I wanted to disappear.

Actually, no.

I wanted to rewind time by about thirty seconds and stop myself from staring at my team lead like he'd descended from heaven specifically to ruin my concentration.

Instead, I stood there awkwardly while everyone watched.

Amazing.

A flawless first impression.

"Sorry," I blurted out.

He laughed.

"It's okay."

It was not okay.

My dignity had already submitted its resignation letter.

A few people chuckled, and thankfully, the atmosphere became less tense.

The manager stepped forward.

"Let's start the introductions."

I quickly straightened my posture.

Right.

Professional.

I was a professional employee now.

No more staring.

No more embarrassing myself.

"My name is Kang Yumi. I'm twenty-four years old, and I'll be joining the Marketing Team starting today. Please take good care of me."

I bowed.

Everyone politely applauded.

Then the introductions began.

The first to speak was a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

"I'm Kim Byeong-ho, the Marketing Manager."

He looked strict, but his smile seemed kind.

Next was a woman standing beside him.

"Min Ok-ja. Assistant Manager."

She gave me a small nod.

Then came two younger employees.

"Kang Ha-jun. Intern."

"Park Ji-ah. Intern."

Both waved enthusiastically.

A woman with long hair smiled brightly.

"Kim Seo-ah."

I smiled back.

Everyone seemed surprisingly friendly.

Maybe being late hadn't completely destroyed my career after all.

Then came the final introduction.

The one I was trying very hard not to look at.

"Lee Junseo."

His smile returned.

"Senior Marketing Specialist."

Unfortunately, I looked.

And unfortunately, he was still handsome.

Life was unfair.

After the introductions ended, everyone returned to work.

Mr. Lee walked over to me.

"Come on. I'll show you around."

"Oh."

My voice cracked.

Wonderful.

He either didn't notice or politely pretended not to.

For the next fifteen minutes, he showed me around the office.

The meeting rooms.

The break room.

The printer area.

The emergency exits.

The storage room.

The coffee machine.

Most importantly—

"The coffee machine?" I asked.

"The most important location in the company."

I blinked.

He looked completely serious.

"You'll understand after a month."

"I'll trust your expertise."

"You should."

For some reason, that made both of us laugh.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

By the time the tour ended, he stopped beside an empty desk near the window.

"This is yours."

My desk.

My very own desk.

I stared at it for a moment.

It wasn't much.

A computer.

A chair.

A small cabinet.

But somehow, it felt special.

This was the start of my career.

The start of my adult life.

The start of—

"You're smiling."

I jumped.

Mr. Lee was still standing there.

"I am?"

"You look happy."

Heat rushed to my face.

"No, I mean—yes. I mean..."

Smooth, Yumi.

Very smooth.

He laughed again.

Then, before walking away, he said,

"Welcome to KoKup, Miss Kang."

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat.

Just a little.

And that was exactly when my phone vibrated.

Buzz.

I ignored it.

The rest of the morning passed surprisingly quickly.

I received orientation documents, employee guidelines, and approximately three hundred passwords I was expected to remember.

I would not remember them.

Not a single one.

Around noon, a woman from the neighboring desk rolled her chair over.

None other than Kim Seo-ah.

"Manager Kim wants these organized before Friday."

I stared at the mountain of paperwork.

Then at her.

Then back at the paperwork.

"Friday?"

She nodded sympathetically.

"Welcome to marketing."

By the end of the day, my brain felt like mashed potatoes.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched.

Maybe today hadn't been a complete disaster.

Sure, I was late.

Sure, I embarrassed myself.

Sure, I had accidentally developed a workplace crush.

But overall?

Things could have gone worse.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Buzz.

I ignored it.

Another vibration.

Buzz.

Then another.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I frowned and finally pulled my phone from my pocket.

A notification appeared on the screen.

UNKNOWN APPLICATION INSTALLED

I blinked.

"What?"

I definitely hadn't downloaded anything.

Before I could investigate, another notification appeared.

LOVE RECEIPT SYSTEM ACTIVATED

My eyebrows rose.

"...Love Receipt?"

Then another message appeared.

USER IDENTIFIED: KANG YUMI

CURRENT CRUSH DETECTED

My entire body froze.

A fourth notification appeared.

TARGET: LEE JUNSEO

I nearly dropped my phone.

"...Excuse me?!"

Then the screen lit up one final time.

FIRST ROMANTIC TRANSACTION PENDING

GOOD LUCK

The screen went black.

I stared at it.

The phone stared back.

"..."

"..."

"Nope."

I immediately turned the phone off.