Novoseltsev’s colleague and friend, Olga Petrovna Ryzhova, encourages him to aim for a department head position.

Reconnecting with his old friend, Samokhvalov uses his influence to help Novoseltsev advance by suggesting he flirt with Kalugina to soften her stance.

Samokhvalov arranges a trip to Turkey with the hope of sparking a connection between the two, but things take a turn when a drunken Novoseltsev, frustrated by her indifference, calls her "hard" and "heartless" in front of the group and even pushes her into a pool.

The next day, Novoseltsev and Kalugina find themselves alone in a stalled cable car, where he tries to apologize, only to make her cry by bringing up her loneliness.

In a final act of sabotage, Samokhvalov swaps Novoseltsev's presentation flash drive with a scandalous video.