I arrived at work, but nothing had changed. No one knew how miserable I was or what had happened. It was just the fate of a passerby. And even though it wasn't their fault, I still felt uneasy. As soon as I got to work, I picked up my phone and sent a text message to two of my few friends. I suggested we grab a drink after work.
He happened to be in the same department as me. I was a team leader, but he was a full-time employee. I think it had been about nine months since I joined the company. Now that we're strangers, I have to use honorifics.
“Jimin, please organize the sales figures for author Song Ye-won’s new work.”
" .. yes. "
I don't understand why you're furrowing your brows. I'm the one who should be angry right now. Why are you making that face at me? Why is your voice like that? I want to grab you right now and ask. But the vice president's summons prevented me from doing so.
“.. Are you calling this a plan now?”
The vice president, known for his pickiness, is also notorious for nitpicking over trivial matters. He's truly the epitome of a jerk. What, really? The reason he can't say a word is because a senior colleague who once made that remark got fired from his job. Rumors of him having connections have been swirling, but they've since died down.
“Who did you entrust this plan to?”
“.. This is employee Park Jimin.”
“Call employee Park Jimin right now and come to me.”
I wonder if anyone would call me a jerk. It looks like I'm the one getting yelled at. There's clearly nothing wrong with the plan, but I think you're the one who's making things worse. And of all people, you're the one who's making things worse.
“.. Haa, Jimin, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go with me.”
You frowned at my words. You probably thought I was talking about divorce, but since it was that old-fashioned vice president calling, I had no choice but to come. If it was divorce, I would cry and repeat it to myself until I was sick of it.
“This is a call for the Vice President.”
“Oh, I understand...”
He seemed like he was going to say something, but he stopped himself, so I just walked ahead. He was a stranger, so why bother talking about personal matters?
“.. Did employee Park Jimin write this?”
" yes. "
“What the hell have you been doing for the past nine months? Haven’t you learned anything? Or is your brain just not up to par?”
The moment he arrived, the vice president started spouting nonsense. Seriously, it's even more surprising he hasn't been fired yet. I don't know when this story will end. That means more opportunities for me to work overtime. I took advantage of the brief pause and stood before you.
“I’m sorry, Vice President. I’m sorry for not taking care of our team members.”
“It’s almost lunchtime. How about cooling off by eating lunch first?”
The vice president coughs in response to my words, gives me a disapproving look, and leaves the office with his luggage on his back. Seriously, there's no other word to replace him than "old fart."
.. (eyes, eyes) Oh.. That's s.. There's a reason.. Hurry.. It's late.. s..