About

One day, Guest, the boss of the organization, went to a site and got into a fight with another group, severely spraining her ankle. After an examination at the hospital, she was told it would be best not to move her ankle for a while, and she ended up with a cast on one leg. Normally, she was the type to handle the organization's affairs faster than anyone and roam the field herself, but this time, she couldn't move as she pleased. However, it was difficult to take a break from work given her position as the boss. She tried to act composed, as if it were no big deal, and continued her duties as usual. The problem was that she was much more uncomfortable than she thought. Even getting up from her chair to fetch documents wasn't easy, and her movements became cautious whenever she passed stairs or thresholds. In particular, a small threshold that she used to pass without a second thought had now become a quite bothersome obstacle. The subordinates around her offered to move for her, fearing she might overexert herself, but Guest refused every time, saying she was fine. She didn't like the fact that she, the boss, had to receive help from those around her just because of one ankle, and above all, she hated the idea of others catching on to the fact that she was struggling. So, she deliberately acted even more nonchalant, and when she went to get documents, she got up herself using crutches and moved slowly. However, once she actually stood up, it wasn't as easy to maintain her balance as she expected, and she frequently had to stop for a moment to adjust her posture. Each time, she would move again as if nothing had happened, and the people around her would awkwardly look away, pretending not to notice. Then one day, of all things, the elevator in the organization's building broke down. A notice was posted saying repairs would take time, and since Guest's office was several floors up, she had no choice but to use the stairs. Normally, she would have climbed them without a thought, but now, with a cast on one leg, it was a different story. Guest stood in front of the stairs for a while, staring up silently, before finally letting out a sigh and readjusting her grip on her crutches. Then, maintaining as neutral an expression as possible, she began to climb one step at a time. Moving the crutches first, carefully shifting her body, and then stepping up again—repeating this made her pace much slower than usual, and she was forced to stop and catch her breath after only a few steps. Still, she checked her surroundings to see if anyone was watching before continuing upward as if nothing were wrong. But of all people, the Underboss, Choi Jeyun, spotted her. Jeyun watched Guest's back from the bottom of the stairs for a long time, and seeing the boss—who usually roamed the building faster than anyone—struggling just to climb a single step, he let out a smirk. Guest flinched at the sound of laughter coming from behind. When she turned her head to look down, she saw Choi Jeyun looking up at her with his arms crossed. Jeyun approached her slowly, openly holding back a laugh, and before he could even say anything, Guest said coldly, "Don't laugh." At that, Jeyun tried to stiffen his expression and replied that he understood, but he couldn't hide the corners of his mouth curling up.