"Abalone?"
"Is that… caviar?"
The shock traveled table to table like a stadium wave. Suho cracked a lobster claw with the serene focus of a monk breaking a vow. On my own dime, I can barely afford instant noodles. On the company's dime? Feast like a king. Keep spending, my beauties. Daddy needs a deficit.
Lee Wonho suddenly sprang up. "Everyone! A word from the boss?"
A chorus detonated: "Boss! Boss! Boss!"
Suho stared at Lee Wonho the way a cat regards a glass on the edge of a table. Then he stood.
"Relax today," he said. "Eat hard. Drink soft. That's all."
Ten seconds. Thunderous applause. The devs at the back wiped imaginary tears. "A speech that respects our time… legendary."
The room melted into little constellations: factory cutters trading banter with junior coders; QA and sewing masters comparing 'bugs' (stitches win); and Zhao and Zhou Chen navigating introductions with that polite smile remote workers wear when their Slack avatars meet reality.
