Episode 4
That fierce resolve she’d made earlier?
It shattered within minutes.
Ha‑yoon regretted walking into Team 2’s office almost the second she arrived—and kept regretting it over and over.
It hit her harder than ever how easygoing life on Team 1 was compared to this place.
Here? It was like stepping into a battlefield.
She’d always kind of known that a team leader was supposed to show real leadership,
but being here made her realize it for real.
A real leader… that was someone like Tae‑jun.
Team Leader Chae doesn’t actually do any work, so I guess his people got good by doing everything themselves…
Byung‑wook didn’t do anything.
He just pointed fingers and barked orders while his team worked themselves ragged.
If his team were the ants, then he was the grasshopper, whistling while pushing them around.
All smooth talk and no skill—he was basically a newbie with a title.
Honestly, his team members seemed way more fit to lead than him.
Watching him hum a little tune and bow over and over to the higher‑ups, acting like he did all the work, made Ha‑yoon’s skin crawl.
“How can he be like that…?”
She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she just couldn’t.
His own team didn’t even react anymore.
No matter what he did or said, they just quietly did their jobs.
And weirdly enough, Team 2’s members seemed to have each other’s backs because of it.
Since their team leader didn’t take care of them, they made up for it by taking care of each other.
“Ha‑yoon, could you help me with something?”
It was Deputy Manager Seong Jun‑ho from Team 2.
“The team leader suddenly said this has to go in the live broadcast, even though we didn’t talk about it in the meeting. Could you explain it to the host? I’ll buy you coffee later.”
It wasn’t a big deal.
Jun‑ho handed her the materials before running off when someone else called him.
Even though live broadcasts were exhausting, there was always that thrill.
Sure, she joined KJ Media because of Tae‑jun… but the work suited her more than she’d expected.
She liked being around people.
She even enjoyed meetings where they picked out new products for broadcasts, or going out to brand meetings.
It was fun in its own way.
“Alright… let’s go through this quickly.”
Ha‑yoon carefully reviewed the notes from start to finish.
Summarizing key points and relaying them clearly—she was used to this by now.
Of course, it hadn’t been easy at first. She still remembered those early days…
‘I guess you didn’t even understand the task I gave you, Miss Jung. And you call this working? Did you come here to play? If you’re not going to do your job properly, go home.’
She let out a small laugh at the memory. Tae‑jun had chewed her out so badly she’d cried all the way home.
Back then she’d been new, clueless, and assumed he’d be nice because they knew each other.
But no—he’d been ice cold. She could still see that sharp look in his eyes.
She’d been bawling, face buried in her pillow, when the doorbell rang.
When she opened the door, still sniffling… there was Yoon Tae‑jun, the same guy who’d been so harsh.
He’d stared at her swollen red eyes and said:
“Come on. I’ll help you. Just this once.”
She hadn’t understood at first, but then realized—he’d come because he felt bad about yelling at her.
He stayed late into the night, patiently going over every detail until she understood.
Give you a hard time, then treat you after, she’d thought bitterly…
But her heart still pounded like crazy because he was helping her.
“You cried because I scolded you?”
“Of course I did…”
He’d smirked and ruffled her hair.
“Tough it out. You’ll thank me later.”
At the time she’d thought he was just being mean…
but it didn’t take long to see why he’d been so strict.
In live broadcasting, every second counts. One small delay can turn into a disaster.
Thanks to him, I can handle this now…
Today’s live broadcast product was a pair of pants and a blouse.
She read through everything again… then frowned.
Wait… if they use this size, the host’s gonna have a hard time putting it on…
She knew the host’s size—she’d worked with her before.
And this brand ran smaller than standard, so it was always safer to size up.
She knew this. Any experienced team leader should know this.
Did Team Leader Chae… forget?
Ha‑yoon looked around for him. He was on his phone.
Feeling her eyes on him, he turned sharply.
“What?”
“Team Leader, can I have a quick word?”
He waved her off mid‑call, signaling her to wait. She nodded, waited until he was done.
“What? Spit it out.”
He walked over, still on the line.
“The script said there’s a new line for the live broadcast. I was reviewing it and… I think there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“The product size is smaller than standard. If we use this size, the host might not be able to wear it on air.”
“What?”
He glared at her, eyes sharp like he might snap any second.
Ha‑yoon swallowed hard but kept going.
This was important—if there was a mistake, it would blow back on Tae‑jun too.
“Our team’s worked with this host before, so I know her size. And we’ve worked with this brand too, so I’ve tried the fit myself. That’s why—”
“Oh, so you’re bragging now?”
“…Sorry?”
“You’re saying, what, Team 2 is so pathetic you guys get to look down on us?”
“No, Team Leader, that’s not what I meant. I just thought maybe—”
“Why are you even worrying about this? Does your team think we’re all idiots?”
Ha‑yoon froze.
She hadn’t meant to insult anyone—she’d just wanted to help.
Did I sound condescending somehow?
She replayed her words in her head, but no—nothing she said should’ve been offensive.
Byung‑wook’s voice rose as he pointed at her.
“Answer me! Or are you ignoring me now?”
“N-no! I just—”
Then his hand shoved her head hard, making it jerk back.
“And you think you know enough to teach me? Huh?!”
He wasn’t going to stop.
No one intervened—like they’d all seen this before. They just sat there with that here we go again look.
Ha‑yoon realized again: in this team, Byung‑wook was king. His word was law.
And he treated his people like they were his servants.
“This is why I hate bringing people over from Team 1. No respect, no manners. Ugh.”
His yelling kept going, his voice grating on everyone’s nerves.
Ha‑yoon bowed her head over and over, trying to defuse him.
“I’m sorry, Team Leader. It’s my fault.”
Finally, hearing the words he wanted, he stopped jabbing his finger at her.
“Ha. Now you admit you’re wrong. Took you long enough—typical of useless people.”
It wasn’t even her team’s broadcast. She’d only spoken up because she wanted to help.
But now she could see how he might’ve taken it as an insult.
“Really, I’m sorry, Team Leader.”
“Don’t piss me off again. Go stand in a corner and do what you’re told. Got it?”
“…Yes. Understood.”
“Great. Just what I needed before a live show. If this broadcast flops, it’s on you. Now move!”
He shoved her shoulder as he stormed off, and only then did everyone else exhale like they’d been holding their breath.
Ha‑yoon kept her head down, fighting back tears. She couldn’t let them fall.
“Ha‑yoon… about that…”
Some of the Team 2 staff came over, faces full of guilt but unable to find the right words.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help her—they just couldn’t risk it.
And Ha‑yoon understood.
If she were on this team, she’d probably be too scared to step in too.
She forced a bright smile and lifted her head.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. Let’s just focus on the broadcast.”
Then she went back to her assigned task, relaying only the updated captions to the host.
She didn’t mention the size issue again.
And deep down, she knew—that was the safest choice.
