Marriage Mate: 13

“Sit down.”

Do-won, who was standing in front of the projector, spoke indifferently, gesturing with his chin toward an empty seat.

Yu-young swallowed dryly as he forced himself to sit in the chair that was still warm with Deputy Manager Kim’s lingering heat.

Is this what they call the warmth of the dead…

It was the first time he’d seen that expression on the deputy manager’s face. The manager had been a good person, but he rarely intervened in team matters, so he had never reprimanded the deputy manager. The previous team leader, on the other hand, had gotten along so well with him that they were practically glued together, which had been insufferable to watch. It was understandable why the deputy manager was in shock after getting such a thorough dressing-down for the first time.

His mouth was dry from tension, and cold sweat was pooling in his hands.

Wiping his damp palms on his suit pants, Yu-young looked up at Do-won.

Seeing Do-won up close again, he felt slightly different from the image he had seen all throughout his vacation. Even in casual wear or sports attire, Do-won had always maintained a certain air of authority and composure. However, now that he was fully dressed in a suit, his presence exuded an aura that was simply incomparable to before.

His hair, which had been casually styled before, was now slicked back without a single strand out of place. Beneath his sharply exposed forehead, his piercing gaze and high-bridged nose stood out even more. His refined yet distinctly masculine features gave off an impression that allowed no familiarity.

Simply put, he looked like the kind of man who wouldn’t shed a single drop of blood even if stabbed.

And now, Yu-young was sitting in front of that very person.

“This report. Did you really write it yourself, Assistant Manager Han?”

“Yes, I did.”

Yu-young answered with difficulty, swallowing hard. Just a few days ago, he had been glaring at this annoying face throughout the entire vacation, but now, he found it strangely difficult to meet his eyes.

Do-won slowly walked toward where Yu-young was seated.

A familiar scent of pheromones suddenly wafted over him—soft musk and sandalwood. While Yu-young’s body unconsciously accepted Do-won’s scent with ease, his mind, still gripped by anxiety, had no room to register it.

Do-won crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly.

“It seems like you’ve been writing reports this way all along, haven’t you?”

Ever since the deputy manager had walked out looking utterly defeated, Yu-young had already braced himself, but this was the sharpest tone he’d heard from Do-won yet. His lips pressed together involuntarily.

“So far, you’ve probably been praised for writing good reports. At first glance, your report looks fine—clear wording, well-presented figures.”

Do-won’s face remained expressionless, making it difficult to tell if he was complimenting or criticizing. Yu-young tensed up, tilting his head slightly. So, what exactly is the problem?

However, the question Do-won threw next made Yu-young frown.

“Then, Assistant Manager Han, what do you think is the purpose of a report?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Yu-young chewed on the inside of his cheek as he carefully thought about his answer. But no matter how much he considered it, there was only one obvious response.

Seriously, what else? You write a report to report something. It’s not like you’re writing a proposal to confess your love…

Though the thought nearly escaped his lips, he barely managed to hold it back.

In the end, he settled for the most basic answer.

“…To report information.”

At Yu-young’s response, Do-won let out a small scoff.

His expression seemed to say, I knew it.

The way Do-won looked at him—like he was some insignificant creature—made Yu-young’s blood boil.

“Sure. You write a report to report information. But do you think I asked because I was curious about its dictionary definition?”

“……”

“It would be nice if you paid more attention to the intent behind my words, Assistant Manager Han.”

There it was—his signature infuriating way of speaking, mocking people with that smug tone.

Yu-young had endured this condescending attitude throughout their vacation, and he was absolutely fed up with it. His fists clenched on their own.

After barely managing to suppress his temper when arguing with the deputy manager, his self-control was now hanging by a thread.

Calm down, just endure it… You’re seriously going to cause trouble right after coming back from vacation?

The tiny bit of reason left in him tried to keep him in check, but it was no use.

If Do-won had just pointed out specific errors and told him what needed fixing, Yu-young would have simply said, Got it.

But instead, he was nitpicking over some abstract nonsense, making it clear that he just wanted to give Yu-young a hard time for no reason.

In the end, unable to hold back his simmering frustration, Yu-young lifted his head and met Do-won’s gaze.

“If that’s the wrong answer, then why don’t you enlighten me, Team Leader? If a report isn’t for reporting, what exactly is it for?”

Yu-young shot back with a challenging look.

For the first time, Do-won fell silent, as if he hadn’t expected that response.

His expression didn’t change much, but to Yu-young, that moment of speechlessness alone was immensely satisfying.

