The news of promotion that Celine brought was that Yu-hyun had been promoted to Deputy Director.
There was another good news as well: Celine had also been promoted from a regular employee to a deputy.
Yu-hyun and Celine, both of them had been promoted at the same time.
Celine said that this was all she knew for now, and she would tell them more when the official document came later.
She then left her seat.
Kwon Jia, who happened to overhear their conversation, quietly admired Yu-hyunâs rise to the Deputy Director position.
âCongratulations. Youâre already a Deputy Director. Youâre not far from becoming a director-level teller.â
The Deputy Director was right below the director.
And only the top 1% of all tellers could have the title of Deputy Director.
This was definitely something to celebrate.
It was not just a matter of words, but a big event that deserved a grand party.
Kwon Jia looked at Yu-hyunâs reaction and was slightly puzzled.
âWhatâs wrong?â
It was a good thing to be promoted to Deputy Director, but Yu-hyun didnât seem very happy.
He rather looked like he was deep in thought, narrowing his eyes.
His reaction seemed more like worrying about what would happen next, rather than enjoying the fact that he had become a Deputy Director.
âYu-hyun?â
âOh, sorry. I need to get a grip.â
âIs there something bothering you?â
âNo. Itâs just that I was so immersed in the sudden promotion. Wow. Deputy Director. I heard that you have to play office politics and choose your side well to climb up from the Deputy Director level, but itâs a bit surprising.â
Yu-hyun hadnât made any solid connections yet.
He barely had any meetings with the executive line of the central office.
If he had to name some acquaintances, they were only Galiaz and Celestina, the director of Celestial Ice who had retired from the front line.
On the contrary, he had to deal with the hostile Pentagram and other tellers from the Sihwa office who were wary and jealous of him.
It was almost a miracle that he had been promoted to Deputy Director.
Of course, Yu-hyun didnât bother to tell her this.
After all, it was a good thing and what mattered more was what would happen next.
âMiss Jia. Whatever happens, I trust you with the task I asked you⊠Iâll leave it to you.â
âYeah. Sure. Anytime.â
Kwon Jia didnât press him on his subtle behavior.
The next day.
Yu-hyun made bracelets using fragments and distributed them to the rest of the people.
Kang Hye-rim, Seo Sumin, and Yoo Young-min wondered what the bracelets were made of and what they had to do with them, but they didnât ask.
When they heard that Kwon Jia also agreed to follow him silently, the three of them decided to do the same without making a fuss.
As time passed, new events happened one after another in reality.
The most famous one among them was the appearance of âreturneesâ.
âAs expected, itâs faster than the previous history.â
Yu-hyun sat in the observerâs room and watched the situation outside.
Was it because the barrier between Earth and Hybrid World had weakened more than before?
The returnees who had vanished by vanishing started to show up one by one.
And their appearance was not exactly human, but not too far from it either.
They had reason and could communicate.
So the association focused on finding and gathering them with all their resources.
The returnees who had become stronger in another world were potential talents who would become a great force for the country in the future.
They couldnât miss them with their eyes open.
âThe treatment of returnees is also much better than in my previous life.â
It was unfortunate for Kim Myungjun who followed Jin Cheongwoon and died by Yu-hyunâs hand, but the world was now swept by the returnee craze.
âWell, itâs natural that returnees with reason would attract the attention of Earth people.â
What kind of world they went to and what they experienced there, what was there and how many different races existed there.
It was a world of difference between knowing that things that were only seen in fantasy or SF novels actually existed and hearing from people who actually experienced them.
Yu-hyun carefully searched for Choi Do-yoon among the returnees, but he was still nowhere to be found.
âEven though the appearance of returnees is faster than I thought, his return is still not yet.â
He didnât even know what Choi Do-yoon had gone through in another world and why he came back to Earth.
Even if the Earth changed, there was a chance that Choi Do-yoon would not delay his return as long as the world he lived in remained the same.
âAnyway, thatâs not what matters.â
Just then, Celine entered the supervisorâs room.
A few days had passed since the promotion ceremony was decided, and an official document had arrived with the details of who was promoted and when the ceremony would be held.
âSenior. Please check this. Here are the promotion certificates for you and me.â
âHmm. Thatâs right. Congratulations, Celine. You can now officially call yourself a teller.â
âItâs all thanks to you, senior.â
Celine smiled faintly.
It was a fresh smile for Yu-hyun, who could tell that she was happy with the situation.
She had thought that her promotion was almost blocked and that she couldnât do anything about it.
But who would have known that the place she reached after being chased and pushed away would become her lifeline?
âHmm. By the way, now that youâre an assistant manager, can you move to a different department?â
âAh. Senior. I had something to tell you about thatâŠâ
âYouâre going to move, right?â
ââŠYes.â
Celine answered after some hesitation.
She had been working hard to back up Yu-hyun from behind as a member of the support team, but her original goal was to become a teller in the visual department.
She couldnât do it when she was still a regular employee because of her lack of skills, but she gained some recognition when she was promoted to assistant manager.
But what made her hesitate to answer was Yu-hyun.
He knew that and joked with her.
âWhy? Are you feeling sad now that youâre leaving me?â
âWhat, what are you talking about? Thatâs not it.â
âThen why are you making such a sad face? You got promoted and got a chance to go to the visual department you wanted. You should be happy.â
ââŠDonât you feel anything, senior?â
âMe?â
ââŠNo.â
Celine turned her head away.
Yu-hyun smiled at her attitude, which revealed her true feelings.
