It was the last day of February. Supervisor Kim came in carrying a large basket. Even though the contents weren’t visible, Deputy Park stood up as if he had been waiting.
“Are we going to eat?”
“Yes. Come and choose what you like.”
“Great. Is Lee Seodan coming too? Eat and then continue working.”
On the screen, there were documents that Deputy Park had been looking at. Just in case, I pressed the save button and followed a step behind towards the meeting room table. Deputy Park was already tearing open the plastic packaging. Snacks and bread, beautifully wrapped with ribbons, endlessly poured out of the basket.
Supervisor Kim, who had been sitting at the meeting room table, handed me the basket. As I put a small round tart into my mouth, Deputy Park, with a distorted pronunciation, asked, “When did you bake all of these? We finished work and left early yesterday dawn.”
“I was dozing off in front of the oven, and when I lifted my head, it was already dawn.”
Now I could see in the basket not only tarts but also cookies shaped like little people and unevenly shaped bread. As I hesitated, reaching out my hand above the basket, I heard Deputy Park’s words.
“You baked them yourself?”
“Of course.”
Supervisor Kim smiled as she looked at my expression, cheeks flushed as if she had just eaten pie. It didn’t seem to be a bad feeling.
“You’ll lose your arm, take them quickly.”
“I… I don’t know what to choose. They all look delicious.”
“Take one of each type. Leave just enough for the afternoon, and the rest of us can eat together.”
The basket was large. Still hesitating, Supervisor Kim carefully stacked cookies and tarts one by one into my hands. Up close, under her dark makeup, the area under her eyes looked slightly swollen. As someone who crawled into bed after taking the last train home from work, the baking even made me feel awe.
“It seems that Lee Seodan likes sweets.”
Holding the snacks carefully in my arms to avoid them from breaking, I went back to my seat, and Deputy Kwon, who had been watching, spoke.
“Oh… yes. It seems so.”
“It looked like the expression of someone who likes them.”
“…Does Deputy Kwon not like desserts?”
“I tend to avoid anything with flour.”
I started to offer the snacks but then pulled my hand back. Sitting down, I grabbed and untied the ribbon on the tart bag. I took out a round one and placed it on my palm, examining it closely. Meanwhile, Deputy Yoon, who had just arrived at the meeting room door, was laying praise on the basket even before trying anything.
“But seriously, why did you bake these?”
Deputy Park, who was still rummaging through the basket next to Yoon, asked.
“I appreciate you bringing them, but you could have done it tomorrow. It’s a holiday tomorrow.”
“…Oh.”
Supervisor Kim placed the basket on the meeting room table. As I nibbled on the tart’s edge, I glanced toward the open door.
“Doesn’t Deputy Park know that Director Kim likes sweets?”
“Really?”
“I heard it from a colleague in the secretary’s office. When they go out for team dinners, Director Kim asks for sugar to be sprinkled on fruit appetizers.”
“So, did you bake them for that, to ease the atmosphere during the interim presentation?”
“It’s nice if the meeting atmosphere can be more relaxed.”
Since I kept looking at the door, I saw the shadow of a person outside a few seconds earlier than Deputy Park and Supervisor Kim, who were turning their backs. The silhouette passing through the opaque glass next to the door was familiar.
My heartbeat slightly quickened. I averted my gaze from the cross-section of the tart I was eating. The shoulders of Han Team Leader who had crossed the threshold caught my eye at the edge of my vision.
Han Team Leader glanced briefly at the basket Supervisor Kim was offering and dismissed it.
“Let’s review the data one more time during snack time.”
“I baked these, Team Leader.”
“I suspected as much. They don’t look uniformly shaped.”
“…Come to think of it, Team Leader, you don’t like sweets, right? You don’t have to force yourself; just leave it. I can give another one to Lee Seodan or Deputy Yoon.”
At those words, Han Team Leader’s gaze turned towards me. I unintentionally lifted my eyes from the tart, and as I did, I felt a painful bite inside my mouth. Across the wide meeting room, our eyes met.
