EP.31
“Manager, do you think this time it will go well?”
As lunch hour was drawing to a close, the A-team members gathered in a corner of the office.
“I think it will go well…? What do you think, Department Head?”
“Well, I’m not sure. But it does seem a bit strange.”
“Right? This time feels a little unusual, doesn’t it?”
It looked as if they were plotting something. Their expressions were a mix of anticipation and concern.
Project A.
This was a secret project that the A-team members were conducting quietly, known to everyone except Lee Sooah.
Having worked under Lee Sooah for a long time, they realized what she was missing.
It was a man.
“Our Sooah is truly perfect, right? Body, face, fame, S-Rank, wealth—she lacks nothing at all… except for one thing: no man. Oh dear.”
“Exactly. It’s such a pity she doesn’t have a guy with all that.”
“That’s what I’m saying. It’s too much of a waste.”
“How is she supposed to meet someone when she’s working like that? Even if a guy approaches her, she probably pushes him away!”
“Could it be that her irritability is due to not having a man?”
They lamented how, given Sooah’s qualities, no man seemed to stick around, and they also had a glimmer of hope that if she did find a man, her grumpiness might ease up a bit.
“How about we set up a man for Hunter Lee Sooah?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“No. If she doesn’t have much thought about it herself, then the people around her need to cheer her on a bit.”
“Really? Would that actually work?”
*Sigh. It’s true that sometimes people feel differently when there’s a supportive atmosphere around them.*
“Yeah, I suppose…?”
They all gradually began to converge on the idea collectively.
“Think about it. If Hunter Lee Sooah happens to get a man, she might become a little softer than now. It could be that her hysterics and irritability are all due to being single.”
“Isn’t it because she’s an S-Rank Hunter? Other S-Rank Hunters are all like that, right?”
“*Eh.* You never know. Even if she’s an S-Rank Hunter, things could change if she gets a man. There are people who didn’t like kids before giving birth but ended up loving them afterward.”
“Is that so…?”
“If we really push her, there’s a good chance Hunter Lee Sooah might develop an interest.”
They had been secretly preparing a strange project for Hunter Lee Sooah.
Of course, they had already faced several failures.
“*Sigh.* This new employee also failed. He quit after just five days.”
“This new employee seems a bit mismatched. He’s too old.”
“Looks like this one already has a girlfriend.”
“*Ugh.* How could we send a married man as a new recruit?”
“Apparently, he has two kids…”
They had encountered quite a few failures. Then, Baek Jihoon came into the picture.
“Isn’t this new guy a bit decent?”
“Yeah, you think so too? He looks quite fine, and might match well with Hunter Lee Sooah.”
“But have you seen the blacklist? There are some weird details.”
“Well, according to Manager Park Hyungseok from HR, he stated that it was all baseless. He said it was from a close acquaintance, and it’s definitely not true.”
“Oh, really? But why is it written there…? I even heard that Hunter Chae Suhyeon was the one circulating it.”
“Did they date and then break up? Was this done out of vengeance?”
“But on the show, they said Hunter Chae Suhyeon has never dated anyone.”
“Come on. Who really believes everything they see on TV? That’s so naive.”
There was a strange excitement emerging among them.
Given what they had seen of Lee Sooah, they thought Baek Jihoon might actually be a good match.
“Let’s keep the good vibes going.”
“Yeah, let’s do our best.”
“Even if those two really end up dating, remember? Act like we don’t know.”
“Of course!!”
On the first day that Baek Jihoon joined, Project A was reactivated after a long time.
And three days had passed since then.
“But you know, doesn’t it seem like it’s going well without our push?”
“Right? Isn’t it strange? I thought so too. We didn’t really do anything, yet it seems to be happening on its own…”
“Isn’t it? It’s a bit odd. I think Sooah seems to be showing interest in Baek Jihoon Hunter. It’s strange. Usually, she doesn’t even come around our department much.”
They were sipping coffee and enjoying the remaining lunch time, which now had only ten minutes left.
“It seems like the atmosphere was different from the very first company dinner. I felt like Hunter Lee Sooah’s expression changed since that day.”
“That’s right. I think so too. She seems to be less irritated and angry than usual. She seems to be letting things slide more easily.”
“*Hmm.* I don’t think so. She was still really harsh on us.”
The department head, who had been scolded earlier that morning, adjusted his tie and spoke.
“Come on. Think about it. The atmosphere has definitely changed.”
“Right, right.”
