It was the staff member I had run into at Daejin Hospital last time.
He approached me, waving his hand cheerfully as he looked at me.
“…Oh? You came to work right after being discharged.”
He looked completely different from when he was wearing a patient gown.
Seeing him at the broadcasting station, it was hard to believe that he was a patient who had undergone surgery, as he looked so healthy.
“Yes. I took quite a break because of the surgery.”
He said that and let out an awkward laugh.
However, it was strange that a filming team staff member came all the way to the programming department to find me.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh, the director said you should attend the meeting starting today.”
As I tilted my head at the mention of the meeting, he quietly added an explanation.
“It’s a news item meeting.”
“Ah, when does the meeting start?”
“It starts at 3 pm today.”
Hearing about the item meeting, the anchor appointment felt more real.
Still, I was puzzled by his actions of coming all the way to the programming department.
I wondered why he came all this way for something that could have been conveyed over the phone.
“I came to tell you and also to talk to one of the anchors.”
He added that, as if reading my expression.
“I see. Thank you. I’ll see you in the newsroom tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was scheduled to be my first broadcast after returning as an anchor.
“Oh? Do you have something to tell me too?”
My senior, who had been listening to our conversation, turned his chair to look at the staff member.
“Yes. I have something to tell you about the broadcast. Can you monitor now?”
Seeing the staff member standing uncomfortably next to Young Joon’s seat, I got up from my seat.
“You can sit in my seat. Please feel free to talk.”
Sitting in my seat, which was right next to his, would be more convenient for discussing while looking at the monitor.
Young Joon looked at me as I got up from my seat and asked.
“Yoon, where are you going?”
“I have to stop by the HR department for a moment.”
Since there was a call from the HR team, probably due to the appointment, I was planning to go there now.
I hadn’t noticed while sitting, but as I walked down the office corridor, the staring felt piercing.
‘The gazes are still the same.’
Perhaps because it was right after the anchor appointment, the blatant stares clung to me.
With sharp eyes that oozed wariness.
.
.
.
As Yeo Jin left, the quiet programming department became noisy again.
Most people were talking with displeased faces.
“So the appointment really happened. Geez. She’s going to be an anchor after all.”
“It’s ridiculous. If they were going to do this, why bother with the audition instead of just picking based on family background?”
The complaints burst out here and there after Yeo Jin disappeared.
As the surroundings became bustling, the staff member raised his head.
“?”
Young Joon also seemed to hear the sounds, as he stopped talking and fell silent.
Then, he slammed down the script he was holding and stood up abruptly.
“Everyone, can you stop?”
Young Joon, who initially intended to just watch, started to get angry at the people’s behavior that crossed the line.
It angered him that they were talking behind Yeo Jin’s back when even the news team’s filming staff was present.
“Why are you all so interested in someone else’s family affairs? And don’t you see that there are people from other departments here?”
The atmosphere around them became heavy as Young Joon’s scolding words sank in.
Just moments ago, an announcer who had been conversing with him replied to Young Joon in a resentful tone.
“Even if it’s someone else’s family affairs, where would you find an anchor who doesn’t care about their sick parents? She hasn’t even shown her face at the hospital.”
“That’s right. An anchor’s image is directly connected to the credibility of the news. Viewers would be shocked if they knew.”
“That’s what I’m saying. It’s only a matter of time before it spreads, now that it’s on the broadcast station’s community board.”
Not only within the company’s community, but the rumors about Yeo Jin spread by word of mouth as well.
‘She became an heiress and bought her anchor position with money.’
‘She became an anchor thanks to her parents, but she doesn’t even show her face to them while they’re struggling.’
The rumors grew and eventually inflated as if they were facts.
“To be honest, I thought it was weird when that senior returned to work.”
Amid the criticisms bursting out from everywhere, Young Joon loosened his tie with a suffocating feeling.
How could they be so sure of a rumor that wasn’t even a confirmed fact?
Though it wasn’t his own issue, Young Joon felt a sense of betrayal from his colleagues.
“It’s just a rumor. She hasn’t even talked about it herself. Aren’t you all too certain?”
The office froze as if his sharp words had thrown cold water on the conversation.
As he said, the person at the center of the rumor hadn’t said anything.
‘Unable to say anything like this.’
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
