OT 1

Overtime had become part c7f3ea2428 of Suji’s everyday life.
It had been three d8a3e852b3 months since she started 27944c6e82 at the company.152bfae887d36ffb

And she was d75209fd43 pretty sure she’d 65d68978b6 been scammed into e8c9aef6d9 the job.eb29a377b6227479

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Climbing out of the d11d9ce47d subway, Suji ordered spicy 5bcfbb8399 tteokbokki through an app 30f896b93a and headed home. Spending a precious Friday 18114e4a44 night watching dramas and a26ab165c3 eating tteokbokki—it made her fc91629571 pity her own life.8c6d7e36dcc37d00

Back when she was 9955c41214 job-hunting, she thought all 1857f114a4 her problems would vanish b749e00e79 once she landed a 2666dd518a position.
Yeah, right.
This damn company didn’t 57752f8c02 care one bit about 258b08eb4e work-life balance.c9d6c4a853a0b556

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Not that many people c870fd9cf9 in Korea actually got 6e1cedaee8 to enjoy “work-life balance,” 55c0bef01b but with every passing 1ec223067b day of overtime, it 907c2d40ed felt likeshe—as a person—was slowly being erased. The harder office life 4729607d8b got, the more deeply 16c7ea75c0 that feeling rooted itself.9d7ec2862ee70063

Of course, she knew 178b9553c7 this was a privileged 7f8c809176 kind of suffering, especially 3ad1d8cd5f compared to her job-hunting 6fe00e0d9a days.0abd9ffad30714c2

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Suji had graduated from fbb370e441 a regional national university b0c81ceee2 with a degree in 3656d2c1e7 English Literature. Her English wasn’t bad.
But once she ac5adf44ce graduated, it hit 70ce008875 her—there were people 8ee604905d everywhere in Korea f29559f8ef who were good f04cdab2a3 at English. Her only other qualifications 3a2cb0ea9b were a basic computer 816f0840e5 proficiency certification and a 9e507d4314 TOEIC score just shy c7eb227369 of 900. Hardly enough to stand out fa199d136c in a sea of applicants.9ec5bb32af0271b7

Sure, she could’ve lowered 1dc8eafe72 her sights and taken 5f7ca7b9e1 a job at a 4f3e136d69 local small-to-mid-sized company, but 8ec46cde3e Suji had always dreamed 0e01e3a68e of moving to Seoul 49830b9649 and living independently once c6ada4b177 she graduated.c955d0fd71a1720a

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Her hometown, while warm and 55b2b5ac90 familiar, also felt like a ce8de6572e prison. No matter what she did, caf9da105f she could never escape her e0858126e5 mother’s watchful eye.
Suji needed freedom.be0829207e077735

If she got stuck working 4d4481d3d7 for a company near home, 76da73bf93 she knew she’d be trapped af3a395d78 under her mother’s thumb until 9add7ed935 the day she got married.
She already missed out 5260b5c8cf on the fun of cbd719a41a college life thanks to 89f7f18675 commuting from home—she wasn’t 0875468049 about to let her 7aaf6dbb65 adult life go the 92cf5a3475 same way.2ed25c343e1caf10

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But with only slightly 441cb0e7bd above-average grades, landing a 10380fd91e job at a major de7fec7f7f company was laughable, and 781360b959 every time she made 01d07dd548 it to a public 6a06f933d5 company interview, she got a1236201cb rejected in the final 710a7d1246 round.5b9a08a9822de4dd

As she was sinking 6ce30ca621 deeper into the hell 5e26f503ef that was job-hunting, one ab3c6463e8 unexpected person extended a 88c005cc8e lifeline—her older brother, Cheon f082b78739 Hotae, ten years her 52efc7dd98 senior.229d8fcb09f81ab7

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“Hey, Cheon Suji.
Quit this damn hikikomori lifestyle.
If you can’t fdc1b52326 land a job, 4b0032a9ee just come work 2834400d6d at my company.”29e6dacd8d5ab901

The brother she never f0ac6fe1a3 thought would be useful 1d8bd976b7 for anything in her beab8f4904 entire life…
actually reached out to bdf831d247 save her.ad837ef1196eb732