How’s that, you bastard? A report is for reporting. What else could it possibly be? Let’s hear what you have to say now.

After his first year of working, Yu-young had learned a crucial lesson—just because someone was his superior didn’t mean they always knew better.

Most of the time, bosses who tried to intimidate him weren’t actually more competent; they were just trying to assert dominance over a subordinate with a strong personality like his.

That’s why Yu-young felt a surge of quiet satisfaction as he threw the question back at Do-won.

If Do-won couldn’t come up with a solid answer now, he’d only end up making himself look foolish.

You shouldn’t throw out wild challenges unless you can back them up.

What else would a report be for, if not to report something?

But Do-won, completely unfazed, fired back with an even sharper tone.

“I’m starting to wonder whether I’m here as a team leader or a teacher. But since you don’t seem to know, I suppose I’ll have to teach you. Even though it’s a headache, you’re someone I have to manage from now on, after all.”

What did he just say?

A teacher? A headache?

His blatantly condescending tone sent another wave of irritation surging through Yu-young. He was about to retort when Do-won continued in a calm, steady voice that left him speechless.

“A report isn’t just for conveying information. It’s a tool for decision-making. In other words, it’s a means to ensure your intentions are clearly communicated and executed.”

“……”

“Support from superiors, investment, and requests for reinforcements. But the report you wrote, Yu-young…”

Do-won paused briefly before handing the report back to Yu-young with a dry gesture. When Yu-young placed the report on the desk, Do-won tapped the top part with his finger.

“You start with a long-winded paragraph from the very first line. There’s no consideration for the reader at all. If there’s a problem, the first thing you need to do is present the numbers. That’s the easiest and most effective way to prove your strategy and focus. Do I really need to teach you something this basic?”

Yu-young’s face started to flush red. Of course, he had made sure to include a line graph and a pie chart, neatly placed on the first page. But just as Do-won said, they were positioned at the very bottom, underneath a block of text.

“And looking at the conclusion, there are no choices presented. It merely states what happened last year and what’s happening now. A report should—”

His cold tone cut off sharply for emphasis. Staring down at the report with a face growing increasingly pale, Yu-young’s gaze naturally drifted up to Do-won’s face. Looking down at him with not a single trace of warmth, Do-won continued speaking.

“It should compel the reader. Even if your role in this report is simply to summarize progress, you should still be asking me through this report—what happens next?”

“….”

“The best reports present concrete options that urge decision-making. Those options should be directly linked to the problems diagnosed earlier. The depth of your thought process, considering various possibilities, should be expressed as options.”

As Do-won pointed things out one by one, Yu-young found himself unconsciously nodding along. Annoying as his tone was, the content itself was impossible to ignore. Not a single superior had ever explained things to him this way before. That’s why, even though he had been dragged in and unfairly scolded in place of the deputy manager, every word was sinking in.

“Read it over yourself. Who exactly do you think this report could persuade? I didn’t ask for this just to hear a rundown of what happened last year. I could figure that out myself in five minutes.”

Do-won spoke coldly, arms crossed, looking directly down at Yu-young. The way he was discussing work was serious and sharp—completely different from the way he sneered at Yu-young in the past.

“What I want is for you to tell me what you expect from your new team leader. Last year was like this, so this year, we plan to do this. Compared to last year, the situation is now like this, and if we proceed this way, these are the expected changes.”

“…..”

“Our team has been handling these tasks, but we’ve lacked in these areas. So, as our new team leader, we want you to guide us in this way. That’s the kind of information I need. Do you understand?”

Finishing his statement, Do-won fixed Yu-young with a steady gaze.

That sharp stare was pushing him for an answer. It wasn’t the same dismissive attitude from when they had met at the grocery store or the restaurant. Right now, Do-won had completely switched to his role as a superior, teaching Yu-young.

Yu-young had no choice but to acknowledge it—this person was completely different from any superior he had encountered before. Unlike those who relied solely on their title without any real ability, Do-won was an entirely different breed. And instinctively, Yu-young could already tell—his work life was about to become anything but smooth.

“…Understood.”

So, he had no choice but to answer that way. His mouth felt unbearably dry, and his face burned with embarrassment. The fact that he had been scolded by someone he had constantly clashed with made him feel humiliated beyond words. But there was nothing he could do. The only option was to obediently acknowledge it.

Even as Yu-young answered submissively, Do-won continued to look down at him with that same cold gaze before speaking.

“If you understand, revise that report by the end of today.”