Chapter 276: A Brief Rest
I sipped on the freshly squeezed apple juice the Branch Chief had made for me and sank into reminiscence.
The moment Song A-rin contacted the Management Bureau, Bureau personnel showed up to find me as if they’d been waiting.
And then the calls came. One from the Branch Chief, two from Team Leader Heo Chan, one from Park Ye-eun, and forty-three from Eileen.
Forty-three from Eileen?
And the moment I confirmed that…
“Kim Jae-heon!!”
From far away, Eileen was running toward me, holding a flashlight.
And behind her, people in Management Bureau uniforms were running in perfect unison.
This is the Gangdong Branch, how did Eileen even get here?
Before I could even form that question, Eileen saw my arm and screamed, and soon I was taken to the hospital.
And that’s why I’m lying here now.
I had expected it, but they said it’s a complex fracture.
If it were a regular hospital, I would have been bedridden for a long time, but thanks to whatever surgery or treatment the Management Bureau provides, it seems like I’ll recover faster than I thought.
“I almost fainted myself.”
“Haven’t you seen wounds like this often, Chief?”
“I was scared I’d get torn apart by the Director-General.”
“What, is the Director-General that scary?”
“Mr. Kim Jae-heon, if you get harassed by a lunatic superior for about a hundred years, you’ll develop fears you never had, you know?”
“Doesn’t one just get used to it?”
“If Mr. Kim Jae-heon ends up living a long life, I’ll take responsibility and instill that fear in you myself.”
It seems I really did get torn apart.
I slightly bowed my head to express my apology to the Branch Chief, and she waved her hand.
“It’s fine. This is all part of a superior’s job.”
Then she went back to crushing apples.
-Crunch!
A tremendous sound echoed, and she poured more juice and handed me the glass.
“Drink.”
“But I just had a glass...”
“Drink.”
“Thank you.”
I realized it.
I had no choice in the matter.
I drank the apple juice the Branch Chief gave me and looked around.
It’s quiet now that the Chief is here, but just a little while ago, it was incredibly noisy.
Now there are three people here, including the Branch Chief and me.
Jang Chae-yeon, as always, brings food every day and takes care of me, and Song A-rin shows up almost daily, bringing something strange each time.
Recently, she brought a doll that supposedly relieves stress if you hold it.
When I explained that I couldn’t use one arm, she made an ‘oops’ face and took it back, but still.
As for Yu Daon…
“...”
“Why do you look so upset? Is a bone stabbing your muscle or something?”
“Don’t say such scary things.”
-Smash!
I averted my gaze from the Branch Chief, who was now crushing a pineapple with one hand, and thought of Yu Daon.
After seeing I was injured, her face turned pale, and she hasn’t visited since.
I wondered if she was angry, but her expression was far too serious for that.
-Ding!
My messenger chimed. When I picked up my smartphone, there was a message from Yu Daon.
[Coworker Yu Daon (2:45 PM) - Mr. Jae-heon, the weather is really nice today.]
[Me (2:50 PM) - It is. You mentioned it this morning too, but has the weather changed since then?]
[Coworker Yu Daon (2:50 PM) - No, nothing’s changed!]
[Coworker Yu Daon (2:51 PM) - What are you doing, Mr. Jae-heon?]
I looked at the messages flying in at a rate of about one per minute.
Why doesn’t she just come visit?
But when I subtly suggest that to her, she dodges the question.
“…Chief.”
“Yes?”
The Branch Chief, who was now squeezing pineapple juice, looked up at me.
“What should I do if a coworker suddenly stops visiting?”
“Isn’t it strange for a coworker to visit in the first place?”
“…A somewhat close coworker?”
“Ah, you mean a coworker you’re so close to they’re like a friend?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
The Branch Chief furrowed her brow at my question and sank into thought.
“Is it a woman?”
“Uh… yes.”
“You know I’m in favor of office romance, right?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Everyone says that, and then a few years later they hand me a wedding invitation.”
The Branch Chief said this in a playful tone, then put on a serious expression, thought for a moment, and spoke.
“First of all, maybe Mr. Kim Jae-heon did something wrong.”
“…That’s possible.”
Maybe I made some mistake with Yu Daon. The problem is I have no idea what that mistake could be.
“Is there no contact at all? None?”
“Not none… It’s just that via text, it’s the same… no, the amount of contact has increased so much it’s incomparable, but she just won’t come visit?”
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing that, the Branch Chief started tilting her head.
“It’s too perfect a timing for it to be playing hard to get. Since there’s no reason for her not to come, it probably isn’t that. But to say she’s upset, the quantity of contact has increased.”
The Branch Chief kept pondering, then looked at me.
“On the contrary, maybe that person feels sorry towards Mr. Kim Jae-heon?”
“Huh?”
“‘He got hurt because of me, so I’m too sorry to visit, but my conscience can’t bear not contacting him at all.’ That kind of thing.”
“That sounds about right,” the Branch Chief muttered, placing a hand on her chin. “From my perspective, this seems correct. I’m quite an expert on the female heart, you see.”
“Chief, you have no dating experience.”
“But I am a woman, right?”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Then what should I do in a situation like this?”
“Call her.”
The Branch Chief looked at me with an expression asking what I was even questioning.
“And after I call?”
“Tell her to come see you right now.”
