“What’s wrong? Worried they’ll force you to drink? Our research lab doesn’t do that. You only drink as much as you want to drink.”
“Yes…”
If only his worry was just about drinking too much. Surim’s worry wasn’t about alcohol but about the company dinner itself. What did it matter if it was Michelin or whatever? Right now, the only food he could eat was liquids.
If he insisted on juice even at a company dinner, he’d obviously be labeled a crazy bastard. How could he get through the company dinner without problems? His head throbbed with a problem that had no solution.
* * *
Without anything being resolved, Friday evening arrived.
The Research Lab 0 staff left work a bit earlier than usual with the lab director’s permission. After getting a ride and arriving at their destination, the moment Surim saw the sign and entrance of the place, he could understand the identity of the vague memory that had come to him that morning.
It was before hyung had gotten into the traffic accident. His parents, who came home late from working overtime, had food delivered to the house, but it was exactly one portion, only hyung’s food. At times like that, hyung would split the food in half and give it to Surim, and the brothers would sit side by side with barely their hunger satisfied, looking at restaurant reviews here and there on a tablet.
‘This place got a Michelin star.’
‘Is Michelin that impressive?’
‘Of course it is. It means a lot of people recognize it.’
‘I don’t recognize it.’
When Surim spoke coyly, hyung giggled and stroked Surim’s head.
‘Okay, then let’s go together later. If our Surim doesn’t recognize a Michelin restaurant, it would be pitiful.’
Hyung promised that once he earned money, he would buy Surim lots of delicious things, and that they’d go eat lots of delicious food together. That they’d eat delicious steak at this restaurant. Then they’d have a talk about whether he’d recognize it or not.
That promise wasn’t kept, and now Surim was standing in front of that restaurant. Somehow he couldn’t breathe. I don’t want to go in. Surim stood frozen in front of the restaurant, then stepped back hesitantly. However, before he could even take two steps back, he bumped his head against the chest of the person behind him and turned around in surprise.
“I’m sorry!”
When Surim quickly apologized and raised his head, Song Hanyeong was standing there. Without any particular response, Song Hanyeong smoothly furrowed one eyebrow. It was strange. Could eyes soaked in fatigue look this melancholic? The skin that had become somewhat rough from the past few days of hardship rather made this man look like the protagonist of a hard-boiled film.
“…Aren’t you going into the restaurant?”
“Ah, yes! I’m going in now!”
Surim practically flew into the restaurant. He had thought he was becoming human again after avoiding Song Hanyeong for the past two or three days, but as soon as he came face to face with him, he immediately turned back into a stupid stalker wannabe.
Stupid Jin Surim. Trash Jin Surim. Surim squeezed his eyes shut, blaming himself inwardly.
He realized that the strange sense of rejection that had filled him just moments ago had completely disappeared when he discovered the large iron plate decoration that had particularly stood out in the review photos he’d seen with hyung. This restaurant boldly had the restaurant name stamped on a decoration with an iron plate suspended in the air, and to his young mind back then, it had looked really cool. The rest of the interior was very different from what he’d seen in photos back then.
Was that why? The beautiful chandelier glowing orange in the dark interior, and even the small fountain in the middle of the restaurant. Even looking around the interior, he only felt somewhat heavy in his chest, and didn’t feel suffocated or like his head was being squeezed like before.
Now all that filled Surim was the desire to sit far away from Song Hanyeong. Otherwise, he didn’t know what he might do.
It meant Song Hanyeong was dangerous. Of course, he himself was the perpetrator.
Surim quickly joined the researchers who were following like a flock of ducks behind the staff member moving with the menu.
Inside the room they were guided to, a chef was already waiting. The bar-like tables were arranged in a large square shape, and the chef stood inside it, cooking and serving right away.
‘It’s my first time at a place like this…’
Surim felt strangely unfamiliar and awkward as he tensely looked around for his seat. Having barely joined the tail end of the duck flock, Surim didn’t have many options. Surim hesitated when he discovered two empty seats next to each other.
Two empty seats, and two people who hadn’t sat down yet. Those two seats were for Surim and Song Hanyeong. It meant he had to sit next to Song Hanyeong.
Surim looked at the researchers with wavering eyes. The researchers skillfully avoided Surim’s gaze and focused on their menus.
‘Did everyone dislike the seat next to Manager Song…?’
The mistake in this matter was that Surim, still a sprout office worker, didn’t understand the general office worker’s mindset that at company dinners, it was more important to sit away from uncomfortable superiors than to sit according to hierarchy.
