27-179

EP.179. Assistant Manager Kim’s Day 

“Ugh... Huu~ Is it morning already?” 

As warm sunlight filled his room, Kim Sung-hoon always living a disciplined life woke up from sleep. 

His officetel, about 20 pyeong (roughly 66 square meters), was quite spacious for a first-time office worker living alone, but coming from a wealthy family, it wasn’t a big deal for him. 

His parents had provided the place, so he lived there without any burden and took it for granted. 

“Guess I’ll head out now~” 

It was still early. Before heading to work, Sung-hoon always went jogging as his morning exercise, so he started running, feeling the chilly morning air. 

“Oh, we meet again.” 

“Ah, yes, good morning.” 

Not long into his jog, a woman greeted him. 

She was someone he’d been running into often lately and seemed genuinely happy to see him. 

Wearing just a tank top and leggings, her outfit was a bit too revealing to be just for exercise it was clear she wanted to attract attention. 

‘Maybe I should change my route soon.’ 

She openly showed interest in him an attractive woman any other man would drool over but Sung-hoon wasn’t interested. 

‘Still, Jinhee is prettier than her.’ 

He knew it was rude to compare, but just thinking of his girlfriend made him smile. 

Born into a good family, raised in comfort, Sung-hoon had grown up lacking nothing and turned out to be a decent person. 

He was good-looking and fit, so naturally many women liked him, and he’d dated quite a few. 

Most of the time, the women approached him first, and if he liked them, he’d date them so he had plenty of experience. 

But with his current girlfriend, Secretary Lee (Jinhee), Sung-hoon had been the one to fall first, and he’d never been so taken with a woman before. 

‘Honestly, if it weren’t for Jinhee, I’d have quit this job long ago.’ 

When he joined the company, it was nearly a major firm and a good first job for someone with his background, but since the company mainly sold women’s underwear, it was a bit uncomfortable for a man to stay long-term. 

Most of his bosses and coworkers were women, and even though he was used to dealing with women, it was still exhausting. He’d only taken the job for experience and his resume. 

‘I fell for Jinhee at first sight.’ 

It was his first job and a female-dominated company, so it was hard to adjust, but the moment he saw Secretary Lee, he was smitten. 

Her aloof aura and model-like figure were exactly what he’d always dreamed of. 

‘Come to think of it, Jinhee always rejected me at first even the first dinner invitation.’ 

He wasn’t shy, so he’d asked her out right away, confident since he’d never failed before. 

But Jinhee coldly refused. 

He kept asking her out for lunch or dinner, but she always turned him down, and she seemed as unattainable as a flower on a cliff. 

‘Still, we ended up dating, so I guess I succeeded?’ 

He’d pursued her from his entry-level days until he became assistant manager, and finally, they started dating. 

‘Even now, it’s hard to get her to go on dates or even have a meal together...’ 

Maybe she was a workaholic, or just very capable and loved her job, but Secretary Lee turned down most of his date invitations, so they’d only gone out a handful of times. 

‘She’s coming back from a business trip today... but she didn’t even contact me.’ 

Sung-hoon, who was used to being loved by women, had never experienced a relationship where he was the one waiting and longing. 

No matter how much he tried, Jinhee kept her distance, and he sometimes doubted their relationship, but his feelings for her were real, and he’d never thought of breaking up. 

Even so, dating Secretary Lee was tough, and he often felt down. 

This time, she’d gone on a business trip without even telling him he only heard about it from a colleague, which left him feeling a bit blue. 

“Huh? Guess she left.” 

Lost in thought as he jogged, Sung-hoon realized the woman who’d been talking to him was gone, and without thinking, he took a different route home. 

He had no idea she was cursing him from a distance for leaving her behind. 

“Time to get ready for work~” 

After his morning run, he showered, ate a quick breakfast, and left for work. 

Even though Secretary Lee hadn’t told him she was back from her trip, just knowing he’d see her face again cheered him up. 

Driving his foreign car a source of envy for others Sung-hoon was well-liked and sociable, so just greeting people in the morning took him nearly 20 minutes. 

“Good morning, Sung-hoon.” 

“Ah, hello, Secretary Kim. Has Jinhee come in yet?” 

On his way to his department, he met Secretary Kim and asked about his girlfriend. 

“Oh! Yes, she said she was going to report to the president as soon as she came in!” 

“Really? Thanks for letting me know.” 

“Good luck with your girlfriend, hehe~” 

“Haha... thanks.” 

Secretary Kim was a bit airheaded and only knew that Sung-hoon and Secretary Lee were dating, not the details. 

‘Well... at least we can have lunch together.’ 

He was a bit hurt that Jinhee hadn’t contacted him, but the thought of having lunch together made him smile again. 

“Alright, let’s get to work!” 

Even his disappointment faded just knowing he’d see her, and he started his day in a good mood. 

“No, you can’t. She’s having lunch with the president.” 

“Oh... I see...” 

He’d spent the morning looking forward to lunch with her, but Secretary Lee coldly turned him down, and he felt dejected again. 

‘Well, she made plans with the president first, so it’s my fault for not asking sooner...’ 

He tried to comfort himself, but couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. 

‘Still, her outfits lately... gulp.’ 

He wasn’t the possessive type and never criticized her clothes, but since before they started dating, Secretary Lee’s outfits had become more revealing, and now she only wore revealing clothes. 

Her shirt was almost completely unbuttoned, showing deep cleavage, and he couldn’t even tell if she wore underwear. 

Her skirt was so short her thighs were almost completely exposed. 

As her boyfriend, he wanted to say something, but was afraid she’d dislike it, so he kept quiet. 

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going.” 

“Ah... okay, then, how about dinner?” 

“...I have other plans for dinner too... then.” 

She spoke to him as if it were just business and walked away, leaving Sung-hoon feeling both disappointed and telling himself that was just her charm. 

He’d been happy to see her after so long, but her cold attitude left him feeling down for the rest of the day. 

“Assistant Manager Kim, are you there?” 

“Oh! Jin... Secretary Lee!” 

Even though they were dating, it felt awkward to act like a couple at work, so he quickly corrected himself. 

“I have something for you.” 

“Really!?” 

‘A present!?’ 

At the mention of a gift, Sung-hoon forgot his earlier disappointment and smiled as he approached her. 

“Here you go.” 

“What’s this?” 

Secretary Lee handed him a USB drive a strange gift. 

“You’ll know when you see it at home.” 

She bowed and left without another word. 

Though confused, Sung-hoon was excited to receive something from her for the first time, and hurried home to check it out. 

“What could it be?” 

He’d dated many women, but never received a gift like this, so he wondered if it was some kind of event. 

He eagerly played the video on his computer, smiling brightly, not knowing what was on it or how it would change his life forever.