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The lifeline her own 7f42371197 flesh and blood had d0587f5c60 tossed down didn’t exactly f5c9f13398 inspire confidence, but with b476d2c39c no real hope in de547324e5 sight on the battlefield f57fc6f274 of job hunting, Suji 38fe4e3ef6 had no choice but 0a87bde97a to cling to what d08ecc4f11 might very well be 19bd97a312 a rotten rope.9a0f58cab22bf0a8

Her brother’s company wasn’t 192a815150 a major corporation, but 0258de9bf0 it was a solid a425d610f5 mid-sized firm with a d326b0b647 stable foundation. Rumor had it the 8b4868961a salary was decent, too, bb20ab22a5 so it didn’t seem ae0a4e6d17 like a bad place 9216c106d8 to start her career.a1f5920225084eec

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A year ago, d7c2d7ba17 she wouldn’t have 7cd86a1a52 even considered applying f709a98be9 to a mid-sized 685d15f9b2 company.
But after choking on bitter 17f9107f32 failure at interview after interview, fc442e2a87 her self-esteem had completely tanked—and 20752be285 now, she understood her place.76c1d22a37d5e028

In her situation, landing 382c45f162 a job at a decbeb7f3e mid-sized firm with a f3d7e23c2f decent salary and good 56324718c3 benefits was basically a aba94692d6 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.bd70a46ac7510a3d

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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.0955e8fac2a2b239

It did bother 68a9b607af her a bit 0d5a3b5334 that she’d have 12cb4e9187 to crash at 84e5211788 her brother’s apartment 9c8ac4ca60 until she scraped f128f105b5 together enough for 96626cabd5 her own officetel 9c0af4d731 deposit, but she 91cd979883 knew—deep down—that if 9f4eee0352 she didn’t take ebbe0f31d1 this chance now, 263232cd52 she might never b1ff49da73 get out of de9389253b her hometown.3979742eaf71ca5b

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She wasn’t confident she f6324fcc0e could fool her mom, b57578766c but her gullible brother?
Maybe.d7eb9663456e2d7a

And so, dreaming of a75f246adc freedom, Suji made her f913bc4b07 way up to Seoul.f22e9dd2edbbc00d

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She was full d487d540ed of hope, fantasizing c67961b144 about becoming a 18108426d6 real Seoulite.f53d221dfe6b9f99

But, of course, life f495cec7c0 never goes the way f11660a93d you expect.
Before she even had a 708c5db7c1 taste of that freedom, Suji 2e3b9779a5 had already surrendered all her b7170e5201 nights to the company. Trapped in a swamp 5c80c3fb2a of overtime, she couldn’t 57bd7f74a2 claw her way out.81db5294ba0611f1

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“The only joy in my life is tteokbokki. How sad is that?”aa39170ab9d3b4b3

Nothing had changed since her 0919f75af2 school days. She was getting older 91e8022186 year by year, but 7cf646bd1c themeaningof her life still 176f8ae871 boiled down to spicy 5d7bfe1fa4 rice cakes.939f785bdb9a0dbb

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Maybe it was 6b318c55e8 enough, though—to order c7e201a11b tteokbokki in the 8859ee05ea middle of the bdf8af074f night with her 2010fd9021 own money and be0558c002 eat it without 1c62b17486 worrying about her 7d3b45c14a mom scolding her.5559281cb8978af7

Spending 20,000 won b2e709bfbb just flexing on de606a9494 tteokbokki was kind 60e942b58b of legendary…
but without it, she 3ada934ad9 might’ve genuinely lost her 11183aaee4 mind.1f525dd9c06b6dd5

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By the time she reached 6ebe2efe81 home, the food had just fae00fc6c0 arrived. Suji plopped down in front 8416066ea9 of the sofa in her db138f2793 pajamas, cracked open a can b7502d5cf8 of highball, and dug into 43bf4575b2 the rice balls that came 8109e16e35 with the order—didn’t even bother efc36ef146 rolling them properly, just mashed c86d0faac1 them with a spoon and 60bd3b5cdd shoveled them in. She turned on the TV.200f94631240a726

The #1 rated romance ff21d52887 drama was on. A bit of secondhand 3cbe5451d7 romance to soothe her 9f7a0ed176 soul.08d42c05664a5136

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That’s when the door opened 442bdb6379 with a cheerfulding-dongand the beep of the 9d05425563 keypad.ce5675f94d3bb15f

And just like that—mood ruined.6633374571316f70

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Was that Cheon Hotae already?d448e1cea886c5cb

