Office Gossip.

Break time had barely started when Baek Jisoo rushed into the employee lounge, her expression a mix of giddy excitement and self-righteous fury. She spotted Lee Jihye, Oh Minhyuk, and Park Jeongmin sitting at their usual corner table, eating lunch. She didn't know them per se but she had seen them eat together and their respective working stations were close to each other.

Perfect.

Sliding into the seat next to Jihye, Jisoo dramatically placed her drink on the table, making sure all eyes were on her. "You guys will not believe what I found out."

Jihye raised an eye brow. "Good morning to you too."

Minhyuk didn't even look up from his food. "Knowing you, I probably won't."

Jihye sighed. "What now?"

Jisoo smirked, leaning in. "Seol Yoon-ah. Guess who she left with last Friday night?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Kim Tan."

That got their attention. Jihye blinked, Minhyuk frowned, and Jeongmin—who had just taken a sip of water—paused mid-drink.

Jisoo nodded smugly. "I heard from a friend who's close to someone from the security that she and the CEO left the office together the moment work ended that day. And guess what? He drove her. Himself." She gasped dramatically, waiting for their reactions.

Minhyuk shrugged. "So?"

Jihye tilted her head. "I mean… it's unusual. He doesn't usually drive himself."

"Exactly! When does the boss ever drive? He always has Daniel or some other driver drive him right? But for some reason he personally drove her out." She let out a low, knowing laugh. Jisoo pointed at her. "Not only did he personally drive her, but last night, I saw her driving an expensive looking car." She let the words sink in, her voice dripping with implication. "I'm not too sure but it looks like a Bentley. I don't think I need to spell out what that means."

Minhyuk rolled his eyes. "You're seriously reaching."

Jihye hesitated. "A Bentley is… a bit much. But maybe it's her family's? She never acted like a struggling employee."

Jeongmin, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke. "You're saying Kim Tan bought her a Bentley?" His voice was laced with skepticism.

Jisoo scoffed. "Come on, Jeongmin. No one has ever seen her car! And she gets personally driven by the CEO—do the math!"

Minhyuk raised a brow. "Or maybe she just doesn't want people like you making weird assumptions about her car."

Jisoo ignored him. "Look, I'm just saying, it's obvious what's going on. She's sleeping with him. She's probably been using that innocent act to climb her way up. First, she gets a job despite completely failing her interview, and now this? Everyone knows this!" She shook her head with a dramatic sigh. "Typical."

Jeongmin narrowed his eyes. "You're spreading a rumor without any proof. You don't have facts. You have assumptions. And also you're making yourself sound ridiculous."

Jisoo bristled as she crossed her arms. "It's not a rumor if it's true. Face it. That car? It's a gift. She's definitely sleeping with him."

Minhyuk groaned. "It's literally still a rumor."

Jihye, still hesitant, tried to play devil's advocate. "Maybe she just had a ride with him for a reason we don't know? And the Bentley… we don't actually know if it's new."

Jisoo scoffed. "Oh, please. She's been working here for how long, and no one has ever seen her drive it? Why hide a car like that unless there's something shady going on?"

Jeongmin rubbed his temples. "Maybe that's not the car she takes to work? Or maybe she just doesn't like attention? I mean, she's his secretary, anything's possible and maybe, this matter isn't worth anything at all. Maybe it's not our business. Maybe he just happened to be going the same way."

"Yeah, you're seriously reaching– over reaching!" Minhyuk groaned at the ridiculousness of the words she spoke.

Jisoo rolled her eyes. "You guys can keep pretending, but the rest of the office won't. Mark my words—by the end of the day, everyone will know."

She stood up, flipping her hair over her shoulder before strutting off, feeling victorious.

As soon as she was gone, Minhyuk sighed. "She's actually insane."

Jeongmin shook his head. "This is going to get messy."

