Chapter Ten

I sighed as I turned back to Soyoung.
"That was a good one, Mingyu," Soyoung said as she composed herself. "That, she couldn't deny. She only entered this company because she's interested in our boss."
She chuckled as I grabbed my utensils. I replied, "She may have stopped bothering me during working hours. But she will compensate for it during lunch." I looked directly at Soyoung and asked, "Doesn't she have any other hobbies? Other than to bother me and make me feel like I'm a worthless piece of trash?"
Soyoung shrugged and said, "So far, degrading other people is the only hobby that I know she's good at." She took a bite from her chicken and added, "At least, we know she's good at something other than being an absolute pain."
We shared a brief laugh together before we dug into our food.
I had no idea if Minju would ever plan to stop her antics. But I still hoped that one day, she would stop being so unreasonable. She was already a grown woman. And if she was born into a prestigious family, you would expect high-class manners from her. However, she would always act below her status. And that itself was frustrating.
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Lunch break ended thirty minutes ago. But the way our floor has been acting didn't looked like it. Instead of working, everyone was laughing and chattered with one another. Minju and her friend group laughed as if there was no tomorrow. The men were too happy with their chatter and were throwing paper balls at one another. Others just chatted amongst themselves. A few were even sleeping on their desks.
As much as I wanted to scold them, I knew all too well that they wouldn't listen to me. In fact, ever since I started working here, they never took me seriously. They only kept their distance because of Mr. Kim's reminder. But as far as they were concerned, I would always be a joke to them. I would always be that one officemate who never belonged in the bunch.
And it was all because I wasn't from the same background as they were.
Moment later, the glass doors opened and Mr. Kim stepped in. But instead of walking in, he stepped aside. And in came another man. He held his black coat over his shoulder. His white polo was complemented by a loose black tie. His hair was gelled up and his forehead was a bit exposed. He carried a serious yet exhausted expression on his face.
Before I could contemplate on who he was, everybody quickly stood up and bowed.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Nam."
"It's good to have you back, Mr. Nam."
"Welcome back, Mr. Nam."
Everybody gave their different greetings at the same time. The ladies, however, had a hint of flirtation in their manner of greeting. Especially, Minju. Hers was louder than everybody else's.
As I watched him approach his office, I froze. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to greet him. At the same time, I was also taken aback at how young and handsome our boss was. I thought Mr. Nam was already a married man. But right in front of me was a bachelor that was still in his prime.
From the corner of my eye, Mr. Kim raised his brow at me. Quickly, I stood from my chair and bowed. "Good afternoon, Mr. Nam. I hope you had a smooth flight back," I greeted with my hands behind my upper thigh. I clutched onto it as my heartbeat raced.
The closer his footsteps got, the more I panicked. And when he arrived before his office, I expected him to enter right away. But instead, his shadow on the floor indicated that he stopped right in front of me.
I panicked even more so I decided to remain in my position. My heart pounded louder that it made me dizzy and out of breath.
The thick, silent atmosphere on the whole floor was cut when Mr. Nam spoke, "Hello and welcome to you, Miss Ryuk. I hope that you're having a wonderful time, working with us."
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I remained in my position. With a slightly shaky voice, I replied slowly, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Nam. Thank you for the opportunity that you've given me. Everything is going smoothly. Thank you for your concern."
His office door was opened and as he entered, he told the rest, "Good afternoon and work well, everybody."
"Yes, Mr. Nam," we all greeted as his office door came to a close.
Slowly, I stood upright and let out a deep breath. My heartbeat gradually returned to its normal state. And I was able to calm down after what it seemed to be an eternity.
However, as much as I wanted to finally relax, a heavy kind of atmosphere pressed down on me. With caution, I turned to the whole floor and I would be lying if I said that everything was fine.
To my horror, every girl except Soyoung, glared at me with much fury. And when it came to Minju, her stare could kill anyone in an instant. With Soyoung's advice in mind, I was scared for my life. I glanced over to Soyoung and she simply shrugged before she returned to her computer.
I didn't know that being greeted and welcomed by the boss would earn me such a scenario. I didn't see anything wrong with it. Our boss simply wished me - a new employee - some luck with my career here. Nothing more than that. Was it that vital for my lady co-workers to be greeted by him as well?
I didn't want anymore unwanted attention. So, I immediately sat back down and resumed my own work. As long as I wasn't doing anything wrong, I should have nothing to worry about.
I was about to turn my phome status to "On" when the main office door opened. I looked up and Mr. Kim stepped out. He smiled at me and said, "Miss Ryuk, Mr. Nam wants to talk to you." He stepped aside and gestured for me to enter.
I quickly disconnected my headphones from my laptop and headed towards Mr. Kim. When I reached him, I stopped right at the door. Mr. Nam was in the middle of reading paperwork when I froze.
Mr. Kim gave me a slight push forward. I slowly walked into the room. "Mr. Nam, Miss Ryuk is here," Mr. Kim said.
"Thank you, Hyeongu. Kindly give us a moment," Mr. Nam said as he continued reading.