“Good morning.”

As I opened the office door and greeted, the announcers’ chattering stopped.

I glanced at the wall clock, and the hands pointed at 8 o’clock.

It was early morning, far from the usual start time.

There were only a few people, but no one responded to my greeting.

As I walked through the hallway, I could feel the glances but only silence filled the air.

When I put my bag down at my desk, I made eye contact with the announcer sitting in the front row.

“Hyun Jung, good morning.”

“Ah… Yes, good morning.”

She greeted me with an awkward face.

Then she immediately turned her head to the voice coming from her side.

“Hyun Jung, want to go to the café? We’re going now.”

“Sounds great. Let’s go, let’s go.”

It was a stark contrast from her shy response to me just moments ago.

Soon, everyone in the office had gathered by the door.

She glanced at me as she stood up and left with her colleagues.

“Uh… today is the audition, right?”

“Yes, it’s after lunchtime.”

I heard them murmuring as they left the office.

I saw the open audition schedule marked for today as I sat down.

A strange atmosphere had been lingering among the announcers for a few days.

‘Seo Rin really did a number on me.’

It was utterly childish.

The initially few glances had snowballed day by day.

Leaning back in the chair, I closed my eyes, feeling the fatigue rushing in.

From the start, I was certain that the source of the rumors clinging to me was her.

After the shareholders’ meeting, Seo Rin had made no effort to hide her hostility towards me.

The memory of encountering her in front of the recording studio last time surfaced in my mind.

“There’s no evidence.”

That was her response when I confronted her, asking if she was responsible for what happened.

‘Right. There’s no evidence that you did it.’

A few days had passed since our tense standoff.

But I still couldn’t forget Seo Rin’s contemptuous gaze.

Lifting my eyelids, I took in the empty office.

The whispering voices outside the bathroom stall were as vivid as yesterday’s events.

“Announcer Yoon is so ruthless. She said her parents were sick.”

“Her parents are on their deathbeds, but she returns to work and immediately aims for the anchor position. She’s crazy about work.”

“She should be taking care of the sick instead.”

It was an unimaginable rumor.

“She’s from a wealthy family. Why would she even come back to work? I really don’t understand.”

A rich heiress returning to work to become an anchor.

It was a provocative story that people would be interested in.

“Crazy about work…”

I brushed my sideswept hair back.

How could someone wearing a human mask concoct such a sordid story?

“How could she even think of spreading such an absurd rumor?”

Was my position so desirable that she was envious, even with Ji Han by her side?

Or was she feeling insecure about the sudden change in the open audition format?

Her despicable behavior made me wonder how low she would stoop.

The morning work hours passed in an instant.

I got my makeup done for the upcoming anchor audition and went down to the floor where it would take place.

As the elevator door opened, I caught a glimpse of the studio at the end of the hallway.

I was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of someone and widened my eyes in surprise.

‘Why is that person here?’

A very familiar face stood tall among the people.

I saw Jae Ha, dressed in a suit, and the director who was smiling and talking to him.

‘What’s going on here?’

I unwittingly tilted my head.

“This is the studio, and there’s an anchor audition happening today.”

“I see.”

He casually scanned the studio interior, following the guide’s lead.

Having taken a brief look around, Jae Ha turned away from the studio.

He didn’t seem interested in the broadcasting facilities at a glance, so why was he here?

However, as soon as he locked eyes with me, who was standing not far away, his expression subtly changed.

“What time is the audition?”

Jae Ha asked the director standing next to him while looking at me.

“It should start soon. I heard it’s at 2 pm. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it starts at 2 pm, director.”

I turned my head at the sound of the emergency exit door opening.

A staff member who appeared as the door opened spotted me and approached with an exaggeratedly relieved expression.

“Announcer Yoon! I’ve been looking for you.”

“Me?”

“Yes! Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

She was panting, as if she had been running around looking for me.

Seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, I felt a little sorry.

“I can’t help it, I haven’t been able to find my phone since earlier.”

I was planning to go to the waiting room to look for it anyway.

I thought I had left it somewhere while going back and forth between the audition waiting room and the makeup room.

“What’s the matter?”

“The station director was looking for you. He asked you to come to the set on the second basement floor for a moment.”

“Now? Right now?”

I glanced at my wristwatch.