I quickly turned my head at the sound of the door opening. Deputy Kwon, with a pile of documents tucked under his arm, entered, and we exchanged glances.
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
“Where is Han Team Leader?”
It was a question I had heard repeatedly over the past few days. Perhaps expecting an obvious answer even after asking, Deputy Kwon, glancing towards the vacant seat of Han Team Leader , casually placed the files on the conference room table.
“There was no contact about when he would come.”
“I heard he might come in the afternoon…”
It was already past four in the afternoon. Glancing at the clock, Deputy Kwon clicked his tongue.
“I heard something about Lee Seodan. He’s in Incheon or something.”
“Yes, Deputy Park told me.”
“I don’t know the details, but when Han Team Leader doesn’t show up, it makes you wonder who messed up what there. It would be good to know the name of the person involved in the incident.”
Judging by his expression, it seemed he had no intentions of using the name in a positive context. Having accidentally learned who the team member involved in the incident was and when it happened, I chose to stay silent.
The sound of the door opening echoed. I raised my eyes faster than Deputy Kwon. Deputy Park, emerging through the opening, received stares from both sides without understanding a word.
“Oh, I thought it was Han Team Leader.”
Deputy Kwon openly smirked. Apparently accustomed to being criticized, Deputy Park, without any reaction, closed the door and said,
“Since he’s on his way back, he should arrive before five. Since he won’t have much time, everyone should organize their confirmations and meet with Han Team Leader individually. For anything simple, it seems I’ll be the one to confirm. Oh, Seodan, I’ll take care of the question you mentioned about hearing Han Team Leader’s opinion later. There’s probably no need for you or Deputy Park to meet Han Team Leader.”
“…Yes.”
I looked at the clock reflexively, and a moment later, I understood Deputy Park’s words a bit too late. My shoulders slumped slightly. Deputy Kwon and Deputy Park soon engaged in a lengthy and intense discussion over a report. Meanwhile, I aimlessly spun the mouse on the empty desktop and opened the messenger. His name in the profile list at the top was displayed as offline, and the small profile picture next to it still showed a snow-covered mountain.
Han Team Leader arrived a bit past five. As he entered the meeting room, without acknowledging anyone else, he gestured to Deputy Park and went into the materials room. The atmosphere of the team, which had been in disarray and precarious for the past three days without Han Team Leader, immediately organized itself as soon as he arrived. Following Deputy Park, then Deputy Kwon, and finally Supervisor Kim, they entered to meet Han Team Leader in an orderly line.
I observed the silhouettes faintly reflected through the opaque glass of the materials room. I finally called up the report that needed to be finished and repeated the process of deleting and rewriting a few words at a time. Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the street lamps along the company’s main road were gradually lighting up.
At the sound of the door opening, I turned my head. Supervisor Kim came out, but Han Team Leader did not follow. His silhouette was still dark against the opaque glass.
Supervisor Kim, with a tired expression, placed documents on the table and waved towards me.
“Lee Seodan, Han Team Leader wants to see you for a moment.”
“…Me?”
My heart raced to my chin in an instant.
“I don’t know, just ask Deputy Park… I’m not sure, but Han Team Leader wanted to see you?”
“What about Deputy Park?”
In order, that was correct. I rose slightly, my lips parched. Deputy Park turned his chair with a puzzled expression. Supervisor Kim shrugged.
“Just go in, don’t keep him waiting.”
“Yes.”
I quickly stood up. Not knowing what documents to take, I picked up everything and then put it back down. There wasn’t anything so crucial that it required Han Team Leader’s opinion urgently, as Deputy Park had mentioned. I couldn’t guess the matter, so I didn’t know what to bring.
The few steps to the materials room seemed endlessly long. Holding my breath, I cautiously stuck my head through the slightly open door.
Han Team Leader, who had been looking at his phone, raised his head. When he saw me frozen in place, he slightly raised his eyebrows, as if asking why I wasn’t coming in. I closed and opened my mouth again.
“Documents… What should I bring?”
“Anything.”
“Yes?”
“Just bring anything suitable.”
He scrolled his phone with an indifferent face. I couldn’t think of a response, so I just looked at the folders on the shelf and randomly picked one up. My fingers, unable to grip the rigid plastic, slipped a few times. Deputy Park looked at me with curiosity, but I couldn’t come up with any excuses, so I just shook my head.
As I entered the materials room, Han Team Leader said, “Close the door.”
“…Yes.”
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.
Ktf wbwfca atf vbbg mibrfv, fnfc atbeut atf jlg lcrlvf atf gbbw qgbyjyis vlvc’a mtjcuf, ws ygfjat revvfcis mjeuta. Vlaalcu vbkc, P rajgfv ja atf obivfg bc ws xcffr. Ktfgf kjr j atlc rajlc bc atf mbnfg, jr lo j qfc tjv ugjhfv la.
