By Zephyria 
The development team, whose dress code was relatively casual, all showed up to work dressed sharply. A situation occurred where three of them were wearing checkered shirts, but that was only an issue when other teams looked at the development team; within the team itself, no one perceived it as a problem. Yi-ho felt a shy sense of pride, noticing that the development team looked more glamorous than usual today.
And Team Leader Song Yi-ho wore a suit for the first time in a while. The second-in-command, Deputy General Manager Yoon, did the same. The reason the team leader and deputy general manager were dressed this way was that today was the day for the solution meeting, and they were scheduled to meet executives from another company.
On the other hand, the reason the staff below them were dressed up so neatly today, working with their “turtle necks” forced back into proper posture, was also because of a certain someone(?) who had arrived…
“Hello. I am Song Jun-seo.”
The long-awaited new recruit had finally arrived. Since Yi-ho had dressed in semi-formal attire as the host of the meeting, the new recruit, who was fully equipped with a tie, looked very out of place in the development team. He was truly a fresh new recruit, not an experienced hire. Those who were sunbaes only three or four years older than him, sitting in nearby seats, were the ones huffing with excitement at his fresh appearance.
“Oh, welcome. Would you like some coffee? I’ll introduce you to the breakroom first.”
“If there’s anything you’re curious about, just grab anyone and ask; they’ll all answer kindly…!”
“You have the same surname as the team leader? I can already feel the aura of a coding genius.”
“May I ask which university you graduated from?”
At that, Jun-seo went, “Ah…” and answered, raising his voice slightly.
“When asked about the future of the nation, lift your head… that school.”
“…….”
Yi-ho squeezed his eyes shut. The shame he had felt among those who bragged about their schools during his student days returned after a long time. Just as a chilling silence hung over the development team, there was one guy who couldn’t stand this situation. A loud “Pfft…!” was heard from the seat next to him. He was the guy who graduated from Korea University’s Department of Media and Communication. Then, Min-gyu’s voice reached the development team.
“Then the new recruit must be Team Leader Song’s hubae.”
“Oh, did you graduate from my school, Team Leader?”
I graduated long before you did… Yi-ho nodded awkwardly.
“Team Leader Song even got a PhD in Computer Science, right?”
“What? A PhD?”
Jun-seo’s mouth hung open as he looked at Yi-ho’s face.
“Team Leader, how old are… no, what is your age? How could you…”
“Wow, the team leader is a Korea University PhD, and the new recruit is also from Korea University… Why did you pick me for this team? I suddenly feel alienated as someone who couldn’t even get into a school in Seoul.”
Tae-gyung said with exaggeration while looking at Yi-ho. Knowing that their team leader wasn’t the type to get angry at such things, everyone joined in the teasing, saying, “Wow, Doctor—.”
“What is this? Everyone, stop it… and Team Leader Cha, stop worrying about another team and just do your own work.”
Yes, for now, the new recruit was more important to Yi-ho than the object of his fifteen-year unrequited love. Especially seeing how the former youngest member, Kwon Tae-kyung, couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up as he looked at his successor, as if he had fallen in love himself.
“Tae-gyung nim, please give him a simple walkthrough of the setup and take care of him during today’s meeting.”
“Yes!”
“Jun-seo nim, please learn a lot from Tae-gyung nim.”
“Ah, from this person?”
“Yes. Since Tae-gyung nim is your immediate senior, you’ll be taking over a lot of the work he’s been handling.”
“…Yes.”
The response was lukewarm. Yi-ho didn’t know why the voice of a senior colleague who had said, “His skill is the one thing that’s top-notch,” kept ringing in his ears. He felt as if the “one thing!” part had been particularly emphasized.
Even as Tae-gyung explained how to log in and other details, Jun-seo’s gaze periodically lost focus and drifted toward Yi-ho. Yi-ho tried his best to ignore that gaze.
Shortly before 11 o’clock, the development team members began to stand up one by one. Manager Lee stretched his arms and muttered to himself.
