Chapter Nine

"I'll have everything prepared for your appointment with Mr. Nam. Should there be additional confirmation needed, I'll give you a call straight away," I explained to a client who was on the other end of the line.

"Thank you so much, Miss Ryuk. Thank you for taking care of my appointment," the client replied.

"No need to thank me, sir. I'm only doing my job. Have a nice day," I ended the call and typed in additional information onto my document file. It has been a week since my first day of working here. And thankfully, I was able to adjust in no time. With the help of Mr. Kim and Soyoung's informative advices, I didn't struggle that much.

I wasn't overworked as well and that was such a big blessing. Back at my previous job, I had to work extra hours. However, my additional efforts weren't properly compensated so I was always exhausted.

With my new job, I wouldn't deny that I was always swamped with calls. Especially during the first hours of the day. But it wasn't as hectic as my former jobs. So, it wasn't still too much for me to bear.

The lunch bell rang right after I pressed the "Enter" button. As soon as the bell stopped, everyone in the room stood at the same time. They grabbed their mugs and wallets and headed out of the office.

I remained in my seat as I finished other documents. Of course, the day wouldn't be complete if Minju and her friends didn't glare at me. As they passed my desk, they walked slowly. I could feel their stares on my very back. It was uncomfortable but I decided to simply ignore it whenever they did it. Because after some time, they would eventually stop.

A few seconds passed and Minju and her friends eventually left the office. Once the glass doors closed behind them, I let out a deep breath and pushed myself away from my desk. I sighed and laid back onto my chair.

The door to the boss' office clicked and I pulled myself together as it opened. Mr. Kim stepped out and was shocked when he found me at my desk. "Miss Ryuk, aren't you going to eat lunch?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I will be eating my lunch, Mr. Kim. I'm only adding a few notes on my documents for today," I smiled as I looked up at him.

He nodded. "Don't overwork yourself. You have the whole day to work," he replied.

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

"Also," he lowered his voice as he leaned onto my table, "Don't tell the other employees yet. Mr. Nam will be arriving today. He may or may not have a quick talk with you. Should he call for you, don't be afraid to ask him anything."

I nodded and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Kim, why should I keep this a secret? Shouldn't the whole floor know that the boss is back?"

"As much as I want them to know beforehand, most of your co-workers have been slacking. So, I thought it would be a nice surprise for them when the boss returns," he smirked.

"Ah, I see," I nodded.

"Well then," he said as he pushed himself up from my desk, "I'll be having my lunch. Don't stay here for too long. Have your break."

"Yes, Mr. Kim," I smiled.

He looked up and remarked, "Oh, I didn't know that Miss Ya is also here."

I turned around and was surprised that Soyoung was still working, too.

"Hello, Mr. Kim," she waved at him. She continued, "I'm waiting for Mingyu to stop working."

"Really?" Mr. Kim smiled as he looked at me for a brief moment. He returned to her and said, "Well, it's nice to see that Miss Ryuk has a friend here. I'll go ahead now. I'll see you both after lunch."

"Bye, Mr. Kim," we both replied.

I then closed my tablet and grabbed my mug and jacket.

As I stood from my chair, Soyoung arrived at my desk and said, "Mr. Kim has been very kind to you. You're very lucky that you receive his good side all the time."

My brows furrowed as I walked out of my desk. I then asked, "Isn't he kind to you? Or towards our fellow co-workers?"

She sighed as we started walking. "Yes, he is kind and understanding to everyone. But because everyone is full of air, he tends to be firmer towards us. Especially to those who act like they're the ones who run the business," she explained. "So, for him to treat you a bit differently than us, you're lucky. And to be frank, you deserve it."

"I don't aspire to be treated differently than everybody here. I want to be treated the same as everyone else," I replied as we stepped out of the main office.

"Trust me, you'd rather stick with how he treats you now."

---*---*---*---

I took a sip of water after I put my tray on the table. As usual setup, Soyoung and I sat at the corner table in the cafeteria. There were other tables but we chose to sit somewhere that was away from the other employees. And it was always a delight to eat beside the window.

The cafeteria was positioned at the twenty-fifth floor of the building. Therefore, it wasn't that frightening to look out the window whenever we had lunch.

Soyoung popped open her juice box with a straw and said, "Any meal won't be complete without juice boxes. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise."

I giggled at her remarks.

Our calm atmosphere was then interrupted when Minju and her friends arrived at our table. With their food trays in their hands, Minju started, "I'm surprised you lasted a week, Mingyu. Usually, on the third day, secretaries are crying over their workload."

"That happened because you mistreated them, Minju," Soyoung entered the conversation as she sliced through her chicken.

Minju rolled her eyes as she glanced over at Soyoung. She returned to me and continued, "So, when are you planning to resign? You do know that you don't deserve to work with us. right? We saw your resume on the system. You don't belong in this building." Minju's friends giggled as they looked down on me.

With all honesty, Minju's words stung. Even though she would talk down on me on a regular basis, it would still break my heart. However, I chose to say something back on my third day. I never had the best comebacks. But at least, I always had something to say. I just wanted her to remember that I won't always step down for her amusement.

I smiled softly and replied, "Unfortunately for you, I'm enjoying what I do. So I don't think I'll be resigning anytime soon." I added, "Also, if I didn't belong here, I wouldn't have lasted a week. Don't you think so?"

She chuckled and answered, "You're just here for the money. Don't deny it."

"Um, isn't that why we work for a living?" I raised a brow as I smirked. "Or are you here for a different reason?"

My response caused her to freeze. Soyoung snorted as I kept my gaze on Minju.

Minju pouted and stomped before she hurried away from our table. Her friends followed quickly.