“Is it delicious?”
He asked with a faint smile on his lips. I swallowed what was in my mouth and belatedly responded with a hoarse voice.
“…Yes.”
“You have crumbs on your mouth.”
“…I apologize.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Rb cffv ab jqbibulhf.”
Swish, and something gracefully arced through the air. When I reached out to catch it, I found a cookie shaped like a person, just like the ones on my desk. It even had facial expressions drawn with chocolate buttons.
“Tbe mjc fja wlcf, Off Vfbvjc. Po atfgf’r jcs ifoa, ajxf la tbwf jcv fcpbs.”
“…Ktjcx sbe.”
“Coafg iecmt abvjs, kf’ii rajga atf wlv-qgfrfcajalbc ja bcf. Qf’ii wbnf ab atf jvpjmfca mbcofgfcmf gbbw lcrafjv bo tfgf, jcv j ofk fzfmealnfr, lcmievlcu Glgfmabg Blw, jcv jcbatfg afjw ifjvfg ogbw Jbcreialcu Kfjw 1 klii byrfgnf.”
The room fell silent with his announcement. Deputy Kwon, who had been focused on the screen, also turned his chair towards Han Team Leader. Seated at the meeting room table, he continued with the explanation.
“A few days ago, I explained this as well, but the format will be more of a presentation than a final presentation. I will present the materials briefly, and then we’ll proceed with questions. Be prepared to answer any questions or critiques about your assigned tasks.”
“…Yes.”
“For both completed and upcoming tasks. You may need to summarize even the outlines of what you plan to do. Familiarize yourself with the overall timeline and be prepared for as much as you can within the remaining time.”
“Yes!”
Supervisor Kim was already walking towards the desk while answering. She seemed preoccupied. Deputy Park took out a few more snacks from the basket and returned to his seat. He raised his hand to me as a gesture of apology and said,
“Lee Seodan, I’m sorry, but I’ll look at this in a bit. I’m a bit rushed with a mountain of materials to review before the presentation.”
“It’s okay, no problem.”
I reduced the size of the document and opened the Reby chat. Deputy Park adjusted the chair height and keyboard position next to me, leaning in to closely inspect the screen. Han Team Leader, still sitting at the meeting room table, seemed to be the only one relaxed, casually swiping through his phone.
A notification blinked on the Reby main chat. It was Supervisor Kim.
「Let’s all do our best!」
「But we’re halfway there now!」
The Flow Chart, sprawling like a spider web, occupied the background. I briefly glanced away from the screen and caught a glimpse of the desk calendar in the corner.
It was true. The project, the twelve Saturdays we had committed to, had quietly passed the halfway mark.
***
In the afternoon, a message came in just before entering the conference room. I grabbed my phone from my pocket to set it on silent, but a series of messages with attached photos was stacking up. It was my younger sister.
It seemed that the graduation ceremony, which had been ongoing since this morning, had finally ended. Her smiling face in a graduation cap filled the screen. Five pictures in a row, taken from a similar angle but with different expressions, came through. I couldn’t tell if they were taken by her or someone else since I wasn’t in any of them.
Deputy Park leaned over beyond my shoulder in the hallway.
“Who’s this? Did she graduate this time?”
“Oh… it’s my younger sister.”
Her makeup seemed more vibrant and mature compared to the last time I saw her. She appeared to have lost some weight, her jawline sharp, and no hint of baby fat on her cheeks. As Deputy Park scrolled down, he drew out the word ‘wow.’
“Your younger sister is quite a beauty.”
“…Thank you.”
“She looks a bit like Lee Seodan.”
“Yes, when we were younger, people often said we looked alike.”
“Although the overall vibe is different, the small face and facial features are similar, so if you put her next to you, you can immediately tell.”
The meeting room door was right in front of me. I turned off the phone sound and put it back into my pocket. As I crossed the threshold, Deputy Park asked,
“When was the graduation ceremony? Last week? Has Lee Seodan taken any days off?”
“Oh… she graduated this morning.”
“Today?”
