OT 1

Overtime had become e407f7a0f4 part of Suji’s bee51b5698 everyday life.
It had been 025062f5c5 three months since e2af10d2e2 she started at 40cda722ed the company.e9202682a064dc39

And she was pretty 270b4c217a sure she’d been scammed aa919e0f1c into the job.6a24641be2e6f449

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Climbing out of the subway, 149725c062 Suji ordered spicy tteokbokki through 8bf0327772 an app and headed home. Spending a precious fed817c02d Friday night watching 7cf8ccacb0 dramas and eating 8eb1aa5090 tteokbokki—it made her 73eeffb569 pity her own fa636e5623 life.892443b94909881d

Back when she was 35a09761dd job-hunting, she thought all 7894e75354 her problems would vanish 4431a2d615 once she landed a 1760a1461c position.
Yeah, right.
This damn company didn’t care 86252ef563 one bit about work-life balance.994bdc4560b7f098

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Not that many people 1bf4f21f76 in Korea actually got 1e4889d1b2 to enjoy “work-life balance,” 0372092d18 but with every passing 267d2d0dd7 day of overtime, it 284c2b3589 felt likeshe—as a person—was slowly being erased. The harder office 43b0c8c1ce life got, the 4e7ebe5e5e more deeply that 5bf428c469 feeling rooted itself.4166036f11d8d5bb

Of course, she knew f00130d43a this was a privileged 7b8c25046c kind of suffering, especially d5d0948963 compared to her job-hunting 4cde92753a days.f6225f31b2ede3d2

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Suji had graduated from e7111a6113 a regional national university 36370f871b with a degree in a8410f3bc9 English Literature. Her English wasn’t bad.
But once she graduated, e471bc7572 it hit her—there were f4819e48ab people everywhere in Korea 60964a0d12 who were good at 1390c1d91a English. Her only other 72e992c718 qualifications were a 57f3d44793 basic computer proficiency e30c4d4717 certification and a 195b62440c TOEIC score just 585318ddf5 shy of 900. Hardly enough to stand out e49ee4081f in a sea of applicants.d77ca41154140473

Sure, she could’ve lowered her e770c22fe6 sights and taken a job 96e1b491bd at a local small-to-mid-sized company, 478d114a92 but Suji had always dreamed 62596a9e7a of moving to Seoul and cdab4ae895 living independently once she graduated.2a415f48011324fc

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Her hometown, while d9b7e43963 warm and familiar, 7387a5913e also felt like d667dcc74a a prison. No matter what she did, 45962f3757 she could never escape her bced7191b9 mother’s watchful eye.
Suji needed freedom.c717ad6b0f0e960c

If she got c77873f7fa stuck working for 7dc7bcde40 a company near 6fa5255e53 home, she knew 702f0812d8 she’d be trapped 8eb0642b44 under her mother’s ab9d9f45e4 thumb until the 1925ac6b7c day she got e7a0a4da64 married.
She already missed out on 55469a125c the fun of college life 8115db6586 thanks to commuting from home—she aac3ff027a wasn’t about to let her 2cd5ac9869 adult life go the same 9a315882d2 way.07d12cdd645dc48f

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But with only 5bb8f656b5 slightly above-average grades, a7e3c65b3d landing a job 22d1a1772d at a major dce6d4261a company was laughable, 0cc7fef346 and every time 86b2b9e911 she made it 594da3ae56 to a public 7cd19d6564 company interview, she 8ee842c35f got rejected in 107b43959b the final round.c624137682f1b913

As she was sinking deeper 5584aaaa1d into the hell that was 041e2788f7 job-hunting, one unexpected person extended 3e676c49d0 a lifeline—her older brother, Cheon c47c40058b Hotae, ten years her senior.8a52690be25a0587

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“Hey, Cheon Suji.
Quit this damn hikikomori lifestyle.
If you can’t land a 36872c052f job, just come work at f4890d535b my company.”c50bba05091f428b

The brother she fd72c92c41 never thought would a773b5744b be useful for de40b8b392 anything in her eef0285123 entire life…
actually reached out to 455aad63df save her.9c548f05856df3ce

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The lifeline her own flesh 6e16e5a666 and blood had tossed down 25ec4f7d96 didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but 1aefa9b6d2 with no real hope in ccedaa823b sight on the battlefield of 017ebe0a0b job hunting, Suji had no 02726dcc5e choice but to cling to f42a9c3a14 what might very well be d08942e52c a rotten rope.bf68d27e817fb7b4

