“Why did you call that man?”
“Ah, you mean Ji Seongchan-ssi?”
“Yes. That man.”
It was a strangely sarcastic tone. Surim glanced around hesitantly, then answered in a mumble.
“They only deliver to the first floor, but he said he’d help me buy the flowerpots cheaper…. Ji Seongchan-ssi said he’d help move the flowerpots….”
“Next time, just buy them expensive.”
“What?”
“I’m saying there’s no need to do useless things over the cost of flowerpots.”
“Yes…. I’m sorry….”
Surim apologized with a dark expression. He understood. Everyone knew it was because of security issues, but a feeling of hurt for unknown reasons washed over him. It was something that happened while he was trying hard and being careful. No, of course he knew Song Hanyeong had no choice but to be like that given his position. But still….
Surim felt like he might cry a little, so he couldn’t bring himself to raise his head. As he kept his mouth firmly shut like that, Song Hanyeong, who had let out a low sigh, opened his mouth in an unwilling tone.
“…If you really like buying things that cheap, next time have Lee Myeongho-ssi do it from the start.”
“…What?”
“Buy however you want, but don’t let ‘that man,’ no, any man get close to the research lab. Understand?”
“Yes…. But, I understand that….”
“You understand, but?”
Flustered, Surim forgot his gloominess and raised his head. Song Hanyeong was looking at him with his eyebrows tilted crookedly.
“Manager Lee Myeongho… what?”
“Have him do it. If Lee Myeongho-ssi isn’t available, you can have someone else do it.”
Just then, Lee Myeongho came pushing a cart into the research lab. On the cart were not only the lady palm pot that Surim and Ji Seongchan had been moving earlier, but also a money tree pot and a large sansevieria pot. Even when just the lady palm pot was on it, the cart had been heavy, but his steps were light even while pushing the cart loaded with so much.
When Surim stared blankly, Lee Myeongho hesitated.
“…What?”
“Did you understand?”
Song Hanyeong ignored Lee Myeongho’s question and looked at Surim as he asked. In the strange situation, Surim had no choice but to nod awkwardly.
When Song Hanyeong turned around as if that was enough, Lee Myeongho called out as if just remembering.
“Ah, Manager Song-nim. This flowerpot….”
“Later.”
“…Yes.”
After Song Hanyeong, who had cut him off coldly, returned to his seat, only Surim and Lee Myeongho remained there. Lee Myeongho glanced at Song Hanyeong, then examined Surim’s expression again before pushing the cart closer.
“Surim-ssi, where should I put these?”
“…I’m sorry, Manager-nim.”
“Really?”
“Yes, because of me you have to do this kind of chore….”
“If you’re sorry, raise my snack budget.”
It was a response that made his apologetic feelings disappear completely. Surim’s tears dried up instantly as he looked at Lee Myeongho with disbelieving eyes. He knew he was this kind of person, but to make such a request at this timing?
Seeing that shocked expression, Lee Myeongho giggled and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m asking where to put this.”
“…That goes next to Manager Song-nim’s seat over there….”
“Got it.”
Lee Myeongho, who pushed the cart to next to Song Hanyeong’s desk, lowered the flowerpots without showing much strain. Then he bent his waist toward Song Hanyeong and said something. The words weren’t audible.
As soon as Lee Myeongho, who had noticed Surim watching the scene with a curious face, came back, he whispered.
“Manager Song-nim said I worked hard, so he told me to raise my snack budget.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Haha!”
Surim rolled his eyes and began instructing where to arrange the next flowerpot.
* * *
Just by placing flowerpots in the research lab that had been all iron and plastic, the atmosphere became much brighter. They said office atmosphere affects work efficiency, so it seemed like it would help the researchers too.
Although one problem had occurred in the process of bringing in the flowerpots, he could work hard going forward and earn points back.
[Ji Seongchan] I’m sorry, Surim-ssi. I was just going to bring it to the door, but I didn’t know things would turn out like this. No, it’s my mistake. I’m sorry.
Ji Seongchan was also apologizing like this. Surim didn’t think Ji Seongchan had any ulterior motives either. Ji Seongchan, who said he’d gotten in through his father’s friend’s introduction, was on good terms with the Senior Researcher, and because of that, as a General Affairs Team employee, he didn’t know well how picky researchers could be. It must have just been a mistake because of that.
[Jin Surim] What happened can’t be helped. But please don’t tell anyone about this research lab. He’s uncomfortable with that kind of thing.
[Ji Seongchan] Okay. I absolutely won’t tell anyone. I’m really sorry.
