Although I left home about an hour earlier than usual, the subway, usually bustling like a market on my commute, was strangely deserted. The long transfer passages, usually crowded and shoulder-to-shoulder, resembled an eerie and silent airport in an unfamiliar city. Standing there, almost like luggage waiting for its owner, as the conveyor belt slowly carried me along, I felt as though I might arrive at a completely unknown place. Holding onto the handrail of the moving walkway, I didn’t rush my steps unnecessarily.
When I reached the third floor in the elevator, every PC at each partition was switched off, with only the power switches glowing red. I cleared my chair and rolled up my shirt sleeves past my elbows. Fetching a suitable-sized box from the supplies room, I began gathering the books on the shelves into it.
The drawers seemed to overflow endlessly with odds and ends. Pens, crumpled receipts, and scraps of paper were scattered about. Even from the pencil holder, loads of dusty erasers and half-used pencils spilled out. I separated what to discard from what to keep and ended up tossing everything into the box. After wiping down the desk drawers with an entire pack of wet wipes, the once pitch-black window outside seemed faintly brighter. I could hear faint footsteps echoing from a distant hallway upstairs, perhaps indicating someone else had come to work.
Yet, despite the dimness in the hallway outside the supplies room, I remained tense even as I carried the empty trash bin back. I needed to bid farewell to my team, but I wondered when we’d all gather in one place for a quick goodbye. Lost in these thoughts, I hoisted my backpack, put on my coat, and struggled with the rather heavy box.
“Ah…”
Thud! The sound of something heavy falling echoed. I almost dropped the box I was carrying. Without a moment to prepare, our eyes met.
Manager Song had dropped a large box, spilling out clear files and pens. I found myself staring at her white hand, hurriedly picking up the pens. For a while, I just stared at that hand. belatedly, I set the box down and reached out my hand. It collided with the pen on the table, and Manager Song jerked her hand back as if it had touched a bug.
“Oh, sorry.”
“No, I…”
Her grip on the edge of the box tightened, her hand turning white. I held my breath, but the words wouldn’t come out properly. Unable to assist any further, I awkwardly crouched beside her until Manager Song finished organizing the box.
After gathering the items, Manager Song lowered her head, running her hand through her hair several times. There was brown nail polish on her nails, shimmering under the white lights. Unable to endure the silence, I spoke.
“It seems you’re returning today.”
My voice was steady when I spoke. Manager Song, whose hands had momentarily stopped, now began straightening the edges of the folders.
“Yes, somehow…”
“Congratulations on your return.”
“…Thank you.”
Twisting and turning, then straightening. Again and again. Despite brushing off the edges with her nails, traces remained. I forcibly looked away and stood up first. As I rose, Manager Song also stood. The box she held was so big that I couldn’t see her face properly.
I began to speak, but Manager Song was quicker.
“I heard you’ve been selected for the project team. Congratulations.”
“Ah… thank you.”
It felt like a sudden slap; my cheek tingled unexpectedly. Manager Song, unaware of my expression, bowed with the box still in hand.
“Well… I need to sort out my things, so…”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
The few steps passing by were the hardest. Once I entered the hallway, my pace quickened as if fleeing. I didn’t even feel like waiting for the elevator and struggled to push open the emergency staircase door with my elbow.
Thunk, the heavy metal door closed with a sound. Light belatedly illuminated the dark stairwell. Leaning against the door, I stood still for a long while.
***
The corridor outside the break room was noisy. There were consecutive clanking sounds, like something being transported. Each time footsteps passed by the open door, I straightened up, but no one entered.
After finally coming upstairs, I didn’t know where to go. All I knew was that I was in the break room. I was instructed to come to the 4th floor for work, but there was no other information. Team leader Han’s number was saved on my phone, but I wouldn’t be contacting him. As the time for work approached, I thought I’d have to go out into the corridor and ask anyone I could find.
“…I’m not saying you should.”
“I get it, I understand what you mean… Oh, just hold on a sec.”