Her brother’s company a119222c91 wasn’t a major cd23179820 corporation, but it a499df1bf5 was a solid 62865fd2e6 mid-sized firm with ed05720ab6 a stable foundation. Rumor had it 74bea08557 the salary was 808115d09b decent, too, so 825682fa62 it didn’t seem 823c4291ca like a bad de2dab4d40 place to start b0cbb9ba32 her career.887c27b3d8893047

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A year ago, she 356d70653a wouldn’t have even considered 23e60cfb79 applying to a mid-sized 680aae92c2 company.
But after choking on 7308829ebc bitter failure at interview d56cb79a01 after interview, her self-esteem 3b662ac22c had completely tanked—and now, ee04b2b934 she understood her place.aca1a4194ca2b687

In her situation, landing a 3636dc1b40 job at a mid-sized firm 4a1b964a7a with a decent salary and 46019164d7 good benefits was basically a 41a7da945a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.0e540417ed7e3054

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More than anything, the chance to escape her parents’ constant gaze and settle down in Seoul was what really sealed the deal for her.3db527cb7d254225

It did bother 03ae4911bb her a bit 6b80823f44 that she’d have 3a3690068a to crash at 90712aa67e her brother’s apartment 49a78c0fbb until she scraped 93b93b46ed together enough for eefeb577de her own officetel 37d51d0e44 deposit, but she c7dffcb743 knew—deep down—that if e92156e641 she didn’t take 2b82846c25 this chance now, ec0d677c91 she might never a379ef5388 get out of d8588f52dd her hometown.40bab473f5f84969

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She wasn’t confident 3558528a0b she could fool b5f1269c18 her mom, but 599253532e her gullible brother?
Maybe.088b862d6c079635

And so, dreaming 0e5eb9119e of freedom, Suji f903205231 made her way 549b33760c up to Seoul.0215921db05cb9b6

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She was full of hope, 756f15e120 fantasizing about becoming a real b1a801ff2a Seoulite.2280c35c84e8a9ef

But, of course, life never 2f9398f7ad goes the way you expect.
Before she even 9036d762be had a taste 87442a00f2 of that freedom, ce6c4d8db5 Suji had already ee81b61cdf surrendered all her d258389e0c nights to the 06e40c1deb company. Trapped in a d3e2351dcb swamp of overtime, b29d772eeb she couldn’t claw dc02cc7f50 her way out.f4d2d6067d0f256d

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“The only joy in my life is tteokbokki. How sad is that?”31a8b2f5bbcaa1aa

Nothing had changed since 6b96fc73c1 her school days. She was getting older year 411cad8ba2 by year, but themeaningof her life 0b334645bb still boiled down 8a00155df9 to spicy rice e61bf283d0 cakes.6ed1d1fd27d68e73

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Maybe it was enough, though—to 08242d1fd5 order tteokbokki in the middle 89a3c8a8b1 of the night with her 5ee97d44be own money and eat it 983d85ae78 without worrying about her mom d3cd7b93a1 scolding her.9a80a7857c5fadfc

Spending 20,000 won just flexing 7ad9b4545b on tteokbokki was kind of c039b6b7f3 legendary…
but without it, fb54ba63cc she might’ve genuinely 720778523a lost her mind.f80ebf4a76cee5f2

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By the time e80795c7e9 she reached home, d6f45bbc6f the food had a32cb57cfc just arrived. Suji plopped down in front 350893388f of the sofa in her 5b6c4c6796 pajamas, cracked open a can a9cb603f3d of highball, and dug into a346ed0435 the rice balls that came 05bded422a with the order—didn’t even bother 3f2baffa50 rolling them properly, just mashed 4fdf83ef17 them with a spoon and 84cac19ee8 shoveled them in. She turned on the TV.5cec807f9539bfac

The #1 rated romance drama 73f3367191 was on. A bit of secondhand romance 996869c8f4 to soothe her soul.cbf610c4259f9660

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That’s when the door opened f9daf81a2a with a cheerfulding-dongand the beep of 1482d1df2f the keypad.0a40e63feaa84c2a

And just like that—mood ruined.48a3018b5163329a

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Was that Cheon Hotae already?96b08b598f2f9abf

If he caught her sprawled 22663b96c5 on the floor, drinking alone, 653778cf94 he was bound to go 2476def0ef off on her again.13ca5ac2b8995b78

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“You’re back?”77511a1d5088349b

