Executive Director, shall I book a room ?? - Chapter 3

Unlike the relatively innocent college students, modern office workers—exhausted and bored by the same daily grind—exhibited an almost indescribable persistence. His every move, down to the second, was scrutinized and reported, making it hard to tell whether people were here to work or to stalk him.

In this situation, if she were to say, “I used to know him well,” what good would that do her?

She had learned the hard way, through life experience, that it was best not to get involved with men who stood out too much.

And Junseong was the most conspicuous man she knew.

Every visible aspect of him was sheer perfection. His upright character and fair, just demeanor even made envious people feel a pang of self-loathing. The fact that he was a third-generation chaebol heir was just a footnote compared to his innate charm.

Naturally, he was always surrounded by people. Despite having so much, he remained humble and kind, and people openly adored him for it.

Especially among female students, Song Junseong was practically a public good.

Someone everyone was allowed to like.

There was even a joke that if someone yelled, “Fold yourselves if you like Song Junseong!” in the middle of Seoul, the entire city would crease in half.

Even if he announced he was recruiting three thousand concubines, women would line up without complaint, first-come-first-served.

And she, too, would probably have sneaked into the line around the 2,981st spot.

“…Damn. I can’t even argue against that.”

Sujin sighed deeply, frustrated by her own thoughts.

If she had to nitpick one flaw in Song Junseong, it would be his excessively narrow social circle.

To those who only knew him superficially, that might sound strange. But if you asked even those who claimed to be close to him whether they could casually call him for personal matters, almost no one would say yes.

Despite his popularity, most people found him somewhat intimidating. Even those who tried to ride his coattails for personal gain hesitated to ask him for the smallest favor.

He was a born leader. People unconsciously followed his every word and gesture, even when he wasn’t actively leading. Without ever stepping forward, he naturally ended up at the top of the hierarchy.

Aside from Soo-hyuk, who had been with him since childhood, Sujin was probably the only real friend he’d ever had.

Because of that, she often found herself dealing with annoying situations. The jealous glares she got for being seen with Junseong—and sometimes Soo-hyuk—daily were the least of her worries.

“If you were really close, you must know a lot about the him, right? Did you guys text privately and stuff?”

“Wait, so when you talked on the phone, did you call each other by first names? Like, ‘Junseong-ah,’ ‘Sujin-ah’? Oh my god, just imagining it makes me want to scream!”

“Hold on, so did you know the he was coming here before anyone else?”

“Huh? Really? Then why didn’t you say anything when you brought coffee that day? No wonder you didn’t react to his handsome face—were you just used to it?”

Behind the pack of excited hyenas, murmurs spread, and soon, more eyes were on her. The déjà vu of this situation was already giving her a headache.

This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved.

But sometimes, avoiding something only makes it worse.

Her problem was that she had been too unresponsive. Whenever the topic came up, she dodged it frantically. No—whenever his name was mentioned, the exhaustion from back then resurfaced, making her instinctively turn away. Sharp-eyed Manager Na saw right through it.

“Sujin, the Executive Director was your ex or something? Why do you keep avoiding the topic?”

“Huh? That’s ridiculous! He’s just… no, never mind.”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, she answered without thinking and immediately paled, covering her mouth.

Oh no, I’m screwed.

“…Wait, did Sujin just call him ‘that guy’?”

A sly grin spread across Manager Na’s face. At that moment, Sujin gave up on escaping her radar.

Less than five minutes later, she was properly cornered. The gleaming eyes around her made cold sweat run down her spine. One wrong move here, and it was over.

“Hmm? But that’s weird. Sujin, you went to K University, right? But our ‘Star’ went to school in the U.S., didn’t he?”

Hyoeun, ever the skeptic, chimed in with her usual skepticism.

“‘Star’?”

“His name has the character for ‘star’ (星), so we call him that. Everyone’s already going crazy over him—calling him a ‘living star.'”

“I mean, his face literally glows. A truly radiant man. What do we even do?”

Yuri, the youngest in the office, gushed dreamily, while first-year employee Minyoung nodded with a dazed expression, as if her soul had floated off to Andromeda.