Ktf rbecv bo ws tfjga yfjalcu kjr rb ibev; tf mbeivc’a qbrrlyis cba tfjg la. P atbeuta tf wera xcbk tbk wemt P kjr rtjxfc ys atf ojma atja tf kjr lc ogbca bo wf. Ljc Kfjw Ofjvfg, cbk lc j rtlga klatbea j pjmxfa bg mbja, rja jmgbrr atf ajyif, ifrr atjc j wfafg jkjs. Pa kjr atf olgra alwf kf kfgf jibcf abufatfg rlcmf atf Vecvjs wbgclcu joafg tf mjwf ab kbgx.
“Lee Seodan.”
“…Yes.”
He placed his phone aside. Long and neat fingers caught my eye at the edge of my field of vision.
“I briefly skimmed through the report you submitted yesterday, but for detailed feedback, ask Deputy Park.”
“…Yes.”
“Since I’ll be in the department or Incheon until the end of this week, it might be challenging to reach me through chat. If you have any questions, send an email, and I’ll reply later.”
It was information everyone knew, but I just nodded. I hoped he would continue talking as long as he didn’t chase me out of the materials room. I briefly lifted my eyes, carefully examined his face, and looked away before our eyes met.
“And…”
He paused for a moment. I felt his gaze on my bowed head.
“It’s not the best timing, but I requested this meeting with Lee Seodan because there’s something we need to discuss at this point. I had planned to find time to talk separately, but it seems challenging for the time being.”
His response was long, leaving me curious about his expression, but I couldn’t lift my eyes.
“With the project completion less than a month away, there are some points we need to address at this stage.”
“…”
“It’s about the issue of Lee Seodan’s future direction.”
It took me some time to comprehend his words. Unintentionally, I lifted my head. Han Team Leader flipped his phone to show the back with an indifferent expression and continued speaking with his gaze slightly averted from the table.
“Fortunately, I am now in a position where I can guarantee Lee Seodan’s work ability, as the TF team leader, not as incompetent as his previous supervisor. If Lee Seodan wants, I can open paths beyond the Sales Department or the Daegu branch. I believe Lee Seodan has been pondering what suits him best for the past few months. Through TF, you should now have an objective understanding of how this company operates.”
“…”
“If you want to stay in this company, I can put in a word with the head of the department or team you want to go to. While I can’t guarantee a hundred percent success, there is more than one department requesting additional staff. Even if the first choice is difficult, I’ll see what I can do up to the second choice. That’s a promise I made to Lee Seodan from the beginning, and I’ll offer assistance up to the extent I can provide.”
He had a cool and neat face. Suddenly, I recalled the interview room on the fourth floor where we had our first one-on-one encounter.
Han Team Leader paused for a moment, then raised his eyes briefly. His gaze slowly met the table.
“Alternatively, there’s the option of changing companies. Whether staying in Raewon would be beneficial for Lee Seodan’s future development is something you should carefully consider. The incident Lee Seodan caused at the end of the year is not the type easily forgotten by higher-ups. Even if it’s not apparent now, there could be disadvantages in terms of promotions or salary negotiations in the long run. The eyes of Lee Seodan’s former team members may still be critical. Starting anew in a different place might be a better option. If that’s what Lee Seodan desires, I can help find a suitable position.”
“…”
“Of course, among them, there may not be a place as good as Raewon in terms of salary and treatment. Lee Seodan knows it’s not easy to switch to a new position with his current level of experience. There must have been a reason for coming straight to a large company after graduating from college, but… If money is not a significant concern, working in a small or public company might be more suitable for Lee Seodan’s personality.”
He added as he quietly observed my face.
“My wish is for Lee Seodan to work under a superior who appreciates his abilities and diligence. Consider where the environment is suitable for you, where you can unleash your potential, and what kind of career you want to build in the future during this opportunity.”
It was an indifferent tone, but in its own way, it was praise and acknowledgment. Although I had worked under him for two months, I had never heard similar words before. My head had turned so white that I couldn’t remember all the comments made behind my back, so I averted my gaze.
“Or, there’s no need to discuss it right now. I can’t give you much time, but think it over carefully, and until this weekend-.”
“Team leader.”
I interrupted his words. Han Team Leader, with a faintly furrowed brow, nodded briefly. It meant to continue speaking.
I took a deep breath. Words burst out from somewhere unknown.
“I… I want to move to Han Team Leader’s department.”
My voice cracked at the end. I clenched my teeth.
“Even though you temporarily placed me in the department due to company principles, it’s challenging to consider it a low threshold.”