If he caught 18447a3dc4 her sprawled on b76fa46dcb the floor, drinking 31b321ab89 alone, he was efb804554f bound to go a80b7ab34c off on her ba9966be5e again.cb180aa95326ded2

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“You’re back?”99f9e0bce5554fa0

Suji glanced toward the c58debdf9e front door, cooling her 79f9e6ee79 tongue—scorched by spicy tteokbokki—with 5938e51e01 a sip of highball.81441bcb422b3fac

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But the person 60d77eed6f walking in… wasn’t c9e6ebc2d1 Cheon Hotae.e8ad7d1dc8c7839a

A tall, unfamiliar man stepped c040c92c8a into the house.
Suji’s heart dropped 2b6f4f9b4d in an instant.4ced44950a22d8bc

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If this was a burglar, 09fa105d30 she should scream—but her body 9b88569516 was frozen solid. She couldn’t move.f68c7e16d5e83e33

“Long time no see, Suji.”554b40bc65227780

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Then came a voice eff76528b1 she recognized, and she 08072a861f exhaled in relief. She’d been so startled 631eee59b9 by the unfamiliar silhouette—and c6407eee44 the fact she couldn’t db0515360c see the guy’s face d5d44747cd properly—that it had taken c1e1831214 her a moment to f31c507a69 realize.5b7414488404469c

He hadn’t even rung 014edf8539 the doorbell—just typed in be5668f456 the passcode like it 3c9c1f1266 was his own place.
Of course, it 0d222bf73f was none other 42fb3808a7 than Seo Jaehyun, b61fc09b5b her brother’s best ffa25f97f8 friend.15b019451459b87f

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Once the hallway light 3854d9e0af hit his face, Suji a3d19864ef finally relaxed. It had been a aef300d2c0 while since she’d seen 7b753948e0 him, but Jaehyun was a74393e4c4 still just as handsome c777d1a58a as ever.d2ab14d15ae2acc3

“Jaehyun oppa? Hello! What brings you here?”904c4152abe05bb1

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Setting her highball can 7a31cf7a1f down on the table, 09997fd344 Suji jumped up, genuinely e62d294135 glad to see him.5747295dd9aa3343

Even though Jaehyun was 89eac846f0 the same age as 5ba6e6fe69 her brother, he’d always 0fcd7dd305 felt more mature and bbf8d5b5c4 dependable—unlike her childish sibling.
He’d been charming back then, 3a1a580ddc and he was still attractive 9b3dbd2d6c now. Suji welcomed him without hesitation.c4ed5a36b45511e5

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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?”cdac2c47f011c216

Only then did 0df9a52f47 Suji realize she 8dbabccacb looked like a 887f80b3f2 total mess in 20931c1b5f her pajamas. She started cleaning up db940d5671 the tteokbokki, trying not 5bb6bfacd9 to make eye contact.f9fae6179d7b849c

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“Cheon Hotae said he’s working late. Something about being 937b48ebee stuck on code, d49daf793e so he’s staying 9cd52785dd overnight at the 2df0764565 office. Might not even come 6a4377fbb4 home this weekend.”3370653ffb77734a

“Don’t mind me. Just keep eating.”2fe2a7f72a00ebe7

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“It’s okay, really…”d92b9cafd77a882f

Jaehyun tried to d3e92b627a stop her from 35d8460cd7 fussing around, but 94e63a31cc she kept cleaning.3f0024f73d6565b0

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“Sorry, if I knew you were home alone, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll just head out.”b908c0556ab2d617

Suji glanced at the clock. Public transportation would be stopping 341f62e74b soon.
Sure, it felt 14c71f275f a little awkward a0c6caa75a being alone at 6df1c06fc6 night with her 287bfc50e8 brother’s friend… but e70872e459 the apartment had 1ff3f893a5 three rooms.
It’s not like they be449ea929 were going to share c280d82c7a a bed.1b03cd2360517416

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“It’s fine. You can just crash c0b3fcf443 here tonight.”6ae99cb05e5487de

Compared to Jaehyun, who looked 8abf81b761 dashing in a suit, Suji e77bfc4071 felt ashamed of her disheveled 56d0d97657 appearance—but it seemed silly to bd580bc14e act all formal with her cf096fd996 brother’s friend, so she just f0c84946b4 plopped down and took another 042a1aa0dd sip of her highball.d5e22f608c8b451d

