Even so, he didn’t know there’d only be one option. The moment their eyes met, Muyeon smiled briefly, then soon shamelessly raised his eyes. Now they understood each other perfectly. Seungju caught what Muyeon’s expression meant.
What did I do? I didn’t do it. Something like that.
Seungju’s eyes flashed for just a split second. Ah, of course you would say that.
The very next moment, Seungju quietly lowered his eyes and pulled out a chair. General Affairs Team’s Deputy Manager Park sitting in front was grinning broadly. Seungju looked at him and slightly gestured with his chin toward the back.
“Nice seat.”
“You should’ve come a bit earlier. We already put all the meat on.”
It was a conversation that didn’t match the context at all, but they both understood the meaning. Both Seungju and Deputy Manager Park burst into snickers. Donghyeon, who sat next to Seungju, poured alcohol and said,
“So when did it become that you don’t have to do talent shows anymore, Team Leader?”
“Right, Deputy Manager. Has it been about three years?”
“I think so. Then Team Leader Seungju must have done talent shows.”
Talent shows were also a dark history for Seungju. His brow furrowed automatically. Just as Seungju was about to answer, he heard a scraping sound from behind him. He felt the presence of the person sitting behind him leaning their body against the chair back.
It was obvious who it was and why they were doing it. Seungju was about to smile without realizing it but put on a poker face.
Anyway, Heo Seungju needs to keep his wits about him. What Baek Muyeon was doing was quite, no really cute, but he couldn’t quickly resolve the upset stomach he’d had all afternoon with such charming acts.
Of course, the reason he couldn’t just grin was because company people were sitting around the table. If Seungju smiled out of context, everyone would be bewildered. Seungju tried hard to calm down and answered.
“Yes. I did.”
“What did you do?”
“Ah, I really don’t want to remember.”
“What was it?”
“I danced.”
Donghyeon burst into laughter. He kept chuckling while handing Seungju a well-mixed somaek. Seungju was more bothered by the presence behind him that seemed to have perked up its ears than by that cocky reaction.
“What kind of dance?”
“I don’t know, man. Some kind of girl group dance or something.”
“Really? I totally can’t imagine it.”
“Ah, I remember.”
Deputy Manager Park chimed in while raising his glass. They first toasted. Deputy Manager Park put down his glass and said, shaking his head.
“If they were new employees back then, there were quite a few women from the Design Team. What was it, I don’t remember well, but there was a fuss because they did a sexy dance.”
“If I do it, it’s a dirty dance. It was really dirty… The dance was dirty and my mood was dirty too.”
At Seungju’s words, Donghyeon had been dying of laughter since earlier. Song Junhyeong, who had been listening quietly, was also smiling broadly. Deputy Manager Park nodded.
“But that probably played a part in getting rid of talent shows. People teased those who danced so much that everyone got angry.”
“Right, well it’s fortunate we don’t do it anymore.”
He heard the sound of the chair that had been pressed close behind him slowly being pulled back again. Seungju ultimately couldn’t hold back his laughter. It had been a really long time since he’d experienced his mood flipping 180 degrees with each action the other person took. As if it were a lie that his insides had been boiling maddeningly earlier, Seungju even became somewhat cheerful.
His improved mood must have been the problem. Throughout the team quiz game time that proceeded during dinner, Seungju downed alcohol almost without brakes. So much so that Section Chief Lee from the General Affairs Team, who was going around checking if more meat was needed, shook his head at the pile of bottles stacked on their table.
All the recreation rounds had ended and people were about to gather in groups of three or five to continue drinking. Seungju received a call from Cha Sojeong. As she directed, he was carrying boxes loaded with alcohol and snacks together with Design Team people up to the accommodation.
Just like when they were doing water activities earlier, he ran into Muyeon as if by fate. Muyeon, who was holding a cigarette, seemed shocked by the amount of bottles in the box Seungju was carrying.
He asked again with his eyes. What’s this?
Seungju, already drunk, laughed. See you later. That’s what it meant, but Muyeon didn’t seem to understand. Because his expression crumpled mercilessly.
“Have a good night, Director!”
As if she didn’t care whether Muyeon’s expression was rotting or not, Kang Jihye cheerfully greeted him from the side. Seungju also entered the accommodation as people led him.
The drinking session was already almost set up. There were almost all members of the Quitters Club group chat, the Design Team, and a few people from the Planning Team. Seungju reflexively looked down at Sojeong.
“What about Dawon?”
“Ah, she said she has to eat with the Sales Team. Can’t be helped.”
It wasn’t just can’t be helped, it was really fortunate. Seungju put down the luggage he was carrying and sat down. He filled the glass Sojeong prepared for him with alcohol. The drinking session started with everyone toasting together once.
