for the Chairman who’s coming later. The Chairman outranks the Director, after all. Still, make sure to ask if Director Kyung needs anything else. Got it?”
What is with this guy’s complete lack of awareness?
Wonyoung tried his best to convey his predicament through nonverbal signals, but Narae’s wide, innocent eyes—unknown to Wonyoung—were of little use in the face of a heavy workload. When Wonyoung desperately tried to ask the other employees for help, they too seemed to be avoiding Taerim’s fierce gaze, scattering in all directions.
