Chapter 185 – 185. A Drink With The Team Leader

It had been about three days since I joined the company, and I was gradually starting to learn the basics of my job.

“These are the companies we have contracts with… and this is…”

My direct supervisor was on leave, so the team leader was directly teaching me the ropes. I wasn’t doing the same work as the other team members, mostly handling organization and support tasks, but I personally thought I was doing a decent job.

‘I feel like I’ve gotten close to the team leader pretty quickly… but it’s hard to get close to the other team members.’

Since we all work together, it wouldn’t hurt to get along, but the other team members seemed to be avoiding me for some reason, so I was forced to maintain a formal relationship with them.

I knew that they probably didn’t like me because I was a parachute hire, so I just accepted it and focused on doing my job. The team leader often showed me attention, so I was actually having an easier time than others.

“The team leader is really looking out for you…”

“Yeah…”

I sometimes heard the other team members whispering, but I didn’t pay much attention. I was starting to get the hang of simple tasks, and just as I was getting used to things, I finally got to do some real work.

“We have a meeting with a client this afternoon, so Juhyun, you’ll come with us.”

“Yes, I understand!”

The team leader was taking me to a meeting with a client, and it was the first time since joining the company that I was able to do something that felt like actual sales work.

I was just going to be watching and learning, but the fact that I was participating as a member of the team felt significant. I was excited for the first time in a while, and I went to the meeting with the team leader in the afternoon.

…………………….

“Meetings with clients can sometimes run long, so I’ll make sure you can leave right away when it’s over.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As Miyoung headed out for the meeting with Juhyun, she watched his enthusiastic demeanor and thought he really seemed like a new recruit.

‘For someone who married into a huge family with connections to the chairman, he’s surprisingly ordinary…’

She wasn’t from a wealthy background, so she didn’t know much, but she knew that marriages in such families were usually seen as a kind of business deal, so it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to get in. But looking at Juhyun, she could see that wasn’t always the case.

She had no idea that he was from the family that actually owned the Choi Han Group, but she did know that he was from a fairly wealthy family.

‘I’d like to learn more about Yeonhee, if possible…’

Over the past few days, she had been directly teaching him and had gotten closer to him. She had been piecing together bits of Juhyun’s personal life, but she still didn’t want to give up on getting closer to Yeonhee.

“Today, you can just watch and see how it’s done.”

“Okay… but where are we going today?”

“Oh! I forgot to tell you… today, we’re going to sign a contract with another company for the fabric for our company’s fashion brand.”

“Is the Choi Han Group a big player in the fashion industry?”

“Well… you could say that, but it’s hard to surpass Lily, so it’s difficult.”

Lily was a world-renowned fashion brand, so the Choi Han Group’s own brands were unfortunately unable to reach the top.

Currently, they were changing their strategy to focus on selling the materials, such as fabric, to other companies, rather than their own branded products. They were planning to dominate the fashion industry that way, but unfortunately, their competitor, Lily, wasn’t buying any materials from the Choi Han Group, which was slowing things down.

‘The domestic fashion industry is in a state where you can’t do anything without being connected to Lily, so it’s a bit of a shame.’

If they weren’t competitors, it wouldn’t be a problem, but since they were rivals, there was a lot of competition between them, and they were reluctant to do business with each other.

“Anyway, today we’re not dealing with Lily, just a small to medium-sized brand, so you don’t have to think too deeply about it.”

“Okay!”

The company they were signing a contract with today was a small to medium-sized company, but the deal itself was quite large, so she, as the team leader, would be directly involved in the contract.

Juhyun didn’t really need to be there, but she thought it would be much more beneficial to take him out to work and give him a sense of accomplishment, rather than having him do meaningless tasks at the company.

‘I’ll drag out the work a little longer on purpose and have a drink with him in the evening… perfect!’

There was nothing better than alcohol to get closer to someone, so she planned to get to know him better over drinks.

If she got close to him, she could get in with the chairman, and if she was recognized for her abilities, she could even become the president of the company.

If she could get on the chairman’s good side, it wouldn’t be a waste of time or money to get close to Juhyun, so Miyoung took him to the meeting. As she had expected, the work ended around dinner time.

