Ha-yoon suddenly felt urgent. Her initial plan to prepare leisurely for the first meeting had changed.

“We still have some time left. Deputy Manager, shall we go to the break room and chat a bit before going back?”

“Sure, why not? There’s still plenty of coffee left, so let’s sit a little longer before heading back.”

While Ji-won and Deputy Manager Lee turned toward the break room, Ha-yoon couldn’t join them.

She felt it would be difficult to prepare satisfactory results by the meeting the day after tomorrow if she didn’t start right away.

Ha-yoon called out to Deputy Manager Lee, who had already started walking toward the break room, with a somewhat urgent voice.

“Deputy Manager, we need to do a simple presentation at the meeting the day after tomorrow, right?”

“That’s right, Ha-yoon. But they’ve already done some planning on their end, so we just need to add our company’s characteristics to it. Someone of your caliber should be able to figure it out just by thoroughly reviewing the request form.”

“Ah, the request form. Would that be in the company email? I think I should check it right away.”

Noticing her changed attitude, Ji-won cut in with a sulky expression.

“My goodness, Ha-yoon. Aren’t you being a bit too eager all of a sudden?”

“I know. Our Kim seems to have taken quite a liking to this client.”

She did like him. No, she had kept him in her heart for a long time, but now they had to start their relationship from the beginning again.

However, she couldn’t let her colleagues know about her feelings.

Nothing good would come from being caught up in rumors with a client.

Having fully returned to reality, Ha-yoon managed a slight smile, lifting the corners of her mouth with practiced ease.

“It’s not like that, Deputy Manager. After being absent for several days without permission, I need to get my head back in the game and work hard. I’ll head back to my desk first.”

※※※

Time flew by like an arrow.

For two days, Ha-yoon volunteered to work overtime. Manager Kim tried to dissuade her, saying that for the first meeting, she only needed to briefly explain the company’s characteristics and business direction without overdoing it. But Ha-yoon couldn’t help herself.

This presentation preparation was her only legitimate time to receive his full attention and her only chance to make an impression on him.

She wasn’t trying to impress him as Kim Ha-yoon, the project manager. The impression she wanted to make was as the person who had once been Natalie.

Yet when Ha-yoon finally stood before him, she found it difficult to look him straight in the eye.

“Hello, I’m Kim Ha-yoon from the data analysis team, in charge of today’s presentation. Since this is our first meeting, I’d like to briefly introduce our company’s unique characteristics compared to other data analysis companies, explain our approach to data analysis, and how we might incorporate this into the update for 〈Century’s Hero Maker〉.”

She feared that if she looked at him, she wouldn’t be able to hide the longing and desperation in her eyes. But Seohyuk persistently tried to turn her gaze toward him.

“You already have a general direction? I believe we haven’t sent you the detailed plans for the update yet.”

“Of course, nothing has been decided yet. As you mentioned, we haven’t seen the detailed plans for the update. In addition to the plans, we’ll need data from your company regarding user demographics, age, spending patterns, job selection ratios, and how they respond to quests, dungeons, and raids to derive accurate data and provide truly helpful suggestions.”

The explanation was familiar to her, and today Ha-yoon’s lips moved exceptionally smoothly.

“Today, I’m merely showing you examples of pattern analysis that can be extracted through machine learning from an outsider’s perspective. The direction and sophistication of the analysis may vary through discussions with the responsible staff after the contract, so please keep that in mind.”

“I understand. Please continue.”

One of the statements she had carefully considered overnight to lighten the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the conference room was:

“Actually, I’m a fan of the original web novel 〈How to Take the Hero of the Century as Your Husband〉 that 〈Century’s Hero Maker〉 is based on.”

“Oh, really? We just assigned someone good at their job, but I never dreamed we’d get someone so perfect, with fan enthusiasm as well. This person is truly optimized for this project, isn’t she, Director?”

The manager added his surprise, turning to look at the director.

But he merely looked at Ha-yoon with a slightly furrowed brow and an ice-cold expression, showing no particular reaction.