His voice raised. Deputy Kwon sharply interjected with a ‘shh.’ My seat was next to Deputy Yoon, but Deputy Park grabbed my arm and didn’t let go.
“You missed it because of the presentation? Your sister’s graduation ceremony?”
“Oh… no, it’s not like that.”
“How is it not something like that? You should’ve told me or Han Team Leader! You could have quickly attended it in the morning. It happens once in a lifetime, and I’m really disappointed.”
“…It’s really not like that. Anyway…”
I stopped talking. There was a commotion outside the open door. Before I could sit down, Han Team Leader entered the conference room, followed by three others. Among them was Director Kim, whom I had seen before. Deputy Yoon, next to me, had already stood up. Han Team Leader stood aside to allow three people to enter and then closed the meeting room door.
“Is it okay if I sit here? Here?”
The conference room was spacious compared to the number of people. Director Kim pointed to the place with a cup and asked again.
“It seems like it might be hard to see well with the screen so close?”
“We arranged it for Q&A, but if it’s uncomfortable, we can move to the back.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for us to move after the presentation? Please adjust the seating here after our PT. Kim, can you move your seat here?”
Supervisor Kim, who was pointed at, sighed and got up.
“Manager, I’ll-.”
“Stay seated. I told you to do it, so I’ll take care of it.”
I remembered Supervisor Kim asking me enthusiastically to fetch coffee when the youngest member entered. While standing and watching Supervisor Kim move the cup with both hands, I made eye contact with Han Team Leader. His face was expressionless.
Supervisor Kim crossed the meeting room twice to move the cup. On the second pass, she sat down and extended the basket toward Director Kim, who was waiting.
“The taste is excellent because it’s freshly baked bread-.”
“Do you bake bread too? I heard TF schedules are tight.”
The speaker was a lean man standing next to Director Kim. Although I hadn’t seen him many times, he was probably a director. His thin, fish-like appearance matched his oddly high-pitched voice. Director Kim, unwrapping the packaging with thick fingers, laughed at his comment.
“Since it’s time to start, let’s begin with introducing the observers and then move on to the PT.”
Han Team Leader stood near the light switch. Director Kim waved his hand as if interrupting.
“We don’t need introductions. Isn’t skipping such formalities your style, Team Leader?”
“…Then let’s proceed with the PT.”
The lights went off abruptly, and only the faint light from the beam projector dimly illuminated the darkness. Someone coughed. The screen brightened with a clatter.
At that moment, I remembered. Shortly after joining, I attended an internal presentation like a quarterly review. Among the many people who briefly spoke during the all-day presentation, there was Han Team Leader. It might have been around five minutes. From my rear seat, I could only see the side profile reflected in the cool light of the projector. However, his speech was more vividly memorable than anything else I had seen that day.
I probably wasn’t the only one. A colleague sitting cramped next to me, who was dozing off, had turned on the phone’s recording function and stuck close to the back of the front seat. I couldn’t recall the content of the presentation, but the cold face on the stage, resembling a small dot, remained vividly in my memory.
Thinking about it, it became intriguing that I could now watch his presentation from a distance of just a few meters. The low-pitched, accurately pronounced voice was flowing directly into my ears, not through the microphone. Working in the same meeting room, receiving direct feedback on reports, and having my name included in the team he leads. Could I have imagined such a thing a year ago?
A few days ago, I thought it would be impossible. I quickly became excited when he showed a little leniency. Now that the mountain seemed crossed, there was an unspoken confidence that I could endure even six more times.
It was a foolish hope. I had repeatedly forgotten not to be complacent in front of Han Team Leader and regretted it every time.
“The presentation is short.”
As Han Team Leader turned on the lights, Director Kim spoke as if he had been waiting.
“The technical analysis that came up in the middle was a bit ambiguous, so I’d like to hear the explanation again.”
“I think it would be better for the team member in charge of the task to explain it directly.”
“Oh, really? Then let’s move back to our seats now.”