“The work took longer than I thought… since it’s come to this, why don’t we have dinner and a drink together?”

“Yes, that sounds good… I’ll just make a quick call.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead and get us a table.”

Miyoung was thrilled that Juhyun hadn’t refused. She went into the restaurant, looking forward to getting closer to him over drinks.

………………..

“So, I’m going to have dinner with the team leader and then come home.”

– Okay… I understand.

Yeonji sounded a little disappointed that I was going to be late again, but she said she understood, and I ended the call.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve had a drink.’

I didn’t really like alcohol, and Yeonji could barely drink, so we didn’t drink often. It had probably been the last time I went to a bar with my mother-in-law and Aunt Ajeong.

‘Well, I’ll just drink moderately.’

I didn’t drink often, and I had never drunk to the point of being drunk, so I had no idea what my drinking habits were like. I went into the bar with the team leader without a second thought.

…………………

“Here, try this.”

“Ah! I’ll grill the rest.”

“No, I’m not the kind of unreasonable person who makes their subordinates grill meat and pour drinks.”

We were having dinner and drinks together. Miyoung was grilling the meat herself and making sure Juhyun had enough to eat.

They didn’t have company dinners often, but usually, the subordinates would grill the meat while she relaxed. But today was different.

She was doing her best to increase Juhyun’s favorability towards her.

They were drinking somaek, which was a good way to get drunk quickly. They were eating and drinking at the same time, and they were both starting to get a little tipsy.

“Is there anything difficult about working at the company?”

“No, there’s nothing difficult… but watching you work today, team leader, I realized how amazing you are.”

“Hehehe, thank you.”

Miyoung secretly clenched her fist, seeing that Juhyun’s eyes were slightly unfocused, and smiled, realizing that his favorability towards her had increased.

“I think we’ve eaten enough, and we’re getting a little tipsy, so should we call it a night?”

“Ah… should we?”

Juhyun didn’t seem to be a good drinker. Even though he had only had a few somaek, he seemed quite drunk. She decided to stop here, before he forgot everything that had happened today.

‘Then, should I bring up Yeonhee tomorrow?’

Getting closer to Yeonhee could also help her get promoted, so Miyoung made a plan in her head.

Wobble.

“Uh oh?”

“Are you okay?!”

Miyoung was surprised to see Juhyun stumble as he tried to get up.

She decided that it would be better to have him stay at a nearby motel for the night, rather than sending him home in this state. She took him to a motel.

‘Hoo… this is tiring… more than that, I hope he doesn’t forget everything that happened today?’

She had done her best to show her abilities and kindness, and she had significantly increased his favorability towards her. If he forgot everything because of the alcohol, it would be a huge loss.

Hoping that wouldn’t happen, she took him into the motel and laid him on the bed.

“Umm… umm…”

Miyoung wiped the sweat from his brow as he lay quietly on the bed, still out of it from the alcohol.

‘Hoo… he’s so big, it’s tiring.’

Juhyun was taller and bigger than most men, so even though Miyoung was tall for a woman (173cm), it was quite difficult for her to move him.

‘Should I just take a quick shower while I’m here…’

Her shirt was sticking to her from the sweat, and she felt a little uncomfortable. She thought about taking a shower, but she decided that it wasn’t a good idea to shower in a motel with Juhyun. She decided to go home right away.

“Umm… who?”

“Juhyun, are you awake? We’re at a motel, so rest here and go home when you’re sober.”

“Mo…tel… umm…”

She spoke to Juhyun, who was looking at her with a dazed expression as he sat up on the bed. Then, an unexpected situation unfolded.

“Motel…”

Thud!

“W-wait, Juhyun… Ump!?”

Juhyun, who had approached Miyoung while she was off guard, put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her.

‘W-what is this!?’

Squeeze.

“Hng!?”

Juhyun’s hand, which had come up as if it were natural, grabbed Miyoung’s chest.

‘W-what’s going on?!’

Miyoung was flustered by the unexpected turn of events. She had her first kiss as Juhyun kissed her forcefully and grabbed her chest.