âWell, Iâm sorry to see you go. But thanks to you, my work became easier. But now I canât have that anymore. And starting over with a new teller from the support team is also a hassle.â
ââŠIf you want me to stay, I canât refuse.â
âHuh?â
When Yu-hyun asked back, Celine answered with a slightly flushed face, trying to control her expression desperately.
âYouâre a supervisor now, arenât you? Youâre the first one to become a supervisor without belonging to any department. Working under someone like that is a career for me in itself. So, please donât misunderstand.â
âCeline.â
âThereâs no other teller who can do your work for you except me. Yes. Iâm competent. So I do want to go to the visual department, but it doesnât have to be right now. I can postpone it.â
âNo.â
Yu-hyun shook his head.
âYou donât have to postpone it. No, donât postpone it more than you have to.â
âDonât postpone it?â
âItâs an opportunity that you earned by working hard. You made it possible to grab that opportunity. You shouldnât give it up because of me. Celine. Why did you join Celestial Corporation?â
ââŠTo show off my visuals, my amazing visuals.â
âThatâs right. Then focus on that. Donât let me sway you and donât weigh your dreams against me. If thereâs something you want, go for it. Show me the story you want to tell.â
âSeniorâŠâ
Celineâs face showed guilt and Yu-hyun waved his hand to reassure her.
âHey hey. What are you going to do if you feel sorry for me? You donât have to feel sorry at all. Youâre doing well and getting promoted, and Iâm telling you to go for the path you wanted from the start. Why are you making such a face? And what, are you never going to see me again if you go to the visual department?â
âMe? No, no. Thatâs not it.â fđ«eđđebđođŻđđ„.đđm
âWhen you come to the art room, you should get more help from me. Do you know how to do art and how to choose a collector to contract with?â
ââŠI donât know yet.â
âThatâs right. You are now at the starting point as a teller. You canât act like youâre already done.â
At that remark, Celine made a blank expression for a moment, then returned to her usual cold face.
ââŠYouâre right. I guess I was too ahead of myself.â
âThatâs good to know.â
âBut if I go to the art room, I have to give back your library authority firstâŠâ
âAh. About that.â
Yu-hyun cut off Celineâs words.
He had something he wanted to say to Celine about the library authority.
âJust leave it as it is.â
âExcuse me?â
Celine asked what he meant.
Celine had received some of Yu-hyunâs library authority in order to perform the duties of the support room teller.
Even if she had received some of the ownership, the owner of the library was clearly Kang Yu-hyun, and she had no say in taking it back.
Rather, if she moved to the art room, the library authority would have to go back to Yu-hyun.
But Yu-hyun told her not to give it back, that it wasnât necessary.
âYou donât have to give it back right away. No, maybe itâs safer for you to have more of it.â
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âHmm. I canât tell you why. Not right now.â
âRight now⊠Does that mean youâll be able to tell me later?â
âBy then, youâll realize why I said this without me telling you.â
ââŠI donât understand.â
Celine couldnât accept Yu-hyunâs behavior.
He said he would give her more of the library ownership.
Did he have feelings for her and wanted to do her a favor?
âNo way. Heâs not the type to do this just because of his feelings.â
The Kang Yu-hyun teller she saw was definitely a warm and very human teller. But he wouldnât give her the library authority just to show his kindness.
Especially since it was a large library with over 10,000 existing viewers. He couldnât have been unaware of its value.
Yu-hyun was a teller who would teach someone how to fish instead of just giving them a fish.
And he said he would entrust her with the library authority.
âThereâs something going on.â
Celine realized that something was happening and that Yu-hyun had a plan and nodded.
âI understand.â
âYouâre quick to understand. Thatâs good. I did well with one junior.â
âThen, should I keep the library authority as it is for now?â
âWell, Iâm thinking of leaving it as a rental for a period of time.â
âHow long is the period?â
âIt might be long. At least a month or three months.â
That was longer than she expected.
Even though he was about to be promoted to deputy manager, he said that, which meant he was looking at something after that.
âOh, and when you get promoted to deputy right away, leave the support room and go straight to the art room. Donât look back at me like youâre not going to do anything with me and be firm. Got it?â
âIs this⊠for show?â
Yu-hyun just smiled and didnât answer. But his smile gave Celine confidence in her question.
âI understand. If thatâs what you want, I donât mind doing it.â
âItâs not coercion. Itâs good if you do it, but itâs not a big deal if you donât.â
âBut, if I do, it might help you a little bit, right? Then Iâll do it.â
Celineâs voice was firm. Yu-hyun felt that he couldnât stop her when he saw her upright eyes.
When he first saw her, she looked neat on the outside but her eyes were rebellious.
Now there was no sign of that at all."
âFine. Let me see some of your talent, junior.â
âHavenât you seen enough already?â
âI want to see more, thatâs what Iâm saying.â
âYou donât have to whine so much. Youâll see plenty when I go to the painting room. Iâm going to follow in your footsteps and become a great teller, and present a splendid painting that will put my name in the hall of fame.â
âWhat? You knew about the hall of fame too?â
âI dreamed of it since I was a kid.â
I see.
Yu-hyun felt like he understood why Celine wanted to be a teller, and why she was obsessed with painting.
She saw the light in that brilliant story.
The light that emanated from the process of a beautiful and excellent being advancing with all their will.
It was so dazzling and beautiful.
Anyone who could see it would be captivated by it.
âAnd from your appearance too.â
Celine did not say the rest. She was still too lacking to say that.
âFine. If you have a dream, I have nothing to say.â
âSo, will you go to the headquarters for now?â
âYeah. Letâs go. Itâs a promotion after all. I have to attend the ceremony. Itâs better to go sooner rather than later.â
Yu-hyun said with a smiling face, but his eyes sank deeper.
âYeah. Itâs better to go sooner.â