"Yeah –I mean– she's his secretary right? Despite how Cold the boss is, He might have maybe just had something to do and dropped Yoon-ah on the way. Is that so strange?" Minhyuk muttered.

Jihye frowned, watching Jisoo leave. "Should we tell Yoon-ah?"

Jeongmin hesitated. "Let's wait and see. Let's not ruin Yoonah-ssi's lunch yet. But if this gets worse, we might have to step in."

Minhyuk stabbed at his food. "I give it two hours before half the office is whispering about it."

And sure enough, by the time lunch was over, the rumor was already making its rounds.

"Okay.. we have to tell Yoon-ah about Jisoo." Jihye sighed.

---

The whispers started subtly, like a low hum in the background. At first, Seol Yoon-ah barely paid attention, too focused on reviewing her schedule for the next day. But as she walked through the corridor, snippets of hushed conversations reached her ears.

"I heard the CEO personally drove her on Friday"

"A Bentley? Are you serious? Where did she even get that kind of money?"

"Well, she did failed her interview and still got hired. Makes you think, doesn't it?"

"Sleeping her way up, huh? Typical."

Yoon-ah's steps slowed for just a fraction of a second before she continued walking, her expression as composed as ever.

Who are they talking about?

"Look at her just standing there acting like she about us."

"This new secretary is such a sl*t, damn but she's so pretty it's understandable.

"Yoon-ah right? I hate girls like her."

Oh yes they're so talking about me.

As the hushed whispers reached her ears, Yoon-ah felt a familiar but unwelcome sensation creep up her spine.

She scoffed: I've played these games before.

It was the same feeling she'd had in highschool. She had spent years hearing cruel whispers behind her back, being the subject of snide comments and rumors. Back in high school, it had been about her weight—how pathetic, ugly, and unworthy she was. The cruel words had followed her like a shadow. When laughter was laced with malice, when people's eyes held nothing but judgement for her. The humiliation she felt back then had cut deep back then, leaving scars that took years to fade.

But this time, she didn't feel sadness.

That sting of humiliation never came.

This time, something was different.

She felt anger. Immense shock too but also burning anger. The heat flared in her chest– sharp summering anger.

Am I so entertaining to talk about? She wondered.

Someone was deliberately trying to ruin her work life. Someone wanted to drag her through the mud, paint her as something she wasn't. Someone wanted to see her falter, to stain my reputation.The realization made her stomach churn with irritation. Her grip on the document she held tightened.

How pathetic.

She clenched her jaw and pushed the anger down. No. She wouldn't give them the reaction they wanted. She had worked hard to build herself into the woman she was today, and she refused to let baseless gossip shake her. She exhaled slowly. Smoothing the tension from her shoulders. Her expression remaining unreadable.

They wanted to see her react.

She would never give them all the satisfaction.

Let them talk.

She had more important things to worry about.

She'll find out who was the root cause to all this nonsense and put a stop to it.

—

By the time work ended, Minseo and Jihye were waiting for her near the entrance. Both had a hesitant expression on their faces.

Yoon-ah took one glance at them and knew immediately—they knew something. The way they stood close together, the way Jihye hesitated before stepping forward, the slight glance Minseo gave her before looking away.

They were trying to gauge her reaction. To see if she'd heard the rumors.

Yoon-ah maintained a neutral expression, adjusting the strap of her purse. "Lee Jihye-ssi. Yoo Minseo-ssi." She nodded at them, a small smile on her face.

Minseo and Jihye exchanged a glance.

She doesn't know yet! A wordless exchange.

They nodded at each other in silent agreement.

Jihye, determined to tell her, took a small step closer as she greeted."Seol Yoonah-ssi" She hesitated before forcing a smile. "Are you driving home?"

"Yes," Yoon-ah answered smoothly.

"Mind if we follow you in your car? Just to drop us off at a bus stop nearby?" Jihye asked, feigning casualness. Minseo nodding behind her.

It was an obvious excuse, and Yoon-ah could see right through it.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes sharp as she studied Jihye's expression. "…Sure."

