Salarymen / Corporate Jobs / Office Jobs
The main character or multiple leads are salarymen or work desk jobs as their primary source of income.
Manga Review | Wails of the Bound ;β by Keri Kusabi
Beta Feels Overprotective Over Omega Subordinate
Manga Review | Wails of the Bound by Keri Kusabi
Company Chief is an Omega and Uses It to His Advantage
Manhwa Review | One-way Romance by TESIK
Title: One-way Romance
Jae-hwan is a reporter. A broke reporter, more specifically, having lost all of his money in the stocks. Looking for a huge scoop to score a huge payday, he turns his attention to the upper crust. More specifically, he focuses on Hong Kong mogul and CEO Heo Chung. He’s gotten a tip from a colleague that Heo Chung is going to be at a rooftop party, and Jae-hwan is determined to go and schmooze with Heo Chung, hoping to unearth some juicy gossip at least but to also expose his company’s ties to the mafia.
Unfortunately, Jae-hwan isn’t the only one looking to hang out with the hot-shot CEO. Every time Jae-hwan tries to get close, a whole gaggle of people surrounds Heo Chung, making it impossible for Jae-hwan to get in to talk to him. Add to the problem that he’s been ensnared by a beautiful woman, buying round after round of drinks, and this mission has become impossible if it wasn’t already. Sloshed, Jae-hwan’s sense of decorum has gone out the window, and he decides to just go for it. He grabs two glasses of wine and makes his way over to Heo Chung, but he, unfortunately, bumps into someone else the media has kept their eye on: Liu Yuan, leader of the Hong Kong mafia group 13.
Jae-hwan spills all of the wine on Liu Yuan just before passing out. When he wakes up, he finds himself chained and in bed, with Liu Yuan explaining that he owes him around $90,000 for the ruined clothes. It goes without saying that Jae-hwan has gotten much more than he ever bargained for. Not only will he probably not get the scoop and subsequent payday he was hoping for, but there’s a chance he doesn’t make it out of this with his life, either.
Manga Review | An Innocent Puppy Meets a Two-Faced Cat by Niyama
Title: An Innocent Puppy Meets a Two-Faced Cat
Naohito is very hardworking. He wants to move up the corporate ladder as soon as possible but doesn’t think that’s possible if he reveals his true self. So, he puts on a friendly and gentle mask that he uses with everyone at work. This leads to everyone liking him, but no one really knows him. His existence, while successful, is ultimately very lonely. Though he has a long history of lovers and relationships, none lasted because they eventually realized Naohito would always put up a front. They never really know who he is. Nearing forty, Naohito is losing hope that he’ll ever have a romantic life partner, but the only friend who knows him for who he is, Seiji, isn’t ready for him to give up just yet. Seiji ends up talking Naohito into coming to a singles mixer where Seiji works. Despite Naohito’s disinterest, he decides to go.
As expected, Naohito ends up being the oldest man there, and he has no interest in getting involved with any of the young people romantically or otherwise. While he does his best to remain distant and just enjoy the food, another young man ends up coming up and making himself at home at Naohito’s booth. The young man’s name is Tohru, and he also came for a friend with no interest in dating anyone there. Unlike Naohito, Tohru is open and honest, obnoxiously so, and the young man is able to pull out the more honest side of Naohito as well. After an uncomfortable walk to the station together, Naohito writes this encounter off as a strange one-time interaction. Surprisingly, he runs into Tohru at one of his client’s locations.
Unable to brush the young man off without risking his contract with the client, Naohito is forced to appease Tohru whenever they run into each other. Unfortunately, this happens far more often than Naohito ever intends. After Tohru’s apartment burns down, Naohito feels compelled to help the young man by letting him move into his extra bedroom. So begins this unlikely duo existing together. While Naohito was perfectly content living alone, having the vibrant Tohru around only highlights his loneliness. Will he be willing to accept this new life of light and honesty? Or is he too old to change his ways?
Manhwa Review | Love for Sale by Dal HyeonJi
Title: Love for Sale
Namwoo is struggling. He’s broke 90% of the time, working all day every day when he isn’t in class, and trying to keep it all under wraps from his sister, who desperately wants to help, but who he doesn’t want to burden if he can help it. So he suffers in silence, living day by day as best he can on convenience store food in his shoebox apartment. The silence doesn’t last for long, though, when all of his stress and desperation come to a head after a night of drinking. While trying to treat his coworker to a coffee for covering for him at work, he can’t even afford the coffee. He breaks down right on the spot, crying and wailing no matter who might hear.
As it happens, a kind older man passes by, helps pay for Namwoo’s goods, and tries to slip away, only for a drunken Namwoo to follow him out. That man feels compelled to help Namwoo get home, but in Namwoo’s drunken stupor, he demands money from the older man. The man placates Namwoo, withdrawing that money, which is hardly enough to cover a month of Namwoo’s expenses, and Namwoo, forgetting he had even asked for it, assumes that the man is giving him money for sex. So the moment they get back to Namwoo’s apartment, he jumps on the man.
The following day, horrified by his actions and the fact that he’s essentially stolen money from a stranger, Namwoo is prepared to go to jail when he meets the stranger. As it turns out, the man is Si-eon, CEO of a publishing company, and rather than being disturbed or offended by Namwoo’s drunken antics, he’s intrigued. Still, Namwoo wants to pay the man back, but Si-eon refuses, offering a different solution. Si-eon wants to date Namwoo and shower him with all the money he can desire.