The rest of the morning disappeared before I even noticed.

Emails.

Meetings.

Spreadsheets.

PowerPoint slides.

More emails.

I had officially entered the exciting world of corporate life.

Spoiler alert.

It wasn't very exciting.

"Yumi."

I looked up.

Manager Kim stood beside my desk, holding a folder.

"The Orion campaign launches next month."

He placed the folder on my desk.

"This will be our biggest marketing project of the quarter."

I nodded eagerly.

"I'll do my best."

"I know you will."

He smiled before looking around the department.

"Everyone, listen up."

The office gradually became quiet.

"As you all know, CEO Han approved the Orion campaign this morning."

Several employees immediately straightened in their chairs.

Manager Kim continued,

"This project is extremely important."

"Our team will handle the digital marketing strategy, influencer partnerships, social media promotions, and the launch event next month."

He looked around the room.

"The planning stage starts today, so everyone will be much busier than usual."

"I know it'll be a demanding few weeks, but let's do our best."

"Yes, Manager!"

The office instantly came back to life.

People hurried from desk to desk.

Phones rang constantly.

Someone was already discussing advertising budgets.

Another employee was on a call with a content creator's agency.

The peaceful office from this morning had completely disappeared.

Welcome...

To marketing.

Around lunchtime, Seo-ah rolled her chair over to my desk.

She placed a thick file in front of me.

"You'll be helping me with influencer research."

I looked down.

INFLUENCER CANDIDATES

"Oh."

"Our client wants lifestyle creators."

"No gaming creators?"

"No."

"No comedians?"

"No."

"No cat influencers?"

She paused.

"...Actually..."

My eyes lit up.

"There are cat influencers?"

"There are influencers for everything."

"I suddenly feel like I picked the wrong career."

Seo-ah laughed.

"Focus."

"Right."

For the next hour, she patiently explained how they shortlisted creators.

Follower count wasn't everything.

Engagement rate.

Audience demographics.

Brand reputation.

Fake followers.

Previous sponsorships.

Even the way an influencer interacted with their audience mattered.

I carefully highlighted the profiles with the strongest engagement.

"So these are the ones we should contact first?"

Seo-ah nodded with an approving smile.

"Exactly."

"You catch on quickly."

A small wave of pride washed over me.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

I wasn't completely hopeless.

I glanced toward the other side of the office.

Junseo's desk was empty.

Strange.

Seo-ah noticed immediately.

"Oh?"

"Looking for Senior Lee?"

"W-What?"

"No!"

"I was just..."

"...wondering where he went."

"Mhm."

"He went to inspect the venue for next month's launch event."

"Oh."

"He also has a meeting with the event management company."

"So he'll probably be back later this afternoon."

"I wasn't looking for him."

"Mhm."

"I wasn't."

"Mhm."

"...You're impossible."

"I've been told."

I returned to my computer.

Five minutes later—

Buzz.

I froze.

Not again.

Slowly...

I slipped my phone out beneath the desk.

One notification waited on the screen.

LOVE RECEIPT

Daily Task Available

"..."

I carefully tapped it.

A small receipt slowly appeared.

DAILY TASK

Today's Objective

Have one genuine conversation.

Target: Lee Junseo

Reward: 1 Love Stamp

Time Limit: Today

I blinked.

"...Love Stamp?"

Another line printed itself underneath.

Collect 5 Love Stamps to receive 1 Refund.

Current Balance: 0 / 5

"..."

"So now I have to earn refunds?"

Another message appeared almost immediately.

Free refunds are limited.

Additional refunds must be earned through completed tasks.

"..."

"This app has rules now?"

One final line slowly appeared.

Reminder

Do not force the conversation.

Natural interactions have a higher success rate.

"...Natural?"

"Have you... met me?"

The receipt disappeared before I could complain any further.

I let out a long sigh and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

A genuine conversation...

That shouldn't be too difficult.

Right?

At that exact moment—

The office doors opened.

Junseo walked inside carrying a rolled-up venue layout, several brochures, and a folder stamped Event Proposal.

He smiled as he greeted everyone.

"I'm back."

Several employees looked up.

"How was the venue?"

"Looks good," Junseo replied. "The space is bigger than we expected, but we'll need to adjust the booth layout."

"And the meeting?"

"The event company will send us a revised quotation tomorrow."

Manager Kim nodded.

"Good. Let's review everything this afternoon."

As Junseo walked past my desk, he smiled politely.

"How's your second day going, Miss Kang?"

Before my brain could answer...

Buzz.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I didn't even have to check.

I already knew why.

Somehow...

Having one completely normal conversation with Lee Junseo had suddenly become the hardest assignment of my career.