Lee Ha-na's life was not a graceful K-drama montage. It was more like a series of increasingly embarrassing blooper reels, sped up and set to manic banjo music.
The worst offense of the morning wasn't that she was ten minutes late for her first official day as a marketing intern at The Phoenix Group. It was the incident with the convenience store coffee.
She'd been running, juggling her portfolio, her overstuffed brown shoulder bag, and a large iced latte. She hit the final curb near the Phoenix skyscraper and, in a moment of true cinematic clumsiness, she tripped. The latte sailed through the air, performing a perfect, slow-motion arc before splattering against the immaculate, pale gray trouser leg of the man stepping out of a black sedan.
The man was stunningly handsome, impeccably tailored, and now thoroughly soaked in caramel-flavored iced coffee.
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry, sir! Please—I didn't see you, I'm so clumsy, I'll clean it up—" Ha-na stammered, frantically pulling a crumpled napkin from her pocket.
The man's face, which had been set in an expression of intimidating, icy professionalism, remained completely unmoved. He simply looked down at the dark, wet stain blooming on his thigh, then slowly up at Ha-na, his dark eyes radiating pure, unadulterated annoyance.
"Don't touch me," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Just stand still and don't make anything worse."
The shame burned across Ha-na's cheeks. This was it. First day, and she had just ruined a suit that probably cost more than her rent. She felt a sudden, desperate urge to disappear.
Her hand instinctively went to the bulky, antique pocket watch she always wore on a chain, a strange heirloom that felt weighted and warm. She'd found it in a vintage shop, and it never actually told the correct time, but today, she was desperate.
"I wish… I wish I had just one minute back," she whispered to the cool metal casing.
A strange thing happened. The pocket watch gave a low, musical CHIME, and the entire world stuttered. The loud traffic noise instantly rewound itself.The birdsong outside played backward. Ha-na's stomach lurched, like riding a roller coaster in reverse.
Then, everything snapped back to normal.
Ha-na found herself standing exactly where she was five seconds ago, her feet still on the final curb. The iced latte was still perfectly chilled in her hand. The black sedan was still pulling up to the curb.
Wait. What?
She blinked, convinced she was delusional from lack of sleep. But the memory of the coffee-stained man was too sharp.
The car door opened. The stunning, impeccably tailored man stepped out.
This is real! I actually got a do-over!
Ha-na didn't hesitate. Using her single, precious minute, she launched herself backward, sacrificing the latte entirely. She hurled it into a nearby garbage bin, simultaneously tripping over her own feet, collapsing in a heap just as the man walked
past.
He paused, glancing down at her crumpled form and the perfectly clean trousers.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his tone still cold but carrying a hint of detached obligation.
Ha-na scrambled up, clutching her pocket watch, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Yes, sir! Perfectly fine! Just... practicing my yoga," she chirped, managing a wobbly smile.
He stared at her for a long, silent moment, his disapproval still palpable. "The lobby is that way, intern."
He continued walking. Ha-na let out a huge sigh of relief, dusting herself off. She'd saved the suit, but she still felt like an idiot.
She rushed into the sleek, intimidating glass lobby of The Phoenix Group, only to realize the worst truth: the man she had almost baptized with caramel coffee was standing at the security desk.
He looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raising slightly.
"You're late, Lee Ha-na," he said, picking up a badge bearing the title: Team Leader Kang Ji-hoon. "And you can explain your strange morning maneuvers in my office."
Ha-na took a deep, steadying breath, the expensive, glass-and-steel lobby suddenly feeling like a gilded cage. She whispered the mantra of her impending doom, a title only she knew: Welcome to the Hell Office.
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Written by Lee So-yun