Seo Minra just wanted a job.

Not a perfect job.

Not a dream job.

Just a stable, normal, stress-free job.

So when she got an interview at Hwa Corporate, one of the top firms in the industry, she was thrilled.

Until she sat down in the waiting room.

And saw him.

Messy-haired, sharp-eyed, way too relaxed for someone who was about to be interviewed at one of the toughest companies in the country.

And worse?

He caught her staring.

And smirked.

"Nervous?" he asked.

Minra blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"You look nervous." He tilted his head. "First corporate job?"

Minra frowned.

"I’m prepared."

"Good." He leaned back. "You’ll need to be. This place is brutal."

Minra glanced at him warily.

"And you know this because…?"

"Reyne." He grinned. "Nice to meet you, fellow interviewee."

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“…”

.

Minra barely had time to process that information before—

"Ms. Seo, Mr. Reyne? Follow me."

No way—

They were interviewing together?

The second they stepped into the conference room, she knew this was serious.

Because sitting at the long table were—

Hwa HyunSeong, the unreadable CEO.

Yoon Jiho, the charming but sharp-eyed department head.

Kang Su-Jin, the terrifyingly strict manager.

Eun Seo-Yeon, the effortlessly confident rising employee.

Song Eunhe, the sales department supervisor, already looking exhausted.

And Reyne?

Instead of sitting quietly, waiting for questions like a normal person—

He leaned back in his chair, smirked, and said—

"So, should we introduce ourselves first, or are we jumping straight into judging me?"

Minra wanted to die.

Shuun?

Expressionless.

Su-Jin?

Visibly annoyed.

Jiho?

Trying not to laugh.

Seo-Yeon?

Amused.

Eunhe?

Rubbing her temples like she already regretted her life choices.

Minra?

Immediately feeling ashamed.

.

Somehow, they both got hired.

Reyne—because he was actually talented at sales, despite his attitude.

Minra—because she had impressed them with her designs and quick thinking.

Everything should have been fine.

But then—

Minra found out Reyne was placed in the Sales Department under Miss Song.

And the first thing Eunhe did when he walked in?

Threw a stress ball at his head.

"I swear," Eunhe sighed, "If you embarrass me in front of management one more time, I will make sure you regret it."

Reyne just grinned.

"Aw, come on, Noona. Admit it, you’d realize you’ll miss me when I’m not here."

Eunhe threw another stress ball.

Minra?

Minra immediately regretted taking this job.

.

Within the first hour of her first day,

Reyne had already called her ‘Partner’ again, like they were teammates.

Mr. Yoon (Jiho) was being way too charming, making Minra feel like she was missing something.

Mr. Kang (Su-Jin) had already assigned her an impossible deadline.

Miss Eun (Seo-Yeon) was effortlessly perfect and vaguely terrifying.

Miss Kang (Suan) had shown up unexpectedly, completely ignoring the office power structure.

Mr. Hwa (HyunSeong) kept watching her.

Not in an obvious way.

Not in a way anyone else would notice.

But every time she spoke in a meeting.

Every time she responded to a challenge.

Every time she wasn’t sure if she was doing well or not.

She felt it.

Like he had already decided something about her.

And Minra?

Minra wasn’t sure if she liked that.

.

It didn’t take long for Minra to understand the unspoken rules of the company.

Mr. Hwa (Shuun) was untouchable.

Cold. Stoic. No one got close to him—except maybe Miss Kang.

His standards were brutal. Impressing him? Nearly impossible.

Mr. Yoon (Jiho) was deceptively easygoing.

Smiling. Friendly. But too sharp for his own good.

Everyone liked him, but nobody underestimated him.

Mr. Kang (Su-Jin) was terrifying.

Everything needed to be perfect.

If you missed a deadline, you were dead.

Miss Eun (Seo-Yeon) was both admired and feared.

Confident. Effortlessly perfect.

Always two steps ahead.

Miss Kang (Suan) was a mystery.

Didn’t technically work here but somehow controlled everything.

Even Mr. Hwa listened to her.

Miss Song (Eunhe) was the most stressed person in the company.

The only thing standing between Reyne and unemployment.

No one knew why she tolerated him.

Reyne was a menace.

Flirted too much.

Worked just enough not to get fired.

Somehow still good at his job, which made him even more annoying.

And Minra?

Minra was stuck in the middle of it all.

She wasn’t sure if she’d survive.

But somehow—she was starting to think she didn’t want to leave either.

.

Chapter 02: “Workplace Menace Energy”