That morning, the air was still damp when I arrived at the office. The ten-story old building stood like a monument. Its wall paint was peeling, and the window glass was covered in dust. Just like the face of this company... old, fragile, but polished to still look dignified.
I held my ID card up to the attendance machine.
Beep!
The green light came on. My face was reflected on the machine's surface, haggard and tired even though the workday had just begun.
'A new day... but it feels the same.'
I headed towards my office on the fourth floor. A motivational poster on the hallway wall stared at me: Hard Work Is The Key To Success. Those words always felt like a mockery.
The moment I opened the office door, the sound of keyboards greeted me.
Click-clack... click-clack...
Cubicles were lined up, each occupied by an employee with a serious face. The smell of instant coffee mixed with cheap perfume made the air feel stuffy.
I sat in the farthest corner every day. My old computer creaked as it turned on, taking almost two minutes to be ready to use.
'One more day... hang in there.'
The routine began: checking emails, copying data, making reports. My fingers pressed the keyboard without any spirit.
Click-clack... click...
Sometimes I heard laughter from other cubicles, or faint gossip. I rarely joined in. They rarely invited me.
"Hey, have you heard?" It was Ji-hye's voice from the next cubicle.
"What?" her friend, Sun-hee, replied.
I kept staring at my screen, but my ears were focused on them.
"They say someone put a camera in the women's restroom on the fifth floor."
Whispers.
"A camera? Seriously?!"
"Yeah. They just found out this morning."
My hand stopped typing.
'A camera? In the women's restroom? Who would dare to do that...?'
My chest tightened, even though I had nothing to do with it.
The whispers spread even wider.
"They say the person who did it is from our division."
"Really? If they get caught, they're screwed."
I felt a subtle gaze in my direction.
'No way... don't tell me they suspect me?'
I looked down, pretending to be busy.
Click-clack... click...
But my fingers were stiff, and the letters on the screen became a jumbled mess.
At nine o'clock, the Division Manager, Choi Do-gun, appeared with a stern face.
"Everyone, gather up!" his voice echoed.
We stood. I looked down.
"You've already heard the camera issue. Management is investigating it. I don't want our department to be tainted. If anyone knows anything, report it now."
My eyes stayed on the floor.
'Why do I feel like his gaze is directed at me?'
After the brief meeting, everyone sat back down. The atmosphere became tense. Piercing stares from all directions.
I tried to focus on my report. The numbers danced on the screen, but my mind was a mess.
'Is it because I'm often asked to deliver files to the fifth floor? Are they using that to accuse me?'
Drrt... drrt...
My phone vibrated on the desk. A message came in.
"Assistant Manager Han, please come see Team Leader Seo Na-young in her office immediately."
I froze.
'Team Leader...? Why am I suddenly being called?'
I glanced over. Seo Na-young was standing at the end of the room, talking to two female staff members. Her body was tall and graceful, and her work dress formed a perfect silhouette. The white blouse she wore accentuated her large chest, while her black skirt highlighted her hips.
She gave a faint smile to her staff, then briefly turned to look at me. That gaze made my blood run cold.
'Is she the one who called me? Is this about the camera gossip?'
I felt my heart pounding against my ribs.
Thump... thump... thump...
My hand trembled as I grabbed my phone again, making sure it was my name in the message. Yes, my name was clearly written.
I slowly closed my laptop, standing up on weak knees. A few pairs of eyes followed my movements. Whispers crept in.
"He got called by Na-young?"
"Why? Don't tell me..."
I clenched my hands tightly.
'What should I say? What if they really accuse me? I didn't... I didn't do it...'
I walked out of my cubicle.
Tap... tap... tap...
The sound of my footsteps was clearly audible in the silence of the workspace.
Seo Na-young's office was at the end of the hallway. I could see her door from a distance. The door was tightly shut, as if hiding a secret.
'What's waiting for me behind there?'
I took a long breath, trying to calm myself down.
Hhh...
My hand touched the doorknob.
Click...
I opened it slowly.
Inside, the scent of a woman's perfume greeted me, both sweet and sharp.
Seo Na-young was sitting behind her desk. Her black hair was neatly styled, and her lips were coated with a sharp red lipstick. She looked up, her smile faint but her eyes so sharp they seemed to strip me bare.
"Assistant Manager Joon-ki," her voice was calm, "have a seat. We need to talk."
The room door closed tightly behind me. The scent of the Team Leader's perfume mixed with the smell of paper documents filling the air. The room was tidy like an interrogation room.
Seo Na-young sat behind a large wooden desk, her fingers tapping the wooden surface slowly.
Tap... tap... tap...
"Assistant Manager Joon-ki." Her voice was flat, each syllable like a judge's hammer. "Do you know why I called you?"
I swallowed, sitting down carefully on the chair in front of her.
'Damn... so it's really about that camera issue.'
I shook my head slowly. "I'm not sure, Team Leader."