They all felt convinced that Lee Sooah had changed.
Although it wasn’t completely stable yet, it was evident.
“Maybe~ even before we could orchestrate anything, they might already be dating~”
“Ugh. That’s ridiculous. No way. Hunter Lee Sooah? That can’t be true~”
“Honestly, if that were the case, I would genuinely be shocked! Lee Sooah Hunter getting a man so fast?”
Everyone shook their heads in denial.
“But by the way, where’s our main character, Baek Jihoon Hunter?”
“He said he had something important to think about, so he’s having lunch separately. Originally, we were planning to have lunch with Lee Sooah Hunter, you know? We were supposed to sit them close together… sigh, we almost had Lee Sooah Hunter completely charmed.”
“Anyway, didn’t Lee Sooah Hunter leave in a hurry too? She bolted as soon as lunch ended.”
“That’s right. She came by Baek Jihoon Hunter’s desk looking for him and then left right away.”
“Huh?”
All eyes turned towards each other.
“She came by Baek Jihoon Hunter’s desk?”
“Yeah. She said she needed to ask him something about the report, and then she went out…”
The hunter sitting next to Baek Jihoon shrugged it off unceremoniously as he sipped his drink.
“Could it be…?”
Everyone started looking back and forth at each other.
“It’s clear. They must really be dating. We started this as a project, but they’re actually in a relationship now.”
“Right? Isn’t that right? They are meeting each other separately, right?”
“Is everyone else around?”
They began to look around the office.
“Yes, it’s true. Only Baek Jihoon Hunter and Lee Sooah Hunter haven’t returned yet.”
After taking a quick lap around the vast office, they returned.
“Now there are just five minutes left. Obviously, everyone should be back by now, unless they want to lose their heads.”
“What? Are they really out together? What’s going on? Were they secretly dating this whole time? Did we even need to push them?”
Everyone burst into laughter, sharing all sorts of conversations.
Ding!
While the A-team members were discussing Baek Jihoon and Lee Sooah, the sound of the elevator stopping at their floor echoed.
Then, out came Sooah and Jihoon from the elevator.
“Oh my…”
All of them couldn’t help but look at the elevator in shock. Someone was so stunned they spilled their coffee.
*
“Damn it.”
As the elevator doors opened, there was no option but to be utterly flabbergasted.
It just so happened that all the team members were gathered in the conference room right in front of the elevator.
“What’s this? Were they all having some important meeting or something?”
Naturally, the only ones getting off on this floor were Lee Sooah and me.
Since our team occupied this entire floor.
After dropping us off, the elevator doors closed.
“Hey? Why is everyone gathered here? Are you discussing something interesting? There’s still some lunch time left.”
Lee Sooah glanced at her watch and said.
“No, it’s not that… it’s just that…”
Seeing their expressions, I was increasingly certain that misunderstandings were forming.
“Haha… Did everyone have a good meal?”
I casually tried to return to my seat, pretending not to notice.
I even nodded at Lee Sooah Hunter.
Crash!
Everyone quickly dispersed to their respective seats, as if communicating through their messengers.
“Hmm… Baek Jihoon?”
“Yes?”
The manager approached me with a rather curious smile.
“Hey, do you have anything to say?”
“Uh? Um. What do you mean?”
Of course, I knew what he was implying, but I decided to hold on and see.
Ultimate technique.
Feigning ignorance.
“Ha. Seriously. Where did you go with Lee Sooah Hunter? What did you have that was so good? Come on, just tell me in secret. I swear I’ll keep it a secret, really. Promise.”
The word “secret.”
I knew full well it wouldn’t be kept.
Everyone was looking at me, their senses tuned in.
“Aha. I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t have a meal with Lee Sooah Hunter. We just ran into each other on the way up. Hehe.”
“Hmm? Really? That’s hard to believe…”
He tilted his head slightly, returning to his seat.
“Phew. What’s going on right now?”
I felt like I was on a precarious tightrope.
My team members seemed to think I was secretly dating Sooah.
Meanwhile, Sooah seemed to be inexplicably drawing closer to me.
Plus, I had just read about those unknown Incubus-related details.
“An Incubus…”
I opened the status window again, calmly looking it over.
Of course, there was nothing about Incubi in there.
But based on everything I had gathered so far, it was clear that Chae Suhyeon’s traits could manifest in me as well.
“Could it be that with every investment I make, my likeability or excitement level increases…?”
It was a completely absurd and crazy thought.
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