Without warning, a person’s head popped through the break room door. Our eyes met. The man with short hair, who had been staring intently at my face, narrowed his eyes.
“Seems this gentleman isn’t quite cooperative either.”
I quickly pushed my chair back and stood up.
“Are you using this room?”
“No, it’s not that.”
With his hand on the door frame, he gestured vaguely.
“I was hoping to ask for help if someone was here… Luckily, it’s another team member. You’re the one joining TF this time, right?”
“Ah… yes.”
Relief washed over me, and my shoulders relaxed. As I was about to lift my belongings, I belatedly noticed his extended hand and set the box back down. The handshake felt heavy, his hand was large and firm enough to feel burdensome.
“I heard your name clearly, but I forgot.”
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.
“Ct… P’w Off Vfbvjc.”
“Eluta, ecldef jr jikjsr… Dea kts lr Off Vfbvjc tfgf? Cgfc’a sbe reqqbrfv ab yf lc atf wffalcu gbbw?”
“Ktf wffalcu gbbw?”
“Glgfmabg Ujgx, rtbeiv kf wbnf atlr jcv ajix?”
Cc lgglajyif ofwjif nblmf lcafggeqafv ogbw atf atgfrtbiv. Glgfmabg Ujgx rtgeuufv jcv, klatbea jcs vfijs, iloafv ws ybz.
“Oh, that’s mine…”
“Let’s go for now. We’re moving things to the meeting room, so please lend a hand.”
Outside the break room, a petite woman was struggling to hold a round table much larger than her. I couldn’t even greet her before I was pushed back and ended up on the other side of the table. Another woman, barely visible behind the table, reached out and grabbed my arm.
“Not there, stand on the side and help with balance. I’ll do the rolling.”
“Ah, I…”
“It’s risky with just the two of us. Please make sure it doesn’t tip over.”
There was no need to balance anything. The enormous table rolled effortlessly like a wheel, and I, having come out as requested, had nothing to do. I had reached out in readiness, but soon gave up on that too. Assistant Manager Park, holding my box on the other side of the table, raised his voice.
“What time did you arrive?”
“Sorry? Oh, early. I was packing downstairs…”
“We were contacted by Han Team Leader yesterday to move some furniture, so I came early. If you wait a bit longer, the hallway gets crowded…”
The round table smoothly turned the corner, wobbled slightly in the middle, but regained balance before my extended hand could reach it.
“So, there’s no furniture in the meeting room right now?”
“What?”
“The place we’re going to is the meeting room.”
“Oh, it’s an unused meeting room. There was a large table taking up space in the center; we dismantled and moved it earlier. We’ll use the table we’re taking now for the meeting, then move desks and chairs after placing it…”
Someone coming from the opposite end of the corridor stepped aside to make way for the row of tables. Unfortunately, it was toward my side wall. I waited until the table passed since there was no choice, then slipped aside to catch up. Meanwhile, if I missed something, Assistant Park was already onto a different conversation.
“It seems similar to last year, but Lee Seodan wasn’t here last year, so I don’t know.”
“Ah… then, apart from me…”
“There are six members this time. Except for Lee Seodan and one other person, the rest are people who were here last year. Including Director Kwon Inyoung. I was here the year before last too. The original members left are just Han Team Leader and me. Okay, right turn here.”
The meeting room in the corner had a narrow entrance. To maneuver the table into that space, we had to hold both ends for a while, pushing against the wall, struggling to fit it through. Finally, after managing to roll the table in, the meeting room was surprisingly spacious. The absence of the large meeting table in the center had created a wide-open area.
The furniture movement continued. As it was already past the usual work hours, six desks and five chairs were placed at appropriate intervals, partitioned in one section of the meeting room. As Assistant Park volunteered to fetch the remaining chair, leaving me alone with Director Kwon in the room full of furniture.
My back was sweaty from the unexpected exercise. After wiping my forehead and catching my breath, I cautiously asked behind Assistant Kwon, who was unfolding the legs of the round table.
“Um…”
“What?”