“…”
“The fact that the team lacks manpower is true, but it’s not just about increasing the headcount; we need personnel who can be immediately deployed to the field. It’s not that we didn’t hire anyone because there was no suitable person; the situation is not urgent enough for us to accept just anyone.”
The taste of blood lingered in my mouth. I felt the gaze watching me silently.
“Do my words upset you?”
“No.”
“It’s not about Lee Seodan lacking qualities or effort…”
He interrupted himself, searching for the right words. There was a red-hot turmoil that seemed to have cooled down during that time. Resentment and arrogance gathered like hot masses. Again, I interrupted his words and spoke.
“Or what?”
“What?”
“Why does Han Team Leader think I’m not suitable for consulting?”
Han Team Leader, as if in disbelief, let out a deflating sound. I met his unapologetic, cold face without hiding my discomfort.
“Today, it seems like I’ve brought out some hidden emotions.”
“…”
“Firstly, consulting has a basic nature similar to sales. Most of the year involves fieldwork, meeting people, persuading them to pay, and, given Lee Seodan’s lack of confidence in sales, do you think you’ll do well in consulting?”
“…”
“Secondly, fixing a company’s deeply rooted problems requires a broad perspective, the ability to see the big picture. Lee Seodan tends to think subtractively when writing reports. In other words… instead of objectively observing the phenomenon, he tends to focus on how much it deviates from the norm. From my experience, someone with such a tendency may find consulting work challenging. This might be due to Lee Seodan’s relatively short work experience, but… is my explanation too difficult to understand?”
I lowered my head without saying anything. Han Team Leader, with narrowed eyes, tapped the table with his fingers, seemingly lost in thought.
“Speaking positively, you apply high standards not only to yourself but also to others. Negatively, you are still a bit naive to be effective in the field.”
My chest suddenly felt stifled, as if someone was squeezing my respiratory system. The room seemed to go dark. Some aspect of the obvious words scratched at my insides like a claw. Without looking up from the table, I quietly spoke.
“If I hadn’t said anything at that time, if I had pretended not to see anything, would I have qualified to be a member of Han Team Leader’s department?”
It was a rude and meaningless question. It was a statement that revealed the hidden anger without hiding it, exposing the claws. Team Leader Han, for a while without an answer, calmly responded with a well-organized voice.
“If Lee Seodan had chosen to remain silent in that situation, we wouldn’t be sitting here like this in the first place.”
“…”
“It’s better not to bring up theoretical discussions about events that did not occur.”
“I just… how can I act as if nothing happened in that situation?”
“Lower your voice. There are people outside.”
Even though he spoke in a lower tone, there was a suppressed force in his words. I took a deep breath once. The stifling air was sucked into my lungs.
Without looking up at him, I asked, “What would have Han Team Leader done?”
He waited silently, as if expecting it, opening up, leaving it hanging. After a while, he finally spoke with an unreserved voice.
“If one of my team members had such an incident, I know at least ten ways to properly make the perpetrator eat dirt, officially or unofficially. I didn’t use crude methods like Lee Seodan did, and my position remains unchanged that his choice was not beneficial for the company, even if it served his personal interests.”
“…”
“However, the fact that I gained the power or influence not to overlook injustice, to a level where I could more effectively deal with situations similar to or slightly less severe than before, is due to my silence and turning my eyes away from similar or slightly less severe situations in the past. Utilizing the effects of long-standing unfairness has provided me with many effective solutions, so I don’t expect to encounter situations like Lee Seodan’s in the future. But if you were to ask me what I would have done in a similar situation when I was powerless…”
He chuckled slightly, and the corners of his upturned lips caught my sight.
“Well, if I were a better person, I’d like to believe I would have done exactly what Lee Seodan did.”
He seemed to be getting up. Passing by me, he added,
“Think about it until the weekend. Where you want to go. Of course, there should be no discussion with Deputy Park or the team members. If you have any questions, contact me instead.”
The door closed behind him. The voices of Deputy Park and Deputy Kwon murmured like a distant buzz. The sound of the conference room door opening and closing echoed from afar.
***
“Lee Seodan, could you run an errand for me?”
The expression on Deputy Park’s face, as he said this, was disproportionately intense for the task at hand. The tail of his words rose high, resembling a question about my opinion. I couldn’t grasp the situation well, so I saved the document and turned off the screen.
“Tell me.”
As I stood up, Deputy Park, hastily gathering some documents on the desk, spoke.
“It’s not a difficult task. Just deliver a few documents to Han Team Leader and get feedback.”
“Okay, should I go to the department?”
“No, you have to go to Incheon. Han Team Leader is in Incheon.”
“…Alright.”
