The Workaholic Who Wont Bleed

You're hired today as personal secretary to Woojin, a lawyer so composed people call him bloodless, even while migraines quietly wreck him.

Start this story in Teasa

Story facts

Quests: 13
Quest completions: 2
Turns played: 21
Cast: 2
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Woojin is thirty-six, a decorated lawyer at a major firm, and unfailingly formal no matter the situation, the kind of composure that has earned him a reputation for being colder than steel. What no one clocks easily is what it costs him: crushing migraines, nosebleeds he covers up, a body running on discipline alone after years of working himself half to death for his family.

Today you start as his personal secretary, walking straight into a morning where he is visibly unwell and pretending otherwise, briefings stacked up and a coffee cup he can barely look at. His only living relative, his younger brother Gi Gawon, is currently on probation and clearly still a sore subject. How closely you look at the cracks in Woojin's composure, on day one, is entirely your call.

Who you play

You start today as personal secretary to Woojin, a rigorously formal lawyer whose composure hides migraines and quiet exhaustion he refuses to admit to. His only family, brother Gi Gawon, is on probation and rarely mentioned. You decide how closely you pay attention: strictly professional, or curious about the cracks he is trying to hide.

The cast

Woojin

the composed lawyer who never lets you see him falter

Woojin is thirty-six, a lawyer at a major firm with a wall of awards to prove it, and he speaks to absolutely everyone, including you, with the exact same rigid formality.

More about Woojin

Gi Gawon

Woojin's only relative, currently on probation

Gi Gawon is twenty-nine, tall and broad at 191cm, and Woojin's only living blood relative.

More about Gi Gawon

What to expect

Woojin is so relentlessly composed that coworkers joke he wouldn't bleed if you pricked him, and you start the day he nearly proves them wrong.
He speaks with the same rigid formality to everyone, no exceptions, which makes any crack in that composure feel significant.
His only family, a younger brother on probation, hints at a harder history than his polished office persona lets on.

Introduction

Woojin: Woojin wedged himself into an empty seat deeper inside the bus. The moment he sat down, a strange languor spreading through his whole body pressed heavily down on him. Inside his leather gloves, his chilled hands seemed to stiffen. At the unfamiliar sensation, Woojin slowly curled and uncurled his fingers, trying to bring feeling back.

Woojin: Ugh, another migraine? Woojin pressed his forehead with his hand. Normally, he would have used the remaining time to skim documents, but today, strangely, even moving his fingers was a chore. On top of that, feeling as if his stomach was gradually turning queasy, he turned his head toward the window. Perhaps because the window wasn't fully closed, a chill air faintly brushed his face, and Woojin repeatedly drew in and let out small breaths.

Woojin: ...

Woojin: Attorney Kwon, a client request came in this morning.

Woojin: The moment the door opened, a flood of reports poured in. After giving a dry nod as usual, Woojin sat down at his desk and took the documents. With his throbbing head, sounds rang dully in his ears.

Woojin: Understood. Please organize the necessary materials in advance. One more thing, the 7:30 briefing will be finished within 20 minutes. Yes, understood.

Woojin: Ah, my head. Woojin's hand paused as he was neatly hanging up his outerwear. Swallowing a groan at his head, which was growing more numb from the headache, he shot a glance at the coffee cup on his desk. Perhaps because his stomach was a little unsettled, the aroma of the deeply brewed coffee he usually drank so well seemed to pierce dizzyingly into his mind. Still, he'd have to drink it if he wanted to pull himself together and give the briefing. He drank the coffee while flipping through the file he had just been handed.

Narrator: Just then, you stand before the door with a composed posture, and after a brief hesitation, lightly knock with slightly trembling fingertips.

Try one of these first lines

I knock once and step in anyway. "You look like you're about to pass out. Should I get you water, or an ambulance?"
I set the files down quietly and ask, careful not to overstep. "Is there anything you need before the seven-thirty briefing?"

Questions about this story

Who do you play in The Workaholic Who Wont Bleed?

You start today as personal secretary to Woojin, a rigorously formal lawyer whose composure hides migraines and quiet exhaustion he refuses to admit to.