Today was the most important day for Evelyn.
Well, not really.. but that was the only thing running through her mind right now.
She had gone to the hair salon specifically for today, paid extra attention to her makeup, and made a great effort to cover her under-eye bags.
In fact, it was an important day for everyone in the company.
Everyone in the sales department —yes, literally everyone— had gathered at a famous restaurant for a celebration dinner. Of course, none of the hundred-plus employees were there just to mingle.
The head of the sales department had invited everyone to celebrate after this month's sales exceeded expectations, and had also invited the top sales consultant from the country's leading tech company.
It was a huge opportunity. If any of the employees managed to catch that consultant's attention, they might earn a promotion— or, if lucky enough, even transfer to the tech company itself.
That was why many employees, including Evelyn, were on edge.
But those who approached the situation more calmly had already started sucking up to the sales consultant.
From her seat at the long table crowded with dozens of people, Evelyn glanced toward the table a few meters ahead, where the consultant was seated. He occupied the place of honor at the head of a long, wide table.
Two female employees stood beside him, chatting eagerly, while a tall man refilled his empty glass. The other employees at the table had also joined in on the conversation started by the sales consultant, laughing along with him.
Pressing her lips together, Evelyn stabbed her fork into the piece of meat on her plate. Just as she was about to bring it to her lips— her gaze still fixed on the consultant—the person sitting across from her suddenly started laughing.
"Do you really think you can catch anyone's attention?"
At first, Evelyn didn't realize the question was directed at her. So she simply brought the piece of meat to her mouth and began chewing slowly.
The woman who had asked the question frowned, glaring at her with irritation before kicking Evelyn's leg under the table.
Startled by the sudden movement, Evelyn flinched in her seat and immediately looked at the woman across from her. The moment their eyes met, she thought,
"Ah, shit. Here we go again."
It had been almost three years since Evelyn started working at this company. Having been passionate about music for as long as she could remember, she had first tried her luck with music companies.
But after being rejected from every application —or failing to pass their interviews— she eventually turned to other industries.
The place that finally accepted her was the sales department of a large shopping mall chain. Considering her experience and skills, it wasn't exactly a sensible choice.
And perhaps because of that, within those three years, her life energy had completely drained away, leaving little trace of her former self.
Still, she had become one of the fastest-rising employees in the company. That was why many believed Evelyn would be the one promoted to department manager soon.
There were, of course, plenty of coworkers who envied her for it. Beatrice Smith, sitting right across from her, was one of them.
No longer able to tolerate Beatrice's constant bullying, Evelyn doesn't want to care about her and glanced once more at the sales consultant sitting at the other table before speaking.
"What the hell are you talking about again?"
Her question must have irritated Beatrice, because she tossed her orange hair back with one hand and slammed her fork onto the table. The fork clattered loudly against her plate, drawing the attention of several people sitting nearby.
Even so, Evelyn didn't turn her head toward Beatrice. She knew that for someone as attention-hungry as Beatrice, the greatest punishment was denying her the attention she craved.
When Beatrice realized Evelyn wasn't even looking at her, she clenched her teeth.
"I said, do you really think you can catch anyone's attention? You're just an ordinary woman—unworthy of any kind of interest. Even your looks are enough to make people look away."
That sentence made Evelyn laugh. Though she hadn't paid much attention to her appearance in recent years, she was still above average in looks.
She had received compliments about it her whole life, which had naturally boosted her confidence. She had never been one to boast about her beauty, but being attacked with the exact opposite claim was almost funny.
That was why she didn't need to think much before replying.
"At least I'm pretty enough to catch your attention—and your interest."
Just then, as she met the gaze of the sales consultant she had been watching for a while, Evelyn smiled and waved at him.
When Beatrice turned to see where Evelyn was looking, she realized the consultant's eyes were indeed on her. That only made her even angrier.
This time, Beatrice raised her voice loud enough for more people to hear.
"Yeah, keep doing what you're best at! Flirt with the men in the company to get a promotion!"
It was only then that Beatrice's words managed to catch Evelyn's attention. After staring at the jealous woman across from her for a moment, she spoke in a calm tone.
"Weren't you the one rumored to be involved with the head of customer service, Beatrice? Why are you trying to project your own talents onto me?"
Evelyn gave a faint smile at the furious woman across from her, then averted her gaze and picked up the wine glass in front of her.
That simple gesture alone was enough to push Beatrice past her limit.
Rising from her seat, Beatrice snatched the glass from Evelyn's hand and poured all the wine over her head.
Stunned by Beatrice's sudden outburst, Evelyn couldn't even react before Beatrice's shrill voice made her flinch and shut her eyes.
"What a nasty bitch! Who do you think you are?!"
After screaming at the top of her lungs, Beatrice grabbed the glass from the terrified man beside her and hurled it —wine and all— at Evelyn. The glass hit her head, and as Evelyn opened her eyes, only one thought crossed her mind.
Fuck this. I don't care anymore.
With every eye in the room —including the sales consultant's— fixed on them, Evelyn began hurling the meat and vegetables from her plate at Beatrice one by one.
"Who am I? I'm Evelyn Blake. Don't forget my name!"