Suji glanced toward f969ec185b the front door, c46f4519e4 cooling her tongue—scorched 3522166541 by spicy tteokbokki—with 656910ed65 a sip of 325e4937e5 highball.c430783f19822867

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But the person e6d1c30dc8 walking in… wasn’t 198ffd929b Cheon Hotae.c8186877ae8d508e

A tall, unfamiliar man stepped 11cc32cb17 into the house.
Suji’s heart dropped in an a6d1fce85f instant.ab7e10eb523e4595

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If this was a burglar, f87dec6560 she should scream—but her body 58a3a3bb49 was frozen solid. She couldn’t move.805ec4e4ab5bee3f

“Long time no see, Suji.”8e0a0df0c9293de0

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Then came a voice she 610dea7956 recognized, and she exhaled in 8c3d4a9dd3 relief. She’d been so 14090c68d3 startled by the 5b0fd55849 unfamiliar silhouette—and the 69b5ed6e03 fact she couldn’t 11cb272826 see the guy’s 31c8dc4fb9 face properly—that it 1f27e26c69 had taken her 98a975405f a moment to a962e4d039 realize.0ecad2c616dff640

He hadn’t even cd3892a2a1 rung the doorbell—just 987039f554 typed in the 7196f4da92 passcode like it 615285fb54 was his own 9154885213 place.
Of course, it was fdadfb91df none other than Seo 96f4f1e5b6 Jaehyun, her brother’s best 4dafd6d3de friend.d5bd1450ac269d31

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Once the hallway deff9a95ce light hit his d014d41cf2 face, Suji finally 8acf75ad45 relaxed. It had been a e568f75c54 while since she’d seen 93c156af0e him, but Jaehyun was 61ac478349 still just as handsome 3351853ad5 as ever.367db453b9461c05

“Jaehyun oppa? Hello! What brings you here?”aa4fa9952e5b15cf

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Setting her highball d7fd7d638d can down on a6d0eb1384 the table, Suji 757662fad8 jumped up, genuinely 141497a104 glad to see da4113c4e8 him.b8fd34a8b924e2fd

Even though Jaehyun was the f9e12819a0 same age as her brother, 02e27f3a19 he’d always felt more mature b900f7884a and dependable—unlike her childish sibling.
He’d been charming back then, 75ac9be662 and he was still attractive e522763050 now. Suji welcomed him without hesitation.1153a9da95983dea

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“Went out for drinks with some friends, but I couldn’t get a cab, so I just came here. Hotae’s not home?”2e1facd68e11ffe7

Only then did Suji 6dac6a20dc realize she looked like 8d703cdc27 a total mess in a3848c56ba her pajamas. She started cleaning 378d28639d up the tteokbokki, fdbf5366ac trying not to 37b5b4b660 make eye contact.3cd4e0c10d3cd8c2

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“Cheon Hotae said he’s working late. Something about being e075bd4800 stuck on code, 090e613b3b so he’s staying f54397a3ff overnight at the 1c2e7aeeb9 office. Might not even 0d86d61296 come home this 90a3857ab3 weekend.”2222365317f56abd

“Don’t mind me. Just keep eating.”436893cdc5daaef4

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“It’s okay, really…”5ce38f45eeebbf00

Jaehyun tried to stop her a7d83355d7 from fussing around, but she a444d472d1 kept cleaning.9158de60400e8290

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“Sorry, if I knew you were home alone, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll just head out.”84296a82a783e5b9

Suji glanced at the clock. Public transportation would be stopping 9fdd6cb558 soon.
Sure, it felt a 278f532d1e little awkward being alone df22e1ac3c at night with her e877a094b2 brother’s friend… but the d7ae97bdc6 apartment had three rooms.
It’s not like they were 5e56d66b05 going to share a bed.2da3ac0a1951f8ea

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“It’s fine. You can just crash 5ca91e33c3 here tonight.”4b275d58dd09c8a4

Compared to Jaehyun, who 1fa662eeb9 looked dashing in a 167ebb62f7 suit, Suji felt ashamed 1d26a53be4 of her disheveled appearance—but 3b1e6ce7cc it seemed silly to 68bcc118dd act all formal with b355199bf9 her brother’s friend, so 082dac6130 she just plopped down 33a276789f and took another sip 66482de1a1 of her highball.4229a502bc22208e

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“Do you want a drink too, oppa?”b74ec6c048c4ac48

