Riser
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29-39
🕑 Added 2025-06-21 21:09:12 +0000 UTCEpisode 39: It Just Doesn’t Make Sense, It Doesn’t
With heavy steps, I walked down the hallway and arrived in front of Meeting Room 5. Steeling my nerves, I knocked on the door.
There was no response, so I opened the door and went in. Inside the modern meeting room with a long table, I saw a familiar back.
He hadn’t noticed me come in, busy typing away on his laptop at the table.
The sound of the keyboard only stopped after the door closed, and then the chair spun halfway to face me.
“Oh, Hyunseong.”
“Deputy Son.”
Leaning back in his chair and sipping from a tumbler, Deputy Son Junhyuk greeted me with a relaxed smile.
I raised my hand in a light greeting and sat down with one chair between us.
“Did you do well while I was gone? You look even more tired than before I left-are those dark circles under your eyes?”
His friendly tone hadn’t changed, and I replied with a faint smile.
Son Junhyuk had worked at another travel agency for about a year and a half before transferring to Travel Wiz when I joined. Because of that, even though we joined at the same time, he got promoted faster than me.
To sum him up in one word: insider.
He’s outgoing, a good talker, and his sociability wins people over easily. He’s also quite good-looking.
In short, he’s the complete opposite of me.
“Same as usual. How was Osaka?”
I replied calmly, then threw out a formal question before the atmosphere could get awkward.
As if waiting for my question, Junhyuk’s lips curled up.
He tapped his hands like he was warming up to speak.
“It was great. The vibe on site was good. Especially the hot springs-man, that’s what makes business trips worth it.”
Once he started talking, he didn’t stop.
“And Japan is already getting hot, you know? It feels like the seasons move faster there than here.”
Japan doesn’t really get summer earlier than Korea, but arguing would just make him talk more, so I let it go.
“Next time, you should come too. It’d be half business, half vacation.”
Why is it?
Even though his tone was as friendly as ever, his words echoed strangely in my ears.
It was as if, somewhere along the way, his words had lost their energy.
Like he was letting them slip out, feigning indifference.
Maybe I was just being sensitive because of the strange atmosphere in the office since morning.
“Yeah. That’d be nice.”
I gave a small response and nodded.
No need to make an issue of it.
“By the way, being called in right after your business trip-do you know anything, Assistant Manager Lee?”
“Not really. I only found out because a teammate told me…”
My mind was elsewhere, so I didn’t have the energy to think about it.
If it was just me being called, that’d be one thing, but the fact that Junhyuk was called too meant it was no simple matter.
“Hm. Still, the fact that only the two of us were called suggests it’s something important. What do you think?”
Junhyuk seemed to have reached the same conclusion, glancing at me as he asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“So dry. Still, I have a good feeling about this. I have a knack for these things.”
He should be tired after a business trip, but he showed no sign of it.
I already found him hard to deal with outside of work, so I usually kept my distance.
I just wanted to hear what Kang Jooyoung had to say and find out why the staff’s attitudes had changed.
“But you know…”
Suddenly, Junhyuk lowered his voice.
With a faint, ambiguous smile, he asked,
“That rumor, it’s not true, right?”
I was at a loss for words at the sudden question.
In the tense silence of the meeting room, only the ticking of the clock could be heard.
His eyes and expression were completely different from before.
There was curiosity, but also a sharpness, as if he was trying to confirm something.
“What rumor…”
I barely got the words out before-
“Sorry, I’m late. I had to stop by the director’s office.”
With a bang, the door opened and Kang Jooyoung’s calm voice broke the tension from behind me.
Junhyuk and I stopped talking and straightened up at the same time.
In my head, his question echoed.
Clicking sharply in her high heels, Jooyoung walked past the table and sat gracefully across from us, crossing her legs.
It wasn’t the time, but my eyes naturally drifted to her ample chest above her shirt.
If Junhyuk hadn’t been there, I might have tried to use the app.
Regret aside, I braced myself and waited for her to speak.
“Deputy Son, did your business trip go well?”
Placing her phone and a file on the table, Jooyoung looked at Junhyuk with her hands folded neatly.
“Yes. Talks with the client went well. We’re just in the final stages now.”
“Good, I’m glad I could trust you with it.”
Junhyuk’s voice was confident, but Jooyoung’s expression remained neutral.
Another silence fell, and Junhyuk and I glanced at each other.
The air was heavy with hesitation, as neither of us knew what to say.
In the end, Junhyuk spoke first.
“Um, Team Leader? So, why did you call both of us today…?”
He smiled, but his tone was cautious.
His slightly furrowed brow betrayed his nerves.
Jooyoung took a short breath and opened the file she’d set down.
“Actually, the proposal Assistant Manager Lee wrote last week got a positive response from upper management. So it’s been approved as a project.”
Her answer was completely unexpected.
“R-really?”
I was surprised by my own voice.
I tried to stay calm, but my heart was pounding.
She looked at me as if it was nothing and flipped through the papers.
“I told you before, the content wasn’t bad.”
“But…”
I never thought the proposal I rushed to finish would get such a good evaluation.