Before I could finish my sentence, the reply came swiftly. I closed my mouth and then opened it again.
“I wondered if separate chairs are used for meetings.”
“We conduct our meetings using Scrum. For meetings that require chairs, everyone brings their own.”
Tap, tap, the table legs made a crisp sound as they straightened. Sensing a potential rebuke, I quietly stepped back from offering help. The petite woman managed to roll the table to the other side without my assistance and struggled to set it in place.
“So, then…”
“What now?”
This time, Director Kwon turned around. Her short hair was disheveled, clinging to her forehead. Seeing her firmly closed lips, I halted my question about PC installations.
“Never mind.”
“Don’t stand there looking flustered. Have a seat. Don’t start organizing until the seating arrangements are decided.”
“…Okay.”
I was usually perceptive, but this situation could baffle anyone. What were the suspicions and prejudices of the existing team members? This was the real deal now. The individuals most likely to reject me were the team members rightfully entering TF. People who clearly knew I didn’t belong here. They would be my colleagues, whom I’d have to face every day for the next three months.
I sat blankly on the chair, observing the still-busy figure of Director Kwon. Assistant Park, who had brought in the chairs, seemed dissatisfied with the furniture layout and was earnestly gesturing and discussing with Director Kwon. The sound from their conversation was indistinct from where I sat. Only the movement of their lips seemed magnified.
As the work hours approached, people began to gather in the meeting room. There were five individuals, from a woman with tightly tied-up hair to a sprightly man in his early thirties. The woman only exchanged a brief eye contact with me, her expression stern. However, the man who received a cheerful welcome from Assistant Park walked over towards my direction. Without hesitation, he extended his hand with a friendly smile.
“Nice to meet you for the first time. You’re Lee Seodan, right? There are only six of us, so I’ve already memorized the names.”
“…Yes.”
“I’m Yoon Jongseok , a third-year deputy in the Sales Department’s Marketing team. I’m also a new member of TF this year, along with Lee Seodan. Last year, I didn’t even get an interview, so my goal this year was to make it to the interview. I never expected to actually make it. The competition is so intense every year…”
With a clean, friendly face and a moderately firm handshake, he had precisely the qualities the company sought in a candidate: the ability to engage in lengthy conversations even with people they’d just met. Had I gone to the Sales Department, he might have been my direct senior.
Despite the lack of much reaction, the man who finished his greetings walked back to the round table. The woman who had just arrived had placed a basket on the table filled with small pastries adorned with the logo of a well-known bakery near the company. Assistant Park glanced at me briefly, rummaged through the basket, and then lifted the pastries. I lowered my gaze and tilted my head. Watching them mix and mingle, responding to the chilly faces with brazen smiles—this wasn’t supposed to be hard, yet every time I tried to rise, my mouth dried up. I couldn’t bring myself to get up from my seat.
“Ah…”
Suddenly, Director Kwon turned her head. Subsequently, the other three also turned theirs. I raised my eyes a beat later and saw a man standing at the open door. Casually leaning against the focal point where all gazes were focused, he nonchalantly said, “It’s been a while, everyone.”
As if that were a cue, the belated short cheers erupted from the team members. Han Team Leader in a neat suit walked in, placing his bag on the table. People swiftly made space for him, shifting their seats, and offered him the pastries from the basket.
Han Team Leader accepted a wrapped madeleine with one hand and exchanged greetings with Deputy Jongseok, requesting a handshake. After exchanging a few words, Deputy Yoon respectfully bowed. Assistant Park waited for his turn and then caught the attention of Han Team Leader. He gestured along the wall, perhaps laying out the furniture plan in his mind, while raising his voice. It was towards the desks lined along the wall, where I was seated. Listening intently, Han Team Leader nodded a few times briefly. His gaze swept over me as if looking at an empty space.
