Chapter 98: The First Day That Shook the Office

“Hello. I’m Lee Seunghyuk, the intern starting today.”

“Ah….”

As Seunghyuk bowed, Assistant Manager Oh stiffly bowed back.

She was completely taken aback.

She never imagined someone this handsome would walk in as an intern.

There had been a photo on the resume.

But the picture didn’t capture even a quarter of how he looked in person.

‘Right, he was listed as a dominant Alpha.’

She shouldn’t have overlooked that line so casually.

Oh felt a sting of regret.

As a Beta, she never cared much about trait-holders.

Munseong wasn’t one of those big companies that prioritized Alphas or dominant Alphas.

So Betas and other traits joined in fairly even numbers.

Sometimes the Omegas on her team gossiped about Alpha pheromone scents.

But Oh never found it interesting.

They were probably no different from fancy perfume.

Alpha men never felt different to her than regular Beta men.

She had never once felt strong attraction toward an Alpha.

But the Alpha standing silently in front of her felt completely different.

She thought a programmer would look nerdy and ordinary.

Not like this.

Not like this level of visual perfection.

She had a feeling the planning team—usually quiet—was about to be shaken up.

“Hm, nice to meet you. I’m Assistant Manager Oh Hyena.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“…….”

For a moment, Oh froze.

The word “ma’am (jooim-nim)” suddenly sounded like “master (juin-nim).”

Being called master by a handsome man hit her like a truck.

Barely regaining her composure, she looked up at him.

Years of corporate life helped her keep a neutral face.

“I’ll show you to your seat first.”

“Okay.”

The intern’s seat was one of the leftover desks.

It was in a corner.

Not very noticeable.

Most employees would probably envy such a quiet corner.

But she couldn’t tell what the intern thought.

Without noticing, Oh kept peeking at his expression.

“…Here it is.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

But Seunghyuk sat down without complaint.

She felt others secretly glancing toward the corner desk.

Oh forced a smile.

He wasn’t the chairman’s grandson or something.

Why was everyone acting this way.

Ah, right—there was the chairman’s son.

She glanced at the unusually quiet director’s office.

If an intern arrived, he normally came out to greet them.

But today, silence.

“This is the company manual. Read through it. We’ll introduce you during the meeting later.”

“Understood.”

Seunghyuk nodded and accepted the booklet.

Even on his first day, he was incredibly composed.

Interns during school breaks were usually so nervous she pitied them.

But this one… felt strangely experienced.

Almost like someone living life a second time.

‘I’m being ridiculous.’

Oh clicked her tongue.

Maybe the movie she watched with friends recently was still stuck in her mind.

Dominant Alphas must all be naturally calm and competent.

She had heard rumors.

She had just never met one herself.

“Then I’ll see you at the meeting later.”

“Yes.”

After that brief exchange, Oh hurried back to her seat.

Even that short conversation made her heart pound.

What on earth was happening to her.

“Whew….”

“Assistant Manager Oh, hey.”

“Yes?”

Her coworker whispered from the next desk.

Oh turned and met the woman’s sparkling eyes.

“He’s the new intern, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Wow… he’s an Alpha, right? Crazy.”

“Yeah…”

Right—this coworker was a passionate Omega.

Seeing her eyes shine in excitement made Oh realize again what kind of man she had just spoken with.

“Do you think he has a lover?”

“How would I know.”

“Ugh… I wonder what his pheromone scent is like.”

“…….”

The coworker kept craning her neck to look at him.

Annoyed, Oh frowned.

“Did you come here to find a boyfriend? Do your work.”

“Haha… yes.”

“…….”

Even though she scolded her, Oh herself couldn’t stop thinking about the intern.

Not romantically.

She was just worried about the chaos he might cause.

‘It was a mess when the director first arrived too….’

Hyunwoo, the team leader and division director, caused a huge uproar when he joined.

Handsome looks.

Clean pheromone scent.

Royal family background.

And surprisingly humble manners.

Everyone had tried to talk to him at first.

But that didn’t last.

Hyunwoo took work extremely seriously.

Anyone who slacked off suffered.

So nobody had time to flirt.

And because he was practically a fortress romantically, people gradually stopped trying.

Everyone assumed he would have a refined Omega fiancée somewhere.

Fiancé or fiancée—who knew.

‘Let’s see how long this one lasts….’

Oh sighed internally.

Even she—usually uninterested in romance—felt momentarily shaken by the new intern.

For the one month he would be with the planning team, she prayed nothing would happen.

While preparing for the meeting, she kept praying silently.

Hyunwoo couldn’t focus on anything since morning.

His unusual behavior made Junghoon stare in confusion.

Even during the schedule briefing, Hyunwoo couldn’t concentrate.

“…That’s everything for today.”

“…….”

“Director?”

“Ah.”

Junghoon asked carefully.

Hyunwoo snapped back to reality and looked up.

“Are you alright, sir?”

“Ahem, yes. I’m fine.”

“There’s a meeting soon. If you’re not feeling—”

“I said I’m fine.”

Hyunwoo waved his hand and picked up the documents again.

The words wouldn’t sink in.

But he tried.

“…The office sounds noisy.”

“Ah… seems everyone is curious about Mr. Seunghyuk.”

“…….”

The director’s office wasn’t soundproof.

It was right next to the planning team floor.

So noise leaked in easily.

Hyunwoo already knew the intern had arrived.

But he only now realized employees were buzzing about him.

He clenched his teeth.

He had fallen for Seunghyuk at first sight.

He knew exactly how attractive the man was.

Young.

Handsome.

Of course people would stare.

But for some reason, he hated it today.

A burning, unpleasant feeling spread inside him.

Maybe because he skipped breakfast.

His body felt weak.

“Let’s go to the meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

Junghoon followed him, uneasy.

“Director, welcome.”

Employees were already seated when they arrived.

Hyunwoo sat at the head of the table.

He glanced toward the end.

Seunghyuk was placing coffees with Assistant Manager Oh.

Unexpected.

He was doing errands without complaint.

Hyunwoo watched him discreetly.

Normally everyone prepared their own drinks.

Maybe they were taking advantage of the intern.

Hyunwoo tried to ignore it.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yes.”

The meeting went smoothly.

Weekly reporting.

Nothing unusual.

“And… the intern joined today, Director.”

“Ah.”

Oh finally mentioned it.

Hyunwoo turned.

“Hello. I’m Lee Seunghyuk.”

Seunghyuk stood and bowed.

All eyes went to him instantly.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Wow… he’s so handsome.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

Someone muttered.

Awkward coughs followed.

Another employee raised a hand.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask.”

“…?”

“Do you have a lover?”

“…….”

Silence hit the room.

Oh glared at the employee.

That was a question for after work.

But before anyone stopped him, Seunghyuk answered.

“I don’t have a lover, but I do have someone I’m going to marry.”

“…….”

The room went completely silent.