The topics of drinking sessions were always the same. Absurd mistakes by clients, superiors’ nonsensical instruction reversals, frustrating points of recently ongoing projects… Seungju mostly just listened while diligently drinking. Since it was a day for legal drinking, he couldn’t miss the opportunity.
The conversation that had been going around for a while flowed to a comparison of the former director and current director. After some talk continued about how it was definitely better now that the former director’s bullshit had decreased, the talk soon reached an evaluation of the current director, that is, Baek Muyeon. He works well. He’s not condescending. Where did he go to school, things like that.
Most of it was stuff Seungju already knew, but of course he was in no position to even open his mouth. So he listened even more. It had been really uncomfortable when people were evaluating Muyeon’s body and face earlier, but hearing this kind of talk was interesting. Seungju even felt a thrill. It was similar to the precarious feeling he’d felt becoming a tightrope-walking bat between the former director and Muyeon until recently, but it was a bit more fun than that.
That’s when Design Team 2’s youngest member Seong Yejin spoke up.
“Did everyone see the Director’s Instagram?”
“Huh?”
“The Director has an Instagram?”
Especially Kang Jihye reacted. She put down her glass almost throwing it and leaned her body toward Yejin. It wasn’t just her. The drinking session instantly became noisy. Hey, what? If there’s something like that, you should’ve told us sooner. What’s that Instagram like?
Seungju froze for a moment. Because it was news he was hearing for the first time in his life.
“Wait, I’m not following so I have to search by ID. Just a moment…”
“Wow, how did you find something like this? But what’s the Instagram like?”
“I just thought the Director was really popular.”
People had already flocked to Yejin’s side and were looking at her phone screen together. Jihye asked again as if frustrated.
“So why, what’s it like? Are there lots of women’s photos?”
“That too, and you know that kind of thing… Ah, found it.”
At those words, a few more people stuck close to look at the screen together. Unable to squeeze into that gap anymore, Sojeong gave up and urged Yejin. What is it, just tell me the ID. I’ll look on my phone.
People threw out comments one by one on each post with sparkling eyes.
“He really has a lot of followers.”
“His face is really handsome.”
“Ah, as expected, I knew there’d be at least one car photo.”
“His sister bought it for him.”
“This is kind of that thing, right? You know those people who get tons of DMs when they post one photo.”
“Because it’s obvious he’s handsome and has money.”
“Right, right.”
Each comment from people pierced Seungju’s ears. His mind was already in a hazy state. His heart was pounding. The thrill seemed to have gone too far and become fear. Unfortunately, Seungju’s head couldn’t keep up with the current situation.
No. He was keeping up but just didn’t want to acknowledge it. What? Baek Muyeon has an Instagram I don’t know about? There are lots of women’s photos? He gets lots of messages?
Seungju’s head turned white, then soon the emotional changes he’d experienced all day because of Muyeon flashed by. Getting pissed off, feeling good, then being thrown back into a pit. It was a speed that put roller coasters to shame. The problem was that it wasn’t fun and it was infuriating.
Seungju barely opened his mouth. His voice was all cracked.
“I want to see too.”
“Look at mine.”
Sojeong held out her phone. Seungju took the phone. His hands seemed to be shaking. Sojeong laughed. Seungju must be drunk. Seungju didn’t respond and looked into the screen.
Contrary to his desire to deny reality, everything Seungju had heard was all true.
Seungju scrolled down steadily. Face photos, landscape photos, restaurant interior photos—every time he scrolled down about four or five photos that would typically be posted on Instagram, the faces of the women in photos taken together changed each time, which was a spectacle. He must be crazy.
What was even more absurd was the condition of the places where such photos were taken. Dark interiors and sparkling lights. It was definitely a club or bar. He must have lost his mind.
Blood rushed to his head and his vision turned white. It felt like his insides were twisting.
Seungju brought the cup he was holding in his other hand to his mouth. His hand kept shaking. He put strength into his hand. He emptied the alcohol in one go and put the cup down completely, then grabbed the bottle and poured another full cup, gushing.
He’d bet he was more, much more, no a hundred times more angry than when he’d received a call from his father. It had been a really long time since he’d felt this hundred percent pure anger. There are so many things he’s experiencing for the first time in a while thanks to Baek Muyeon.
Before Seungju could down the cup full of alcohol again, someone said,
“Don’t you keep hearing a vibrating sound?”
“It must be someone’s phone.”
Only then did the vibrating sound underlying the people’s noise reach Seungju’s ears. Seungju thought that sound was very familiar.
“Whose phone is this one left on the sofa?”
“Wow. Our honey is calling.”