“Ugh, who has the nerve to visit another company at 11 AM.”
Hearing this, Jun-seo asked Tae-gyung, who was walking beside him.
“Is there a problem with doing it at 11?”
“Ah, it’s right before lunch. Usually, it’s not a time slot that sunbaes prefer.”
And upon arriving at the conference room, Jun-seo fully realized why one could complain about something like a ‘visit time slot.’
“Hello. Ah, Team Leader Song Yi-ho, it’s been a long time. I feel like you get more handsome every time I see you.”
“Ah… thank you. Have you been doing well, Managing Director?”
“Of course. Please, have a seat.”
The person who visited the conference room was a man who looked to be in his 50s or 60s. The Managing Director from OS Tech had come to pitch the integration of their company’s solution into the development team’s work.
Yi-ho always found this situation uncomfortable. He would rather be scolded by a Head of Department; he felt he would never adapt to receiving polite treatment from people the age of his father… When he confessed this to Min-gyu, Min-gyu replied that the other side knew he was flustered, which is why they sent a Managing Director as his counterpart every time. He had no words to refute that.
The Managing Director personally opened water bottles and handed them out in order of rank. When Yi-ho told him he didn’t have to go that far, he was rejected last time with the response that this was their company manual, so he should just accept it comfortably.
“Jun-seo nim, it’s my first time meeting you.”
They greeted the new recruit, Jun-seo, politely, handing him a business card and a bottle of water they had opened for him. And the long-awaited new recruit…
“Yes.”
He accepted the greeting with only a slight nod of his chin.
Manager Lee, who had complained about the 11 AM visit, and Tae-gyung, who was completely smitten with his hubae, both had their eyes widen at this moment.
Placing the other party’s business card on the meeting table is a type of etiquette. It’s to avoid confusing names during the meeting or to signal that you intend to remember them. Following Tae-gyung’s whisper, Jun-seo also placed the business card he received neatly to his right. The solution meeting began smoothly.
‘Still, he’s behaving well enough in front of his sunbaes… …?’
Just as he was thinking that, Jun-seo placed the water bottle he had received on top of the business card. Yi-ho’s pupils shook violently. The name of the Managing Director, who was standing in front explaining the solution, scattered here and there due to the diffuse reflection of the water.
Yi-ho hurriedly signaled Assistant Manager Kim Mi-so, who was sitting diagonally from him. Fortunately, she caught the signal quickly, looked behind her to see what was happening, and grasped the situation. Mi-so nudged Tae-gyung, who was next to Jun-seo, under the table, and Tae-gyung, following her gaze, looked at the seat next to him and hurriedly moved the water bottle in shock.
The meeting ended today, draining Yi-ho’s energy completely. After cleaning up and preparing to stand, the Managing Director who had given the briefing wrapped his other hand around Yi-ho’s hand, which they had shaken.
“Team Leader, I hope you view this favorably. I ask for your kind cooperation.”
“Yes. It looked good to me as well… Thank you for coming today.”
Even for Song Yi-ho, who was completely devoid of eloquence, social language came out automatically. The solution meeting ended, and the development team returned to their seats. Yi-ho’s footsteps were the most lifeless.
“We’ve passed lunch time now, right?”
In the midst of this, Jun-seo’s voice was heard again. After a sigh, Manager Lee held onto the partition and spoke.
“Jun-seo nim, I think I made a slip of the tongue in front of a new recruit earlier, but there’s no problem with coming at 11. Got it? No matter when they come, if they come at the appointed time, you shouldn’t say anything.”
“But, aren’t they from a company lower than Taejang Electronics?”
“That has nothing to do with it. Inside the conference room, we might look like the ‘gap’ because they came to sell a solution, but once we leave this building, that person is a company Managing Director, and we are just mere employees. So… sigh… please pay more attention to your attitude from now on.”
“…Ah… Yes, well.”
In the awkward atmosphere, Mi-so shouted in a forced, bright voice.