***
Adjacent to the rearranged round table stood a large whiteboard made of transparent glass material. People carrying boxes were bustling around, and individual desks had PCs installed. Han Team Leader, testing marker colors in the corners of the board, clapped briskly as the clock struck the hour, gathering everyone’s attention.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”
Those chatting in groups gathered their chairs and swarmed around. The round table accommodated six perfectly. Although it was called a round table, Han Team Leader sitting by the whiteboard was undeniably the head seat, and I parked my chair at the far end. On either side were Deputy Jongseok and Supervisor Kim, who had brought the basket of pastries earlier.
Han Team Leader rolled up his shirt sleeves and stood up. I poised my pen over the notes I’d brought, tensing my arm.
“The project overview is included in the materials I sent last week, and I’ve addressed individual questions, so I won’t allocate separate time. If you’ve seen the timeline, you’d understand; just like last year, the workload is not light. Please consider the next three months until the presentation as a full-on battle.”
With a gesture, Han Team Leader prompted Deputy Jongseok Yoon to stand up. “This is Deputy Yoon Jongseok from the marketing team who’ll be working with us this time.”
Jongseok stood up smoothly, bowed slightly, then straightened up. “I’m looking forward to working with you all.”
“And this is Lee Seodan, who was part of the QA team.”
Jongseok, who had just seated himself again, looked up at me with a smiling face. I pushed my chair back and stood up. All eyes were on me.
“Thank you for this opportunity. I’ll do my best.”
Across from me, Han Team Leader stood in a place where I couldn’t avoid making eye contact. I forced my gaze upward. In the brief moment when I faced his neat face head-on, nightmarish images flashed behind my eyelids, darkening like mold.
Suppressing my rapidly rising breath, I slid back down into my seat as if slipping down a slope. Starting with Deputy Yoon, the applause spread dryly. Han Team Leader, not joining in the applause, crossed his arms and continued speaking.
“Those who’ve worked with me would know my stance on social events, including company gatherings, but I’ll make an exception this week. Please refrain from scheduling other engagements on Friday. If attendance is challenging, feel free to mention it now.”
No one raised their hand. After politely scanning around, Han Team Leader concluded shortly,
“Alright,” and he continued scribbling “Friday gathering” on the still blank paper. Supervisor Kim leaned over and whispered something to Deputy Kwon. Kwon nodded and smiled.
After conveying a few more basic points, Han Team Leader handed over a thick stack of files from the folder, passing them through Deputy Kwon and Deputy Park to Supervisor Kim and Deputy Yoon. Lastly, what remained slid precisely in front of me on the table. I pulled the file toward me with both hands. Beyond the transparent blue cover, the first page was blank except for my printed name.
“This is the individual task assignment sheet. Familiarize yourself, and you can have a one-on-one session with me today. Lastly… Lee Seodan.”
It was an unexpected attack. I halted my breath while reading the text printed in a rigid font. He, with a marker between his fingers, casually rested both hands on the table. The gaze that had passed me by all morning suddenly fixed on my face.
“You’ve been diligently taking notes. Are you working on the meeting minutes?”
“Oh? Uh… no.”
Unconsciously, I closed the notebook abruptly. Information I didn’t need, scattered as if spilled by someone, was disorderly listed inside. To hide my slightly trembling hand, I clenched my fist over my thigh.
Han Team Leader, not particularly interested in my response, promptly averted his gaze. He called Deputy Park, who was reviewing the task assignment sheet.
“During this project, Deputy Park, I believe you’ll be overseeing Lee Seodan. There haven’t been any prior discussions, so if you have any objections, please speak up.”
“Yes?”
Deputy Park raised an eyebrow and looked at me.
“You mean overseeing…?”
“Just think of it as a basic task check when I’m absent or occupied with other work. Initially, there might be coaching needed regarding the team’s systems and software.”
It felt like inserting tiny thorns into my throat and facial skin. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Deputy Park, so I lowered my gaze to the clear file. I could sense gazes colliding around my forehead and sideburns.
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
Deputy Park agreed readily. I couldn’t lift my head, quietly thanked them.
