Marriage Mate: 1

Like the 3,000 won always kept in the heart for wintertime octopus balls and fish-shaped buns, the word that every office worker keeps in their heart—resignation.

So why is it that people can’t just cast off all the restraints and shackles of this world and set off in search of happiness? When asked this, the answer almost always boiled down to one thing.

Money. It’s money, obviously. Most people, despite their supervisors berating them like mad from above and villainous juniors driving them crazy from below, can’t quit because of financial reasons.

But Han Yu-Young, Assistant Manager of SC Company’s Business Strategy Team 1, was in a slightly different situation.

Ah… I want to quit.

On a Wednesday morning, often called the “hump day crisis” for office workers, Han Yu-Young parked his car in a corner spot of the company’s underground parking lot and let out a deep sigh, gripping the steering wheel like he wanted to rip it off.

Back in his university days, Yu-Young used to rotate between a couple of flashy foreign cars. But the reason he picked such an utterly ordinary car the moment he got hired was simple—to blend in as much as possible as an office worker. After moving out and getting a new place, Yu-Young used what little money he had left to buy a modest car, and since joining the company, he had driven only that to and from work.

His father, watching all this, clicked his tongue in clear disapproval.

“You’re really doing everything you can to avoid marriage, huh? Why are you leaving your perfectly fine cars to rot and driving around in that toy car?”

“Father, a toy car? It’s adorable and compact, perfect for parking.”

“Tsk, let’s see how long you last.”

Yu-Young’s father, Han Sang-Chul, the president of SC Company, absolutely doted on his youngest son, the only Omega among his children. But he was also somewhat old-fashioned and had a fiery temper. A man with a traditionalist mindset, he was an Alpha who firmly believed that an Omega should, as a matter of course, form a bond with a good Alpha at the appropriate age.

That was exactly why Yu-Young had been hounded by his family since the moment he graduated from university.

I mean, how does “the appropriate age” immediately translate to right after graduation?!

In frustration, Yu-Young had once snapped at his father, asking him just what era he thought he was living in, but the only response he got was, “If you have time to ask that, go to another matchmaking meeting.”

But Yu-Young had absolutely no intention of getting married right after university and being tucked away like a well-behaved doll in some household.

He had been born into a wealthy family, received abundant love and support, and grew up without lacking anything. Now it was his turn to utilize all that he had gained to the best of his ability. So why should he, just because he was an Omega, be expected to quietly settle into a spouse’s household and do nothing but housework?

If anything, he resented the way society, especially among affluent families like his, rigidly upheld these traditional views on secondary genders. That’s why he chose to resist.

Yu-Young, who had been pampered and adored since childhood, was not the type to quietly accept and comply with something he found unreasonable.

But the real problem lay in exactly that—his utterly unyielding nature.

“I can do this. I’m better suited for work life than married life.”

With that bold declaration, he got a job at a fairly large company as soon as he moved out. But his first experience as an office worker didn’t even last three months before it came to a spectacular end. His natural disposition—strong-willed, intolerant of unfairness, and outspoken—was to blame.

His first supervisor was an incredibly arrogant man. He frequently ordered Yu-Young to fetch his coffee and, under the guise of “teaching” him, discreetly dumped his own workload onto him. For Yu-Young, who had never been treated like that in his life, it was a shock. But somehow, he endured it.

But his patience had its limits.

After Yu-Young spent weeks barely sleeping to prepare a report, his supervisor stole it, erased his name, and submitted it as his own.

Upon discovering this, Yu-Young posted a notice in the middle of the office titled “I am reporting Assistant Manager Kim XXX for misconduct.” Then, right there in the office, he pointed fingers and had a full-blown shouting match with his supervisor.

The rumors spread instantly, as if they had a thousand legs. Within two days, the entire company cafeteria was buzzing with gossip about “the new hire from Business Strategy who grabbed Assistant Manager Kim by the hair and slapped him.”

In the end, Yu-Young had no choice but to resign.

And that wasn’t the end of it. The same thing happened at his second company. And his third.

People kept throwing the same kinds of trials his way, one after another. After bouncing between jobs a few times, his father finally issued an ultimatum.

“Just get married already, Han Yu-Young!”

“Father!”

“Enough! I don’t want to hear another word! Seeing you quit every job within months makes one thing clear—you’re not cut out for corporate life! Just get married, settle down, and be loved by your Alpha.”

From then on, his father hounded him to go on blind dates. And the chaos that ensued was… well, “a war” would be putting it lightly.

He went along with a few matchmaking meetings, but that was his limit.

He had dodged one date by running away, staged hunger strikes, and even temporarily moved out. After several tearful battles, he finally struck a deal with his father.

“Fine. In that case, I’ll join your company.”

“…What? What did you just say?”

“If you don’t trust me, then keep me close and watch for yourself. See if I can actually handle working or not.”

At first, Yu-Young had avoided SC Company like the plague because he hated the idea of being under his father’s watchful eye. But continuing his career any other way seemed impossible.