“…Chief, are you sure this is right?”
“Tsk tsk, don’t you trust your life senior?”
When I made a skeptical face, the Branch Chief looked at me, going ‘Hssss.’
“Well, try calling right now.”
“What, call right now?”
“Good things come to those who listen to the Branch Chief. Quickly!”
The Branch Chief slapped my shoulder, and eventually, unable to withstand the pressure, I had no choice but to pick up my smartphone.
<Calling Management Bureau’s Yu Daon…>
“Ah, so it was Ms. Yu Daon?”
“Yes.”
“Aha.”
The Branch Chief nodded, and I pressed the call button.
After a brief ringtone, Yu Daon answered immediately.
“M-Mr. Jae-heon. What’s the matter?”
“Ms. Daon, I have something to say…”
“Did I… upset you…?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Did I contact you too often and annoy you…? Or maybe…”
“Ms. Daon, wait a moment-”
“Or maybe…”
The Branch Chief poked my shoulder again and made a face.
“…Ms. Daon, aren’t you going to visit me?”
“Huh…?”
“Please come quickly. Be-”
Before I could finish, the Branch Chief snatched the smartphone from my hand and hung up.
“Chief.”
“If you do this, she’ll come quickly.”
The Branch Chief answered confidently and stood up.
“One last pineapple juice.”
“Chief, I’ll go into blood sugar shock.”
“If you get blood sugar shock from three glasses of fruit juice, then Mr. Kim Jae-heon, you’re already a corpse.”
The Branch Chief smiled, bringing the glass to my lips, and in the end, I had no choice but to down the freshly squeezed pineapple juice in one go.
“Well, I’ll be going now!”
The Branch Chief said with a laugh and started to leave.
“Let me know if you get matching couple rings.”
“What matching rings?”
The Branch Chief laughed, then looked somewhere.
Shall I take her with me? She mouthed the words.
I shook my head, and she shrugged her shoulders and stepped out the door.
As she was leaving, she only stuck her head back in, put her index fingers on both her cheeks, laughed out loud, and left.
“...”
My mouth felt sweet.
As I fumbled around for some water, a pale hand reached out from behind the curtain and handed me a water bottle.
“Thank you.”
No reply came.
Not long after, Yu Daon came to visit.
She came surprisingly early.
“Mr. Jae-heon…”
She had brought three fruit baskets and two boxes of red ginseng—where did she get them?—and set them down.
“You bought all this?”
Even considering we’re Management Bureau employees, isn’t this spending money too recklessly?
“I-Is it not enough?”
And Yu Daon, seemingly misunderstanding my words, flusteredly started to back away.
“J-Just a moment. The ginseng shop is a bit far…!”
“Ms. Daon… Please, just sit down.”
Finally, Yu Daon sat down.
Watching Yu Daon, who kept rolling her eyes as if checking my reaction, I thought the Branch Chief’s words were probably correct.
What should I say at a time like this?
“It’s alright.”
Let’s calm her down first.
As I made a gesture, raising both hands as if to calm an animal, Yu Daon glanced at me and then lowered her gaze to the floor.
Let me think.
What could Yu Daon possibly feel sorry to me about?
Considering the words and actions Yu Daon has shown so far, it’s easy to guess.
“I was the one who asked you to stay by my side, Ms. Daon.”
“Huh?”
Yu Daon looked at me, and I continued.
“If anything, Ms. A-rin was the one who didn’t listen. I told her to stay with you, but she followed me anyway…”
Although, thanks to that, I survived. If she hadn’t, it wouldn’t be my arm that was crushed, but my torso.
I observed Yu Daon’s expression.
She rolled her eyes around, then looked back at the floor.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright.”
In times like this, it’s best to lessen the guilt.
“I don’t think you did anything wrong, Ms. Daon.”
At my words, Yu Daon bowed her head even further.
…Is this not it?
“Um. So, please don’t worry too much… I’m always on your side, Ms. Daon.”
“...”
Yu Daon still didn’t lift her head.
Why, what on earth is the problem?
I looked at Yu Daon with a bewildered expression. She lifted her head, made eye contact with me for a moment, then looked down again.
“I…”
“Yes, Ms. Daon.”
Yu Daon hesitated, then opened her mouth.
“What kind of existence am I to you, Mr. Jae-heon?”
“You, Ms. Daon?”
What kind of existence is Yu Daon to me?
She’s a person I’m grateful to.
I’m grateful that she always throws herself into danger for us, and I’m also grateful that she always smiles and never shows how hard things are.
“…Well, you’re someone I’m grateful to.”
Of course, I’m always grateful to Jang Chae-yeon and Song A-rin as well, but if I had to pick just the feeling of gratitude, Yu Daon always comes out ahead.
“After all, you saved my life, Ms. Daon.”
“...”
Yu Daon gave a bitter smile.
“But it wasn’t me who helped you, Mr. Jae-heon.”
“Huh?”
“I happened to see it, you see.”
Yu Daon lifted her head and looked at me.
Bitterness filled her face.
“Mr. Jae-heon… I’m not that perso-”
“That’s right, what nonsense are you talking about.”
It wasn’t me who answered.
With a shhh sound, the curtain next to me was pulled aside.
Dull blonde hair shone in the sunlight.
Eileen was staring straight at Yu Daon.