Jihye let out a breath, relieved. Minseo remained silent, watching carefully.

As they walked toward the parking lot together, Yoon-ah already had a feeling she knew what this was about.

---

The walk to the parking lot was quiet. Jihye and Minseo stayed close to Yoon-ah, exchanging glances but saying nothing. The weight of the rumors sat between them, unspoken but undeniable.

As they approached the car, both of them slowed slightly.

It wasn't the Bentley.

The sleek black sedan parked in its place still looked expensive—new, polished, and obviously not something an average office worker would drive. They didn't know the model, but it was clear that this, too, was a car for someone well-off. It was the car Yoon-ah had bought with Haneul and Hyun during the weekends. Her days of parking her car so far away from work were over.

Minseo gave Jihye a look, but neither commented as they got in. Minseo slid into the back seat, while Jihye took the front passenger seat beside Yoon-ah.

The car remained silent as Yoon-ah started the engine.

Jihye tapped her fingers on her lap, hesitant, before glancing at Minseo through the rearview mirror.

Minseo rolled her eyes and kicked the back of Jihye's seat.

"Yah!" Jihye jolted, twisting around to glare at her.

Minseo gestured impatiently. "Just say it already."

Jihye let out a long breath before turning to Yoon-ah. "Have you… heard the rumors?"

Yoon-ah switched lanes effortlessly, her expression unreadable. "Yes."

Jihye exhaled in relief. At least they didn't have to be the ones to break the news.

Minseo leaned forward, her tone firm. "We know they're just saying nonsense. They're all delusional, besides, why would the boss buy you a car?"

Jihye nodded quickly. "Yeah! I mean, we kind of figured—" She hesitated, then continued carefully. "Well, we already suspected your family was well-off, but people love twisting things."

Yoon-ah didn't take her eyes off the road, but there was an amused glint in them. She didn't confirm or deny anything. Instead, she reached for her phone at the next red light, swiped through her gallery, and passed it to Jihye.

The photo showed her family standing in front of the Bentley. Their backs were turned, walking toward it, while Yoon-ah had taken a selfie from behind, her face the only one visible.

"This was the day my dad gave it to me," she said casually, returning her hand to the wheel as the light turned green.

Jihye and Minseo both leaned in to look.

Jihye hummed, raising a brow but unsurprised. "I figured as much."

Minseo leaned back with a satisfied nod. "We told Jisoo her family probably got it for her."

Jisoo? As in Baek Jisoo the receptionist? What does she have to do with this?

Jihye sighed in relief. "Well, at least that's settled. But Baek Jisoo came to us earlier—before she spread the rumors."

Yoon-ah's grip on the wheel tightened slightly. "Oh?"

Jihye continued, voice serious. "She acted all self righteous talking about how you were sleeping with the boss and how that's how you got hired. She even went on to say that it was our boss that bought the car for you. She hadnt spread the rumors yet but for some reason, she came to tell us first and she bowed to expose the truth to everyone."

Minseo added, "You should have seen Jeongmin's and Minhyuk's face this afternoon, we were all baffled at the ridiculousness of the accusation. We thought we would warn you before it happened but... Jeongmin told us not to tell you yet so we won't ruin your lunch." It was still ruined anyway.

Jihye nodded. "And then, a few hours later, boom—suddenly everyone's whispering about you."

Minseo sighed. "You should be careful around her, Yoon-ah-ssi."

By now, they had reached the bus stop. Yoon-ah pulled over smoothly, glancing at them as they unbuckled their seatbelts.

"I will," she said lightly, but there was a sharpness in her tone.

Jihye and Minseo exchanged looks before stepping out.

"Good night, Yoon-ah!" Jihye called.

Minseo waved. "See you tomorrow."

Yoon-ah gave them a small nod before driving off, her expression calm.

But inside, she was already planning how to deal with Baek Jisoo.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow." She murmured before driving off.