Han Team Leader added belatedly, “Deputy Yoon Jongseok will also need to familiarize himself with the program’s usage; Deputy Kwon, could you assist? Well then, let’s conclude the meeting. I’ll be away from lunchtime for about two hours, so please come for individual discussions before or after that. Thank you all for your hard work on the first day.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Thank you.”
The wheels of the chairs returning to their places squeaked loudly. The conversation that had spread out gradually faded away. I opened my eyes and pushed the chair back. As I stood up with the clear file, I turned around to find Deputy Park blocking the way, standing tall.
“…Deputy.” My voice cracked. Deputy Park furrowed his brow slightly, looking at me intently.
“Shall we have lunch together?”
“Yes?”
“Not now, a bit later.”
“Oh… okay.”
“It looks like I need to move your seat next to mine. Can I see the task assignment sheet?”
I handed him the file without a word. Deputy Park skillfully moved his chair and, while doing so, deftly flipped through the file with one hand.
“…This too… Ah, please sit on this side, not that one. Is it okay, Supervisor Kim?”
Supervisor Kim nodded without much expression. He logged out of her PC, gathered a few items, then switched seats with me.
“First, log in. We might both miss lunch if I don’t understand your skill set well… I’ll just briefly check the basic tools.”
“Yes.”
“Deputy Kwon, could you help Deputy Yoon with the setup? I need to assist Lee Seodan.”
“Sure thing.”
Deputy Park, swiftly flipping through pages, brought his chair and sat right at my workstation. After logging in, the company logo appeared on the desktop. While searching for the mouse, Deputy Park spoke.
“Hardly anyone keeps the default desktop.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s see… first, we need to install the messenger.”
“We have an internal messenger.”
Deputy Park, industriously dragging icons from the start menu to the desktop, raised his head.
“Our team uses a separate program. While installing, think of an ID. It can match your company email or be different, it doesn’t matter.”
“A separate program?”
I was puzzled, seeing Deputy Park skillfully downloading and running installation files from the cloud while leaving the messenger linked to the intranet. Even in an uncomfortable posture, his hand moving the mouse was firm. I pulled the chair as much as I could to the side, allowing him to take over the desk.
“It’s called ‘Rebii,’ a program that’s a mix of a messenger and workflow chart for task progress. One of the team managers developed it. Oh, the password should be longer than that. And below it again. It might seem unfamiliar at first, but you’ll get used to it as you use it. It’s more intuitive than you think. Okay, now, add your profile picture later.”
As I hovered the mouse over the ‘Members’ tab in the top menu, six names were listed. The profile labeled ‘Yoon Jongseok,’ like mine, had a black silhouette without a picture. At the top was ‘Han Juwon,’ but instead of a face picture, there was a tiny snow-covered mountain landscape.
Deputy Park clicked through the menu, showing mostly empty conversation windows and flowcharts. I hesitated before speaking up.
“But, why use this…?”
“Why use this instead of the company’s program?”
“Yes.”
“This is more convenient. Did you roughly understand its functions? If not, ask later. Let’s move on, next is…”
At that moment, Deputy Kwon, who had been waiting, cleverly grabbed Deputy Park’s arm, saying, “Excuse me,” and pulled him away with the wheeled chair. I listened to the three managers debating over the task assignment sheet, pulling the chair and sitting right down. I checked the features Deputy Park had just briefly explained. Deputy Yoon Jongseok’s profile now had a well-taken photo.
As I idly moved the mouse, thinking it unnecessary to change the picture, I accidentally zoomed in on the center of the screen. What I thought was the program’s background—a thin web-like design—expanded to fill the screen. Each cell was densely connected like a spider’s web, summarizing the project timeline and tasks. Each profile picture sat on top of a cell as if perched on a beam of light. As time passed, cells filled up, extending outward, forming a much more intricate shape. It seemed it would become even more chaotic.
As I peered closely, almost touching the screen, Deputy Park returned and chuckled, looking at the screen.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
How did MC even land any job in this company since he doesn’t seem cut for it at all. I keep wodering why is he even there, just like his colleagues do.
Thank you for the chapter!
This making me nervous to my future jon 😭😭😭