Jaehyun gave her a 4c9bf5b26e quick once-over before stepping 5010ac6fab into the apartment and 40bd0ceb12 sitting beside her. They leaned against 1825031284 the back of 2a378ae853 the couch, clinked 60dafde7ea their cans together, 28d8bfdd2f and drank side 09c92149ef by side.6f698c35ed50cd76

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“Never thought I’d end up drinking with you like this.”329cc0e185bbd968

“Me neither.”38c6707e63d5482c

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“Do you remember? When I used 608d0a6fbb to give you f5e5dea152 airplane rides?”771d4a31cb3b3333

Suji let out 4bfe09325d a small chuckle ae703941a6 at the memory.8958df46a4d097f4

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“Of course I do.”4f94ca263e707edb

Back then, she used to think Seo Jaehyun was the coolest guy in the world…0fb96b95918864ac

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Well, even now, a1e729527e he was still 44540c871e ridiculously handsome.3fd75472e31a313c

He was close to 190 d7676312b3 cm tall, with broad shoulders. His eyes held a dreamy d454419626 depth, his nose stood tall 49de9cee62 like it didn’t know the ab197175e5 meaning of humility, and his 6c874fcaaa sharply defined jawline looked like d29f7aba5b it had been sculpted.69fdb9cdb49240d9

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In fact, Suji preferred the 4d6d6f2460 way he looked now in 1bf1d2c793 his thirties to how he 6f6afc5895 had in his twenties, when 23cc6d5f35 his features were more delicate. His expressions had become 2ac29593ef slightly stiffer, more mature, b7777aaaa4 exuding a raw masculinity f022aba3d7 that made him even 841b6b36ab more attractive. He’d always been 8df7d06d2a good-looking, but now 1e0e38d2a3 he had a 7a8b692761 presence to match.5561603424e418e2

That well-aged handsomeness caught Suji’s 92d3708624 eye. Honestly, she’d been 94a4ba5b10 a sucker for 4fa0218b2b a pretty face f66d00b094 since she was f7cb3f9f22 a kid. She used to 20bfbeec14 insist that she ab48017ebf was going to 78a673c88a marry Seo Jaehyun 268a7405c6 when she grew 258825a0b7 up…414fdd105de2b706

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So sitting alone with 614edeadb0 him like this was 796dabb32c a little awkward, but b7d0ab883c whatever. It was all ancient history.e3e5055db8c91c12

“I heard you’re working now. You living with Hotae?”0b8bf4d8ae5d606f

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His absentminded expression annoyed her d1bf56b1c2 a little. The moment she clocked out, 67ca34fd40 she liked to erase all 9b55e64968 thoughts of work from her 21e7e3b69f mind. Sprinkling talk of 1eea5afd93 the office over 4a2660b45d her spicy tteokbokki? Not even Jaehyun could 3e95a5e0d7 get away with that.3da1ea61e4b2cf5f

“Don’t evenmention work.”55ecb742287507bc

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“Why not?”577e9bc28f86557a

“I think I got scammed into this job.”d977ff8c0267508d

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At her raw, a0b7a2e9e1 biting tone, Jaehyun db7ae11682 leaned in slightly, 9ae1467ac5 as if amused 683a0ca560 by the sudden 3d8053cfbc entertainment.b2d922309926b518

“Scammed?”f971769d80f049fc

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Feeling a bit fa69c4d505 self-conscious under his ccef5637be focused gaze, Suji 4df70039ab hesitated for a 408fee10ad moment—then launched straight de73cf0ad9 into her rant 4dabd3c181 about the company.20aa152228835e78

“My darling mom’s son told me to join his company, so I went in clueless, and guess what? All they ever b29425280c do is make f717bcd3fa us work overtime. They say it’s part of 31b81b07ee thecompany culture. Then on weekends, they 8e9428738c drag us out hiking. And the directors, 328998fb26 they’re all about 1a1f2cb1fe bonding with Gen 26634449bc Z or whatever, 8183626793 so they sit 1767794f4c with the new 5224e1af44 hires in the 1767805360 cafeteria and ask a9c3e0b21e us if we’re 246b55763b planning to get a2d3be5fe4 married every time 1c7f4580e8 we eat. I’m only twenty-five! Is marriage even a topic c16007ad98 right now?”c1ed3840cc2a05b0

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She had a lotto get off her chest. Jaehyun, watching her vent with b8e43596e1 a soft smile, nodded along f035d9f641 in sympathy.e65336bc467e7a16