“That’s great. Congrats, Assistant Manager Lee!”
“Th-thank you.”
Junhyuk whistled and congratulated me sincerely, making me smile without realizing it.
Amidst all my tangled worries, I finally felt a moment of excitement.
I wondered if I could really lead this project, feeling both fear and anticipation.
But then-
“But, the actual work for the project will be handled by someone else.”
“…What?”
With Jooyoung’s next words, that excitement vanished instantly.
Did I mishear?
“If not me, then who…”
The moment I saw her glance at Junhyuk, the words caught in my throat.
“Deputy Son Junhyuk will be in charge of this project.”
“Me?”
Junhyuk blinked in surprise, looking between me and Jooyoung.
“Deputy Son has been handling buyer relations since joining and has a lot of project experience. I judged he’s the most suitable.”
“But Team Leader, I haven’t finished the Osaka work yet…”
Junhyuk protested carefully, but Jooyoung nodded as if she’d anticipated it.
“That’s almost done, so another team member can take over. Assistant Manager Lee can do it.”
My heart pounded so hard it was hard to breathe.
I was so flustered, I couldn’t get any words out.
“I appreciate the trust, but shouldn’t the person who wrote the proposal handle it…”
“Our travel agency is preparing to expand overseas, as you both know.”
Her firm tone cut Junhyuk off.
“Among those, the Japan team is a key profit center, so upper management is watching this project closely.”
Why did it feel like every word she said was trying to convince me?
As if there was another reason for excluding me.
“So, as team leader, I want to avoid unnecessary risks and keep the project running smoothly.”
For a moment, her sharp gaze landed on me.
Unnecessary risk.
That sharp phrase stuck in my ears, as if she was labeling me as the risk.
“This is already decided. Deputy Son, work with the team to liaise with the Japanese buyers.”
“Yes, understood.”
Junhyuk nodded reluctantly.
At first, he looked flustered, but his expression gradually calmed.
“Do your best now that you’ve got the job. Both upper management and I have high expectations for you.”
Soon, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”
Without further comment, Jooyoung’s gaze turned to me.
“Assistant Manager Lee, don’t take it too hard. Please cooperate with Deputy Son as much as possible to ensure the project goes smoothly.”
“…Understood.”
There was nothing I could do but comply.
This was already a space where only acceptance, not refusal, was allowed.
“From now on, Deputy Son will coordinate the schedule with the team.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”
Junhyuk nodded.
When I looked at him, his eyes were completely different from when we’d entered the meeting room.
“I’ll make things as easy as possible for you. Teamwork is crucial for important projects like this.”
It sounded like he was being considerate, but it felt more like he was declaring he held the reins.
“Any questions?”
Neither of us spoke.
“Alright. Return to your duties, both of you.”
Jooyoung pushed her chair back and stood up.
She picked up her neatly organized file and left the meeting room without another word.
As the door closed, a heavy silence settled in.
“…Sigh.”
Junhyuk stood up next, letting out a hollow laugh and scratching his neck.
“Sorry about this, Assistant Manager Lee. I didn’t expect it either.”
He glanced at me, then quickly offered a lame excuse.
“Just lucky, I guess. Next time will be your turn. With this proposal, you’ve made a good impression upstairs.”
His voice sounded like consolation, but there was a subtle nuance that rubbed me the wrong way.
A sense of relief at being chosen, and a hint of superiority seeped through his words.
“Well, let’s work well together anyway.”
“…Yeah.”
I answered weakly.
“I’ll go ahead. Take your time and collect yourself.”
He hesitated, then patted my shoulder and left with his laptop.
Left alone, the meeting room was filled with complete silence.
“…Ha.”
Leaning back in the chair and looking up at the ceiling, I let out a deep sigh as all my energy drained away.
All that remained after the heated moment was a cold emptiness and a lingering discomfort.
Yeah, who am I to be a project manager anyway.
It’s not like I ever worked with that much responsibility before.
Even the proposal being chosen was just luck.
Maybe it’s better that the project went to someone qualified like Deputy Son.
…That’s what the old me would have thought, content to stay in a supporting role.
But.
‘Unnecessary risk.’
Kang Jooyoung’s words kept echoing in my mind.
Was it just a matter of “experience difference”?
Or was there another reason?
“Sigh.”
Wiping my face, I took out my phone from my pocket.
The hypnosis app.
By some twisted coincidence, I happened to have it in my hand at just this moment.
It felt as if it had been prepared for this very situation.
With this app, I could overturn anything.
So now, what I needed to focus on was figuring out why things turned out this way.
The one who has the answer…
Bzzz-
Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.
[Mina]
[Sunbae.]
[Do you have time now?]
[I have something to tell you.]
[Please come to the café in front of the company.]
The source of the vibration was a message from Mina, who hadn’t replied since the weekend.
Not replying for so long was one thing, but suddenly asking to meet at a café was odd.
‘…Alright. Let’s tackle the easy problem first.’
The café isn’t far.
Rather than just sitting here, it’d be faster to meet her and hear what’s going on.