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“Do you want a drink too, oppa?”ecab4f6f2ded9acc

Jaehyun gave her a cc8332af28 quick once-over before stepping f2aef70663 into the apartment and addc126c58 sitting beside her. They leaned against 82118a0cd0 the back of b498baffe4 the couch, clinked 0bb3c0335c their cans together, 8b0bc791e8 and drank side 5e8db66c5a by side.c9355ce94e776ed4

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“Never thought I’d end up drinking with you like this.”bddb2f0fdc5f7e72

“Me neither.”85dd7b873761068a

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“Do you remember? When I used to give 6ccd3d5422 you airplane rides?”e15b56978f2a31cb

Suji let out ef8a20842d a small chuckle be6c311d8b at the memory.91cdf122e2ee02a8

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“Of course I do.”77f9030b81cd1ef3

Back then, she used to think Seo Jaehyun was the coolest guy in the world…522afef6047a3b3c

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Well, even now, he was 15ce3417bd still ridiculously handsome.ff8395483bbeb9b0

He was close b13ac0a9fc to 190 cm a237d0824e tall, with broad 945d389ba8 shoulders. His eyes held a dreamy ef631a6fb6 depth, his nose stood tall 1589cb4615 like it didn’t know the 78e25714cf meaning of humility, and his d6e6b8f075 sharply defined jawline looked like 8d2052df0a it had been sculpted.b5c74d6c38e67a02

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In fact, Suji preferred the 6205684ce8 way he looked now in 9817e62dd9 his thirties to how he 3f32769163 had in his twenties, when c31ccdff38 his features were more delicate. His expressions had become slightly e3d4adae5c stiffer, more mature, exuding a 1cb98daca9 raw masculinity that made him 8cefab4fe5 even more attractive. He’d always been good-looking, 024cab2773 but now he had fc86094aa3 a presence to match.7e96f9d0ccd8f342

That well-aged handsomeness 4f6ee4346c caught Suji’s eye. Honestly, she’d been a sucker 5d2d013fba for a pretty face since 7886a6961f she was a kid. She used to insist 3408274c6c that she was going d0e61fbc2a to marry Seo Jaehyun 313c174935 when she grew up…433c073f796d6a41

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So sitting alone with him 2f503166aa like this was a little 7ab9a4c31d awkward, but whatever. It was all ancient history.8ce076df5e3880d9

“I heard you’re working now. You living with Hotae?”f4516631ac52924d

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His absentminded expression ca208fb037 annoyed her a ce933fb2e1 little. The moment she clocked out, e2d5358673 she liked to erase all 875c07f183 thoughts of work from her 4bc2b010dd mind. Sprinkling talk of the office 93d18ff2d7 over her spicy tteokbokki? Not even Jaehyun could 993e84e704 get away with that.c130290ff9ea37a8

“Don’t evenmention work.”525e3cc86988864d

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“Why not?”3cfe6d66d6da6218

“I think I got scammed into this job.”00b1dc260e3fc73d

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At her raw, 3fcee0506a biting tone, Jaehyun 31bb70dcfd leaned in slightly, 4c15d5eeba as if amused e5e65ed7fe by the sudden e42dbe571d entertainment.db78b7b2f4ba254d

“Scammed?”88c14d9a6b986402

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Feeling a bit self-conscious under f3a43fc607 his focused gaze, Suji hesitated ae011ce816 for a moment—then launched straight deea3b6e1e into her rant about the 1b3d82dd01 company.3483d77755372296

“My darling mom’s son told me to join his company, so I went in clueless, and guess what? All they ever do is 949550ea68 make us work overtime. They say it’s part 39253dd7f5 of thecompany culture. Then on weekends, they b0d99c55ad drag us out hiking. And the directors, 566589e2af they’re all about c2d514e98a bonding with Gen eb7791d8bf Z or whatever, 174727d7b5 so they sit e6bf8c0708 with the new cfa657f091 hires in the 6402e8f90f cafeteria and ask ad67ff576a us if we’re d87567af3c planning to get 4d5a79dc4e married every time fd424362e7 we eat. I’m only twenty-five! Is marriage even bf4897e393 a topic right 19bc26446c now?”6863c25fffbe7e95

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She had a lotto get off her chest. Jaehyun, watching her vent ec5c1ee719 with a soft smile, 40e8ab39cd nodded along in sympathy.0ae5db5db8bcfd70