Due to the commotion in the morning, all of my energy was drained. With barely any makeup on, just hastily applying lipstick, Si Hyun ended up being late for work despite rushing out.

[I can’t let this go easily.] Woo Jin, who had exploded in anger seeing Si Hyun leaving Tae Ha’s house, spat out the words and left. Just the thought of having to meet Woo Jin later and explain various things made my head hurt already.

All I wanted was to get married like everyone else and have a happy family. Was that too much to ask for me…?

As soon as she arrived at work, Si Hyun headed for Tae Ha’s office.

“I’m here to see the director.”
Telling the secretary, an okay sign fell from inside a moment later.

“Come in.”
The moment she entered the office, that fragrance she had smelled several times before lingered. The scent unique to Yun Tae Ha, a blend of bitterness and freshness.

The man who seemed ready to grab Woo Jin by the collar and fight this morning was looking at Si Hyun with calm and cool eyes, as if nothing had happened.

“Are you already planning on deleting it? I believe I gave you a week.”
At the overly businesslike tone, Si Hyun momentarily forgot what she was going to say.

Si Hyun quickly switched back to work mode and answered decisively.

“No matter how much I think about it, there are no unnecessary features in our app. Each one was selected after thorough internal and external research.”
“Do you think research is everything? Then why do they say Apple doesn’t do research?”
“That’s……”
Tae Ha, with his arms crossed, shot back quickly.

“I assume you, Deputy Kang Si Hyun, would know that users don’t always know and answer what they want. Still, because the respondents said they need this and that, didn’t you keep this feature and that feature? Didn’t you change the questions for each business unit during the internal research? Did any of the business units really say let’s remove this because it’s not necessary in their app features?”
Surprised, Si Hyun stared widemouthed at Tae Ha. Because it was the first time she had heard Yun Tae Ha speak so long.

What? You knew how to talk this long?

Only a beat later did she realize that each and every one of his words was criticizing her, and Si Hyun hardened her face.

“I’ve been working as a UX planner for eight years now. I didn’t create it thoughtlessly.”

Given the significance of the project, she had done her utmost. Although it was still just a prototype, she was somewhat confident about the work done.

“Did you see the user journey maps of existing apps?”
As if she would make them without looking at that? Si Hyun lifted her chin and confidently retorted.

“Of course.”
However, Tae Ha asked again.

“I mean, not the one you anticipated and drew during the app planning stage, but did you dig through the user logs and directly view the actual usage records?”
“That far…”
With Si Hyun at a loss for words, Tae Ha looked at her as if he had expected this.

“Bring back the redrawn actual user journey maps after checking each app’s user logs, doing funnel analysis. The deadline is in two days.”
Si Hyun doubted her own ears. The OneApp she was currently creating was a project to consolidate seven different apps into one.

“So, you’re telling me to go through the user logs of seven different apps in two days?”
When she asked for confirmation, Tae Ha countered.

“And the journey maps as well. Do I need to say it three times?”
“No…”
Her pride prevented her from saying she couldn’t do it.

This seemed like it would require more than two allnighters. Enduring the darkness that seemed to engulf her sight, Si Hyun turned her back. Just before leaving the office, she remembered her original purpose.

“And, Director.”
Tae Ha, seeming to say ‘What?’, lifted his eyes to stare at her intently.

“I think it’s best if we don’t go to each other’s houses in the future. It seems my fiancé is uncomfortable.”
It was a decision she made on her way to work earlier.

Tae Ha was also very important, but not as much as the man she was going to marry. Even if they were innocent, Si Hyun thought it would be right to keep a distance if her fiancé felt uncomfortable.

Even if it upset Tae Ha, there was nothing she could do.

“I’ll take my leave then.”
However, unable to bear to look straight at Tae Ha’s expression, Si Hyun bowed her head and left as she was.

((()))

In the dimly lit office after everyone had left, only one spot was lit.

Of course, it was Si Hyun’s spot.

The current time was ten in the evening. After making do with a triangle gimbap for dinner, Si Hyun was engaged in a staring contest with the monitor until her eyes were ready to fall out.

“Assistant Manager Kang!”
At the energetic voice, Si Hyun finally stretched and spun her chair around.

“Would you like to have a latenight snack?”
Bora waved a paper bag with a bright smile.

“How did you know I was working late?”

“I also worked overtime today. As I was about to leave, I noticed that only your desk light was on, so I went out and bought a sandwich and coffee.”