“Ah, is that so?”
The Director shrugged his shoulders as if he had expected that reaction. However, Muyeon’s retort was faster than he could add more words.
“I can buy my own coffee. Isn’t that right, Director?”
“Yees… Of course.”
“We have money. You and I both, Director.”
And then Muyeon laughed out loud. As if the joke he made was quite funny. The Sales Team people laughed along. Reluctantly, the Director also laughed along. Only Seungju looked around nervously before bursting into laughter a beat late.
Seungju was honestly a bit shocked. He didn’t know that the idol with a pretty face, kind tone, and friendly personality could make such caustic jokes without hesitation. Seungju looked at Muyeon with a dumbfounded expression.
The expression disappeared from his face as he abruptly stopped laughing. He looked cold when he wasn’t smiling. He thought he had a gentle impression, but it seemed he was wrong.
“Still, having coffee together is fine. Please arrange a meeting with the planning team leaders. There are some parts where we need to share work immediately.”
“Oh, of course. We were going to tell you as soon as things were organized on our end. You’re taking care of it first.”
The Director’s voice grew a little louder. Of course it did. The Director would be displeased that the conversation was flowing naturally into work talk.
Seungju quietly turned his head to look at the monitor. The situation just now was clearly no different from Muyeon rescuing Seungju who had been floundering in front of the Director, but he’d better withdraw now. Because the Director’s mood looked much worse than before.
Naturally, Muyeon didn’t care about the Director’s mood.
“It won’t take long to organize, right? Shall we meet tomorrow afternoon?”
“That urgently?”
“What do you mean urgently, you had plenty of time.”
Muyeon replied nonchalantly. However, the Director paused for a moment before trailing off and answering, yes, let’s do that.
During the time Muyeon’s department transfer was decided and he even moved, the Planning Division had no particular movement. The proper order would be for each team to organize their ongoing projects and share them with the new superior, General Manager Baek Muyeon, and prepare new ideas for the Sales Team, but the Director didn’t lift a finger.
Even to Seungju, the Director’s intentions were obvious. He was deliberately delaying work to make Muyeon and the Sales Team anxious, until they felt the strange feeling that only the position changed but there was no change in work. He probably planned to hold out until Muyeon asked him to proceed with the work. Then it would create a hierarchical structure as if the Director was giving work to General Manager Baek Muyeon. Anyway, he’s a petty bastard whose head only works well in that direction.
However, there was no situation in the Director’s calculations where Baek Muyeon would tell them to organize and bring the work content first. It was clear that like Seungju, he also didn’t know that Muyeon was the type to say whatever he wanted to say like that, or that he was the style to make people work very naturally.
From Seungju’s standpoint, it wasn’t bad at all. Rather, it was refreshing. He was even excited. As he wished, it was fortunate to see the Director floundering in front of the president’s son from the morning.
***
“Hello.”
Seungju, who had been filling his tumbler with water, raised his head. Muyeon was standing right next to him. He was startled, and before being startled, his mouth reacted first.
“Yes, hello.”
He’s so tall that his shadow falls, so why didn’t I notice him coming close? Is it because I was too focused on muttering curses about the company in my head? Seungju became anxious in case he had actually muttered the curses out loud. He quickly spoke to hide that anxiety.
“Thank you this morning.”
“For what?”
Muyeon answered while tearing open and putting stick coffee into a paper cup. Even his large hands and prominent wrist bones are pretty.
Seeing the expensive watch hanging on his wrist, Seungju quickly came to his senses. That’s right, the man in front of him is the president’s youngest son and a general manager. Seungju hurriedly stepped back from the water purifier.
“Please go ahead.”
“It’s okay.”
Muyeon chuckled and shook his head slightly. That again. A kind smile. He can’t help but listen. So Seungju poured water as he was doing until his 800ml tumbler was completely full. Glug glug glug. It was awkward.
In the midst of that, Seungju thought again. I’m glad I dressed up today. I’m really glad I paid attention to my hair.
“This morning, the Director.”
“Ah.”
“He was just being that way. He just meant to have a cup of coffee.”
“It didn’t really seem like that though.”
At the direct answer, Seungju unconsciously raised his head and looked at Muyeon. Usually people who are acquaintances who run into each other at the company give the best answer of “Ah, really?” in a very subtle tone in this kind of conversation. However, Muyeon didn’t do that. So in this conversation that was nothing, Seungju ended up at a loss for words.