She had thought McClain was quite a realistic and cold character, but facing an even more aloof and sharp demeanor in reality made her realize that he had actually been quite gentle as McClain.

When was it? She recalled what McClain had once said to her while gazing at a bonfire.

‘Sometimes I think it might be better to just settle down in this fantasy world.’

Had his reality been so cold and harsh that such thoughts occurred to him?

Feeling something welling up in a corner of her heart, Ha-yoon bit the inside of her lip hard, trying to suppress her emotions.

Just then, the manager, embarrassed by the lack of response from the other side, urged Ha-yoon to continue.

“Kim, please continue.”

Ha-yoon displayed her prepared PowerPoint and continued her presentation as if she’d been waiting for this.

“First, I’d like to briefly explain our company’s strengths compared to other data analysis companies. We aim to provide perfect, optimized solutions that can analyze even the client’s needs. This means we have specialized personnel for detailed analysis. We currently have the largest number of data analysts in the country…”

Throughout her lengthy explanation, Seohyuk’s brow remained deeply furrowed.

His expression was so negative that Ha-yoon, who occasionally glanced at him while continuing her explanation, began to feel uneasy.

Nevertheless, Ha-yoon gave it her all until the end. That was the only way to secure additional opportunities to meet him.

“Next, I’ll explain our perspective on data analysis. In addition to having specialized data analysts as I mentioned earlier, we also employ many individuals with humanities sensibilities.”

Ha-yoon quietly took a breath. This was what she really wanted to say.

“While we can identify patterns through data and discover problems through numbers, ultimately, solutions are implemented through people. Even data itself can be seen as expressing the weight of countless human emotions and lives, the will to move toward a more positive and progressive life, and the desire to momentarily forget harsh realities, all through arrays of numbers.”

She had felt it after entering that world—how characters she had once considered simple acted and what feelings they showed.

“Therefore, we believe that sensitive empathy and understanding are also crucial for more accurate data analysis, and we can offer more suitable and diverse solutions from a slightly different perspective than other companies.”

“The will to move toward a positive and progressive life, huh.”

At his muttered words, Ha-yoon momentarily bit her lip.

It was a phrase she had deliberately inserted to test him. She had carefully selected which of the words she had spoken to McClain when she was Natalie to naturally incorporate.

‘Yes, but coming here and thinking from one step—no, one dimension removed—I realized that it’s not just grand aspirations that become dreams and give meaning. Working hard at your assigned tasks and bearing the weight of life, striving for a more positive and progressive life—perhaps these small meanings were enough. I think these small meanings collected together are what kept us going.’

Words that, while not particularly important in the context of the presentation, would inevitably resonate with him if he had once been McClain.

And he had picked out exactly that.

But she couldn’t make hasty judgments based on just that.

She needed to continue testing him, throwing hints and creating opportunities. She could only be certain when he responded to all tests and took the bait she had scattered countless times.

Just as when Natalie first met McClain—with direct and precise language.

Asking if he was that McClain, if he remembered Natalie Pereira who had transmigrated with him and returned.

So now she had to be patient. Ha-yoon waited for the right moment, suppressing her tumultuous emotions.

※※※

“Goodbye, Director.”

Once as she watched him turn away without hesitation, and once more as she watched him walk away indifferently.

Disappointment inevitably washed over her, but Ha-yoon repeatedly told herself:

This was just the first step.

She was fortunate to have even this opportunity to meet him.

There was still time and opportunity ahead, so she shouldn’t be impatient.

“Kim, you really worked hard today. I thought we’d just do a simple briefing, but I was surprised to see how thoroughly you prepared.”

“Well, I felt I needed to make up for my absence last week with hard work. I’m a bit disappointed by the seemingly lackluster response, but we successfully secured the contract, so I’ll continue to work hard going forward.”

However, Manager Kim patted her shoulder and offered unexpected words of encouragement.

“No, no. There’s nothing to be disappointed about. That was actually a good response.”

“Pardon?”