That’s right. Yeah, this bastard does know what’s what. He looks exactly where he’s going to lie down before stretching out his legs. Seungju once again realized that the confidence with which Muyeon had boldly shouted to come out at dawn didn’t stem from naivety or stupidity, but originated from 100% pure shamelessness.
After washing up, Seungju tore at his hair, which was still wet and not yet styled. He was angry. Seungju’s anger buttons were the Director, the company, and going to work. Just thinking about those three made him reflexively angry. I don’t go to work because I like it either. Does this bastard know how I feel rejecting vacation on my own?
Seungju said in desperate pain right before death.
“I have a lot of work.”
“Why.”
“There’s no one to do my work for me….”
Muyeon made a pitiful expression. Seungju tore at his hair again.
Going to work, leaving work, and going to work again. Now it was time for leaving work to come around, but Seungju couldn’t leave work. Today was the day of the damn Director’s farewell party dinner. Because a company dinner is an extension of work.
Before moving to the dinner location by team, Muyeon sent Seungju a message.
[I’ll be watching how you drink.]
Seungju snorted. A petty thought occurred to him. What are you going to do by watching? The mess Muyeon had caused at dawn when he came all the way to Seungju’s place had been glossed over, but he hadn’t yet shaken off all the residue. Because he ultimately hadn’t found out who had called Muyeon that day.
You take care of your phone too… He wrote the message then just erased it. It seemed petty. He also thought it would be better not to scratch at it like this but to explode when he caught him next time. Seungju grumbled and replied.
[You too]
There was something else Muyeon had glossed over. Without proper agreement or even embarrassingly sweet laughter, he’d suddenly started using banmal. Of course he basically used formal speech, but banmal came out easily whenever he felt like it. So Seungju decided to just do the same. I’m older anyway.
This time at the dinner gathering, Seungju couldn’t escape to a corner seat. Because the President was there. Seungju sat at the edge of the table where the team leaders gathered, toasted, and drank.
At least it was fortunate that the President’s long, long smooth talk continued until around the end of the meal. To roughly summarize, it was goosebump-inducing content about how even though the Director was moving positions, there was still much for him to do at our company. Thanks to that, the atmosphere at this large table flowed with everyone listening attentively to the President’s words and chiming in. It was fairly smooth and harmonious, so at least that was fortunate.
However, one person who felt awkward facing the President, Seungju, had no choice but to keep his head down quietly. He occasionally chatted with Team Leader Yoon next to him or sometimes made eye contact with Team Leader Park from Design Team 6, who was in the same youngest position, while downing drinks one after another.
Team Leader Park looked at Seungju and made eye signals. She had a talent for clearly conveying her intentions just by twitching her eyes or doing eye exercises.
I want to escape.
Me too.
Fortunately, Seungju’s response was the kind that could be replaced with simple eye signals. Seungju sadly thought as he received another drink poured by Team Leader Yoon from Planning Team 5 and filled her glass with alcohol too. I should have at least smoked at times like this. So I could escape with the excuse of going outside.
After finishing the meal, snacks that doubled as dessert came out, and while opening several bottles of alcohol, the seats got all mixed up. Team Leader Choi from Planning Team 4 was the fastest. She disappeared to another seat at the speed of light, saying she had to take care of her team members. Although he didn’t know when the President had called him, Muyeon was sitting in the seat she’d vacated.
General Manager Kang from the Design Team started chatting, calling over the other design team leaders. Seungju drank for some time with Team Leader Kim from Planning Team 2, who was sitting in Team Leader Park’s seat. It was around when they’d opened another bottle. Now was the atmosphere where people were alternately going out to get some air or smoke.
Then the Director stood up from his seat and approached where Seungju was sitting. Seungju keenly noticed his shadow. His pupils shook mercilessly. Fuck, why is he coming this way? Don’t come, don’t come….
“It’s a farewell party, so I should get a drink from our Team Leader Heo.”
“Ah… yes… Director, you’ve come.”
Seungju’s sad office worker instinct responded first. Seungju looked up at the Director sitting down with a smile. One hand was already holding a bottle. He poured alcohol into the glass the Director had brought. The Director took the bottle and filled Seungju’s glass to the brim.
“Yeah, our Seungju. You’re the last team leader I made….”
“…Yees, that’s right. It’s all thanks to you, Director.”
It’s a lie. Seungju and the Director toasted. Seungju turned his head and downed the drink in one go. When he put down his glass, the Director said,
“Yeah, it’s been hard all this time, right?”
