Ilkyung sighed and wrapped his wrist round and round with bandages he bought from the convenience store in front of his house. He had to do at least this much, otherwise it would keep rubbing against his sleeve and the wound would get worse.
Having gone to work in a bad mood since morning, Ilkyung changed to being on the verge of exploding as soon as he entered the parking lot. Whether there were many people visiting the Center today or not, the indoor parking lot was full from the morning. Eventually, after circling round and round the indoor parking lot, Ilkyung parked outside, got out of the car, and ran right into Daehoon.
“Good morning.”
“What’s with your face? Didn’t you sleep?”
“What about my face?”
As Ilkyung tried to stroke his face with his right hand, the wrist he raised was grabbed just like that.
“Uh, uh! Why, why are you doing this!”
“Stay still, would you? At this rate, people will think I’m doing something. What kind of beggar’s wrapping is this bandage?”
Director Ha’s hands were so fast that he grabbed Ilkyung’s wrist, unbuttoned the shirt cuff, and pulled it straight up. Looking at the messily wrapped bandage, Director Ha furrowed his brow and started unwrapping the bandage again.
“See, you didn’t listen yesterday. Did you go home and just sleep without applying ointment? What is this? It’ll get infected. You’re not even a child, what is this, huh? Are you crying?”
Tears dropped directly onto the wrist, plop plop.
“What did I say just now that you’re crying? Assistant Manager Woo, Ilkyung-ssi?”
Ilkyung eventually covered his face with his left hand that wasn’t caught. Director Ha Daehoon hadn’t done anything, yet what an embarrassing situation this was.
“Ilkyung-ssi?”
“*Sniff*, I’m sorry. Ah, why am I suddenly like this?”
His body wasn’t well, the first aid kit he barely found was in that state, strange feelings of alienation revived memories from childhood making him feel like shit, a completely unknown car was parked brazenly in his usual spot, and Director Ha Daehoon started saying something again as soon as he saw him…
In this situation, acting normal would be even stranger! Having reached that conclusion, Ilkyung eventually went on a rampage.
“*Hic*, *sob*, *waaah*.”
He tried to contain his crying sounds but it had no effect at all.
“My goodness, you’re not even a child.”
Daehoon looked around.
“What, am I embarrassing you? *Hic*.”
“It’s not that, so let’s just get in the car first.”
Daehoon snatched the car key clutched in his hand, opened the car door, and sat Ilkyung in the passenger seat. Then after getting in the driver’s seat, he took out a handkerchief from his inner jacket pocket and handed it to Ilkyung.
“Did something bad happen?”
Ilkyung buried his face deeply in the handkerchief and shook his head. But the sorrowful emotions didn’t subside at all and continued pouring out as tears. Daehoon sent a text to someone and watched silently for a moment without saying anything.
“Are you done crying now?”
“*Sniff*, yes.”
His small shoulders still trembled as he struggled to suppress the remaining tears.
“Let me see your wrist.”
Ilkyung nodded and turned his body to hold out his right wrist. On his white, thin wrist were red marks and scratches.
“Did you scratch it in your sleep?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“Tsk, what is this, like a child?”
He said I was like a child earlier too, yeah, must be nice to be older. Ilkyung pouted his lips and sniffled.
“Don’t sniffle, blow your nose. It’s okay.”
“I don’t want to. If I get more embarrassed, how am I supposed to look at Director’s face?”
“Isn’t Assistant Manager Woo better off not seeing me anyway?”
At Director Ha’s words, Ilkyung glared with his reddened eyes. Just then, someone tapped on the driver’s side window of Ilkyung’s car.
“*Hic*. Secretary Min…”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
Daehoon rolled down the window as if it were his own car and received the coffee and ointment that came through. Then he nodded slightly to show his gratitude and rolled the window back up.
“There’s still some time until 9 o’clock, so drink this and calm down. Give me your right hand.”
“*Sob*, thank you.”
“Don’t sniffle. I should have given you ointment yesterday, I just let you go for nothing.”