Anyway, the Director was Seungju’s superior and it was difficult to openly curse him. Seungju replied evasively while spouting anything.
“I should be sorry, I guess.”
“Why should Team Leader Seungju be sorry?”
“Well….”
Seungju recalled their previous conversation. It seemed to be the same for Muyeon. When Seungju finally moved away from the water purifier, Muyeon said.
“That’s right, it really is a habit. But this time too, it doesn’t seem like Team Leader Seungju has anything to be sorry about.”
“I see.”
Seungju was again envious of the Sales Team people. He also remembered what Dawon had said. She said Section Chief Mu, no, General Manager Mu was good. Isn’t this not just good but the best? Compared to a superior with a potbelly and dirty temper like the Director, he’s such a sensible person that it’s an honor to compare them.
Instead of answering, Muyeon smiled a little. The slightly folding eye corners, the grinning lips look good. When he smiles like this, he looks the kindest in the world. The cold face Seungju saw this morning flew away from his mind. In front of his eyes was only a handsome man who was an angel in both face and heart.
Seungju smiled along with him. Then Muyeon blinked. And then smiled more broadly.
“You look nice when you smile.”
“Thank you.”
“You looked tired every time I saw you, so I was worried.”
Seungju’s heart pounded again. Why are you worried about me, really? Don’t treat me kindly. At the same time, Seungju resented himself for automatically having a dark complexion when entering the company. To make a handsome man worry, what a terrible affliction.
“Thank… you. I’ve been drinking a lot lately, so I guess that’s why.”
“Haha… I heard there’s a welcome party this week, will your condition be okay?”
Why are you worried about my condition, really? Making my heart flutter. Really, don’t do that.
“Oh, of course.”
“Then I’ll see you then.”
Muyeon patted Seungju’s forearm. He smiled once more and then turned around and left the break room.
Seungju belatedly nodded his head toward his back.
His head was blank. Something rang in his ears. When he realized it was the sound of his heartbeat, heat rose to his face.
The welcome party was naturally a story Seungju didn’t know about. It seems the higher-ups decided it among themselves. It didn’t really matter. That wasn’t what was important to Seungju right now.
His chest beats, his head goes blank, and his heart rises to the top of his throat and then falls back down below his solar plexus. He’s so excited that goosebumps are rising on his forearms.
The problem was he didn’t dislike this. Adrenaline shot up enough to make his head explode. As if to prove it, Seungju was still smiling after him. I must be crazy, how pathetic. He raised his hand and grabbed the corners of his mouth to forcibly pull them down.
***
From Monday, Seungju worked overtime. It was because fire fell on the Director’s feet due to Muyeon saying to have a meeting tomorrow afternoon right away. The Director told the team leaders to immediately organize the outline and details of their ongoing projects. That wasn’t a difficult task.
However, late in the afternoon, the Director called Seungju.
“Hey, Seungju.”
Seungju automatically turned his body to look at the Director. Why, you bastard?
However, his mouth politely answered on its own.
“Yes, Director.”
“Tomorrow’s meeting materials, when the team leaders are all done organizing, you receive them and organize them into one. Show me once in the morning.”
“Yes.”
He answered politely again. However, in his head, he heard the sound of a pin going ding. Seungju looked at the clock. 4:50 PM.
When he lowered his gaze from the clock hanging on the wall, Seungju’s eyes met Muyeon’s below it. He forced a smile and showed Muyeon an eye greeting.
Looking at the monitor, Seungju clenched his molars. The work the Director does is always like this. If you’re going to give instructions, give them all at once. Each team will be making meeting materials in their own way. Or there will be teams that aren’t ready yet because they’re busy with work. To gather all of that and organize it into one format, working overtime was natural.
Seungju screamed inwardly. His hands automatically went to the phone. He started making calls from Team 1. Yes, Team Leader. This is Heo Seungju from Planning Team 6. Please send me the meeting materials for tomorrow as soon as they’re organized. I’m supposed to compile them. The Director wants to see them in the morning. Yes, yes.
As expected, there were teams that hadn’t finished organizing. Seungju waited for them and opened the materials that came flying in order. Tears of blood came out. He gulped down water along with a sigh and started working. When sitting in this position, he can’t even sigh freely.
Thanks to the Director rustling around, Seungju noticed it was past 6 o’clock. Looking at the clock, it was already 6:20. Of course, no one in the office had left work.
No. Seungju, who lowered his eyes from the clock, discovered that almost all the Sales Team people had left work. Despite Muyeon still sitting at his seat.
