Throwaway account for obvious reasons because my industry in SG is smaller than a BTO toilet.
I (29M) work as a Project Manager in one of those uptight, soul-crushing MNCs in Changi Business Park. You know the vibe—you step into the office and it feels like a perpetual funeral. Nobody talks, everybody just stares at their dual monitors like they are mourning their youth.
Enter our HR Director. She’s in her late 40s, single, and treats the office corridor like a Paris Fashion Week runway. She’s those typical corporate fixtures who have been there since the building was built, positions so high up that her main job scope is basically existing and looking expensive.
When I first joined, she approached me a few times to ask if I was “adapting well.” Harmless, right? Standard HR care. But then things got a bit weird. She started organizing these mandatory “team bonding” drinking sessions at CBD bars. After a few rounds of tequila, the “bonding” became very targeted. Somehow, she found out through the grapevine that I was drowning in credit card debt (too many expensive hobbies and bad choices). She subtly hints to me: “Jiayou, if you ever need ‘financial assistance’ or help with your career progression, you know who to look for.” I laughed it off and said, “No lah, where got need.” But every single drinking session after that, she would bring it up.
Fast forward to our company D&D last month. Everyone was absolutely plastered. I was borderline blacking out from the free-flow alcohol. While everyone was busy singing corporate karaoke, she pulled me aside and straight up asked me to go back to her condo in River Valley. She whispered that she would make sure my time was “well compensated.”
In my drunken, debt-ridden state, logic left the chat. I went.
A few days later, a brand new Omega watch mysteriously appeared on my desk in a paper bag. Since then, this “arrangement” has happened a few more times. She has given me a mix of high-end gadgets and luxury goods. I’m not proud of it, but I privately resold everything on Carousell to clear my credit card bills. Total financial lifesaver, but my soul felt a bit dirty.
Here is the problem: I actually want to settle down and find a proper girlfriend now. But every time I look at her in the office wearing her Chanel blazer, I get a minor panic attack. The guilt is starting to eat me alive. I’m supposed to be a Project Manager, but right now, I feel like the only project being executed is me, and the only thing getting aggressively managed is my backside.
How to exit this project without getting retrenched? Help a bro out.