On the first Monday of March,
I arrived in front of the company forty minutes earlier than my start time.
The lobby of HY headquarters was much taller than I’d expected.
Under the morning sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, people with employee badges around their necks were hurrying through the gate.
I still didn’t have an employee badge.
Instead, I was clutching the temporary access pass I’d received from HR.
"Kim Yeoju?"
At the familiar voice, I turned my head.
"Park Jongseong! You really got in?"
"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you I got in? I’m on the sales team."
Jongseong had been a classmate I’d stuck with since freshman year of college.
It felt like just yesterday that we’d gotten our final acceptance texts on the same day and screamed into our phones.
"Your tie’s crooked."
"Really? I tied it three times this morning."
When I straightened his tie for him, Jongseong shrugged.
"Let’s have lunch often. New hires should stick together."
"Deal."
-
After parting with Jongseong, I got off on the 12th floor.
Brand Marketing Team.
As soon as the HR staff member who’d escorted me disappeared, my heart suddenly started pounding.
"Ms. Kim Yeoju? Nice to meet you. I’m Team Lead Choi Jeongmin."
The team lead had short hair and glasses, and looked like someone who was good at her job at first glance.
"Our team runs on a mentor system. For the first few months, you just need to stick close to your mentor and learn. Assistant Manager Yang!"
Someone stood up from beyond the partition.
And I recognized that face at once.
Tall, with neatly swept-back bangs and eyes that looked a little cold when his expression was blank.
His shoulders were broader than in college, and his whole vibe was more solid, but it was definitely him.
"Senior Jeongwon!"
My voice came out louder than I’d expected.
I was even waving.
All the eyes in the office turned to me at once, but I didn’t care.
On the first day at an unfamiliar company, I was just so happy to see a familiar face.
My senior paused. Just for a moment. Really, just a moment.
"...Long time no see, Ms. Kim Yeoju."
Huh?
"Do you two know each other?"
"She’s my junior from college."
My senior answered calmly and held out a hand.
I took it awkwardly. The handshake was short, precise, and businesslike.
Ms. Kim Yeoju. And the formal speech.
What had my senior called me in college?
I tried to dig through my memory, but nothing in particular came to mind.
To be honest, we hadn’t been that close.
A senior two years above me in the same department. Someone who always sat quietly off to the side at department events.
But whenever we ran into each other, she always greeted me first. A kind senior.
That was about it.
So this was right.
We’re at work, and he’s my mentor.
Even so, I felt awkward for no reason.
Not knowing what to do with the hand I’d been waving, I quietly tucked it behind my back.
"You can sit here."
The seat my senior led me to was right next to his.
A monitor and keyboard, a new planner, and three pens were neatly laid out.
"Today we’ll just look at system setup and the team workflow. Don’t try to memorize everything from the start."
My senior’s explanation was crisp.
Internal messenger, approval system, shared folder structure, weekly meeting schedule. Only the necessary words, in the exact order.
When my hands got busy taking notes, he stopped and waited; when I looked up, he continued again.
"Any questions?"
"No, I’m okay for now."
"Then ask if anything comes up."
That was all.
No college talk, no small talk about how we’d been doing all this time.
-
Around lunchtime, Assistant Manager Ahn Yujin from our team took me and my fellow new hire Hyunseo to the cafeteria.
"For Yeoju to have Yang as her mentor, you’re lucky. He’s our team ace."
"He’s that good at his job?"
"He doesn’t make mistakes. In four years, I’ve never seen him miss a thing."
After the assistant manager stepped away, Hyunseo nudged my side.
"But he’s your college senior, right? He seemed really happy to see you. You were the only one."
"...Was it that obvious?"
"Totally."
I stirred my soup with my spoon for no reason.
Yeah.
Was I the only one who was happy to see him?
-
Around three in the afternoon, Assistant Manager Yujin took coffee orders in the team group chat.
I stared at the menu photo for a long time.
Caramel macchiato.
The menu I’d had in my hand throughout all four years of college, whether it was exam season or not.
Just thinking of that sweet, rich taste made my mouth water.
But every order that went up in the group chat was the same.
Iced Americano.
Iced Americano for me too.
I wonder what people would think if a newbie ordered a sweet coffee with whipped cream on the first day. Wouldn’t I seem childish?
I paused, then finally typed this.
I’ll have an iced Americano too!
The coffee arrived soon after.
After one sip, the bitterness spread sharply across my tongue.
I composed my expression and looked up, and I thought the senior next to me was looking at me.
Maybe it was my imagination, because he was already looking at his monitor.
-
A little after six, the office began to empty out one by one.
"Ms. Kim Yeoju, you can head home today. No need to stay late on your first day."
"What about you, Assistant Manager?"
"I’m just finishing this up."
I hesitated while packing my bag.
Should I ask him to leave together?
I wanted to talk a little about college.
But my senior was already focused on his monitor, and his side profile didn’t leave room for conversation.
"Then I’ll head out first."
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
At the elevator, I pressed the button and waited, when I heard footsteps behind me.
It was my senior.
He had a document envelope in his hand.
"You left this behind."
"Huh? I didn’t leave anything behind..."
Instead of answering, my senior placed the envelope in my hand.
And just before the elevator doors opened, he added one more thing.
"If you don’t know something, ask right away. Don’t just sit on it by yourself."
"...Okay."
The doors closed.
On the subway, I opened the envelope.
Inside was a single A4 sheet.
The order for submitting approvals, the paths most often used in the shared folder, even the points the team leader pays special attention to in reports.
Everything I’d heard that day was neatly organized at a glance.
It was a document I’d never seen in any handover file.
The team handover document I’d received that morning was a thick file that looked like it had only had things added to it for years, but this was different.
A document that had picked out only the things a new hire would get confused about right away and organized them separately.
When did he make this?
I’d thought he was just working on his own stuff beside me all day.
As I was about to fold the paper, I found a small line written in the bottom corner.
You worked hard on your first day.
I stared at that short sentence for a long time.
The voice that had drawn a line with “Ms. Kim Yeoju.”
The businesslike handshake. And this note.
Was he keeping his distance, or was he being kind?
I put the note back in the envelope and slipped it into the innermost pocket of my bag.
So it wouldn’t get wrinkled.
I’d thought I was the only one who was happy to see him.
I really don’t know, Senior Jeongwon.
No, Assistant Manager Jeongwon
I’m back with a new work!!!
There were a lot of requests for BND members, but I finished a Taesan work and brought another idol group instead haha
Jeongwon really was so handsome too haha
This time, I’m going to go with an office setting!! I’m planning to focus a bit more on the romance haha
Please enjoy this one too!! Thank you!!🫶🫶"]}]}ি}]} [
