Chapter 490: Facing Each Other
"Where did everyone go?"
"No idea."
I answered Park Ye-eun while typing on my keyboard.
Since they're not sticking with me, they're probably off somewhere, the three of them hanging out together, right?
Honestly, if they stuck with me all the time, they'd get tired too.
Even if they wouldn't, I'd get tired.
I'm human too; sometimes I want to be alone.
"Then play with me!"
"Did you come to the company to play? Get to work."
"..."
Park Ye-eun pouted and buried her head in her computer again.
"I don't wanna work!"
"Team Leader, the intern says she doesn't want to work."
"Are you telling a minor to work? Just humor her a little."
"Huh? Isn't this a company?"
"It's the Management Bureau."
Are we really playing word games now?
But what can I do? I'm just a weak office worker.
When the boss says jump, you ask how high. That's the virtue of an employee.
"Alright then, what should we play?"
"You sound like some uncle, Oppa!"
With this age gap, aren't I basically an uncle?
Though I'd rather not be called 'Mister'.
"Here."
What Park Ye-eun handed me was a piece of paper.
<Report>
"Could you write this report for me, Oppa?"
"Team Leader, isn't this just dumping work on someone?"
"You dump work on me too. The company's going backwards, so you should experience it a bit."
The Team Leader definitely has a grudge against me. There's no other way he'd be this malicious.
What did I even do wrong?
While I was thinking that,
- Swoosh.
The door opened and three people walked in.
They looked somewhat dissatisfied.
"What's up with them?"
"At times like this, it's better not to poke the bear."
I whispered a reply to Park Ye-eun, who was muttering to herself, and continued working.
Actually, this works out. Let me just write Park Ye-eun's report.
Let's see.
<Contemplation on the Existence of Others Through Observation of the Inner Psyche.>
What is this?
Skimming it, it seems to be about that dream we saw last time.
"Who told you to write something like this?"
"Huh? Don't you write these?"
"I've never written one."
"Team Leader! Oppa says he's never written one!"
"He's a pro, so he doesn't have time to write that stuff."
"No, I mean, what is this exactly?"
"A field report."
"Why should I write it?"
"You don't write them, because you're a pro."
"It's because I'm administrative staff that I don't write them."
"Do you really think you're administrative staff?"
I was momentarily speechless at the Team Leader's words, but then we were all rendered speechless by Song A-rin's words as she sat there with an irritated expression, pounding on her keyboard.
"...Should we get some coffee?"
"Sure. Ye-eun, you come too."
"Ah, yes."
Fortunately, the Team Leader, Park Ye-eun, and I managed to escape.
As soon as the door closed with a thud, the Team Leader and Park Ye-eun glared at me.
"What did you do?"
"Oppa, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything."
This is unfair. What did I even do?
"If you did nothing, why are those three like that? Come on, man, say something that makes sense."
"No, those people have their own lives too."
Everyone can have problems, right?
Song A-rin might be in a bad mood today, and Jang Chae-yeon and Yu Daon might also be in a bad mood.
Don't we all have days like that?
"And you expect me to believe that right now?"
"I'm telling you, I really didn't do anything."
"Oppa, by any chance, did you say something to the colleagues recently?"
"The rainbow is pretty?"
"You really didn't say anything?"
Park Ye-eun's eyes went wide, and I desperately resisted the urge to give her a flick on the forehead and continued.
"Anyway, I really didn't do anything. We've all just been busy."
"Hmm..."
The Team Leader frowned deeply.
"In all my years of marriage..."
"Yes."
"That's the look of someone who's sulking. But I don't think they're sulking at you."
"Weren't you just asking me if I did something wrong?"
"Since when are men so talkative? Anyway, there must be some external factor."
This is ridiculous.
I thought that as I looked at the Team Leader.
"Then what is that external factor?"
"Well... Do the three of them fight often?"
"They fight so often it's like they're itching to kill each other."
Figuratively speaking, not physically.
"Well, I'll be damned. You need to make an effort to soothe them a bit."
"Do you really think I haven't?"
"Yes."
"Yeah."
This is truly unfair.
While the three of us were chattering like that,
"I'll have a cup of coffee too."
A voice came from beside us.
It was the Branch Chief.
Why is the Branch Chief here?
"Don't look at me like that. My head hurts because of you people right now."
"Me?"
"See, it's you again."
"Ugh, this Oppa is just the problem."
Why is everyone suddenly picking on me like this?
Did I ever pick on anyone? Did I ever speak out of turn?
It's wrong to pick on such a kind person like this.
What did I do wrong?
"See that face? The 'I did nothing wrong' expression."
"Tsk tsk, he's hopeless, hopeless."
I thought the Branch Chief might say something in my defense.
Thinking that, I looked at the Branch Chief,
"...Aish."