Because he hated being trapped in the complicated streets due to morning traffic jams, Ilkyung usually went to work early. That was also one of Ilkyung’s diligent traits. Thanks to that, there was about 15 minutes left until work started.
Daehoon applied the ointment and even fanned it with his hand so it would absorb well.
“Director seems unexpectedly kind.”
“What do you mean ‘seems’? Either I am or I’m not.”
“But why isn’t Director drinking coffee?”
“I drank some on the way. Assistant Manager Woo, drink it. Your eyes are red from crying right now. You look like a rabbit. Let’s go in once the signs of crying disappear a bit.”
Ilkyung still had a hard time adapting to Director Ha, who was fanning his hand and speaking leisurely.
“I’m sorry. For nothing…”
“It’s fine. I know yesterday’s burn was also because of me. The one who caused it should take responsibility.”
When the words “one who caused it” came out, Ilkyung felt guilty for no reason and bit his lower lip hard. In a way, he was the provider of the rumors about Director Ha Daehoon. Does that mean he should take responsibility for those words? How, and for what?
“Assistant Manager Woo, are you spacing out again? Already?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“You should either talk about what’s on your mind or explode like this, otherwise it’ll burst later as a mental illness.”
Once the ointment had mostly absorbed, Daehoon wrapped the bandage again.
“This will be better than it rubbing against your clothes. I’ll give you the ointment when I go, so apply it, and if you can’t wrap the bandage with one hand, come up to the Director’s office. I won’t say anything if you come for something like that.”
“No, I can do it myself.”
“Alright then. I’ll go up first today. Ah, come even if you have something to say. Let’s not stand awkwardly in front of the Director’s office eavesdropping—just say what you have to say.”
Daehoon fastened Ilkyung’s sleeve button properly and got out of the car first. Ilkyung stared at the impressive figure walking away for a while, then came to his senses as he recalled Director Ha’s last words. What, he knew I was hanging around in front of the Director’s office yesterday? How? Damn it! Then does he know everything about me making a show of pressing the elevator close button alone?
“Aaaah! How embarrassing!”
Along with the unique scent Director Ha left behind, Ilkyung’s anguished scream shook the inside of the car.
**5. Complicated Problems**
“Assistant Manager Woo, did you hear about that?”
Having come down to the cafeteria for lunch, he found a seat and sat down when Section Chief Kang sat next to Ilkyung and started talking.
“About what? Huh? Section Chief, why is your pork cutlet so big? It’s 1.5 times bigger than mine!”
“What’s 1.5 times again? Assistant Manager Woo always eats like a bird, so the ajumma probably gave you a small one.”
“Ah, what. I can eat a big one too!”
When Ilkyung whined unnecessarily, Section Chief Kang, who adored Ilkyung like his own younger sibling, smiled and switched his pork cutlet with his own.
“Just try leaving any behind!”
“Hehe, thank you. I’m a pork cutlet ghost.”
“Last time you said you were a sashimi ghost!”
“That’s something I can’t eat because it’s not available. I wish our next company dinner was for sashimi. I can’t even eat much meat, and my stomach feels upset the next day.”
“Did you drink a lot yesterday?”
Ilkyung transferred more than half of his sausage portion to Section Chief Kang’s tray and grinned like a child. How can you not adore him when he’s like this?
“I couldn’t drink a single drop of alcohol yesterday.”
“Why? What did our Assistant Manager Woo do at the company dinner without even having a glass of his favorite beer?”
Since Section Chief Kang had been out of the office all morning for matching tests, the two of them were now chattering away like a long-separated family reunion. They met every day, but had only been apart for the morning, yet they were acting so happy to see each other.
“There were some circumstances. I got hurt too.”
“Come to think of it, you hurt your wrist, right? Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Ilkyung thought he should apply the ointment again after eating and took a spoonful of rice.
“But Section Chief, what did you say I should hear about?”
Ilkyung asked while scooping a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
“Did you hear the story about that Esper Do Yunseong?”