Unbelievable. No wonder such a cringey nickname had spread in just a few days. She was busy uncurling her toes when Manager Na asked:

“So, what was our ‘Star’ like back in school?”

“Uh… just, you know. Cool…”

“Yeah, we know he’s cool. Give us some details.”

“You know how some people just… stand out? Like, sunlight only shines on them, and when they smile, it’s like the background sparkles with a transparent green glow? Even in a crowd of friends, they look like they’re in 4D?”

“Wow, listen to you. Our Sujin was a secret fan, huh?”

She flinched at the accuracy of Manager Na’s jab. At this point, she might as well have been doing a fangirl confession.

“Well, I was young back then… He was even more striking in person, and nostalgia makes things seem better, you know?”

“Oho~ ‘More striking,’ she says! Just hearing about it gives me chills. He must’ve been crazy popular—did he have a girlfriend?”

“Of course he did! With just one look, anyone would fall for him. Ugh, if only I were ten years younger—no, even just five!”

“Manager Na, what are you saying? You’re taken! It’s our turn now!”

Her awkward attempt at an excuse only fueled their excitement. Sujin forced a smile and poked at her food with her chopsticks, shrugging.

“He was so popular that rumors were everywhere. ‘So-and-so likes him,’ ‘He rejected someone,’ ‘He’s seeing someone’—stuff like that. But I never asked him directly, so I don’t know what was true.”

“I thought you were friends? Weren’t you close?”

“Manager Na, come on. Even if we were friends, why would two opposite-sex friends talk about that stuff?”

“Really? Kids these days are pretty open. Was it different back then? So, you don’t keep in touch now?”*

“He left for study abroad after freshman year, so that was it. It’s been years—I don’t even know if he remembers me.”

She answered, but there was a strange melancholy in her voice.

“Ugh, what a waste.”

“I don’t think so. Just remembering those days clears my mind.”

“That’s not what I’m curious about. I want to know about him *now*.”

While Hyoeun and Yuri kept chattering, Sujin quietly swallowed her bitterness.

I did wonder, just once, if he’d ever reach out.

But the past two weeks of nervous anticipation had been pointless—nothing happened.

Well, when she thought about it, they had only spent one year together in college.

And though they called each other friends, she had even heard about his study abroad plans from someone else.

Naturally, they drifted apart after he left. When she heard he had returned to Korea, she could’ve reached out first, but she couldn’t muster the courage. Later, she kept telling herself, until it became too awkward to contact him at all.

Between assignments, exams, maintaining grades, TOEFL, other language tests, and certifications—juggling studies and part-time jobs—she couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

Or maybe, just maybe, she had cut ties decisively, not wanting to seem like she was clinging to someone who had already moved on.

And judging by his silence, maybe he had done the same.

“Well, I should get going.”

“Huh? Sujin, you’re done already?”

“Not really hungry today. Too much work, I guess.”

Just as she was about to leave, the noise in the cafeteria grew louder. Curious, Manager Na peeked out.

“What’s going on?”

“No idea.”

Before she could react, a group of men appeared in the distance. Gasps and whispers erupted—something unusual was happening.

“Oh my god! It’s the Executive Director!”

“No way! Is he here for an inspection? What’s going on?”

“Wait, Sujin, where are you going? Weren’t you friends? Go say hi!”

“Yeah! And introduce us while you’re at it!”

“Huh?”

She was still holding her tray—what kind of greeting was this?

But before she could escape, Hyoeun grabbed her. With Yuri joining in with expectant eyes, she had no choice but to be pushed toward him. Just then, Junseong, who had been exchanging greetings with a few people, turned and looked at her.

Facing him like this, completely unprepared—

“Ah…”

She awkwardly lowered her head, but he suddenly turned away. Had he not seen her? But their eyes had met for a split second—

“Did something upset him?”

“Now that you mention it, he does seem a little stiff today.”

“Well, people can’t be in a good mood every day.”

“Still, to ignore even a friend like that? Sujin, were you really close?”

“I told you he probably doesn’t remember me. I’m leaving.”