While Surim hesitated in confusion, Song Hanyeong went to his seat first and sat down. Now there was only one seat left. There was no choice.
‘Let’s just look ahead. I just won’t look to the side.’
As soon as Surim clenched his fists and sat down in the seat to Song Hanyeong’s left, the person sitting in the seat on the other side poured water and held it out. It was Lee Myeongho. He had been so focused on Song Hanyeong that he didn’t even know Lee Myeongho was there.
“Why are you hesitating so much?”
“Just because.”
Surim smiled awkwardly for no reason and pulled his chair to sit down. The seat wasn’t particularly narrow, but strangely his shoulder bumped into Song Hanyeong’s. It was when he tried to slightly move his chair toward Lee Myeongho. Song Hanyeong suddenly held out a menu.
“Oh, ah. Thank you.”
“Choose a course.”
Surim pretended to open and read the menu while carefully watching Song Hanyeong’s reaction. When they first met, it seemed like he found Surim quite disagreeable, but seeing him show this kind of kindness, maybe he didn’t dislike him that much after all.
Thank goodness. Inwardly excited, Surim turned his gaze to the menu and soon let out a small sigh. Come to think of it, this was a company dinner, and teppanyaki usually meant meat dishes. There was definitely meat in the middle of the course meals starting from soup. The only difference was whether it was meat-focused or seafood-focused. Of course, Surim was in a position where he couldn’t eat either.
Surim fiddled with the menu pages, pretending to deliberate and killing time. If they had gone to a pork belly restaurant instead, he could have at least picked at some lettuce.
‘What should I do…’
With an anxious heart, Surim moistened his lips with his tongue and just fiddled with the menu when he hastily turned the page at a sidelong glance from beside him. He’d been looking at just one page for too long. Should he pretend to deliberate a bit longer while killing time, then grab his stomach and collapse saying he felt sick?
While his head was spinning, surprisingly, there was a vegan menu on the next page. It was a course made only of vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, onions, potatoes, and zucchini.
If he ate this, he could at least buy time.
“I’ll have the Dinner F course. Surim-ssi, what will you have?”
“I’ll have this vegan course.”
“Surim-ssi, are you vegetarian?”
“Yes, I ended up that way somehow…”
Surim awkwardly scratched his cheek with his fingertips. Usually people found vegetarians uncomfortable. In college, he went to an MT and just chewed on cucumbers and carrots, and got sarcastic remarks from people in the same department.
“Wait, is that also why you don’t eat lunch with us?”
“Yes, because the cafeteria always has meat.”
“Oh my, I see. What about fish or eggs?”
“I don’t eat any of that.”
“Then milk too?”
“Yes.”
Lee Myeongho dramatically covered his mouth with his hand.
“No wonder you didn’t eat the milk rice cakes and biscuits the other day…! Wait, then you can’t eat ice cream or bread either. That’s really too much…”
“Huh? Too much…?”
“Ah. No, that’s not what I meant…”
Then, a cold voice cut between the two of them.
“Please give me the Dinner D course.”
Why did he feel intimidated by a voice that was just placing an order with the staff? While sneaking a glance to the side, Lee Myeongho changed the subject and started talking about other things.
Things like how was work, was anyone bullying him, since it would be annoying to order frequently he could buy equipment or supplies generously, and anyway the people above don’t properly check how much is being bought.
Surim couldn’t help but watch Song Hanyeong’s reaction, who was the person that “above” referred to here. Since it was said without even lowering his voice right next to him, Song Hanyeong must have heard everything, but he only furrowed his eyebrows slightly and didn’t seem to be scolding him. This made it seem like he was agreeing that it was okay to do that.
No, but surely that couldn’t be. He was probably just a person of few words, which caused that misunderstanding. He couldn’t fall for Lee Myeongho’s tricks and become an incompetent and dissolute employee. If anything, he wanted to become a competent employee worthy of praise. To be precise, he wanted to be praised by Song Hanyeong. First appeal that he was a decent employee, and later build up favorability…
Surim, who felt desire mixing into his imagination, rolled his eyes and defended himself.
‘Just a good workplace superior-subordinate relationship is fine. I just won’t stalk him.’
While setting an appropriate line, the food started being served. Soup, salad, and grilled vegetables came out in order. Surim began his meal with an indifferent attitude and no enthusiasm.
And covered his mouth with his empty hand in surprise. The taste of the vegetables grilled on the iron plate was unbelievable.
