Marriage Mate: 11

Finally, this day has come. The day to return from vacation. Yu-young reached out without opening his eyes and turned off the loudly ringing phone alarm.

It felt heavier, probably because it was Monday morning. Yu-young stumbled to his feet and walked to the kitchen. He shook the bottle of suppressant placed on the water purifier. Two pills sat in his palm.

It was enough to last for the day. He had to go to the hospital today. Whether he would go out during lunch or just briefly before overtime in the evening… Yu-young swallowed one pill, putting the other one back into its case. After drinking some water, he opened the fridge and took out some milk. He poured cereal onto the table and yawned again.

It was the day the new team leader was coming… Would the deputy manager be able to submit the report properly? He was worried that the blame might fall on him. Though the report was originally supposed to be written by the deputy manager, it had been Yu-young who actually wrote it.

Ah, whatever… Even if the deputy manager was a fool, there’s no way he’d get caught not writing it, right? Yu-young thought this to himself as he finished the bowl of cereal quickly. After a fast shower, he picked a suit to wear.

Seeing the suit neatly hanging in the dry cleaner’s plastic covering made a faint anger rise in him from deep within.

That annoying guy… well, I’m not going to have to see him anymore.

He wouldn’t need to see him again, most likely. He just had to avoid him when exercising in the evening. If necessary, he might consider switching to a different center.

No, come to think of it, why should I change centers just because of him? Yu-young muttered angrily as he mechanically finished getting ready for work.

Was it because it was his first day back? He felt strangely nervous. For some reason, he was just uneasy and had an ominous feeling. It felt like something was off.

Why is this happening? Is it because I haven’t been to work in a while?

Tilting his head, Yu-young adjusted his tie neatly. Just before he put on his shoes, he absentmindedly grabbed his phone and checked the time.

8:30am.

At that moment, Yu-young froze like a statue.

What? Is this crazy? E-eight o’clock? What the hell, is this for real? Yu-young muttered in a trembling voice as he unlocked his phone. His fingers were shaking. When he checked the alarm set for his wake-up time, he saw the ridiculous number “7:50am” and couldn’t help but feel dazed.

This was absolutely insane. It was exactly one hour later than the usual alarm time set for work. When his vacation began, he didn’t want to be disturbed, so he had deleted the alarm. But when he set it again, his finger must have slipped and set it to 7:00 instead of 6:00.

“Crazy… I must be crazy…”

Muttering almost like he was going to cry, Yu-young dashed out of his house like a madman. He stamped his feet as he got in the elevator and rushed down to the underground parking lot to start his car.

Yu-young slammed the accelerator and prayed to all the gods that came to mind as he drove out onto the road.

Please… just don’t let there be traffic, please…

Fortunately, it seemed like one of the gods heard Yu-young’s prayers, as there wasn’t much traffic. Given it was Monday morning and the usual rush hour, this was nothing short of miraculous. Although there were cars, the traffic lights changed at just the right time, and the cars were flowing smoothly.

Good, it’s fine. Let’s just get there like this…! Hanging on to the steering wheel, Yu-young’s face slowly relaxed.

On the dashboard, the time showed 8:43. At this rate, if he kept driving, he could punch in his employee card and still make it to the office just on time, around 9:00.

Of course, considering it was the day the new team leader arrived and his first day back from vacation, it was incredibly late. Ideally, he should have already arrived, sat down, and started working, with his computer on and the files open.

Still, he was thankful that the traffic wasn’t getting worse, and Yu-young focused on driving as best as he could. When the company building came into view, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief and was almost in tears. Just a little more, just a little more!!

However, that’s when an unexpected disaster struck Yu-young.

Huh? Why is this happening?

The entrance to the company was just ahead after one more signal. Yu-young was waiting in his car when, just as he was about to accelerate, the dashboard lights began flashing ominously.

What’s going on? Why is this happening…?!

Yu-young stared at the dashboard with eyes as wide as a rabbit’s. Water had entered the battery section. Wait, did I leave the light on when I got out? He frantically tried to remember. Thinking back, he had left the interior light on a few times when searching for papers or something else in the car.

Damned forgetfulness… Now, blaming himself was pointless. What was more concerning, though, was that even if the battery was dying, the car shouldn’t have stopped while driving. This was strange. Panicked, Yu-young turned the wheel and parked near the side of the road, close to the company.

Next, the brakes started to feel sluggish and stiff. As soon as the car stopped, the steering wheel stiffened, and the flashing dashboard lights completely went out.

In other words, the car had broken down.

No way… What the hell?! Why now, on a Monday morning! Yu-young was beyond frustrated, feeling like the whole world was conspiring for him to be late. While it was frustrating, at least he hadn’t stopped in the middle of the road, and he was in a safe spot.