The Branch Chief just let out another sigh.
I'm the one who wants to sigh, me.
"...Anyway."
The Branch Chief took a deep sigh and started talking.
"Mr. Kim Jae-heon. Well, um. Do you have time?"
"Time is..."
"He does. Right?"
"Of course!"
Before I could even finish, the Team Leader and Park Ye-eun pushed me from behind.
Pushed by the two of them, I went up to the Branch Chief, who swept her hair back and looked at me.
"You came. You have plenty of time, right?"
"If the Chief calls, I have to make time even if I don't have any."
"That's right. Are you free until tonight?"
"Will you pay overtime?"
"Do you still think our meetings are work-related?"
"...They aren't?"
"Good grief."
"Argh!"
The Branch Chief jabbed my side with her elbow, and an unbearable pain hit me so hard I couldn't even breathe.
The attacks of a human weapon are no joke.
"Anyway."
The Branch Chief looked at me, sighing again, "Hoo."
"Let's talk."
*
I walked out of the Management Bureau with the Branch Chief, holding my coffee.
Obviously, walking with the Branch Chief draws attention.
Inside the Bureau, it's because she's the Branch Chief; outside, it's because of her face.
Honestly, if she just kept her mouth shut, she's a beauty. It's just that when she opens her mouth, she sounds like a scatterbrained granny.
"You were thinking I'm pretty, weren't you?"
"Well, you're quite spry for your age, I'll give you that."
"Lately, I've been feeling that the way the HR Team talks seems to have taken after you, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
"What nonsense are you talking?"
The HR Team members resemble me?
Preposterous. They all have such strong individual personalities.
"No, really. Especially Mr. Yu Daon."
"I don't make blunt remarks like Mr. Yu Daon."
"Yes, you do."
"..."
The Branch Chief clapped her hands once, clap, flatly stating that I was wrong.
"Anyway."
"Yes."
"The reason I called you here, Mr. Kim Jae-heon, is because I have quite a few things on my mind."
"Things on your mind?"
I've been having a lot on my mind lately too. I wonder what the Branch Chief has brought to me.
"First..."
The Branch Chief trailed off.
"Mr. Kim Jae-heon, by any chance, do you... um... say bad things to the HR Team members?"
"...Bad things?"
What kind of bad things?
"Like workplace harassment? I've honestly never done that."
Frankly, hitting Song A-rin on the head during a mission for not waking up isn't workplace harassment, right? It was a force majeure situation.
Surely she didn't snitch about that? If so, I feel betrayed.
"No, no, not that kind of thing."
But as if my guess was wrong, the Branch Chief waved her hand.
"You know, that thing. 'I love everyone. I want to marry everyone,' that kind of..."
"...Do I look like a madman to you?"
In another era, maybe, but in the era I was born in, marrying everyone is common-sensically impossible.
No, even if it were common-sensically possible, I wouldn't want to. Why would I suddenly marry everyone?
"...So you're saying you've never said anything like that to the three of them?"
"Never."
"...Hmm..."
The Branch Chief groaned, lost in thought.
What on earth is so troubling?
"Branch Chief, you have to tell me for me to know."
"It's not something I can say easily."
At my words, the Branch Chief shook her head.
"First, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
"Yes?"
"How's your... stamina?"
"Pfft, cough! Hack!"
I was drinking my coffee and nearly spat half of it out at the Branch Chief's words.
"Excuse me?"
"No, I mean, are you confident? That kind of thing."
"How would I know?"
How should I know?
"What would you do if you had, say, five wives?"
"I'd hate that."
Why would I have five wives?
First of all, I'm not even thinking about marriage right now.
"The current situation is a bit serious, so first—"
"I mean, after all this situation is over."
The Branch Chief cut me off and made eye contact.
"Someday, all this situation might end."
She spoke in a serious voice.
So, I also responded to her words seriously.
"I haven't thought about that yet."
"..."
"Branch Chief, the reality facing me right now is too harsh to think about the future."
Kang-byeon, and countless threats.
The numbers written in the manual decrease day by day, and I'm using every method I can, but whether they'll work or not is unknown.
"I can't clumsily say I like someone or make promises about the future."
Because if I end up dying, it would cause that person immense pain.
Unless it's after everything is over, I haven't even thought about such things, and I don't want to.
"..."
The Branch Chief stared at me intently,
"Can't be helped, then."
"Huh?"
"Let's go on a picnic tomorrow. It's a Branch Chief's order."
She raised her index finger and looked at me.
"...Yes?"
"Understood? Picnic. It's mandatory."
Then the Branch Chief looked at me and smiled.
"By the way, I'm going too, so dress nicely."
"Wait—"
Before I could finish, the Branch Chief walked away at an incredible speed.
"...What the."
And so, a picnic was suddenly scheduled for tomorrow.