Her eyes narrowed. Her red lips formed a thin curve, a smile without warmth.
"The hidden camera issue in the fifth-floor women's restroom. Many are saying... you were the last person seen there."
The veins in my temples tightened.
'What? So I'm the main suspect?!'
I quickly straightened my posture. "I was on the fifth floor... but only to collect report files. Nothing else."
Na-young leaned back in her chair, crossing her long legs. Her white blouse was stretched tight, pressing against her large chest, and her black skirt showed the curves of her hips. It was hard to look her in the eyes without my gaze wandering.
"You can say a lot of things, Joon-ki," she said coldly. "But gossip doesn't come out of nowhere. The fact that you were there is... suspicious enough."
I clenched my hands under the table.
'Why is she talking as if I'm already guilty? Is she deliberately looking for a scapegoat?'
Knock! Knock!
The room door opened. Two security staff members entered, their faces serious. One of them was holding a tablet.
"Team Leader, we've checked the CCTV," said the one in the black suit.
My heart jumped.
"And the results?" Na-young asked, still calm.
"Assistant Manager Joon-ki was indeed seen on the fifth floor. But..." he paused. "The recording only shows him taking a file from the archive cabinet. There's no sign of him entering the women's restroom."
I immediately let out a long sigh.
Hhh...
'Thank god... finally, there's evidence to clear me.'
But Na-young's face remained cold. Her fingers tapped the desk faster.
Tap-tap-tap-tap...
"So, technically... you're not proven guilty," she said slowly. "But that doesn't mean you're free from my suspicion. The fact that you were there... is still too perfect a coincidence."
I almost jumped to my feet. "Team Leader! The CCTV is clear..."
"Enough." Her voice cut me off sharply. Her eyes flashed. "You can go back to your desk. But remember... one mistake, and I'll be the first to call you out."
I left with unsteady steps.
Tap... tap... tap...
The moment the room door closed, whispers immediately erupted.
"He got called by Na-young, right?"
"So it's true he's the suspect."
"Even if he got away this time... who knows, maybe he's really the culprit."
Piercing stares from all directions. Whispers clung to my skin like thorns.
'Why does it feel like even though I've been proven innocent... everyone still sees me as a criminal?'
I returned to my cubicle. The computer screen felt strange.
Click... click...
My hands typed automatically, but my mind was a mess.
The following days were like hell.
Every time I passed by, conversations stopped. Female staff hugged their bags tighter, and the men gave me cynical smiles.
'How long do I have to keep going like this? I haven't even done anything.'
I came on time, finished reports, and helped other staff. But it was all in vain. Gossip was stronger than reality.
'Should I... just resign? But if I leave, won't they be even more convinced I'm guilty?'
That night, after working late, I walked home to my apartment. The cold air bit at my skin. The dim streetlights made long shadows cling to the ground.
I loosened my tie and took a heavy breath.
Hhh...
'If this continues... I'll be ruined.'
At the end of the alley near my apartment, I heard a commotion.
Heh-heh-heh...
I quickened my pace.
A strange man, tall and big, was blocking a young woman. His hand was trying to grab her arm, and his mouth reeked of alcohol.
"Come on, noona... keep me company for a drink. Don't act all innocent, alright?"
The woman tried to push him away. Her face was pale. I knew her—she was my neighbor from the apartment building, Eun-ji.
"Let go! I don't want to!"
My hand instinctively raised my phone.
Click! (camera activated)
I recorded him.
"Stop right now. I'm recording everything. If you keep going, I'll call the police."
The man turned. His eyes were red, and the veins in his neck were tight.
"WHAT?!"
He took a quick step closer. Eun-ji gave a small shriek.
I kept my phone steady, even though my hand was trembling.
'If he attacks me, I'm screwed. But I can't back down.'
Tap! Tap!
He stopped right in front of me, his angry face just inches from mine.
"You dare record me, huh?!"
I pretended to press the screen.
Beep...
"One more step, and I'll call the police right now."
He cursed crudely, spat on the ground, and then backed away.
"Damn it... you coward!"
Then he hurried away.
Tap... tap... tap...
Eun-ji let out a long sigh. "Oh my god... thank you, ahjussi. If you hadn't come..." Her voice was shaking.
"Ahjussi? I'm still young!" I said, a little surprised.
She gave a shy chuckle, her cheeks turning red. "Hehe... reflex. But still, you're my savior tonight."
I sighed in resignation.
'She called me ahjussi... I'm not that old.'
Eun-ji looked at me gently. "As a thank you... want to have a quick drink with me?"
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
Meanwhile, far away in the empty company building, an old warehouse door slowly opened.
Creeeeak... (the door creaked)
A light illuminated the flying dust. Two figures stepped inside. Team Leader Seo Na-young... along with a mysterious man whose face was covered in shadow.
Without a word, they moved deeper inside.
Screeech... screeech... (steps on the dusty floor)
The door closed again.
Clack!
Darkness swallowed them.