In fact, he should be grateful that he had stopped in a safe place and hadn’t gotten into an accident, but by the time it was nearly 9:00, there was no way Yu-young could feel grateful. Judging by the way the car had stopped during driving, it seemed like it wasn’t just the battery. But that wasn’t the real problem at the moment.

God, I thought you answered my prayers… Was this just a trick?

Feeling desperate, Yu-young got out of the car. Thankfully, there were a few cars parked nearby, so he hadn’t parked in a place where it could cause problems for others. He decided he would go into the office, greet everyone, and then deal with the car during lunch. After grabbing his bag, he began running toward the company.

Huff… Huff…

His breath was ragged, almost to the point of choking. The security guard at the entrance, who was standing in front of the building, gave Yu-young a sympathetic and slightly disdainful look.

Yu-young rushed in, swiped his employee card, and threw himself toward the elevator. However, just as he arrived, the elevator doors closed in front of him. He pressed the “open” button several times, but the elevator display stubbornly counted upward.

“Really… Just… so cruel…!” Huffing, Yu-young complained, but it was useless. He turned around and pressed the button for the other elevator. He seriously considered running up the stairs but then remembered that his office was on the 10th floor. He had no choice but to wait.

Here it comes. 3…2…1. Before the doors fully opened, Yu-young squeezed through the small gap with all his might and quickly pressed the “10” button, hitting the close button about seven times.

As the elevator began to ascend, Yu-young took a few heavy breaths. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but laugh at how absurd he looked. The neat appearance he had put together that morning before leaving his house—his hair, tie, and suit—had all become a mess.

“Crazy… What is this mess? I really hope the team leader isn’t in the office…” Yu-young covered his face with his hands, dreaming of an impossible hope. Tok! Tok! With a sharp sound, his phone kept ringing. When he opened the messenger, it was none other than Assistant Manager Kim Ju-yeon looking for him.

[Yu-young, why aren’t you here?]
[Hurry up… the new team leader has arrived, and the atmosphere is crazy T_T]
[Is something wrong???]

At that moment, with a “ding!” sound, the elevator stopped on the 10th floor. Yu-young, with a heavy heart, shoved his phone into his pocket. He then ran towards the sign that read [Management Planning Team 1]. Slightly lowering his body like a thief, Yu-young carefully scanned his surroundings as he approached the office door.

Beyond the glass wall, an unfamiliar figure was visible.

“Ugh. Is that… the new team leader?”

Without thinking about it, Yu-young should have dived into the office right away. But like stepping into a trap, Yu-young couldn’t help but pause for a brief moment.

The figure in the suit was perfect, from the broad shoulders tapering to the slender waist.

The well-fitted suit that hugged the strong body was impressive, and the neatly combed hair added to the man’s tidiness. Even from behind, with a report in hand, there was an overwhelming presence that radiated authority.

But the reason Yu-young stopped wasn’t just because of that. It couldn’t be him. It really couldn’t be him… The back of that unfamiliar man felt strangely familiar.

In Yu-young’s entire life, he had hardly ever encountered anyone attractive enough to catch his eye. But recently, there was one person who had a celebrity-like physique, and that person was… someone Yu-young had met not too long ago.

A creeping sense of unease started to rise within him. Could it be? Could it be him? No way. No way, it doesn’t make sense, crazy, crazy, no…

“Yu-young!”

At that moment, Assistant Manager Kim Ju-yeon, standing in front of the glass door, called out Yu-young, mouthing the words, and gestured for him to come over. But at the same time, all eyes inside the office turned towards him.

Yu-young, late and in a disheveled state, stood at the office door. His eyes met the man, the new team leader, who was standing confidently in the middle of the room.

As soon as their eyes locked, Yu-young dropped the bag he was holding.

The man’s expression, or rather the new team leader’s, froze immediately when he noticed Yu-young. He looked surprised for a moment, with his eyebrows furrowed, but soon, the surprise faded, replaced by a quick surge of anger.

The team leader slowly turned around, walking towards Yu-young with heavy footsteps. His eyes looked down at Yu-young arrogantly, just like those cold eyes he had met during his vacation, those same eyes that overwhelmed him.

Right now, what… what is happening?

Frozen in place, Yu-young’s mouth hung open in disbelief as Team Leader Choi Do-won approached him, the coldness in his gaze intensifying. He closed the distance between them and casually grabbed Yu-young’s ID badge hanging from his neck.

Do-won briefly glanced at the ID before letting it drop carelessly. The badge swung back and forth like a pendulum before coming to a halt.

With a cold expression, Do-won looked down at Yu-young and quietly said:

“What time is it? Assistant Manager Han Yu-young.”