“He must have been nervous because it’s his first time! Tae-gyung nim and I will introduce Jun-seo nim to the cafeteria and explain things. Oh, should I reserve the welcome dinner for tomorrow for everyone to attend?”
This was a signal to stop it here, meaning they would go and explain things nicely. Indeed, if the new recruit ran away saying he couldn’t work here, those two would be the ones to lose the most.
Yi-ho now understood why the voice of the senior colleague who said, “His skill is the one thing that’s top-notch,” kept ringing, and why the “one thing!” part was so emphasized.
Ah, no. No.
Right, honestly, I’ve never been told I have good social skills, so how would I have been when I first joined? A developer who adapts well as soon as they enter an organization is a unicorn.
But then again, I’m terrible at speaking, but it’s not that I lack common sense… No. Other people’s perspectives might have been different.
It’s only his first day; if I teach him well, the day will come when he kicks his blankets in embarrassment remembering today. Yi-ho steadied his mind and headed to the cafeteria.
∗ ∗ ∗
Yi-ho had a minor nightmare. The new recruit, Song Jun-seo, suggested playing a drinking game at the welcome dinner and called out the “Son Byung-ho game.” And his first words were as follows:
‘Everyone below Korea University, fold your fingers.’
Unable to bear the vicarious shame, he grabbed a bottle in front of him and poured it into his own mouth, and then he woke up. It was a terrible nightmare that made him want to escape going to work.
When he opened the front door and stepped out with a pale, haggard look, Min-gyu, who encountered him, was startled.
“Why is our Song-i so withered?”
“…….”
“Did someone bully you all night? No. I was guarding the house across the street.”
With a deep sigh, Yi-ho told him about the dream, and Cha Min-gyu laughed as if he were about to roll on the floor until the elevator reached the first basement level from the 18th floor. Min-gyu’s fingerprints were smeared all over the innocent large mirror. Then, he turned Yi-ho around as he tried to walk toward his own car.
“Song-i, take my car today. If you drive in that state, you’ll get into an accident.”
“Ah, but…”
“If I park in the corner of the parking lot, who’s going to know if we came together or not.”
Cha Min-gyu, who had already grabbed both of Yi-ho’s shoulders and was leading him toward his car like a train, had essentially issued a notification rather than a proposal. Min-gyu put Yi-ho in the passenger seat and went around to the driver’s seat.
“…Fine. I’ll owe you one.”
“It’s nothing.”
Today, as well, Min-gyu was dressed in a perfectly matched suit. He was so diligent from the morning that even his hair was perfectly set. In contrast, since it was the day of the company dinner, Yi-ho was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, dressed more comfortably than usual. As for his hair… it would be a miracle if it wasn’t dripping wet.
“Song-i Song-i, what is it?”
“Huh?”
“You keep staring at me through the mirror. I’m getting nervous and might make a driving mistake.”
Despite his words, Min-gyu’s car smoothly exited the parking space and easily passed through the narrow parking lot aisle. Yi-ho placed the laptop bag he had been slouching over at his feet.
“No, just… seeing you makes me think I should have dressed more maturely. It’s the day of the new recruit’s welcome dinner.”
“Why are you trying to look good for the new recruit? The new recruit should adapt to your team.”
“That’s because… your team isn’t one where new recruits are precious.”
“Even if they are precious, it’s not like we’re going to carry them on our backs for a thousand years. That only delays the time it takes for them to do their own part.”
“…….”
“The youngest employee was originally quite underdeveloped as a person, too.”
“Don’t badmouth my rabbit-like team member. You especially seem to dislike Tae-gyung nim.”
“I don’t like the way he treats you.”
“…Why? Doesn’t he do well? He’s sociable.”
“Being good to a boss and being good to a kindergarten teacher are different things.”
…Cha Min-gyu has a cold side every now and then. No, actually, that side was closer to his fundamental attitude toward company work. It’s just that he acts like a dummy at home.