Monday of the first week of April, the team-wide meeting.
Manager Jeongwon’s briefing was over in ten minutes.
Last month’s results, this month’s schedule, and the expected problems and alternatives.
With every slide, only the necessary words were carried through exactly.
"Manager Yang, with that schedule, won’t the partner company say it’s impossible?"
Team Leader Choi Jeongmin’s question was sharp. The air in the conference room went taut in an instant.
"I already checked. If the schedule slips, we’ll go with Option 2, and I’ve uploaded the Option 2 materials to the shared folder."
"……Good. Next."
The team leader nodded.
Seonwoo, sitting next to me, muttered softly, "As expected."
All through the meeting, I kept looking at the side of Manager Jeongwon’s face.
It was so solid, it was hard to believe this was the same person who used to sit quietly in a corner at college events.
On the way back to my seat after the meeting, the words came out on their own.
"You really can do anything, Manager."
Manager Jeongwon stopped walking.
"……It’s not that much."
That’s what he said.
But even after sitting down, Manager Jeongwon kept pulling his chair forward for no reason, then back, then forward again.
The corners of his mouth just wouldn’t come down.
*
For lunch, the whole team went to the kalguksu place in front of the company.
By the time we sat down, the seat next to Manager Jeongwon had become mine.
Manager Jeongwon opened the utensil container and placed chopsticks in front of the team one by one.
Team Leader, Manager Yujin, Seonwoo, Hyunseo.
His movements were quick and neat.
Last of all, he placed utensils in front of me.
Two spoons.
"Manager, where are the chopsticks?"
Manager Jeongwon looked down at the space in front of me.
Two spoons were lying side by side.
"……Because with kalguksu, the broth matters."
"Still, you’re supposed to eat the noodles with chopsticks."
Without a word, Manager Jeongwon took back one spoon and put down chopsticks for me.
Hyunseo across from us lowered his head and shook with laughter.
Manager Jeongwon, holding the kettle, poured water into each team member’s cup in turn.
He even filled my cup, so I bowed my head.
"Thank you, Manager."
"……Me too."
The table went quiet for a moment.
"For what?"
Seonwoo asked.
Manager Jeongwon set the kettle down and answered a beat late.
"……I mean, I’ll enjoy it too."
"But the kalguksu hasn’t even come out yet?"
"Ahead of time."
Seonwoo tilted his head, and Hyunseo lowered his again.
Manager Jeongwon didn’t look my way even once until the kalguksu came out.
Come to think of it, only Manager Jeongwon’s cup was empty at the table.
He had filled everyone else’s cup without missing one.
*
Three in the afternoon.
When I went into the pantry, Manager Jeongwon happened to be brewing coffee.
It was just the two of us.
I stood on tiptoe to try to reach the tea box on the top shelf of the cabinet.
My fingertips were almost, but not quite, touching the corner of the box.
"I’ll do it."
A voice came from behind me.
Manager Jeongwon’s arm reached over my head and took down the box. For just a moment, I could smell fabric softener from his shirt.
"Thank you."
When I turned around, he was closer than I expected.
Manager Jeongwon took a step back.
Then, as if he had something to do, he picked up the sugar sticks on the table.
He tore one open and poured it into the Americano.
Another one.
And another.
"Manager, do you take sugar?"
Manager Jeongwon’s hand stopped.
Three empty sugar packets were lined up beside the cup.
"……Sometimes."
Manager Jeongwon lifted the cup and took a sip.
His expression stayed the same, but his brow twitched just a little.
"Is it good?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"……When I’m tired, I like sweet things."
After saying that, he carried the coffee out, and his back somehow looked rushed.
I stood there holding the tea bag and struggled to hold back my laughter for a long while.
I was waiting for the tea to steep when Manager Yujin came in.
By the sink, Manager Jeongwon’s cup had already been returned.
Along with more than half the coffee still left in it.
"Huh? This is Manager Yang’s cup. Why did he leave so much?"
"He put in three sugars just now."
"Manager Yang did? Sugar?"
Manager Yujin’s eyes went wide.
"That guy hates sweets. I’ve never once seen him put sugar in coffee in four years. He’s the type who doesn’t even eat dessert at company dinners."
"……Really?"
"It was weird at lunch too. He poured water for everyone and left only his own cup empty. I wonder if something’s going on these days."
The manager tilted his head, rinsed the cup, and turned it upside down.
*
At quitting time, I ran into Manager Jeongwon in front of the elevator.
The doors opened, and only the two of us got in.
Manager Jeongwon pressed the button.
Not the first floor, but the top number, 25.
"Manager, that’s the top floor."
Manager Jeongwon looked down at the button panel.
After staring at the lit-up 25 for a while, he answered as if nothing were wrong.
"……I’m going to exercise."
"From the 25th floor?"
"I’m going to walk down the stairs."
"You’re wearing heels."
"……"
Manager Jeongwon pressed the 1st-floor button instead of answering.
The elevator honestly began rising upward.
In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and covered my mouth.
My shoulders shook.
"Don’t laugh."
"I’m not laughing."
"You are laughing."
Manager Jeongwon kept staring straight ahead until the end.
But his ears were red.
The doors opened and closed on the 25th floor, and the elevator went back down for a long while.
All that time, neither of us said a word.
In that quiet stretch, I kept thinking.
A person who answers the team leader’s questions in one second.
A person who neatly places each team member’s utensils one by one.
A person who won’t even touch sweet coffee.
But everything weird that happened today happened right in front of me.
Why only in front of me?
We reached the first floor and the doors opened.
Manager Jeongwon said, "See you tomorrow," and walked out first.
With red ears, trying to act like nothing was wrong.
Watching his back, I had that thought.
Cute.
……Cute?
I froze in place and shook my head hard.
Cute, my supervisor?
I must be losing it, Kim Yeoju.