Better to be caged in his father’s company than trapped in a marriage, with no freedom whatsoever.

Hearing his son’s determined proposal, his father looked at him in utter shock. But he quickly regained his composure and coldly laid down the final condition.

“This is your last chance. If I hear so much as a whisper of trouble from you here, you’ll quit work for good and obediently go get married. Understood?”

“Yes, yes. But Father, don’t acknowledge me at work. It’ll just make things uncomfortable for both of us.”

After lengthy negotiations, the terms were set:

Yu-Young would work at SC Company for three years without causing any trouble. In return, his status as the president’s son would remain a secret. If he completed the full three years without incident, his father would stop bringing up marriage and leave his life choices up to him.

It seemed like a deal in Yu-Young’s favor, but his father was almost certain.

There was no way his hot-tempered, spoiled, and headstrong youngest son could endure the corporate grind for three whole years.

Thus, Yu-Young’s hard-won office life began. Every morning, he should have felt grateful rather than grumbling.

But why was he already dreaming of quitting first thing in the morning?

“Assistant Manager Han!”

The reason was simple—Deputy Manager Kim, the villain of this workplace.

However, hiding his thoughts and forcing an insincere smile was also part of surviving in corporate life. The rapid clatter of keyboard typing filled the air as Yu-Young quickly responded to Team Leader Kim’s call.

“Yes, Deputy Managerr.”

“The meeting preparations are done, right?”

“Yes, I finished them a little while ago.”

Today, the youngest employee on their team, Lee Yoon-Seok, was on leave. That meant all of his miscellaneous tasks would inevitably be passed down to Yu-Young. Anticipating this, he had arrived 30 minutes earlier to prepare all the meeting materials in advance.

If I don’t stay sharp, I’ll be stuck working overtime.

Determined, Yu-Young refocused on his monitor. Deputy Manager Kim, who already treated him like a personal assistant on normal days, had been dumping even more of his own work onto him lately. Meanwhile, the man himself sat comfortably in his chair, busy checking stock prices and baseball scores instead of doing his actual job.

I need to hurry up and finish his tasks so I can get back to mine.

A new team leader was scheduled to arrive in a week. Yu-Young needed to complete his current assignments before then.

Just as he gritted his teeth and reached for his mouse, that irritating voice rang out again, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a baseball game playing on a screen.

“Assistant Manager Han, did you finish revising that report I gave you earlier?”

“Yes, I’m working on it now.”

You bastard, I haven’t even had time to open the file because of all the other work you dumped on me.

Despite his inner complaints, Yu-Young forced himself to remain calm. It was just another sluggish Wednesday morning, the kind every office worker endured—

“Assistant Manager Han.”

“Yes?”

“Could you make me a cup of coffee? I’m too sleepy to work.”

…Was this what people called murderous intent?

The empty paper cup in Yu-Young’s hand crumpled with a sharp crunch.

“Uh… Assistant Manager Han?”

“AHH—!”

He couldn’t help but yell in shock.

When had this bastard gotten so close?! Deputy Manager Kim had somehow appeared right beside him without a single sound.

Suppressing his irritation, Yu-Young discreetly tried to smooth out the crushed cup.

Pointing at the crumpled cup, Team Leader Kim smirked.

“Hmm? Assistant Manager Han, are you expressing your anger toward me?”

“…Ahem. Of course not.”

“What? Your reaction is suspicious.”

Even as he smiled, Yu-Young’s eyes burned with silent curses. He forced himself to stand up, his voice coated with forced politeness.

“I’ll make it right away. Black coffee, no sugar, correct?”

“Nah. I want a mix coffee with two spoons of sugar.”

What the hell?

Just last week, the man had insisted he had diabetes and told Yu-Young never to put sugar in his coffee. Now he wanted it extra sweet?

Biting back his frustration, Yu-Young kept his smile in place.

“Understood. A mix coffee with two spoons of sugar.”

“Yep! Sweet and sugary. Let’s see if Assistant Manager Han’s coffee-making skills have improved.”

Deputy Manager Kim let out an obnoxious laugh, his voice echoing through the office. Every time he laughed like that, Yu-Young wished he could press a mute button on his hearing.

Suppressing a sigh, he turned to head toward the break room.

That was when Deputy Manager Kim added one last remark—one that made Yu-Young freeze in place.

“You know, you really should learn to be more proactive. You shouldn’t have to be asked to bring coffee. A real Omega should be soft and considerate. That’s how you land a good Alpha and get married, don’t you think?”

Yu-Young stiffened.

Deputy Manager Kim continued with an exaggeratedly casual tone.

“Of course, you’re pretty enough, but you’re almost thirty now, right? You’re already past your prime. If an Omega gets too old, what then? You should hurry up and settle down while you’re still young and fresh. The sooner, the better, so you can start having kids.”

Snap.

Something inside Yu-Young’s mind cracked—loud and clear.

The thin thread of reason holding him together had just snapped.

It had been a long time since he last heard that sound.