Before Director Kim’s finger could point in this direction, Supervisor Kim had already pushed the chair back. After moving cups and snacks twice, she finally returned to her seat. Coincidentally, the material mentioned by Director Kim was also under Supervisor Kim’s responsibility. Even the adjacent director joined in the probing. The questions were almost identical, with only the order of words changed.
Supervisor Kim explained the same content twice. She re-displayed the slides and even pointed out the specific parts with a laser pointer. While Director Kim unwrapped the snacks, he did not bother to look at the screen and casually remarked.
“I understand the gist, but it’s disappointing that it’s ending with this level of analysis after more than a month.”
It wasn’t a question. Supervisor Kim opened her mouth and then closed it.
“The project duration has been reduced to three months this time, so shouldn’t we finish the work faster? There’s ongoing progress on this and that, and there’s been a lot of vague analysis, but in the end, there’s no concrete result. It’s supposed to be a mid-term presentation, after all.”
“…According to the outline…”
“So you’re asking if that outline is properly set up. It’s going to be finished by April 14th starting from tomorrow until March, right? On that day, it’s not just three people coming; the executives will be sitting in front. You’ve spread the work so widely, and you’ve been too lax about it all this time, haven’t you? We left it to you, thinking you’d handle it well, but after seeing the presentation, I’m starting to think we need to intervene more.”
Director Kim, cornering her once again, asked.
“How do you feel about it, Supervisor Kim?”
It was unclear whether the intent of the question was genuine or a trap. Even from where I was sitting, I could see Supervisor Kim unable to open her mouth, frozen.
Then, the screen changed with a click. Supervisor Kim’s materials disappeared, and a schedule by date filled the screen. It was Han Team Leader who had been standing behind the presentation stage. He pressed the keyboard a few more times to zoom in on the end of February.
“According to the timeline submitted in January, the progress is being carried out accurately without any errors. Unnecessary suspicions seem to be arising.”
His face seemed indifferent at a glance.
“I understand the weight of responsibility you, Director Kim, carry. If understanding the progress through reports alone is difficult, I recommend you make time to attend meetings at least once a week in the future.”
“No.”
Director Kim half-raised his body. His face had turned red without anyone noticing.
“I don’t have separate time to spare for TF. Isn’t that why there’s Han Team Leader in the middle to report to me?”
“I submitted reports on the progress every three days. If you felt it wasn’t enough, you should have said so.”
“From the beginning, the timeline was set by Han Team Leader without my input. I was told to approve it, so I approved it and trusted them.”
“I remember mentioning that there wouldn’t be clear results in the middle of the project, especially by the mid-presentation date. The timeline I set, as you mentioned, was reviewed by Director Kim beforehand and proceeded only after receiving approval. If there was any part that you weren’t satisfied with, it would have been better to mention it in January, not now when the project is more than halfway done. What are your thoughts on that?”
Director Kim closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Deputy Yoon, frozen like ice since earlier, was shifting between Han Team Leader and Director Kim with only his eyes.
A tight silence, like several layers of rubber bands, flowed. Han Team Leader, who had been receiving the piercing gaze without expression, turned off the screen with a click.
“If you have no further questions, I will conclude the presentation.”
Director Kim pushed his chair back and stood up. Unpleasant friction sounds echoed. The other two also stood up. I remembered that Deputy Yoon reminded me with a poke in the side that I should also stand up.
As Director Kim walked step by step to the threshold, he turned around and said. There was venom filling his round face.
“Let’s wait and see. I trust the team leaders I’ve chosen, but with all the loud voices, the results must be certain by April.”
“You don’t need to worry about the results.”
Like cutting with a knife, the end of the sentence fell firm and neat. Even though it was not a task that Han Team Leader could handle alone, it was an answer without a moment of hesitation.
The weight of that certainty pressed down on my shoulders. As the sound of footsteps, barely audible through the open door, faded away, Supervisor Kim reluctantly sat back in her seat. Han Team Leader, who had been watching, calmly spoke as if nothing had happened.
“Stand up. Let’s go out.”
“…Yes?”
