General Manager Mu definitely had a talent for making people’s hearts flutter even when saying the same things. It was completely different from the Director’s various shitty talents. Seungju smiled as if drawn in by his words.
As he set down his glass, Muyeon leaned his arm on the table. He propped his chin on his hand and looked at Seungju. Seungju stared blankly at the face that had gotten closer than before. Under the crimson lighting illuminating the dark bar, the man’s face looked beautiful.
Seungju thought anew that this situation was surreal. For three months, he’d only admired this man from afar, yet here they were yesterday and today, sitting alone together as if they were on intimate terms. Even when watching him from a distance for three months, even when they ran into each other in the elevator and exchanged names, he’d never imagined he’d end up talking with this person so frequently.
What blocked Seungju’s imagination were realistic reasons. The other person was a man, the president’s youngest son, a superior at the company, and had looks that Seungju had never been involved with before.
Seungju suddenly thought about what would remain if he removed all those reasons. Reflexively, his mouth felt dry. Seungju knew it was thirst. Not the kind that comes from actually being thirsty.
However, Seungju brought his glass to his lips and drank the remaining alcohol again. As expected, it was delicious. Muyeon refilled his empty glass. Seungju, who had been looking at his glass, opened his mouth.
“General Manager, you’re a good person.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you’re good to your subordinates.”
“I’m not being good to you because you’re a subordinate.”
“Then why?”
“I told you, I like you, Seungju.”
“What? That I’m cute?”
Seungju, who had answered himself and then burst into laughter, fiddled with his glass. Thinking about it again, it was really funny. Since Muyeon had been spouting this kind of bullshit to him since yesterday, even if he’d said some nonsense to Muyeon while drunk, it seemed like they could just pretend it didn’t happen.
“To think I’m thirty-one years old and hearing from my superior that I’m cute… Working at a company, all sorts of things happen.”
“You’re thirty-one, Seungju?”
“Yes. How old are you, General Manager?”
Muyeon closed his mouth for a moment. Seungju narrowed his eyes at that silence. His face was such a beautiful type and his skin was so good that it was hard to gauge his age. Muyeon covered his mouth with the hand propping up his chin and answered.
“Twenty-nine.”
“Huh?”
“Why that reaction? Do I look that old?”
He was surprised by the fact that he was younger than him. However, Seungju hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, it’s just. You’re still in your twenties yet you’re a general manager.”
“It’s possible.”
Well, of course. Because your dad is the president of Baekseong Group.
“That’s true, but it’s hard to meet a general manager like you in real life, isn’t it? They appear in dramas though.”
“In dramas?”
“You know, those dramas. The ones with general managers… slick and handsome… capable… about to inherit the company…”
Seungju, who had made eye contact with Muyeon, trailed off. He mumbled, making excuses for what he’d said. Anyway, there are dramas like that… You wouldn’t know if you don’t watch them…
As he picked up his glass again, Seungju thought to himself. Let’s call it even on the bullshit between you and me… Tomorrow I’ll have to pretend I don’t remember anything.
However, Muyeon grinned. At his reaction, Seungju looked at him with his guard slightly lowered.
“Am I handsome?”
“Don’t you look in the mirror?”
Muyeon burst into laughter again.
After his laughter stopped, he leaned his upper body in even closer. His innocent-looking face drew near. His large, clear eyes seemed to have some kind of purpose.
He blinked once and said.
“You’re handsome too, Seungju.”
Seungju, who had been looking at him as if entranced, blinked following him.
The purpose became even clearer precisely because he was drunk.
As he tilted his glass again, Seungju thought: If I’d been in my right mind, I probably wouldn’t have brought this up. Thank you, I’m honored that you’d say that… You’re more handsome, General Manager… I would have chosen responses like that instead.
But Seungju wasn’t in his right mind. So he opened his mouth, hoping Muyeon would bring him back to his senses.
“General Manager, you really… talk in a unique way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… from earlier… if someone saw this, they’d think you were hitting on me.”
Muyeon didn’t disappoint his expectations.
“You’re just realizing that now?”
Seungju blinked just like before, having lost his words.
For a moment, it felt like nothing else mattered at all.
He’s interested in me?
However, Seungju soon shook his head. Surprisingly, he discovered that even though his prediction had been correct, he wasn’t happy. Instead, he got slightly creeped out. He downed the remaining alcohol as if trying to evaporate the words he’d just heard.
“Hitting on me?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“I thought you knew too, Seungju.”
“No, I… how would I know that?”
It was a lie. Seungju had expected it. Now that he thought about it, it had been slightly, just a little bit like that. If he’d expected it very much, he would have hoped for it, and then he probably wouldn’t be trying so hard to deny reality like now.