After receiving multiple apologies, Surim went around watering the flowerpots with satisfaction. While doing so, he sneakily stole glances at Song Hanyeong through the leaves—he didn’t seem angry. His brow was wrinkled unlike usual, but that looked more like fatigue rather than irritation or anger.
As he quietly watched, Song Hanyeong took a sip of coffee and pressed firmly between his brows with his hand.
‘Does he… have a headache?’
It was when Surim was inserting the pre-ordered nutrients into the flowerpot while trying to remember if there had been headache medicine in the first aid kit.
“Jin Surim-ssi, let’s eat.”
“Yes, Manager-nim!”
Surim, who had jumped up from crouching, was flustered to notice that the office had become completely empty. It seemed the time he’d spent blankly worrying about Song Hanyeong’s headache had been quite long.
Surim followed closely behind Song Hanyeong, who was moving to the conference room first. As they shared weekday lunches and one weekend day eating out together, this peaceful time was gradually starting to feel natural. In fact, preparing lunchboxes like this every day was neither natural nor easy.
The lunchboxes they ate every day actually included food from shops that didn’t sell vegetarian food. Song Hanyeong used money or connections to have vegetarian food prepared and brought in lunchboxes. Of course, it seemed like he had someone else do it rather than doing it himself, but even so, it couldn’t be easy.
“It looks delicious.”
Surim, facing the vegetable bibimbap, picked up his spoon and admired it. The vegetables were also glossy and well-seasoned, and the enclosed gochujang was sweet and different from ordinary commercially sold gochujang.
When Surim looked more excited than usual, Song Hanyeong chuckled and asked.
“Do you like this?”
“Yes. What about you, Manager-nim?”
“Well….”
Song Hanyeong mixed the bibimbap with a somewhat indifferent attitude.
“I don’t really like this kind of food.”
“Ah…. Ah! Manager Song-nim, you don’t have to eat vegetarian together because of me.”
“What does that mean?”
Song Hanyeong, who had stopped his hand abruptly, narrowed his eyes. Surim wondered if he’d misspoken and ruminated on what he’d just said, but there didn’t seem to be any particular problem.
“Ah, I don’t mean I’m going to eat meat. I was saying I’ll keep eating like this and Manager Song-nim can order lunchboxes with meat and eggs.”
“…Ah.”
“Did you misunderstand? I’m not the kind of person who makes a contract again and then breaks it.”
“Yes, I misunderstood.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Is it because of the tail-chasing?”
This time Surim narrowed his eyes. Now Surim knew well what Song Hanyeong meant by tail-chasing. Early in the dispatch, Surim had slightly gone wild from the fact that he was seeing Song Hanyeong, whom he’d thought he’d never meet again, every day. Greed kept welling up to steal things Song Hanyeong had used or to steal glances at his face, so to calm his stalking desires, he’d briefly avoided him. Fortunately, when he didn’t see his face as planned, the wicked thoughts subsided a lot, so he’d only thought the plan was successful, but it turned out Song Hanyeong had apparently seen Surim hiding hurriedly several times. How absurd must it have been to see a subordinate employee hide themselves so quickly? Even thinking about it now, it was very embarrassing. Knowing this, Song Hanyeong was teasing him about that incident, calling it tail-chasing.
“No, why are you bringing that up now? I only did that briefly at first…. And you didn’t like me then either, Manager-nim.”
“I never disliked you.”
“You said my coming wasn’t particularly pleasant.”
“Because the owner of the blood in the lab came as an employee.”
As if saying wasn’t that reasonable, Song Hanyeong raised his eyebrow. Well, that was true too. Surim sullenly looked at the man he absolutely couldn’t beat, then scooped up a full spoonful of bibimbap and put it in his mouth. It was a silent declaration that he wouldn’t argue anymore.
Then Song Hanyeong also chuckled and started eating.
“……”
Surim sneakily stole glances at Song Hanyeong, who was ridiculously handsome today too, while tilting his head at the incomprehensible situation. How had he ended up arguing with Song Hanyeong?
‘Ah! Song Hanyeong misunderstood…. But what kind of misunderstanding…?’
Looking back at the situation where tail-chasing came up, it didn’t seem like he thought Surim had declared he’d eat meat.
When Surim stared openly, Song Hanyeong raised his eyebrows as if asking what while chewing the food in his mouth. Surim averted his gaze and shook his head no.
For some reason, it felt like he shouldn’t ask. Feeling strangely off, Surim focused only on eating.