“Since it ended shorter than expected, let’s go back and make good use of our time.”
If the one who gave the order was Deputy Park, Supervisor Kim, who would have complained and asked for a break even for five minutes, stood up this time without any complaints. The conference room lights went out first. Everyone passed by Han Team Leader standing by the door like a docile sheep. I was the last. I instinctively raised my head, and our eyes met in the darkness.
At that moment, I felt the urge to say something, to open my mouth, but then I closed it. Something indescribable was throbbing up to my throat. Han Team Leader, without expression, received my gaze for a moment and then nodded briefly towards the open door.
“Let’s go out and work.”
“…Yes.”
Standing in the bright corridor, I turned back to the door. However, he, who was left alone in the dark conference room, did not follow no matter how long I waited.
***
As soon as I knocked, the door opened, and my wrist was caught, pulling me inside. My back touched the cold wall.
“…Team leader.”
His chin lifted, and our lips clashed. His warm and moist tongue pushed through the opening, as if it were digging into a crevice. I had no intention of resisting, but my head was firmly fixed, making it impossible to move. His tongue, arrogant and greedy, explored inside my mouth, not only the meeting place but also the tender mucous membrane beneath my tongue.
Through my relaxed legs, his firm thigh penetrated. Not only the touching inside of my mouth but also a dense heat rose in my stomach.
When I opened my eyes, Han Team Leader was watching me from a touching distance.
“It seems like I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“…Yes?”
My lips felt numb. I had seen the man in front of me in company just five hours ago. He was in the meeting room when I left work, and he even responded to my usual greeting that he would enter first with the usual indifferent face.
“It’s been quite a week, I just realized.”
Unexpectedly, our lips met briefly again. It lingered without digging in, then fell with a wet sound. As he stepped back and the distance widened, I could now see his face properly. His lips were red, and the area around his mouth was slightly swollen.
It was a face I had seen all week. On the other side of the meeting room table or behind the desk in the document room. Even then, the physical distance would not have been much. But strangely, seeing it now at such a close distance, I vaguely understood what he meant by “it’s been a while.”
I gently moved the hand that had fallen. When it reached forward a little, it touched his thigh and felt the warmth beyond the bathrobe.
“Ah…”
Trying to avoid eye contact, my chin was lifted by his hand. Our bodies touched. While he slowly wiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb, he asked softly.
“Did you brush your teeth before coming? I could taste toothpaste on your tongue.”
“…Yes.”
“Why? Do you think I’ll kiss you while having sex?”
I closed my mouth, and he laughed.
“You haven’t done anything to deserve a kiss.”
The fingers that released my chin snapped, and he casually unbuttoned one of my coat buttons. He found the zipper handle and slowly felt the chest area. I looked away and moved aside to avoid his hand.
“I’ll… do it.”
“Sure, go ahead. Undress yourself.”
He neatly removed his hand. I exhaled the breath I had been holding. The way here wasn’t scary at all, but strangely, now my stomach was uneasy, and my heart was pounding.
I undressed by myself, sat on the bed, and waited for him. The sex that followed was twice as fast and rougher than last week. Without any teasing words or gestures, Han Team Leader laid me down, spread my thighs, and immediately inserted his finger covered in gel between my buttocks. The finger, which hastily stirred inside, quickly withdrew, and between the spread thighs, he lifted his body. He placed his hand on the mattress next to my face. The swollen glans hit the open folds, and he pierced deeply without warning.
The insertion was followed by movements as rough as the thrust. Hot foreheads touched, and occasionally, hot lips met. Rough breathing poured onto the nape of my neck. The inside of my body felt sore and painful as if it had heated up. My leg, which rose above his shoulder, shook back and forth along with the waist movement.
From the middle, I raised the arm that had been wandering on the mattress and held onto his shoulders. I embraced his neck. With each acceleration, I pressed my forehead against his neck, enduring it, and throughout the sex where he had been silent, he didn’t push me away.
“…Are you okay?”
My body was sticky with sweat. There was no strength left. When my vision blurred, his face came into focus.
