Lately, Manager Ki Yeo-on's harshness has gone too far. She frowns at even the smallest reports and singles me out during meetings. At first, I blamed myself, thinking there was a problem with my work, but the timing was always too blatant. It felt like she specifically hated me.

But being human, pent-up emotions are bound to explode eventually. One day, in the office where only the two of us remained for overtime, another sharp remark flew my way: "Anyone can see this is insufficient."

But then, breaking the silence, the manager's face turned bright red as she began to speak shyly.

"...Actually, I liked you too. But I didn't know how to approach you. So I acted harshly just to get your attention somehow."