The moment he mentioned running an errand, my mind, which had only thought of restroom or supply room on the same floor, suddenly became busy. I confirmed the saved file by turning on the screen, then closed the program. As I reached for the coat hanging on the chair, Supervisor Kim, who had dragged the chair next to Deputy Park, inserted a piece of paper into Deputy Park’s document tray.
“If you’re going, please take care of this too. Even though tomorrow is the deadline there, I thought you might have looked at it at least once yesterday or this morning. They say a few people pulled an all-nighter in Incheon last night.”
“Have you… tried calling?”
I didn’t complain about having to leave for Incheon after the work hours, but cautiously asked with a sense of common sense. Supervisor Kim hesitated for a moment, then smiled vaguely.
“It seems Lee Seodan hasn’t experienced it with the consulting team members?”
“I’ll stand here holding it until Han Team Leader reads it. I’d go if I could, but considering the sensitivity over there, it seemed better if an outsider didn’t go.”
Deputy Park handed me a semi-transparent clear file. Only then did I realize why I was chosen for this errand.
“They won’t send back a team member, right? Even if it’s before the official joining date.”
“He went in like a bull in a china shop and came back. Don’t be too upset even if you get scolded.”
Externally known as a member of the consulting team, it unexpectedly brought unintended consequences. Since I couldn’t explain the situation, there was no other choice. With a heavy heart, I accepted the file. Deputy Park escorted me to the conference room door.
“Bring back the taxi receipt, and you can leave right after.”
Deputy Park said with a noticeably relieved face. Even though it was useless since there was overtime work left, I nodded my head, swallowing my words.
Leaving the company and hailing a taxi, my mind was heavy as if crushed by stones. Unfortunately, the driver was taciturn, and inside the warm car, only the humming of the radio he had turned on echoed endlessly. As Incheon drew near, the sky outside the window sank into a deep blue. I couldn’t tell whether I wanted to see the face of a certain team leader or not.
When I arrived at the unfamiliar building of the company, darkness had already settled heavily on the streets. Perhaps the temperature had dropped as the sun set, my fingertips froze cold during the short moment I wore the coat. I hesitated as I stepped into the heavy glass revolving door, stepping in briefly, then making a 360-degree turn and coming back out. Across the street, the sign of a franchise cafe looked large. I stood in the cramped space filled with office workers, waiting for almost twenty minutes, holding a coffee in each cup holder of the cardboard tray like eggs. The lids had initials written with a black magic pen to indicate the contents.
As I left the cafe, I tried making a phone call, but only a dull signal tone continued endlessly. When I showed my employee ID and stated the purpose of my visit to the office lobby receptionist, she silently took out a visitor pass.
“Take the 6th floor. You should ask anyone where the consultants are. Keep the visitor pass hanging on your neck and be careful.”
“Thank you.”
I hung the visitor pass over my employee ID. Two cards dangled on my chest. The lobby was bustling, probably because it was the evening rush hour. I could see the elevator coming down, stopping at each floor.
Luckily, the elevator going up to the even-numbered floors had few people inside. The confined space was filled only with the warm air of a faint metallic scent. It was the remains of warmth that had soaked into the air, and in the places where it had seeped in and out, there was a lingering scent like a leftover trace.
“What are you doing here?”
Eventually, there was no need to ask anyone to find the consulting team. As I stepped out of the elevator, avoiding the people pouring in, someone grabbed my shoulder. When I turned my head, the woman I had seen at the convenience store with a former team leader was in line for the elevator.
“Lee Seodan.”
Staring directly at my face, surprisingly, the woman accurately pronounced my name. Glancing at the visitor pass hanging on my chest, she asked before I could speak.
“Are you here to see Han Team Leader? For the TF project?”
“Yes.”
“From Seoul to here?”
“Yes.”
The woman’s lips narrowed.
“Han Team Leader is aware?”
“I couldn’t contact him because the phone wasn’t working.”
“Oh, Han Team Leader’s phone is probably plugged in somewhere for charging.”
Considering whether I should insist on going back as Deputy Park suggested or just follow her lead, I tightened my grip on the cup holder. However, the woman casually shrugged and stepped out of line.
“If you came, you should meet him. Follow me then.”
She easily made her way through the moving crowd, revealing a tall figure. The building interior was complex enough that it would have been difficult to find alone. Passing several partially empty departments, we entered the section with meeting rooms. Standing in front of the last door, the woman knocked briefly, turned the door handle without waiting for an answer.
“I came back super fast-.”
The man sitting near the door stopped speaking abruptly and looked at me. People at the meeting table turned their heads one by one.
“Who already bought coffee?”
“Are you here for the TF project?”
There was no need to pay attention to the openly expressed discomfort on their faces. My gaze was fixed on the face of Team Leader Han sitting in the center of the gathered group.
Thanks for the chapters. Problems began in this strange couple