Why?
“Why wouldn’t you know? Then do you buy meals and drinks for people you’re not interested in, Seungju?”
“I… I thought you were buying because I’m a subordinate.”
“In this day and age, what superior asks a subordinate to meet privately?”
How naive. What’s impossible at this damned company? Seungju forcibly held back the words that were about to come out reflexively. And this time, he picked up the bottle himself and filled his glass.
“Privately? Yesterday and today… aren’t these company dinners?”
“It’s not a company dinner if I’m not paying with company money.”
It wasn’t wrong. Watching the stunned Seungju, Muyeon continued.
“I bought you meals. I talk to you all the time, bought you a gift. Is that all? I even openly told you I like you.”
Right, not a single thing was wrong. Everything was really correct. It was just that Seungju had been trying hard to interpret it as the image of an ideal superior rather than a man hitting on him, so he hadn’t known.
Seungju downed his drink. Because he needed a bit of courage to say the next words.
“Why are you interested in me?”
“Take a guess.”
He’d been drinking without rest and felt dizzy. If things went well, he might vomit soon. His vision spun. Seungju picked any words that came to mind.
“Because I’m cute?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m thirty-one years old… hearing that I’m cute…”
The man before him seemed to be smiling. Seungju let out a deep sigh and blinked to clear his head.
“How old are you, General Manager?”
Muyeon burst into laughter. Haha, hahaha… Seungju rubbed his eyes with one hand and thought: Did I just make that man laugh? Then it’s roughly a success…
That’s where Seungju’s memory of that night cut off.
***
Seungju opened his eyes. He was lying in his studio apartment bed.
He was thirsty. This time it was real thirst. Not the kind of thirst felt in the throat, but the kind felt from the stomach, from deep in the bones. At times like this, if he chugged a bottle of Pocari and slept deeply again, the hangover would be less severe.
But his head was too dizzy to go to the convenience store. When he let out a sigh, his breath smelled of alcohol. He felt like vomiting from the smell of alcohol coming from his own mouth. At times like this, Seungju always had this thought: I absolutely must not drink like this for a while.
He never once thought something like “I’ll never drink that crap again.” Because alcohol was the only driving force that enabled Seungju to go back to work tomorrow. You shouldn’t even think such unlucky thoughts.
However, at this moment, Seungju felt like he was dying because of that damned alcohol. The hangover was terrible. He let out a groan automatically. With one hand he clutched his head, and with the other he fumbled under his pillow.
Fortunately, his phone was there. During his rookie days, he’d once lost his phone at a company dinner after drinking everything offered to him. That’s when Seungju first learned that the company had a separate cleanup crew for after company dinners. Those who couldn’t hold their liquor well would instead stay until the very end of the dinner gathering to pick up and collect all the various items people had dropped. Back then, Seungju had gone to the Marketing Team’s Deputy Manager Choi, who had since quit, to retrieve his phone and bowed his head in apology.
However, when Seungju drowsily opened his eyes and turned on his phone screen, he retracted his earlier thought. It would have been better if he didn’t have his phone.
He stared blankly at the number of missed call notifications on the screen. And the message notifications too.
What the hell did I do last night after drinking?
Because his head was still so dizzy, Seungju couldn’t give the dramatic reaction of jumping up from his spot. Instead, he chose to escape reality by letting out a groan and turning off the phone screen again.
After a moment, Seungju picked up the phone again as if giving up. No matter what, his head just hurt and sleep wouldn’t come back. He first checked his call history. Team Leader Cha, Team Leader Cha… Kang Jihye… There was also a call from Dawon.
Fortunately, most of the missed calls had come during the first round. Come to think of it, someone had asked him to buy ice cream, so he’d gone to the convenience store and back. It seemed like these were calls looking for Seungju that came during that time.
Phew, thank goodness.
However, Seungju frowned again. He narrowed his eyebrows and stared intently at the phone screen.
Baek Muyeon
The first problem was that Seungju didn’t remember when he’d saved Muyeon’s number. The second problem was that the contact with just the name written there felt unfamiliar.
Seungju didn’t leave company people in his contacts as simply “Baek Muyeon.” For instance, if it was Team Leader Cha, it would be “Design Team 3 Team Leader Cha Sojeong,” and if it was Dawon, it would be something like “Sales Team 2 Deputy Manager Park Dawon.” When anyone called, terribly long names would cover the screen, but Seungju didn’t find it particularly inconvenient.
This felt ominous. For now, Seungju pressed on the contact and edited his name. “Sales Team General Manager Baek Muyeon.”
The last problem was the time his call had come. Around 2 AM. The first round would have ended no later than 9 o’clock. This was really ominous.