“What? Yes? No. Hard, what do you mean.”
This is naturally also a lie. The Director laughed loudly as if he understood. Seungju slightly furrowed his brows and thought.
Right, it’s the last time, so there’s no need to ruin the atmosphere. Creating a beautiful farewell is the right thing to do. Don’t think about every little annoyance, just accept it and move on. It’s the end anyway.
“Seungju worked hard. You’ll work hard in the future too, but Team Leader Seungju will do well.”
“Not at all…. I’m still so lacking.”
Words he doesn’t mean just come out. Still, the Director smiled as if satisfied. Seungju smiled along with him.
“Don’t worry, and, come on, one last drink!”
“Yes!”
When he held out his glass, the Director filled it to the brim again. Seungju also poured alcohol into his glass. Just the exact right amount. The two toasted again and downed their drinks.
When he put down his glass, Seungju realized. That at this timing, he had to say something.
But what should he say? Despite having decided just moments ago to part beautifully, Seungju’s mouth didn’t open easily.
He thought he could say any amount of lip service, insincere words to a superior, but apparently not. There must be too much accumulated, so the words just won’t come out.
With the feeling of fighting himself, Seungju finally opened his mouth.
“Until now… thank you.”
The Director chuckled. He quickly emptied the remaining alcohol. And as he stood up from his seat, he patted Seungju’s shoulder.
“Yeah, good work.”
And then the Director got up from his seat and left for where the design team leaders were sitting together.
Seungju felt that this was really the end. Without realizing it, a sigh of relief flowed from his mouth.
When he raised his head, there was no one around where he was sitting. Seungju stood up from his seat. Now I really need to get some air. Having stood up, he picked up a water bottle and poured water into a glass with a gush. I should have drunk before standing up. The order is all mixed up. Seungju was getting drunk today as usual.
Before gulping down the water, Seungju let out another sigh. Half self-loathing, half relief. The cause of the self-loathing is also half and half. Himself who had to please his superior until the very end, and his foolish self whose mouth wouldn’t open just to say those words.
The reason he felt relief was of course also half and half. The terrible boss is really over now. And he succeeded in creating a smooth ending. I did it.
Putting down the empty water cup, Seungju thought. This half of relief is clearly just self-satisfaction. It’s bitter and miserable, but it definitely was.
He thinks. Right, everyone needs lines for self-satisfaction at times.
Unfortunately, Seungju couldn’t go out to get some air. He was caught by Kang Jihye and sat down as if collapsing into a seat. At the table where she was sitting, they were running wild making somaek while refilling expensive snacks.
“Team Leader- of course the first drink from a junior is a one-shot, right?”
Kang Jihye mixed somaek in a large beer mug, not even a glass. Facing the new design team employees singing in chorus, Seungju thought.
If Baek Muyeon was watching Seungju like he said, he would pinpoint this very moment as the scene where Seungju screwed up his fortune for tonight.
But he couldn’t say here that he couldn’t drink alcohol given by another woman because his boyfriend was watching. Seungju made a last protest as he lifted his glass.
“Isn’t it not okay to force drinks like this at company dinners?”
“It’s not okay for you to do it to us, Team Leader, but it’s okay for us to do it to you.”
“Ha….”
Seungju was already drunk, and because of that, he had the vain thought that he didn’t want to show a weak appearance of not being able to do a one-shot. I’ll probably regret it later, right? In the end, he emptied the glass. The female employees squealed and clapped their hands.
It was when he’d emptied about two glasses as they were given. Deputy Manager Park from the General Affairs Team approached with good timing. He said they’d break up the first round now. What truly welcome news to hear. Seungju desperately grabbed him and stood up abruptly. And he quickly escaped from the table that had become busy with everyone gathering their clothes and bags.
Seungju stopped by the bathroom first. Before leaving the bathroom, he washed his hands in cold water and looked in the mirror, and just that made him feel like he was sobering up a bit. Fortunate. He staggered out of the bathroom and slipped outside the restaurant through the back door.
“Team Leader.”
“Huh?”
The one who called him was a familiar voice. When he raised his head, Dawon, who had been eating ice cream near the stairs by the back door, was looking at him.
“You’re drunk as usual today too.”
“Don’t tease me. You seem pretty drunk too.”
“Well, it’s a happy day, so we should drink.”
Dawon kindly had Seungju sit on the edge of the stairs. And she held out a hangover drink that hadn’t been opened yet. Seungju drank the beverage and handed it back to Dawon. She shook her head. So Seungju just put the plastic bottle down on the stairs.
